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Chapter 362 Sachet
Zhu Yu couldn't refute Yan Daoxin's words, because if she were in Yan Daoxin's shoes, she would probably be just as conflicted.

Although it's a bit scary to think back on it, we've gotten through that hurdle, so there's no need to worry too much.

Zhu Yu quickly adjusted his state and, while Lu Yan and Lu Zhang were talking to Lu Qing, quietly called the talisman aside.

"When that old steward and the guard came in just now, you were both following them, weren't you?" she asked the two brothers. "Did you notice that they both had something that looked like a sachet hanging from their waists?"

Fu Wen and Fu Lu immediately nodded. Having followed Lu Qing for many years, they were used to being vigilant and paying close attention to the people and things around them to prevent anyone from taking advantage of them and doing anything that could endanger Lu Qing's life.

So, although they were instructed by Lu Qing to remain quiet and watch quietly from the sidelines from beginning to end, the two brothers observed every person who entered their field of vision and passed by them very carefully.

They also noticed the sachet that Zhu Yu mentioned. After all, it wouldn't be strange if only the old steward wore one. Generally speaking, stewards of wealthy families would follow the example of their masters and try to be cultured, so it wasn't unusual for them to carry such trinkets with them.

However, the guards were all tall, burly men who were usually unconcerned with details. Let alone burning incense, it was already quite difficult for them to keep their clothes clean.

“Second Master, we also noticed the sachets around their waists. Do you think there’s anything… inappropriate about them?” Fu Lu asked.

Zhu Yu hummed in agreement: "Originally, I didn't think there was anything wrong with the sachet that the old steward was wearing, but today I saw that all the guards were wearing it, so I became a little suspicious."

I clearly remember these past few days that the servants who brought us meals every day did not carry any of these sachets.

I just watched them go in and out, moving extremely quickly, clearly unaffected by the sleeping gas, and they didn't have any particular smell on them.

Therefore, I suspect that the incense smoke in the incense burner by the wall outside can only be lit during the day because it clashes with the medicinal properties of the incense delivery team at night, so that Fu Wen and Lu Yan can go out at night without being affected.

The flowers in the small pond bloomed at night, and we would fall asleep because of their fragrance.

During the day, the incense outside would give us the illusion that we couldn't find our way and couldn't leave the courtyard. The servants would be in a daze, like a group of walking corpses, and naturally they would no longer be disturbed by the incense.

The old steward and the guards were different. They went in and out during the day, patrolling everywhere, and were unaffected by the sleeping incense. This was obviously related to the identical sachets they carried—which contained the antidote to the sleeping incense that made it impossible for us to move an inch during the day.

However, this is just my speculation; we cannot rule out the possibility that these people secretly took some other antidote.

Fu Wen nodded repeatedly, certain that Zhu Yu already had a plan: "Second Master, what do you want us to do?"

"They were just here during the day, so they're definitely still suspicious of us. Don't make any rash moves during the day; just stay in this courtyard and don't let anyone notice anything amiss," Zhu Yu instructed in a low voice. "Use this time to have Yan Daoxin prepare some medicinal powder with no special smell. You can go out at night. Didn't Fu Wen say before that the guards are divided into two shifts, one patrolling during the day and the other at night?"

That way you can find an opportunity to locate where the daytime guards rest at night and try to switch the contents of their sachets with theirs.

Our actions are currently restricted, and we are far outnumbered by them, so we need to solve this problem first, then control a portion of them, and things will be much easier after that.

That old steward is getting on in years; without these guards backing him up, he can't really cause any trouble.

"Second Master's idea is great! We'll go out and do it when it gets dark!" Fu Lu rubbed his hands together, looking very excited. He must have been feeling really stifled these past few days and couldn't wait to have a chance to show off his skills.

Fu Wen was even more clever than Fu Lu, his eyes darting around: "Second Master, if we can pull off a switcheroo and replace the sachets worn by the guards during the day, these people will easily lose their way when they go out at dawn tomorrow, and we can easily capture them. In that case, the night patrol guards who go back to sleep will also be sitting ducks!"
"We just need to put some sleeping incense in the house to put them to sleep. After we deal with those people outside, we can take care of them in one fell swoop."

“Looking at it this way, I was being too cautious.” Zhu Yu felt that Fu Wen’s words made a lot of sense. “Since we should either not do it at all, or we should do it in one go, I will discuss it with the prince again and try to make the arrangements even more thorough.”

The runes and talismans nodded repeatedly.

Zhu Yu then slowly walked to Lu Qing's side, wanting to wait for him to finish talking to Lu Yan and Lu Zhang before speaking.

The three Lu brothers weren't discussing anything particularly important at the moment. Initially, Lu Yan was quite surprised that these people had gone to such lengths to search for the strange flower seedlings and was curious about their purpose.

However, Lu Qing clearly didn't particularly want to discuss these things with him. After a few words, the topic gradually shifted to Lu Yan's understanding of the terrain of the fortress when he ran out alone the night before.

Initially, Lu Yan did most of the talking, but as Lu Zhang listened, he couldn't help but interrupt and scold Lu Yan for his recklessness. After all, it turned out that Lu Qing's judgment was correct. Not only were Lu Yan's tax collectors not with the others, but they had all died in the dark dungeon.

In other words, Lu Yan's trip was completely futile, and he might even have put himself in danger for nothing.

There was nothing wrong with what Lu Zhang said. He couldn't help but speak up because he had never faced this situation alone before, which made him uneasy. Seeing the guards rushing in and searching for things, he became even more nervous.

The thought that Lu Yan's recklessness and impulsiveness might cause other trouble made him feel particularly uneasy, which is why he couldn't help but remind Lu Yan a few times while he was talking non-stop.

It would have been better if he hadn't spoken up. Lu Yan had noticed his timidity over the past few days. If Lu Qing had spoken, Lu Yan could have listened patiently, but when it was Lu Zhang who spoke, he couldn't suppress his anger.