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Chapter 412 Take a Gamble

"You two, stop fooling around." Lu Qing frowned, clearly feeling that Zhu Yu and Yan Daoxin were being too frivolous. "This matter needs to be discussed more carefully..."

"Alright, how about we wait until your 80th birthday before making a decision?" Yan Daoxin glanced at him. "Oh, wait, even General Cao Tianbao has been falsely accused of manufacturing weapons. I don't think the people plotting this in secret have that much patience."

Once they succeed, I'll have a good chance, but you two probably won't live to see your 80th birthdays!

If you can't bear to let Zhu Yu take the risk alone, then continue to be cautious and wait for the other side to seize the initiative first, then the two of you can go to your deaths together.

Yan Daoxin's words were extremely disheartening, yet Lu Qing couldn't refute them.

Seeing that his face had darkened, Yan Daoxin changed his words and said, "If Zhu Yu were to do this on his own, I also feel it would be unsafe, but with me by your side, what are you afraid of?"
Could it be that you're going to disguise yourself and go in with her?
Honestly, while I'd also like to see how ugly you look dressed as a woman, I know that even ghosts wouldn't believe you, let alone the people in that little mountain building.

Zhu Yu, who was listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh.

Just imagining Lu Qing wearing a silk skirt, her hair in a bun, adorned with pearls and jade ornaments, made her think the image was too funny.

Anyone with eyes could see that with his well-defined jawline, broad shoulders, and muscular arms, he was definitely a real man, and there was no way to fool him.

Lu Qing knew that he couldn't disguise himself as a woman to sneak in. Even though he had learned a skill from his master to use a fake skin to disguise himself, it was really difficult to change a person's bone structure. He could only disguise himself as a man who was either old or young, handsome or ugly, but he could never turn himself into a woman.

He knew Yan Daoxin's abilities, and his appearance was also impressive, but being able to fool people in appearance and in reality are two different things: "That being said, the people in Xiaoshanlou are not fools. Before deciding to take someone in, wouldn't those old women mentioned by the musicians verify their identity first?"

"If we don't take a gamble, who will know?" Yan Daoxin shrugged. "Let's say we two sneak in. If there really is such a strict identity verification process, then I'll drug them on the spot and tie them up one by one."

When you go in with the runes and talismans, we'll interrogate you and ask you whatever questions we want. Once we've got the people inside under control, figuring out the rest of the tricks will just be a matter of time.

Since we can't avoid alerting the enemy anyway, what's there to be afraid of?

“I don’t think there are necessarily such strict rules for verifying identity.” Zhu Yu had his own opinion on this matter. “If there were such a step, it might really just be a place for wealthy families to find concubines and beauties.”

I fear that they are going to great lengths to recruit women there and keep them as pets, and their true intentions are not so simple.

Didn't those musicians say that they've recently been recruiting even strong and healthy men? Considering everything I've heard before, if the people brought in aren't intended to be concubines or gigolos for those nobles, then whether or not they're physically examined is irrelevant.

Therefore, if one slips up as soon as they enter, and has to knock those people out of their skin to control the situation, then the seriousness of the matter is not entirely unreasonable.

On the contrary, if the two of us can sneak in smoothly, this matter will be more troublesome.

"Do you think those people, who were taken in and raised to be extremely fair-skinned and beautiful, could be used as concubines or gigolos for others?" Lu Qing asked.

Zhu Yu's expression was serious, and he sighed softly: "Regardless of family background, they even specifically choose families with pretty faces but poor circumstances, asking them to hand over their daughters and promising them a large sum of money and extremely generous dowry. But after silencing the girl's family with real money, we have never heard of anyone's whereabouts being clear."

No one has ever heard of the whereabouts of the woman sent away from Xiaoshanlou...

So I think…

Zhu Yu pursed her lips; just thinking about saying those few words made her feel incredibly awkward.

“They might… have been eaten.” She took a deep breath and stated her thoughts directly.

Upon hearing this, Yan Daoxin and Lu Qing remained silent, neither of them showing any surprise or disbelief.

It seems they have similar thoughts.

"The descriptions of the woman in the small building by those people are far from normal. To me, she sounds more like a drug-impregnated person, processed to the bone," Zhu Yu continued. "Since it was intended for the wealthy and powerful, it's unlikely she was devoured alive, but... didn't Jiang Hong say he heard that there was once a gaunt, snow-white-haired female ghost in that small building...?"

So, it's probably like the Chang'e Wine in the Fairy Castle; what those wealthy and powerful families need is blood, fresh blood.

As Zhu Yu spoke, he couldn't help but shiver.

She had read about similar things in some books in the past. For example, there was a prefect from a prestigious family in a certain dynasty who believed that the scabs on people's bodies had medicinal value and could cure diseases. So he forced his servants to beat each other until they were covered with wounds and scabs. Then he would peel off the scabs and eat them to cure his diseases.

There was a time when a sorcerer presented the emperor with a so-called "red lead formula," which led the foolish emperor to torture and kill more than two hundred palace maids in an attempt to "harmonize water and fire" and "promote yang."

These evil practices of "cannibalism to replenish human health" are so disturbing that just hearing about them makes one feel deeply uncomfortable, let alone witnessing them firsthand.

So when Zhu Yu thought about the real shady dealings that might exist inside the small building, he felt a slight tremor of unease and anger.

Lu Qing reached out and cupped Zhu Yu's hand in her palm, feeling the coolness emanating from it, and frowned.

"Don't hesitate any longer. We only have this many people, so there's no room for deliberation." Zhu Yu sighed and said to him, "If it's just that those nobles are using some evil and crooked methods that harm people's lives to prolong their lives, then that would be the most optimistic outcome of this matter."

If the impact is truly more serious, then from any perspective, we cannot delay any longer.

Don't worry, I'm clear-headed and don't act impulsively. Plus, I have Yan Daoxin's methods and abilities, so there won't be any problems.

With you and the runes ready to help at any time, I have even less to worry about!

Lu Qing finally nodded: "Alright, but we need to make thorough preparations before heading to Xiaoshanlou."