Zhu Yan suppressed her laughter, her eyes softening. “Why would anyone be interested in mummies? What they want is resurrection.”

“Bah,” Jing Lin scoffed, his face full of disdain. “I’m afraid they’ll end up as mummies themselves.”

Disregarding ethics and morality, committing heinous crimes, and still hoping for immortality? Even the chance of reincarnation was questionable for them.

“Taking the wrong path, their souls will have nowhere to go. Eternal oblivion suits them best.”

Zhu Yan agreed with this sentiment. She also believed that these Fire Moth Party members, each ruthless and murderous, would not meet a good end.

But now, there were more pressing matters at hand.

“Bring two basins of water.”

Soon, someone brought two basins of water and placed them on a platform in the corner of the room.

Zhu Yan put the contents of one plate into the water to clean them, while Jing Lin followed suit with the other.

It didn’t take long before the previously indistinguishable objects revealed their true nature. Zhu Yan wrapped one in white cloth, held it up, and examined it in the light.

There was nothing particularly special about it; it was just some common incense found in temples.

The others were similar, matching her predictions.

Tired from bending over for so long, Zhu Yan was about to stand up when something in the tray caught her eye. She quickly separated the half-digested incense and picked up the object with tweezers for a closer look.

At first glance, it looked like a stone. Having been wrapped in incense for a long time, this “stone” had a purplish-brown surface and was rather small and unremarkable.

Using a blade to scrape the surface, the true color was quickly revealed – it was red, a bright red.

“Cinnabar?”

Cinnabar was used in Taoist alchemy and was extremely rare, making it incredibly valuable. Even a peck of it was worth ten gold pieces.

Jing Lin, having spent a long time in the cabinet, naturally knew about this: “They even ate cinnabar?”

The two exchanged a glance, and Jing Lin clicked his tongue. “Did they turn their stomachs into alchemical furnaces?”

Zhu Yan’s thoughts, however, were elsewhere. She stood up, packed everything away, and headed out.

Jing Lin hurriedly followed, instructing the others to keep watch over the corpses.

Jing Lin escorted Zhu Yan back. As Zhu Yan reached the corridor, she noticed it was unusually quiet. Looking back, she found that Jing Lin had disappeared.

Knowing that Jing Lin was busy and had taken time out to protect her, Zhu Yan didn’t dwell on it. She had already reached Su Guang’s room.

Su Guang had just finished her strange prayer ritual and was getting up, making odd gestures while putting away the peculiar fire and snake intertwined totem.

She prayed every day, truly devout.

After pausing for a moment, Zhu Yan turned and walked towards Pan Chi’s room.

She remembered Pan Chi mentioning that Su Guang’s ritual had something to do with fire, and she needed to ask him about it.

Earlier, when she was about to arrive, Shen Du had already been waiting for her behind the door, but she never came. Now, seeing her change direction and head toward Pan Chi’s room, he felt a sense of being passed over.

Had he fallen out of favor?

In the room, Jing Lin saw Shen Du almost crushing the doorframe and, without waiting for Shen Du’s instructions, silently followed Zhu Yan.

At this moment, Pan Chi wasn’t idle either. He was dealing with matters of the yamen.

Since Mo Qianzhi had defected and taken most of the yamen’s officers with him, the Yingzhou government needed to be reorganized.

Having followed Governor Pan in the government since childhood, Pan Chi was well-versed in the positions within. Still, he didn’t dare to be careless and was meticulously listing out each item when he heard a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Zhu Yan entered and saw Pan Chi working diligently at the desk by the window.

She had never seen Pan Chi so focused on work before, so she watched for a while without disturbing him.

After a long silence from the visitor, Pan Chi looked up with furrowed brows.

Realizing it was Zhu Yan, the tension immediately dissipated, and he returned to his usual self – a jade-like face, slightly curved lips, peach blossom eyes naturally tinged with mockery, ink-black hair half-draped, and glistening red lips.

Before she could reach his desk, Pan Chi, in a rare gesture, stood up and guided her to sit in his place.

Before her eyes was a register filled with names and positions.

Turning to the cover, she realized it was the roster of the newly reorganized government. After carefully examining it, she returned to the first page she had seen.

Hmm, whether it was Pan Chi’s habitual frivolity creating a familiar impression or something else, Zhu Yan found herself somewhat unaccustomed to his serious demeanor.

“Look, I organized this all by myself,” Pan Chi boasted, “Jing Lin didn’t help at all. He’s just a brute.”

Jing Lin, hidden nearby: …

“I didn’t expect your handwriting to be so beautiful.” It resembled dragon hooks, powerful and vigorous.

Zhu Yan thought, with such good looks, excellence in both civil and military affairs, and such beautiful handwriting, who could resist a man like this?

“It’s truly a shame to confine someone like you here.”

Pan Chi leaned in, causing Zhu Yan to instinctively back away. Unfazed, he rubbed his nose and said:

“That’s right, you should know, I’m doing all this for you.”

Zhu Yan was about to leave, but Pan Chi held her back, pleading:

“My lady, at least let me finish what I was saying.”

Not daring to be too forward, Pan Chi spoke about the important matters:

“I need to personally arrange the new government organization. Besides this, I also have to compile the changes in officials and submit a memorial to the court.”

At this point, his face showed pain. Zhu Yan didn’t understand until she saw Pan Chi’s usually playful dark eyes clouded with a rare seriousness:

“It will be signed by Shen Du, that Grand Secretary.”

As he spoke, he huffed and puffed, clearly annoyed. “He’s been pretending to be sick and doing absolutely nothing.”

This was indeed a bit excessive, but since Shen Du never revealed his plans, no one dared to ask.

“That Shen Du is just lucky. He not only got a good wife for free but is now taking advantage of me.”

Zhu Yan was stunned. How did that last sentence sound so off?

Pan Chi covered his face with his hand and looked at Zhu Yan. Those eyes, half-filled with affection when open, were now brimming with despair. He felt half-dead and even began to miss the leisurely days when he was poisoned.

“Please, let this plan of his end quickly. I can’t take it anymore.”

As Pan Chi complained, he reached out for a hug. Just as he got close to Zhu Yan, a sword suddenly appeared between them, its cold light dazzling.

He had to straighten up, looking at the newcomer with tired eyes. “Why are you here?”

Jing Lin glanced at him without a word.

The sudden appearance of this elusive person didn’t surprise anyone. Zhu Yan caught a glimpse of Jing Lin from the corner of her eye and smiled helplessly.

“How did the autopsy go?” Pan Chi asked casually, showing little interest.

Zhu Yan briefly explained the autopsy results, focusing on the fact that the corpse hadn’t decomposed and the presence of incense and cinnabar in the abdomen.

Pan Chi cautiously said, “Cinnabar is toxic and shouldn’t be consumed in large quantities, but it can prevent corpse decay. Those who seek immortality and consume alchemical pills for a long time often have bodies that don’t decompose after death, following this principle.”

This aligned with Zhu Yan’s speculation. Her expression darkened slightly. “If that’s the case, Lai Luofu’s life might not last much longer.”

Long-term consumption of cinnabar was equivalent to suicide; seekers of immortality throughout history had often lived short lives.

But for now, they needed to capture Lai Luofu to fully unravel the mystery.

Zhu Yan asked about the purpose of her visit: “You mentioned before that the Holy Woman Su Guang worships fire, right?”

“Have you discovered something?”

Zhu Yan nodded. “I have some conjectures.”

Pan Chi’s expression brightened. “If I tell you, will you agree to what I asked on the city wall?”

He looked at Zhu Yan expectantly.

Zhu Yan once again showed that bewildered look. Seeing Pan Chi’s eyes sparkling, she suddenly realized something and took out an amber stone from her waist pouch, handing it to Pan Chi.

The gesture was so abrupt that Pan Chi didn’t even react at first. After a moment of surprise, he tried to return it to her.

Zhu Yan refused, stepping back several paces with a determined expression.