Chapter 258: Chapter 109: Covering for Him_2
He raised the torch as he walked towards the medical hall, asking Lu Tong, "Doctor Lu, have you seen any suspicious people here?"
"No."
"That’s strange," mused Shen Fengying. "We were just chasing an assassin here, and it seemed like we saw a figure at the entrance of your medical hall."
Yin Zheng’s eyes trembled.
Lu Tong replied indifferently, "Is that so? I haven’t seen anyone. There’s a snowman at the entrance of the medical hall that Ah Cheng made; perhaps you mistook it for someone."
Shen Fengying nodded. "Perhaps." Although he said this, his actions to signal the Pawn Shop Soldiers to search did not relax at all. Shen Fengying himself, holding a knife, also entered the back shop, looking around.
It was very cold in the courtyard; upon the plum tree branches hung red lanterns, casting the snowy ground in a faint red glow.
Yin Zheng twisted the handkerchief in her hands, casting an anxious glance toward the small kitchen.
Shen Fengying caught this glance immediately.
He asked with alert, "What’s over there?"
Lu Tong answered, "It’s the kitchen."
Shen Fengying looked at Lu Tong, then raised his hand, signaling the few Pawn Shop Soldiers behind him, "Search the kitchen carefully!"
Yin Zheng’s face changed color.
Lu Tong’s hand holding the oil lamp trembled.
Upon receiving the order, the Pawn Shop Soldiers swarmed into the kitchen, instantly crowding the fairly spacious kitchen. Shen Fengying strode inside.
The kitchen was so plainly furnished it could even be described as shabby: earthen walls, clay pots, and stoves, with some leftover vegetables and fruits on the stone platform, and a basket under the stove containing some eggs and sweet potatoes. The fire had died out, leaving only scattered ashes on the ground.
Shen Fengying cautiously stepped further inside and, seeing nothing suspicious, was about to leave when his gaze suddenly fixed on something.
In the corner of the kitchen was piled a thick stack of dry grass.
It is common for commoners to stack dry grass to save on firewood. However, there were no livestock kept in Renxin Medical Hall, and to say it was for cooking, piling dry grass in the kitchen was a fire hazard when there was clearly an empty room in the courtyard.
Moreover, this stack of grass was too large.
Layered thickly in the corner, it resembled a small mountain. If a thief had snuck in, hiding here would make it quite difficult to be detected.
A flash of thought crossed Shen Fengying’s eyes as he approached the stack of dry grass. Suddenly, he drew his sword and slashed!
In an instant, there was a "huala—" sound.
The dry grass heap, like a split open hillock, collapsed in a moment, and amidst the slowly sliding down chaff, the dark corner inside gradually came into view.
"What is this..."
Shen Fengying’s expression changed abruptly.
It was like a hidden treasure buried deep in the ground, uncovered from the thick soil, revealing a secret long concealed from daylight.
Hidden under those thick stacks of dry grass were several black porcelain jars, almost half a person tall.
The porcelain jars were large enough to accommodate someone hiding inside, standing like several black mounds, bizarre and abnormal.
Shen Fengying remembered clearly, there hadn’t been these large black porcelain jars in the kitchen during his last search at Renxin Medical Hall.
He swallowed, his tone cooling, "Doctor Lu, what are these?"
"These are some medicinal materials used for making medicine on ordinary days," Lu Tong answered.
No sooner had he spoken than a slight noise suddenly came from one of the black porcelain jars. The sound was not loud, but in the quiet night, it clearly reached everyone’s ears.
The Pawn Shop Soldier closest reacted, "Sir! There’s something inside."
Shen Fengying narrowed his eyes, instinctively looking towards Lu Tong.
Lu Tong stood at the kitchen door, a position neither too close nor too far. The oil lamp in his hand flickered in the cold wind as if about to go out, making his gaze seem blurred as well.
Shen Fengying’s expression grew increasingly grave. He drew the sword at his waist, signalling the surrounding Pawn Shop Soldiers to step back, approached the porcelain jar himself, the torchlight illuminating him and revealing the sweat beads rolling down his forehead.
There was a deathly silence all around.
Shen Fengying slowly approached the porcelain jar, one hand gripping the lid, the other holding the knife horizontal in front of him, and he suddenly flung it open—
"Ssss—"
Rustling noises came from the porcelain jar, accompanied by the startled cries of the surrounding Pawn Shop Soldiers. Shen Fengying stared blankly at the contents of the jar for a long time, then turned towards Lu Tong with a somewhat shaken voice, "Th-these are... snakes?"
In the jar, there were dozens of glossy black snakes!
Their scales were dark and glistened with a cold, damp sheen, tangled together, emitting a soft frictional noise. Shen Fengying only took one look before he quickly closed the lid.
"Doctor Lu, why are you keeping snakes in this jar?"
These sinister creatures, all coiled and writhing together, made hissing sounds that were unsettling to hear.
Lu Tong approached with the oil lamp, his tone measured, "The medical hall sometimes needs fresh snake sloughs and snake blood for making medicine. These were bought from a snake catcher with silver. They are medicinal materials for crafting medicine."