As soon as the words were spoken, Rune and Fu Lu stood up.
As guards, words that hinted at imminent danger naturally made them alert at once.
Rune was instinctively on guard, whereas Fu Lu believed it without a doubt.
After all, he had witnessed earlier how the Princess was able to spot a poisoned person who wasn't dead among the crowd, and how she brought back to life someone whom the coroner had insisted was dead.
Now that she mentioned the smell of blood, it was unlikely to be wrong.
Lu Qing didn't seem especially surprised either. With a slight nod to the two, Rune and Fu Lu instantly understood. One grabbed a torch, the other a flint, and cautiously began to search around the ruined temple.
As the brothers walked a few steps forward, they indeed noticed what appeared to be "water marks" in the gaps of the flagstones on the ground.
Rune crouched down, carefully touched it with his finger, which felt sticky. Bringing it close to his nose, a bloody scent immediately filled his nostrils.
He quickly followed the "water marks" on the ground, soon discovering, "Master, there's a corpse here!"
"Not necessarily, not necessarily!" Fu Lu immediately corrected his brother, "Whether it's really dead or not, Madam would have to take a look to determine for sure!"
Zhu Yu often heard such words, but didn't expect it to remain the case even here.
She rubbed her temples, feeling a sense of powerlessness rising from the depths of her being like fate.
Rune didn't understand why his brother said that, but Lu Qing didn't react to Fu Lu's words, so he wisely kept his doubts to himself, holding up the torch to illuminate the way for Lu Qing and Zhu Yu.
The corpse discovered by the Fu brothers was behind the altar, where a tattered and hole-ridden curtain hung in front. One had to get closer to see what was there.
On the flagstone floor behind the altar, a person lay face down, appearing to be a man. His hair was slightly disheveled, and he wore only a blood-stained white inner garment.
Some blood had flowed from underneath him along the stone slab cracks, now nearing dryness.
If it weren't for the rain outside, making everything exceptionally damp and preventing the blood from drying too quickly, Zhu Yu might not have smelled that faint bloody scent, and naturally, they wouldn't have been able to detect another corpse in the same room with them.
As Zhu Yu hesitated whether to get involved and examine the corpse, the distant sound of cart and horses suddenly came from outside the ruined temple.
Rune glanced at Lu Qing, who signaled him with a look, pulling Zhu Yu to hide behind the altar.
Rune and Fu Lu extinguished the torch and put away the flint, crouching behind the altar, hands clutching their waist-bound swords, listening vigilantly to the noises outside.
After having had Lu Qing and Zhu Yu dismount at the front of the ruined temple, Rune had driven the carriage into the woods behind the temple to hide it, making it look as though no one else was inside when viewed from the front.
The sound of cart and horses drew nearer, sounding like a small carriage drawn by a single horse.
The carriage stopped in front of the ruined temple. There was a rustling sound, and someone walked inside from outside.
"Big brother…" a male voice came, sounding somewhat timid as if frightened, "How about we head back… I heard there's a God of Wealth Temple over the mountain, efficacious as well!
Tomorrow, let me go with you to burn incense and pray, asking the God of Wealth to bless our business. Isn't that a good idea?"
"No way!" a slightly aged, yet much more resolute voice spoke, "Everyone says this temple is the best for praying for fortune. The God of Wealth Temple you mentioned is too popular; the God of Wealth can't possibly handle all those believers. I must take a chance here!"
"But… but… people say this is a 'Ghost Temple'! Only those with fate can have their wishes fulfilled! Otherwise, at worst, it's a waste of incense money, and at worst, the Ghost Immortal may retaliate, possibly costing one's life! The owner of Lu's... didn't he come here to pray for fortune, only to… now be neither alive nor dead!
There are rumors of some having their wishes fulfilled, only never to be seen again after entering this temple!"
"I can't consider so much! This is a family business passed down through three generations. If it ends with me, even nine levels underground, those ancestors wouldn't forgive me!
Besides, rumors can't be fully believed. Didn't people say recently there are wild beasts around? Who knows whether those misfortunate individuals who came to pray got taken by a beast!
Stop delaying, we'll finish our prayers and hurry back, nothing will happen!"
Hiding behind the altar, Zhu Yu listened to the conversation in front and couldn't help feeling a bit skeptical.
This ruined temple was so remote, nothing behind and nothing ahead, through a barren wilderness, broken and dilapidated; yet, unexpectedly it had enough allure to draw people to brave the elements and come to offer incense and tribute.
Barren wilderness… Suddenly something felt off to Zhu Yu.
Though she might have dozed half the way after a full meal early that morning, not entirely unaware, yet the journey by carriage had been remarkably smooth, without particular jolts…
She glanced at Lu Qing beside her, his profile in the dark like a sharply defined silhouette, devoid of any readable expression or eye glance.
The two people up front busied around for a while, soon a scent of burning incense filled the surroundings as the two gods-seekers knelt in front of the deity, muttering their desires, clearly audible to the four behind the altar.
Those two seemed to be grain merchants from a county several dozen miles out, with the housekeeper there being an inveterate gambler, yet habitually losing nine out of ten bets. A formerly substantial family fortune dwindled over time.
Added to that, the past couple of years had been unfortunate; first, the previous year plagued by pests, this year enduring constant rain, threatening a rise in grain prices. The gambler-grain merchant almost couldn't gather the capital anymore, resulting in seeking such underhanded paths.
The two, likely terrified, hurriedly left after offering incense, rushing their cart away.
Soon the sound of wheels and hooves grew distant, finally vanishing into the sound of rain.
After ensuring everything was safe, Rune relit the torch, looked at Lu Qing, "Master, the rain outside is getting heavier. This wrecked temple is quite run-down, now with a corpse, it's hardly suitable to linger here.
Why don't I stay to guard the corpse while Fu Lu drives you and Madam to the nearest post station to rest overnight; come tomorrow, with daylight and the rain over, I'll fetch someone from the government nearby to handle it?"
"What does Madam think?" Lu Qing turned to Zhu Yu.
"If I agree with Rune's proposal, wouldn't it betray this sudden downpour?" Zhu Yu squeezed out a smile, biting her lip, "Now that we're here, inspecting it now saves us an extra trip tomorrow."
Rune and Fu Lu remained utterly confused while Lu Qing laughed.
"Hold the torch for Madam," he instructed Rune, "make sure it's well lit."
Rune quickly grabbed a torch from beside, following behind Zhu Yu.