On the way back, the two almost collided with the patrolling officers and soldiers of the night. Fortunately, they reacted quickly and ducked into a small alley, hiding behind a cart belonging to a small vendor, avoiding being seen.
Once they returned to Yunyin Pavilion, Lu Qing immediately instructed Fu Lu to heat some water, allowing Zhu Yu to bathe and change first.
With the nasal plugs Lu Qing had procured earlier, Zhu Yu wasn't troubled while inside that cramped little room. Not until they left that courtyard and she removed the nasal plugs did she realize her entire body had been permeated with the rotten stench of corpses.
In this stealthy investigation, they couldn't immediately burn baizhi or cangshu to rid the foul smell, so she had to endure the unpleasant stench all the way back.
