On the wooden sides of the table, formerly on the spot where Cui
Buqu sat, two words were carved by fingernails: Plum Blossom.
"Judging by the strength the Commander asserted, to write those
words, it seems as though he is much weaker than last time. I am
afraid that he is carrying some sort of wound on him."
The man never liked talking much; however, he could not help but
feel the necessity to remind her. "Qiao Xian; the Commander knows
his boundaries."
Qiao Xian was not as tame as him, "You have served the
Commander for so long, how can you still not know him? He knows
boundaries when it comes to matters, but he never knew his own
when it came to himself!"
Zhangsun Bodhi said nothing but looked at her with a 'But what can
you do about it?' look.
Qiao Xian was feeling distressed, but there was genuinely nothing
that she could have done.
Cui Buqu had always been someone who refused to stop until he
achieved his goals. Right now,unless they ran off to Feng Xiao and
told him Cui Buqu's identity and bring him back home, their only
other option was to obey his orders. However, if she messed up his
plans, she knew Cui Buqu would dismiss her from the Zuoyue
Bureau. Qiao Xian only let out a sigh.
"It is late. Let us go to the perfume shop." Zhangsun Bodhi reminded
her.
"Let's go." Qiao Xian brushed the surface of the table, and those
words disappeared. The side of the table was clean as if nothing had
ever happened there.
There was no shortage of perfume stalls in the City of Six Crafts.
Because it was a city that travellers from the west and east often
met, there were a lot of things in the perfume shop that could only be
found in the west. The variety of products were even more numerous
than those in the capital. Zhangsun Bodhi and Qiao Xian previously
had thought that investigating the plum blossom scent would be a
piece of cake; but after they ran around for a whole afternoon,
practically asking every stall that existed in the city, they could only
manage to find three formulas that were related to the plum blossom.
"It is a coincidence now that I think about it. Before you, there was
also a young lord who came here asking about plum blossoms. He
was thin and tall, seemingly young and handsome." The perfume
shop owner made a gesture.
Qiao Xian and Zhangsun Bodhi exchanged glances and could guess
who the perfume shop owner was talking about: it was Feng Xiao's
subordinate, Pei Jingzhe.
Since the Jiejian Bureau had already traced this clue, it could be said
that there was nothing more they needed to do. Why did the
Commander go out of his way to give this order?
Cui Buqu would never do such a meaningless thing. Both of them
felt that there might be something that they had not thought of yet. "I would not dare comment on other aspects, but within the City of
Six Crafts, the formulas in my stalls are assuredly the most
organized. If you want formulas related to plum blossoms, there are
three types. One of them was gifted by a young lady from the west,
whom I saved; she gave it to me."
The perfume shop owner spoke; taking out three scented strips.
The sense of smell of martial artists was incredibly sensitive. To
leave perfume on oneself would give them away effortlessly if they
were found out. Qiao Xian held a distinctive identity, so she would
never carry any sort of scent on her. For people like her who
interacted as less as possible with perfumes, she was even more
sensitive to the odour of perfumes. Almost at once, she could tell
how many different scents there were altogether.
"These are plum blossoms and apricot flowers?" She smelled the
scented strips and asked, before passing them to Zhangsun Bodhi.
The perfume shop owner nods. "You are right. This is called the
Three Moons Spring Snow; it is the most popular perfume in the
capital. The young maidens all love it, especially those from
wealthier households. Come spring, they like to put on fresh-
coloured clothing; then putting these perfumes on, they say it makes
you look like a goddess. It is guaranteed that a group of suitors
would want to stomp your doorstep!"
He was a smooth talker. Even when questioned by his customers, he
was still trying to persuade them to purchase from him.
"This type is called 'The Quiet Waters Runs Deep'; it has the smell of
sandalwood and plum blossom. It is excellent for giving you peace of
mind and suppressing any foul smell of the body." He said as he took
up another scented strip. Zhangsun Bodhi smelled it and shook his head.
Qiao Xian said, "This is not the plum blossom scent that we want."
The perfume shop owner took the third scented strip and gave it to
them, "This is the only one with a pure plum blossom smell."
Zhangsun Bodhi held it in his hand and felt that the plum blossom
fragrance was too strong, filling in his nostril; however, it lacked the
real cold, icy smell of a plum blossom. Instead, it smelt like peonies.
Qiao Xian, watching Zhangsun shake his head, took the scented
strip.
"Sir, you are knowledgeable and have seen many things. This
mixture of plum blossom scent, is it indeed that difficult to get?"
The owner of the perfume shop answered, "Usually, the thicker the
essence of the smell, the better. But because this is slightly different:
at first the smell should be a bland, cold, icy smell; only after an hour
would the fragrance of plum blossom slowly emerge, yet you can still
smell its faint, icy cold scent. It is neither strong, and it does not
dissipate quickly, lasting up to a few days."
Qiao Xian thought about the fact that after the murder took place,
Feng Xiao and his company were able to go to the venue and obtain
the clue. The owner's answer fits in with this fact perfectly, so she
nodded and agreed.
"This means that surely whoever uses this perfume is no ordinary
person?"
The owner, "There are also different types of 'cold perfume'. For
example, the lotus blossom, the bamboo, but because plum
blossoms only bloom during the cold winter, it brings with it the icy-
cold essence of winter. This type of 'cold' is different and very rare. A few years ago, I obtained a particular type of lotus blossom perfume,
and I was reluctant to sell it, desiring to leave it as a wedding gift to
my daughter, but this plum blossom is even rarer. Whoever could
make this type of perfume would indeed treasure it so, and would not
have given it away easily. Otherwise, everyone on the streets would
know how to manufacture it, and if that is the case, then how is it still
special?"
Qiao Xian, "Then do you know anyone who knew how to
manufacture this perfume?"
The owner of the perfume shop laughed bitterly, "If I knew such a
person, I would have hired them with gold pieces. Would I still be
standing here saying so much to you? Strange wonders can be
encountered unexpectedly but cannot be requested. I have spent
half my life in the perfume business, so if you find someone who
knows how to manufacture that sort of perfume, please be a
generous person and introduce them to me."
He stopped for a moment to pat his head, "Right, last month, Lady
Yunyun from the Spring Moon astounded half of the city with her
dance. I have heard that she uses a different perfume every day, yet
she has never sent anyone here to purchase from me. Perhaps she
might have someone teaching her how to make her perfume.
Nevertheless, you can head over there and inquire about it!"
Qiao Xian and Zhangsun Bodhi's eyes sparkled.
"Have you spoken about this to the one that came before us?" Qiao
Xian asked.
The perfume shop owner shook his head, "At that time, it did not
cross my mind. Naturally, I had forgotten about it."
Qiao Xian, "That Spring Moon place, is it a place of entertainment?" The perfume shop owner gave a dubious smile that all men knew.
Qiao Xian immediately understood and felt that the question she had
asked was quite ridiculous.
Broadly speaking, spices used to make perfumes were also a type of
medicine. Since Cui Buqu was familiar with the arts of healing, he
was naturally accustomed to spices, and he knew that the plum
blossom perfume was very rare. From this piece of information, he
was able to spread out, further finding clues. Qiao Xian and
Zhangsun Bodhi knew their Commander very well. Others may
underestimate him, seeing how he was often sick and that he lacked
physical strength. However, if a person like that could summon winds
and storms, making a place for himself in the world, then he would
certainly have something that ordinary people would not be able to
guess. In the Zuoyue Bureau, even if Cui Buqu spent eight out of ten
days lying in bed, no one would dare underestimate him.
"Would the members of the Jiejian Bureau vomit blood if they knew
that the 'Five Tastes' restaurant is our stronghold?" Qiao Xian felt
better after obtaining a possible lead for the case. Although her face
was still expressionless and cold, her voice sounded less tense.
Zhangsun Bodhi did not respond but asked her a question back,
"The Spring Moon, should you or I go?"
Qiao Xian, "Of course it should be me. With a face like yours, people
would think you are there to collect debts, certainly not one looking
for entertainment."
Zhangsun Bodhi held the prayer beads in his hand and did not say a
word.
Because, towards Qiao Xian's words, there was nothing he could
refute.
...
Linlang Guild's Hall.
Today was the final day of the auction, compared to the last few
days, there were even more people. However, the threshold was
also higher than before. Other than an invitation, customers also
needed to give some amount of deposit before entering. If they
managed to purchase something they like, then the deposit would be
added to the amount they had auctioned for. If nothing caught their
eyes, then their deposit would be returned.
Therefore, it filtered out a lot of people who had other intentions; or
those who did not really want to make a purchase, simply wanting to
come for the crowd.
Feng Xiao brought Cui Buqu and Pei Jingzhe and entered, just as
someone immediately exclaimed from behind, "Is this not Feng-er?"
That person immediately ran up to them, both surprised and happy
to see Feng Xiao. "Feng-er, long time no see. To think I would see
you here!"
The other man looked around twenty-five to twenty-six, wearing a tall
headpiece and red robes. He looked like an elegant gentleman, but
Cui Buqu's sharp eyes were able to tell that the way he behaved
around Feng Xiao was different from the norm.
Meeting old friends was a common thing, but this manner of
attentiveness and welcoming was a little off. To think of him as someone who wanted to bribe Feng Xiao was not
exactly accurate either.
Just as Cui Buquwas was contemplating; Feng Xiao had already
raised his brows and smiled "Young Master Lin, it has been some
time."
When these words left his mouth and judging by the other's age; his
background and history were slowly emerging in Cui Buqu's mind.
The Yandang Estate. Among the Jianghu province, their main profile
was doing business. Both rich and wealthy, their family also
possessed the Yandang thirteen sword styles. The head, Lin Leng,
only obtained a son, Lin Wei, in his late years; therefore it was
natural that he spoiled this child rotten. Even towards his son's
bewildered and queer habits, Lin Leng simply remained silent but
never obstructed him. The reason that the Yandang Estate was so
famous was not because of their wealth, and not because of their
sword style, but because of Lin Wei.
Seeing that Lin Wei was all giddy and happy, practically lunging
himself forward to hold Feng Xiao's hand, the latter naturally stepped
a few inches away from him, his hand reaching up to place it on Cui
Buqu's shoulder instead. Before Cui Buqu realized it, he was already
pulled towards Feng Xiao's body, their shoulders clashing against
one another.
Feng Xiao, "Come, let me introduce you. This is a very 'intimate
friend' of mine. His surname is Cui, named Buqu. QuQu, this is
Young Master Lin of Yandang Estate, Lin Wei."
He purposely put more emphasis on the words 'intimate friend', his
lips curling into a strange and unusual smile. It was incredibly
suggestive, and clear; that anyone could have seen it.
Cui Buqu:???