Chapter 70#

(Second Update)

Wen Zhuo’s expression grew serious, and only then did he lift his eyes to look back at the stage.

“This first incense is the Mian family’s Mian Incense! The powder is as fine as snow; light one stick, and its fragrance will fill the room, lingering for three days without dissipating!”

Six or seven shop assistants held up incense boxes and walked in turn to the pear-wood chairs, revealing the snow-white powder inside the boxes for the merchants to inspect closely.

Some raised a hand to fan the boxes, closed their eyes, and gently inhaled, their faces showing satisfaction. Others pinched a bit of the powder and rubbed it carefully between their fingers, feeling its fineness.

The Mian family was one of the four great incense merchants in Mianzhou, and this Mian Incense indeed had its unique qualities. Many merchants nodded frequently and had already reached for the money pouches at their waists, contemplating paying a deposit.

While the merchants below the stage were busy, Wen Yingjing slightly turned his body toward Lou Changsui. He did not shift his gaze to look at him, and his voice was extremely low: “Are you truly certain, Your Excellency, that the story of Liu Kangren fearing punishment and committing suicide will pass scrutiny in the capital?”

Lou Changsui had been troubled by this matter for the past two days, and as soon as Wen Yingjing brought it up, the ominous premonition in his heart surged again.

But after all, he was the prefect of the prefecture; he could only maintain a calm expression and force himself to suppress his anxiety, saying, “As long as Lord Liu Guo steps in, it will pass.”

Wen Yingjing wore a look of deep cunning, slowly exhaling a breath: “And if not?”

Lou Changsui’s heart sank, and he did not continue speaking, only his bulging fish-like eyes twitching wildly.

Seeing him like this, Wen Yingjing neither grew angry nor complained, but calmly stated the facts: “I came one step too late and failed to stop you in time, which led to this disaster.”

Lou Changsui didn’t need his politeness; his fish-like eyes rolled: “Elder Wen, besides Liu Kangren, there’s another troublesome matter stuck in my chest, pricking me like thorns on my back.”

Wen Yingjing raised an eyebrow slightly, gesturing for him to continue.

“May I ask, how much weight do your words carry before Chief Examiner Wen?” Lou Changsui’s voice held a barely perceptible note of pleading.

Wen Yingjing’s pupils suddenly contracted, and on his usually composed face, a crack finally appeared.

He turned his head, for the first time looking directly at Lou Changsui, and asked dangerously, “What do you want to do?”

“Chief Examiner Wen is here on Imperial decree to relieve the disaster, holding the imperial edict with the power to appoint and dismiss. If he wants to investigate the affairs of Mianzhou, I fear my life won’t last long.” Lou Changsui was determined to tie the two of them together. “If Chief Examiner Wen, out of respect for you, would spare me, I would be seventy or eighty percent safe. If I’m safe, the business in Mianzhou will also be safe.”

Wen Yingjing remained silent for a long time. He lowered his eyelids, and vague fragments of memory flashed through his mind. Though he was reluctant to expose his own shortcomings, this was clearly not the time to pretend to be brave.

After a long while, he finally raised his eyes and said calmly, “Even if he doesn’t consider my face, he should consider his mother’s and Wen Xu’s. Though seven years have passed without meeting, after all, blood ties run deeper than bone; even broken bones connect at the sinews.”

Hearing this, Lou Changsui’s face finally regained a hint of color.

That’s right. Wen Zhuo’s mother still lived in the Wen family, and Wen Xu was his only younger brother. With this relationship, perhaps things really would turn around!

Just then, the shop assistant at the front shouted, “One large box of Mian Incense, priced at three strings of cash!”

At the announcement, a few sighs rose from the crowd, and some silently withdrew their hands. But there were also merchants who didn’t mind the expense, unhesitatingly grabbing the wooden mallet beside them and striking the copper bowl on the table with a “clang.”

The assistants immediately rushed over at the sound of the bowl, bending down to record the required weight and handing over a wooden token engraved with the character “Mian” as proof.

Twenty-four people struck the bowl this time. On the colorful stage, the Mian family patriarch sat motionless, his expression slightly easing as he raised a hand to stroke his long beard.

A servant also brought the incense box before Wen Zhuo, but Wen Zhuo didn’t even lift his eyelids. He merely waved his hand, dismissing the assistant.

“The second incense, the Qi family’s Wood Incense! This incense is refined from the storax tree, but it takes on the form of ebony, possessing the texture of agarwood as well. The fragrance is gentle, slow, subtle, and restrained!”

Then another servant stepped forward with an incense box. Inside were neatly cut square wood blocks, dense as jade, their surface coated with a warm, honey-like luster. It was unknown what secret method the Qi family had used to refine it, but they had transformed the storax into this form.

“One block of Wood Incense, priced at one string of cash!”

This time, over thirty people struck the bowl. The merchants took out silver, signed the invoices, and the Qi family patriarch on the stage revealed a knowing smile.

Behind the screen, it was packed with refugees peering nervously and incense enthusiasts with shallow pockets. They could only stand on tiptoe, gazing from afar at the expressions of the incense merchants on the stage.

“Stop pushing!”

“What exactly does this Wood Incense look like? I really want to see it with my own eyes!”

“This is too much! They only show it to the people inside; we common folks aren’t even worthy of a glance?”

“Tsk, what would you do even if you saw it? Can you afford it?”

“Even if I had money, I wouldn’t buy this! When the open market starts, I’m going to buy the Wen family’s rare incense!”

“Hey, I just saw the Wen family’s eldest son bring two cartloads of black boxes. I reckon they’re packed with Bone-Penetrating Fragrance!”

…

Liu Hour scratched his head and ears in agitation, unwilling to sit idly by: “It’s infuriating! These few clueless idiots really make people worry!”

Though he grumbled, his feet didn’t stop. He had to get those idiots out before Wen Xu found them. After all, there weren’t many good people left in Mianzhou.

He circled Suhe Workshop twice before finally coming to terms with reality: someone of his status trying to sneak behind the screen was harder than reaching the heavens.

But then a flash of inspiration struck. If he couldn’t drag those people out, why not trick Wen Xu into coming out? He figured that young master was pretty dense anyway.

What could definitely lure Wen Xu out?

A beautiful woman? Too bad he wasn’t one.

Fine western wine? Too bad he didn’t have any.

So the only option was… Liu Hour slapped his head hard, wishing his brain would spin faster. As he kept slapping, he suddenly stopped, his eyes lighting up.

Use the clue Wen Xu wanted most!

Without hesitation, Liu Hour made use of his small, still childlike frame. He put on a sincere, simple expression, hunched his back, and timidly sidled up to a patrolling officer.

“Officer, sir! I think I saw the two people on the wanted portrait!”

The officer had been impatiently shoving away onlooking refugees, but at this, his spirits lifted: “What did you say!”

“Exactly the wanted notice from the government office!” Liu Hour spoke incoherently, gesturing wildly. “One looks like a consumptive ghost, and the other always covers his face with a black cloth. I just saw them with my own eyes, exactly like in the portrait!”

“Tell me quickly, where are they!” The officer’s eyes went wide as saucers. He grabbed Liu Hour’s skinny arm.

Liu Hour howled in pain, “Ow, ow, ow!” but stubbornly refused to say another word. He lifted his dirty face and said, “I want to tell Young Master Wen in person! Take me to see Young Master Wen; otherwise, if I tell you, how will I get the reward?”

“You little brat, you sure have some cunning!” The officer gnashed his teeth, wanting nothing more than to slap him flying, but the clue he held was too important to dismiss.

The two officers whispered a brief discussion. Thinking that this little beggar, as skinny as a stick, couldn’t cause much trouble, they decided to take him to Wen Xu.

“Kid, behave yourself!” the officer threatened viciously. “If you dare utter a single false word to cheat a reward when you see Young Master Wen, I’ll chop off your manhood!”

Liu Hour immediately nodded like a garlic clove.

Pushing and shoving, the officers finally brought Liu Hour into the inner courtyard of Suhe Workshop. They pushed through the noisy crowd and headed toward the staircase leading to the second floor.

Liu Hour seized the chance to crane his neck and look around, searching for Wen Zhuo and the others. But the layered screens blocked his view completely; he couldn’t even see a shadow.

“What are you gawking at? Looking for death?” The officer gave him a hard kick. “Hurry up the stairs, don’t dawdle!”

Rubbing his sore spot, Liu Hour had just set his hand on the stair railing and looked up when he saw Wen Xu leaning half out of the window of a private room on the second floor, staring intently at the incense meeting below.

That handsome face was stamped with a woman’s ambiguous lip print, and a tacky peony flower was tucked behind his ear. He looked exactly like a vulgar, gaudy prostitute.

Pah, how tasteless!

It was already noon, and the sun hung high.

Wen Zhuo frowned slightly, clearly feeling a bit tired. Outside the screen, many commoners had gotten sore legs from standing and simply sat down on the ground, but their gazes remained glued to the stage, afraid of missing the main event.

Just then, the “clang” of a gong exploded again, making everyone’s nerves jump.

On the stage, Wen Yingjing slowly raised his arm, adjusted the hem of his gray Daoist robe, and resettled his posture.

Earlier, he had seemed somewhat distracted, but now he gathered his focus, full of energy as he swept his gaze across the four directions.

Wen Ze rose from beside him and twisted a smile onto his face as he walked to the center of the stage: “For this next incense, I won’t let anyone else announce it — I’ll do it myself.”

He shook his long sleeves smugly, revealing his hands, and with a turn of his palm, a delicate incense box appeared: “I know that many people today came for our Wen family’s Bone-Penetrating Fragrance. I apologize for making you wait so long.”

His tone naturally carried no real apology, but rather the deep pride of someone who knew he possessed a rare commodity.

“By now, you’ve all heard that this Bone-Penetrating Fragrance has the effect of preserving youth — I wouldn’t be exaggerating to call it a restoration of youth and vitality. The box I hold is blended from one tael of Bone-Penetrating Fragrance powder, ready for direct application to the skin.” With that, he slowly unscrewed the silver lid of the incense box, reached in with a fingertip, and scooped up a layer of white cream.

The moment the box opened, a strange fragrance spread out. It wasn’t overpowering, but it carried an indescribable, uncanny aura, as if it could penetrate the skin and seep through the pores into the bones.

“So this is the Bone-Penetrating Fragrance? Truly a unique scent!”

“The fragrance is so special; just smelling it makes me feel comfortable all over!”

“The Wen family certainly has skill, to refine such an extraordinary incense!”

Just from catching this eerie scent, many merchants closed their eyes, their faces showing intoxicated delight, as if their very souls had been captivated.

Wen Ze smiled slightly: “What I’m selling today is not this blended cream, but the raw Bone-Penetrating Fragrance blocks. One tael, ten strings of cash!”

As his words fell, the merchants lost in the fragrance seemed to have been slapped hard, jolting awake, their intoxication turning to shock.

“What? Ten strings per tael?”

“Is this fragrance made from melted gold? How can it be so expensive?”

“Even the ambergris from the palace wouldn’t fetch this price!”

“Young Master Wen, can we negotiate? Can you make it cheaper?”

Wen Ze was unmoved, his words carrying an undeniable arrogance: “You all heard correctly. Ten strings per tael. If you buy the raw blocks, you can grind them into powder to rub on your body, mix them with water and swallow, or burn them as incense at night. Our Wen family guarantees that no matter how you use it, the effects will be exactly the same, not a bit reduced!”

The merchants were stunned by the exorbitant price, and for a time, no one dared to make a decision.

Some rubbed their silver pouches, looking hesitant; others whispered to each other, weighing the pros and cons; still others gazed covetously at the incense box in Wen Ze’s hand, their eyes burning with desire but their hands sadly empty.

Wen Xu watched and giggled. He pointed a finger frivolously below and mocked, “Look at those poor beggars. Just ten strings and they’re already heartbroken as if they’re cutting off their own flesh. If they knew what this Bone-Penetrating Fragrance was made of, they’d probably piss themselves in fright!”

As he was mocking, the door slowly opened. Two officers bowed respectfully and said, “Young Master, this child says he has clues about the criminals and insisted on reporting to you in person.”

Wen Xu casually tossed the leftover grape he was eating to the ground, turned back, and narrowed his eyes to size up Liu Hour: “Oh?”

Seeing that the merchants were still hesitating to bid, Wen Ze was about to provoke them further: “What, no one dares—”

Suddenly, from an inconspicuous corner behind a pillar, a clear, languid voice flowed out, like a stream entering the sea, slipping into everyone’s ears.

“If the Wen family can explain what this incense is made from, then I’ll take it all.”

Wen Ze’s sharp eyes shot straight to the pillar. But the angle was tricky; half of the speaker’s face was hidden, revealing only the side of one eye and brow.

That pair of eyes seemed to have soaked in a deep, cold pool for a long time, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. At that moment, they were staring at him with great interest.

They were such beautiful eyes, yet Wen Ze shuddered inexplicably.

Wen Xu had been questioning Liu Hour, but when he heard that familiar voice, his heart slammed, and a searing pain shot through his face again.

“Wait!”

That voice — he would never mistake it! It was that impostor who claimed to be from the Liu family!

A malicious glint flashed in Wen Xu’s eyes. He grabbed his robe, snatched the sword from the waist of the officer beside him, and ran downstairs.

Liu Hour’s heart skipped a beat — this was bad! Forget his own safety; he lunged forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Wen Xu’s waist, shouting, “Young Master Wen, listen to me! Those two men, they—”

“Get the hell off!” Wen Xu, annoyed by the entanglement, shook him off violently and kicked Liu Hour to the ground.

Liu Hour groaned in pain, watching helplessly as Wen Xu charged downstairs with the sword.

Wen Ze’s face turned extremely dark. He shot a look at the Wen family thugs around him. They understood immediately and quietly moved in, blocking the way behind the pillar.

Only then did Wen Ze speak in a sinister tone: “You’ve got quite the mouth on you, demanding my Wen family’s secret recipe.”

Wen Zhuo let out a soft laugh, idly playing with the tassel at his waist: “If you won’t say it, then I’ll have to. If I reveal the truth in front of everyone, the Wen family will have no room left to maneuver.”

A single, flippant sentence made cold sweat instantly drench Wen Ze’s back.

This man spoke with such certainty; it couldn’t be groundless. But Cave Cliff elder operated so discreetly — how could anyone have found out?

He instinctively looked toward Wen Yingjing on the stage, his eyes showing a hint of panic.

The appearance of this spoiler in the incense meeting caught even the usually unflappable Wen Yingjing off guard. He frowned deeply, frequently turning to peer in the direction of the pillar.

Lou Changsui, in particular, was like a cat on hot bricks. He stood up from his chair, took a few quick steps, and strained his body to try to see the figure behind the pillar.

That ominous premonition grew stronger and stronger. He felt that voice, that tone, was so familiar.

Just then, Wen Xu, sword in hand, came rushing down from the second floor in a fluster. He shouted as he ran, “Father! Brother! So it’s him who hit me! I’d never mistake that voice!”

His face was ecstatic with vengeful glee. The peony by his ear had fallen off, but his bright red lips were stretched wide all the way to his ears.

But when he got close enough to suddenly see Wen Zhuo’s face, he froze for a moment, then his face twisted hideously: “So you were in disguise! You really fooled me! Men, seize them! I want to cut his face to ribbons, one slice at a time!”

Wen Zhuo slowly lifted his eyelids. Seeing Wen Xu brandishing the sword and making a racket, he showed no panic at all. Instead, he sneered, “Daring to point a sword at me? Looks like you’ve got a death wish.”

“Hahahaha, what a joke!” Wen Xu laughed wildly, as if he’d heard the most absurd thing. “Today, let’s see who’s got the death wish! What are you all standing around for? Get him!”

Waving his saber, he charged at Wen Zhuo, the blade aimed clearly at Wen Zhuo’s face — a face even more stunning than his own.

Wen Zhuo still sat motionless, not even batting an eye.

Just as the blade was about to reach him, Jiang Mannü suddenly stepped forward, clapped her palms together, and caught the blade firmly.

Wen Xu strained to pull it out twice, but the saber didn’t budge.

As he stood there dumbfounded, Jiang Mannü let out a snort, then wrenched her wrist sharply. A clear crack pierced Wen Xu’s eardrums—

His entire arm twisted at a grotesque angle and hung limply. The saber in his hand clattered to the ground with a harsh noise.

The ferocity on Wen Xu’s face froze. Unparalleled agony flooded his body. Veins bulged on his neck, his face twisted red, and he let out a heart-wrenching shriek: “Ah—! My hand! My hand is broken! Kill him! Kill him now!”

The Wen family thugs surged forward. Jiang Mannü immediately assumed a fighting stance, unafraid.

Liu Hour, clutching his kicked belly, tumbled down the second floor in a flurry. Ignoring his own pain, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “Idiots! Run! The Wens have the numbers! You can’t beat them!”

But just as the melee was about to erupt, Lou Changsui suddenly turned pale as paper. Beads of cold sweat streamed down his forehead. His legs gave way, and with a thump, he dropped to his knees. His voice came out cracked, like a snapped piece of sugar cane—

“Your… Your Excellency Chief Examiner Wen! Your subordinate pays respects to Chief Examiner Wen!”

These words exploded into the chaos like a thunderclap, instantly pressing the pause button on everyone. The vast Suhe Workshop fell into dead silence.