ON THE EDGE OF THE TABLE, where Cui Buqu had sat earlier, four faint words had been carved into the wood with a fingernail: Cold plum blossom fragrance.
The woman stared at those four words, worry lining her brow. "The amount of strength the lord chief put into writing this…it looks like he's grown even weaker. I fear he's injured again."
The man had never been talkative, but he couldn't help giving her a reminder. "Qiao Xian, the lord chief has always done things his own way."
Qiao Xian was unhappy. "You've been with the lord chief this long and you still don't understand him? He knows his limits when it comes to cases, but never when it comes to his own body!"
Zhangsun Bodhi didn't answer. He only looked at her with a gaze that said, But what can you do?
Qiao Xian was disheartened, but indeed, there was nothing she could do. Cui Buqu had always been a man who never stopped until he achieved his goal. At present, their options were to run straight to Feng Xiao, expose Cui Buqu's identity, and drag him back to their own headquarters, or follow his orders and proceed with the investigation of the murder. If Qiao Xian ruined their lord chief's plans for the sake of his health, she could kiss her post at the Zuoyue Bureau goodbye.
Of course she'd considered all this. Qiao Xian sighed silently.
"It's late. The perfume shop," Zhangsun Bodhi reminded her.
"Let's go." Qiao Xian swept a slender hand over the table, and the marks scratched into the surface vanished. The wood was now as smooth as if those words had never been.
***
Liugong City had more than a few perfume shops. Lying as it did at the nexus of east and west, the city's perfume shops were known for using spices unique to the Western Regions; the number and diversity of their fragrances surpassed even the shops of the capital. Qiao Xian and Zhangsun Bodhi had imagined that this cold plum blossom fragrance would therefore be easy to find. But after asking around all morning and visiting well-nigh every perfume shop in the city, they ultimately managed to purchase only three plum blossom perfumes.
"Come to think of it, it's quite a coincidence. Just before you two, another gentleman was in here asking about cold plum blossom fragrance. Tall and thin, and fairly young and handsome." The owner of the perfume shop raised his palm to mark the man's height.
Qiao Xian and Zhangsun Bodhi exchanged a glance. There was no question of whom the man was talking about: this was Feng Xiao's subordinate, Pei Jingzhe.
But that meant someone from the Jiejian Bureau had already followed this lead. Surely they would have found anything worth examining—so why had the lord chief gone out of his way to set his own people on the trail? Cui Buqu would never do anything pointless. There must be some detail they'd yet to discover.
"I can't speak for other shops, but my selection of perfumes is the most complete in Liugong City. If you're looking for plum blossom fragrances, we have three here. One of these recipes was gifted to me by an itinerant merchant from the Western Regions a few years back, after I saved his life."
As he spoke, the shop assistant brought out three round cakes of compressed perfume.
Most martial arts practitioners possessed a keen sense of smell. Wearing perfume would give away their whereabouts if they needed to flee or hide from an enemy. In Qiao Xian's position, she used perfumes even less. People like her, who rarely came into contact with such fragrances, were more sensitive to them—she could discern the scents presented almost instantaneously.
"These are…plum and apricot blossoms?" Qian Xian sniffed the perfume cake in her hand, then handed it to Zhangsun Bodhi.
The shopkeeper nodded. "Correct. This perfume is called Spring Snow; it's the most popular fragrance in the capital currently. Young ladies adore it, especially ones from wealthy families. When spring comes they put on fresh new clothes, then daub themselves with the perfume. A touch of this fragrance, and a celestial maiden like yourself would have suitors practically breaking down your door!"
The man had a silver tongue. Even when confronted with customers who'd only come to make inquiries, he was doing his utmost to persuade them into a purchase.
"Now this perfume is called Still Waters Run Deep." The shopkeeper picked up a second cake. "It contains the scents of both sandalwood and plum; nothing's better for calming one's nerves and driving away evil."
Zhangsun Bodhi sniffed it and shook his head. Qiao Xian agreed. "It's not the cold plum blossom fragrance we're looking for."
The shopkeeper handed them the third cake. "If it's a pure plum blossom fragrance you're after, this is the only one."
Zhangsun Bodhi took it in hand. The thick scent of plum blossoms burned like fire as it wafted toward his nose. Yet the biting crispness intrinsic to the flower seemed to be missing—instead, this fragrance smelled closer to the rich, sweet scent of peonies.
When Qiao Xian saw Zhangsun shake his head, she took the round of compressed perfume and sniffed it herself. Sure enough, this wasn't the fragrance they sought. "Master, you're quite knowledgeable. Is cold plum blossom fragrance really so difficult to create?"
The shopkeeper considered a moment. "For normal perfumes, the stronger the scent, the better. But cold perfumes are called cold for a reason; they're different from the rest. If it's a true cold plum blossom fragrance, a first sniff will merely yield the faint, clean scent of snow and ice—only after an hour or so will the aroma of plum blossoms gradually emerge. Even then, it will be sharp but not strong. The scent lingers and can last for several days."
Qiao Xian recalled that Feng Xiao and his men hadn't arrived on scene until the morning after the murders, yet they'd still detected the fragrance. She nodded in agreement. "So I'd imagine only extraordinary people can wear such a fragrance?"
"There are different types of cold fragrances," the shopkeeper said. "Cold lotus fragrances and cold bamboo fragrances, for example. But the term 'cold' is especially fitting for plum blossom fragrance; plum blossoms bloom in late winter and carry the scent of snow and ice. Such fragrances are terribly rare. Several years ago, I got my hands on a cold lotus perfume and couldn't bring myself to sell it. I intend to leave it to my daughter as part of her dowry. Cold plum blossom perfumes are even more exceptional. Anyone who could create such a fragrance would certainly treasure it and hide it away. They wouldn't share the formulation lightly, or everyone on the street would be wearing it. Then it would no longer be precious."
"Can you think of anyone who knows how to create this cold plum blossom fragrance?"
The shop owner's smile was strained. "If I did, I would have hired them long ago for a vast quantity of gold, and I certainly wouldn't be telling you all this. Rare fragrances can't be sought out, only encountered through serendipity. I've been in the perfume business half my life. If you find a person with such a skill, please don't hesitate to inform me."
He paused, then smacked his head. "That's right. Last month, little Yunyun-niangzi from Chunxiang House won a dance championship, stunning most of Liugong City. I heard that lately she changes the fragrance she wears every day, but she's never sent anyone to purchase from me. She must be consulting some expert. Why not ask her?"
Both Qiao Xian and Zhangsun Bodhi's eyes lit up.
"When the previous gentleman came to ask, did you tell him about this?" asked Qiao Xian.
The shop owner shook his head. "I didn't recall it then, so of course not."
"Chunxiang House is a dance house?"
The shop owner gave a suggestive smile then—one all men understood. Qiao Xian understood too. She realized her question was rather foolish.
Fragrant flowers, herbs, and spices had always been medicinal ingredients; in this way, perfumery and medicine were not unalike. Cui Buqu had a superior understanding of medicine, so it was unsurprising that he also had some understanding of perfumes. He'd inferred the rarity of the perfume merely from the words "cold plum blossom fragrance" and pieced the clues together from there.
Qiao Xian and Zhangsun Bodhi were well acquainted with their lord chief's incredible aptitude. Most people were superficial; they saw Cui Buqu's weak and ailing body and underestimated him. But if a man in his circumstances could manage to stake out a place for himself within the vast and changeable world, they must certainly be possessed of extraordinary abilities. Even if Cui Buqu lay bedridden eight out of ten days, not a single person in the Zuoyue Bureau dared underestimate him.
Qiao Xian's mood had lightened considerably with this discovery. "If the Jiejian Bureau knew Wuwei House was the Zuoyue Bureau's base, wouldn't they vomit blood in rage?" Though her face remained icy, her tone was now relaxed.
Zhangsun Bodhi responded with a different question: "Chunxiang House. Shall you go, or shall I?"
"I'll go, of course," said Qiao Xian. "With that face of yours, if you go, you'll be taken for a debt collector. No one would think you're there for entertainment."
Zhangsun Bodhi couldn't refute it. He turned the prayer beads in his hand and said no more.
***
Linlang Pavilion.
Today was the final day of the auction, and the hall was more crowde than ever. The threshold for entering had likewise risen: not only did attendees require invitations, they also had to pay a deposit at the door. If they bid on something, the deposit would be put toward their item; if nothing caught their fancy, Linlang Pavilion would return them their fee when they left.
This approach effectively weeded out those who came to make trouble, those who couldn't afford anything, or those who only wished to spectate.
Feng Xiao had just led Cui Buqu and Pei Jingzhe inside when a voice behind them exclaimed, "If it isn't Feng-er!"
The newcomer caught up to them with quick strides and regarded Feng Xiao with surprise and joy. "Feng-er, long time no see! I didn't expect to find you here."
The man was in his mid-twenties, wearing a tall crown and red clothes. He had the graceful and confident bearing of an aristocratic young master. But Cui Buqu's eyes were sharper than most—he immediately observed that this man's attitude toward Feng Xiao was rather unusual.
Even when old friends reunited, this level of enthusiasm, an eagerness bordering on solicitude, was odd. Yet it didn't seem like this man was trying to ingratiate himself with Feng Xiao either.
As Cui Buqu considered this puzzle, Feng Xiao's eyebrows shot up in surprise and he smiled. "Young Estate Master Lin! It's been a while."
When Cui Buqu heard this name, in combination with the man's age and conduct, the young master's background instantly fell into place.
Yandang Mountain Estate housed a middle-class family prominent in the jianghu. They were primarily merchants, and wealthy ones at that. The thirteen forms of the Yandang sword technique had been passed down through the generations, but Estate Master Lin Ling had only managed to sire a son in his later years. Not unexpectedly, this meant he heeded his child's every whim and gave him whatever he wanted, even turning a blind eye to his more ridiculous habits. Yandang Mountain Estate's renown within the jianghu came not from the Lin family's wealth nor the Yandang sword techniques they wielded, but from Lin Yong.
Just as Lin Yong, beaming, was about to step forward and grab Feng Xiao's hand, Feng Xiao seamlessly took a small step back and slid his arm around Cui Buqu's shoulders. Before Cui Buqu could react, he'd been dragged to Feng Xiao's side. Their shoulders knocked against each other.
"Allow me to introduce you two. Young Estate Master, this is a dear friend of mine, Cui Buqu. Ququ, this is the young master of Yandang Mountain Estate, Lin Yong."
He put deliberate emphasis on the words dear friend, his lips curving in an ambiguous smile. Any listener would find it dubious, and their imagination would run wild.
Cui Buqu was utterly flummoxed.