Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Chapter 133: Luo City
To be fair, the two possibilities Hao Quan pointed out were not without reason.
But when night fell deeper, Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan rested and each quietly pondered… the next morning, they rose, looked at each other with the conclusions they had reached overnight, and spoke: “Yinghan, we—”
“Zhengliu, you and I…”
The swordsman and the blade master paused simultaneously.
Then, almost in unison and with a hint of helplessness, they said: “You also want to go to Luo City?”
“You also think we should go to Luo City?”
Their voices overlapped, and their eyes met. After a moment, both revealed faint smiles.
Alright, it seemed their beloved’s thoughts were exactly the same as their own. With that, the arguments they had thought of last night and this morning to “persuade” the other became useless.
Both Bai Zhengliu and Mei Yinghan, after hearing Hao Quan’s words, were deeply concerned about the real situation at the Imperial Fragrance Workshop.
Terms like “substitute corpse” or “vengeful spirit”—a year ago, they would not have taken seriously. But now, the state of the Imperial Fragrance Workshop constantly reminded them of the Tan family.
What if those rumors were actually true? If they did nothing and there really was a problem at the Workshop, how many people would fall because of it?
With this in mind, Bai and Mei could no longer remain calm. Realizing that their beloved had made the same judgment, they immediately moved on to the next step.
Bai Zhengliu: “We won’t return to Tianshan, but the items sent by Uncle and Aunt Cheng can be entrusted to Brother Hao to deliver back, so that Tianluan, Jingshu, and the others can also receive them. Hmm, if the instructors approve, they should get a share too.”
Mei Yinghan: “I’ll write the letter and have Brother Hao take it back as well, explaining the situation in the letter.”
After planning this, the two went their separate ways.
Mei Yinghan took out pen and ink, while Bai Zhengliu went to discuss with Hao Quan about sending the letter and items.
At Bai’s words, Hao Quan was clearly stunned. He could not understand why, when just yesterday Bai and Mei seemed eager to return to their sect, after only one night they now said, “We recalled other important matters and fear we cannot return to Tianshan immediately.”
He almost suspected it was just a polite phrase, and in reality he had overlooked something he said last night that had caused the two heroes’ discontent.
This thought made Hao Quan anxious for a moment, worriedly looking at Bai Zhengliu. Fortunately, Bai’s next sentence was: “Brother Hao, we still need your help to…” roughly listing the items to be sent back.
Hao Quan blinked and, as he listened, a weight on his heart slowly lifted.
I see now!It was his own petty suspicion!
The heroes truly had things to attend to. And even in their busyness, they did not forget him. Taking the opportunity of “delivering the heroes’ luggage to Tianshan,” Hao Quan could directly interact with the other Tianshan disciples. If luck was on his side, some of the goods he brought could be directly secured. And the long-coveted snow lotus now had a pathway.
Hao Quan once again admired his wise decision from last night. Smiling cheerfully, he agreed at once: “What’s the big deal? Heroes, please don’t be polite—just leave the items and letters.” He rubbed his hands and added, “I just don’t know how the process works at Tianshan. I was thinking… words alone are not proof…”
Why would anyone believe he was truly delivering the items, and not taking the chance to sneak in?
He genuinely worried. Bai Zhengliu noticed and smiled slightly, saying, “You will naturally be given a token, Brother Hao.”
A token, huh. Hao Quan nodded, reassured, and said, “I knew it, the heroes must have thought everything through.”
While they spoke, Mei Yinghan had already finished writing the letter. He blew on the paper to dry the ink, then took the envelope over and handed it to Hao Quan.
Hao Quan received it solemnly.
After a brief meeting and introduction, they quickly said their goodbyes.
One party continued west and north, moving into colder regions. The other turned back toward the main road to the east. As the sound of hooves echoed, Bai and Mei reflected: “We really traveled thoroughly on this journey, didn’t we?”
How long had it been since receiving letters from Yu Han and Han Shu? Yet they had already traveled back and forth. First to the town where the Song family lived—they heard that the big case there had been resolved, and the Song family’s son-in-law who committed the crime was “on the run.” Then to Jingzhou, where the “Yangshan Troupe” theater was lively and bustling. Afterward, to Du Village, and even farther beyond.
The two rode their horses past the last traces of winter.
The farther south they went, the greener the surroundings became. Willow leaves brushed past their brows, and the mountains and fields were full of flowers and grass. Farmers began spring plowing, and under the bright sun, everything thrived.
Bai and Mei continued onward, one in dark, one in white, passing through fields and towns, bustling streets, and silent, uninhabited mountains.
They stayed overnight in farmers’ homes. Children’s eyes sparkled as they begged the heroes to tell stories of their chivalrous adventures. At inns, they sat on windowsills, sharing moonlight.
Time passed—finally, when the weather truly warmed and passersby wore lighter clothes, they arrived at Luo City.
It was a large southern city, once prosperous because of the Imperial Fragrance Workshop. After the Workshop’s destruction, Luo City suffered a heavy blow. Many fragrance merchants no longer passed through, and wealthy spendthrifts shook their heads. The once-bustling streets still had locals walking them, but the emptiness and desolation were obvious even to Bai and Mei, newcomers to the city.
“Ah!” In such a scene, the only ones still able to laugh and play freely were children. Seeing one child running carelessly and nearly colliding with him, Bai Zhengliu gently pushed the child aside, using his spiritual energy. The child didn’t even notice the blade master’s movement, thinking Bai had stopped on his own.
This pause also made him notice the two people behind him.
The child tilted his head curiously, looking at the two heroes dressed as wandering adventurers. The one wearing darker clothes squatted down, smiled, and spoke, asking, “Are you from here? Can I ask you something?”
The child blinked, appearing a little shy around strangers.Bai Zhengliu then performed a little magic trick for him. “Look, what’s this?” he said, spreading both hands—empty. The child looked puzzled, but Bai Zhengliu brought his hands together and opened them again—ah! A piece of malt sugar had appeared!
The child immediately laughed. He asked, “What do you want to know?”
Bai Zhengliu pretended to be serious: “Two questions. The first—my companion in white and I have just arrived, and we’re looking for a place to stay. Do you have a recommended inn where we can settle?”
The child’s eyes widened. “Yes! My family runs an inn. I can take you there.”
“Your family runs one?” Bai Zhengliu laughed. “Perfect timing. Okay, here’s my second question.”
The child said, “Go ahead.”
Bai Zhengliu said, “We came to Luo City to buy incense. But now we’ve realized the Imperial Fragrance Workshop is gone…”
The child frowned, “Huh?”
Bai Zhengliu looked at him with a troubled expression.
The child returned a slightly troubled look.
Bai Zhengliu hesitated. He had wanted to ask the child where the Imperial Fragrance Workshop had been, but halfway through, he felt it wasn’t appropriate.
First, the child was just a kid—probably not a good guide. Second, if he got scared, it could cause trouble.
While he hesitated, the child couldn’t wait any longer.
Licking the malt sugar Bai Zhengliu had given him, he said boldly, “Big brother, are you here to buy incense from the Imperial Fragrance Workshop? You can! They’re still selling it.”
Bai Zhengliu’s pupils shrank slightly.
His mind jolted. For a moment, he thought he had misheard. Then the child spoke again, licking the sugar as he did so: “Even though their house is gone, sometimes it still comes out—”
“Bao’er,” a woman’s voice called from behind, “I just looked away for a moment, and how did you run outside again? Ah!”
The last word was uttered upon seeing Bai and Mei behind the child.
A neatly dressed woman quickened her pace to catch up.
She ruffled the child’s hair and then looked up at the two wandering heroes.
The child peeked out from under her hand and shouted, “Mama! These are the guests I brought to our shop!”
The woman couldn’t help laughing and crying at the same time. She rubbed her son’s cheek again, then turned to Bai and Mei: “My child watches us do business, so he’s learned a few ways to greet customers. Heroes, please don’t take offense.”Bai Zhengliu smiled: “What’s there to take offense at? We just asked if there were any inns nearby. This child immediately said his family runs one. I think he’s quite clever.”
The woman immediately laughed. Who doesn’t like being praised about their own child? Her eyes curved with joy as she continued to Bai and Mei: “What a coincidence! Guests, please follow me. Shall we prepare one room or two?”
Bai and Mei replied: “One.”
The woman said, “Good!”
As she spoke, she picked up the child and started walking back. Along the way, Bao’er peeked out from her arms and shouted, “Mama, the guests said they want to buy incense from the Imperial Fragrance Workshop! I told them, if they look carefully over there, they’ll find it—”
“What nonsense are you saying?” the woman said, half laughing, half crying, turning to explain to the wandering heroes: “You’ve come all the way here, so you’ve probably already heard that the Imperial Fragrance Workshop is… alas, what a pity!”
Bai and Mei remained expressionless. “Indeed,” they said.
The woman continued: “When that place went under, our business also plummeted. Luckily, we own the land and the building—otherwise, who knows how we’d get by?”
A trace of melancholy crossed her face, but she quickly straightened up and added: “Some people take advantage of the Imperial Fragrance Workshop’s name to sell their own incense. Not just outsiders like you, but they even trick local people like us!
“They don’t even think—do they really think the name ‘Imperial Fragrance Workshop’ is so easy to imitate? How arrogant!”
Author’s Note:
First thing at the start:
Gather information.