Chapter 24

Xiao Jin’s thoughts were not enough to disrupt the atmosphere on the other side.

The sound of a pipa being plucked came from within the hall.

Accompanied by a melodious and gentle tune, the songstress on stage raised a jade flute and began to play a clear melody.

Listening to this piece, Lan Qing’s eyes curved into slits as she continued her story about that impatient guest: “That day, a swordsman from the Jianghu came to the establishment. He looked rather down-and-out, but he was extremely generous with his coin. It was just the man himself… he was terribly impatient.”

“As if he was rushing to be reincarnated. Without even asking whether my sisters were Pure Courtesans or Listed Courtesans, he dragged one of the younger girls into a room in just a few moves. If Miss Bai hadn’t arrived in time to take control of the situation, who knows how it would have ended.”

Regarding the distinction between the “Pure Courtesans” and “Listed Courtesans” of the Misty Rain Pavilion, Xiao Jin had skimmed over a few brief passages in the original novel.

Pure Courtesans were generally girls proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—they sold their art, not their bodies.

But in the highly renowned Misty Rain Pavilion, the Listed Courtesans had a passing knowledge of calligraphy and painting and would occasionally entertain honored guests, selling both their art and their bodies.

Hearing this, Xiao Jin furrowed her brows slightly.

If, as Lan Qing just said, that man was a down-and-out swordsman, then how could he have come to the Misty Rain Pavilion to seek amusement without reason, and even afford a price befitting an “honored guest”?

It was truly somewhat strange.

On Chu Shao’s side, she smiled faintly, trying to coax out more information.

But when she casually steered the conversation towards it, Lan Qing seemed to know no further details, nor was she aware of the swordsman’s specific identity.

She only vaguely remembered that the swordsman appeared to be around thirty years old, his features reasonably decent. He carried a long, flexible sword on his back and had once brought it out to show the girls, his tone brimming with boastfulness.

Recalling the events of that day, Lan Qing added: “It was just that when the swordsman was sheathing his blade, he seemed to remember something, and his expression became very heavy again. He even sighed.”

“We didn’t know he was that kind of person before, and one of the younger sisters asked him, ‘Why do you sigh?’ He merely shook his head and muttered a few strange words, saying his time was short, and he would likely die within a few days. Yet he was clearly in the prime of his life. Saying such things was quite absurd…”

Hearing about the long, flexible sword, Chu Shao thought of the black-clothed swordsman she had fought. His blade had indeed been very flexible.

Earlier, when watching that swordsman exchange blows with Xiao Jin, his sword techniques had been weak and feeble. When he encountered her later, his moves became vicious and merciless instead.

But ultimately, he was still too slow—not very suited to be an assassin.

A smile lifted the corner of Chu Shao’s lips. Could it be that this man was an old acquaintance of Xiao Jin’s? If that were truly the case, the matter would become even more interesting.

Having finished extracting information about the swordsman, the matter of the fragrance pill remained to be clarified.

Chu Shao reached out and took a piece of pastry, casually glancing at Xiao Jin, who was sitting to the side quietly drinking tea.

Perhaps because she was dressed in a snow-white robe, the cold and severe aura around the other person seemed to have dissipated considerably. Set against the white silk covering her eyes and her legs resting on the bamboo wheelchair, she almost resembled a fragile jade figurine.

Chu Shao recalled the scent of “Spring Mountain Void” from the dark chamber and felt that this fragrance was, at this moment, remarkably well-suited to Xiao Jin.

Thinking this, the smile on Chu Shao’s lips deepened. She gently raised her hand and casually picked up a strand of hair that had fallen over Lan Qing’s shoulder.

Looking at the soft, lustrous sheen of the black hair, Chu Shao felt it very much resembled a hanging sword tassel.

At the same time, she thought that Xiao Jin should also possess such a sword and tassel—so she could, on a snowy night, raise that blade to face a beast baring its fangs, struggling defiantly as blood splattered everywhere.

That was a very moving sight.

Seeing Chu Shao lift Lan Qing’s hair, Su Tan’s eyes widened, as if she had just unlocked some incredible new knowledge.

The hall was brilliantly lit with candles, and Lan Qing’s fair complexion was serene and lovely, seemingly tinged with a faint blush.

Xiao Jin sat in her wheelchair, still maintaining her composure.

After all, she was intimately familiar with Chu Shao’s yandere tendencies. She also firmly believed in an eternal law: unsolicited kindness always hides ulterior motives—either treachery or thievery.

It was just what exactly the other party intended to steal that Xiao Jin currently couldn’t quite grasp.

However, if Chu Shao’s actions were meant to help her, Xiao Jin felt she truly did not have such good fortune.

Chu Shao sniffed Lan Qing’s hair. When she raised her head again, her gaze shifted to Xiao Jin as she asked with a smiling lilt: “Such a lovely fragrance. I wonder what spices my elder sister uses? This one would also like to buy some for my younger sister at home.”

It was only then that Lan Qing realized the delicate young woman sitting beside her was actually Chu Shao’s younger sister. A pity she was blind, and her legs appeared to have some issues as well.

Amidst her sympathy, Lan Qing was also somewhat astonished, not understanding why Chu Shao would bring her own sister to such a place of pleasure.

Because the bewilderment on Lan Qing’s face was simply too obvious, even Xiao Jin, sitting in her wheelchair pretending to be blind, and already full of exasperation at Chu Shao’s words, felt several more lines of frustration appear on her forehead.

She truly wished she had a normal teammate, not someone like Chu Shao, who always seemed to bring up the worst possible topics.

Seeing Xiao Jin’s indifferent expression, Chu Shao’s mood inexplicably improved.

Chu Shao smiled faintly, released Lan Qing’s hair, and offered an explanation: “My humble younger sister is blind and unable to walk. On ordinary days, she simply enjoys listening to music.”

“Having heard that the ancient zither and pipa of the Misty Rain Pavilion are unparalleled, I brought her here, despite the distance, to experience the refined music of the capital.”

Chu Shao’s fabrication was quite good; at least, Lan Qing believed it.

However, Xiao Jin and Su Tan both spotted the flaw at the same time, narrowing their eyes in unison.

Chu Shao had been staying in the Yao Kingdom all along. How could she know that the ancient zither and pipa of the Misty Rain Pavilion were unparalleled?

Could it be she made it up?

But even if it was made up, it couldn’t have been so smooth, without even a moment’s mental preparation.

The innocent Lan Qing suddenly understood, completely failing to notice anything amiss. She even turned with a smile to Wan Jun beside her, saying: “Sister Wan, if I remember correctly, the piece today is ‘Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute,’ and this fragrance should be the ‘Spring Mountain Void’ concocted by Miss Bai, correct?”

Wan Jun glanced at Lan Qing, thinking to herself how Sister Lan could be so careless, selling out Miss Bai in just two or three sentences.

Yet when Wan Jun looked up and met Chu Shao’s smiling gaze, she inexplicably felt a chill of fear.

So she forced a smile and nodded, replying: “It is probably ‘Spring Mountain Void’.”

“‘Spring Mountain Void’? This name is truly beautiful.” Chu Shao received an answer that satisfied her, smiling as she stroked her fan. “This one just wonders if the elder sisters might have spare fragrance pills. My humble younger sister happens to need some spices lately, and this one would like to purchase a few to take home.”

The expression on Chu Shao’s face was very genuine, her smile also quite gentle.

After all, that was exactly what she was thinking.

Ever since Xiao Jin had given all the mint from Night Rest Pavilion to Su Tan, a trace of the scent still lingered on her clothes, but the mint fragrance on her person had gradually faded.

Chu Shao now very much wanted to find another, more pleasant scent to leave upon Xiao Jin’s body and clothes.

Fragrance was a wondrous thing.

Chu Shao could even imagine that wisp of cool fragrance drifting along the wind, swirling around Xiao Jin’s black hair, her eyes, and her tightly pressed lips.

A very beautiful scene.

Just imagining it brought Chu Shao immense pleasure. Moreover, this was a fragrance that she herself would soon bring to Xiao Jin.

In reality, Xiao Jin didn’t quite understand why Chu Shao wanted to buy “Spring Mountain Void.”

After all, their purpose in coming to the Misty Rain Pavilion was solely to investigate the assassination case, not to purchase “Spring Mountain Void.”

Moreover, they already had that fragrance pill. Having already found out who created it, shouldn’t the next step be to approach Bai Zheng? Why suddenly buy fragrance pills?

Xiao Jin was silent for a long moment, then realized that Chu Shao might be the biggest obstacle to completing her quest.

She decided to turn the tide and drag the plot back from its deviation.

The next moment, Xiao Jin activated her active skill, a talent the original owner had innately possessed—the Coughing Blood Skill.

“Cough, cough…”

Xiao Jin furrowed her brows and coughed violently.

Even though she had taken out her prepared brocade handkerchief beforehand, a few spots of red plum blossoms still fell upon her snow-white robe.

Although Xiao Jin coughed without any expression on her face, because her eyes were covered by the white silk, set against the bloodstains on the white robe, she appeared pitifully frail.

Such a “delicate” young woman, coughing so painfully, couldn’t help but stir Lan Qing and Wan Jun’s sympathy. They wanted to hand Xiao Jin a handkerchief.

But just as they rose to fetch a handkerchief, they found that the gentle and amiable “Young Master Chu” from moments ago was no longer beside them.

Lan Qing was a bit stunned. How could a perfectly present person just vanish without a trace?

When she looked again, Chu Shao had already bent down, crouching beside Xiao Jin’s wheelchair. She was smiling as she raised her hand, gently wiping the blood from the corner of Xiao Jin’s lips.

“…”

Teleportation? How was that accomplished?

From Lan Qing and Wan Jun’s perspective, this was what they saw.

They had no idea that the reality was actually far more bizarre.

The person involved, Xiao Jin, was fortunate enough to witness everything.

At first, she activated her coughing blood skill merely to interrupt Chu Shao’s strange train of thought. But when she coughed blood while wearing this outfit, it seemed to trigger another one of Chu Shao’s peculiar passive traits.

Xiao Jin had reason to think it was peculiar.

Because when Chu Shao noticed her coughing blood and moved in front of her with ghost-like speed, Xiao Jin then discovered that the pleasure on the other person’s face was practically overflowing.

Even through a layer of white silk, Xiao Jin could see the smile on Chu Shao’s lips and the hand she raised from within her sleeve.

As she wiped the bloodstains for Xiao Jin, her fingertips trembled slightly, as if with excitement.

Watching this scene, Xiao Jin thought to herself: with hands trembling this much, she wondered how Chu Shao managed to hold a sword steady.

Chu Shao acted as if she hadn’t noticed, still holding the brocade handkerchief and wiping Xiao Jin’s blood away.

Only when she had thoroughly wiped the blood from Xiao Jin’s lips did she take hold of the other’s icy fingers, using a clean white handkerchief to meticulously wipe the blood from between her fingers.

Seeing Xiao Jin’s fingers become clean and pale again, Chu Shao’s mood was exceptionally pleasant.

But when she raised her head and saw Xiao Jin’s pallid lips, her words seemed to hold a trace of regret: “Such a pity. The cinnabar on your esteemed lips was wiped away as well.”

Xiao Jin: “…”

Lan Qing and Wan Jun, who had been watching this spectacle unfold, were utterly stunned.

“Esteemed”? What kind of strange form of address was this? Using an honorific for one’s own younger sister—what kind of peculiar fetish was that?

Chu Shao was severely ill, and the condition had already become contagious. At this moment, Xiao Jin’s hand, held by Chu Shao, was also trembling slightly.

But from pure anger.

Xiao Jin had no other thoughts right now. She just wanted to ask Chu Shao one thing: Princess Consort, do you still remember you’re acting, and your current role is this Prince’s elder brother?

Su Tan, sitting to the side, also couldn’t bear to watch any longer.

Everything that happened today had, to a certain extent, delivered quite a shock—not just to her, but also to the two young ladies from the Misty Rain Pavilion.

One could only sigh and say, one lives and learns.

Just as Xiao Jin was sinking into utter despair, feeling the situation had become unsalvageable, the young attendant in green came down from the upper floor.

He seemed completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere in the hall. Instead, he walked over and respectfully bowed to Xiao Jin: “Miss, Miss Bai Zheng has sent this humble one to convey a message. She requests your presence upstairs for a chat.”