Chapter 256 The Bait Takes Effect

On the morning of the third day, Aunt Mei came again.

This time she brought a box of exquisite Hong Kong-style pastries and a bouquet of fresh white chrysanthemums.

“Wan’er, I thought about it all night yesterday and I think it’s a good thing that Xiaoyue reacts to the fragrance of flowers.”

Grandma Mei sat in the living room, smiling kindly, and said, "There's an old Chinese medicine doctor on Hong Kong Island who specializes in this kind of therapy, which he calls 'Aromatic Awakening Technique'."

Meng Wan listened attentively and nodded repeatedly: "Aunt Mei, you're right. We're just desperate and will try anything."

Su Wantang was peeling an apple, her hands moving very gently, but her ears listening intently.

Grandma Mei took out a small notebook from her bag, which was filled with densely written words: "I wrote down everything that old Chinese medicine doctor said. He said that different flower fragrances correspond to different brain regions. For example, crabapple blossoms stimulate emotional memories, while chrysanthemums awaken rational thinking."

"What about gardenias?" Su Wantang asked, looking up with just the right amount of curiosity in her voice.

“Gardenias…” A strange light flashed in Aunt Mei’s eyes, but she quickly concealed it.

"That one is the most special; it can awaken the deepest memories. However, it requires special techniques, and it's not something that ordinary people can use."

Su Wantang sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she showed a disappointed expression: "Then it seems we can only use the ordinary method."

"It's not that there's no way," Aunt Mei said in a low voice. "That old traditional Chinese medicine doctor gave me a prescription, saying it uses a mixture of several common flowers, and it works quite well. It's just..."

"But what?" Meng Wan asked eagerly.

"We just need to record Xiaoyue's reaction to each type of flower before we can formulate the most suitable prescription."

As she spoke, Aunt Mei took out another piece of paper from her bag and continued, "I've listed out the types of flowers that need to be observed. Take a look."

Su Wantang glanced at the paper, which listed: white chrysanthemum, yellow chrysanthemum, autumn chrysanthemum, gardenia, jasmine... more than a dozen kinds.

"So many!" Meng Wan said, somewhat embarrassed. "We don't have such a complete selection of flowers at home."

"It's alright, I'll figure something out." Aunt Mei patted Meng Wan's hand. "I have some old friends in Beijing who can get these flowers. Today I'll try white chrysanthemums first and see how Xiaoyue reacts."

For the next hour, Granny Mei fiddled with the bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of Lu Jingyue, humming a Hong Kong folk song as she carefully observed Lu Jingyue's changing expressions.

Lu Jingyue did react; she would stare at the flowers and occasionally reach out to touch the petals.

Aunt Mei diligently took notes in her notebook, and would occasionally ask Meng Wan some questions:

Does Xiaoyue talk in her sleep?

What colors is she most sensitive to?

Is there anything you're particularly afraid of?

These questions all sounded normal, but Su Wantang sensed something was amiss. Granny Mei was trying to elicit information, hoping to gain insight into Lu Jingyue's memory.

......

Before leaving, Granny Mei said to Meng Wan, "Wan'er, I'll contact those old friends when I get back today and try to get the other flowers by tomorrow. I think there's hope for Xiao Yue's condition, so we need to hurry."

"Okay, okay, Aunt Mei, you've worked so hard." Meng Wan's eyes welled up with tears of gratitude.

After seeing Granny Mei off, Su Wantang immediately returned to her study and picked up the encrypted phone.

"Qin Zheng, the person is gone."

"Understood, our men have caught up."

Qin Zheng's calm voice came from the other end of the phone: "Miss, she lingered at your door for three minutes just now, as if she was waiting for someone."

"Keep following, but don't get spotted."

After hanging up the phone, Su Wantang walked to the window and looked out through the gap in the curtains. Everything on the street seemed normal, but she knew that undercurrents were beginning to stir.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Granny Mei appeared in the oldest teahouse in Beijing.

This teahouse is located deep in a hutong (alleyway), with a simple and rustic decor, and is frequented mostly by elderly people. Aunt Mei ordered a pot of jasmine tea and sat by the window.

Her fingers tapped lightly on the table, her eyes glancing towards the door every now and then.

At four o'clock sharp, a middle-aged man wearing a Zhongshan suit walked into the teahouse. He looked very ordinary, the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

The man sat down opposite Granny Mei and ordered a bowl of soy milk.

"How's the stuff?" the man asked softly.

Grandma Mei took a piece of paper out of her bag and quietly pushed it over: "There is a reaction, but it's not strong. It seems that more precise stimulation is needed."

The man took the note, glanced at it quickly, then lit a lighter and burned it to ashes.

"The higher-ups mean to speed things up. Something happened on Hong Kong Island, and time is running out."

As the man spoke, he pulled a small bottle from his pocket. "This is a newly prepared medicine. Drip it onto the flowers to enhance the stimulating effect."

Granny Mei took the small bottle and put it in her bag: "I know what's important. But that Bai Zhu is not simple. I feel like she's wary of me."

"We'll take precautions, as long as we can get clues out of that crazy girl." The man stood up. "Remember, the whereabouts of the 'Moonlight Grass' is more important than anything else. For this, any price is worth paying."

After saying that, the man walked away without looking back.

Aunt Mei sat for a while, finished her tea, and then left.

Unbeknownst to her, a young man wearing a baseball cap had taken pictures of everything from the convenience store across from the teahouse.

At 8 p.m., Qin Zheng delivered the photos to Su Wantang.

“Miss, we’ve investigated this man. His name is Li Jianhua. On the surface, he’s a retired worker, but he only returned from Hong Kong Island three months ago.”

Qin Zheng pointed to the middle-aged man in the photo, "More importantly, our people saw him in one of the Huo family's warehouses."

Su Wantang examined the photo closely, a cold glint in her eyes: "As expected, they are from 'Eagle's Nest.' They really are persistent."

"There's one more thing." Qin Zheng took out another small bottle. "Our people found this in the teahouse. It must have been dropped during their transaction."

Su Wantang took the bottle; there was still a little clear liquid inside. She unscrewed the cap and smelled it; it had a faint bitter almond scent.

"What's this?"

"I had it tested; it's a plant extract that can stimulate the cerebral cortex and induce hallucinations." Qin Zheng's expression was grim. "If it were used on Miss Lu..."

Su Wantang's fingers tightened, and the bottle made a slight crackling sound in her hand: "They want Jingyue to hallucinate and say some memories that don't even exist."

Just then, the sound of a car engine came from outside.

Lu Jingyan is back.

Su Wantang quickly put away the photos and bottles, and said to Qin Zheng, "Keep an eye on things, and contact me immediately if anything happens."

Qin Zheng nodded and left. Su Wantang straightened her clothes and walked out of the study.

Lu Jingyan had just entered the room, still carrying the chill of the night. When he saw Su Wantang, the weariness in his eyes instantly faded.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" He walked over and reached out to touch her face.

"I'll wait for you." Su Wantang tiptoed and gave him a light kiss on the lips. "Are you hungry? I'll heat up some food for you."

"No need, I've already eaten out." Lu Jingyan took her hand and led her to the sofa. "How was your day? Did that old woman Mei come again?"

Su Wantang briefly recounted what had happened during the day, emphasizing the small bottle.

Upon hearing this, Lu Jingyan's face darkened horribly: "They want to drug Jingyue?"

"It wasn't just about drugging her; it was about creating a false memory in her."

Su Wantang leaned against him and whispered, "But this also proves one thing: they do believe that Jingyue's memories contain what they want."

“'Moonlight Grass',” Lu Jingyan said through gritted teeth.

“Yes, ‘Moonlight Grass’.” Su Wantang looked up at him. “How’s it going on your end? Have you caught any fish?”

Lu Jingyan's lips curled into a cold smile: "They've taken the bait, and a big one at that."

He recounted the details of tonight's operation.

It turned out that at the same time that Granny Mei and Li Jianhua met at the teahouse, there was also some activity at the Xishan Sanatorium.

An eight-person commando team, driving two black sedans, sneaked into the abandoned sanatorium under the cover of night.

Their equipment was highly professional, including night vision goggles, silencers, ropes, and explosive devices. They clearly intended to launch a silent raid to rescue Qian Weiguo.

Unfortunately, they didn't know that Lu Jingyan had already laid a trap there.

“We turned on the lights as soon as they entered the sanatorium,” Lu Jingyan said, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. “You should see their expressions then, like they’d seen a ghost.”

The battle ended quickly. Of the eight men, seven were captured alive, except for one who committed suicide by biting poison.

"What was the result of the interrogation?" Su Wantang asked.

“That’s interesting.” Lu Jingyan took a small object out of his pocket. “Everyone of them has one of these.”

It was a very small eagle-shaped badge, exquisitely crafted, and made of what appeared to be sterling silver.

“The ‘Eagle’s Nest’ emblem.” Su Wantang took the badge and examined it carefully. “It seems Mr. Shadow is quite the person who appreciates rituals.”

"It's not just about the sense of ritual; there's a hidden meaning behind it."

Lu Jingyan pointed to a line of small print on the back of the badge, "This is a serial number, and everyone's is different. This shows that 'Eagle's Nest' has a very tight organizational structure, and each member has their own identification code."

Su Wantang returned the badge to him: "Did those people confess?"

“They recruited some, but it was all peripheral information,” Lu Jingyan shook his head. “They don’t know the real core secrets. But one thing is very important: they confirmed that ‘Mr. Shadow’ is in Beijing, and very likely right next to us.”

These words made Su Wantang's heart beat faster.

The feeling of having the enemy right next to you is chilling.

"So what do we do next?" she asked.

Lu Jingyan stood up, walked to the window, drew back the curtains, and looked outside: "Continue acting. Since they want to play along, we'll play along to the end. Aunt Mei will definitely come again tomorrow, so just proceed according to plan then."

"I know." Su Wantang stood up and walked to his side. "Are you worried?"

“I’m worried.” Lu Jingyan turned to look at her. “But not about the plan, I’m worried about you.”

He reached out and stroked her cheek: "Wantang, these people are more dangerous than we imagine. If anything unexpected happens..."

Su Wantang tiptoed and sealed his words with her lips: "There won't be any surprises. We will win, we will definitely win."

Lu Jingyan held her tightly and whispered in her ear, "With me here, no one can hurt you."