Chapter 19 Floating Light and Swimming Dragon: The Beautiful Woman
Bring the illusion in your heart into reality.
"A-Yue." Xiao Fangliang tapped his folding fan lightly, pointing to the group of children chasing and playing not far away, "Go and ask them."
The oldest of those children was no more than seven or eight years old. Wang Shanyue was somewhat stunned, wondering what he could possibly get out of them.
But Ah Liang's thoughts were never something he could easily fathom.
He bought some maltose from a nearby stall and gave it to the children. As soon as he asked about the strange events of the previous night, the children immediately surrounded him, chattering and vying to tell him everything.
"What I saw was as big as a fish!" A child, afraid the boy wouldn't understand, gestured earnestly. "It was round and slippery, just like a big carp in a pond!"
Another boy immediately retorted, "Nonsense! My dad said it's a dragon, as long as a loach!"
Another child shouted, "No, no! How can something that flies in the sky not have wings!"
They all spoke at once, each sticking to their own version of events, but what they described was clearly not what a dragon should look like.
Looking at the mountains, they also sensed something strange and asked, "Then what color did you see?"
The children's answers were varied and included all sorts of colors.
Finally, the oldest child squeezed to the front and said earnestly, "Actually... I can see it the clearest. There are so many colors, and not just one line, they all look like... smoke floating in the sky."
After Wang Shanyue returned to Xiao Fangliang's side and relayed the story, he himself was confused: "That night, there was clearly only one dragon..."
Xiao Fangliang smiled knowingly and said confidently, "Therefore, that must not be a real image."
"Fake?" Wang Shanyue exclaimed in surprise.
Xiao Fangliang's smile gradually faded as he explained, "At first, when I discovered that the shape and color of the dragon described by the people were vastly different, I suspected that this dragon did not actually exist, but was merely an illusion created by people's hearts."
As he spoke, he looked at the children and said, “The reason I asked you to ask them is because children are innocent and do not recognize the shape of a dragon. If it is really an illusion, they will not actually see a ‘dragon’.”
"Then how did you manage to do that?" Wang Shanyue pressed.
"Perhaps it's a deliberate illusion, using the fireworks as a pretext to lure people into seeing the 'dragon' with words." Xiao Fangliang brushed a few wisps of dust from his sleeve, his eyes turning sinister.
Wang Shanyue gasped, "This method... is really a bit strange."
"Have you forgotten 'human-faced dog'?" Xiao Fangliang chuckled. "At certain moments, creating a similar visual impact puts shackles on the subconscious. It makes people subconsciously overlap what they see with what they think. It's not evil, but a precise and controllable plan."
He looked up at the bustling crowd, his heart growing even colder.
The dragon shapes that appeared differently to everyone were, in reality, nothing more than a mirror reflecting people's hearts.
Bring the illusion in your heart into reality.
*
Compared to the bustling city life on Wangshan Yue and Xiao Fangliang's side, the decorated building where Tang Yu and Xie Xingzheng were located was empty and quiet at this moment.
The building was completely covered by black cloth, and the originally exquisite railings and furnishings were hidden in the shadows, like a pearl covered in dust, which was regrettable.
Under the dim light of a few lamps, the guards brought out the colored smoke and fireworks used the night before. Some had burned out, and some had not yet lit, but each only had one tube left.
Xie Xingzheng frowned slightly, about to speak, when the guard bowed and explained, "Young General, all the other fireworks have been taken away by the Inspection Department for inspection. This is the only one left."
Xie Xingzheng's eyes darkened instantly, and his expression turned cold.
He immediately understood. The case was now under the jurisdiction of the Censorate, and he was responsible for assisting the person who accepted the challenge. Although both were seeking the truth and restoring order to the capital, there was also a subtle competitive relationship between them, and the Censorate naturally did not want him to solve the case first.
Leaving behind only a few fireworks was also to avoid giving others cause for criticism later.
But are these... enough for her to see any clues?
Seeing his silence, Tang Yu glanced at him and met his gaze. In that instant, she sensed a hint of apology in his eyes.
He glanced at it again with a hint of disbelief, but there was nothing in those cold eyes.
Without hesitation, she knelt down, laid out some oiled paper, carefully poured out the ash from the chimney, and separated it. Then, she gently crushed each ash with her fingertips and smelled it.
He murmured, "That's strange..."
As she spoke, she suddenly brought her fingertips close to her lips, as if she wanted to taste them with her tongue.
Xie Xingzheng could no longer bear it. He suddenly grabbed her wrist and said in a deep voice, "Aren't you afraid of being poisoned?"
Tang Yu looked up, her expression innocent. "How could a doctor be so easily infected?"
Xie Xingzheng's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he remained silent for a moment.
He thought to himself: Isn't your identity as a traveling doctor all a lie?
Seeing the seriousness in her eyes, he finally let go and didn't make things difficult for her anymore.
Tang Yu knew his worries and understood that he didn't know she was actually immune to all poisons. She suppressed her smile and abandoned the idea of tasting the ingredients, instead taking out a tinderbox, lighting the powder one by one, and closing her eyes to sniff it carefully.
When the powder is ignited, in addition to the smell of saltpeter, it is also accompanied by a faint fragrance that is subtle but lingers.
She closed her eyes and sniffed for a moment, her brow furrowing. She opened her eyes and murmured, "Is that golden stone flower in the colored smoke? Is that jasmine mixed into the fireworks?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Xingzheng remained remarkably calm, clearly unsurprised by the discovery.
“That’s true.” He said calmly, “Golden stone flower and borneol are not commonly used in fireworks production. And the Dali Temple has already investigated and found that neither of them is poisonous.”
These words, spoken by him, sounded to Tang Yu like a reminder not to think of them as incompetent.
She suddenly smiled brightly, which made Xie Xingzheng's heart tighten slightly, and he couldn't help but straighten his shoulders.
I don't know why she was laughing; it seemed a little strange.
Tang Yu spoke leisurely: "If we can only find out things that even the Dali Temple can find out, wouldn't that be quite disappointing for General Xie?"
Her voice was soft, and the dim light of the lamplight was faintly reflected in her brown pupils. "Then I'll have to try harder."
Despite her lighthearted tone and expression, Xie Xingzheng felt as if he had somehow offended her.
Xie Xingzheng replied in a deep voice: "Solving the case is for the sake of the stability of the Great Xia, not for personal feelings."
His expression was serious, unlike what Tang Yu had said, that he had never felt even a trace of disappointment.
His overly clear eyes felt like a cat gently scratching Tang Yu's heart—itchy yet stinging. Her hand unconsciously picked up some ashes, seemingly lost in thought, but inwardly she was cursing him a thousand times.
After venting his anger, he slightly raised the corners of his lips, stood up, and invited, "General Xie, why don't you come with me for a stroll around the area?"
Xie Xingzheng didn't understand what she was planning, but he still nodded and silently followed behind her.
The two left the decorated building, walked onto the main street, and then passed through the alleys.
He had assumed she had a destination in mind, but to his surprise, she was just wandering around aimlessly.
For example, this is the second time they've passed through this street.
Xie Xingzheng did not stop him, but simply asked, "Where are you going?"
"Nowhere to go." Tang Yu didn't turn her head, her steps were light, and her voice was filled with laughter: "Didn't I say? Just strolling around with General Xie."
Xie Xingzheng fell silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on her back.
Her steps were incredibly light. He found himself uncontrollably convinced that a mocking smile must be gracing her face.
His eyes darkened, and a strange feeling arose in his heart, as if he were being toyed with by her.
This woman is indeed extremely dangerous.
But precisely because of this, he had no choice but to stay by her side at all times.
After the two of them had walked through several streets in the vicinity at least twice, Tang Yu herself was also a little tired. Looking back, she found that Xie Xingzheng was neither angry nor tired, but silently followed behind her, keeping his promise to stay by her side every step of the way, which she couldn't understand at the moment.
Just as she was about to speak to him, her nose twitched slightly, her eyes suddenly sharpened, and she abruptly turned her head to look in the direction of the fragrance.
Just past them were two women dressed in gorgeous clothes with their hair tied up in high buns.
Tang Yu instantly perked up, quickly catching up with the beautiful woman and putting on a gentle, spring-like smile, "Madams, please wait."
The two beautiful women, stopped, turned around with slight surprise, their faces smiling: "Young master, did you call me?"
Tang Yu looked up, stunned for a moment, as if taken aback by their beauty. Then she bowed and said sincerely, "I apologize for my rudeness. Madam is indeed very beautiful. I was being presumptuous."
Everyone appreciates praise, especially when it comes from the mouth of a handsome young man. The two women covered their mouths and laughed even more charmingly, their eyes filled with a touch of affection.
Tang Yu smiled and continued, "Just now, as I passed by Madam, I caught a whiff of a very fitting fragrance... That's why I've taken the liberty of asking where Madam obtained the perfume she uses?"
"Perfume balm?" The beautiful woman lowered her head and sniffed her sleeve, then chuckled softly, "This was a gift from my husband. He said he had just come up with a new recipe when he passed by a perfume shop recently. I thought the scent was quite pleasant, so I tried it today."
Tang Yu's eyes lit up, and he asked again, "I wonder if Madam would be willing to part with a little? I am willing to offer a large sum of money in exchange."
He immediately showed great apology and explained, "My beloved wife at home loves fragrance. If I could get some, I would surely please her today."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Xingzheng's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.
This person truly never utters a single truth.
On the other hand, the beautiful woman not only did not feel that she was being presumptuous, but she also felt a sense of goodwill towards Tang Yu because of his thoughtfulness in "seeking incense for his wife", and her eyes showed more appreciation.
"Since it is what you requested, I will gladly provide some."
As she spoke, she took out a small rouge box from her person and handed it over with a gentle smile, "There's still half a box inside, young master, please take it back and let your wife try it."
Tang Yu was flattered and accepted the box, thanking him repeatedly, but also feeling a little guilty: "It's still not appropriate to take my wife's things directly."
She abruptly changed the subject, looking at Xie Xingzheng with an extremely innocent smile, "I would like to trouble General Xie to pay this lady the silver in exchange for this incense."
Xie Xingzheng: "...?"
In the end, however, he still paid the money.
The two watched the beautiful woman leave before Tang Yu slowly lifted the lid of the box and took a sniff.
This fragrance was almost identical to the one she had smelled at the grand market yesterday. Only it was fainter, softer, and less noticeable.
"What's wrong with this incense?" Xie Xingzheng couldn't help but ask when he saw her staring at the incense for a long time.
Tang Yu put away the small box and smiled as she placed it in his hand, saying, "General Xie, please keep this safe. This is the key to solving the case."
Xie Xingzheng looked down at the small rouge box in his palm, feeling inexplicably hot to the touch. He reached out to return it, saying, "You keep it yourself."
"Why?" Tang Yu looked at him in confusion.
His face remained cold and expressionless, but the tips of his ears were slightly red.
It's just a perfume balm for women, what's he so ashamed of?
Tang Yu was puzzled but too lazy to investigate further. Seeing his embarrassment, she felt a sense of satisfaction and naturally wouldn't take over, but instead turned and walked away.
Xie Xingzheng pondered for a moment, then finally put the small box into his pocket and quickly caught up.
Only the auricle of the ear was still slightly hot.
After all, she had just made it clear that this perfume was bought to please her "beloved wife at home."
No matter how he thought about it, it made him feel extremely awkward.
[Author's Note]
Xie Xingzheng (taking out money): I feel like I've been set up.
Tang Yu (laughs): How could that be?
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