After Cheng Shuang locked the door, Feng Jiakang suddenly appeared from the side.
He picked up a mask to examine it, and said with a smirk, "They must know that Tian Sanlang, Fang Niang, and Zhou Lang are all dead."
This mask is extremely luxurious, with golden lines outlining its patterns. A lush tree grows from the forehead, its trunk forming the bridge of the nose. Below the tree, on both sides, are eerie green starlight specks, seemingly composed of crushed gemstones. The overall base color is sea blue. The colors are incredibly rich, yet possess an eerie beauty.
The other one in Cheng's hands was much simpler, with only two color combinations: green on one half and blue on the other, making it extremely monotonous.
"Can you smell something?" Feng Jiakang rubbed his nose, feeling uncomfortable, and then put the mask over his face.
The little girl sniffed it and said, "It seems a little bit."
“It’s not just a little.” Feng Jiakang leaned closer to the door and lingered at the crack for a moment. “It’s a very strong fragrance.” He took off his mask and tried it on again. “The mask can block some of the fragrance.”
Cheng Shuang then noticed that the mask had a fine mesh of gold thread woven around the mouth and nose, similar to a filter.
The simpler mask was one of the three given perfunctorily.
Uneasy, Feng Jiakang picked up a petal and swallowed it. Lost in thought, he seemed to be talking to Sihai about something. After a while, he spoke with a serious expression, "There's something wrong with the fragrance!"
The girl's lips twitched. "That's all you asked?"
Feng Jiakang nodded. "Isn't it important?"
“It’s very important!” She touched her nose and asked, “And then?”
"Let's be careful and try to smell as little as possible."
Seeing the little girl still staring at him expectantly, Feng Jiakang scratched his head and asked, "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Cheng Shuang pursed her lips, and at this moment she couldn't help but shed a tear of sympathy for Uncle Sihai. "Brother Feng, please tell Uncle Sihai about the differences in the masks. The most important thing is that the VIP masks can block out some smells."
Feng Jiakang didn't think there was anything wrong with being ordered around by the children. He had always been like this: when he had companions, he relied on them for mental work; when he didn't have companions, he relied on force to win. Unfortunately, even beating the wanderers in the Abyss City to death was useless. Otherwise, he would never have said a word if he could just take action.
“I suspect…” the little girl rubbed the gold mesh around the mouth and nose of the luxurious mask with her fingers, “that there is another substance here, and the combination of the two is harmful to the maintainer.”
She stretched out her finger, gently rubbed her fingertip, and looked closely at it; there was a layer of light yellow powder that was almost the same color as her skin.
Feng Jiakang immediately said, "I know, remove the word 'doubt'."
The little girl smiled and saw through the gauze on the window lattice that guides were already waiting on the terrace. They wore green and blue masks and kept looking into the house.
Using the door as a barrier, she crouched down, took out a water gun from the storage compartment, sprayed the mesh twice, and then wiped it clean with a tissue.
The yellow on the tissue was a darker shade, and it didn't smell like much.
"I don't know if it will work." The little girl handed the mask back to Feng Jiakang and told him to try it on.
Feng Jiakang first cleared his nose, then put his mask back on. "Hmm, it's still the same smell. This time it's almost as strong as if I weren't wearing it at all."
He waited a moment longer, then said, "Brother Sihai has already spoken with the others." Then, curiously, he looked down at Cheng Shuang and asked, "How do you know that the Spirit-Devouring Water can wash away the medicinal residue?"
"I don't know, I just think the spray nozzle is more convenient."
Feng Jiakang's smile faltered. "Are you using me as an experiment?" He reached out and pinched the little girl's chubby cheek, saying angrily, "We're siblings from the same trench, how can you treat me so perfunctorily? Don't you have a conscience?"
Cheng Shuang pushed his large hand away, put on her mask, and gave him three words, "Childish brat!" She tossed her head, pushed open the door, and as the melodious music outside entered her ears, she bowed respectfully at a ninety-degree angle, gesturing for him to enter.
The childish Feng Jiakang was forced to shut his mouth, composed himself, and strode towards the palanquin led by the guides, saying in a disdainful tone, "Let's go!"
The atmosphere in the city center was completely different from usual. Several guides stood in the corridors, playing musical instruments and singing. Because they were playing the same piece, the sound increased rather than decreased from bottom to top, and the volume was louder in the more open the space.
Every shop was brightly decorated and bustling with activity. The city was no longer filled with only green robes and blue skirts; there were also many poor people in simple clothes carrying different flower baskets, their faces beaming with joy, lingering at the shop entrances and strolling on the arched bridges.
The once quiet city suddenly became crowded, and although it lost its previous order and cleanliness, it gained a more lively atmosphere.
The guide leading the way explained today's itinerary to Feng Jiakang: "Xiao Shuang and some of the guides will take turns participating in the Star and Moon Festival competition. I will accompany them during this time. All shops will be open to the public. If you do not wish for the poor to enter and exit, you can notify me in advance to disperse them. Our first stop is the exhibition of outstanding paintings from previous years. Of course, if you have other ideas, we can change our itinerary at any time."
"Whatever!" Feng Jiakang's voice was neither warm nor cold, revealing his negative mood.
Just as Cheng Shuang was about to follow, the last guide pulled her back. He turned his head and pointed with his chin down the corridor, "Don't follow us, let's go get the paintbrushes first!"
Looking down the bridge in the direction he pointed, she saw several guides heading towards the pavilion on the fiftieth floor. She pulled back her sleeve, and her voice, muffled beneath the mask, said, "I'll tell the VIP." Before the other person could react, she squeezed past a few people in front of her, called out to Yang Jiakang, and repeated her words.
"Go!" Yang Jiakang waved his hand casually. "Go and come back quickly. Draw in front of me. I want to see how good your drawing skills are, you little brat!"
Cheng Shuang respectfully performed a courtly salute, "Yes, sir!"
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