The Taste of Time
A Qiu was still somewhat confused, but then she heard Gongye Fusu ponder for a moment and then laugh, "I don't often do this kind of business, and I don't know what kind of freebies would catch your eye, Miss."
Alright then, I'll give the girl two choices.
"Firstly, the young lady can ask me to deliver three messages to the person who relayed them to you."
"Secondly, you may ask me any question you like. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."
As soon as he finished speaking, the air in the carriage instantly fell silent.
Although A Qiu couldn't see his expression, she could imagine that he was closely watching her emotional changes after hearing those words.
Merchants value their promises above all else, and Gongye Fusu's promise was worth a thousand pieces of gold. As the richest man in the Great Yan Kingdom, the ruler of Wanxiang, any word he uttered was worth an endless amount of gold.
For example, if A Qiu asked him about the most valuable incense recipe in Wanxiang Kingdom, he would have to answer truthfully; or if asked about the incense products he planned to make next year, he could not lie. He could even be asked where the most secretive spice plantation in the Gongye family legend, "Wanxiang Palace," was located.
But A Qiu, as the master of the Divine Weapon Hall, was experienced in the martial world and knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Since Gongye Fusu had made this promise, based on his "buy one, get one free" principle, he had naturally already received an equivalent value from Gongyi Xiu. If he were to ask an intrusive question, he would naturally have a thousand or ten thousand ways to recoup this loss from Gongyi Xiu.
There was nothing more to say to Gongyi Xiu. Aqiu concluded in her heart about her senior brother: Despite his high official position, he was utterly useless except for relaying a few messages for their master. She decided to save the time and effort of carrying out his message.
Even through the screen, she could sense that Gongye Fusu was smiling silently, intently observing her.
The words of the Queen of Wanxiang Kingdom are like a fisherman catching a goldfish to mortals—a treasure, but also a temptation.
A Qiu smiled wryly, thinking that Young Master Fusu probably didn't know he was facing the number one person on the Immortal Ranking, the chief divine weapon master of Lanling Hall. What would be a great temptation for an ordinary person was nothing to someone who had faced death many times.
Because I already knew what the most important thing was.
She began, "I would like to inquire about a certain fragrance from Young Master Fusu."
Gongye Fusu replied, "Oh?" in a tone that was exactly what he expected. Many people had their eyes on his family's incense recipe, but none had been able to replicate it; he didn't need this young woman.
A Qiu tried hard to recall the scent on Gu Yi's body, and said, "It was a very complex and very special scent..." If it weren't complex, with her familiarity with the properties of various poisons and herbs, she could have guessed most of it.
"At first glance, it smells like a cool, slightly warm aquatic scent, reminiscent of withered lotus leaves under the autumn sunset. Then comes a sweet scent that lingers and becomes more refreshing, as beautiful as blooming chrysanthemums. Finally, it transforms into a woody scent that is both sweet and bitter, like the fragrance of maple or pine and cypress trees. It is cool yet tender and passionate, calm and profound."
A Qiu tried her best to describe it to Gongye Fusu. In fact, with her extensive knowledge, although she could not be as proficient in fragrances as Gongye Fusu, she could tell from just one sniff that the aura on Gu Yi was far beyond what ordinary fragrances could achieve.
Moreover, the fragrance was actually very faint. Ordinary people could hardly smell it if they were within three feet of him. It was only because A Qiu's five senses were far sharper than those of ordinary people that they could smell it when they were close to him.
However, in her mind, Gu Yi was not someone as particular about clothing and perfume as Gongyi Xiu. She also didn't think Gu Yi would deliberately use fragrance. The clothes of noble officials were usually scented by servants. But the fragrance on Gu Yi was clearly not the sandalwood and ambergris scents commonly used by nobles and officials to scent their clothes.
This only fueled her curiosity.
Besides, she also vaguely felt that this fragrance seemed to have a deep connection with her. Otherwise, she, who was always vigilant, wouldn't have been able to relax and fall asleep in Gu Yi's arms every time.
It's like coming home and having a warm, comforting feeling where you can relax and rest.
Gongye Fusu's voice sounded somewhat surprised: "Oh? There's such a fragrance? May I ask where you smelled it, young lady?"
He explained, “Because the occasions for smelling incense are different, burning it makes powder, smelling it raw makes pills, applying it to the skin makes ointment, and there is also flower dew extracted by steaming, which can also be sprinkled on clothes for smelling. Even if the scents are similar, the raw materials and methods of making them are also different. If you can tell me in what kind of occasion you smelled it, my scope of thought will naturally be narrowed down.”
Slightly embarrassed, A-Qiu bowed and said, "I smelled it on... someone."
Gongye Fusu understood the implied meaning from the music, and judging from A Qiu's expression, he knew she was reluctant to reveal the person's identity. Otherwise, if he had asked more questions, such as about the person's background, the possibilities would have been even narrowed down.
Because those who could afford to use precious spices were all nobles and celebrities, and the fragrances they used were mostly produced by the Gongye family. Even if they weren't made by the Gongye family, Gongye Fusu was extremely familiar with the techniques and formulas of other skilled perfumers in the industry. By tracing the procurement route, he was confident he wouldn't be able to find out.
Seeing A Qiu's embarrassed expression, it was clear that she shouldn't ask any more questions. Gongye Fusu pondered for a moment and then smiled, "It seems that even someone as wealthy and knowledgeable as myself can only owe you this gift today, Miss."
A Qiu cupped her hands and said, "Young Master Fusu, you flatter me. Although I am not a person of the art of incense, I know that it is really asking the Fang family to prescribe raw materials based solely on a verbal description of the scent, because scent is subjective for everyone. However, since Young Master Fusu is a master of incense, I am just trying my luck to see if you have ever smelled a similar scent before."
Gongye Fusu, behind the screen, bowed and smiled, saying, "To be honest, I am ashamed to say that I am called the Saint of Fragrances and the King of Ten Thousand Fragrances. Over the years, whether I have personally extracted and prepared them or have only seen them, the fragrances and raw materials are as vast as the sea, but I have never smelled or heard of a fragrance similar to what you are describing."
His usually gentle and tranquil voice now carried a hint of fervor and curiosity: "I am also very curious to know what kind of master could create such a fragrance. Because,"
He paused, suppressing the fervor in his voice: "This is the legendary—the breath of time."
The changing seasons and the passage of time bring forth endless life in all things. Summer insects and winter snow, spring flowers and autumn moon—these are the traces that time leaves on the world, which everyone can feel.
The scent of time is the scent of human memory.
Gongye Fusu said modestly, "In any case, I will do my best to create a similar aura for you." He waved to stop A Qiu from thanking him and said calmly, "This is not only something I promised you, but also something out of my curiosity. I want to know what kind of existence the aura of time is."
He then changed the subject, saying, "However, since we've come this far, I have another suggestion for you, young lady."
He paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Perhaps I'm being nosy, but sometimes, an outsider's perspective is clearer."
A Qiu wondered what advice this young master Fu Su had for her. This man was gentle yet sharp, and his gentlemanly demeanor concealed a hidden agenda. He was a rare talent, no wonder he had led the Gongye family to its current zenith.
She said cautiously, "Young Master Fusu is certainly not someone who speaks lightly. People say that Young Master Fusu's words are as precious as a thousand pieces of gold. Please enlighten me, Young Master. I am all ears."
Gongye Fusu pondered for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I'm afraid what I say this time won't be of much value and will disappoint you, young lady."
It was rare for A Qiu to see him reveal such a true side of himself, so she became even more curious and asked, "What exactly is it that you want to say, young master?"
Gongye Fusu stopped laughing and said in a serious tone, "What I want to say is that if you really want to know what kind of fragrance that person has, you can just ask him directly. Why go to such lengths to ask someone as humble as me?"
When Ah Qiu was asked this question, her face immediately turned red.
Some things are indeed clearer to outsiders. Although Gongye Fusu didn't know that the person was Gu Yi, he could tell that A Qiu must have seen him not long ago; and A Qiu's shy expression when mentioning him suggested that this person was not only still alive, but also had a close relationship with her. Rather than letting an outsider search high and low to guess the formula for a fragrance based on descriptions, it would be better for her to ask him when she sees him next time.
Gongye Fusu smiled again and said, "However, I cannot completely renege on my promise to you, Miss. I will still do it. A fine sword for a valiant warrior and a fine fragrance for a beautiful woman are both elegant things, and I am very happy to do them. When we meet again, I will definitely deliver the incense I made to you."
Ah Qiu was sweating profusely all the way back to Xiangluo.
I wonder how much silver my senior brother Gongyi Xiu spent to have the richest man in Dayan, Gongye Fusu, personally provide her with this VIP service.
At the same time, he was secretly surprised. Gongye Fusu seemed very certain that they would meet again soon. But Gongyi Xiu would never use someone like Gongye Fusu a second time in the short term. Moreover, their status was not only separated by palace walls, but also by vastly different social classes. How could Gongye Fusu be so sure that they would meet again soon?
When A Qiu returned, sweating profusely, he saw that Lady Sun had finished teaching the dancers and everyone was about to leave.
Sun's wife had already seen A-Qiu return to the group, but she remained indifferent and did not ask what A-Qiu had been doing. Perhaps it was because she herself was in a precarious situation at the moment, so she had little mind to care about any social interactions or connections the dancers might have with other important people.
Ah Qiu was delighted to be able to avoid the possibility of hearing another performance of "Luo Fu," and was trying to slip away between Zhang Exu and Cui Luzhu. Suddenly, she heard a charming and calm voice from the corridor say, "Stay here, all of you."
The crowd, who were about to disperse, immediately turned back and stopped. Even Sun's wife paused for a moment before turning back.
Standing in the center of the corridor at this moment was Madam Xue Hongbi. As a fellow member of the Pei family, she must have gone to see Huang Chaoan to catch up before returning to the dancers' practice area, only to find that it was already closing time.
Lady Sun simply stood under the eaves, remaining silent, waiting to see how she would handle the situation.
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