NOVPUBGu Zhi raised her hand to pull Shen Roujia behind her. The masked incense master, with somewhat stiff movements, turned around and took down a wooden board covered with various items.
Shen Roujia looked at the contents on the board and couldn’t help but widen her eyes.
“Such incense exists?”
Most of the items were for shady purposes, and yet ordinary people could buy them here. Shen Roujia marveled at how skilled the incense master was. The kind of indescribable incense could actually be made.
Feeling a bit awkward, Shen Roujia turned her head away.
Gu Zhi pointed to a particular incense called “Ecstasy.” The incense master glanced at Gu Zhi with a dark, unreadable expression, then turned to retrieve something from the shelf.
Gu Zhi picked up a sign with the character “now” written on it. The incense master looked at Gu Zhi and raised five fingers. Without a word, Gu Zhi threw over a wad of silver notes. The man’s eyes lit up, and his actions became swift and precise.
He quickly prepared the ingredients, placing them into a small pot. The mixture bubbled and soon turned into a thick paste. Gu Zhi picked up the small box, glanced at it, and handed it to Shen Roujia.
Shen Roujia sniffed it lightly. Although this paste was also a pale yellow, its scent was much fainter than the previous one. She shook her head slightly, and Gu Zhi’s cold gaze swept over.
The incense master, puzzled, tapped the board. Gu Zhi threw the old box onto the table. As she leaned in, her hand slowly extended, a sharp dagger hidden under her sleeve.
“I want this kind.”
The incense master, not appearing to be skilled in martial arts, trembled as he picked up the incense box and sniffed it. His face changed dramatically, and he shook his head in panic.
“Customer, I can’t make this deal.”
Gu Zhi sneered, “Master Qiao, you know this business better than anyone. Why can’t you make it?”
The man’s eyes filled with terror. “You, you…”
Shen Roujia instinctively looked at Gu Zhi. How did she know his name?
Gu Zhi chuckled, “Master Qiao, don’t you have something to say?”
Master Qiao glanced at the patrolling guards outside and gently pulled down the door panel. “Customer, please come in.”
With full confidence, Gu Zhi led Shen Roujia inside and nodded, “It’s okay.”
Shen Roujia slowly nodded. Master Qiao extinguished the green light outside the door. The small room, though narrow, concealed a hidden passage. Master Qiao bent down and pushed open a stone door, revealing a courtyard of a household.
“How did you find me?”
Gu Zhi placed a pair of mandarin duck jade pendants in front of him.
“If you can’t remember the incense, you should remember this jade pendant.”
Shen Roujia stared at the jade pendant, frowning slightly. Such an item must have significant meaning in ancient times. She didn’t dare to ask, quietly standing behind and listening.
Master Qiao looked at the jade pendant, his voice choked, “How do you have this?”
Gu Zhi sighed, “I found it among my mother’s belongings. She kept it for her best friend.”
Master Qiao’s hands trembled as he gently caressed the jade pendant.
“I remember Luo Yunzhi had a daughter, not a son.”
Gu Zhi laughed softly, lowered her voice, and removed her mask without care.
“That’s right.”
