Volume One: The Youngest Among Three Hundred Chapter 112: Just Smell It and Be Done

Inside the residence, a purple-robed official interrogated his host repeatedly: "Why did someone go to kill that woman from Ganquan Village, only to die by Su Dingfeng's sword instead? Do you realize that Su Dingfeng's third younger sister is Chen Changan's wife!"

"If Chen Changan happens to notice anything amiss, the entire plan will fall apart!"

His words were sharp as awls, clearly showing his agitation.

The master of the house roared back with equal fury: "I didn't expect those idiots under my command to act on their own—a group of fools who ruin everything they touch. The point now is to find a way to make amends as quickly as possible."

"Based on my understanding of Chen Changan from our two previous indirect confrontations, he will certainly discover the problem."

The purple-robed official gritted his teeth, his beard bristling as he paced back and forth in the hall. After a moment of rapid thought, he clapped his hands together and said: "There is only one way to handle this now..."

He lowered his voice until it was a mere whisper, leaning in to speak directly into the other man's ear.

As the host listened, the anger that had covered his face vanished like a receding tide, replaced by satisfaction and approval: "Good, we shall do exactly that. Not only will this ensure the plan proceeds smoothly, but it will also completely eliminate that meddlesome wretch."

...

In the Su family courtyard, Chen Changan and Su Wanqiu rose quickly upon hearing the commotion.

Su Qingtang, who had been standing tall with his hips thrust out, repeating his "Herbal Classic" shuttlecock exercises, noticed the activity at the entrance. He rushed over in a panic, pulling his wife, Qin Fuluo, into his arms. He tucked her trembling head against his shoulder and asked with concern, "Fuluo, what... what is going on?"

Qin Fuluo gasped for air, unable to utter a single word. It was their daughter, Su Wanqing, who regained her composure after Zhu Jiawen rubbed her chest to help her catch her breath. Her voice trembling, she said, "Someone tried to kill Aunt Zhou... Aunt Zhou. Fortunately, Big Brother appeared just in time, or else we... we wouldn't have made it back!"

The "Aunt Zhou" she referred to was Zhou Guifeng, who had come from Ganquan Village. Da Min society placed great importance on etiquette, and even though she was a guest in the Su household, they addressed her by the appropriate title due to her seniority.

Upon hearing this, Chen Changan's nerves tightened into a knot. He realized a grave issue was at hand, but the current situation left no time for contemplation; he had to treat Zhou Guifeng's wounds first.

"Brother-in-law, please go fetch a basin of clean water and a towel," Chen Changan said, setting aside formalities in his urgency.

He pulled out the six silver needles he had carried since mastering the Peach Blossom Secret Arts and carefully inserted them into key acupoints on Zhou Guifeng's body. A miraculous phenomenon occurred: Zhou Guifeng, who had looked pale and weak enough to die at any moment, suddenly began to breathe with steady, rhythmic strength, and the bleeding from her wounds slowed and eventually stopped.

Su Wanqiu watched in stunned silence. Although her mother, second sister, and brother-in-law had mentioned earlier that afternoon that Chen Changan knew medicine—and he hadn't denied it during dinner—seeing him save someone with needles was still shocking.

In the past, her mind would have been flooded with questions like, "Who is this person? This isn't the Chen Changan I know." But under the influence of the "Peach Charm" secret art planted by Chen, such thoughts were impossible to form.

Reflecting on the sight of Chen Changan inserting and removing the needles, Su Qingtang sighed with genuine emotion, "It is fortunate that our Su family has Changan."

No sooner had he spoken than a bloody head plummeted from the sky, landing with a splash into the basin of water Zhu Jiawen had just brought, spraying blood all over his face.

The next second, Su Dingfeng descended from the night sky, standing atop the roof with his hands behind his back, balanced on his iron sword. He projected an air of absolute authority: "No matter who it is, do not touch, do not seize, and do not move my family. Otherwise, you die!"

Zhu Jiawen: "..."

"Sigh!"

Watching his brother-in-law, the "King of Posturing," strike another pose, Chen Changan twitched his eyebrow in resignation. After instructing them to look after Zhou Guifeng and the terrified Su Wanqing and Qin Fuluo, he returned to his room alone with paper and pen to analyze the clues.

First, the faction secretly plotting rebellion had taken A-Bao, and Zhou Guifeng had come to Changan City to find him. Therefore, it was self-evident who had committed the attack tonight.

However, what Chen Changan failed to understand was that after they had slaughtered the entire family to cover their tracks, they couldn't have known that Zhou Guifeng, a paternal aunt, was still in the village, let alone that she would come to Changan City to search for him. Her movements could only have been exposed after she entered the city.

Yet, by the time Zhou Guifeng arrived in Changan, she was a destitute beggar who would not have drawn attention; even those who knew her would not have recognized her. Analyzing this, there was only one possibility: the opposing side had discovered her purpose through some coincidence after she arrived in the city and had attempted to silence her.

...

Zhou Guifeng had not gone to any government office to report the situation from start to finish; she had only spoken to him.

"Damn it..." Chen Changan shuddered. When Zhou Guifeng was recounting the events at the entrance of the Baosheng Pharmacy, that same faction involved in the kidnapping and rebellion had also been present. Beyond that, he could think of no other explanation.

Princess Changning? Impossible, rule her out.

Qin Fuluo? Su Wanqing? Zhu Jiawen? The family members were even less likely; rule them out as well.

That left only Eunuch Hai and the owner of the Baosheng Pharmacy, Lu Zhongjin. Wait... the shop assistant...

The analysis overlapped with the clue he had just obtained: the strange wound on his brother-in-law Zhu Jiawen's buttocks proved that the clay pot hadn't been knocked over by accident, but had been intentionally dropped by the pharmacy assistant!

"There is definitely something wrong. I must go and investigate clearly tomorrow!" Chen Changan resolved.

The next day was clear and breezy. Chen Changan rose earlier than usual because he had to clock in at the Wuyi Lane office on time, but he needed to stop by the Baosheng Pharmacy first to get to the bottom of the assistant's scheme.

"Oh, Officer Chen, what brings you here!" Lu Zhongjin approached with a beaming smile, his cheeks jiggling, his attitude having performed a full three-hundred-sixty-degree turn.

Chen Changan went straight to the point: "Where is the assistant who bumped into my brother-in-law yesterday? Call him out; I have questions for him."

"Ah... well... yesterday was really just a misunderstanding, Officer Chen, you see...!" Lu Zhongjin, assuming he had come to settle scores, explained and pleaded with some reluctance.

"I know it was a misunderstanding, which is why I intend to clear it up," Chen Changan said firmly.

Lu Zhongjin had no choice but to agree: "Very well, Officer Chen, please wait a moment, I will go call him!"

Chen Changan nodded and waited quietly. Before long, Lu Zhongjin came running out from the back, panting and screaming: "Officer Chen, it's terrible, Officer Chen! My assistant has been murdered!"

"What?"

Chen Changan stood up abruptly, though it was merely a reflexive action; in reality, he wasn't shocked, but rather found it expected. His only regret was not coming last night.

"Take me to his room to look!" Chen Changan demanded.

With a murder occurring in his pharmacy, Lu Zhongjin was a bundle of nerves, yet he cooperated eagerly: "Yes! Yes! Yes! Please follow me, Officer Chen."

The Baosheng Pharmacy provided independent dormitories for each employee. Upon entering the room, Chen Changan saw the assistant lying in a pool of blood with a slash across his throat. After surveying the room to determine the approximate time of death, he began searching for clues.

Lu Zhongjin stomped his feet and wrung his hands: "Officer Chen, you must find the killer. To murder an assistant of my Baosheng Pharmacy so brazenly—it is utter lawlessness!"

"Your assistant wasn't exactly a good person either," Chen Changan remarked "ruthlessly."

Lu Zhongjin: "..."

After a thorough search of every corner without finding useful clues, Chen Changan subconsciously twitched his nose. He caught the faint scent of medicinal herbs and, noticing the special uniform the assistant had been wearing, had a flash of inspiration. He asked, "Does this uniform get worn only inside the pharmacy, or do they wear it when they go out as well?"

Lu Zhongjin didn't understand the implication but answered obediently: "These are custom-made to symbolize the pharmacy's status. They are only worn during work hours. I have a rule that they must change when going out, otherwise, the clothes would get damaged or dirty."

"Hmm!"

Chen Changan responded, his expression finally relaxing slightly. That meant the assistant must have worn other clothes when going out, including when he met with the forces behind the scenes. And this man clearly had a bad habit: he lacked hygiene. The medicinal scent he had just smelled came from the uniform he wore while working at the pharmacy.

In other words, his other clothes must have been permeated with the scents of the places he visited outside.

Thinking of this, Chen Changan opened the man's wardrobe. A chaotic mixture of heavy odors rushed out, making him cough violently.

Lu Zhongjin covered his nose and mouth: "Oh my, how long has it been since he washed these? I used to smell the medicinal herbs on him and thought he was hardworking; now I realize he just didn't care about hygiene."

Chen Changan rolled his eyes at him and said, "Sometimes, poor hygiene is a good thing. Dr. Lu, please bring me a pen, and oh—I also need a detailed map of Changan City!"

"Why... why do you need those?" Lu Zhongjin asked, confused.

Chen Changan's tone turned stern: "Go!"

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Officer Chen!" Lu Zhongjin didn't dare argue and hurried off to prepare, returning shortly with the items.

Taking them, Chen Changan held the pen in his left hand and the map in his right. He tilted his chin and said, "Dr. Lu... oh, excuse me, I should call you 'Divine Physician Lu.' You spend your days studying medicinal herbs; your nose must be exceptionally keen, right?"

Lu Zhongjin immediately puffed out his chest with pride, patting it: "Of course, Officer Chen. I don't mean to boast, but whether it is medicinal herbs, fresh, dried, freshly dug, or ground into powder—as long as it is within sight, no matter how far away, I can smell it."

"That is excellent!"

Chen Changan gave a thumbs up and asked, "And what about things other than medicinal herbs?"

"Ha!" Lu Zhongjin said, his face glowing: "I can do that too!"

Chen Changan nodded in satisfaction: "Even better. Then I must trouble Divine Physician Lu to take all the clothes from your assistant's wardrobe and bring them outside with me. We are going to identify what scents are on them!"

"This..."

Lu Zhongjin was instantly paralyzed. The smell in the wardrobe was stifling in the summer heat; he couldn't even avoid it, let alone actively sniff and identify it. He waved his hands in refusal: "No! No! No! That wouldn't be appropriate!"

"Hmm..."

Chen Changan feigned displeasure and warned, "Divine Physician Lu, understand that I am not speaking to you as an ordinary person now, but as an investigator for the Wuyi Guards. Such behavior could easily earn you a charge of failing to cooperate, and you might find yourself eating prison food for a few days."

"This..."

"This..."

Lu Zhongjin had no choice. Eventually, gritting his teeth and enduring it, his brow twitching incessantly, he carried all the assistant's clothes to the entrance of the Baosheng Pharmacy. Under the sunlight, the various odors became even more pungent and suffocating.

Lu Zhongjin cursed: "Dammit, this stinks! From now on, my staff at Baosheng Pharmacy must bathe every day, or they're fired!"

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Chen Changan pulled at his mustache, reminding him: "That's for later. You smell them first."

After scanning the pile with his eyes, he pointed to a pair of white briefs—what would be known as boxers in later ages—and commanded, "Start by smelling what scents are on that. This is the only way to find clues about the killer. Do not refuse!"

Lu Zhongjin: "..."