Volume One: The Youngest of the Three Hundred Chapter 113: The Trap

Chen Chang'an assumed a posture of absolute bureaucratic authority and demanded with great majesty, "Well? Do you have a problem with that?"

"I..."
"This..."

If Chen had simply made this request based on his medical skills being superior to his own, Lü Zhongjin would never have bothered to acknowledge him. The reality, however, was that Chen also held the status of a member of the Black-Clad Guard, even if he was a novice.

After all, this agency was an exceptionally unique entity within the entire Great Min Empire, especially within the confines of Chang'an City, where it dealt exclusively with matters concerning the Imperial Household. Since Chen Chang'an had taken the initiative to seek him out, and the shop assistant had happened to be murdered, there was certainly a hidden agenda; Lü was no fool.

"Fine... alright then!"

Lü Zhongjin had no choice. Gritting his teeth, he picked up the white breeches of the deceased assistant. As he gingerly sniffed them, his stomach immediately churned with nausea, and he looked as though he had swallowed filth. "Urine... the smell of urine. It... it really reeks!"

Chen Chang'an tapped his own temple. "Right, of course. Undergarments... or rather, breeches—items worn directly against the skin—how could they carry anything but the scent of urine?"

Lü Zhongjin’s face twitched. *If you were so good at analyzing this, why didn't you say so earlier?* But he dared not voice his anger. Under Chen’s persistent pressure, he picked up the remaining outer robes and tunics to sniff them. "This one smells of mutton pita soup. Hmm, it seems to be from Liu’s."

*Holy crap...* Chen Chang’an’s original goal was merely to use the keen sense of smell Lü had developed through years of working with medicinal herbs to categorize the scents. He hadn't expected such precise identification. It was a pleasant surprise; this Great Min "divine doctor" was truly quite useful.

As his mind raced, Chen pointed out the location of the Baosheng Pharmacy in Baoning Ward on the map of Chang'an City. He then used it as a center point to expand outward, finding the coordinates of Liu’s Mutton Pita Soup shop nearby and circling it.

"OK, keep sniffing. See if there are any other scents. If not, switch to another piece of clothing," Chen commanded, treating the Great Min physician like a tool.

Lü Zhongjin: "Ugh... 'OK'?"

Chen Chang'an replied, "A local dialect from my hometown. You probably wouldn't understand."

Lü Zhongjin persisted, "Aren't you a native of Chang'an?"

"Yes."
"So am I!"
"I know."
"Then why don't I understand your dialect?"

"Stop chattering and get to work!" Chen Chang'an, feeling a bit annoyed, gave him a solid kick.

"Oh! Oh! Yes, Master Chen!"

Lü Zhongjin immediately cowered, picking up other garments and sniffing them with a fervor that made him look like a hound on a trail. As he sniffed, he reported, "This is the scent of scallion pancakes from Wangfujing. Hmm, and West Xiang grilled fish."

"Also... Dingxi wide noodles!"

"Chenqiao rice noodles, the scent of Shisanyu rouge and powder... Chen’s Beef Noodles."

"And..."
"And..."
"And... the smell of horse manure. A very strong one!"
"Oh, and there’s the scent of the top courtesan from the Yihong Pavilion between her legs!"

Chen Chang'an: "..."

***

*What the hell? He can even smell that?* Chen Chang'an thought. *Don't they all taste the same after a wash?* He truly was a "divine doctor." Once all the scents—both expected and unexpected—were sniffed and marked, the map in Chen’s hands was covered in scattered circles.

He then connected the paths that could be traveled without obstruction, revealing four distinct lines. The assistant's recent movements were laid bare before his eyes.

At the end of each of the four lines, he circled the final destinations where the assistant had stopped after leaving the Baosheng Pharmacy. One of them was the specific location where he met with his organization.

Seeing the web of hidden connections manifest on the map, Lü Zhongjin finally understood Chen’s intent and praised him repeatedly: "Master Chen’s ability is truly unparalleled, ancient and modern alike. With a mere trick, you’ve locked onto a detailed trail of movement. It is truly breathtaking."

"Meh, just basic operations. Basic stuff!"

Chen Chang'an waved his hand modestly, though he couldn't help but feel he had heard that line somewhere before. *Oh, right—that bootlicker Zeng Tai. Does everyone in Chang'an know how to flatter like this?* Then again, he really was a "cheat" himself.

Of course, his "cheat" was just the icing on the cake; his own intellect was the real hardware.

After basking in Lü’s admiration, Chen turned his attention back to the map to analyze the ends of the four lines.

"The first ends near the Jinwu Guard, who are responsible for the city’s security. As reactionaries, they would certainly not set their base there!"

"The second ends at the Yihong Pavilion. That’s just where the assistant went to vent his urges!"

"As for the third... hmm, it’s backed by the Yongxing and Tonghui canals. If a battle broke out or their location were exposed, it would be impossible to retreat in large numbers, so that’s not it either."

"That leaves only the fourth. The end is a horse farm. There are streets in front that satisfy the need to purchase basic supplies, and it is open on three sides, with dense forests and mountains at the rear. It’s both easy to retreat from and easy to hide in. Yes, a perfect base for stirring up trouble."

"Divine Doctor Lü, let’s go. Come with me and take a look."

"Ah... I... I have to go too?" Lü Zhongjin lost his nerve. He was just a physician. Though he was called a "divine doctor," that didn't mean he was immortal. Recalling the gruesome wound on the assistant's neck, his face—large enough to fit a size 42 shoe—was etched with absolute reluctance.

He shook his head, refusing. "No, no. You go, Master Chen. I have several marquises waiting for me to treat them!"

His words were polite, but the subtext was clear: *I have treated many nobles and am highly valued by them; don't you dare push me too far!*

Chen Chang'an smiled innocently. "The last time Lady Zhang was ill, you couldn't cure her, and it was I who nursed her back to health. I’m afraid these marquises don't think much of your skills right now."

The subtext was equally polite, but far more aggressive: *Screw you, you think you're something? Treating nobles is nothing. I cured the Empress’s favorite Lady Zhang. If you’re not convinced, try me!*

"Sigh!"

Lü Zhongjin sighed in despair. He realized that the reputation and prestige he had built in Chang'an over twenty years were worth nothing in front of Chen Chang'an.

"Fine... alright then!" he conceded.

Following the lines marked on the map, Chen led Lü through the city. Half an hour later, they arrived near the horse farm and hid in a corner that provided full cover.

Lü Zhongjin peeked out from time to time, asking suspiciously, "Master... Master Chen, is this the place? Are you sure we didn't make a mistake?"

"There is no mistake!"

Chen Chang'an analyzed with certainty: "First, although this is a horse farm, no one comes here to buy horses. From another perspective, its scale does not match its customer volume."

"Second, the grooms at the door are very unprofessional. The way they are scrubbing the horses, the hair would be gone before the animal was even clean."

"Third, look at the horses themselves. They are skin and bones, listless and sickly. What kind of horse farm sells such stock? It’s like a brothel where the star attraction is a fifty-year-old crone. Isn't that suspicious enough?"

"You're right!" Lü Zhongjin realized, enlightened. "Oh my, Master Chen, you are truly a god. I am awestruck!"

"Everyone in the world knows that!"

***

Chen Chang'an accepted the flattery without hesitation and asked, "Can I trust you?"

"Wha... what do you mean?" Lü Zhongjin’s eyes widened.

Chen explained, "I will stay here to keep watch. You go to the Black-Clad Guard and deliver a message to Deputy Commanders Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong. Tell them the hideout of the rebels has been identified and that they must come personally with their men. Tell them it must be fast."

"Re... rebels?" Lü Zhongjin shuddered.

Chen Chang'an chuckled. "That's right, rebels. The kind of rebels whose capture leads to the execution of their entire clan. Divine Doctor Lü, this is a chance to perform a service for the Great Min Imperial Household and clear your own name."

"This..."

Lü Zhongjin had suspected that since Chen was a Black-Clad Guard, the matter involved the safety of the Imperial Household or Chang'an. But he hadn't imagined it was treason. And since the assistant had been from his pharmacy, wasn't he being dragged into this too?

No wonder Chen had mentioned clearing his name. Lü Zhongjin stood up immediately, making a solemn, albeit nervous, promise: "Master Chen, rest assured, I will deliver the message as quickly as possible."

"Good!"

Chen Chang'an nodded, looking at him with a gaze of intense, lingering affection. "I trust you!"

Lü Zhongjin felt goosebumps erupt all over his body and hurried away without another word.

Chen Chang'an, fearing there might be experts nearby, held his breath and hid even more deeply to avoid exposing his trail. Little did he know that in a distant corner, a man in purple robes and a member of the Black-Clad Guard were watching him with great interest.

The man from the Black-Clad Guard spoke: "Chen Chang'an is completely off guard. Why don't I just go and finish him off from behind?"

"No!"

The official in purple robes raised a hand, a playful smile on his face. "Killing him now would be effortless, but it would take all the fun out of it. Doesn't Chen Chang'an think he’s clever? Doesn't he pride himself on his deductions? We shall kill him in the very field he prides himself on."

"This horse farm is already a grave prepared for him. He will not walk out of here alive."

The Black-Clad Guard paused. "Of course, a plan designed by you is foolproof. But I am still worried. Cheng Mulong and Cao Wu have been paying close attention to our movements lately; they will surely come in person when they hear the news."

"Two high-level martial artists in the Life-Death Realm... I fear..."

"Do not worry!"

The official in purple robes curled his lips, an air of supreme confidence surrounding him. "Rest assured, they will not arrive. I have my own ways of luring the tiger away from the mountain. It won't hold them for long, but it will be enough to kill Chen Chang'an and pave the way for the subsequent plans."

The Black-Clad Guard bowed. "Your foresight is truly profound."

...

In the Black-Clad Alley, within the training grounds, the bell signaling an emergency rang out—*dong, dong, dong*. Whether they were new recruits or veterans, everyone dropped what they were doing and ran to assemble at top speed. By the time the ranks were formed, Deputy Commanders Cao Wu and Cheng Mulong were already standing at the front.

Standing beside them, from left to right, were three others: Black-Clad guards of the 'Xuan' rank—Lu Bozhao, Yue Bingbing, and Tao Yuan.

In reality, there were four leaders of the 'Xuan' rank, but Tan Shutong, who had overseen the trials, was absent for reasons unknown. Cao Wu noticed the absence and prepared to ask, but hesitated.

As for the news delivered by Lü Zhongjin, she and Cheng Mulong had received it successfully. The priority now was to assist Chen Chang'an in rounding up the rebels. She spoke in a clear, loud voice: "Everyone, pay attention. A special mission requires total mobilization."

Just as she finished speaking, Feng Yuanyi, a favorite of Empress Bai Wan, rushed over from the edge of the training grounds with two attendants. His sharp, shrill voice rang out: "Cao Wu, Cheng Mulong, receive the Imperial Edict!"