The scene fell into complete silence as everyone exchanged glances.
Liu Yiyi was stunned for a moment and then asked, "What... did you just call me?"
Xiao Jingnan slightly raised his eyebrows. There was surprise and admiration in his words. "Brother Pei, could you really deduce all this just from a few military reports?"
"Humph!" Pei Yanqi turned his head away haughtily. "It's not that difficult!"
"Hahaha!" Zhao Yanke suddenly slapped him on the shoulder and burst into laughter. "You truly live up to being the top scholar personally chosen by me! You're amazing!"
"Let me tell you, among the scholars in your year, I took a fancy to you at first sight! With your noble appearance and elegant charm, you clearly were no ordinary person. Sending you to be the military supplies transporter was really the right decision..."
Pei Yanqi calmly removed his hand and said expressionlessly, "My lord promised to raise my salary when we get back."
"Easy! Easy!" Zhao Yanke didn't care at all. He casually put his right hand on Pei Yanqi's shoulder again and winked at Xiao Jingnan in a frivolous manner. "How about it? Isn't the top scholar I chose excellent?"
Xiao Jingnan smiled slightly. "A man of great talent."
...
It was getting late, so they found an inn run by people from the Sheng Dynasty and stayed there to rest for the night.
Early the next morning, they decided to split into two groups. Xiao Jingnan would go to track down the group of assassins, while the others would go to search for the hook-sickle grass.
——————
It wasn't difficult to distinguish between the shops run by people from the Sheng Dynasty and those from the Anluo Kingdom.
The Anluo people mostly lived in bamboo buildings. They didn't like to hang lanterns. Instead, they preferred to hang small straw hats woven from camel thorns under the eaves, with a silver bell hanging below. When the wind blew, the bell would jingle.
Xiao Jingnan walked through the bustling market. After seeing a dilapidated earth building, he turned into a deep alley.
The alley was very narrow, only allowing one person to pass through. The earthen walls on both sides had been eroded by years of rain, leaving deep grooves. Some thin vines and small flowers stubbornly grew out of the cracks in the walls, swaying gently in the wind.
After turning two more corners, a cluster of shabby bamboo buildings appeared in front of him. They were densely connected, and the gaps between the houses were filled with sundries and garbage. There was also a stench of decay, making the sky seem a bit darker.
Xiao Jingnan paused for a moment. He knew that he had reached another part of Yanchuan City.
Yanchuan had been ceded to the Anluo Kingdom for more than a decade. It was no longer the prosperous southern city it used to be. Beneath its seemingly peaceful surface, there were actually undercurrents surging, hiding countless bloodshed and greed. It was as dangerous and cruel as a battlefield.
This alley was the real power center of Yanchuan now.
— Ghost-Crying Alley.
Xiao Jingnan stopped in front of a low bamboo building. This building was very inconspicuous, as if it had grown naturally in the alley.
The bamboo lintel had turned yellow and black. A faded blue cloth curtain hung halfway down, covered with dusty dirt, and the edges were frayed.
It seemed nothing special, except for the camel bell under the eaves. There was a short red string tied to the clapper of the bell, like the forked tongue of a snake.
The light in the shop was dim. Only a rusty copper lamp flickered in the corner.
There were all kinds of clay pots on the shelves, emitting a strong and complex fragrance. Xiao Jingnan could smell agarwood, galanga, and it seemed there was also dragon's blood resin. He couldn't distinguish the rest.
"Do you want to buy spices?"
A hoarse voice suddenly came from the shadows.
Only then did Xiao Jingnan notice an emaciated old man huddled behind the counter. There were strange indigo patterns tattooed on his face, and his finger joints were as thick as the roots of an old tree.
"Sir, I don't want to buy spices. I'm here to offer incense."
As soon as these words were spoken, the old man's face darkened. His two eyes stared directly at Xiao Jingnan, as if trying to pierce him through.
Xiao Jingnan seemed not to notice. He just stood there quietly, with a gentle smile on his face.
After a long time, the old man squeezed out a hoarse voice from the depths of his throat. "Which temple did the guest come from? What kind of incense are you offering? How many sticks?"
His tone was very strange, like an old and broken bellows. In this dim and shabby shop, it had a somewhat eerie and strange feeling.
Xiao Jingnan replied fluently, "I came from the mountain god temple on the top of the mountain. I'm offering the Golden Beast Armor-Burning Incense. As for the quantity..." He deliberately paused for a moment and then smiled slightly. "It's probably enough to buy your whole shop."
The old man trembled all over. His turbid eyes stared fixedly at Xiao Jingnan, as if trying to see through his marrow.
The conversation between Xiao Jingnan and the old man just now was actually all the secret code of Ghost-Crying Alley.
"Offering incense" meant that there was business to do.
"The mountain god temple" meant that he came from the north.
And "Golden Beast Armor-Burning Incense" was the category of the business.
Armor-burning incense was a commonly used spice in the army. It could be applied inside the battle robes and armors to repel insects and prevent plagues. "Golden Beast Armor-Burning Incense" meant that the business he wanted to discuss was related to the army.
As for "the quantity is enough to buy your shop", this statement was subtle. Without a specific amount, it meant that there was no upper limit, which was enough to overthrow the entire Ghost-Crying Alley.
Thanks to the Ningwang Mansion's persistent pursuit of the whereabouts of Ghost-Crying Alley over the years, Xiao Jingnan had long been familiar with these secret codes. That was why he was able to accurately find their secret stronghold today and start a conversation smoothly.
"The guest has a big mouth," the old man's eyes flashed twice. His hoarse voice was like a dull knife scraping on a bluestone. "I wonder what kind of wind you're blowing and what kind of horse you're riding?"
The flame of the copper lamp flickered, making his tattooed face look like a ghost.
This time, Xiao Jingnan didn't reply. Instead, he took out a piece of mutton-fat jade pendant from his bosom with his slender fingers and gently placed it on the counter full of incense ash.
The jade pendant was round, smooth, and white, with a transparent color. There were delicate patterns of a soaring dragon stepping on the waves carved on it. The dragon had five claws, and its whiskers were fully spread, looking very imposing. There was a faint red line at the end of the dragon's tail.
The old man's face changed.
The two sentences he asked Xiao Jingnan just now, "blowing wind" and "riding a horse", were all asking about his identity.
But when this jade pendant was taken out, there was no need to ask anything.
— The ancient jade with dragon patterns and blood inclusions could only be owned by a prince.
A big shot from the Sheng Dynasty had come.
"Honored guest... Please wait a moment. I'll go and report to my master." The old man's tone became even lower, but his gaze towards Xiao Jingnan was filled with more intense hostility and caution.
Xiao Jingnan bowed slightly. "Please go ahead, sir."
After a while, there was another rustling sound outside the door. The old man appeared at the door again, holding an old sheepskin lantern in his hand. "Honored guest, please follow me."
Xiao Jingnan straightened his sleeves and calmly followed behind him.
The alley was dark, narrow, winding, and pitch-black, like a maze. As they walked in it, they could faintly hear low cries and roars, like a wild animal being strangled.
After walking for about half a cup of tea, the old man stopped at the door of a small brick courtyard.
Xiao Jingnan lowered his eyes slightly and pushed the door open to enter.