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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Xiaofan hurriedly flipped through the pages, discovering records of the Crown Prince's Mansion's monthly spice procurement—an amount that was more than twenty times that of an ordinary royal residence!
“Mandrake, wormwood, rosemary…” The more he read, the more alarmed he became. “These are all materials for making hallucinogenic drugs! No wonder Moro’s illusions are so powerful…”
The groundhog nodded. “What’s even stranger is that these spices are supposedly procured from a shop in the West Market called Fu Fang Zhai, but we’ve been watching it for three months and found that the back door leads directly to the Crown Prince’s mansion!”
Lin Xiaofan suddenly recalled the note the princess had slipped him—it contained a recipe for spices that matched exactly what was in the ledger!
“Wait,” he suddenly thought of something. “Since you managed to get the ledger, can you find out…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the temple door was suddenly burst open! Three masked men rushed in with knives, and the leader sneered, “So you’re here! His Highness has ordered that none of you leave alive!”
“Run!” The groundhog pushed Lin Xiaofan aside but was slashed on the arm in the process.
Lin Xiaofan grabbed a censer from the offering table and hurled it at the assailants while shouting to the beggars, “Brothers, let’s use the same tactics we just employed!”
A dozen beggars instantly understood, and an array of dialect curses erupted like a tidal wave:
“You old wooden board!”
“Son of a turtle looking for death!”
“I’ll screw your ancestors!”
【Ding! Group Taunt activated! Enemy anger value skyrocketed, combat power decreased by 30%!】
Taking advantage of the confusion among the attackers, Lin Xiaofan pulled up the groundhog and dashed toward the secret passage. Behind them came the shouts of the beggars:
“Lin Gongzi, we’ll follow you from now on!”
“The broken temple in the south of the city is our base!”
“If you need information, come find us anytime!”
Emerging from the secret passage, the groundhog collapsed against the wall, panting. “It seems we’ve been exposed… Keep this ledger safe; you must hand it over to…”
“Don’t talk!” Lin Xiaofan tore off a piece of his clothing to bandage him. “You risked your lives for me; I will never…”
The groundhog grinned. “Don’t worry, young master. We may not have many skills, but we excel at staying alive.” Saying this, he pulled out a blood-stained feather from his pocket. “Go find Tie Zui Li, the storyteller in the West Market; he’s our contact.”
Lin Xiaofan clutched the bloodied feather tightly as he hurried through the bustling crowd of the West Market.
“Tie Zui Li…” he murmured under his breath, recalling the clue given by the groundhog. “The most famous storyteller in West Market; he starts his tales every noon.”
Not far away came a burst of laughter; outside a teahouse hung a sign reading “Tie Zui Li will tell ‘Xixiang Ji’ today.” Lin Xiaofan narrowed his eyes and stepped inside.
The teahouse was packed with people, and on stage, a lean middle-aged man animatedly recounted a tale of talented scholars and beautiful women. Lin Xiaofan found a corner to sit in, observing quietly. The storyteller's voice rose and fell, sometimes soaring with passion and at other times lingering in a soft cadence. At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary tale of romance, yet there was an indescribable strangeness to it.
"And so it was that Cui Yingying met in the garden at night, when the Matchmaker delivered a letter—" The storyteller clapped his hands on the wooden table for emphasis. "Now, my friends, can you guess what happened next? This is…"
"The crescent moon—(high)—shining on the west chamber—(low)—"
"Figures—(prolonged)—passing over the wall—(hurried)—"
"Wait..." Lin Xiaofan suddenly recalled that the note the princess had given him also had a similar rhythm between the words!
"The song ends—(high)—and people finally—(low)—disperse—(hurried)—"
"This... this isn't just a line from the story..." Lin Xiaofan stared intently at the storyteller, his heart racing. "Is he trying to tell me that it's time to find him after the show?!"
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