An Oriental Odyssey

Zhao Lanzhi asked, "What is this?"

Yuan An replied, "When women bathe, they like to light scented candles for ambiance. This seems to be a candlestick."

Zhao Lanzhi questioned, "If it's a candlestick, even if it burns out, there should be residual wax without a definite shape. But this one has burned completely clean. What could be the reason?"

Yuan An speculated, "It's possible that this is not a scented candle but... a drug, a hallucinogen that caused Ruyue's death."

Zhao Lanzhi pondered, "Are you suggesting that Ruyue was poisoned?"

Yuan An inquired, "Tell me this: On the day Ruyue died, did anything else unusual happen at the Qianduan Pavilion?"

Zhao Lanzhi responded, "On the day of the incident, apart from Ruyue, no one else fell ill at the Qianduan Pavilion. If there were no issues with the food or water that others consumed, then the problem must have been with... the air she breathed in. Your theory seems plausible. This candlestick has a unique design. Let me take it with me and investigate."

Yuan An objected, "Hey, that belongs to me!"

Yuan An tried to grab it, but Zhao Lanzhi had already tucked the small snake-shaped candlestick into his embrace. "If you're interested, I'll share the findings with you tomorrow at this time. Until then, I suggest you go home and stay out of trouble, quietly. Don't go causing a commotion everywhere!" With that, Zhao Lanzhi began to leave.

Yuan An followed behind and said, "You are so ungrateful! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have found this clue!"

"Don't talk to me about gratitude or lack thereof..." Zhao Lanzhi chuckled, "If I lacked gratitude, you would have been behind bars long ago."

Yuan An suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth in frustration. The two of them quietly left the room where Ruyue had been murdered.

As they exited Ruyue's room, Yuan An turned back to seal it with a sticker, then bowed to the incense and flames. Zhao Lanzhi noticed this and couldn't help but smile inwardly. The two of them mingled among the guests as they went downstairs, preparing to leave. Suddenly, a drunken man in a red robe was being carried by several dancing girls against the flow of people. He grabbed Yuan An's shoulder and with a lecherous face approached, saying, "Oh my, Li Mama really knows how to do business. When did the Qianduan Pavilion acquire a young master? Look at this child's face, even more exquisite than Miss Xueyu!"

Yuan An became furious and pushed the man away, delivering a fierce kick, saying, "Get lost! My father and grandfather are the young masters!"

The drunkard fell to the ground in anger, reaching out to grab Yuan An. How could Zhao Lanzhi let him have that chance? He reached out and hid Yuan An behind him, pushing the man away. In the struggle, the tattoo on the drunkard's wrist was exposed. Zhao Lanzhi took a closer look and realized that it was the Flying Eagle tattoo the salt smuggler had mentioned! This person was indeed the superior of the salt smuggler.

The man in the red robe, now sobering up, saw Zhao Lanzhi approaching to apprehend him and instantly sensed the danger. He fell to the ground and shouted, "Help! Someone's attacking me!"

The guests and dancers at the Qianduan Pavilion were startled and panicked. The drunken man fell to the ground in anger, reaching out to grab Yuan An. How could Zhao Lan Zhi give him that chance? He quickly hid Yuan An behind him and pushed the man away. In the struggle, the tattoo on the man's wrist was revealed—a flying eagle, just like the one mentioned by the salt smuggler. This man was indeed the higher-up of the salt smuggler.

The man in the red robe, now somewhat sober after being kicked by Yuan An and pushed by Zhao Lan Zhi, sensed the imminent danger when he saw Zhao Lan Zhi approaching to apprehend him. He shouted, "Help! Someone is attacking me!"

The commotion spread among the numerous patrons and dancers of Qianduan Ge. People fell and trampled over each other, while men cursed and women cried, creating chaos. Seizing the opportunity, the man in the red robe tried to escape. But how could Zhao Lan Zhi let him get away? He stepped on a nearby stool and leaped over the crowd, reaching out to grab the man. He managed to seize his shoulder, but the man swiftly turned around, blowing a handful of lime powder toward Zhao Lan Zhi. Alert, Zhao Lan Zhi evaded the attack, and the lime powder fell into a nearby fish tank, causing it to bubble. Taking advantage of the distraction, the man in the red robe escaped.

Zhao Lan Zhi was determined not to let the man go. Yuan An pushed through the crowd with him, and they chased him all the way to the ship's deck. However, the man had already jumped into the turbulent water, shrouded in a dark mist, disappearing from sight. Frustrated, Zhao Lan Zhi expressed his resentment, while Yuan An, puzzled, asked, "Who was that person? You could have just let him go after pushing him. Why did you chase and fight him?"

Zhao Lan Zhi didn't want to reveal the official business of tracking down the salt smugglers to Yuan An, so he casually replied, "It's nothing. He was bothering you. I can't stand people like him!"

Yuan An, unaware of the true situation, perceived the events differently. A drunkard had been disrespectful to her, and Zhao Lan Zhi, in a fit of anger, had fought on her behalf. She didn't know that Zhao Lan Zhi had coincidentally encountered the informant of the salt smugglers, attributing all the benefits to him. The resentment she had harbored earlier, after he had snatched the evidence from her, seemed to vanish. Her annoyance at his persistent pursuit also diminished. She turned her head and couldn't help but smile to herself.

Meanwhile, the man who fell into the water was named Li Gui. He was the salt smuggler's superior, involved in smuggling salt he received from the main supplier and distributing it for hefty profits. He often frequented Qianduan Ge to spend money or meet with clients. Unexpectedly, he was betrayed and exposed, prompting Zhao Lan Zhi to chase after him, leading to his desperate escape by jumping into the water. Li Gui narrowly escaped death and resurfaced from the river only when the Qianduan Ge ship had already sailed away. He swam for a while until a small boat approached.

Extending an oar, they pulled Li Gui onto the boat.

As Li Gui adjusted his clothes, he cursed, "I was enjoying my carefree time, and who would have thought I'd encounter such a killjoy? That person had some skills. I almost suffered a loss. It's strange though. I hadn't done anything significant, but that person suddenly became interested when he saw the flying eagle on my hand."

His accomplice smirked, "Strange, isn't it? Maybe that person was looking for you."

"Looking for me? What for?"

The accomplice said, "Don't you know yet? Shen Da, the one who bought salt from you, has already exposed you. The person who came to see you today might be an official!"

Li Gui was shocked and asked, "What are you saying? Is it true?"

The accomplice smirked and said, "Would it make any sense if it were fake? Don't worry, we were given two instructions from above. One is to make sure the officials don't catch you. When you fell into the water, didn't we come to save you?"

Li Gui said, "Thank you, my friend... What is the other instruction from above?"

Before Li Gui finished speaking, the accomplice thrust a sword into his chest and said, "The second instruction is not to leave you alive!"

With the sword in his chest, Li Gui immediately lost his breath, and the accomplice pulled out the sword, stuffed stones into his clothes, and together they pushed Li Gui into the river, thus silencing him.

The boat quickly sailed away as Li Gui's body sank continuously. During the process, his eyelids suddenly twitched.