Chapter 505: A Master’s Move Is Truly Extraordinary

Chapter 505: Chapter 505: A Master’s Move Is Truly Extraordinary

Shen Ningning and Lady Shu sat in the main hall, drinking tea and laughing as they chatted.

Glancing up, she saw Su Zhirou still standing in the doorway. The timid expression on her face made Shen Ningning purse her lips.

The young woman set down her teacup. "If you want a closer look, come on in. My Wolf Father doesn’t hurt people without reason."

Su Zhirou resolutely shook her head.

In Lady Shu’s presence, her voice was exceedingly gentle.

"Never mind. I’m still too scared."

The Black Wolf King was as powerfully built as a black bear, and when it had yawned just moments ago, she had seen its wickedly sharp fangs.

Its powerful claws could tear a grown man to shreds in an instant.

Su Zhirou was well aware of the danger.

She wasn’t on good terms with Shen Ningning. If Shen Ningning decided to have the Black Wolf King eat her, she wouldn’t even have a chance to escape.

But she couldn’t stand by and let Shen Ningning curry favor with Lady Shu.

Besides, she knew Shen Ningning was here today because of what happened to Qi Xiuwei, so she wanted to hear everything and was reluctant to leave just yet.

Seeing her cowering demeanor, Lady Shu could only sigh.

"Zhirou, why don’t you go back to your room for now." ’It’s just making things awkward for her to keep standing there.’

Su Zhirou was resentful, but since Lady Shu had spoken, she had no reason to stay.

She could only trudge away.

Once back in her room, she shut the door, her face a mask of displeasure.

Su Zhirou sat before her vanity, her eyes full of venom as she complained, "If you dislike me so much, why did you even adopt me? It’s bad enough that nothing ever goes my way, but you also constantly favor Shen Ningning!"

As she spoke, she glanced up and saw a man in the mirror, dressed in black and masked, standing in a shadowed corner behind her.

Su Zhirou jumped in fright.

She whirled around to look.

After recognizing his eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief. "You again? Who are you? You’re always appearing in my room without a sound. If you do this again, I’m going to scream for someone."

The man spoke, his voice a deliberately deep and low rumble.

"You don’t need to know who I am. You only need to know that in all of Cangyun Country, I am the only one who would live and die for you. Everyone else just sees you as an accessory."

His words struck a chord with the resentment festering in Su Zhirou’s heart.

She bit her lower lip. "Then who are you?"

"The one person who can help you. Yesterday, you said you wished for Jiang Zhi’s affair to be made public. And look, didn’t I make that happen for you?"

The man’s words left Su Zhirou lost in thought.

’That’s right. I saw this masked man yesterday, too, before I left my room.’

’I thought he was just toying with me, since he didn’t even dare to show his face.’

’But I never expected him to actually succeed in turning everyone’s suspicions toward Qi Xiuwei. No one knows I was the one who instigated it.’

’Not only did it keep me completely in the clear, but it also ruined the friendship between Shen Ningning and Qi Xiuwei.’

Malice flourished in Su Zhirou’s heart, and a sense of smug satisfaction washed over her.

’It’s as if this masked man is my pillar of support, someone who can help me achieve anything.’

She narrowed her eyes. "Can you help me drive the wedge deeper between Shen Ningning and Qi Xiuwei? Let’s use this incident to make them break apart for good!"

’It’s their own fault. Shen Ningning can’t stand me, and because of that, Qi Xiuwei barely gives me the time of day.’

’She couldn’t be bothered with targeting Jiang Zhi anymore. After all, Jiang Zhi had gone to stay with General Fang Qingdai, so there was probably no good way to get to her.’

’But Qi Xiuwei was different. She was vulnerable right now. If Shen Ningning’s trust could be shaken, the two of them would certainly have a falling out.’

Su Zhirou just couldn’t stand seeing them so close!

The man in black was silent for a moment before nodding. "I’ll do what I can."

With a flicker of movement, he leaped out the window and was gone.

「Meanwhile.」

Xie Ming’an had already found some clues and returned to the main hall.

"Well, Second Brother? Any discoveries?"

"I took a look at the footprint you mentioned. It’s the size of an average man’s foot. In the Su Mansion alone, there are at least fifteen male servants with that shoe size, not to mention all the guests who were here. It’s impossible to check everyone’s feet one by one."

As he spoke, Xie Ming’an motioned for a maid to bring a basin of clean water so he could wash his hands.

Hearing this, Shen Ningning rested her chin in her hand, looking dejected. "So you’re saying there are no suspicious leads at all?"

Lady Shu patted her hand comfortingly.

"It’s all right if we can’t find anything. We all know what kind of person Miss Qi is. No one will truly suspect her. All Ningning has to do is host another banquet and invite her; that should clear things up."

But Shen Ningning didn’t think so.

’Qi Xiuwei is a delicate and sensitive person who always puts others first.’

’If they can’t get to the bottom of who did this, it will weigh heavily on her mind.’

Xie Ming’an gave her a sly smile. "Call me your ’dearest second brother,’ and I’ll tell you about a new discovery I made."

Shen Ningning lifted her bright, dark eyes and shot him a playful glare.

"You awful Second Brother! If you don’t tell me, I’m going to ignore you. For three whole days!"

Xie Ming’an frowned slightly. "Now that’s just unreasonable. Your threats used to be for only one day of silent treatment. When did it become three?"

"You ungrateful little thing! Fine, fine. What can I do? You’re my sister. I’ll tell you. Just wait."

Just then, the maid brought over a basin of clean water, and he scrubbed his hands, washing away the dirt.

Xie Ming’an said, "Come and see."

Her curiosity piqued, Shen Ningning hurried over.

She saw that Xie Ming’an was pinching a small, round pearl between his fingers.

The young woman was puzzled. "What’s this?"

"A common pearl. The kind usually sewn onto clothing as decoration," Xie Ming’an said.

Shen Ningning nodded. "So, what’s so special about it?"

"Look at the color. Look closely."

Prompted by Xie Ming’an, Shen Ningning noticed that the pearl was slightly blackened.

She pouted. "It’s just a normal pearl. Probably just poor quality."

"Not at all," Xie Ming’an said, shaking his head. "Smell it. Do you notice a scent?"

Shen Ningning sniffed it. "You’re right. There’s a faint fragrance."

Xie Ming’an had Lady Shu smell it as well, and she confirmed that there was indeed a scent.

But what did that prove?

Xie Ming’an smiled faintly. "Little Sis, listen up. Your second brother is going to teach you something today. The ancient texts say that when a pearl comes into contact with musk, it turns black."

"I was searching the area around the bushes you mentioned and found this small pearl. It must have fallen off someone’s clothing without them noticing."

"Now, let me quiz you. Why would this pearl be connected to musk?"

Shen Ningning scratched her cheek in confusion.

"A pearl from an outfit... Could it be the fragrance on the clothes that turned the pearl black?"

"Think again. Musk is expensive. Who would use it to scent their clothes?"

Hearing this, it dawned on Shen Ningning. "It was incense from a room! The person wearing this must have spent a considerable amount of time in a room where musk was being burned."

Lady Shu understood as well. She asked, "But how can this help us pinpoint who it was? After all, our guests yesterday were all high-ranking officials and nobles. It’s perfectly normal for them to use musk incense."

Xie Ming’an laughed, his long, narrow eyes crinkling with amusement.

"True," he said. His casual air only made him seem all the more confident. "But for a pearl to be stained black, the person must either frequently be near an incense burner where musk is burned, or they carry a musk sachet on their person."

"Musk is usually just one component in a blend of fragrances. There are only a few people in the Capital City who are fond enough of the scent to use it so heavily."

Shen Ningning blinked. "Who?"

Xie Ming’an smiled and grabbed her by the wrist. "Come on. Second Brother will take you to a fragrance shop, and you’ll see for yourself!"

She let him pull her along. ’Her second brother always gets so excited when he’s on a case.’

She hastily looked back to bid Lady Shu farewell before being towed away.

The Black Wolf King shot to its feet and bounded after them like a black shadow.

After they left, Lady Shu frowned in thought.

’Musk...’

She recalled that a fragrance Su Zhirou was particularly fond of was called "Crimson Poppy."

’And its primary note is musk.’

Lady Shu’s expression darkened. She summoned a maid. "Go and discreetly find out where the Young Miss was and what she was doing yesterday before the Qi family’s maid went to find Vice General Zhang."