Chapter 172: Wood Carving

Jiang Xiaomu pondered for a moment, and a thought flashed in his mind: Western Regions merchant Hawei!

That fellow travels south and north, dealing in all kinds of rare treasures; perhaps he knows the whereabouts of the Seven-Star Sea Begonia.

Thinking this, Jiang Xiaomu immediately turned and headed toward Hawei's shop.

Hawei's shop is located on the city's most prosperous street, decorated elegantly and luxuriously, with various odd ornaments hanging at the entrance, attracting passersby.

Before even approaching, Jiang Xiaomu heard a noisy clamor of hawking from inside the shop, mixed with various languages, extremely lively.

He pushed through the crowd, entered the shop, and a strong scent of spices hit him, making him feel slightly dizzy.

The shop was filled with a dazzling array of goods: silks, spices, and gems from the Western Regions, plus all sorts of strange curiosities, dazzling the eyes.

Hawei was busy greeting customers.

"This customer, take a look at this gemstone; it comes from deep in the Heavenly Mountain, absolutely a peerless treasure!"

Hawei spoke fluent Chinese, enthusiastically promoting the gemstone in his hand to a wealthy merchant.

"Oh? Let me have a look."

The wealthy merchant took the gemstone and examined it carefully.

Jiang Xiaomu did not disturb Hawei, but stood quietly to the side waiting.

After a while, the wealthy merchant finally set down the gemstone, shook his head, and said:

"This gemstone is not bad, but the price is too high; I'll keep looking."

"Ah, this customer, you really have an eye for quality; this gemstone is..."

Hawei wanted to persuade a few more words, but the wealthy merchant had already turned and left.

Seeing Hawei finally free, Jiang Xiaomu hurried forward and cupped his hands, saying:

"Boss Hawei, long time no see, how have you been?"

As soon as Hawei saw Jiang Xiaomu, he immediately broke into a smile and warmly greeted him:

"Ah, isn't this Boss Jiang? Rare guest, rare guest, please have a seat quickly!"

He pulled Jiang Xiaomu to a table and sat down, then ordered the attendant to bring tea and snacks.

"Mr. Jiang, what brings you to my humble shop today? Do you need anything?"

Hawei asked while pouring tea for Jiang Xiaomu.

Jiang Xiaomu took the teacup, thanked him, and then got straight to the point:

"Boss Hawei, I came this time to inquire about something."

"Oh? What is it? Mr. Jiang, go ahead; if I know it, I'll tell you everything."

Hawei patted his chest and said.

"I want to inquire about a poisonous herb called the Seven-Star Sea Begonia; I don't know if Boss Hawei has heard of it."

Jiang Xiaomu asked.

Upon hearing the four words "Seven-Star Sea Begonia," Hawei's smile froze instantly.

He set down the teapot in his hand, his eyes flickering, remained silent for a moment, then slowly said:

"Boss Jiang, why are you inquiring about this?"

Hawei asked tentatively, his eyes wary.

"To be frank, I suspect someone used this poisonous herb to kill my friend."

"So I want to find this herb and uncover the culprit."

Jiang Xiaomu concealed nothing, directly telling Hawei the whole story.

Hawei's silence was like the spice aroma permeating the shop, thick and impossible to dispel.

He rubbed his hands, the smile on his face somewhat forced.

"Mr. Jiang, this Seven-Star Sea Begonia... I have indeed seen it."

Jiang Xiaomu's heart tightened; indeed! This Hawei is connected to the Seven-Star Sea Begonia!

He struggled to suppress his inner excitement, trying to remain calm as he asked:

"Boss Hawei, you've seen it? Where did you see it?"

Hawei sighed, as if making a great decision.

"To be honest with Mr. Jiang, this Seven-Star Sea Begonia is extremely toxic; I really shouldn't have gotten involved with it."

"But a few days ago, someone came to me, offering a high price to buy this Seven-Star Sea Begonia, and for a moment I was blinded by greed..."

"Did someone buy the Seven-Star Sea Begonia from you?"

Jiang Xiaomu suddenly stood up and grabbed Hawei's arm.

"When? Who was that person?"

Hawei was startled by Jiang Xiaomu's sudden action and hurriedly said:

"Boss Jiang, please calm down! Please calm down! That person came about half a month ago; I really don't know exactly who it was!"

"He wore a bamboo hat, covered his face, wrapped up tightly, only his eyes showing."

Jiang Xiaomu released his grip, his heart filled with extreme disappointment.

"Wearing a bamboo hat and covering his face—what's the difference from saying nothing? In this vast sea of people, where should he go to look?"

"Did that person have any distinguishing features? Or can you recall anything else?"

Jiang Xiaomu persisted in his questioning.

Hawei tried to recall.

"Features... the person was of medium build, wearing ordinary hemp clothing."

"But he was very generous in payment, offering three times the market price! And..."

Hawei paused.

"I heard his accent; it seems he's not a native of Wangzhou City."

"Not a native? That's a clue; at least it narrows the scope."

Jiang Xiaomu forced himself to calm down, carefully analyzing the information Hawei provided.

Medium build, ordinary clothing, generous spending, foreign accent… these pieces of information put together are still vague.

"What else did he say? What did he do?"

Jiang Xiaomu continued his questioning, hoping to get more useful information from Hawei.

Hawei frowned, racking his brains to recall.

"He was in a hurry then; after grabbing the Seven Star Begonia, he left quickly and didn't say much. Oh, right!"

Hawei suddenly slapped his thigh.

"I remember now! He dropped something when he left!"

"What thing?"

Hope ignited in Jiang Xiaomu's heart.

Hawei rummaged under the counter and produced a palm-sized wood carving, handing it to Jiang Xiaomu.

"This is it, a strange wood carving depicting a……"

"Um, I don't know what animal it is either; anyway, it's quite weird."

Jiang Xiaomu took the wood carving; it felt cold to the touch.

The wood carving's craftsmanship is rough, the lines simple, yet it exudes an eerie aura.

The carved animal shape is odd—neither bird nor beast—and the eyes are carved especially prominent.

Jiang Xiaomu gripped the wood carving tightly, his knuckles whitening.

This weird thing might just be the key to solving the case!

He had no time to think further; he rose immediately, hurried out of the spice shop, and headed straight for the Xian Ya.

"Sir! There's a new lead!"

Jiang Xiaomu practically burst into Li Wenqing's study in one breath, laying out the wood carving and Hawei's description in full.

Li Wenqing took the wood carving and examined it carefully.

The craftsmanship is such that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was made by a child's hand.

It is rough and crude, yet that neither-bird-nor-beast shape indeed carries an oddness.

Especially those eyes, carved especially prominent, as if staring at a person, making one's scalp crawl.

"Seal the city gates at once! No one may enter or leave!"

Li Wenqing made a swift decision, a flash of ruthlessness crossing his eyes.

"Pei Dongyong!"

Constable Captain Pei Dongyong entered in response.

"Sir, what are your orders?"

"Mobilize all constables, search house by house, and be sure to root out all suspicious persons!"

"Especially those whose accent doesn't sound local and whose movements have been mysterious over the past half month!"

"Yes!"

Pei Dongyong received the order and departed, immediately beginning deployment.

Wangzhou City instantly fell into a tense atmosphere.

The city gates were shut tight, the streets full of patrolling constables, the atmosphere oppressive enough to make one breathless.

Jiang Xiaomu returned home, yet his heart remained uneasy.