Chapter 328: The Scent of Chinese Medicine

Twilight poured into Beidajie like molten copper, quenching the flow of traffic into a river.

Sparrows swept over the high-voltage lines, carrying away the last of the daylight.

A slender figure stepped out of a BMW, wearing a trench coat, her straight calves gleaming with a sheen. She wore high heels, and her steps on the marble floor were exceptionally loud.

The camera zoomed in; in the vast parking lot, an iron sign stood on the building opposite: Xidan Shopping Mall.

Lin Sicheng spun his leather swivel chair and stared at the linked screens.

Two rows, six square screens in total, surrounding him in three hundred and sixty degrees.

Never mind filming people or cars; even the patterns engraved on the gold earrings worn by Yu Jiyao were captured with perfect clarity.

The slender figure entered the mall entrance, followed at a leisurely pace by a young man and woman with their arms linked.

With a "whoosh," the Red Flag at the entrance was stirred by the wind; the woman looked up, then leaned over to whisper something in the man's ear.

But when transmitted to the command vehicle, it became: "Target Number Three has appeared, location: mall east entrance, 07 in position!"

"Target Number Four has appeared, location: building one, third floor, Wuyutai Tea House, 05 in position!"

Number Three was Yu Jiyao, and Number Four was Yu Jichuan; for each one, there were three teams of personnel rotating to tail them.

Lin Sicheng looked left and right, appearing as if he had never seen the world before.

This setup was truly quite shocking.

After about five minutes, confirming there were no unexpected situations, reports came through the walkie-talkie one after another: "03 normal, 05 normal, 07 normal!"

Yan Wenjing replied that he had received them, then looked at Lin Sicheng: "Teacher Lin, it's time!"

Lin Sicheng nodded, his expression relaxed.

He did not feel that any danger would occur today; of course, Yan Wenjing setting up such a large formation was not just to protect him.

This group was too cunning; ordinary reconnaissance methods were basically useless. Just like the number Yu Jiyao and Yu Jichuan left for Lin Sicheng—in a whole year of call records, they had only ever called Lin Sicheng.

Lin Sicheng suspected that the woman's handbag contained at least three or four mobile phones and seven or eight SIM cards.

To dig deep for clues, one had to use extraordinary means.

While pondering, Lin Sicheng got out of the car. Looking back, it was just an ordinary Iveco, parked at the Qinghai Building diagonally across from Xidan.

Lin Sicheng was wearing a jacket and jeans, a baseball cap on his head, and sneakers on his feet. Just as he walked out of the building's parking lot, a Mercedes-Benz with Beijing plates drove up perfectly into the gap.

The driver was Zhao Da, and a young man sat in the passenger seat. He looked very ordinary, and his clothes were also very ordinary.

Having met him before at the General Team, Lin Sicheng just nodded. Afterward, the sedan turned around, passed through the shaded alley, and drove to the main entrance of Xidan.

When he got out of the car, Lin Sicheng was in a suit, looking sharp and capable.

Zhao Da stayed in the car, and the young man followed him out. Upon reaching the first floor, he found a seat at random and sat down.

The tide of neon lights washed over; the polished floor was like a smoothed-down coral reef, emitting a crystal-clear, warm white glow.

The colored lights flickered, and the river of light was reflected in his steady pupils. The piano music was melodious, and the songs of fleeting years lingered in his ears.

Lanterns were hung and streamers decorated the place, full of joy and festivity.

It was a sea of people, bustling and noisy.

Automatically shielding out the heat and clamor, Lin Sicheng stepped onto the escalator. His pace was steady, his gaze scanning carelessly.

Suspecting that the superior of Ren Danhua might very well show up, Yan Wenjing had prepared extremely meticulously.

But it was not to arrest anyone, but to catch the tails of these people. Even if the one he hoped for did not appear, at least he had to keep these current ones under tight surveillance.

Where they lived, what contact information they had, who they mainly associated with, what their range of activities was... by using preparation against the unprepared, accumulating bit by bit, gathering the small into the large, sooner or later the main leader could be dug out.

Therefore, Yan Wenjing had arranged quite a few people this time; from the first floor to the third, every exit and major position was covered.

How many there were in total and who exactly they were, Lin Sicheng naturally did not know; he would not ask, and he didn't have the time to look for them either.

He was actually quite curious to see if Yu Jiyao, or perhaps even Ren Danhua, had also arranged people to tail him.

Out of an instinct for self-preservation in a dangerous environment, as if a switch in his subconscious had been flipped, every scene and every face his gaze touched seemed to be imprinted in his mind.

Huh, this is the 07 team; weren't they following Yu Jiyao? How did they end up on the first floor?

Tsk, this young man in the baseball cap is acting suspicious; when they brushed past each other, there was clearly eye contact with that couple from 07.

And this one with glasses at the elevator entrance—we don't know each other, so why are your eyes floating around?

He hadn't found the ones Tai Mausoleum him, but he had discovered several people who looked like Special Duty Team members.

Of course, it was also possible that he was just being paranoid, seeing everyone as an undercover agent.

Looking around aimlessly, Lin Sicheng reached the third floor.

A retro storefront with a black plaque engraved with three gold-gilded characters: Wuyutai.

A legitimate old brand, founded during the Guangxu reign, over one hundred and twenty years ago.

It had chain stores all over the country, with its own tea mountains, tea factories, tea houses, and tea shops. It even had a tea art school specifically for training tea masters.

It mainly dealt in scented tea, and its jasmine tea was a specialty. In June, among the first three tea-making techniques to succeed in their World Heritage Application, Wuyutai was one of them.

A tea house opening here was quite particular.

Stealing a moment of leisure in the midst of busyness, finding stillness in the noise. Ceasing the competition for fame and profit, leaving behind the boundless dust of the world.

Thinking this to himself, Lin Sicheng lifted the beaded curtain.

An old-fashioned record player sat on the counter, and a poster of Zhou Xuan was pasted on the wall.

With delicate features and a retro cheongsam, a thick atmosphere of the Republic of China rushed toward him.

The horn-shaped loudspeaker hummed with vibration; the sound was a bit "scratchy," but the melody was heroic and stirring.

"Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves..."

The greeter was wearing a light-colored top with wide sleeves, two braids hanging over her chest; her skin was fair and her face was delicate.

He reported his name and kept heading inside.

Deep among the flowers and trees, a winding path led to a secluded spot.

The ceiling lamp emitted a quiet, cold light, and the blue brick floor had developed a patina, dyeing the glazed lattice windows a dark, deep green.

Circling around the screen, pine charcoal bloomed in the White Glaze stove, warming the clay pot, and the white smoke it exhaled coiled around the ceiling beams.

On a linen mat, Yu Jiyao leaned against the tea table. She was neither quite sitting nor quite reclining.

A boxwood fork pierced into the curing pile, breaking through the waxy layer of the green tea. The bamboo sieve rotated, and jasmine flowers fell with a rustle. The tea and flowers merged, and her fair, white fingers gently tossed and mixed them.

"You're here!" As if they were old acquaintances, she raised her eyelids, her long eyelashes fluttering slightly: "Sit!"

Her hands did not stop, the veins on the backs of her hands slightly arched, her movements gentle and rhythmic.

Her cheongsam reached her knees, but the slit was very low. Her two legs were pressed together, stretched out long, like a mermaid.

Her chest was high and prominent, her waist slender and soft, and further down, she was rounded and full.

She smiled, her eyes rippling, and a hint of seductiveness faintly showed in her pupils.

Lin Sicheng took off his suit jacket, the usher took it to hang on the coat rack, then retreated and gently closed the door.

He sat down opposite her and took another look: this woman had been trained.

Scenting tea on the spot—it was by relying on this that Wuyutai successfully completed its World Heritage Application.

It was not difficult, but it was extremely tedious, with five rounds of scenting and three rounds of mixing, nine turns and one lift; if she hadn't put in the effort, she wouldn't be so proficient.

The hazy lighting, the faint floral fragrance, the quiet environment, and the woman's posture.

Including this sitting posture, including this set of movements, as well as the expression on her face, and even the "refuse-to-welcome" look in her eyes, and the faintly discernible seductiveness...

Subconsciously, Lin Sicheng thought of the famous socialite training classes from his past life.

At first, Yu Jiyao was quite proud, thinking that men were all the same, whether they were successful and famous or young heroes.

But immediately, she discovered something was wrong: Lin Sicheng wasn't looking at her body, but at her hands?

No, he was looking at her body too, but based on her tea-scenting movements. It felt like he was truly appreciating her tea art.

But to be honest, among those she could invite here to drink tea, how many actually came to drink tea?

Other men looked at her with either amazement, hunger, or something even more naked.

At the very least, even in their appreciation, one or two strands of hidden desire would be revealed. But when Lin Sicheng looked at her, it seemed devoid of any emotion?

It wasn't that there was no emotion, but it wasn't the kind of look a normal man gives an extremely beautiful, extremely sexy woman.

It was curiosity mixed with scrutiny and inquiry; it wasn't like looking at a person, but as if he were looking at an object.

Subconsciously, Yu Jiyao thought of those old Experts and old professors; wasn't that the same look they had when they were appraising antiques?

She froze subconsciously, and the wooden fork in her hand poked into the flower pile.

Lin Sicheng withdrew his gaze, his eyes clear: "Miss Yu, what's wrong?"

The rhythm was completely disrupted, and Yu Jiyao thought for a long while: "Is it beautiful?"

Lin Sicheng said insincerely: "Beautiful!"

Yu Jiyao had a flash of inspiration and knew he was talking about the tea art, not her as a person.

She continued to toss and mix, then used rice paper to cover the pile for curing, with a heating plate underneath, and the petals withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Adding flowers, separating, sifting, charcoal firing, and fixing the fragrance.

The procedures were numerous and extremely tedious, but Lin Sicheng was not in a hurry at all.

Yu Jiyao was even less in a hurry; she appeared to be showing off her tea art, but in reality, she was exposing every inch of her body in the most seductive way possible.

But it was all in vain; at first, Lin Sicheng had felt a bit of novelty. After all, tea masters with such standard and proficient movements were indeed rare.

But after watching for less than three minutes, he lost interest. Although his gaze was still on Yu Jiyao's hands, his mind had long since flown elsewhere.

I don't know how much time passed, when there was a "whoosh" sound.

The fragrance drifted, and a White Jade Tea Cup filled with tea soup was pushed over.

Lin Sicheng didn't move: "Miss Yu, the essential oil was added incorrectly, and too much was added!"

Yu Jiyao froze, staring straight at him.

No... you were spacing out, how did you know I added the wrong essential oil?

If she used natural curing, it would take at least nine hours, so she used the Fast-Curing Method.

For jasmine tea, one naturally uses jasmine essential oil, but she had used rose oil.

It wasn't that she added the wrong one, but that the jasmine scent was too faint to cover the oily smell in the tea leaves.

Not knowing if Lin Sicheng had seen through something, just as Yu Jiyao was about to start over, Lin Sicheng shook his head: "I'm not used to the taste of essential oils!"

As he spoke, he took a tea bowl and poked through the paper seal of the tea box.

Yu Jiyao held the wooden fork, wanting to help, but Lin Sicheng waved his hand and grabbed it directly with his fingers.

With a splash of boiling water, the tender green leaves began to swirl.

Yu Jiyao was stunned: "Manager Lin, this is raw tea, it's very bitter!"

Lin Sicheng blew on it and took a sip: "Just right to refresh the mind!"

In fact, he could drink any kind of tea. In Inner Mongolia, the old patina on the outside of the aluminum pots in herdsmen's homes was thick enough to be used as a shield. Sometimes when the wind was strong, it was possible that cow dung dust would drift in when you weren't looking. But he could still drink three big bowls of milk tea made with Fu Tea.

He was even less of a biochemical instrument; he couldn't know there was something strange about the essential oil just by glancing at it. It was just that seeing the woman drip the essential oil, her ten fingers as white and tender as scallions glistening with oil, and her movements of turning the tea flowers always reminded him of some colorful imagery.

Seeing Lin Sicheng looking like he was spacing out, with no intention of discussing life with her, Yu Jiyao cautiously probed: "Does Manager Lin understand the Dao of tea?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Parroting others, showing off before an expert!"

His tone didn't seem fake, and his expression was normal, so Yu Jiyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Lin Sicheng looked at his watch again, "Is the General Manager not coming today?"

"She came earlier!"

Knowing who he was asking about, Yu Jiyao told the truth, "But the second sister's car had some trouble, and the eldest brother just came and left; they will arrive later, they should be here soon!"

They?

Lin Sicheng picked up the Tea Cup: "Second sister?"

Yu Jiyao smiled and blinked her peach-blossom eyes: "Second sister!"

The so-called second sister, I suppose, must be Ren Danhua.

Then, since there is a second sister, is there also an eldest sister?

With this thought in mind, Lin Sicheng drank his tea slowly. Since her flirtatious glances were cast before a blind man, Yu Jiyao no longer bothered to put on an act; she propped up a soft cushion, knelt down, and brewed herself another cup of floral tea, having added the wrong essential oil.

"How is it that Manager Lin is here alone, without bringing an apprentice, and that General Manager Zhao didn't come either?"

"Boheng is in the car; he has been wild since he was a child and doesn't care for this sort of thing!" Lin Sicheng set down his Tea Cup. "General Manager Zhao (Zhao Xiuxian) has business, and Senior Brother went with him to another city!"

"Oh~" Yu Jiyao was noncommittal; perhaps feeling that kneeling was uncomfortable, she tilted her upper body slightly and stretched her legs out diagonally.

With a sixty-centimeter tea table, a slight hook of her toes could touch Lin Sicheng's knees.

Between roasting the flowers and brewing the tea, the temperature in the tea room was not low; the woman's forehead was glistening, slightly perspiring. As she rose slightly, the shawl over her cheongsam slipped down, revealing her slender, fair arms.

With a twist of her slim waist, the long parts became even longer, the rounded parts even more rounded, and the full parts even fuller.

Lin Sicheng remained unmoved, picked up the teapot, and brewed another cup.

Sure enough, the eyes were blind.

But it was strange: in his twenties, the age when one is full of vigor and has nowhere to vent that overflowing energy, the age where one wants to chisel a hole the moment they see one. Yet, this person was the opposite, more composed than an old monk in meditation?

Yu Jiyao felt a bit discouraged: why wasn't this kid taking the bait?

With this posture and this setup, which was more serious than a negotiation, there was simply no way to fish for information.

The key was that he wouldn't take any bait, just like a eunuch.

Had she known, she should have lit some incense when he entered.

Just as she was cursing inwardly, voices came from outside the door.

Yu Jichuan?

Lin Sicheng's earlobes twitched slightly, and he stood up.

Yu Jiyao rolled her eyes in secret and also stood up.

But the two waited for quite a while, nearly three minutes, before Yu Jichuan finally entered.

However, he was not alone; behind him followed a woman with a graceful figure and lingering charm.

Ren Danhua.

The two entered the tea room, a flash of astonishment crossing their eyes.

Why did Yu Jichuan speak deliberately, and why did he wait three or four minutes before entering?

Because they assumed that something must have happened between the two, and at the very least, they needed to leave time for them to tidy up the scene.

But looking now: Lin Sicheng's clothes were neat, without even a wrinkle on them.

Yu Jiyao, on the other hand, was wearing little; her fragrant shoulders were exposed, and her hem was wrinkled, almost revealing the base of her thighs.

Her forehead was sweating and her face was flushed, but this was purely from the heat, not from anything having happened.

But even for quick-scenting, it should have taken over an hour; did they just sit there?

Yu Jiyao, where are those seductive skills of yours? Did you not use even a little bit?

Thinking this to herself, Ren Danhua unbuttoned her trench coat. Yu Jichuan was quick-handed and took it to hang on the coat rack.

Her figure was even better, with more charm. The corners of her eyes hooked, and her peach-blossom eyes narrowed into two slits.

"Manager Lin, my apologies!"

A greeting, and then those two simple words. Ren Danhua knew that Lin Sicheng must understand what she meant.

It was not that they did not respect Lin Sicheng, or that they were being evasive and testing him repeatedly, but because they were in a business that could cost them their heads; only by being careful could one sail for ten thousand years.

"General Manager Ren, you are too kind!"

Lin Sicheng naturally understood; he reached out to shake her hand, their fingers interlacing, and a warm, smooth sensation came from her fingertips.

Perhaps because she had walked in a hurry, or perhaps because the air conditioning was on in the car, the woman's palms were sweaty.

Her body was also sweating, emitting a faint and exquisite scent of powder. Faintly, it was also mixed with a trace of medicinal herbs.

It was not strange to have the scent of herbs; perhaps she had applied a plaster, or more likely, she was regulating her body and had just finished drinking a decoction.

But this kind was not that; it was not a plaster, and certainly not medicine for regulating the body.

Lin Sicheng sniffed lightly: Cicada Slough, Wasp Nest, Black-Striped Snake, Inula Flower, Uncaria... Three-Insect Wind-Settling Decoction?

This prescription treats only one illness: Stubborn Asthma, which Western medicine calls: Hormone-Resistant Asthma.

Wind-Phlegm Lung-Entrapment, triggered by touch, sudden onset and sudden cessation, throat itching like ants crawling, chest tightness like suffocation.

Western medicine basically has no specific cure, and one can only rely on strong Chinese medicine to alleviate it; the Three-Insect Wind-Settling Decoction is one such remedy.

People with this disease have cyanotic lips and nails, swollen eyelids, nostrils fluttering like butterfly wings when inhaling, and blue veins visible at the bridge of the nose when exhaling, with a whistling flute sound at the end, like wind passing through a narrow gap.

Looking at Ren Danhua again: her cheekbones were red like cinnabar, a needle-like blue vein hung between her brows, and her lips were as pale as if powdered. Her breathing was light but powerful, and her voice was low but steady. Her lungs were as good as they could be; at most, she just had some irregular menstruation.

But that was secondary; the key was that this scent was somewhat familiar?

He tried hard to recall, and Lin Sicheng's pupils could not help but constrict: he remembered.

That woman at Panjiayuan who had bumped into Tang Nanyan while holding a money box had exactly this scent on her.

It was stronger and more pungent than the one on Ren Danhua.

Before, it was not as if Lin Sicheng hadn't dreamed of following the vine to find the melon, tracing the threads, and investigating clues bit by bit, thinking that one day he would dig that woman out.

But he had never imagined it would be so fast, so direct?

Because of the division of labor: in a Grave-robbing gang, the Pestle-Worker is the role with the lowest profit, the least money earned, and the highest risk.

The Pot-Holder only needs to provide funds and command remotely. The Eye-Manager only needs to perform Dragon Seeking and acupoint determination, appraisal and valuation. The Pole-Climber only needs to dig holes and enter pits, open coffins and retrieve goods. The Jianzuo only needs to liaise with those above and below, and sell the stolen goods.

Only the Pestle-Worker has to find ways to sell what is hard to sell, find ways to repair what is broken, and find ways to offload it once repaired.

They show their faces the most, contact the most outsiders, have the highest risk of exposure, and earn the least money.

And that woman was a standard "Sparrowhawk." Look at how she dealt with Ma Shan that time: single-handedly, she charged straight into the enemy's lair, intercepted millions in yellow goods, and still managed to retreat unscathed; one can see her style?

Steady, accurate, ruthless, and refined.

Such a person, she would thieve, she would steal, she would rob, she would waylay, but the one thing she would never do is peddle clearance goods.

Yet, as it happens, she is exactly the type to peddle clearance goods?

Lin Sicheng had never even considered that he would ultimately manage to catch the tail of that woman by relying on a wisp of medicinal herb scent?

(End of chapter)