Yan Hui rose early on the second day. She had just gotten up when a girl from Wang Yu Luo knocked on the door.
The girl said that the son of Mayor Wang had arrived a while ago. He was waiting for Yan Hui in the pavilion by the pond.
Yan Hui nodded in response. It was rare that she wasn't annoyed by Fatty Wang's clinginess. After she freshened up, she would go alone to meet him.
Yan Hui felt that Fatty Wang's feelings toward her were overboard. If she were to smile and chat with him, then he would spill out everything. However if she brought Tian Yao, then Fatty Wang would be jealous. That wouldn't be good. Thus, Yan Hui didn't call for Tian Yao to join her.
Yan Hui approached the pond-side pavilion. The fatty, who was wearing lavish clothing, immediately stood up when he saw Yan Hui. As usual, he became flustered. Sweat started to form on his nose. He softly called: "Yan Hui, you're here."
"Mm, why are you looking for me?"
Wang Peng Yuan looked at the girl who was standing off to the side. Wang Peng Yuan's manservant called for the girl to leave with him. As a girl from Wang Yu Luo, she was clear on Wang Peng Yuan's identity and didn't dare refuse him. The girl glanced at Yan Hui. When she saw Yan Hui smile at her in reassurance, only then did the girl leave.
Wang Peng Yuan waited until the two servants were gone before speaking: "I...I just want to talk to you."
Yan Hui was extremely pleased with this. Talking was fine. She also wanted to talk to him.
Yan Hui poured two cups of tea, one for her and one for Wang Peng Yuan. She planned to listen to him and then find an opportune moment to cut in. Then she could ask about what she wanted to talk about.
"You go first. I'll listen."
Wang Peng Yuan nervously wiped his sweaty palms on his clothing. He put his hand in his pocket and started to feel around: "I, I actually prepared a small present for you this morning."
Yan Hui was stymied: "There's no need. Let's just talk."
"No, no...I've prepared this for a long time...You should take a look."
Saying this, Wang Peng Yuan took out what was in his pocket. It was an extremely delicate brocade pouch. Out from the brocade pouch wafted an exotic perfume. It caught Yan Hui's interest, and her eyes rested on the pouch. The more she looked at the pouch, the more she wanted to know what was in it.
"What's this?"
Yan Hui's gaze became more fixated on the brocade pouch.
When Wang Peng Yuan saw Yan Hui's reaction, he swallowed and opened up the pouch: "I'll show you." He handed it over to Yan Hui. She single-mindedly started to examine it. Inside was a handful of dark-red rice powder. Its fragrance was beyond comparison. The more Yan Hui tried to determine what scent this was, the more she couldn't.
Furthermore, the more she smelled it, the more she felt.....the objects in front of her started to blur.
Wang Peng Yuan saw Yan Hui's eyes gradually losing focus, like her soul had left. He carefully sized Yan Hui up. When he saw that she was truly unresponsive, Wang Peng Yuan happily smiled. He wiped off the sweat on his face. He took back the brocade pouch and was about to pour its contents in his mouth.
However, right before Wang Peng Yuan could pour the rice powder into his mouth, a hand suddenly seized Wang Peng Yuan's wrist.
"What is this?"
Tian Yao's voice was tranquil like water, yet it also had a tinge of a terrifying murderous aura: "If you don't tell the truth, I'll rip off your arm."
Wang Peng Yuan had been sheltered his entire life. Aside from his father lecturing him a few times, no one else dared to use such tone and gestures when speaking to him. He whipped his head around in a panic to look up at Tian Yao, who was one head taller. When Wang Peng Yuan saw the cold, murderous gleam in Tian Yao's eyes, he was scared silly. He cried out, and his hand shook. The brocade pouch went flying into Tian Yao's face.
The red rice powder sprayed over Tian Yao's face. He subconsciously closed his eyes and used his hands to wipe them clean. Wang Peng Yuan seized this chance to shake off Tian Yao and frantically escape.
Tian Yao rubbed his eyes and subconsciously licked his lips. When he tasted the red powder, he was shocked back to his senses.
This was...
The taste of blood.
But when smelling it, it was an enticing and captivating scent. What was this...
Tian Yao was pondering over it when he heard a "thunk". It was the tricked Yan Hui, who just hit her head on the table. Tian Yao frowned. He reached out and shook her: "Yan Hui?"
Yan Hui's body swayed twice along with Tian Yao's shakes. She opened her eyes, head still on the table. She dazedly looked up at Tian Yao.
Yan Hui squinted. She didn't know why, but it seemed like some magic had been cast into her eyes. When she looked at Tian Yao, it felt like his body gave off a sparkling and dazzling light. It seemed like everything else in the world paled compared to him.
Before, Yan Hui thought Tian Yao was attractive, but it was nothing like what she felt today. Tian Yao was simply so attractive that even celestials would be shocked...
"Yan Hui?"
Perhaps it was because Yan Hui's gaze looked too unfocused. Tian Yao knitted his eyebrows and called out to her: "Are you hurt?"
Yan Hui blinked. Her eyes regained some focus. She sat up, but her eyes stayed on Tian Yao's face. They never strayed: "Shouldn't...have any issues. It's just that my legs seem to be numb..."
Looking at Tian Yao, it actually wasn't just her legs that were numb. Her entire body seemed to go numb too.
Tian Yao frowned even more. He knew Yan Hui had been poisoned. He looked at their surroundings, but there was no one around. He could only say: "You sit here. I'm going to find your friend to see if she knows anything about poisons for humans."
"Wait," Yan Hui called out. She impulsively grabbed onto Tian Yao's hand. "Don't go. Don't leave me." When her soft and slightly hoarse voice called out, it not only stunned Tian Yao, it also stunned Yan Hui herself.
When Tian Yao saw Yan Hui's blush-red face, that was when he realized something was wrong. His thoughts spun. Since it wasn't poison, then it had to be an aphrodisiac. But when he thought about it, it seemed strange. If it was an aphrodisiac, then why didn't the fatty arrange to meet Yan Hui in a room? Instead he arranged to meet Yan Hui in the water pavilion...
There was an aftertaste in Tian Yao's mouth from the rice powder he just ingested. There was still a bloody taste.... Suddenly, Tian Yao remembered what the three-tailed fox demon said about the Charm Fragrance. It used a fox demon's blood....and refined it.
While Tian Yao was contemplating, Yan Hui was also silent. However her mind was repeatedly thinking...
Fuck, Tian Yao's hand was so big and so warm. I just want to grab on and never let go. I want him to touch me again...in other places.
Although this was circulating in Yan Hui's head, a shameful feeling deep in Yan Hui's heart and a shred of rationality in her mind shouted: "Fatty, how dare you give me an aphrodisiac in this kind of place! Are you trying to put on a show for people!"
Yan Hui tried hard to let go of Tian Yao's hand. She stared at her own hand and threatened herself to 'let go or else she would chop it off' in her mind one hundred times. However, she discovered her mind had one thousand thoughts of how warm and dry Tian Yao's hand was, to 'hold it tighter, hold it even tighter, then...'
Claim it.
Yan Hui thought she had gone crazy.
"Yan Hui."
Damn....don't say her name. Her heart was melting!
"I think you probably..."
Don't say it. She also knew she probably had gone crazy.
"....are under the influence of the Fox Demon's Charm Fragrance."
Yan Hui was stunned. When those words went into her head, Yan Hui raised her head: "What did you say?" Then she looked at Tian Yao's face again....Oh, crap! It was like he had his own light. So dazzling!
"What he gave you to smell was probably what we were looking for, Charm Fragrance refined from fox demons' blood."
"That damned fatty...." Yan Hui used her other hand to cover her eyes, so she couldn't see Tian Yao. She sincerely pretended to be blind. She stayed silent for a time. Then she asked: "But then....when I see you, why do I become dazzled, lose all my strength, and seem silly? Did he use the wrong drug?"
When Tian Yao heard Yan Hui's description, he became silent. He coughed awkwardly and pulled his hand free from Yan Hui's grasp.
Yan Hui's hand was empty. The sudden loss caused her to gasp involuntarily.
Tian Yao acted like he didn't hear anything. He sat off to the side and recalled the scene he saw: "He gave you the Charm Fragrance to smell. When he saw you drifting off, he wanted to eat the fragrance. It seems like the fragrance's purpose isn't to attract just anyone. Perhaps it can only ensnare specific people. After smelling the Charm Fragrance, the other person eats it. This can make the person who smelled the fragrance infatuated with the other. This method is somewhat similar to one of the Gu techniques, Child and Mother Gu. [1]
"So you're saying...he didn't eat the Charm Fragrance. You ate it?"
"He wanted to eat it just now but was stopped by me. The Charm Fragrance spilled onto my face in a moment of distraction. I licked my lips and tasted a little..."
Yan Hui grew angry and cut off Tian Yao: "Did your elders not tell you to not eat random things?!" She was so angry, she hit the table: "Now I like you! What are you going to do?!"
She didn't mince her words in her fury. Tian Yao turned his head and stayed silent for a long time: "The only thing we can do is quickly find where the demon trade is and where they sell the Charm Fragrance. Then we can figure out how to break the spell."
Yan Hui thought about it: "Alright. At the very least, the fatty has completely revealed that he is involved with the people in the demon trade. There must be a connection. Finding him will be enough. That's our lead."
Tian Yao nodded: "He left not too long ago. If we hurry, we can catch him on the road."
"Even if he returned home, it won't be a problem. I know the way to the mayor's house."
"Very well. Let's go." Tian Yao stood up, but Yan Hui didn't move. He turned his head back to look. She was still covering her eyes with her hand.
She sat there and waved her free hand at Tian Yao: "You go first. Don't let me see you. It's making me blush and my heart race. So embarrassing."
"..." Tian Yao turned around. "If you don't say those kinds of things out loud, maybe it will get better." Although he said those words, Tian Yao still listened to Yan Hui. He obediently went ahead and left.
Yan Hui only move her hand away from her eyes when she heard Tian Yao's footsteps fade away. She patted her chest: "Be good heart. This kind of pounding can kill someone."
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Ahahahaha!!! Poor Yan Hui, drugged into liking Tian Yao lolololololol
But honestly, that Fatty Wang is trash. Trying to drug someone into like him. Smh.
[1] Gu Techniques, Mother and Child Gu
- Gu (Chinese: 蛊) or jincan (Chinese: 金蠶) is a chinese venom-related poison or technique that uses venomous creatures (e.g. centipedes, bugs, scorpions, snakes, etc.) to perform witchcrafts, curses or black magic. It was originated in South China, mostly in Nanyue region.
- The Mother and Child Gu - is a type of Gu technique which allows a person/ victim to feel the same physical reaction as the one who cast it, almost similar to a voodoo doll, but not from a doll; but from a PERSON.