“I was just making casual conversation. Let’s drop it. Time to enjoy ourselves,” Jiang Shangxian said.
Just then, the door to the room was quietly pushed open. Two beautiful young women in short, thigh-revealing dresses entered, walking in small, graceful steps while carrying trays of scented oils.
Shen Lang glanced at the two girls, and his gaze lingered briefly on their fair, slender legs before he suddenly rolled over onto his stomach. He did so to avoid revealing any… physical reaction.
Jiang Shangxian, on the other hand, practically drooled when he saw them. “Brother, trust me on this. These two are perfect. Pick one and reward yourself tonight.”
Shen Lang smirked with his eyes closed, “Beautiful they may be, but what if they’re poisoned?”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Jiang Shangxian asked, puzzled.
Before Shen Lang could respond, one of the girls spoke, “Honored guests, may we begin your service now?”
“Of course,” Jiang Shangxian immediately replied, turning over and resting on his pillow. “By the way, aside from massages, do you offer anything else?”
“What do you mean by that, sir?” one of them asked coyly.
“You know what I mean.”
The girls blushed, then walked over and undid the robes draped over the two men.
As the cool floral oil dripped onto their bare skin, Jiang Shangxian’s face twisted in intense pleasure. “This is just the scent I like. How is it, brother? Feels good, doesn’t it?”
But Shen Lang was already immersed in the experience and didn’t respond.
As the girl rubbed the floral oil across his shoulders, Shen Lang quietly reached under the pillow with his left hand.
“Nice technique. Where are you from, miss? And how old are you?” he asked casually.
The girl replied softly, “In reply to you, sir, I’m from Bingzhou. I just turned eighteen.”
“Bingzhou? That’s quite far from here.” Shen Lang’s lips twitched slightly. “So young… why come to this kind of place and do this kind of work?”
She answered, “Life at the border is hard and cold. There’s nowhere to earn money like here. I have to survive.”
While speaking, she straddled Shen Lang’s back, kneading upward with practiced hands, spreading the oil evenly.
Shen Lang frowned slightly, then let out a soft sigh.
“Feeling good, sir?”
“Very…”
The next moment, the girl leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “Would you like to move to the inner room? I have some newer techniques I could show you.”
Shen Lang looked toward a half-opened room not far away.
Jiang Shangxian immediately encouraged, “Brother, this is a rare chance. Go for it tonight! Once you’re a real man, we can swap stories.”
Unexpectedly, Shen Lang suddenly reached behind and grabbed the girl’s ankle.
“You… what are you doing?” she stammered.
Shen Lang didn’t answer. He gently rubbed the skin around her ankle, then chuckled. “You say you’re from Bingzhou? But why do your legs feel like someone from the Yan Empire?”
The other girl, who was on top of Jiang Shangxian, flinched reflexively at his words.
“You’re joking, sir. What do you mean by that? I don’t understand.”
Shen Lang continued calmly, “Bingzhou sits at the border between Chu and Yan. Though it’s just a few dozen kilometers apart, the customs and climate are vastly different. Bingzhou locals mostly farm or herd livestock. Noble ladies don’t work the fields, so their skin is smooth. But in the Yan Empire, it’s more common to engage in both farming and herding. Men and women alike wear leather boots most of the year and rarely wear inner socks. You can’t see the difference on the surface, but long-term boot-wear leaves a different skin texture. Also, animal hides carry a faint musky scent that lingers no matter how much perfume you use. Anyone who’s spent time at the border can tell the difference.”
As he finished, Shen Lang flipped over and threw the woman off his back.
“Unfortunately for you, I’m a veteran stationed at the border. Best tell the truth and save yourselves some suffering.”
Jiang Shangxian gasped. As he was about to get up, the girl behind him suddenly pulled a dagger from beneath her skirt.
“Sister, we’ve been discovered. Hurry—”
Pfft—
Blood sprayed.
Before she could finish, Shen Lang had already pulled a dagger from beneath the pillow. A wave of blade aura flashed, slicing through the air and cutting the woman’s throat in one swift move.
“Sis!” the other girl screamed, her disguise shattered. She also drew a dagger from beneath her skirt and lunged at Jiang Shangxian.
“For the sake of repaying the Prime Minister’s kindness, you must die tonight!”
She let out a shriek and charged forward.
The scene terrified Jiang Shangxian so much he couldn’t even react in time.
Clink—
A crisp sound of wind chimes echoed in the air. Her wrist, which held the dagger, was suddenly sliced, severing her tendons.
Shen Lang kicked her to the ground and shouted, “Speak! Who sent you?!”
“Hehe… urgh—”
Before she could speak, she coughed up a mouthful of black blood. Her head tilted to the side, lifeless.
Shen Lang immediately pressed his fingers to her neck, then shook his head. “Dead.”
“Your Highness, stop spacing out. Start working.”
“O-okay.”
Jiang Shangxian hurriedly rolled off the bed and examined the corpse closely. After a while, he clicked his tongue in pity and whispered, “Such a shame. What a beauty. Brother, should we… make the most of the warmth?”
Shen Lang shuddered in disgust and smacked him on the forehead. “You’re a disgrace to your subordinates. Are you seriously in the mood for that right now? I’ve truly seen everything.”
He tossed him a badge—it was the identification token of the Jingwei Division.
“You even carry your badge and weapon on you? Always on high alert, huh?” Jiang Shangxian asked.
Shen Lang ignored him and ordered, “Seal the entire area. Get the Jingwei Division and local offices to assist. Everyone in Shuyu Pavilion tonight must be thoroughly investigated.”
“Got it. I’m on it now.”
Jiang Shangxian quickly got dressed and hurried out the door.
Shen Lang carefully examined both corpses for clues. Aside from the venom capsules in their teeth, there was nothing noteworthy—except for one thing. Each of their daggers had the character “Ye” engraved on it.
Before long, chaos erupted within Shuyu Pavilion. Shen Lang knew Jiang Shangxian had returned with the authorities.
About the time it took to drink a cup of tea later, Jiang Shangxian came back and asked, “Brother, any clues? I’ve already sealed off the entire place.”
Shen Lang handed him the poisoned dagger. “They were targeting you.”
Jiang Shangxian frowned at it. “From the Prime Minister’s estate. These people are too bold.”
Shen Lang shook his head. “It’s not that simple. If you were from the Prime Minister’s estate, would you expose yourself so openly?”
Jiang Shangxian pointed at the dagger. “This craftsmanship is clearly from the Ye family’s workshop. I know it well.”
Shen Lang exhaled slowly. “Then let’s report this to the Empress. An attempted assassination on a prince isn’t a minor matter. You handle the rest. I’m not about to wade into this mess.”
With that, he stood and walked out.
Jiang Shangxian quickly chased after him, “Where are you going? Don’t leave me here alone, this place is creepy as hell!”
“I’m supposed to be on vacation today. Running into this mess is just my rotten luck. I should’ve stayed home with a roast chicken and wine,” Shen Lang grumbled as he walked toward the main hall, leaving a dumbfounded Jiang Shangxian behind.
Just as Jiang Shangxian was about to follow, Fuer ran to him in tears, crying out, “Your Highness, I swear I knew nothing about this! Please, you must believe me!”
Jiang Shangxian replied impatiently, “Enough crying. I’ll investigate and clear your name if you’re innocent. But for now, cooperate with the authorities and stop creating trouble. You’ve already ruined my night.”
Shaking her off, he went after Shen Lang again.
At that moment, Shen Lang stood before a refined and handsome scholar in the main hall.
The man’s features were exquisite—his face like fine jade, his eyes bright like stars, his brows thick and neat, and his lips delicately red. He exuded an extraordinary presence, his posture upright like a pine tree. His elegance and poise made him look like a celestial being.
His scholarly aura radiated gentleness and familiarity. As Shen Lang looked at him, a memory flashed in his mind—an old friend with center-parted hair, wearing black-and-white suspenders, holding a basketball.