Wang Qi'an and Ji Wurui came to a fortress in a remote suburb of the city.
The fortress was built according to the mountain, with the front low and the back high. The two of them had observed that there were more than a dozen houses in the fort, with the gate as the central axis, arranged symmetrically on both sides. Looking from the outside, they looked quite large.
There is a half-moon-shaped pond in front of the fort, half of which is occupied by lotus flowers. From time to time, various fish jump out of the water.
When the two came to the fort, the three characters "Sujia Fort" came into view. From the outside, it doesn't look like a spice workshop at all, but more like a well-defended bunker.
"According to the rumors my subordinates heard from the public, for some reason, Su Kaishi has stopped making spices in the past six months. What is circulating on the market is the previous stock. The quantity is scarce, so the price is high. This box in my hand is enough It took half a mint of silver before someone else was willing to sell it."
"Duk duk duk" Ji Wurui said and lightly closed the door knocker.
Seeing no one responded for a long time, Ji Wurui added a few more gravity kicks.
"Is there anyone in the fort? The two juniors are asking to see Master Su." Wang Qi'an raised his voice and walked into the fort.
After about half a cup of tea, I heard footsteps coming from inside.
"Eaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" The solid and heavy fortress door was opened through a gap, revealing the face of a gray and sluggish middle-aged man with dull eyes.
"Who are you, and why are you here to ask for advice?" the visitor asked in a hoarse voice.
"Ji Wurui, this is my good friend Wang Qi'an. Master Su is well-known for the spices made by his wisdom and skill. The two of us came here because of his fame, hoping to purchase a batch of high-quality incense and transport it back to the Central Plains." Ji Wurui has already made a plan. Rhetoric, blurting out.
"Then please come back. I have already closed my shop and will no longer produce spices for anyone." After saying this, the visitor was about to close the door.
Wang Qi'an had quick eyes and quick feet. When he saw this, he put his foot against the crack of the door and said hurriedly: "Wait a minute, it turns out you are Master Su. Do you have something important to ask me?"
Judging from the tone of voice, he was Su Kaishi herself. Based on the name alone, the two of them originally thought that Su Kaishi was a beautiful woman, but they did not expect that she was a middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance. Although there is a slight gap between the image of the person in front of them and the master spice craftsman in their mind, the purpose of their trip is important and they do not dare to show any contempt.
"Master Su, do you still remember this?" Ji Wurui took out an exquisite lacquer box with Su Kaishi engraved on the bottom and showed it to him.
Unexpectedly, Su Kaishi didn't raise the corners of his eyes and said calmly: "So what if you remember? So what if you don't remember? It doesn't make any difference. Everything is just a passing thing. You two should go back."
"Master, the box contained in this box is the best among the incense. I have never encountered a workshop in Bianzhou City that can produce such a natural and traceless incense. During the period, it is mixed with tulip, agarwood, storax, Lotus, lilac, etc., but there is a kind of fragrance that I can't identify. I wonder if the master can give me some advice?" Wang Qian couldn't help but feel moved when he saw Su Kaishi looking like he was rejecting people from thousands of miles away. , asked tentatively to suit his liking.
Sure enough, after hearing Wang Qi'an talk about his lifelong study of addiction, Su Kaishi's eyes regained some sparkle. He raised his eyelids, glanced at Wang Qi'an, and said in a proud tone: "You are quite knowledgeable. It is rare to be able to identify so many kinds of spices just by smelling them. Come in!"
As he spoke, he opened the door, welcomed the two of them in, and then closed the door again with a bang.
"This fragrance is called 'Seven Color Rainbow', and it is made from a mixture of seven different spices. It's not surprising that you can't guess the last one, because it is a daughter's body fragrance." Su Kai Shi said proudly while leading the way.
But then he returned to his sluggish state, letting out a deep sigh sadly.
"If you are here to ask for this incense, even if I want to remake it, I can't do anything about it at the moment. You'd better leave!" He suddenly turned around as he spoke, looking at the void with empty eyes, and said in a weak tone.
"There are rumors that Master Su has not opened a workshop to make spices for half a year. I wonder if this is true?" Ji Wurui asked with concern when he saw that Su Kaishi was abnormal.
"Hey, don't you see that I'm the only one you've seen in this fort so far? I closed the workshop three months ago, and I've dismissed all the people here. Do you know whether the rumors are true or false?" Su Kaishi slanted He glanced at Ji Wurui and said in a cold tone.
"I don't know what happened in the fort that would make Master Su suddenly make this decision?" Governor Wang Qi'an asked for a reason.
"You should go! This matter has nothing to do with you, and I don't want to mention it again." Su Kaishi said in an even colder tone.
"I wonder if it has something to do with the powerlessness that the master just mentioned?" Wang Qi'an was keenly aware of the unfinished meaning in Su Kai's poem and asked.
Su Kaishi was stunned for a moment, glanced at Wang Qi'an again, and suddenly fell silent. After a while, he sighed again.
"That's all, that's all. Even if I continue to be depressed like this, it won't help. If Shishi sees me, I'm afraid I'll get scolded by her again!" Su Kaishi said calmly.
"Half a year ago, my daughter Shishi went back to visit relatives in Longyan Village, Zhangzhou, southern Fujian. Less than a month later, the bad news came. All the people in the village disappeared out of thin air, as if they had evaporated from the world. When I rushed back, I spent seven days and nights trying to get there. I searched the surrounding area for ten miles, but could not find any suspicious traces. For the next month, I searched everywhere like crazy to inquire about Shishi's whereabouts every day, but in the end I found nothing. Later, someone reminded me that Shishi might not be related to Longyan Village. The others disappeared together and have returned to Prince Xing's Mansion. So I came back here with a little bit of luck..." Su Kaishi looked heartbroken as he said it, tears streaming down his face, and he was already choked with sobs.
It turns out that Su Kaishi's original name was Su Kaishu, and her daughter's name was Su Yuanshi. Because he loved his daughter very much, he changed the last character of her name to Shi.
Before Su Kaishi finished speaking, Wang Qi'an and Ji Wurui had already looked at each other, and both secretly murmured: What a coincidence!
"Master Su, please don't be overly distressed. This matter may turn around." Wang Qian comforted him.
He told everything about the mysterious disappearance of Chu Yunxia and the villagers in Zhengjia Village as well as Meng Ke's analysis.
"It seems that this kind of incident is not an isolated case. It has happened in many places at least in Lin'an, Boluo and Zhangzhou. I agree with Brother Meng. This matter has nothing to do with ghosts and gods. Someone deliberately kidnapped these villagers, but they used clever methods to leave traces To cover it up without anyone noticing, it must be a huge force, and there may even be collusion between the government and the government. I will not sit idly by and ignore this matter. Even if I trace it to the ends of the earth, I will kill this innocent person. Rescue them." Wang Qi'an said with firm eyes and a firm tone.
"Are you serious?" Su Kaishi couldn't help but have a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Master Su doesn't believe it. Instead of being depressed here, it's better to go to Boluo Mountain to find Brother Meng to find out the details. I've been away for many days, maybe he may have made new discoveries." Wang Qi'an thought of Xia'er, and he really felt I hope that good news will come from Meng Ke.
