Chapter 90: Heavenly Fragrance and Three Brews

Songhua blinked in confusion.

A young girl? A child?

"Um... Sir... What do you mean by that?"

She had seen it clearly.

Last night, the master had a long conversation with Scholar Mo of the Nanhua Academy on the pond, and then immediately retired to his chambers. She had confirmed it with her own eyes.

Moreover, she still retained the old habit of checking on the master in the early morning. Only when she saw him sleeping peacefully could she feel at ease.

Most importantly,

the master was sitting cross-legged beside his bed this morning, which was different from his usual routine. Recently, he had been reducing his sleep to spend more time in meditation.

But a young girl?

Hou Gong smiled at Songhua's question.

"Just tell her that."

"...Yes."

Songhua had many questions, but she did not argue.

Before the master lost his memory, he was a source of chilling fear. Whenever their eyes met, her body would tremble and she felt the blood drain from her face.

But after the memory loss, the master was different.

He became cheerful and treated most matters lightly, making it incredibly comfortable to serve him. However, every word and action still carried meaning.

It was always like this.

The chief of the Tianhua Archives, Guo Dao, who had plotted rebellion, was suddenly found hanging upside down. After a few casual visits and hearty laughs, the Ximen family met their downfall. When it seemed the master had suddenly become the leader of the Heavenly Fragrance Sect, the Nangong family's law enforcer was buried in the ground right in front of him.

So, he must have a plan.

Songhua, who hoped the master and Nangong Xiaoye would get along well, could only support them in her heart.

When Songhua relayed the message outside,

Nangong Xiaoye was naturally taken aback. Her brows furrowed deeply.

"A young girl at night?"

"Yes, that's what he said."

Xiaoye struggled to hide her bewilderment.

'...'

She couldn't even imagine it.

How could he refuse her? She had never even considered the possibility that a man could reject her requests or favors.

Even if he had looked around last night, it was only natural that he would follow her, as if it had never happened before.

Xiaoye felt a surge of heat in her cheeks.

But more importantly,

who was this young girl he mentioned?

A young girl at night.

While there were many young girls in the Nangong family, none of them had access to the eastern garden.

"Who was this girl?"

Xiaoye asked calmly, as if she was just curious.

Songhua swallowed hard.

There had never been a girl like that.

"I didn't hear her name. I'm sorry."

Songhua bowed deeply.

Ha, didn't hear her name.

Nangong Xiaoye's cheeks burned, and she wanted to fan herself but couldn't. She tried to suppress her anger.

'What should I do?'

If she just turned around, her pride would be hurt, but if she lashed out, it would be unbecoming. As she fumed internally, a voice suddenly interrupted.

"Sister, let's go together!"

"We already heard everything!"

Xiaoye turned and was startled to see the beggars.

"Ah!"

When did they get there?

They appeared silently, grinning. Although they had already met at the Longxian Pavilion, their sudden appearance and bizarre transformation left her no choice but to be surprised.

"Did I scare you, sister? Sorry. Hehe... Did we overdo it?"

"Nangong Xiaojie, we tried our best to look presentable. How do I look?"

Xiaoye's pupils dilated.

She could understand being called 'sister,'

but the beggars' hair was the real shock.

'Parted...'

Their hair was exactly 80-20.

It looked like it had been measured with a ruler.

Both of them had slicked their hair with some kind of oil, making it shine.

Xiaotian and Yinyang grinned and, in a show of bravado, ran their hands through their hair.

'You guys... Why do you think you look presentable? Why?'

Xiaoye's confusion was indescribable, but the beggars didn't care. They just jumped around excitedly.

"Sister, Brother is always unpredictable. He's a wild one. So, let's go quickly. Bingbing said she's still a bit tipsy and won't come. Wow, I'm so glad I came to the Heavenly Dragon Tournament. Hahaha, it's such an honor!"

"Me too!"

"..."

**

"Madam Xiaohui has gone to the eastern garden."

"Understood."

Nangong Xue nodded indifferently upon receiving the report.

But despite his calm exterior, he was inwardly delighted. He had subtly hinted at his intentions, and both of them should have caught on.

This is just the beginning.

In relationships, the more time spent together and the more conversations shared, the more naturally feelings develop.

Especially for young and attractive people, it might not take long. If his daughter and the young master walked together and laughed occasionally, it would be perfect.

Imagining the scene, Nangong Xue couldn't help but smile.

'Hehe, let's see how this plays out.'

He stepped outside and cast his gaze.

His beautiful daughter was in sight, and the beggars were walking and laughing beside her...

'...'

**

At that moment,

Hou Gong continued his meditation.

His decision not to accompany Xiaoye was not just because he thought of the young Xiaoye from last night.

Recently, there had been progress in the Heavenly Fragrance cultivation method.

He was about to enter the stage of Heavenly Fragrance and Three Brews.

His efforts over the past period had paid off, and he had a clear direction last night, so he needed to push forward.

After half an hour,

"Huuu."

He opened his eyes with a deep breath.

Hou Gong formed a sword seal and tapped the air, as if striking an acupuncture point. A ripple spread from the point, like mist.

The fragrance began to spread.

The entry into Heavenly Fragrance and Three Brews was about to begin.

It started with a subtle pine scent.

As the fragrance spread, it was followed by an earthy smell, then a damp pond scent, all blending together.

Hou Gong closed his eyes and savored the fragrance.

Despite being in a room, the fragrances mixed naturally, creating the illusion of sitting in a pavilion over a pond.

'It's done.'

Hou Gong nodded in satisfaction.

The blending of fragrances.

This signified his entry into Heavenly Fragrance and Three Brews. From this stage, he could use the cultivation method in various ways, which was incredibly useful.

The fragrances would fill the gaps in his cultivation.

The ability to blend fragrances to create unique and diverse scents was also significant.

For example,

if the stench of the Hexagonal Net was combined with the Lingao Grass...

'Terrible.'

Hou Gong chuckled.

In the martial world, the Beggar Sect's Breath of the Dragon could knock out several people with just bad breath, but compared to the Three Evils, it was like a floral scent.

Hou Gong then waved his hand, forming a sword seal, and the fragrances in the room were instantly absorbed, returning the room to its original state.

He stood up and went outside.

He called Songhua and Yang Xiao.

"Did you call us, Sir?"

The two quickly bowed.

"Yes."

"Sir, should we go to Nangong Xiaoye now..."

Songhua's lingering hope was cut off.

"That's settled. Now..."

Hou Gong continued.

"Go and catch a bird each."

"Are we going to cook them?"

"Or boil them?"

Seeing the master's disdainful expression, Yang Xiao and Songhua laughed and immediately moved. They knew from experience that this was just a joke, and the purpose was something else.

Songhua was quick, and Yang Xiao was slow.

Both caught sparrows.

Since they didn't expect the sparrows to be cooked, they brought them alive, and Hou Gong found this commendable.

"Let's see."

Hou Gong touched the neck of the sparrow Songhua held. The sparrow's frightened eyes darted around, and its body trembled as if its neck might break.

Hou Gong left a fragrance based on Heavenly Fragrance and Three Brews on the sparrow's neck and then let it go. He did the same with the sparrow Yang Xiao caught.

The sparrows showed no reaction, just blinking, and Songhua and Yang Xiao couldn't guess the meaning.

"Done. Now, let them go."

"Let them go?"

"Yes, let them go."

The two sparrows flew out of their hands, flapping their wings vigorously.

Perhaps they were lucky. If they were caught again, it would be the end. The sparrows flew out of the garden and disappeared from sight.

But they didn't escape.

While out of sight, they were still within Hou Gong's consciousness.

Hou Gong could gauge where the sparrows were and how far they had flown.

This was the tracking technique of Heavenly Fragrance.

The sparrows' necks were marked with 'No Fragrance.'

Different types of No Fragrance.

Only Hou Gong could distinguish them, and to him, they were true fragrances. With the ability to blend unique No Fragrances and connect them with his consciousness, he could track them.

Thus,

the fragrance became an invisible thread.

This thread extended even as the target moved away, allowing Hou Gong to pinpoint their location. This technique was as effective as other tracking methods in the martial world, such as the Ten Thousand Li Fragrance or other tracking arts.

A similar technique was the Fragrance Thread of the Esoteric Sect.

High-ranking monks of the Esoteric Sect would give the Fragrance Thread to those they had a connection with. If the person in trouble burned the Fragrance Thread, the monks could find them.

Thus, martial artists often said, "If you offend someone who burns the Fragrance Thread, you become an enemy of the Esoteric Sect."

'Southeast... about a hundred paces away.'

Hou Gong gauged the distance.

The range he could gauge had its limits, but it would increase with his progress.

The outline of the sparrows was clear up to about a hundred paces.

The two sparrows were still together, perhaps out of mutual sympathy or because they were friends. They paused for a moment, not moving.

'Heavenly Fragrance is becoming more interesting the more I use it.'

After the additional reward for enduring the Three Great Stenches, Hou Gong found the uses of Heavenly Fragrance increasingly intriguing, and he couldn't help but smile.

But his smile was short-lived.

Hearing a sound, Hou Gong turned and became solemn.