“I could stay behind, you all go on ahead,” said Leng Xuepiao, looking at Xiao Yingtao.

“No way!” Xiao Yingtao cut her off. “If we go, we all go together.”

“Right, if we go, we all go together. If we don’t, then none of us go either,” Qingqing said with a smile, picking up a piece of fruit the waiter had just brought over.

“Exactly, exactly, exactly.” Xiao Tian raised both hands and stretched.

“It’s no fun if we’re not all together. If Jiu’er goes, I’ll go. If Jiu’er doesn’t go, I’ll just save my money for my dowry instead.”

“Fine, fine, fine, we’ll go.” Feng Jiu’er truly had no way of arguing with these people.

“Hurry and eat! I’ll grab a piece of fruit and head off too—I really do have matters to attend to. Let’s say the end of the Shen hour, that settles it.”

“Everyone’s going, all right,” Feng Jiu’er said, and as she said it, she couldn’t help glancing once more at Leng Xuepiao.

Yu Jingfeng had been watching from not far away the whole time—it looked a little conspicuous.

Well, it was the first time he’d ever fallen for a girl, so being a little clumsy about it was only natural, perhaps.

With Feng Jiu’er’s word given, the matter was settled.

Everyone soon left the restaurant and headed toward their lodgings.

The moment the fourth quarter of the Shen hour arrived, Xiao Yingtao left her chamber and went knocking on every door.

“Let’s go, it’s time.”

“Let’s go, time’s up, my stomach’s growling!”

Urged on by Xiao Yingtao, in less than a quarter hour, all ten women had changed into light, comfortable clothing and left the residence, walking out onto the main street.

The street was even livelier now than it had been in the morning.

This kind of bustle would carry on late into the night, and the number of people on the street was sure to grow only larger as time went on.

Whether it was a matter of mood, or the weather truly warming up a little—no one could quite say.

No one was dressed too heavily; simple and warm was enough.

The moment they stepped out the gate, they soon entered a fairly bustling stretch of road, with no need for horses at all.

Xiao Yingtao held Feng Jiu’er’s hand, walking at the very front.

Behind them, the women trailed along in twos and threes, and gradually, Qiao Mu ended up walking alone at the very back.

“Jiu’er, look, the rouge here isn’t bad!” Xiao Yingtao pulled Feng Jiu’er over to a rouge stall by the roadside.

“I think it’s quite good too!” Duan Liuyang followed along as well.

“Ladies, take your time, look all you like. My family’s rouge is all my daughter’s own handiwork—entirely handmade, gentle on the skin, quality guaranteed!”

The rouge seller was an elderly man, perhaps in his forties or fifties.

He patted his chest, smiling broadly and full of confidence.

“Come and look, everyone come and look—this rouge is made by my own daughter, gentle on the skin, quality guaranteed!”

Feng Jiu’er and her companions numbered a full ten women.

They all crowded around together, and the little stall was packed with people.

Qingqing and Xiao Tian were quite excited, as were the two other girls from Tianji Hall who’d come along with them.

The four of them, together with Leng Xuepiao, made five, and the five of them often worked together researching medicine.

Sharing the same fate as orphans had made these five as close as sisters, and their bond had always been strong.

Following Feng Jiu’er wasn’t a bad life—there was a lot to learn, and when there wasn’t fighting to do, the food, clothing, and lodging were all good.

And the pay was generous too.

The one downside was that things were often busy, leaving little spare time to wander about.

Seeing so many pretty, gentle girls, the old man’s smile grew even brighter.

“Go on, give it a try, no trouble at all—our rouge all comes with sample sizes.”

“Yes, try it, if you like it you can buy it, and if not, no harm done.”

Xiao Yingtao, hearing this, didn’t hold back.

She opened a box marked as a sample, dabbed a bit out, and rubbed it onto the back of her hand.

“Jiu’er, this actually seems really good!”

The moment she said it, Xiao Yingtao lifted the back of her hand, brought it to her nose, and sniffed.

“The scent’s nice too.”

Tianji Hall also made rouge, and the Longying Pharmacy would soon be launching a line of it too—being among those managing the production side, everyone here was especially attuned to little details like this.

“Xiao Yingtao, what do you think of this color?” Qingqing also held out her hand for Xiao Yingtao to see.

“What color is that? This shade is pretty unusual.” Xiao Yingtao frowned as she looked at it.

She took hold of Qingqing’s hand, examined it carefully, then looked up to meet the old man’s eyes.

“Sir, what color is this?”

The old man scratched his head with a smile. “Sorry! I honestly don’t know.”

“This is my daughter’s stall—she had something come up today and couldn’t make it, so I’m minding it in her place.”

“But our home isn’t far from here—if you’re interested, you’re welcome to come take a look.”

“Looking at it, it’s not bad at all.” Feng Jiu’er set down one box of rouge and picked up another.

“Jiu’er, I think I might know what flower this rouge is made from,” Duan Liuyang said, coming over to Feng Jiu’er’s side with a box of rouge in hand.

She brought the open sample box up close to Feng Jiu’er’s nose.

“Jiu’er, take a smell first.”

Feng Jiu’er sniffed it, set down the box she’d been holding, and took the rouge Duan Liuyang had handed her.

After smelling it over and over, she furrowed her fine brows.

“The scent feels a bit familiar, but… I can’t quite recall where I smelled it before.”

“Jiu’er, I know.” Duan Liuyang leaned in close to Feng Jiu’er’s ear and lowered her voice.

“Jiu’er, don’t you remember? Tianya Peak.”

Hearing that name, Feng Jiu’er furrowed her brows again.

“Tianya Peak.” Duan Liuyang looked into her eyes. “Sul—sulfur mountain.”

Feng Jiu’er suddenly had a flash of realization and nodded.

“Right, now that you put it that way, I really do remember.”

“It’s Tianya Peak. I remember thinking the scent was quite lovely at the time too, but I never looked into it seriously.”

“What? What place?” Xiao Yingtao leaned her head in closer.

Feng Jiu’er glanced at her but paid her no mind.

“Liuyang, are you certain this is the scent of a flower?”

“Mm.” Duan Liuyang nodded. “But I don’t recognize this particular flower.”

“I went up that mountain with my father a few times. The flowers grow around that area.”

“They’re small flowers, very pretty. I even brought two plants back home to raise—they survived, but somehow the scent ended up different.”

Duan Liuyang pressed her lips together, took the box back from Feng Jiu’er, and brought it close to her nose again for another sniff.

“I’m sure this is that same lovely scent—it’s the smell of wild flowers from the mountains.”

“You’re saying that once a flower is brought home and cultivated, it can’t produce the same scent?” Feng Jiu’er’s fine brows knit together, her eyes going somewhat distant.

“Mm.” Duan Liuyang nodded again.

Watching Feng Jiu’er, lost in thought, she asked quietly, “Jiu’er, are you thinking of using this kind of fragrance to make rouge?”

“If it works out, I could go gather some and bring it back for you to look over. This place isn’t too far from Tianya Peak—riding hard, three days would get us there.”

Feng Jiu’er composed herself and looked up at Duan Liuyang.

“Right now, I just want to know what flower this actually is.”

“Right now?” Duan Liuyang frowned. “Jiu’er, where would we even go looking right now? To reach Tianya Peak, at the very least we’d need…”

Before Duan Liuyang could finish, her gaze followed Feng Jiu’er’s line of sight and landed on the old man selling the rouge.