Chapter 209: Following the Fragrance

Wei Hai and his group stayed at Ansi Courtyard for three days. When they finally set off together to return to Xiangzhou, the carriages and horses that had arrived fully loaded were once again packed to the brim upon departure.

This was all “thanks” to Gu Ning’an recommending two shops to them—one a tailor shop, the other a carpenter’s workshop.

Not to mention Ren Jing’s love for buying clothes, even Wei Hai, who usually dressed casually, had bought over a dozen outfits.

In the following days, the shopkeepers of both establishments came by to pay their respects to Gu Ning’an for the New Year, bringing fine wines and lavish dishes as gifts.

The words they repeated the most during their visit were: “Never have we seen our shops so thoroughly emptied—it’s like we’ve been robbed!”

Only after the Lantern Festival had passed did the New Year truly come to an end.

After tidying up his home, Gu Ning’an handed Hu Shi a spare key before setting off on another journey through the vast mortal world.

This time, he took a completely different route from before, heading toward the border between Great Qian and Great Wu.

The reason for this choice was that on the seventh day of the New Year, for the first time, strands of incense power had drifted toward him.

Since then, nearly every day, he had sensed varying amounts of incense power floating his way.

Curious to uncover the source of this incense power, he chose to travel in the direction from which it came…

…

A clear blue sky overhead, lush green grass underfoot.

The spring breeze brushed against him, making for a truly pleasant journey.

Walking along a trade route marked by deep carriage ruts, Gu Ning’an spotted a few simple tea stalls in the distance.

These roadside tea stalls, often found along trade or official routes, were highly favored by traveling merchants and wandering martial artists alike.

After all, who wouldn’t want to rest their weary legs and enjoy a cup of hot tea after a long journey?

Seeing the tea stalls, Gu Ning’an couldn’t help but think of the Wu father and daughter he had met before.

With that thought, he quickened his pace and secured a spot at a tea table before the stalls filled up.

Once seated, he noticed that the tea stall didn’t just sell tea—it also offered steamed buns and porridge as simple meals for travelers.

Before long, the shop attendant arrived with everything Gu Ning’an had ordered.

Two steamed buns, a bowl of Laba porridge, and a cup of tea—such a meal, in the middle of the wilderness, was already a luxury.

He lifted the porridge bowl and took a hearty sip. The half-thick, half-watery Laba porridge was at the perfect temperature for drinking.

The shopkeeper hadn’t skimped on the ingredients either—red beans, coix seeds, and red dates were all present, with a generous portion to boot.

As Gu Ning’an enjoyed his meal, more travelers arrived at the stall to rest and drink tea.

Among them, the most eye-catching group was a band of escort guards.

This group was quite formidable in number—over twenty men—dressed uniformly in black combat attire, each carrying a curved blade at their waist. They didn’t seem easy to deal with.

As they arrived, four heavily loaded escort carriages lined up in a row. Some remained behind to guard the goods, while the rest scattered around to find seats at the tea stall.

When traveling, sharing tables was quite common. However, many passersby and wandering martial artists seemed reluctant to sit with them.

Though no one openly refused, many hurriedly finished their meals and drinks as if they were at a bustling market, then quickly left the tea stall.

Even the tea stall attendants were especially cautious around them, fearing that a single misplaced word might earn them a beating…

As expected, since Gu Ning’an was sitting alone, he was bound to have company at his table.

However, he didn’t mind. Long before they approached, he had already gathered his dishes and teacup to make room.

A burly escort guard stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, “Sir, we have quite a few people. Would you mind sharing your table with us?”

At least they were polite—so why fear them?

Gu Ning’an smiled and said, “Go ahead, I’ve already made space.”

Hearing this, the burly escort guard looked at the table and saw that the bowls and plates had indeed been neatly arranged together, clearly placed that way intentionally.

Everyone else had rushed to leave upon seeing them, as if they had encountered the plague.

Yet this white-robed gentleman, after seeing them, not only showed no sign of unease but had even prepared in advance, as if expecting them to share his table!

“Many thanks, sir!”

Escort guards were essentially martial men, not much different from wandering jianghu folk, and they lived by the principle: Respect me an inch, and I will return a foot.

So upon realizing that Gu Ning’an did not view them with the same wariness as others, the burly escort guard thanked him with great respect before taking a seat.

“Liu Da, Liu Er, come sit here.”

He called over two young escort guards who looked quite similar, then ordered some tea and snacks from the attendant. He also asked Gu Ning’an if he wanted anything else, but Gu Ning’an politely declined.

The escort guards didn’t insist. Once their food arrived, they began eating heartily.

Before long, Gu Ning’an finished his steamed buns and Laba porridge and leisurely sipped his tea.

Looking around, he saw that aside from the groups of four who had originally sat together, most of the shared-table customers had already left.

Even those who hadn’t shared tables looked rather uncomfortable while eating, as if they couldn’t fully relax.

Yet this gentleman not only finished his meal at a slow pace but also took his time savoring his tea—what an interesting character.

The burly escort guard across from him, intrigued, struck up a conversation.

“I am Cao Cheng, chief escort of the Tiger Head Escort Agency. May I ask for your esteemed name, sir?”

Gu Ning’an smiled and replied, “No need for courtesy—my surname is Gu.”

“A fine surname!”

Cao Cheng’s enthusiasm surprised the two young escort guards beside him.

After all, their chief escort hated scholars the most.

Yet this white-robed gentleman, from his demeanor alone, was clearly a scholar through and through.

Had the sun risen from the west today? Why was their chief suddenly interested in chatting with a scholar?

“The Cao surname is a fine one as well.”

Gu Ning’an chuckled, then casually asked, “Where is Chief Escort Cao delivering goods to this time?”

The moment he said this, the atmosphere in the tea stall turned tense.

The other escort guards at different tables either stood up or rested their hands on their weapon hilts, their gazes fixed sharply on Gu Ning’an.

Liu Da and Liu Er, the two young escort guards at the table, reacted even more dramatically.

They drew their blades in unison and took a few steps back, knocking over their wooden chairs in the process.

At a nearby table, some wandering martial artists who hadn’t shared a table buried their heads into their bowls, deeply regretting their decision to stay just to save a few bites of food.

Despite this tense scene, Gu Ning’an remained seated, took a sip of tea, and calmly asked, “What’s the matter?”