Xintao had grown into a poised young woman. Not only was she strikingly beautiful, her qi-sensing ability was also among the best. Now, as Luo You'er's assistant, she had become someone who managed an entire branch within the Propaganda Department.
But that did not mean she had completely shed the influence of her past, for she still possessed an unknown pen name—Flower-Blooming Hermit.
Xia Fan was one of the few who knew.
Xintao had woven all the knowledge and experiences she had gained in the brothel into that identity. Every article she wrote under the name Flower-Blooming Hermit caused a stir in those circles. She had even, through her own efforts, propelled the development of popular fiction. Nowadays, newspapers and weeklies carrying all manner of stories sprang up one after another, and a great many of them had been founded under Flower-Blooming Hermit's influence.
If that were all, it would have been fine.
Yet she was especially fond of gossip, and she liked using specific people as templates for secondary creations. Xia Fan had not been spared either. Thus, whenever he faced Xintao, he always felt as though a hunter had her eyes on him.
Sure enough, the moment the door opened, Xintao sharply sniffed the air.
"What a strange smell..."
"Eh, what's strange about it?" Luo You'er asked, puzzled.
"It smells like face powder, soapberry, and sweat mixed together. It makes one's heart flutter."
What's fluttering your heart for?! And are you a dog? Your nose is actually on par with Shanhui's! Xia Fan hurriedly stepped forward and casually pulled the door shut behind him. "The stove was burning too hot last night, so the room got a little stuffy. What did you come to see me about?"
"Yes, the delegation Seven Stars sent has just arrived at the