Recognizing Women by Scent

Lu Changfeng was now at the peak of the Houtian realm.

Each realm had four stages: entry, Middle Realm, Upper Realm, and peak.

Qing Dai had made it perfectly clear that only those in the Xiantian realm counted as first-rate. Someone like him would rank around second-rate in the martial world, and the Imperial Physician Director of the Imperial Medical Bureau was about the same.

The cultivation of these minor officials serving under the Director of Medicine had to be even lower, so there was no way they could withstand the Soul-Shifting Great Method!

As Lu Changfeng finished speaking, his gaze swept over them, imbued with the power to seize their minds. Zhou Wenqian and Qian Weiyu both shuddered inwardly. A flicker of struggle crossed their faces before they spilled every secret like beans pouring from a bamboo tube.

As expected, both were pawns Empress Wei had planted through the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Before they entered the residence, a female official attending Empress Wei had personally summoned them, promising money and land deeds and making proper arrangements for their families. Her only demand was that they lie low in the Princess's Residence, waiting to play their part at a critical moment.

A secret letter had arrived just last night, ordering them to probe the new Director of Medicine's capabilities. That was what had led to this attempt to put him in his place.

Their confessions were like a massive stone hurled into a placid lake, stirring towering waves in the duty room! Every medical officer and clerk went pale, a chill spreading through their bodies.

They were not merely shocked that Zhou and Qian were the empress's spies. They were even more terrified of Lu Changfeng's unfathomable methods-he could actually force people to reveal their deepest secrets against their will while they remained fully conscious!

That was more chilling than any brutal torture.

For a moment, the looks everyone directed at Lu Changfeng held more than awe. They were filled with an indescribable terror, as though they were looking at a demon capable of controlling human hearts.

Lu Changfeng stopped looking at the ashen-faced Zhou Wenqian and Qian Weiyu and turned his gaze toward Medical Superintendent Shen Jingwan, who had remained silent at the side throughout.

"Medical Supervisor Shen."

His voice was calm, yet carried an unquestionable weight. "Spies from another household have infiltrated the Spirit Pivot Institute, usurped the posts of pharmacy supervisor and senior physician, and harbored treacherous intentions. We have witnesses and confessions, and the facts are clear. Whatever punishment the rules of the Princess's Residence prescribe, please... 'handle it impartially.'"

Whether or not Shen Jingwan was Princess Taiping's woman, with the culprits caught red-handed before everyone's eyes, protecting the Princess's Residence and rooting out its spies were duties she could not shirk as medical superintendent.

Lu Changfeng was not only handing her a hot potato, but also forcing her to declare her position. More than that, he was using this to establish his authority and announce that the Spirit Pivot Institute now had a new master!

At last, the faintest ripple appeared on Shen Jingwan's face, previously as still as an ancient well.

She gave Lu Changfeng a long look. Her gaze was complex and inscrutable, carrying scrutiny, gravity, and perhaps a trace of barely perceptible approval.

Then she turned toward those below and said sternly, "Pharmacy Supervisor Zhou Wenqian and Senior Physician Qian Weiyu, you have colluded with another household while serving as officials here. Guards, seize them both, take them to the residence's prison, and keep them under strict watch. Report to Her Highness immediately for her decision!"

"Assistant Physician Cui Mingxuan, though you did not directly collude with them, you harbored malicious intentions and framed your superior. You are hereby expelled from the Spirit Pivot Institute, never to be employed again!"

At her order, sturdy servants immediately stepped forward and dragged the three pale-faced offenders away.

The entire Spirit Pivot Institute was silent as the grave.

In less than half an hour, Lu Changfeng had acted with thunderous decisiveness, first establishing his authority by curing a stubborn ailment, then exposing and purging the spies. Now, no one dared question this young Director of Medicine's authority or methods.

Once Shen Jingwan finished, she looked at Lu Changfeng again and gave a slight nod, her tone as level as before. "Director of Medicine Lu, do you find this disposition acceptable?"

"Yes."

Lu Changfeng nodded, sweeping his gaze over the others. "You are all sensible people, and so am I. You know perfectly well how I came to hold this post as Director of Medicine. The Spirit Pivot Institute oversees the health of this household and safeguards the princess and her loved ones. I need not belabor the stakes involved."

He stepped forward, releasing a trace of his nine yin true qi, and the air in the hall seemed to congeal.

"I am young and inexperienced. It is only natural that some of you may be unconvinced. But from the moment I stepped through this door, we were all in the same boat. If it capsizes, none of us can escape unscathed. If it sails steadily, all of you will deserve credit."

His tone deepened, his gaze sharp as a drawn sword. "I will not concern myself with the past. But from today onward, only two things will count in the Spirit Pivot Institute: discipline and ability. The capable will rise; the incompetent will fall. Those who devote themselves wholeheartedly will find me generous with advancement. Those who obey in public but defy in private, concealing malicious intentions..."

Before he finished, he casually pressed his right hand against the hardwood desk beside him, then lifted it away.

Everyone in the hall was a knowledgeable medical practitioner with keen eyes. They saw an exceptionally clear, slightly sunken palm print left in the smooth desktop, its every line visible, as though branded into the wood. Yet there was not a speck of dust on Lu Changfeng's palm-his control over his internal energy was plainly extraordinary!

A flurry of stifled gasps arose.

Shen Jingwan's expression grew still more solemn.

"...will end up like this desk!"

Lu Changfeng completed his unfinished sentence, surveying the room with an imposing gaze. "I hope you will all work with me in unity. Do not let outsiders make a laughingstock of us, and do not... ruin your own futures."

With that, he swept his sleeve. "Return to your duties. Dismissed!"

There was no lengthy lecture, only a clear warning and a display of strength.

Shaken to their cores, everyone instinctively answered in unison, "We obey the Director of Medicine's orders!"

Watching the figure standing before them, Qing Dai fell into a brief daze.

The crowd began dispersing in an orderly fashion, each returning to their post.

Shen Jingwan went to report to the princess, while Lu Changfeng began inspecting the medicinal stores, reviewing recent pulse records, and looking for medical books along the way.

Qing Dai had told him that this world's martial arts manuals, divine weapons, and treasures of heaven and earth were divided into six tiers, just like cultivation realms. Each had its limits; reaching the sixth realm by practicing a single Iron Sand Palm manual was impossible.

Unfortunately, although the Spirit Pivot Institute had a library, it contained only ordinary medical books...

"Qing Dai."

Lu Changfeng put down his book and turned to ask, "Are there any other medical books in the residence, especially texts concerning the circulation of true qi or guiding energy through acupoints with golden needles? I'd like to borrow them."

Qing Dai had been following behind him, quietly attending him all along. At his question, a troubled expression appeared on her face, and she said softly, "Sir, the residence does have a library called the Pivot of Heaven Pavilion. It houses not only medical texts, but martial teachings from across the world, divine arts, and secret techniques as well. It is one of the martial world's three great repositories. But... Her Highness has strictly forbidden anyone from entering without her permission. Too much is at stake for this servant to decide on her own. Please forgive me, sir."

Lu Changfeng nodded thoughtfully, unsurprised.

He pondered for a moment, rapidly considering what he could offer as a "brick to knock open the door."

He needed to improve his medical skills as quickly as possible, not merely as a precaution, but also for the Noble Physician's Canon.

In a martial world where people soared high and leaped far, being able to treat only ordinary people, but not martial artists' internal injuries, meant he was destined not to get far.

He had to hurry and remedy his weaknesses while demonstrating his value in other areas.

Borrowing medical texts offered a suitable opportunity and a good excuse. He could show his exceptional qualities while using the books to achieve his goal.

As for offering himself up as a male favorite... on closer consideration, that option was inadvisable.

For the sake of safety, Lu Changfeng did not mind playing that game.

But a commodity's value was determined by its buyer. Once he reduced himself to an object, whatever rewards or status Princess Taiping gave him would become "favors," rather than an "equal exchange." He would no longer be able to demand "payment" with a clear conscience.

Besides, what a male favorite provided was emotional gratification and flattery. Such services were replaceable and hardly gave him much leverage-the most important point was that constantly guessing someone's thoughts and revering her like an ancestor was exhausting and offered far too little return!

He could display intelligence and learning, or even seduce her, but he must never submit-a game already beaten offered no emotional value! Only a game that could never be beaten would tug at someone's heart and linger unforgettable in their mind!

Better to be myself. Selling skills beats selling smiles.

Lu Changfeng thought it over, and inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind.

Treating illness and performing surgery required alcohol.

He could offer distillation techniques. As he remembered it, rudimentary versions already existed in the Tang dynasty, but they were mostly used for alchemy and had yet to become widespread or refined... and there was also...

Lu Changfeng looked at Scent-Recognizing Beauty among his rewards.

--[Scenting Beauty: Grants its possessor supreme abilities in blending and identifying fragrances. Through scents lingering on another person, the possessor can determine their identity, movements, and even mood, and can formulate peerless fragrances with effects such as calming the mind, arousing desire, and refreshing the spirit.]

Although it was not entirely respectable, combined with alcohol, this ability could produce perfume! Not only would that improve his quality of life, blending practicality with elegance, but it would also demonstrate his value immediately!

He acted as soon as the thought struck him.

With a mental impulse, Lu Changfeng claimed the reward.