A Flower Merchant (2)

Kou, the thief, had settled under the shade of a banyan tree. He took a look at the trinkets he had stolen from the group of merchants back in the tavern.

The merchants didn't have much on them. Presumably, most of their goods were hidden at the inn they stayed at. They only brought a handful, as much as they could carry on their sleeves and pockets.

About half of what he stole were medicines, such as traditional herbs and remedies, cheap jewelry, and also a few bottles of handmade perfumes.

Kou hummed in satisfaction as he tried on one of the rings. It was a smaller size, fit for a woman's finger. However, the ring fit perfectly on him as he had slimmer fingers than most men. 

Despite being a thief for a few years who had raided numerous jewelry and ornaments, Kou didn't have any accessories on him other than a simple three-stringed bracelet of red, white, and black. The design of the bracelet signified protection. It was a popular form of protective charm. The only difference was, his bracelet had two dangling wooden beads of blue and gold. The colors were faded.

After trying on a couple of other ornaments, he took off everything and set them aside.

He opened the perfume bottles to sniff them. They all had strong floral fragrances, but one of them had a particularly sharp scent.

Kou thought, Interesting. White Champaka?

It was the scent of a commonly known flower, one that can attract spirits and often used in rituals to summon them.

Coincidentally, it was also a flower type in one of the seven everlasting flowers.

Of course, the perfume wasn't made out of an everlasting flower. Only a lunatic would waste such sacred flowers on aromatic oil ingredients.

The everlasting flowers actually consist of seven common flowers that can be found across the five lands. But they are only considered everlasting if they bloom from the soil of Jiwana Isle, a sacred island. Only then will the flowers not wilt as they hold a substantial amount of spiritual energy.

The perfume was probably made from ordinary white champaka flowers. Kou decided to keep it. It might be useful at some point.

I'll trade the rest, or I'll give it to Madam Su. The girls in Chunfeng would love these.

The other half of the goods that he stole were protective charms, amulets, and poorly made paper talismans.

The amulets were imbued with weak spiritual energy, and the protective charms were even worse. Kou didn't detect any power from them. The talismans had proper incantations on them, but they were written in regular ink.

"Tch…"

Granted, ordinary merchants wouldn't sell high-quality talismans written in blood, but they could've sold amulets that were crafted or carved better. Maybe imbued with more spiritual energy. And the protective charms were basically just accessories.

With his knowledge and experience, Kou could improve the charms and amulets, so he decided to keep them. The talismans would be good enough for short-term effects, so he kept them too.

As Kou leaned back against the tree to shield himself from the cold of the early spring wind, a merchant passed by in the streets.

The merchant wore a bamboo hat, common villagers' robes, and straw sandals. If he wasn't pulling a cart filled with baskets of petals piled up, one might need to take a second look to confirm that he was a merchant.

Possibly because of the chilling breeze or the lack of people on the streets, the merchant was walking a little too fast for anyone to stop him if they wanted to buy something. It was as if he quickly had to go somewhere, as if he was avoiding being stopped at all.

Kou whistled to call the merchant. "Mister! What lovely flowers you have there! I'd like to buy some."

Startled, the merchant looked around nervously before approaching him with the flower cart. "Good sir, come take a look…"

Kou stood up and walked towards the cart.

Upon closer look, the merchant narrowed his eyes. Seemingly on guard, he observed the man under the shade of the banyan tree.

Black tousled hair with a brown hat, a golden colored bandana peeked from beneath it. He wore a brown vest over a white shirt with brown pants and boots, his waist wrapped in a golden colored sash belt. Hanging from the sash was a sword, its hilt adorned with intricate carvings. It seemed to spell out something that the merchant couldn't read.

The merchant recognized him.

"The Lone Pirate," he stated, stopping within a considerable distance between them.

Kou propped his hands on his hips. He corrected, "Thief. Not a pirate."

"...What's the difference?"

The thief had a wide grin on his face. He seemed happy to have to explain.

"Pirates have crews! Also, they mostly pirate stuff at sea, while I steal more on land. They also tend to be violent and savage. I consider my acts of crime to be swift, clean, and quite cunning. I must say, I'm pretty honest for a thief! I properly paid for my wine at the tavern earlier. So Mister, you can lower your guard…"

The merchant chuckled, "What merchant would lower their guard in front of a thief?"

Kou pulled out a small pouch out of his sleeve, jiggling it in front of his chest. The clinking sounds from the pouch indicated that there was money in it. He threw the pouch, and it bumped into the merchant's chest before being caught in his hands.

"I've paid! So let me see the flowers," Kou demanded.

As if he had a change of heart after receiving the pouch, the merchant nodded happily and pushed the cart closer. "A-ah, of course, of course! Come take a look!"

Baskets were stacked on top of one another, filled with many kinds of detached petals and whole flowers. Their fragrances were all jumbled and mixed.

"Good sir, I have these gorgeous peonies! Look at these soft and lush petals! Their scent is simply divine! Perhaps you're looking for something more sweet? Here are gardenias! Known for their purity and elegance! If you're looking for protection or starting a ritual, I can offer petals of white and red roses, tuberoses, and jasmine!"

Kou caressed a pile of jasmine petals in one of the baskets. Each of them vibrant, dew-kissed, gently unfurled, and soft to the touch. They were freshly picked.

"Hmm… None of these are what I'm looking for."

"Then, are you looking for something more strong or light scented? Vibrant or muted colors? Flowers? Petals? May I recommend something more symbolic, something more romantic?"

"No."

Kou retracted his hands behind his back, a smile on his youthful face.

"Mister, you have a lot of jasmine."

The merchant subtly shifted. But his expression didn't change.

"It is in season, good sir!"

"Is that so? Well I'm particularly interested in jasmine. Specifically the ones from the north. Mister, you have just traveled from the Northern Islands, haven't you? Do you happen to find good jasmine flowers there?"

At the mention of the Northern Islands, the smile on the merchant's face faltered slightly. The next line of words came out in a stutter.

"H-how did you know that I came from the north… Nevermind." Quickly shaking away his doubt, the merchant went back to his giddy expression. "Good sir, you're in luck! I did pluck some jasmine flowers from the Northern Islands. Here, have a look!"

The merchant pulled out a basket under the stacks. It was filled with whole flowers and plucked petals of jasmine. They retained much of their original charm with subtle vibrancy and mellowed fragrance. They were picked a few days ago.

Kou carefully picked one of the flowers, stroking the petals with his thumb. He put it down and picked another one.

Not this one. Not this one either. Nope. None of it is the one. It's not in this basket.

"Are there any other jasmine you have from the Islands?"

The merchant stared at the thief.

"No, that was all of it."

Kou glanced at the merchant with a grin on his face. The mere intensity of his look could make one shiver and break into a sweat. The merchant shifted uneasily, but he remained calm.

Putting down the flowers he had picked back into the basket, Kou suddenly began to ramble.

"Two weeks ago, a flower merchant traveled to the Northern Islands. That, in itself, is odd. Why would a flower merchant travel? Why, out of all places, travel to the North? He didn't stop in the central plains, he didn't go east nor west, he went straight from the Peninsula to the Islands. South to North."

The merchant frowned. "Good sir… why are you telling me this?"

Kou unhurriedly crossed his arm, taking a step back from the cart, he turned to face the merchant.

"That flower merchant is you," he said.

"..."

Kou stayed silent as if waiting for an explanation.

The merchant sighed and complied.

"Sir, I was visiting a relative who happens to reside in the north. Since I'm a merchant, instead of taking a vacation, I thought I might as well sell my flowers along the way."

Nodding along, Kou held his chin in one hand.

"I see. But that's not all that's odd. The flower merchant was also seen entering the residence of the Miya clan a few days ago. Are you perhaps related to one of the most prominent mage clans across the five lands? Are you related to someone from the leading mage clan in the Northern Islands?"

The Merchant put on an expression as if he was confused.

"...Yes, is that so unusual?"

"You, a simple flower merchant? If you are related in any way to a powerful clan in the north, why are you selling flowers in the Peninsula? Why did you decide to visit your relative nearing the first full moon of spring?"

The last question heavily implied a connection, a suspicion regarding everlasting flowers. The merchant stiffened, but he managed to maintain his composure.

"...Because I like flowers? Because I love the southern lands? It is just a coincidence that I traveled to the north in spring. Besides, the islands are wonderful in Spring! Well, another reason would be that my relative fell ill just a few weeks ago."

"Is that so? I don't quite agree. I have other thoughts."

The merchant was now visibly annoyed at Kou's stubbornness. He put on a tired expression as Kou continued to ramble his thoughts. 

"I think that the arrogant great mage of the Southern Peninsula, Chen Rongguang, with his plenteous amount of everlasting flowers, decided to trade some of them in return for the types of flowers he didn't possess. The most compliant candidate would be the Miya clan of the Northern Islands. He sent a mage to complete the trade, ignorant of the risks."

Kou deliberately used 'mage' as his choice of words. His stare seemed to pierce through the merchant as he said it.

Kou continued, "The mage, in distress, tried to come up with a plan to deliver the goods safely. The scent of everlasting flowers are strong and may attract spirits, which may alert anyone that can utilize spiritual energy. He decided to disguise himself as a flower merchant as an excuse to carry around flowers in great quantity, drowning the scent of the everlasting flower."

The merchant laughed nervously, "Good sir, you make quite a convincing theory! That does sound believable."

"I'm not done."

The merchant shut his mouth, slowly tugging on the edge of his sleeves.

"He succeeded in delivering the flowers to the Islands. However, the challenge was to return without drawing attention. People were already suspicious of you traveling as a flower merchant, how can you go back as if nothing was out of the ordinary? The Miya clan didn't bother as they had received their part of the deal, and how their flower would reach the Peninsula was none of their concern. You were aware of people trying to intercept on your way back, but it wasn't a big problem as you are quite an experienced mage."

"Is that your reasoning as to why this mage hasn't been robbed of the traded goods?"

"I believe so."

The merchant smiled at him. "Then I'm flattered for you to think so highly of me. But I'm not an extraordinary mage. It was all just a coincidence."

"Is it also a coincidence that you mostly have jasmine flowers in your cart? I do know that the Miya clan is in possession of the jasmine everlasting flowers. Drowning the main flower with others of the same type. Impressive."

Kou still had a grin on his face. He watched as the merchant froze.

"Is it also a coincidence that you only entered the Miya clan's residence for a brief period? Not even half a day. Too short for visiting a relative you cross the sea for, and one that has fallen ill, is it?"

At that point, the merchant had drawn out a pistol and aimed directly at Kou.

The thief laughed in response. He drew out his sword from his sash belt. Standing in a casual defensive stance, he was smiling, looking like he was having fun.