Stench Powder

The wind blew the distinctive pungent stench of blood and decomposing flesh across the base of the mountainside around the cluster of pine trees. Death stank in the cold morning air.

Chiyin covered his mouth, struggling to keep his stomach from turning upside down and retching at the vile, putrid odour of the three corpses. He glanced at the empty clay vial in his hand. Traces of whitish powder smeared around its rim.

He had thrown the powder meant for attracting beasts on the corpses. This was a trial of his new formulation. The powder was supposed to attract wild beasts, not create such a large stink.

Chiyin kept his body close to the trunk of the old pine tree, shaded by the thick foliage of needle thin leaves. He stood on a chunky-looking tree branch above ground, sturdy enough to hold his weight and high enough to stay out of the reach from most wild beasts. His black assassin clothing came in useful for camouflage from any unwanted human attention. He wanted to test if the powder worked and which beasts it attracted.

Chiyin could hear noises, not of beasts but villagers talking about the harsh winter. He sighed — the damn powder attracted people more than beasts. What his powder did was to enhance and amplify the pungency of the odour.

Something went wrong with the formulation, Chiyin thought. He needed to recheck the formula and mixing amounts of the extractions. His eyes turned in the direction of the approaching villagers.

Their footsteps, at first sluggish as though strolling, hastened with the crunching of ice and gravel under their weight on the wide dirt path. Soon, a group of ten villagers, including three women, probably a family, came into view. Nothing unusual about villagers coming out at the crack of dawn to go about checking their baits or foraging for wild tuberous vegetables hidden under the snow.

Six men in the group carried makeshift axes other than their small digging spades. Villagers knew roaming wild beasts inhabited this part of the mountain. The group stopped by the side nearest to the staged accident site. Women sniffed, muttering to men about the smell.

All eyes looked in the direction where the bodies, carriage, and horse landed off the ravine. He was careful to choose the other path away from the Grand Prince's residence. Yinyue's reputation already stank. It didn't need another level of stench to reach the heavens.

"Come on, leave," Chiyin muttered under his breath. He hoped the corpses would remain undiscovered at the accident site for a few days. Or until the wild beasts fed on them.

Against his hopes, the villagers did the opposite. Two men ventured into the forest while the others remained on the path. Mumbles and muttering continued. A shout and a scream soon pierced the once peaceful mountainside.

"DEAD…THEY ARE DEAD!" a man shouted from the site. Twigs broke as the man rushed out, dragging the other, whose color drained from his face.

The small crowd exchanged worried looks with each other. Who and how many died?

"We have to report it," the others in the group said.

"T-t-three women…I-I think," the pale-faced villager stammered aloud. "H-hor-horrible."

Chiyin clasped his face in his hands, crestfallen that his plan fell apart. Attention came too soon. He didn't even have time to inform Yinyue. Let alone use the vial of Bone Dissolver powder as a back-up plan.

A thundering rumble of horses heard afar drew the attention of the villagers and they stood to the side, steering clear of the path. Chiyin followed their gaze in the same direction. That could be Yinyue returning from her mysterious night out.

Last night, Yinyue sent out a few decoys before she left her residence with her most trusted aides. Even he got lost chasing Ayi, who acted as one of the decoys.

Chiyin shuddered at the recollection of being drilled by the middle-aged nagging elder for his reason to track Yinyue.

Curiosity never paid off well in the Grand Prince's residence, Hushiyi told him. Even Yinyue hid things from her brother. Both niece and nephew were too secretive for his liking. He wondered from whom they inherited their personalities.

A small cloud of yellow dust flew up around as the first horse led the charge came into view. Chiyin felt elated. He recognised Yinyue's great black war steed with its glorious mane and the petite rider on top.

"It's the Grand Prince…," a villager said while the rest retreated unwilling but left with no choice to take a step or two nearer to the decomposing stench lurking from behind.

The war steed reared its front legs up with a loud whinny in protest against the sudden braking imposed by her reins. Chiyin knew Yinyue had smelled the overpowering stench, too. Her nostrils flared at the scent, with her lips curling upwards, contorting her face into an expression of utter disgust.

Her horse stomped on the ground and grunted, kicking its front hoof against the dirt. Others behind her followed and stopped. None of the ten riders behind got off their horses. Their faces also displayed Yinyue's expression.

Yinyue glanced around and her gaze fell on the tree where Chiyin hid. Her eyes narrowed, ignoring the villagers who dropped to their knees and prostrated.

"Get up," she said to the villagers with her sight still trained on him. Chiyin shrunk, wondering if he might be mistaken as an assassin.

The villagers got up, while looking at each other, wondering who would gather enough wits to speak up about the problem lying deep within the pine trees behind them. They wanted to pinch their noses but didn't dare to in front of Yinyue.

"Do you smell something?" Yinyue glanced at their group.

All nodded with their heads lowered, afraid to look at her, and one mustered his courage enough to point his trembling finger to the back.

"Speak," she said.

"T-there a-are t- three dead bodies," the villager spoke hesitantly and looked at the two who went in.

02 rode up to Yinyue, separating her from the trembling villagers.

"Who went in?" 02 asked.

The man who dragged the other out from the pine tree forest earlier raised his hand.

"Tell us what you saw," 02 said.

"Well, Your Highness and Sir…I…saw…um…an overturned carriage, a dead horse and…t-three badly mangled bodies," the man mumbled.

"Three…," Yinyue trailed off at the words and turned her attention to the pine tree where Chiyin was. He remained still and silent during the whole exchange.

02 noticed her gaze and was about to get off his horse, only for her to shake her head.

"Get the local magistrate here. Make sure none of the other villagers see this scene…," she ordered, only to have the villagers drop to their knees and prostrating.

"SPARE US! HAVE MERCY!" They cried out piteously. "PLEASE…WE WANT TO LIVE!"

Yinyue frowned at their words, albeit confused by their wails for mercy. 02 looked away, trying to keep a straight face. Chiyin covered his mouth, trying to restrain himself from bursting out into laughter.

The villagers thought she was going to kill them.

"Give them some silver, don't harm them," Yinyue said, clutching her head in disbelief.