Chapter 1: Waking to a Death Trap

Su Wanxiang woke up feeling like her knees had been filled with lead, or maybe pinned to a sheet of red-hot iron. The pain was so sharp it made her stomach turn.

Inside the ancestral hall, the sandalwood incense swirled in the air, carrying an unexplainable reek of blood. She struggled to lift her head. A violent, blinding pain exploded in her skull, and suddenly, a torrent of unfamiliar memories crashed into her brain.

She was at the Su Family. She was Su Wanxiang, the illegitimate daughter of Su's Perfumery, a dynasty of incense masters.

The original owner of this body had been a timid, spineless thing. Her biological father had been convicted and exiled to Yunjiang, leaving her completely on her own in this mansion. Two days ago, her half-sister, Su Jinyuan, had framed her for stealing incense formulas. Her stepmother, Gu Yurong, had sentenced her to three days of kneeling in the ancestral hall in repentance. For the first two days, she had gritted her teeth and endured it. On the third night, a high fever took her, and when she woke up, she was no longer the girl who had died, but this one.

Su Wanxiang took a deep breath, trying to push down the nausea churning in her gut. As she exhaled, a crisp, sharp *ding* echoed through the depths of her consciousness. It was like countless fragments of golden light detonating in her mind.

Complex incense charts, precise blending ratios, and maps of ingredient origins flowed through her olfactory nerves like living things, reassembling themselves in seconds.

【Compendium of Ten Thousand Perfumes: Initial Activation.】

Instinctively, she raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead. That's when she noticed a faint, dark blue-black stain on the tip of her right index finger. It was the telltale residue of long-term exposure to cheap dyes or toxic fragrances. It was also solid proof that Su Jinyuan had been secretly poisoning her.

"You're awake?"

A cold, sharp voice drifted from behind the altar table.

Manager Zhou Chongshan shuffled out, leaning on a cane. He wore a smug, street-savvy grin, but his eyes were cold and shallow as a winter pond. Two rough-built maidens trailed behind him, carrying a dim oil lamp that stretched the shadows in the hall into long, ugly shapes.

"Second Miss, the Old Lady is waiting in the back to question you." Zhou Chongshan casually adjusted his sleeve cuffs, his tone light and detached. "Kneeling for three shichen is the Family Rules. Since you're awake, keep kneeling. If you slack off for even a moment, I'll break your legs per the Family Rules and send you to the family temple to copy sutras to atone for your sins."

Su Wanxiang didn't speak. She just stared at Zhou Chongshan.

The moment he finished speaking, a thick, heavy scent drifted in through the broken gap in the hall's door on the night wind. The fragrance was aggressive, carrying a potent coolness that shot straight to her temples.

To anyone else, it might have just smelled like premium, refreshing incense—something to wake you up and clear the fatigue.

But to Su Wanxiang's nose, the scent instantly deconstructed into a stream of clear data.

【Longnao Incense: Adulterated.】

【Main components: Bingpian (60%), Camphor (30%), Longnao (only 10%).】

【Method: Low-temperature extraction mixed with grinding to mask the pungent odor of Camphor.】

【Harm: Long-term use leads to headaches and dizziness, potentially damaging cognitive function.】

Su Wanxiang's pupils contracted slightly.

This was the Soul-Calming Incense meant for the Master. Even though the Master was exiled, the Su Family was now run by the stepmother. This incense was clearly crafted specifically by Gu Yurong, ready to be handed to Master Zhou, who was waiting outside, the moment Zhou Chongshan mentioned "questioning."

Using this cheap, shoddy fake incense was an insult to Master Zhou's senses and a direct provocation of Su's Perfumery's century-old reputation. If Commissioner Pei Yan of the Perfume and Medicines Bureau ever found out, the Su's Perfumery brand would be shattered beyond repair.

Zhou Chongshan saw Su Wanxiang still kneeling, motionless. He raised an eyebrow, tapping his cane on the brick floor with a rhythmic *thud, thud*.

"Second Miss, I'm asking you a question." He lowered his voice, the threat humming in every syllable. "Keep kneeling, or the family temple? You choose."

The wind outside the hall suddenly picked up, making the candle flames flicker violently.

Su Wanxiang slowly raised her head. Her face, pale from exhaustion, was now covered in a strange, eerie calm. She looked at Zhou Chongshan, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a faint smile.

"Uncle Zhou."

Her voice was hoarse, but every word was crystal clear.

Zhou Chongshan blinked, then let out a cold snort. "Oh? You're still calling me 'Uncle' with such affection."

"Uncle Zhou, smell the air." Su Wanxiang didn't even look at the lamp-holding maids; her eyes stayed locked on Zhou Chongshan's face. "That 'Clear-Mind Awakening Incense' is made with Bingpian mixed with Camphor. There's only ten percent Longnao, right?"

Zhou Chongshan's face instantly went rigid.

He instinctively took a half-step back, his grip on the cane tightening. This formula had been specifically ordered by Gu Yurong, claiming it used aged, reserve-grade Bingpian that cost a fortune. He was forbidden from sharing the recipe, and definitely forbidden from letting the Second Miss know. She’d use it as an excuse to start trouble.

Hearing this knowledge spew from this girl's mouth was unbelievable.

"What are you babbling about?" Zhou Chongshan forced a calm demeanor, barking orders. "That is the Master's prized Bingpian Incense, worth a thousand in gold. Who are you, an illegitimate daughter, to slander it with your loose tongue? Servants, drag her out and punish her severely per the Family Rules!"

The two maids moved to grab her, but Su Wanxiang suddenly spoke, her words firing off rapidly, each one a strike to the heart.

"Bingpian is cooling; Camphor is pungent and dispersing. They clash. If you actually used sixty percent Bingpian, you’d have to soak it in strong wine for three days to remove the cold property, then neutralize it with Agarwood. But Uncle Zhou, smell it. It stings your eyes so bad you can’t even blink. It’s clearly rough-ground Bingpian mixed directly with Camphor powder, with no blending at all, just shoved into the incense pills."

Su Wanxiang stood up.

Her knees trembled from the prolonged kneeling, but she kept her spine straight, walking step by step toward Zhou Chongshan.

"If the Master smelled this incense, he’d be too hung over with a splitting headache to wake up tomorrow. At that point, Concubine Gu’s reputation for being 'filial' would be in shreds. Uncle Zhou, you’re a street rat; you know better than anyone that Su's Perfumery runs on 'trust.' If we ruin our reputation over an 'accident' by an illegitimate daughter, what will happen on Commissioner Pei Yan’s end..."

She paused deliberately, her gaze sweeping over the Perfume and Medicines Bureau waist tag hanging at Zhou Chongshan's waist.

"Commissioner Pei Yan is currently auditing local shops for adulterated goods. If you knew and reported nothing, or even worse, deliberately used shoddy incense to curry favor with your mistress, the cap they'll put on your head won't just be three days of kneeling. It'll be firing and dismissal."

Zhou Chongshan’s face turned completely dark.

He stared at Su Wanxiang, his eyes filled with shock and wariness. How had this girl become so sharp overnight?

He was silent for a moment. The air around them seemed to freeze. Finally, he let out a long sigh, slamming his cane heavily on the ground.

"Forget it, forget it." Zhou Chongshan ground his teeth. "I messed up with that incense. I'll go switch it out. Second Miss, stand up. Don't ruin your knees. We have guests to see tomorrow."

He admitted the mistake, but he didn't fully drop his guard, just stepping aside to let her pass.

Su Wanxiang didn't leave immediately. She looked at the incense burner still emitting that harsh, stinging smell.

"Since this batch is ruined, let's not waste the heat," she said flatly. "If Uncle Zhou trusts me, I can produce a batch of 'Soul-Calming Incense' that would make Commissioner Pei Yan nod in approval within three days. I'll create the formula, I'll pay for the materials. Su's Perfumery just needs to provide the space."

Zhou Chongshan raised an eyebrow. "Where do you have materials? You're not an illegitimate daughter who can just raid Su's Perfumery's warehouse."

Su Wanxiang smiled. She pulled a small cloth bundle from her pocket. She had mentally located it in the hidden lining of the original owner's personal clothes—it was the only thing she had left: top-tier Bingpian, privately purchased with her savings, from the Kunlun Mountains.

"I have some."

She placed the small bundle on the altar table, her movements gentle.

Zhou Chongshan sniffed the air. A flash of sharp light crossed his eyes. It was the clean, transparent, cool aroma of pure Bingpian, with not a hint of Camphor's murkiness.

"Good." Zhou Chongshan put away his cane, his attitude shifting one hundred and eighty degrees. A respectful smile plastered itself on his face. "Since Second Miss has the skills, we'll convert these three days of kneeling into labor. Go rest. I'll report to the Lady."

With that, he turned, leading the two maids out of the ancestral hall. His footsteps were brisk and sharp, with a distinct undertone of sycophancy.

Su Wanxiang slumped against the altar table, gasping for air.

She hadn't been entirely confident in that last exchange. It was a gamble. She bet that Zhou Chongshan valued the Su's Perfumery brand more than his own life. She bet he wouldn't risk the entire enterprise's future just to save face for Gu Yurong.

With her golden finger, she definitely had the ability to reconstruct the formula. But that was only if she could get enough raw materials. And Su's Perfumery's warehouse was locked tight by her stepmother.

Just then, the large doors of the ancestral hall pushed open again.

A delicate voice rang out, dripping with mockery and disdain.

"What's with Uncle Zhou being so secretive? Did you see something valuable?"

Gu Yurong walked in wearing a plain, elegant long dress, a pearl flower tucked in her hair. Her smile was warm like jade, but it didn't reach her eyes. Behind her walked Su Jinyuan in a green skirt, her face radiating boundless smugness.

Gu Yurong glanced at the empty altar table, then looked at Su Wanxiang, who was sitting slumped on the floor. Her gaze lingered on the small cloth bundle for a fraction of a second.

"Wanxiang." She called out softly, her tone intimate but devoid of any warmth. "I hear your nose is particularly sensitive here in the ancestral hall today?"

Su Wanxiang slowly stood up. She brushed the dust off her skirt, standing straight and square, meeting Gu Yurong's gaze.

Gu Yurong stepped two paces closer. She reached out with long, white fingers, gently lifting Su Wanxiang's chin to examine her expression closely. Then, she let out a light chuckle.

"This girl's nose is indeed sharp. Let's give her three days to produce a new incense formula. If she can't deliver..." Her fingers pressed a little harder, her voice remaining soft but as cold as an ice pick piercing the bone. "I'll send her to the family temple to copy the *Admonitions for Women* a hundred times, until she gets it right."

The corner of Su Wanxiang's mouth twitched into a barely perceptible arc.

Well played, Gu Yurong. Instead of making a scene, she’d set up a death trap. Three days to produce a new formula. And she had to use the "mistaken materials" from Zhou Chongshan's inventory. If she used that batch of exposed shoddy incense, she was dead. If she didn't use it, Gu Yurong would accuse her of wasting warehouse resources, or even stealing.

It was a perfect trap, using a loophole in the rules to kill with a borrowed knife.

Su Wanxiang said nothing. She lowered her eyelids, hiding the cold, sharp glint in her eyes.

Three days to produce a new incense formula.

Fine. Let’s see what a fragrance "worth ten thousand gold" can do.