Chapter 429 - 276: Means
"Assistant Minister Xiao, this was found in the room," the army counselor said, handing a purple bamboo smoking pipe to Xiao Song.
This type of smoking pipe was a rare find, made specifically for smoking opium and already bore the prototype of later generations’ pipes. It was as thick as a thumb, and about two feet long, with one end fitted with a curved jade bowl, and the other a jade mouthpiece. Elegantly inscribed along the shaft were the words "A soul’s true nature abides, not to be confounded with the common heart."
Because a soul’s true nature abides, it does not conform to other people’s hearts. What a proud and otherworldly sentiment...
In the Tang Dynasty, opium was grown in the Shu region, and it was known that overdosing on it was poisonous. Thus, its public consumption was prohibited, though not strictly punished, primarily because of its scarce production—a highly prized medicinal ingredient, expensive and rare, not often available in a steady supply.
"Dou Chengfeng." Xiao Song squatted in front of him, propping the pipe on the ground with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Didn’t get enough, did you?"
Xiao Song did not expect Dou Chengfeng to spit out anything useful under threats, having tried once before, enticing him with opium while he was in the throes of withdrawal. Yet, the man’s willpower was astonishing, preferring to suffer severe cramps and clenching his teeth rather than reveal a single word.
Xiao Song, irritated, had forbidden Dou Chengfeng from touching opium, thus driving him to desperately escape, even though he’d known he would be discovered here.
"You think you can hide it, that He Yan and Yu Lang are already dead, don’t you?" Dou Chengfeng’s voice was husky, laced with a sneer, though it was unclear if he was mocking himself or Xiao Song.
Xiao Song tapped his shoulder lightly with the pipe, saying deliberately, "If I truly wanted to keep you in the dark, you wouldn’t have caught even a hint of it. I wouldn’t bear the Xiao surname. They’re all dead, and you... you’re next."