As the aroma of sesame flatbreads drifted over the Chang'an West Market, Zhang Yifan's abacus beads clattered and scattered beside the dye vat, spelling out the character "ALLURING" on a wooden sign reading "FLAWED FERMENTATION STEPS": "Listen up, everyone! The secret to Qingniu Colors lies in—" The beads bounced into the dye vat, forming the character "ASH," "soaking in lime water for three days to strip away impurities!"
Pei Hongxiu covered a smile with her abacus-bead handkerchief, the beads bouncing between her sleeves to form the character "FAKE": "Does this rascal actually expect to fool the Sogdian merchants with lime? Be careful not to burn the cloth!" The Protagonist raised an eyebrow, the beads at his fingertips spelling out "DRAMA": "If the Sogdians fall for it, the abacus beads will livestream a 'fade show'—" The beads traced an arc. "As for the real secret recipe..." He suddenly lowered his voice, the beads at the bottom of the vat forming the character "BACTERIA": "It's hidden right inside Huwa's carving knife!"
Xiao Moli wielded her brush to paint *Abacus Beads Toying with Sogdian Merchants*, and the beads instantly hopped onto her painting, turning a Sogdian spy into a prairie dog sniffing lime. Sure enough, a certain spy crept closer to the vat, the beads on his mustache spelling out "WHITE"—his face was covered in lime powder, sending the crowd into roaring laughter. "Look! The Sogdian merchant has become the 'White-Eyebrow Hero'!"
Chapter 201