Noir is an intelligent black cat with amber eyes who lives in a warm, watercolor-like world. His favorite spot is the top of an old bookshelf in his owner's study, which serves as his private 'castle.' One afternoon, Noir's owner discovers a mysterious golden bookmark—a magical item that causes the story within a book to slightly overflow into reality. When a sudden wind carries the bookmark out the window, Noir embarks on his first adventure outside the house. Following clues through the town,
Noir the Cat and the Vanished Bookmark - "Episode 10: Xuan"
The glorious capital of Chang'an, pride of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
Behind the glittering imperial court and bustling markets overflowing with exotic goods, whispers of otherworldly intrigue and conspiracies for power swirled endlessly.
As humans deceived one another for selfish gain and clouded their senses, a pair of "amber eyes" watched it all in silent witness.
A black cat with short, glossy fur that melted into the darkness, moving soundlessly through Chang'an's nights. Its name was Xueren.
This is a record of one night when a single black cat, without words, would uncover the truth behind a mysterious incident that shook the entire city.
"On the Night of Chang'an, the Amber Eyes See All"
Viewed from the roof of the Daming Palace, Chang'an's night glittered like scattered stars.
The black cat Xueren narrowed its amber eyes while bathed in a night breeze carrying the scent of fragrant oils from the Western Regions.
Within this Daming Palace, Xueren had a favorite human who offered delicious "scraps" nearly every evening: Li, a young court painter. Li believed that cats possessed a mysterious power to inspire creativity, and whenever he spotted Xueren, he would present fresh dried fish brought from the Yangtze River.
But on that particular night, Li's room was different from usual.
The lights were extinguished, and silence reigned. As Xueren slipped soundlessly through a gap in the sliding door, a thick stench of blood hung in the air.
Amber eyes pierced through the darkness. The figure collapsed on the floor was not Li, but a high-ranking official—a relative of Yang, the current Chancellor holding power. A sharp dagger was driven deep into his back.
And beside him, Li sat in a daze, his clothes stained with blood.
"No... I didn't kill him. When I returned to my room, this man was already..."
Soon, the sound of imperial guards approaching, alerted to the disturbance. Li had been framed. If captured, he would be sentenced to death without a chance to defend himself. Xueren licked Li's fingertip once with its rough tongue, then leaped out the window into the night's darkness.
—To prove his companion's innocence. That was Xueren's way of repaying a human who had given him such exquisite dried fish.
Relying on its keen sense of smell and amber eyes that saw through all deception, Xueren raced through Chang'an on the night of the incident.
First, its attention was drawn to a single peony petal fallen on the floor of the crime scene.
Peonies did not bloom in Chang'an at this season. In only one place, that is. Xueren made its way to the illusory perfume shop operated by a Persian merchant in the Western Market. Slipping in through the attic, it listened intently to the shopkeeper's conversation.
"The 'Poisoned Peony Oil' was safely delivered to a servant of the Daming Palace, yes?"
"Yes indeed, to the captain of the Imperial Guard. Those who inhale it lose the use of their limbs for an hour."
The puzzle connected. The murderer had used the oil to paralyze the official's movements before killing him, then framed the painter Li. The blood on Li's clothes must have come when he lifted and tried to help the fallen official.
The problem was how to convey this to a human judge. A cat's words do not reach human ears.
The next morning, a public interrogation of Li began in the palace courtyard. Li, brought forward in chains, looked ashen. The interrogator was none other than the Imperial Guard captain—the very man who had orchestrated this trap to execute Li.
At that moment, a "black shadow" leaped down from the roof of the pavilion. It was Xueren.
"Nyaaaaooowwww!"
With a piercing cry, Xueren launched itself like a bullet toward the captain's chest. Startled, the captain twisted his body. Xueren's sharp claws raked across his garments with perfect precision.
What clattered to the floor were small glass vials—and inside them, unnaturally fresh "peony petals," identical to those found at the crime scene.
The vial shattered, and a powerful peony fragrance spread through the area. The escort guards of the officials in the front row's eyes snapped wide open.
"This... this is the same scent that came from the corpse at the murder scene!"
Murmurs rippled through the courtyard. The captain's face flushed crimson, and he drew his sword, shouting, "Kill this ill-omened black cat!"
But Xueren had already gracefully evaded the blade, bounding up onto the high corridor above.
With the evidence before him, the captain could make no further excuses. He was seized by his own soldiers on the spot. Li's innocence had been proven by the wordless black cat's single decisive blow.
Several days later.
As the excitement of the incident faded from Chang'an's streets, quiet nights returned once more.
On the veranda of the Daming Palace, Li proudly placed a newly procured premium dried fish before Xueren, whose chest seemed to swell with satisfaction.
"Thank you, Xueren. You showed everyone my innocence. Those amber eyes of yours see right through any human deception."
Li stroked Xueren's chin affectionately. Xueren purred contentedly—a warm, sun-like gleam in its eyes as it gazed back at Li.
The black detective who reigned over Chang'an's nights had once again protected the peace of its beloved human, and now quietly closed its beautiful eyes in the darkness.
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