Yangzhou Four

Dayin Temple is an ancient temple in Yangzhou, covering a vast area. Its courtyards and pavilions embody the unique characteristics of the Yangzhou area. Between the halls, towering ancient trees with lush branches and leaves often stand. Walking along the tree-shaded paths, the faint fragrance of green grass and leaves in the early summer morning is very pleasant.

Cai Xin had never felt the gentle atmosphere of Yangzhou before. Her pretty face became more and more eye-catching. She was in such a good mood that she hummed a little tune all the way and even ignored the inquiring looks of the little monks.

The intermittent songs were carried by the summer breeze to the courtyard on the other side. The burly man waving a long stick suddenly stopped. His face was covered by a big beard, and his expression could not be seen clearly, but his sharp eyes were wide open in disbelief.

With a flick of his hand, the wooden stick fell onto a wooden rack not far away, and the man quickly went to look for the sound.

The melody was intermittent and light, lingering among the trees. The man walked through two courtyards without seeing anyone. The sound was getting farther and farther away and soon disappeared. All he could hear was the birdsong.

"Little Master," the man hurriedly stopped a group of people as they turned a corner. "Excuse me, little Master, which believer was singing the tune just now?"

"Tune?" The young monk was not at all annoyed at being stopped. He clasped his hands together politely and said, "I have never heard of the tune, so I don't know what you are talking about."

"Just now, that little tune that kept coming from over there must be a woman humming a ballad." The man pointed in a direction and asked, "Excuse me, Master, do you know who is doing this?"

"Then..." The little monk tilted his head and thought for a while, his face a little hesitant. That direction was the kitchen, and the bedrooms of several masters.

"Amitabha," Yiyuan, wearing a Buddhist robe and holding Buddhist beads, walked forward and bowed calmly. "Our temple has indeed had several believers come to listen to Buddhist teachings recently. I apologize for any disturbance."

The man looked a little excited and bowed hurriedly. "I don't know who this girl is. Could you please introduce her to me, Master? I have something to ask you."

Yiyuan's face remained calm, but he cursed inwardly: "How ridiculous! In this peaceful Buddhist place, you want a monk to introduce you to a girl?" The monks behind him also had a slightly strange look on their faces, secretly sizing up the bearded and well-dressed man in front of them.

"In Buddhism, fate comes and goes. If there is fate, we will meet each other. If there is no fate, there is no need to force it." Yiyuan clasped his hands and nodded. Ignoring the man's reaction, he left leisurely with a group of disciples.

The man, confused by the Buddhist teachings, scratched his head and said in frustration, "I really don't understand why my mother likes to listen to these seemingly plausible things..."

Glancing around and listening intently, the man no longer heard the familiar tune. He lowered his eyes slightly, concealing his excitement. "Is it you? After all these years, have you finally found me?"

Yiyuan was still doing morning prayers when they reached the main hall, so Aruo turned back the way she'd come. Back in the room, Aunt Song was taking Qin Zhi's pulse, and he was slumped over the table, his long legs covering almost half the round table.

"Auntie, is Lord Su okay?" Aruo walked to the bedside, looked at Auntie Song who was frowning, and asked a little uneasily.

"The sword pierced his right abdomen, but luckily it didn't hit a vital part. It's just that it's been soaked in water for so long that it's difficult to treat. Those are easy to deal with, but the poison..." Aunt Song shook her head slightly, "I can treat his external injuries, but poison is not my specialty, and this poison looks strange."

"What should we do? Will anything happen to him?"

"Don't worry, listen to what Auntie says." Su Zirui said in a steady tone, patting her head soothingly, "I'm fine."

His face was so pale... Aruo pursed her lips, glanced at him, muttered a little, but didn't care about his actions.

"Let me ask you first, has your Excellency ever been poisoned before?" Aunt Song paused and asked.

"A few months ago, I was indeed poisoned due to carelessness, but I have since taken medicine." Su Zirui thought for a moment and replied. He inadvertently saw the look that A Ruo suddenly gave him and nodded slightly.

Last time in Niujiazhuang Village, he was injured by a poisoned blade due to carelessness, and she was there.

"What are you taking?"

Su Zirui asked Aruo to take out a small bottle from the hidden pocket of his outer robe and handed it to Aunt Song. Aunt Song smelled it carefully, pinched a little to taste it, and nodded, "It is indeed a good thing, it must be produced in the palace."

"It was indeed specially made by the Imperial Hospital for the Ministry of Justice." Su Zirui carefully observed her expression, his eyes flickering slightly, "But the poison hasn't been cleared yet?"

Aunt Song felt the pulse again and sighed, "The poison was suppressed last time, but it wasn't eliminated at all. This affected the spread of the poison this time, which is why it's so ferocious. I'm afraid your internal energy is struggling to be used right now, so please don't try to force it unless it's urgent. This is only a short-term solution; if it continues for too long, your life will be in danger."

"I was careless." In fact, he could have avoided it at that time, but if he had dodged it, Beili and Qi Qi behind him would have been killed. After weighing the pros and cons, only taking this loss would be the way to minimize the damage.

"Auntie, please think of a solution." Aruo pulled Auntie Song's sleeve eagerly, his eyes full of expectation.

Qin Zhi couldn't stand her begging attitude and couldn't help but say, "Life and death are determined by fate. No one is forcing you. Why are you so anxious?"

"Life is precious. Giving up early when there's still hope is unacceptable." Aruo pulled Su Zirui's sleeve and said seriously, "Su Feng, don't give up. Auntie will definitely have a way. If it doesn't work, I'll go find Yiyuan or my senior brother. They will definitely have a solution."

She'd been saved, and she'd be upset if they died halfway. Besides, why give up when the situation isn't desperate? She'd had plenty of desperate comebacks over the years, and she was still alive and well, wasn't she?

The tone of complete trust made him a little unhappy. Senior Brother is fine, but what is one yuan? Su Zirui smiled slightly and put his hand on the back of her hand. "I don't want to give up, don't worry."

"I can't detoxify it, but... my junior brother should be able to." Aunt Song looked at their folded hands thoughtfully.

Is this the kind of storybook routine that must be sought after by a miracle doctor who can cure poisons? The sudden thought startled Aruo. Licking his lips, he asked, "Auntie, are you another disciple of some famous figure in the martial arts world? One studying medicine, the other making poisons? And the other one going into seclusion?"

"I told you to stop hanging out with actor Zhang, what are you thinking about?" Aunt Song was speechless. "My junior brother didn't live in seclusion. He doesn't like crowded places, and he doesn't like wandering around. That's why he has been employed by the great philanthropist Fang Shouren of Sizhou as his palace doctor. What's wrong with that?"

Why do these three people have such strange expressions?

"Auntie, the person you are talking about...could it be someone with the surname Xue?" Aruba blinked his eyes and asked in a strange tone.

"Have you seen him?" Aunt Song's expression was the best response.

"Ha," Qin Zhi stood up with his hands on his hips, took two steps, raised his knife and slapped Su Zirui's hand covering the back of Aruo's hand away, glaring at him warningly, "This time it really is effortless."

Aruo just realized that she had been holding onto Su Zirui's sleeve. Her ears felt hot and she quickly let go. She said to Qin Zhi, "Then let's quickly send a letter to Fatty Fang and ask him to send Old Xue over."

The story of the fake Fang Shouren was exposed at the time. Old Xue was originally the person Fang Jingsheng rehired as a mole to help him keep an eye on his biological father. He did not leave after the incident and should be helping him lose weight in the mansion now.

"Well, after all this talk, you still need my help." Qin Zhi smiled in a ruffian manner, with a hint of meaning.

"Thank you very much for your help, Young Master Qin." Su Zirui said politely without moving his brows.

"You should show some backbone." Qin Zhi felt like he had punched cotton, and had the illusion that he was being taken advantage of.

Su Zirui tilted his head and looked at him without any sadness or joy. When it came to taking advantage of others, there was no need to have backbone.

After finalizing the invitation, Auntie Song said goodbye. As Aruo sent her out, she asked a few more questions about what Old Xue needed to pay attention to before coming. Her nervousness made Auntie Song laugh. Speechless, Aruo knew that these elderly people always misunderstood something, so she turned around and asked about her search for her son.

"I found the servant from that time. She doesn't remember much anymore and couldn't tell me anything." Aunt Song shook her head. The nanny from that time was nearly seventy years old now. She couldn't even recognize people now, let alone any useful information.

"Don't worry, the Qin family has been established in Yangzhou for many years and has a wide network of contacts. I will have someone keep an eye on it." Aruo was taken care of a lot by Aunt Song, and Qi Shaozhen and Qin Shuang didn't mind helping.

Aunt Song patted her hand gratefully and left along the path. Aruo watched her walk down the hundred-step staircase before turning back. After a few steps, she saw Yiyuan standing under the ancient tree with a solemn expression.

"Yiyuan, are you meditating under the tree?" Aruo walked over and patted him on the shoulder.

Yiyuan glanced at her lazily and said unhappily, "Who have you recruited? Do you really think my Dayin Temple is an inn?"

"Are you talking about Aunt Song? She's a doctor, here to help." Aruo couldn't bring herself to directly address Su Zirui, so she mumbled, "By the way, Aunt Song came to Yangzhou to look for her son. Has any of your followers lost a son?"

Yiyuan was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "The child is missing... You should ask the authorities about this."

He raised his chin towards the bedroom, hinting at something.

Aruo touched his chin and nodded in agreement. The Criminal Department's investigative skills were sophisticated, so this kind of thing should be easy to investigate. "But Auntie also has a miserable life. She married the wrong man, and her own son was kidnapped..."

"Kidnapped? That's what she said?" Yiyuan asked.

"Yes, it seems that she was abducted by a neighbor. If she is still alive, she should be almost 20 years old." Aruo followed him back and talked about the old lady.

"Maybe he's gone," Yiyuan said, a bit coldly. But most of those who came to the temple to seek were those who hadn't obtained or had lost something. After seeing so much of the emptiness of the four elements, they had lost some of their humanity. Of course, there weren't many of them to begin with.

Aruo seemed to agree with what she heard and she thought the same.

If a child is lost, it will be difficult for them to survive without being abducted. After all, this was an era with a high infant mortality rate. There really weren't many freaks like her and Yiyuan. Even so, they had such a miserable life back then, and the shadow of their suffering has not yet completely dissipated. What about those normal children?

As they approached the courtyard, they could vaguely hear the man's excited chatter and the woman's slightly panicked screams. Aruo and Yiyuan exchanged a glance and quickly walked over.

On the tree-lined path, a burly, bearded man stopped Cai Xin, waving his hands wildly. Cai Xin's bright face turned pale, and she looked terrified.

"In broad daylight, in a sacred Buddhist temple, why would a benefactor stop by and rob someone?" Aruo instinctively thought it was Caixin's appearance that had attracted the bad guys. After coming to Yangzhou, Qin Shuang couldn't stand her plainness, so he also raised the cauliflower to be more vibrant.

As soon as Cai Xin saw Aruo, she hurried over and felt at ease only after she hid half of her body behind her.

"Girl, I'm not a bad person." The bearded man took a step forward anxiously. His burly figure scared Aruo and the other two so much that they took two steps back at the same time.

Yiyuan wanted to hide and watch the show, but as the only man in their group—even if he was a monk—he was pushed to the front by the two girls and tried hard to maintain the solemnity of a future abbot. "Donor, please respect yourself under the eyes of the Buddha."

"Oh, Master, I'm really not a bad person, I just..." The bearded man spoke a little loudly. When he was glanced at by the frightened eyes of the two girls, his hands and feet became a little uncoordinated.

"Xiao Caixin, where did you find such a big man?" Aruo turned around and asked quietly.

"It's unfair. I was just delivering the bowl and was stopped halfway." Cai Xin felt sympathetic and gave Yi Yuan a look. "Master, where did you find such a big man?"

Another one who can't talk! What does he want with the big man? Do these people think his temple is an inn or a brothel?

Yiyuan glared at the two of them unhappily, his face darkening slightly. "Master Cheng, why are you blocking this young lady's way?" After a pause, Yiyuan added, "Don't be impatient, take your time."

The bearded man coughed awkwardly, his uncomfortable look leaving Aruo speechless. "It's not like she's going to confess her love to a gentleman, why is she being so shy?"

Probably after hearing Aruo's words, the bearded man straightened his body and instantly became a bit more masculine, but his voice was still trembling, "Miss, is that the tune you hummed?"

"What tune?" Cai Xin was a little flustered as the three of them looked at her in unison.

"The tune you were humming all the way just now, was it you who was humming, right?" The bearded man calmed down a little, his tone became more steady, and there was a faint sense of oppression in his voice.

"Well, yes." Cai Xin nodded honestly. Seeing his excited look with his beard puffed out, she said hurriedly, "But many people can sing this song, Aruo can sing it too, right?" Then she hummed a few lines.

Aruo blinked and pointed at Yiyuan, "Master can do it too."

"Impossible," the bearded man said firmly, "This song was composed by my mother in her spare time. It was used to appease my sister when she was little."

Caixin and the other two looked at each other, all bewildered. Aruo looked up at the tall, burly man and said, "So what? You're not going to say your sister is missing, and then you think she's the one who can sing this song?"

"The girl is very smart, that's right." The bearded man's eyes lit up and he grinned, revealing his white teeth.

Are vernacular novels these days all about real life? Do they even adhere to logic and prudence? Is he the martial artist recruited by the actor Zhang Xin?

Aruo received a look from Yiyuan and nodded slightly, "Sir, do you think Caixin is your sister?"

"Cai Xin? No, you should call me..." The bearded man's eyes darkened.

"Sir, isn't it too reckless to think you can establish a relationship with someone just by singing a song? You said your sister is really your sister. Did you do a blood test to prove your relationship? Or do you have a household registration certificate?" Aruo and the other man hid behind Yiyuan, but they didn't lose their composure when speaking.

This vegetable heart was something she had been growing for years, and now she wanted to pick it just because of a song? No way.

"How is it reckless? Look at his eyebrows and eyes, they are obviously somewhat similar to me." The bearded man pointed at his own face.

Not to mention Aruo, even Yiyuan couldn't stand it. How could this wild and unruly look be similar to Caixin's delicate face? This figure is almost a combination of the two girls behind him.

With his hands clasped together, Yiyuan stood between him as he was about to approach the two girls. He said in a steady and powerful voice, "Donor, this girl is a friend of mine. We have known each other for many years. I'm afraid she is not your sister."

"Master!" The bearded man was a little excited and his voice became louder, attracting the attention of several young monks.

Aruo didn't want to draw too much attention, so she simply stood up and bowed softly, "Sir, you and your sister are separated, and my two sisters are very sympathetic. But Caixin and I have been together since childhood, day and night, and she is definitely not your sister. I hope you can understand this."

"It's my fault that I made you happy for nothing." Cai Xin bowed her head, her expression calm without a trace of emotion.

The bearded man was a little bewildered. He looked at Caixin, then at Aruo, took a deep breath, suppressed the turbulent emotions in his heart, and clasped his fists in response, "It was Cheng who was rude."

Yiyuan's eyes flashed, he clasped his hands together and said "Amitabha", then turned the corner with Aruo and the other person.

The bearded man looked at the backs of the three men, his fists clenched at his sides, there was no panic in his eyes anymore, and his aura was calm and restrained.