Five Elements/1【Repair】

Ripples arise on the broken ice, The raindrops rustle in the grass, The water murmurs as it falls, Without knowing how to show filial piety and brotherly love.

After a long day of sailing, the boat docked at Dianhai Wharf at 5 p.m. The noise of people was deafening, like hot water stimulating the fish to jump.

Last night, they found a boatman by the river to take them out. However, the waterway to the capital was blocked, so they had to stop halfway and find another way. Ye Xuanling slept restlessly all night, not knowing whether it was because of the swaying boat or the events of yesterday...

Ye Xuanling paid the money and walked out with Sanqi. She hadn't expected so many people to be at the pier during lunch break, so she looked around.

The fishermen were packing up their boats to cast their nets. A commotion filled the dock, a mix of the crisp clacking of abacus and the thumping of roars. The bluestone steps were damp, occasionally stained with blood and fish scales. In a corner, several middle-aged men, wearing patched linen robes, dozed, sleeping with the others who had gone into the water.

A fishy smell spread across the dock, and Ye Xuanling lowered her eyes and looked away.

"Let's find a restaurant to eat first?" Sanqi turned to look at her, "Are you hungry?" Noticing her indifferent expression, Sanqi said nothing more, but just found a noodle restaurant nearby.

Sanqi ordered two bowls of vegetarian noodles in front and sat down next to her. "Didn't you fall asleep last night?"

The bruises under Ye Xuanling's eyes hadn't gone away since the past few days. She didn't remain silent for long before a smile spread across her face: "I'm fine, Sanqi, don't worry."

She had already made up her mind: traveling by land from Dianhai would be faster than traveling by water to the provincial capital, and the water route didn't reach the capital. She decided to rent a carriage after lunch.

Thinking of this, the shopkeeper brought two bowls of vegetarian noodles. Ye Xuanling actually didn't have much appetite, so she only ate two bites and then put down her chopsticks.

Sanqi: "No appetite?"

Ye Xuanling nodded honestly without hesitation: "Take Sanqi slowly, there's no rush."

Although she said so, Ye Xuanling was still thinking that she should rent a carriage first, so that she wouldn't have to wait boredly by the side and observe the patterns on the table.

There are many vendors on the road, and groups of people holding signs and shouting are everywhere. It is noisy and lively, and the crowds are huge. Such an ordinary winter day is warm like a rolling and exciting heat current.

Ye Xuanling held up her face but showed no expression, staring blankly at the clear soup in the bowl. A thin layer of oil floated in the dark green porcelain bowl, which looked like the lotus flowers and lotus leaves growing extraordinarily lushly in a summer pond, gorgeous and colorful.

The bottom of the bowl vibrated for some reason, dispersing the oil. At this moment, a roar interrupted her thoughts.

The crowd nearby erupted in a commotion, a sudden clamor of activity. The chaotic shoving and shoving on the street disrupted the previously orderly and rhythmic pace. A group of brocade-clad men were approaching them, but Ye Xuanling remained unfazed, simply moving a little further inside to sit down.

Sanqi paused, looking warily to the side. A masked figure in black clothes leaped toward them, and a silver sword was swung right in his direction, piercing his chest and pinning him to the wooden table. The crowd scattered in panic, accompanied by screams.

The two of them watched the scene calmly. Sanqi moved the bowl of noodles away and looked at the movement trajectory of the sword. Sanqi did not say anything, but just watched quietly.

The commanding officer looked at the masked man arrogantly and said with a disdainful smile: "What are you panicking about? You've been exposed so soon? You're really useless." After saying this, he realized that there were two girls eating noodles sitting at the wooden table.

The voice sounded like the person who was howling just now. Sanqi hadn't turned around yet. Looking at her expression, Ye Xuanling followed her gaze and saw a face that was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The man's stern expression changed slightly when his eyes met hers. He was still holding the scabbard in his hand, and there was some blood on his pale skin, which made his face look even more ferocious and violent.

Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Ye Xuanling's gaze stayed on him for only a moment, then quickly moved away, continuing to look down at the wooden table. Even though there was a corpse in front of her, there was no hesitation or surprise on her face.

The man slowly walked over and unsheathed his sword. He was dressed in brocade, his hair tied with a silver crown, and his figure was remarkable. He raised his eyebrows slightly, a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Beneath this suave facade, he couldn't hide his murderous intent.

This was the first time that Ye Xuanling felt that the man in front of her was terrifying.

The Jinyiwei investigated cases with the emperor's special permission to execute first and report later. Should she show anything? If this continued, and the masked man came to their place again, wouldn't he mistake them for the same group?

In the past, she was afraid of the slightest thing, but now that someone died in front of her, she is not afraid anymore.

She stood up, nodded slightly, and said with a polite smile, "Lord Ji, how have you been lately?" There was no color on her face, her expression was indifferent and distant, calm and steady, and she was not in a hurry.

Ji Yan hadn't expected her to act like this. His expression suddenly changed, and a smile crept into his lips. His subordinates handed him a clean handkerchief, and he wiped the blood off his face without a second thought.

The cold wind lifted her hair, and the white silk rope on her head fluttered with it. The sweet smell of blood still lingered around her, and the misty weather reflected no trace of warm light. Their relationship wasn't like a long-awaited rain after a drought, but rather a reunion of old acquaintances. It wasn't indifference, nor was it a pleasant surprise.

But Dianhai is a truly magical place, Ji Yan thought, and said to his subordinates behind him: "Deal with the body and conduct a thorough investigation of the Li Mansion."

Ye Xuanling smiled indignantly in her heart: "I still have something to ask you, sir. I wonder if you have the time?"

[Ji Yan, only sixty-four days left to live.]

The numbers on the panel before her began to flicker again, just like when they first met. However, she was now a little less wary of his identity. Since he was a member of the Imperial Guard, then Zhe Yang and An Ping should have nothing to do with him.

For some reason, Ye Xuanling felt relieved. If a Jinyiwei really wanted to Anping, he wouldn't have left her behind and even asked someone to teach him martial arts. But why did he do this? He still couldn't trust this man.

"If Miss Ye wants to express her gratitude, please don't break your promise at the Youshi Teahouse." Ji Yan whispered, and turned and left after a moment.

It was obviously more important to go to the provincial capital at the moment, but she also had something important to tell him, so now she could only wait and find a carriage to set off at night.

"Hiss." It came again. Ye Xuanling covered her head with one hand and supported the table with the other.

This was her second headache since the heavy snow in Anping. It was like a needle-like pain that penetrated deep into her bones. She could only close her eyes and grit her teeth to endure it.

"Miss Ye, why don't we go sit in the teahouse first?" Sanqi supported her, looking at her with a pity, "It's best not to stay here any longer."

The teahouse was not far away, and Sanqi helped her up the stairs and sat down.

The sounds in Ye Xuanling's ears were indescribable: a humming sound of iron colliding, followed by a desperate, eerie silence, the air stagnating. The sound of them gave her a headache, and she crouched down, covering her ears, unwilling to listen.

She wanted to scream, but if she did so here she would be treated as an alien, and she didn't want to.

After a while, the headache finally subsided, and Ye Xuanling stood up and sat down again. Her eyes were covered with tears from the pain she had suppressed, and her whole round eyes were sparkling. Ye Xuanling was a little embarrassed: "Sorry, I made you laugh."

"It's not a big deal. Have you always had this problem? A headache?" Sanqi asked.

"It's not like it's always been there, it just started hurting recently."

"Is that so? I was just thinking about asking you to go take a look, and then I found out you're a doctor, so that shouldn't be a big problem." Sanqi smiled and poured her a cup of tea. "So, how about waiting for him here?"

"Um."

After hearing the answer, Sanqi stopped asking questions. After all, it was their business. However, she seemed to be able to feel that Ye Xuanling in front of her seemed to be very wary of everyone, as if she and her were friends for life and death, but she couldn't see any of her actions clearly.

On the stage, two people dressed in men's clothes were singing an opera and wearing the makeup of a male role. Their faces were fair and delicate, their cheeks were lightly painted with pink rouge, and their eyes were smart, slender and upturned.

"Do you know what this is?" Sanqi took the initiative to bring up the topic.

"What?" Ye Xuanling looked down, listened carefully to the lines being spoken, and thought for a moment, "Is this an opera?"

"I mean, who are the characters in this performance?" Sanqi was amused by her. "I'm sorry you don't know, but it's about Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. Haven't you heard of them?"

She had read many storybooks, but they were all about ghosts and monsters. But this opera had never been performed in the county. Ye Xuanling nodded: "Yes."

The play had just reached its climax when the two men looked in the direction of the sound. Liang Shanbo was staring at Zhu Yingtai's ear and asked, "Yingtai is not a girl, so why does she have a ring on her ear?"

"The earring marks have a reason, Brother Liang, why are you suspicious?" Zhu Yingtai walked around the stage with a folding fan. "There are many temple fairs in the village to honor the gods, and every year I play the role of Guanyin. Brother Liang, you should concentrate on writing. Don't think about your future."

Liang Shanbo replied, "From now on I dare not look at Guanyin."

Ye Xuanling looked away and shifted her gaze to the mung bean cakes on the plate without saying a word.

"What's wrong?" Sanqi smiled and tried to understand her expression. "You don't want to watch anymore?"

Ye Xuanling shook her head: "I don't think there's anything interesting to see."

"Why?"

Ye Xuanling: "This Liang Shanbo despises Zhu Yingtai? He doesn't even dare to look at Guanyin."

Sanqi looked at her indignant expression and burst out laughing. "You're really at a loss for words."

"Wait!" Ye Xuanling's voice was soft but urgent. "Look over there."

Sanqi followed her lead and glanced at the stage. The nearly black Nuo mask on Liang Shanbo's arm wasn't large, but it stood out to the two of them. They exchanged a blank look, but without saying anything, they continued to focus their gaze on Liang Shanbo.

Under the makeup, her face was unclear, and Sanqi's mind was a little confused. Could it be that this was really an organization like Ye Xuanling said?

"You're so good, little Ye Zi." A bright and warm smile sounded behind him.