Five Elements/9

Ye Xuanling's heart trembled. In the end, would all the incidents be blamed on the theater?

She had seen a portrait of the young lady, and someone had also reconstructed the head of the skeleton, and it was basically confirmed that the young lady had already...

But even so, Ye Xuanling was still unwilling to tell this incident, at least to prevent the family from worrying too much.

Ordinary people cannot accept the death of their loved ones, let alone the people behind them who cannot act rashly.

On the day she saw her master's corpse, Ye Xuanling didn't want to believe it, nor did she want to think about it, but the facts were before her, she had things she needed to do, and she couldn't let anyone die.

After pouring out the medicine from the pot, Ye Xuanling followed the little girl to the main hall.

Salt merchant Lin He was still sitting in the rocking chair, seemingly resting with his eyes closed.

"Master, the medicine is ready. Drink it first." The little girl held the square wooden tray, her body hunched, her face almost hanging to the ground.

"Let it go for now." Lin He said lightly without opening his eyes.

The little girl placed the medicine in the blue and white porcelain bowl next to Lin He's table and then retreated.

"Master Lin, you must remember my words these days." Ye Xuanling said.

Lin He didn't expect that Ye Xuanling hadn't left yet. He raised his eyelids and looked at her for a long time without saying a word.

Ye Xuanling gave a few more instructions about medication and smiled politely, "I'll be staying at the inn on Xie Street for the next few days. If Master Lin needs anything, please feel free to come find me."

"I'll pay you after I'm cured." Lin He sat up, picked up the medicine on the table, and blew gently into the bowl twice. "If it's not cured, I would have reported it to the police in the past."

Ye Xuanling knew what he meant.

It's just that his body can't hold on now, and he hasn't heard from his beloved daughter for several months, so his temper has naturally softened a bit, and he's not as prickly as before, and he won't pursue unnecessary matters.

In that case...

Ye Xuanling's heart suddenly hardened, and she asked, "Master Lin, has the swing in the yard been empty for a long time?"

Lin He took a sip of the medicine, said nothing, placed the bowl steadily on the table, raised his eyes and looked at her warily.

"Master Lin, there's no need to be like this. I just happened to notice it when I came in just now," Ye Xuanling said. "Didn't Master Lin put up a missing person notice on the bulletin board? Do you have any clues now?"

"Isn't Doctor Li meddling too much? These matters should naturally be handed over to the government office. You, a doctor..." Lin He said disdainfully, glancing her up and down, making a gesture of wiping his neck, "Be careful not to lose your head."

"Could it be that Mr. Lin is so powerful that he can join forces with the government to take my life?" Ye Xuanling smiled, but her heart sank even more, because she knew that she could not find any clues from Lin He.

She bowed respectfully as usual, "Master Lin can still come to me for treatment, but...if Master Lin doesn't want to or feels he can no longer trust me, he can just throw away these medicines and continue taking the original one."

Ye Xuanling: "But in this case, Master Lin, I'm afraid... I'll take my leave."

As soon as the words came out, Ye Xuanling slipped out immediately. Even though there were many guards in the house, Lin He did not order anyone to stop her.

That night.

The hazy moon and clouds came and went. She strode out of the door frame and found Sanqi waiting for her at the door.

According to their prior agreement, if the salt merchant Lin He only allowed her to go in, then Sanqi would take the alkali blocks she obtained today to the government office for inspection.

Although time is not urgent, Ye Xuanling still wants to find the murderer as soon as possible.

At least, until then.

There were more than just Sanqi in front of Lin's house.

"Doctor Ye, you acted without authorization. Did you know that in the Jinyiwei, beatings are punishable by law?" Ji Yan asked. "In serious cases, it's a capital offense."

Ji Yan's words sounded indifferent, and there was no smile on his face as usual. The eyes he looked at her were like fog in the dark night, swaying and obscure.

"I'm not a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, so what does it have to do with you how I act?" She answered without being inferior to Ji Yan.

"So today, I'm here to give you the token and prove your identity." Ji Yan held the token in his hand and threw it into her hand. "If you are willing, you can be my medical officer."

Ye Xuanling took the token, glanced at it indifferently, then clenched the slightly warm token in her palm and said, "Okay, I agree."

This is no longer a question of whether she is willing or not. Only by cooperating with him can she go further.

The three of them did not return to the inn, but came to the government office.

In the main hall of the government office, the governor of Dianhai sat upright and dignified at the front. After performing the ceremony with a flattering smile, he sincerely invited Ji Yan to sit down.

Sanqi has revealed her identity to everyone and has proof in hand that she can investigate cases deep within the government office.

Ye Xuanling and Sanqi stood beside Ji Yan. Due to her status, Ye Xuanling naturally didn't say much.

However, no one else came to the main hall, which was a little different from what Ye Xuanling had expected.

At least, there was no reason for the officials who went to Linxi with them today not to be present.

Ji Yan winked at Sanqi, and the two exchanged glances before Sanqi stepped forward. "I found the seller of the alkali block that Doctor Ye gave me today in Dongcheng."

"Alkali blocks are not the ones we eat everyday, but contain mineral components. There is only one store in Dongcheng that sells this kind of alkali blocks, no one else." Sanqi said, bowed to the governor of Dianhai, and placed the alkali blocks in the bag on the governor's desk.

"Please look, sir," Sanqi said. "This is indeed different from the usual edible alkaline blocks. I asked the owner of that old shop, and he said this is usually used to regulate the acid-base balance and replenish minerals for sheep, cattle, and horses."

"Besides," Sanqi placed the account book from her sleeve in front of the prefect, "according to the old shop's account book, there is only one person who purchased this kind of alkali in large quantities."

"Kansheng." Sanqi suddenly cast his gaze towards Ye Xuanling, "But it looks like it's just an alias."

Ye Xuanling finally understood why there were only a few of them in the huge main hall, not even a single official. Ji Yan must have been trying to prevent this matter from getting out.

Ye Xuanling nodded slightly at Ji Yan and stood in front of him with Sanqi. "I wonder if you are familiar with the environment of Linxi? Where does Dianhai get its daily drinking water from?"

The governor stroked his beard and said, "Linxi is surrounded by water on three sides, and the water quality is rich and excellent. The underground river has also been dug through the entire city. The water that the people drink on a daily basis is actually underground water."

"So... Dianhai's daily drinking water all comes from Linxi?" Ye Xuanling asked, and thought of the shrine under the ruined temple. If the Nuo mask man was smart, he would not allow them to enter the ruined temple, let alone place all the clues in the secret compartment of the shrine.

Ye Xuanling lowered her eyelids and stared at the bluestone slabs beneath her feet. What on earth was going on?

"We found these things in Linxi." She presented the items in her hands to the governor one by one. "The banner, the Five Elements Poison Sutra, the alkali block, and the brown powder. Lord Ji and I found these at the bottom of the ruined temple in Linxi."

"It's a brown powder. I can tell what it's made of. It's a medicine commonly used in West City to treat illnesses and relieve pain. I've also heard from the locals that this thing grows in Linxi."

"Doctor Ye is well versed in pharmacology, so he must know what this is." The governor smiled faintly, "It's just a drug used to paralyze people's minds."

"You still call it medicine?" Ye Xuanling said calmly, a compulsion that she couldn't shake no matter what. "This isn't medicine at all!"

Shisi grass cannot be used as medicine to treat any disease. It can only provide people with spiritual comfort so that people will not lose their fighting spirit and transcend the spirit because of any disease. Everything needs to be operated by humans.

For this reason, Dianhai actually planted a plant that was strictly prohibited by the previous dynasty.

Although Qingyuan did not prohibit it, the emperor had learned from the lessons of the previous dynasty and would not take the risk of planting and using such plants.

Ye Xuanling's voice was a little louder than before. The prefect stared at Ye Xuanling in a daze, then turned his head to timidly peek at Ji Yan's expression.

"My Lord, what are you looking at me for?" Ji Yanwei raised the corner of his lips, still looking lazy, and asked him, "Could it be that I am Shi Sicao?"

"The matter of Shisi grass has nothing to do with me, and I don't mind how Dianhai is handled. I only care about..." Ji Yan raised his chin, indicating a few things on the wooden table in front of the prefect. "I'm afraid that Dianhai will be filled with piles of corpses in a few days. What do you think, my lord?"

-

In the end, the prefect relented and reduced the planting of Shisi grass across the board after the case was concluded.

The old shop's account book still contains the buyer's name, but I don't know whether the drug store also records the buyer's address or any other information.

Kansheng, this name, Sanqi said it well, it’s just a pseudonym.

The word "Kan" is clearly the same as the word on the banner that Ji Yan found in the ruined temple, and it also refers to water among the five elements.

Ye Xuanling pondered and decided to go to Linxi again. "How about this, Sanqi, go to the pharmacy again and see if there's an address or anything else. Usually, if you buy a large amount of herbs from a pharmacy, the pharmacy will deliver them according to the address provided by the buyer."

Ji Yan looked at her speculatively: "What about me?"

These things should not be arranged by her. He is the Jinyiwei and the one who holds the real power. She was silent for a moment before she detected the subtle temptation in his words.

Did he want to test her loyalty?

She couldn't see through him, nor did she have the slightest idea of ​​what he was thinking. Ye Xuanling tried to organize many words, but swallowed them back before she could speak. She sighed, and finally said, "Master Ji, come with me to Linxi. There are still many things there that we haven't explored yet."

Perhaps only by being with her can Ji Yan see her loyalty.

Working for him, at least she would have a position, a...

She thought about it for a long time. The Jinyiwei accompanying medical officer was just a position for her and it wouldn't last long. There was a spark hidden under this identity that could ignite at any time.

She had nowhere to go, and this was only temporary. From the beginning, when Qingye Clinic was burned down and her master died, she had nowhere to go.