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Sui Zhixu heard Ning Yan's shouts, but she couldn't care less. The water was rising and falling, and before she knew it, she was pulled to the bottom of the lake.
She tried to hold onto the rocks on the artificial hill, but the moss was smooth and kept slipping off, leaving her fingertips covered in mud mixed with tiny green hairs.
When she learned that Xu Shou had fallen completely into the lake, she couldn't help but feel a little discouraged. That damned mechanism from the previous dynasty had automatically destroyed itself after being opened once.
She slapped the stone wall with her wet hands and shouted, "Willow Green! Willow Green! Can you hear me?"
The cave was pitch black, and the water had risen to Liu Lü's waist. Her ears twitched slightly, and she had clearly heard Sui Zhixu's shout.
He replied, "My wife, I'm here!"
Upon hearing Liu Lü's voice, Sui Zhixu felt conflicted. The original life gate of the trap array had now been reversed into a death gate. With the water level fluctuating so much, it seemed that water was entering the cave and was intended to drown people.
Water is represented by the Kan trigram, which corresponds to the north.
The north side of the artificial hill is all water, and without any rocks to support it, the water overflows.
North, north, Sui Zhixu silently repeated these two words in his heart.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Dan Hong and Ning Yan, who were desperately trying to save someone drowning on the lake shore. Ning Yan had been investigating cases for many years and knew how to save drowning people.
The water flowed continuously, and the pale blue dress floated on the lake. The lake water in May already carried the warmth of the sun, and was quite different from the bone-chilling cold water when Sui Zhixu returned home.
The shawl slipped from Sui Zhixu's arm and drifted with the current, heading out to explore the world, only to be blocked by an artificial hill halfway there.
Su Zhixu gripped the smooth artificial hill again and began to explore in the opposite direction from the initial northeast.
There are no buttons or mechanisms.
Sui Zhixu pursed her lips. Had she misunderstood? No, she shouldn't have.
The soft blue shawl was washed into a line by the lake water, unexpectedly drawing a clear boundary between the artificial hill and the lake.
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her, and she shouted to Liu Lü inside, "Face the northwest direction of the stone wall and strike with all your might!"
Upon hearing Sui Zhixu's shout, Liu Lü gripped the scabbard tightly and thrust it fiercely towards the southwest stone wall.
With a loud crash, the stone door opened again.
The water level inside was higher than outside, and the surging water wall hit Sui Zhixu's head directly, slamming him into the bottom of the lake.
A pale blue dress entered the lake, while a soft blue shawl, which served as a dividing line, was swept away somewhere.
As soon as Xu emerged from the lake, he wiped his face, but it was already gone. His wet hair clung to his face, making him look uncomfortable.
Thankfully she got out; she was gambling too.
Originally, the cave was dark and smelled strongly of mildew, but there was no water flowing through it. Water only appeared when the cave closed and the hexagram reversed. Therefore, Xu suspected that the hexagrams inside and outside the cave were completely opposite and mutually destructive.
Water overcomes fire, corresponding to the south and north. After the hexagram is reversed, the water flows to the opposite side, so the gates of life and death should also be opposite.
He then tried searching on the stone wall outside the cave, but to no avail.
That was inside, in a mirror image of the inner and outer worlds, to the northwest of the mirror image of the Gate of Life, and indeed, it emerged.
Water droplets clung to her nose and face. Knowing that Xu didn't like this feeling, she quickly called out, "Liu Lü! Quickly pull me out."
Sui Zhixu didn't want to stay in the water anymore, especially since her body was bobbing up and down in the water and she had swallowed several mouthfuls of water.
She might be incompatible with water.
Liu Lü was pulled out of the water and, following Zhi Xu's lead, wrapped her arms around his waist and flew towards the shore.
Xi Yuzhen, who was on the shore, had been saved by the knowledgeable Ning Yan and Dan Hong from the medical ward, and her condition was worse than that of Sui Zhixu.
Liu Lü threw the person out, not caring whether she was alright or not. The person was now disheveled, with a few strands of long hair sticking to her neck and face.
Her old, lotus-leaf-green dress was repeatedly torn and ripped, and water droplets clung to her face, making her bright little face look more fragile.
"As you wish, my lady." A soft voice, barely audible.
Sui Zhixu grabbed a piece of the red robe that Dan Hong had draped over her and looked up at her.
The young woman trembled in his eyes, her joy at surviving the ordeal completely dispelled by fear.
Sui Zhixu chuckled lightly, "What a coincidence! How did the actress fall into my lake?"
Xi Yuzhen's lips moved, but she didn't utter a single word. Sui Zhixu glanced at her indifferently.
"Put a coat on her and go to the front yard to find the actor."
The team led by Liu Lü consisted entirely of young women. Although their clothes were half-wet, they moved quickly, swiftly flying over the rooftops of the Prime Minister's residence, and returned with the clothes in no time.
As Xu thought, she also wanted to be like them. She sighed quietly, wondering when she could recover to be like her previous life, even if it was only a few fragments. She knew that she was very powerful before.
Ning Yan was unwilling to give her her clothes. Upholding the moral principle of not standing by and watching someone die, Ning Yan saving her did not mean that Ning Yan did not dislike her.
After the polo match, everyone used their connections to investigate the two siblings, but they found nothing.
Although Xu Chuanxin told her about what happened on the cliff, Cui Wan was troubled by the lack of evidence. She firmly believed it was a misunderstanding, just as Chaoyang said. She was too naive, naively thinking that the people who entered the Sima family would really go with her.
The group had different expressions, and soon Danhong led Xi Yushao over.
Dan Hong walked over to Sui Zhixu and whispered to him.
After listening, Xu finally focused his gaze entirely on Xi Yushao for the first time.
His purple round-necked brocade robe was gorgeous yet understated, and the light smoky purple color further accentuated the deep and mysterious beauty mark under his eyes.
Xi Yushao bowed and said, "Greetings, ladies. I am deeply grateful for your help in rescuing my sister."
"It's alright. It's getting late, Young Master Xi should take your people home early." Sui Zhixu glanced one last time at Xi Yuzhen's lotus leaf green dress. Her outer garment was the same color as the maids' summer robes, which was better than nothing.
Xi Yushao smiled but said nothing, and picked up Xi Yuzhen, who was curled up on the ground.
"That's all. I'll take my sister and head back now." Xi Yushao smiled, the beauty mark under his eye appearing even more captivating.
Su Zhixu nodded slightly and hurried away, as she wasn't in the mood to deal with the brother and sister today.
Behind her was a pool of water and the mechanisms of the previous dynasty; she wanted to study them further.
Xi Yushao turned and left, but Xi Yuzhen, who was in his arms, gently tugged at his collar. He looked down and asked.
From a distance, they looked like a loving brother and sister. Dan Hong, hiding behind Sui Zhixu, muttered to herself, her features lively, and rolled her eyes at the two of them.
When Dan Hong found him, Xi Yushao was in the corridor not far across the lake.
As dusk deepened, mist rose from the water, the moon peeked out from the distant horizon, and the clouds gradually dispersed.
After dealing with them, Sui Zhixu turned to Ning Yan and said, "It's getting late, Awan must be worried. Let's go back first."
Although Xu was worried about the mechanism behind him, he couldn't figure it out as the sun was setting, so he decided to send them away first.
After Sui Zhixu saw the group off, it was already late, and the stars twinkled in the night sky.
She ate a simple meal, and afterwards sat alone by the lake, gazing at the water in a daze.
"Stay here all alone, contemplating life?" Yue Ling asked, sitting down on the ground with Zhi Xu.
Sui Zhixu stammered, "I guess so. You stayed at my house again today?"
"What? You're not happy with me anymore?" Yueling wrapped her arms around Sui Zhixu's neck without any hesitation.
Hearing Xu shake his head, half-dead, he was already used to it.
She sighed softly and removed Yueling's hand. "I'm thinking about the mechanism of the artificial mountain. Stop messing around."
Sui Zhixu stood up and walked along the lakeside. "I originally thought it would destroy itself automatically, and that I couldn't save Liu Lü and her group."
She walked to the lake shore closest to the artificial hill, stopped, and focused her gaze on the smooth moss on the hill.
The cold moss exuded a chill under the moonlight, quiet and serene.
As Xu Zhixu's gaze lingered on its green foliage, he noticed its vigorous growth, which covered almost the entire artificial hill.
"Later, he got out."
"Yes, they've been rescued." Sui Zhixu's gaze was deep as he raised his hand, his fingertips almost touching the artificial hill, yet separated by water that Sui Zhixu didn't want to touch, and yet it seemed so far away.
She picked up a stone from the ground and smashed it hard against the northeast-facing stone wall. Sparks flew as the stones collided, but the mechanism remained completely still.
"It's changed again."
Logically, if the water stops flowing towards the cave, it should have returned to its original state and location.
But the mechanism has changed, and the location is different.
The East Mansion was originally the residence of the last prime minister of the previous dynasty. Apart from this mechanism, how much of this mansion is left?
May in Chang'an was already hot and dry, and even the night breeze carried a hint of heat. As the wind passed through Sui Zhixu's fingers, she said, "Give me less homework. I need to check on everyone in the manor."
She was starting to doubt Prince Xuanping's motives today.
“No way, schoolwork is schoolwork, how can we skip schoolwork?” Yueling resolutely refused.
Sui Zhixu's face drooped, even more damp than the moss on the mountain.
"However, since you are my apprentice, I can reluctantly help you."
Yueling is dressed formally today. The wide Taoist robe is embroidered with patterns such as the Big Dipper at the hem. It is the Imperial Preceptor Robe that the Emperor specially ordered the palace embroiderers to prepare for Yueling.
However, Yueling has always disliked the Emperor's aesthetic sense and almost never wears it.
"My shawl seems to be missing." Sui Zhixu glanced around and recalled that he hadn't seen it along the way.
“If you really like it, just find another one exactly the same. It’s not that hard. Most of the money that Sui He and Cong Lan have worked so hard for over the years will be spent on you. Don’t try to save money for them.”
"I didn't really like it."
"Yes, yes, what color is it?"
Sui Zhixu's eyes sparkled, "A soft blue, just as beautiful as green."
Yueling's eyes sparkled as she muttered softly, drawing out her words in a casual tone, "Oh~ soft blue. It's rare that you can like a color other than green. When you were little, you thought the robes in the dojo were ugly and said you liked the color of leaves. Why couldn't you use leaves as clothes? You've finally settled down now that you're older."
"I don't remember, don't talk nonsense."
At the polo match, Fan Lingzhang wore a light blue round-necked robe. She shot an arrow into his shoulder, and Xu Zhixu still remembers the sight of blood blooming on his clothes.
She was very disappointed at the time, as the fabric of the clothes was quite good from the start.
When Danhong took out various shawls and placed them in front of her, she immediately noticed the soft blue one. She tried draping it over her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and it looked quite nice.
"Why would I lie to you? Little Radish Head did a lot of embarrassing things back then. Do you want me to tell you them again now? Maybe you can recover your memories."
Sui Zhixu's eyes flashed with coldness. "Just shut up."
"Sigh, that's how kids are when they grow up. They've long forgotten the days when you and I depended on each other at the dojo."
"Didn't you say it wasn't bitter?"
"That's right! For your good life, I've worked so hard to squeeze money out of the little emperor. He's so stingy, he won't give me, the Grand Preceptor, a single penny, and he still wants me to do his work. Don't I need to be paid? He treats me like a donkey, making me do calculations every year, and if the calculations are bad, he doesn't like to listen, and then he makes me think of ways to solve them. Ugh, you don't even know how much I've done for you... Um, wait a minute, think about what I should say."
Sui Zhixu found herself sitting shoulder to shoulder with Yueling, watching the stars and listening to her rambling.
As for Xu, her eyes drooped and she dozed off intermittently. Yueling, having been a teacher for so long, felt sleepy whenever she heard her speak.
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