Five Elements/8
Ji Yan should have lived in the post station with others, but the post station was not in the city, so it was not very convenient and quick to handle things.
He walked slowly to the table and unwound the gauze bandage on his leg. There was no expression on his face. He picked up a pot of water from the table and poured it on his leg.
The cold liquid slid down the wound and formed a small puddle on the floor. The surface of the water reflected the candlelight and his own indifferent expression.
He took out the clean sword from his waist. The sharp blade reflected the light. Without hesitation, he pointed the sword at his wound.
He cut the wound with one short and forceful cut after another. Warm, sweet and fishy blood oozed out of the leg. He did not stop moving. The wound became deeper and deeper, and the wound surface expanded.
Then she should believe him.
"Squeak--" the door opened, and Sanqi pushed it open with the document in his hand.
Ye Xuanling looked at Sanqi with some surprise. "How's it going, Sanqi? Have you found anything over there? Can those bones confirm the identity of the deceased?"
Sanqi looked solemn and nodded slightly.
Sanqi walked over to her, placed the investigative documents on the table, and began to explain, "The head coroner and I were attacked on the road as we were returning to the yamen. It seemed like it was premeditated."
Hearing this, Ye Xuanling felt even more depressed. She originally thought that those people were chasing her and Ji Yan because they had obtained important evidence from the passage of the ruined temple, the underground river, and the secret compartment of the shrine.
But now, those people may have already set their sights on them and have hidden evil plans.
Sanqi pulled out a chair and sat down, removing her veil. Her face was filled with anxiety and worry. "Don't worry, Miss Ye. I originally wanted to keep one or two people alive for questioning, but in the end, that person committed suicide."
Sanqi shuddered as he recalled today's scene. "I told you I'd seen those corpses a few months ago. We've been investigating all the people who've died suddenly or under strange circumstances at Dianhai in recent months."
"There are five skeletons behind the Buddha statue. Although more than half are somewhat scattered, the coroner still determined that two of them are women." Sanqi took out a missing person notice and spread it out in front of her. "The governor of Dianhai ordered people to draw the faces of several people based on the bone marks on the skeletons."
"And these two women are the daughter of the Dianhai salt merchant and his personal maid." Sanqi was silent for a moment, then spoke. "These two portraits are almost indistinguishable, but the government office didn't notify the salt merchant. The prefect warned his men not to spread the news until the matter was fully clarified."
Ye Xuanling frowned slightly, staring at her for a moment before lowering her gaze and carefully comparing the two scrolls. Finally, she looked up at her again, "Sanqi, do you have anything else to say?"
Sanqi's pupils trembled. "Yes, a few months ago, the corpses I saw did not include any female corpses."
Ye Xuanling couldn't let go of her worries. If the body was intact, she might be able to find something else. If these two women weren't Nuo mask figurines, then it was very likely that they had discovered some secret of Nuo mask figurines.
The Nuo mask man silenced him.
"Also, there's one more thing." Sanqi pulled out a yellowed note with some of the mud marks washed off. "I found this next to the skeleton when the temple was ruined. I didn't let anyone else know."
She took the note from Sanqi. The ink was a little smudged, but the words were still clearly visible.
"First, eliminate the rebels, take their blood and mix it with alkali to add to the water source. This will increase the toxicity of the Shisi grass, ensuring that the poisonous water flows throughout the city and the water source is unobstructed."
Ye Xuanling opened her lips slightly and slowly murmured those two words.
Water eye.
Just now, when Ji Yan was still here, the two of them discussed the underground river and shrine under the ruined temple, as well as the banners that Ji Yan found, and the Five Elements Poison Sutra and parchment drawings in her hands.
Ye Xuanling told Sanqi everything.
Finally, Sanqi's expression was a little surprised. Seeing this, Ye Xuanling handed the thing to her to see.
The rustling sound of turning pages echoed in Ye Xuanling's ears. The sound seemed so hypnotic. Perhaps she was too tired and her head was starting to feel dizzy.
Sanqi flipped to a page in the Five Elements Poison Sutra and pointed to a line of words on that page, which read: "In a water-related land, use the water element to combine with alkali to make poisons, and use the Yin energy of the stream to catalyze the stabilization of the poison."
"The underground river we encountered beneath the ruined temple can extend from Linxi to the outskirts of the city, which is where the Zhang family's residence is." Ye Xuanling felt a chill on her back. "Could it be that the ruined temple is the source of the water?"
Ye Xuanling still felt that her guess was too absurd, or too far-fetched.
The parchment scroll hidden in the shrine's secret compartment also depicts the "Three Water Chain Formation."
Which three waters are these? Or let's put it another way.
Formation, Five Elements Poison Sutra, "Kan" hexagram flag, Shisi grass, alkali block, old corpse
She probably had a rough idea of these things in her mind.
Water of the Five Elements, poisonous human sacrifice.
"Then, does this salt merchant know that his daughter has met with misfortune?" Ye Xuanling tried to calm herself. "The governor has allowed this matter to be spread. Can we go there on our own?"
The wooden table was slightly dented and looked old and worn. On it lay some clues she had gathered today. She stared at them without saying a word.
Sanqi: "I'm afraid it's a bit difficult. However, when the prefect told the yamen staff about this matter today, several officials told me that the salt merchant has been suffering from depression and coughing for the past few months."
Ye Xuanling's eyes flickered slightly: "As long as we don't reveal the ins and outs of this matter, we should be able to get some clues from the salt merchant."
"If we go there without permission, I'm afraid..." Sanqi looked down at the corner of his robe.
"Don't worry, Sanqi. We're just going to check on the salt merchant and we won't do anything else." Ye Xuanling arched her brows and said, "Do you want to come with me?"
"Do we need to inform Ji Yan about this matter?" Sanqi asked.
Ye Xuanling pursed her lips, thought about it for a while, and finally shook her head: "Forget it, don't tell him yet."
As the sky gradually darkened, every household had lit candles and lights. A crescent moon hung in the thick night, faint and ethereal.
The matter could not be delayed. After asking Sanqi's opinion, Ye Xuanling quickly put on the medical kit.
Lin He, a salt merchant, is a well-known wealthy businessman in Dianhai. He has a rich family background and his mansion is located in the city. Ever since his daughter was lost and he contracted lung disease, his temper has not been as harsh and cruel as before. There is a hint of tolerance and warmth between his brows.
Lin He's daughter behaves arrogantly and has an enviable face, which makes people love her.
Along with Lin He's beloved daughter, her personal maid also disappeared. The maid was gentle, considerate and understanding, and usually stopped her daughter from doing anything inappropriate.
This is the information that Sanqi found out.
On the way, Ye Xuanling asked Sanqi how she knew all this news.
Sanqi smiled and explained that she had stayed in Dianhai for a period of time before. Moreover, she was a knight who received a bounty order, so she knew more than others. In addition, what she wrote down in the government office today could naturally help her.
Ye Xuanling's brows relaxed and she smiled and thanked him.
After turning two streets, Ye Xuanling didn't know what excuse to use to enter Lin He's mansion. Even if the man had a lung cough, how could she get in? She was just an apprentice or assistant to a medical officer.
But she could make use of her identity as a medical officer of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but Ji Yan did not give her anything substantial to prove her identity.
In front of the Lin residence, there were two distracted people standing. One of them was a guard in green linen clothes, leaning against the wall, his whole body limp and his eyelids drooping.
The Lin family was a well-known merchant family in Dianhai, and they did not allow their servants to slack off on weekdays, otherwise they would be fined monthly wages. And these servants could only relax and take a short nap when no one was watching.
Sanqi followed Ye Xuanling, wearing a veil and not speaking a word. She hid her sword inside to avoid unnecessary trouble.
"Young man?" Ye Xuanling asked tentatively, "Is the owner of your house Master Lin Helin?"
The two dozing people started up and straightened up from the wall. "Yes, what are you two girls doing?"
"I'm a traveling doctor. I heard on the road that Master Lin He has been suffering from a persistent lung cough." She bowed with a kind face. "I'm in urgent need of money to travel. I wonder if I could be lucky enough to treat Master Lin He's lung cough."
The servant waved his hand at her, his tone unchanged, but it sounded unpleasant: "Go, go, go! How can our master's illness be cured by a mere itinerant doctor?"
"I travel hundreds of miles a day and have seen countless illnesses. If I can cure Master Lin's illness, I won't ask for a high price."
The two servants looked at each other and began to wink at each other.
Finally, one of them ran into the gate, apparently to ask questions.
After a while, the servant came back from the house and called out, "Come in with me."
Sanqi was traveling with Ye Xuanling but she never expected that another servant would stop her outside the door at this moment.
Ye Xuanling nodded gently to her and told Sanqi not to worry, as she was capable of handling it.
She followed the servant into the house. The decoration of the house was comparable to that of high-ranking officials and nobles. It was extremely luxurious. The lights in the courtyard were always on, and the swing among the flowers and plants could be clearly seen.
It was cleaned up very neatly, which might have been Lin He's daughter's favorite thing before.
"Itinerant doctor?" Lin He sat on a wooden chair in the main hall, one hand supporting his chin. His face was slightly long, but his wealthy body made his face look less harsh. His eyes looked at her dully, listless and dejected.
She was wearing a ginger-yellow silk robe with a pattern of fish leaping into the water. Her hair was combed into a bun and fixed with a hat band. A few strands of black hair mixed with white hung down, making her look a little haggard.
"Yes." Ye Xuanling bowed to Lin He, "My name is Li Xuanling, nice to meet you, Master Lin."
"Okay, if you can cure me, you won't be short of money." Lin He rolled up his sleeves, glanced at her and said nothing more.
The lung cough was not serious, but it required taking medicine day and night to suppress the force. Ye Xuanling performed moxibustion on him and wrote two prescriptions for the servants.
As Ye Xuanling packed her medical kit, she warned, "Master Lin, although it's winter now, you still need to open the windows for ventilation. Keep the air flowing. Get enough rest, reduce fatigue, and don't worry too much."
The servant quickly bought the medicine. After giving Lin He some instructions, Ye Xuanling said hello and went to the small kitchen with the servant to instruct him on a series of matters related to boiling the medicine.
The servant was no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, and appeared to be in charge of the kitchen. Ye Xuanling pretended to brew the medicine while she asked, "What exactly is causing your master's fatigue and anxiety? It could seriously affect his condition."
The young girl, dressed in a plain linen dress, was a little worried and frightened. After a moment's thought, she recalled her master's illness and spoke, "A few months ago, our young lady disappeared. The government office originally opened a case to help us find her, but even then, there was still no news."
Ye Xuanling asked with a hint of surprise, "Disappeared? Haven't they found out yet?"
The little girl shook her head: "No, the master is very worried about this. He has been coughing for a long time."
"What did your young lady do before she disappeared? Where did she go? Or did she meet anyone?"
The little girl's face flashed with panic, and she stared blankly at Ye Xuanling: "I... Miss..."
Realizing her gaffe, Ye Xuanling immediately changed her tune: "I'm told these local officials are truly incompetent. How come they can't even investigate this?"
Ye Xuanling only said these words to the little girl. She wanted to make her feel at ease and make her believe that she was not a bad person or a spy, but just a traveling doctor.
The questions she asked her were too official, which might have made the girl in front of her even more timid.
Ye Xuanling opened the medical box and took out a bag of dried herbs. She untied the hemp rope wrapped around it, and a strong bitter and sour smell spread out.
She took out a few slices of dried hawthorn and handed them to the girl: "Here."
"Ah?" The little girl's pupils trembled, and she hesitated to reach out to take it. She waved her hands in panic, "No, no, a servant like me cannot accept the food from Doctor Li."
"It's okay, there's no one else here." Ye Xuanling reached forward again, grabbed her hand, opened it, and placed the dried hawthorn slices into the little girl's palm. "I'm also a servant, but I'm just trying to make some money."
The little girl tightened her grip around the handful of hawthorn slices, pursed her lips, and said, "The last time I saw my young lady was on a night in early autumn."
"That night, the master confined the young lady to her room, saying he wanted to change her temper. However, it was the Autumn Festival, and the young lady was unwilling to be confined at home. She was lively and active, so she contacted the servants and slipped out with Lianxin."
The little girl added firewood to the stove as she spoke, not daring to make any other moves.
"Lianxin?"
"Lianxin is the young lady's personal maid, always by her side to serve her."
Ye Xuanling nodded, pretending to understand, and continued to ask questions: "Then your young lady is really smart."
The little girl sighed, "But I haven't seen the young lady since then. Wang Po said that the young lady was just having fun and might have gone somewhere to have fun, so she told the master not to worry. But how could the master believe it? So he was anxious and scared..."
I'm afraid that two living people will disappear and their bodies will be dismembered.
"I must remind your master not to worry too much. If he spends the whole day in a trance, otherwise, all the herbs he brewed will be wasted." Ye Xuanling turned around and asked, "Given your young lady's personality, where can she go during the holidays?"
"On weekdays, she likes to go to the city's theater to listen to opera and eat the mung bean cakes there." The little girl thought for a moment, "But I'm not her maid. I'm just on duty in the kitchen, so I don't know much about it."
Ye Xuanling caught the key words and absentmindedly flipped through the mixed medicinal residue and soup in the casserole.
Whispering softly.
Theater?
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