Five Elements/3 [Second Update]
"I think you should trust me."
The carriage was speeding, making some noise. They both moved their bodies back at the same time, and the noise drowned out his words.
But she still heard it clearly. She wanted to ask him if trust was important to him, but in the end, she didn't say anything. Now that she knew his identity, she should know that for such a person, the life and death of ordinary people was so slim.
Perhaps in just a moment, he could arbitrarily accuse himself of a crime and take his life.
Who could guarantee that those things weren't just excuses? The supposed teaching of martial arts, protection, and now the Five Elements human sacrifice—could she be sure it was real? He always seemed to want her trust.
He and she had never known each other before.
If you want to repay the favor of saving your life, there is no need to go through so much trouble.
"Oh, right." Ye Xuanling thought of something, "You have something else here with me." She took out a blue purse from her pocket and prepared to hand it to him.
This was what she saw next to her when they parted last time. She stretched out her hand and said, "You dropped this, right? I didn't touch it and brought it to you." After she finished speaking, he didn't reach out to take it.
She didn't touch his money, and even put all the carriage money she had spent on her last trip to Dianhai into the box. She had exchanged her money for snake grass, so half of it was his, and she only kept 30%.
Ji Yan lowered his eyes to glance at the thing in her hand, but still did not reach out his hand. He quickly swept his eyes over her and laughed dumbly: "You want to clear me?"
His smile was forced, and there was a surge of emotions in his eyes, with some anger in it. He didn't show it on the surface, but Ye Xuanling could feel it.
"I didn't want to disturb a certain fox at first, but now I've changed my mind," Ji Yan said.
Since the fox didn't come over, he had to lure it over.
"Master Ji." Ye Xuanling curled the corners of her lips and smiled at him. "I do believe you. If I didn't, would I still go to the government office with you?"
"Okay, if you say you believe it, then I believe it." Ji Yan looked at the sky that was gradually melting into dusk, "You keep the things for yourself."
He hoped that she would always owe him.
His profile was sharply defined, his black hair in a ponytail flowing down the road. She also noticed the small mole on his temples, like a black dot smudged on rice paper. The light from the nearby fire shone on his gray pupils, which were brighter than usual, but without any color.
The spirit of the whole body is contained in the eyes; the bone structure of the whole body is contained in the face.
Ye Xuanling smiled faintly and withdrew her hand. It would be strange if she could believe it. He had never given her a direct answer. The secret in the heart of the person next to her was like a foggy sky. She thought she could see something clearly and grasp something.
In fact, you can hardly even see his shadow.
The autopsy booth was right next to the government office. It wasn't large, made of simple wood and bamboo mats. A sign at the entrance read "Autopsy." Ji Yan pulled off the token from his waist and gestured to the guards.
"Sir, this young lady?" The officer looked at Ye Xuanling and was a little hesitant. After all, not everyone could enter the autopsy room. The officer did not dare to look into Ji Yan's eyes and lowered his head again.
"Medical officer of the Weizhong Army, the body lying inside is connected to the case I am currently working on." Ji Yan's words were crisp, revealing an unquestionable sense of oppression and a bit of murderous aura.
"yes."
The officer stole a glance at Ji Yan, then respectfully opened the curtain. Made of straw, it only managed to block out some of the wind. Fortunately, it was winter, so the corpse hadn't yet begun to stink. However, the purple skin and the black blood gushing from its mouth were a bit eerie, making one's scalp tingle.
The coroner in front of the corpse looked young. After seeing the two men come in and pay their respects, he explained to them, "Sir, a medical officer has come to examine the case and says it's food poisoning. I've checked for foreign objects in the mouth, nose, and nails. I'm going to open him up now."
Ji Yan nodded and turned to ask Ye Xuanling: "Do you want to stay here and watch?"
Ye Xuanling nodded: "Yes."
The wooden table next to the body was covered with tools. The young coroner picked up a three-inch autopsy knife, sharp and gleaming with a cold light. With a swift movement, he slashed open the dead man's stomach.
A sour and stinky smell came out, and the sour and rotten smell penetrated the tip of Ye Xuanling's nose. She pursed her lips and frowned slightly.
"Do you need a face cloth?" Ji Yan asked.
She shook her head, knowing what she was going to do.
She walked forward and whispered to the coroner, "I am a doctor and can identify poison. Let me try." As she spoke, Ye Xuanling carefully observed the condition of the corpse.
This person had died not long ago, and the livor mortis hadn't yet developed. His skin was only bruised and purple, making him feel uncomfortable and his scalp tingling. His stomach was festering and bleeding, and the color was black. She raised her hand and brushed the air over it. It was a mixture of undigested food, stomach acid, and a slight smell of bitter grass.
Everyone knows that poison should be colorless and odorless, so how could the person who poisoned the food make the smell of bitter herbs so obvious?
The smell of bitter grass, Ye Xuanling muttered to herself, a poison similar to this smell...
After taking a sample of the food in their stomachs as evidence, the confession, the deceased's family situation, and their names were all recorded on a document, which was then handed over by the squad leader. The two men were led by the squad leader to the central hall of the yamen to rest for a while.
Ji Yan handed the document in his hand to Ye Xuanling.
She was a little surprised, but didn't say much. It recorded what the person had done today and what food he had eaten.
The messenger's surname is Zhang and he lives in the suburbs. Today he went to the building with his friends to listen to opera for fun. He has no relatives at home and all his neighbors have moved to the city a few months ago.
"Does that mean he's the only one living in the suburbs?" Ye Xuanling asked the squad leader hurriedly, "Have you checked his house?"
"I checked, and it's recorded in the documents. There are no relatives."
She exchanged a glance with Ji Yan, her tone somewhat impatient: "What's wrong with the furnishings in his house?" She had an assumption in her mind that this matter was even stranger than the ulcer.
The squad leader scratched his head and said slowly, "This... there aren't many records."
She looked nervous and nodded slightly at him, and he understood what she meant. Ji Yan's eyes were sharp, but his voice was very clear: "Lead the way to the Zhang family. This matter is strange and unusual, and there may be something fishy going on."
Ye Xuanling felt relieved after hearing this, but she didn't know what the poison was.
It was now night, and Ye Xuanling, who had not had a good night's sleep for two days, was a little dazed, with a headache and pain in her eyelids whether she opened them or closed them. She really didn't know what to do. If this continued, she was really afraid that she would go blind.
The squad leader led the way, flanked by only two or three minor officials. The remaining two were Ji Yan and her. Carrying kerosene lamps, they headed for the city's outskirts. At first, the city's atmosphere was pleasant, but once outside, it was deserted and eerily quiet. The Zhang family's residence wasn't far away, so the group simply walked.
"I wonder what Doctor Ye has discovered?" The squad leader asked casually, "Does the Zhang family have any clues?" There were only three kerosene lamps in the group. Ye Xuanling held one, and the other two were in the hands of the other two officers.
Neither Ji Yan nor the squad leader held a lantern in their hands.
The moon shines on the village in the mist at Lumen, and suddenly I arrive at Pang Gong's retreat.
The bright moon in winter always seemed dimmer than in summer. Ye Xuanling looked at the gray night sky and the dim moonlight, and somehow it reminded her of someone's eyes. She shrugged, surprised by her own thoughts, then shook her head gently to dispel the strange thought.
The Zhang family's home was somewhat similar to Li Si's, both having only two single rooms. The firelight was dim. Ye Xuanling took a look at the furnishings in the room and smelled that particularly strange bitter grass smell again.
Her sense of smell is more sensitive than that of ordinary people, but not that useful. Most of the time, she can smell the odor but cannot find the source.
She carried the kerosene lamp and walked around the house. There were two rooms: the kitchen, where the pots and pans were a bit messy. The couch, where the bedding was messy. Nothing seemed out of place. She walked over to the wooden table, held the lamp, placed it on the table, and walked around it, clearly seeing the items on it.
There was only a teapot and a teacup.
As Ye Xuanling turned to leave, she accidentally bumped into someone. The person waved his hands in a panic, apologizing, "Ah, ah, sorry, Doctor Ye, I wasn't paying attention."
A slightly fatter officer laughed and joked, "Captain, you're really too invested in your investigation, aren't you?"
As they were talking, her heart suddenly shrank, as if a silk thread was pulling at her heart. In the silent night, she could not hear their fighting and talking, but only her own heart pounding.
The arm that the leader of the troupe showed when he waved his hand was tattooed with the same almost black Nuo mask as Zhang Xian and the actor!
Ye Xuanling paused for two seconds, then smiled calmly and said, "It's okay. I don't see anything wrong here. How about we go outside and take a look?"
She was so scared that she didn't even dare to look at the squad leader in front of her when she spoke.
It is indeed not appropriate to alert the enemy now.
"Um...how about I go out and take a look first?" Ye Xuanling asked tentatively, "Master Ji, do you want to come with me?"
Ji Yan was surprised and a little surprised.
He deliberately waited a moment and said to the squad leader, "You guys search the house while we go take a look outside."
"Sir, why don't I go with you?" The squad leader said with a smile.
However, Ye Xuanling now seemed to be fawning and flattering. She interrupted Ji Yan and answered for him, "No need. There are no other houses outside. We are just going to check out the surrounding terrain."
"Let's go, Lord Ji." Ye Xuanling glanced at him, picked up the kerosene lamp, straightened her body and walked out.
The weeds on the outskirts of the city were dense, and the better ones were half a person's height. Fortunately, the deceased had placed a few stones on the path outside the house, so there was some place to stand.
Next to the Zhang family's house were some empty houses. Ye Xuanling walked up and looked around the door. There were only some firewood inside. She didn't know whether it belonged to the original owner of the house or the deceased Zhang.
The door was not locked. When the two entered, they found that the room was covered with too many cobwebs and a lot of dust.
As Ye Xuanling looked around, she whispered to Ji Yan, "Can we still find the owners of these houses? But it looks like they've moved out a long time ago."
"Okay." Ji Yan nodded. "You pulled me out just to say this?"
Ye Xuanling held her breath, placing a finger to her lips. "Speak softly. I need to ask you a question now. Please don't avoid the topic and talk about other things."
Ji Yan suppressed the casual expression on his face and said, "Okay, you go ahead."
"How do you distinguish Nuo masks? I've seen people with Nuo masks tattooed on their arms before, and we saw one today at the theater. But isn't it obvious that a gang leader has a Nuo mask on his arm?"
Ye Xuanling continued, "The Sanqi Bounty Knight has traveled far and heard more than I have. She said that these Nuo masks are commonplace, carved on the hands or worn on the face to ward off evil spirits."
"If we can't tell the difference, how can we prove that people with Nuo masks are connected to the Five Elements Human Sacrifice? That squad leader has it on his arm." Thousands of questions were brewing in her mind. "One last question, Ji Yan, should I trust you?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com