Waves/5【Edit】
In a split second, countless possibilities raced through Ye Xuanling's mind. Being struck and killed by this carriage was too bizarre. Could it be the work of the prefectural government? But they had no motive for committing a crime; they wouldn't resort to such a desperate measure just because a clerk on leave was looking through documents.
A thought flashed through Ye Xuanling's mind, her eyelashes trembled, and her face showed uneasiness. The thing in her heart twisted and grew dark rapidly.
Is it because everyone in Anping County has to die?
Ye Xuanling's breathing quickened at the thought, and she couldn't catch her breath. Fear and panic surged over her like a devastating avalanche, the sky and the earth tumbling in a rush. Her mind was filled with the image of Anping, a mountain of corpses.
She calmly responded to Siliu's question: "Sister, I don't know you."
The things in front of her eyes were dim and distorted. She closed her eyes and tried to hold on to the red brick wall next to her.
"Miss Ye, shall we go back?" Sanqi walked through the crowd and helped Ye Xuanling up.
Ye Xuanling didn't say anything but just nodded. A layer of cold sweat covered her forehead. She closed her eyes and rested for a while before returning to the inn with Sanqi.
"Miss Ye, are you familiar with that person?" Sanqi placed the sword on the wooden table and sat next to Ye Xuanling.
Ye Xuanling's pupils moved slightly: "No."
She lied again. She wasn't sure if she could trust Sanqi. But she didn't act like someone unfamiliar. After a pause, she added, "But he does look like a friend of mine."
"Then why don't you train with me now, Miss Ye? If there's something important to do, we can do it as soon as possible." Sanqi stood up with the help of the table and put the sword back to his chest.
"Sanqi, will you always follow me from now on?"
"Yes, always."
"What did Liu Wen do to deserve this kind of gratitude?" Ye Xuanling bit her lip, a mixture of emotions. She sat still at the table, her mind still replaying the events of the moment. "You..." Do you have other motives, or did someone send you here? However, she didn't say the rest of the sentence out loud. She looked at Sanqi, waiting for her answer.
"Miss Ye, I've already said that Liu Wen once saved my life, and I have no way to repay him."
"How was it saved?"
Ye Xuanling knew her words were too blunt, but she absolutely couldn't keep someone of unknown origin around, even if it was someone Liu Wen introduced to be her teacher. Nothing was more important than life.
After a long silence, Sanqi sighed, "Miss Ye, don't worry about my identity. I'm just a man of the Jianghu. That day, I was seriously poisoned. Fortunately, I met Liu Wen and got a herbal medicine to cure me."
"Forget it, let's go." Seeing she couldn't get any more out of her, Ye Xuanling didn't ask any more questions. She just felt like she was always suspicious of others. But that was absolutely true. If she wasn't careful, she could die under someone else's sword without even knowing it.
After lunch on the first floor, they found no open space nearby, only courtyards and streets. They found a martial arts school with a spacious interior and exterior, a perfect place to learn martial arts.
Ye Xuanling paid a few copper coins and borrowed the space for two hours. The waiter led the two of them to the backyard, where only a few people were present. Sanqi cautiously and carefully examined the weapons and knives on the shelf, wandering around.
"Miss Ye, pick one." Sanqi gestured to Ye Xuanling. "They don't have any particular uses. They're all pretty much the same. Pick one you like."
However, Ye Xuanling thought she was just teaching her some life-saving moves, but she didn't expect her to choose a weapon. "Sanqi, do I have to choose? It would be inconvenient for me to carry all these."
Looking at these spears, swords, and hammers, and then glancing at Ye Xuanling, it seemed to be true. However, if the newcomer was armed, she wouldn't stand a chance of winning. "Then choose two, and take a dagger as a close-quarters weapon. Just in case."
Sanqi was so incompetent that Ye Xuanling took a silver sword without a second thought, for no other reason than that she thought swordplay was cool. She took the sword off and called out, "Sanqi, from now on, you don't have to call me Miss Ye. Just call me Ye Xuanling."
Sanqi smiled and nodded slightly.
Ye Xuanling's physical condition wasn't great, but she was slender and agile. She could even imitate a few sword moves from what she remembered others doing. But her mind was elsewhere. Li Si's death was suspicious, and she planned to go to the provincial capital tonight to get the documents.
Seeing her panting, Sanqi told her to exercise first and improve her overall physical fitness before practicing swordplay. So Sanqi set a standard for her: to exercise every morning to improve her physical fitness.
Of course Ye Xuanling did not refuse. She just wanted to master her martial arts as quickly as possible, but she also knew that such things could not be rushed.
After two hours, her back and waist were sore. She pounded her waist, returned the sword and put it on the shelf.
"Sanqi, I won't buy a sword for now. I'll just buy a dagger." Ye Xuanling walked into the hall with Sanqi. "By the way, Sanqi, I won't be returning to the inn for now. I have something to attend to."
Sanqi's expression suddenly changed: "Where are you going?"
"Hey, I'm just going to the clinic to get some medicine. My waist hurts so much." Ye Xuanling smiled stiffly. Sensing the implication behind Sanqi's words, she pretended to be relaxed. "Don't worry, you can go back first."
After buying the dagger, Ye Xuanling pushed Sanqi towards the inn. She smiled and waved at her. Her eyes were as beautiful as the moon in the sky, bright and clear. She opened her red lips and said, "I'll be back soon. Don't worry about me!"
When he turned around, the raised lips immediately returned to their original state, and his eyes turned cold at this moment, with his eyebrows and eyes distant.
She hadn't gone to the clinic for back pain, but needed herbs to make a poison. While common herbs weren't toxic, conflicting properties could make them highly toxic. Having studied poisons and pharmacology alongside his master, he must have known exactly how to prepare the recipe.
But the truth behind Li Si’s death must be found out tonight.
The pharmacy needed a pharmacy to fill the medicine, but she could forge these things. However, the focus tonight was to get rid of Sanqi. At least let Sanqi know her actions and thoughts.
She hung the dagger at her waist, but it was too conspicuous, so she had to find a way to hide it.
The pharmacy dispensed two prescriptions, and no one suspected anything. He took them to a clothing store and bought a dark dress and a buckle. He fastened the buckle to his calf, wrapped the dagger in a cloth, and fastened it there, making it safe.
Everything is ready, take the things in hand and return to the inn.
Sanqi didn't share a room with her, which was a good thing; otherwise, she wouldn't know how to get rid of her. It was already late, and Ye Xuanling ordered the waiter to bring two simple meals upstairs. She wasn't sure if Sanqi wanted to eat with her, but she politely knocked on her door anyway.
"Sanqi, I ordered some food." The lights in the inn were bright, and the aroma of food from the first floor filled Ye Xuanling's nose. She was also hungry. "I'll eat and go to sleep first. Thank you for today."
After he finished speaking, Ye Xuanling heard Sanqi say "OK." She didn't say anything else. Taking advantage of this time, she returned to her room and took out the herbs from the medicine bag.
Although she had read a lot of poison books and pharmacology, she was not sensitive to poisons. The most important point was that Ye Qing did not allow her to make poisons.
Poison is not difficult to make, but the antidote is difficult to solve.
It is rare to see Ye Qing making poison. Only when the common people are poisoned by snake venom in the mountains will he make some to fight poison with poison.
Ye Qing walked over to Ye Xuanling with the pounded herbs. Ye Xuanling stared at the bowl of dark green medicine, her eyes unconsciously shifting away, her lips pursed. It was sticky and looked quite disgusting, like a bowl of snot.
"What's with that expression?" Ye Qing tapped her forehead with his index and middle fingers together. "Want a drink?"
She looked innocent, but revealed a look of disgust and speechlessness towards Ye Qing. She shook her head and waved her hands in panic: "No, no, no."
Ye Qing glanced at her and said nothing more. He found a wide bamboo strip, scraped some of the "big snot" out of the bowl, and gently applied it on the patient's leg.
"Be careful next time. This snake is very poisonous. Fortunately, you suppressed the spread of the toxin first." This is the last step. Apply the medicine externally and boil the dry herbs for internal use for a few days.
"Ye Xuanling, you too, must be careful in everything you do, otherwise you will die outside."
"No, Master, I don't want to die yet!!" Ye Xuanling winked and howled wildly with her face beaten into a ball.
"Whoosh!" A cool breeze blew in from the windows. Although Ye Xuanling had rarely seen a master making poisons, this little thing wasn't a problem for her. The waiter brought the food up, and Ye Xuanling silently ate a few bites before putting down her chopsticks, changing into her black robe, and going downstairs to borrow the small kitchen from the shopkeeper.
The owner of the small kitchen told her it wasn't often used, and Ye Xuanling felt relieved. The small kitchen did look a bit dated, its interior covered in dust and spiderwebs. There wasn't much firewood near the stove. Even though it was late at night, dusk enveloped Kanzhou, leaving not a single star in the darkness. Even the usually bright moon was hazy tonight, refusing to shed even a glimmer of light.
She still had plenty of time. She wasn't some skilled doctor, and these crude ingredients couldn't possibly produce a colorless and odorless poison.
After more than half an hour, Ye Xuanling used a discarded bamboo branch as a container for the drug, creating a cigarette. The remaining deadly drug was sealed in a jar.
The weather outside was just as she liked it. Aside from a few lights in the shops, the entire street was a blur of darkness. She blended into the night in her dark dress, heavy with lingering hatred.
The night watchmen at the yamen were about the same as during the day, so they tended to relax somewhat during this time. Ye Xuanling reminded herself to relax, but remained vigilant. She dodged the patrol's sight and leaped from the haystack against the back wall. From the nervousness and the exertion, Ye Xuanling breathed heavily, her face heaving slightly with each breath.
She didn't dare move, fearing that any noise would attract the attention of the police.
The provincial government office was not a place that ordinary people could enter for no reason. She had to first find out if there were any guests waiting in these rooms and where the secretarial office was.
She gently moved the rubble from the adjacent room and lowered her head, her eyelashes fluttering slightly with nervousness. A warm, yellowish light shone through the room, but the area she could see was limited. She leaned forward, surveying the room's layout.
"Click!" A slight sound behind her disrupted Ye Xuanling's thoughts. Her heart was beating like thunder and she turned around suddenly.
The night was dark and she couldn't see the man's eyes clearly. The breeze rustled the branches, and for a moment the faint light from the silver moon trembled!
Also dressed in black clothes and a face cloth, with his black hair tied into a ponytail, the man raised his hand slightly and placed his index finger on his lips, signaling Ye Xuanling not to speak.
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