In the Meilin courtyard, the door of the main room was closed again and locked tightly.
As the sound of certain footsteps faded away, silence returned to the courtyard.
Inside the main room, which is dimly lit and the door is closed.
Dust rippled quietly in the air.
On an Eight Immortals table covered with dust-proof cloth, in addition to extra envelopes, official seals, official uniforms and other items, there was also a pot of orchids hanging with nectar on the table. I don’t know when it was carried from the window sill. come over.
Clivia quietly faced the closed door in front of the Eight Immortals Table.
Everything is lonely and silent.
And the gray young figure in the distance put down his baggage and left alone, striding towards Dagushan without looking back.
…
"How are you doing? Are there any signs that you haven't woken up yet?"
In a certain official's house, in a heavily guarded courtyard, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a serious voice came into the house.
Beside the bed in the room where the unconscious prisoner was lying, several young police officers guarding him stood up and moved out of the way.
Yan Liulang came from outside with his hand on the handle of the knife and a solemn look on his face.
The young police officers gathered around and talked a lot:
"Not yet, Brother Six."
"Brother Six, since this demon girl suddenly vomited blood and fainted last time, we have tried every method, but there is still no movement. Is there no way to save her?"
"What are you talking about? Master Xie saved me from being in bed for half a month before I was still breathing. Now isn't this just spitting out blood? It's not a big problem. Don't make random decisions."
Yan Liulang frowned slightly and scolded the subordinates on his left and right.
Without Ouyang Rong, Yan Liulang's style seemed to be that of a different person. He looked serious and business-like, which made his subordinates fear and admire him.
As for the reason for the change, it may be that the seniority has gradually changed from "Xiao Liu" and "Liu Lang" in Ouyang Rong's mouth to "Sixth Brother" and "Sixth Master" in the mouth of his subordinates.
After asking the young police officer about the current situation of the sick prisoner, Yan Liulang frowned slightly and sent everyone away to guard the hospital.
There were only two people left in the house.
Yan Liulang stood on the bedside and looked down at the dying Jade Immortal on the bed.
The palm of your hand on the handle is kneaded and released for a while.
There seemed to be a brief hesitation.
Yan Liulang looked out the window and nodded gently:
"It's a long night and many dreams. It's better to inform Miss Xie. It seems that this matter needs to be handled by Miss Xie. The longer we delay, the greater the risk. What if this witch suspect dies... eh."
With a melancholy look on his face, he silently put his hand into his arms, then took out a pale green jade pendant, lowered his head and muttered:
"Miss Xie also told her before she left that if there is an emergency or accident here, she should immediately smash this psychic jade pendant infused with some of her spiritual energy, so that she can sense it from thousands of miles away and return quickly..."
I do not know how long it has been.
On the bedside where the Jade Fairy was unconscious, the blue-robed detective disappeared, and several young detectives returned to take care of her.
On the coffee table next to the bed, at some point, there was a small pile of broken jade.
The sharp-eyed detective among them turned his head curiously.
I saw fragments of a jade pendant on the coffee table, pure white in color.
The green has faded.
…
This official ship, which sailed from Longcheng County, Jiangzhou, was not very conspicuous in a section of the Xunyang River where water transport merchants were busy.
At least not as eye-catching as the magnificent fleet that carried the Luoyang envoys not long ago.
On the river where the wind and waves were blowing suddenly and slowly, ships occasionally passed by official ships, attracting the attention of some passers-by. At most, they only attracted a few speculations and murmurs about the status of the ship's owner.
These mutterings were quickly blown away by the noisy river wind.
Traveling in this era is actually very boring. This is when water transportation is the fastest. If traveling by land, it is normal to travel for several months and half a year.
On the river, the early morning mist had just been blown away by the morning breeze, and the new morning sun had just risen. On the bow deck, a group of boatmen gathered to catch fish, chat and chat.
An old boatman vividly told the story of how he accidentally overheard and saw the jealous concubines of the feudal official in his eighteenth room when he was working as a boatman on the boat of a certain Lingnan feudal official who had left his post and returned to Beijing.
The other boatmen, who had dark faces and rough skin blown by the river wind, listened with great interest.
Occasionally, a few maids and guards from Meiluyuan who passed by the deck stopped to enjoy the breeze, looking intently at the river view, quietly listening, and collecting gossip.
But at this moment, there was a sound of a door being pushed from a main cabin not far away.
The fishermen, maids and guards who gathered around seemed to have received some kind of signal. Their faces became solemn, and they turned around and left without saying a word. They dispersed, each doing their own thing and sticking to their posts.
They didn't even look at the location where the sound of the door opening came from, as if they were very familiar with the signal.
Sure enough, after a while, the familiar figure of the "young county magistrate" appeared on the deck and walked towards the bow of the ship.
The young magistrate wore a long sword at his waist and circled the ship, his face indifferent and silent.
This appearance of not allowing others to enter made the surrounding boatmen, maids and guards afraid to talk to each other. Everyone was immersed in doing their jobs, moving lightly, as if they were afraid of accidentally making a big noise and attracting the attention of this handsome young man. The officials looked sideways.
It has been more than two days since the official ship set off from Longcheng County.
Everyone on the boat discovered by chance that the county magistrate, who was returning home on leave, seemed to be in a bad mood, and they didn't know if it was because of seasickness.
In the past two days, he said no more than ten sentences in total.
Moreover, the county magistrate spent most of his time in the main cabin, closed in, seemingly immersed in a book.
There are only two times in the morning and evening. I will go out, look around the boat with a straight face, and then bring some food back to the house.
In this regard, no one dared to come forward to disturb.
Even Miss Ye, who heard that she was the county magistrate's personal maid, could not enter the main cabin even once.
Only when the county magistrate went out for inspection twice in the morning and evening, and took advantage of the opportunity of delivering meals, could he say hello and talk to him.
But the county magistrate also cherished his words like gold.
With the male host in such a state, the atmosphere on the entire ship was naturally quite serious.
The same is true now.
I saw the county magistrate wearing the familiar and meticulous official uniform. He inspected the official ship with a straight face. He stood on the bow of the ship and blew the river breeze for a while. He disappeared in front of the main ship's cabin door and continued to read behind closed doors. .
Everyone who peeked out of the corner of their eyes suddenly looked relieved and looked at each other. Well, let’s continue fishing. The next time we come out will be in the evening.
Ye Weilai was wearing a moon-white dress, and her waist-length silver hair was tied up with a jade hairpin. Her small face was covered by a thin white gauze, and she came to the main cabin with a plate of breakfast in her hand.
She stood in front of the door happily, glanced at the closed door, and whispered:
"Tanlang, it's time to eat."
A steady voice came from inside the door: "Put it on the table outside the door."
"Yes." Ye Weilai glanced at the door, then bent down and put down her breakfast.
The silver-haired girl turned away and went to greet the maids to work.
What Ye Weilai and everyone on the ship didn't know was that there was no sign of Ouyang Rong in the main cabin at this moment.
There was only a dull man sitting at the table, with a serious face, and nervously holding a bronze animal mask in his right hand.
When he heard Miss Ye's footsteps outside finally disappearing, the man let out a long sigh.
Liu Ashan lowered his head, glanced at the bronze beast face, then looked at the moonlight sword on the table, and shook his head with a sigh.
In the past few days, he has been pretending to act according to the master's instructions. At the moment, it seems that there are no flaws.
The moonlight sword was given to him by the master before he left, saying that it could look more like it.
As for the Mirage Mask, according to the master, after the master collected his qi machine and operated it, Liu Ashan can use it for a short time. As for outsiders, they can’t use it even if they get it.
Even so, Liu Ashan did not wear the mask all day long. He only wore it briefly when he went out for patrols in the morning and evening, and took it off as soon as he returned to the cabin.
Because he heard the master say that this thing needs to be supplemented with some special aura that only the master possesses.
So Liu Ashan thought that he could save some spiritual energy and only wear it when necessary. After all, the distance is still far. What if he wears it for a long time and uses up all his spiritual energy?
Recalling Miss Ye's tone just now, Liu Ashan nodded and said to himself:
"The master is still smart and thoughtful. He told Miss Ye some things in advance before boarding the ship. After boarding the ship, I found an excuse to study behind closed doors. Miss Ye didn't doubt it. She probably thought it was because the master was in a bad mood..."
Liu Ashan was a little panicked at first, but after two days of observation, Miss Ye has been in a stable mood and has a normal schedule, without any abnormalities.
Liu Ashan touched his growling stomach, lowered his head and put on his mask.
Immediately, a "young county magistrate" in official uniform stood up in front of the table, walked to the door and listened carefully. When no one was passing by outside, he quickly opened and closed the door and took in the dinner plate.
"Is it the longan, lotus seed and eight-treasure porridge again? It's the same as yesterday and the day before yesterday...it seems that I like it. Miss Ye is really considerate to me."
Liu Ashan looked at the hot porridge and pickled mustard on the plate with curiosity, nodded and mumbled.
He was not picky about food, and he immediately started eating with a happy face.
Speaking of which, Liu Ashan had never had such a fine breakfast. Only a scholar like Ouyang Rong could afford it. He was just a rough man, but now he was enjoying the glory.
After finishing the meal like a gulp, Liu Ashan looked a little guilty.
After half an hour, he quickly opened the door and placed the dinner plate on the table outside the door.
After doing this, Liu Ashan looked back at the empty room. He couldn't read, so he was naturally bored, so he went to bed and fell asleep.
Liu Ashan, who was trapped by the shaking hull, didn't know that not long after he put the dinner plate outside the door, a slender figure in a white dress appeared.
Ye Weilai lowered her head and looked at the porridge bowl that was completely eaten again. She turned around and left with the plate in hand.
I don't know if it was because of the shaking of the ship's hull, but Ye Weilai's body was also swaying, her steps staggered, and she stumbled away.
On the deck, the little maid who was bumped into by her looked timid and apologized first. Then the maid looked stunned, looked up curiously at the back of the silver-haired girl who did not look back, and muttered...
In a daze, Liu Ashan vaguely heard the "bang bang bang" knock on the door, accompanied by a commotion outside:
"It's not good, it's not good, sir! Miss Ye is missing. We searched around for three times but there is no one!"
Liu Ashan suddenly woke up, jumped out of bed, rushed out halfway, turned around, put on his mask, grabbed his sword, and rushed out of the door.
"This is where?"
Liu Ashan frowned and pointed at the bustling dock where the official ship was docked for rest.
"It's Xunyang Ferry in Jiangzhou." The boatman whispered.
Liu Ashan stared at the busy pier and lamented:
"No, Miss Ye saw through me, got off the boat and ran away. Are you going back to find me?"
Ignoring the boatmen and maids who were stunned and confused after hearing this, Liu Ashan immediately set off to rush off the official ship and pursue the person looking for the needle in the haystack.
But at this time, an old boatman approached with a slightly strange look and said:
"Master, we found someone."
Liu Ashan was stunned, asked more questions, turned around and rushed to the bottom cargo hold.
After entering, I took a closer look and saw a lonely, slender silver figure among a pile of luggage.
Ye Weilai leaned against a large wooden box, her delicate body curled into a ball, and her loose silver hair hanging to the ground.
Liu Ashan glanced at the slightly familiar large wooden box, which seemed to contain the master's books, clothes and bedding.
"You..." He hesitated.
"You are not Tan Lang." Ye Weilai suddenly choked up and spoke.
She shed tears and shook her head vigorously at Liu Ashan, who was stuck in his movements:
"I hate longan and longan, and I don't like eating longan, lotus seed and eight-treasure porridge. You ate it for three days in a row and the bowl was clean, but there was no reaction."
Liu Ashan:......
He sighed and was speechless for a long time. He took off his mask and lowered his head in guilt: "Miss Ye, it's me..."
Ye Weilai was not surprised by this. She curled up and hugged her knees, burying her head, as if she had cried violently, her shoulders were still twitching, and her voice was hoarse:
"Brother Ah Shan, don't worry, I won't run away...I won't sneak back again."
Liu Ashan breathed a sigh of relief silently, looked at the silver-haired girl who was crying, and suddenly felt at a loss.
He turned around and borrowed a handkerchief from the maid and handed it to her.
Ye Weilai didn't answer, turned a deaf ear and tightened her arms.
Only then did Liu Ashan realize that Miss Ye was holding a pile of books that the master had read and the Confucian shirt and undergarments that the master had worn.
At this moment, I saw Ye Weilai looking down at the crumpled books and clothes in her arms, her face was haggard and miserable, and she whispered in a daze:
"He's leaving. I know that. Tanlang is leaving. He can't deceive me... He's going to a place where he will never come back. Brother Ashan, Tanlang left so resolutely."
She laughed and cried.
Liu Ashan asked doubtfully: "Isn't the master busy with promotion and transfer? Why did he leave? Did Miss Ye misunderstand something?"
"No, the orchid on the window sill has not attracted his interest even though he has been promoted to a higher position. You don't understand him..."
"But where is Master going?"
"I don't know where he is going, but I know that Tanlang is leaving. I can see that he is preparing to say goodbye to us forever. I thought he was sending me back to Nanlong, but I didn't expect that it was... Brother Ashan is here..."
Ye Weilai murmured in a low voice, tilted her white-haired head slightly, and looked out the porthole, her little face was blank, and at a certain moment she suddenly asked:
"Brother Ashan, can you do me one last favor?"
"Wha... what are you busy with?" Liu Ashan looked embarrassed.
Ye Weilai tried her best to wipe her face and eyes with the back of her hands, raised her head and showed a happy and carefree smile:
"Brother Ah Shan, don't worry. The slave family will listen to Tan Lang and not run away. They will return to their hometown to worship their ancestors. But brother Ah Shan, my heart hurts so much. It's strange. It hurts so much. Can you...can you go back to Longcheng now?" Yeah, try your best to stop him, your words are more effective than mine, okay, Brother Ashan, please..."
Liu Ashan and the girl with a few strands of silver hair on her lips looked at each other silently.
I don’t know how long it’s been.
There was a soft sigh in the cargo hold. Liu Ashan lowered his head, first put away the bronze mask solemnly, and then nodded in a muffled voice:
"Okay. Just be obedient and return home, Miss Ye. I will turn back right now. Relax, I may have misunderstood you."
"Did you misunderstand him..."
Ye Weilai looked out the window, tilted her head and smiled:
"The person you love the most and regard as your life no longer wants you, but you can no longer disobey his orders. You must walk away honestly and obediently, watching helplessly as he embarks on a journey that may never come back. , the most painful thing in the world is this, Brother Ashan, have you ever experienced this feeling?"
She poked her heart with her trembling index finger and asked with a smile.
Liu Ashan shook his head.
Ye Weilai hugged her knees and buried her face; Liu Ashan solemnly handed over his hand:
"Since Miss Ye is obedient and returns to her hometown, I'll leave first."
Ye Weilai didn't reply. She turned her face and stared at the waves outside the window, whispering as if she was dreaming:
"Go quickly, go quickly, it's too late..."
(End of chapter)
