A master of metaphysics is farming.

After traveling for three days, we stopped to rest in the villages we passed through, and the villagers were very hospitable and took us in.

They were heading towards Liangcheng. After walking along a mountain road, they came to the main road. It had been raining for three days, and the ground was so wet that every step turned into mud.

Xiang He was a little worried about her family. Although she didn't have to farm, the rain was still bothering her.

Amidst the commotion outside, Xiang He threaded the last strand through her hand and pulled it to form a safety buckle.

She examined it carefully to make sure there were no mistakes before tying it on.

He Sui'an reached out and took it, rubbing the safety buckle with his fingertips, and nodded with great satisfaction. "What happened outside?"

The carriage stopped, and Xing Ji leaned close to the curtain to speak in detail, “There seems to be something wrong with the bridge over there; officials are blocking the people from passing.”

Xiang He sat down and lifted the curtain, and could see the crowd not far away. They had turned from the mountain road and were surprised to find such a large river here. The bridge connected the two main roads and was one of the most important means of transportation.

Officials were stationed on both sides of the bridge to prevent people from crossing to the other side and to avoid accidents.

"The problem isn't on the bridge surface; it's probably under the bridge."

Hearing He Suian's voice, which was very close to her, Xiang He suddenly turned her head to look at him, almost brushing against his cheek, and quickly stepped back.

"Should we go down and take a look? Or should we continue on our way?"

He Sui'an turned around and got off the carriage. After getting off, he pulled the curtain and waited for Xiang He to get off.

Although Xiang He had doubts, she still got off the carriage and walked to the bridge to look out.

The locals nearby complained, "It's been several days! And it's still not fixed!"

"That's right! We have to take a detour to get there."

An older woman leaned closer and whispered, "I heard the magistrate keeps ignoring it, and it's no use urging him!"

"Didn't someone fall down because it broke down before?"

"That's why the magistrate has been preventing us from passing!"

Upon hearing this, Xiang He's eyebrows twitched as she looked at He Suian, "What do you know?"

"The bridge beam broke half a month ago. The county magistrate sent people to repair it, but it broke again after only half a day. This happened several times without success, so the people have been prohibited from passing through it."

"Did you deliberately take a detour this way?"

When asked this question, He Sui'an shook his head, "It just so happens that we are passing by. The small road above is not suitable for carriages, so we can only take the main road."

Seeing his calm expression, he gestured towards He with his chin, "Shall we go take a look?"

The two men pushed through the crowd and approached the bridge, where an official with a large sword at his waist blocked their way. "Didn't you see the bridge is closed? This bridge is dangerous and temporarily closed."

"Brother Cha, let's not cross the bridge, let's just see what's happening down below."

The officer looked visibly annoyed and pushed the two men aside one by one. "What if they fall? Stop looking and get out of here."

Seeing the official's cold face driving them away, the two exchanged a glance, turned around, left the crowd, and got into the carriage.

After walking a short distance away from the officials, they disembarked from the carriage and approached the riverbank. There were no fences on the road, so anyone could get off.

Looking into the distance, Xiang He could see two beams that were clearly broken, and no one was repairing them. Only government officials were guarding both ends, and the people either had to take a detour or wait.

"So what do you want to do now? Just come and take a look?"

"Advanced City".

Xiang He was slightly taken aback as he watched him leisurely board the carriage. He was certain that the man knew something and was just being mysterious.

Helpless, she could only follow along, wanting to see what He Suian was up to.

-

The carriage traveled quickly and soon arrived at the city gate of Liangcheng. The officials were checking the belongings of the people entering the city. When they saw a large carriage, they only glanced at it briefly before letting it pass.

Upon entering the city, they headed straight to the inn. The four of them strolled leisurely through the streets, eating as they went. They had been eating steamed buns the whole time they had been traveling for the past few days, and they were practically steamed buns themselves.

He Sui'an glanced at the oil paper and a few pieces of pastry in her hand, then at her bulging face, and a helpless smile appeared on his lips. "You really can eat..."

"Being able to eat is a blessing, would you like some?"

She was still chewing food when she generously held up the pastry. He Sui'an, as if possessed, picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. The sweet taste was different from what he usually ate, but he could still manage to eat it.

He continued eating as he walked, and unexpectedly, it had a unique flavor.

After finishing the pastries in his hand, He Sui'an led Xiang He towards the noisy area, saying, "Let's go sit down."

Xiang He, preoccupied with eating, didn't notice that they had arrived at the dock. Not far away, many strong men were carrying goods, and large ships were docked waiting to be loaded.

She turned around and looked back at the road she had come from, realizing how far she had come.

Liangcheng is located by the river, and there are many stalls around the dock, which are teahouses and taverns, providing resting places for boat passengers and workers.

Following He Sui'an, we sat down at a teahouse. Looking around, we saw that there were quite a few people sitting down. After all, it was afternoon, and most of them wanted to rest before going back to work.

They were sitting near a tavern, where several middle-aged men were drinking and cracking peanuts, talking loudly as if afraid the other person would be deaf and unable to hear them.

One of the men, a burly man with his feet scratched, tilted his head back and drank the wine in his bowl in one gulp, exhaling a large breath. "I think there must be something going on, otherwise half a month has passed and the bridge still hasn't been built."

Another middle-aged man sitting with him filled his glass and said, "Didn't they say it kept disconnecting? Why don't they change the work and just leave everyone waiting?"

Just then, the shopkeeper came over and put down a pot of wine, his mouth twitching mysteriously. "Don't you guys think there's something wrong with that old man's broken bridge? And someone fell off the bridge before, could it be..."

"Nonsense!" The burly man with his unkempt feet slapped the air with his rough hand. "Anyone who believes in that kind of nonsense is just a good-for-nothing who doesn't do anything!"

Listening to their discussion, Xiang He seemed to guess He Suian's purpose. Her eyes gleamed, and she lowered her head to blow on the steam from her tea.

"You think it's related to ghosts and monsters?"

He Sui'an's brow remained calm. "That's not entirely true, but there's definitely a problem with the county magistrate. Don't you find it strange that he hasn't found a solution after all this time?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang He couldn't help but frown. "Then what are you doing here? Do you want to take a boat to see under the bridge?"

"Take a trip?"

Xiang He suddenly looked up, her gaze meeting his smiling eyes, which clearly revealed that he was harboring wicked intentions.

With a helpless smile, he asked, "Is there still a boat route there...?"

Logically speaking, boats are usually not allowed to pass under a damaged bridge, for fear of accidents occurring when boats pass by.

He Sui'an remained silent, her gaze falling behind Xiang He. She turned around and saw Xing Ji, who had been nowhere to be seen, walking quickly towards her.

So he went to gather information...

As he walked over, bent down and leaned close to He Suian's ear, Xiang He stretched her neck and leaned closer.

"Young master, only merchant ships can pass during the day. A ship will arrive in half an hour."

"..."

I thought I was going to hear some secrets, but it turns out they just came to report something...

With utter helplessness, Xiang He stood up. "Let's go then, let's get on the boat and get used to it first." She pulled her coat tighter around herself for warmth. "Where's Zhu Nan?"

"They went somewhere else."

He was so busy eating and drinking that he forgot his two guards were secretly doing their work.

He Suian followed closely beside her, and the three of them walked toward the boatman who had greeted them. The boat was already loaded with a lot of goods, and some people were sitting at the bow waiting to set off.

Xiang He lowered her head; beneath her feet was the rope board for boarding the boat. "We're not going to disembark at the next dock, are we? This round trip takes quite a while..."

"If a boat comes back halfway, just jump over it."

Xiang He looked up in surprise. He Suian had already stepped onto the platform and was smiling gently as he reached out to help her.

"You're so decisive... I like it!"

Xiang He placed her hand on He Suian's head, and He Suian's surprise disappeared as she turned away, a smile playing on her lips.