A master of metaphysics is farming.

The night was cold and windy, and Xiang He wore a thick cotton coat, wrapping herself up tightly.

They were walking along a path at night, the lanterns hanging high on the houses were extinguished, adding to the desolation of the path.

Just after turning a corner into a small alley, I heard a noisy commotion.

They arrived at the main street of the city. Liangcheng was larger than Shuiyuncheng and had a river and a dock, making it much more lively at night than Shuiyuncheng.

Looking at the crowds coming and going on the main street, Xiang He couldn't help but sigh, "The night market at the end of the year is quite lively."

"The same should be true in Shuiyun City right now."

It was indeed quite lively. It's rare to see such a lively atmosphere at night during the day. During the Lunar New Year, everyone likes to release lanterns and parade through the streets. She also enjoyed the parade with everyone.

If a city is this lively, imagine how much more fun it must be in the capital.

Xiang He looked around, "Which way should we go?"

The night sky reflects ten colors onto faces as He Suan strolls leisurely, saying, "Don't rush, just take your time."

The three were indeed wandering around, while the people around them chatted and laughed happily, and children carried lanterns as they passed by, creating a lively scene.

"Be careful."

He stepped in front of her to block her, and the two children nearly bumped into her.

He leaned a little close, and Xiang He steadied herself by shifting her weight. "Thank you."

The three walked for a while longer, but unexpectedly, He Suian led her to the main gate of the yamen. The gate was closed and there were no yamen guards, and there was no sound of night patrols around.

Xiang He looked up at He Suian, who walked straight to the main road. After passing through the main road and seeing no crowd, he passed an open mansion gate. A carriage hurriedly stopped, and before Xiang He could see it clearly, He Suian led him into a side alley.

Just as their figures disappeared at the alley entrance, the people in the carriage got off, frowned and stared intently at where they were hiding. After a short while, they hurried towards the gate of the mansion.

The three people hidden in the alley remained silent for a moment before continuing to walk along the path.

They were now positioned outside the house. Not far away, they could hear singing and dancing coming from inside, with beautiful women laughing charmingly and men praising them with hearty laughter.

Hearing this extravagant sound, Xiang He smirked, "Whose residence is this...?"

"Magistrate Liu."

His helpless expression suddenly turned serious as he walked towards the source of the sound. "The bridge hasn't been built yet, but they're indulging in revelry in their mansion all night long."

They don't even repair the bridges during the New Year, yet every night they're surrounded by soft, fragrant women in their arms, their ears filled with the sweet songs of orioles.

Xiang He finally understood He Suian's feelings, why he couldn't even care about the date of the exam, and was determined to find out the filth in it.

Seeing her gloomy expression, He Sui'an stepped forward a few paces and said, "Come with me."

The three walked around the outer wall for a while longer, when they heard hurried footsteps coming from inside. A man's voice was humble and respectful, "Why does Your Excellency come to the manor so late at night? You should have informed me first, and I would have come to greet you personally..."

"This bridge isn't even finished yet, and you're already singing loudly every night?! Do you want me to be criticized and have my reputation shattered?!"

"What are you saying, sir! No one dares to repair that bridge, and I haven't even found a reliable sorcerer yet..."

The official, who had been speaking loudly, slammed his fist on the table. "What nonsense about gods and ghosts! You may have embezzled before, but this time you've ruined the bridge! Get someone to repair it immediately, or even I won't be able to protect you if this gets out of hand!"

"But...but none of the craftsmen dare to go! There are only a few people who know how to repair bridges, and they all say...they all say they saw it!"

"boom"!

The loud slamming of the table startled Xiang He, and the cursing continued from inside, "Bullshit! Either you send someone to settle this tonight, or you can forget about this official position! Plenty of people would love to take it!"

Suddenly, a "thump" was heard, indicating that the magistrate had knelt down. "Yes, yes! This humble official will immediately arrange for someone to search! And also order someone to check under the bridge..."

After a long silence in the room, the official's voice came again, "Has that woman been dealt with?"

"It was resolved a long time ago..."

Upon hearing this, Xiang He's heart skipped a beat. She quickly looked up at He Sui'an, and with just one glance, her expression hardened as she stared at what was behind him.

Xing Ji's figure moved faster than her eyes, and in just a few steps she caught the person hiding in the shadows.

He Sui'an turned to look at the person with her and saw that Xing Ji was covering the person's mouth and nose and dragging him in front of her. The person's eyes were full of hostility.

He was an older man with graying temples, looking weathered by life. He Suian simply raised his index finger and led the group out of the alley to a secluded spot.

Xiang He glanced at the house, recalled what they had just said, and came up with a plan.

"I'm going to the bottom of the bridge. You guys handle things yourselves here."

Without asking, He Sui'an knew what she was thinking, so he didn't stop her. He simply told her, "Be careful in everything. You can have Da Chun come and inform me."

"Okay," Xiang He glanced at the uncle, "You two speak properly, don't frighten the uncle."

Upon hearing this, He Suian frowned. "Am I that kind of rude person?"

"Knowing you're so polite, I'm leaving now."

Xiang He ran away without asking a single question, leaving He Suian and Xing Ji to watch over the uncle.

"you are?"

Xing Ji released his grip, and the middle-aged man looked at him warily. "Who are you!"

"He's just a scholar on his way to take the imperial examination, but I overheard some interesting conversation earlier. Do you know the details, sir?"

-

-

The evening breeze brushed against my temples and cooled my cheeks.

Xiang He remembered the route he took that day and ran quickly. After leaving the city gate, he ran to the bridge. It was pitch black at night, and there were no officials on duty. Only the fence was left to prevent people from accidentally entering.

After running all that way, Xiang He was panting heavily and used the large umbrella to catch her breath.

A dark shadow flashed past, and Xiang He patted lightly with his empty hand, "Second, Second Xia... what did you find down there?"

Erxia drifted straight, her lightless eyes staring at the water below. "There are indeed yin entities underwater, but they don't cause any trouble, only releasing yin energy at night..."

After finally catching her breath, Xiang He took a deep breath, stretched her legs and straightened her back, and looked into the distance at the river, where starlight was reflected and the river meandered in the wind.

During the day, there was not a trace of yin energy, but now the scent of moss wafted to my nose.

It wasn't a good place to meet up here. Xiang He took the large umbrella, lifted her skirt, and walked down. Er Xia quickly stood by her side to protect her, afraid that she would slip and fall.

"Don't worry, it didn't rain today, so the ground isn't slippery."

The slope wasn't slippery, and with the large umbrella in my hand providing occasional support, I successfully reached the bottom of the bridge.

The yin energy wasn't so strong up there, but it gradually became clearer under the bridge, rolling like waves.

As she approached the broken bridge, she was enveloped by the dense yin energy that had been there, as if it were preventing her from getting closer.

Erxia had already drawn her sword; it was the sword that Xiang He had given them, which could not kill people but could kill ghosts.

He remained wary of anything underwater, while Xiang He simply patted the back of his hand lightly. "I didn't sense any hostility from them, so they probably won't attack us; they're just trying to drive us away."

"It's better to be careful."

“Hmm,” Xiang He stopped and looked at the water in front of him, saying, “I am a cultivator. You can tell me what grievances you have, shall we?”

The water was completely still and calm.

Xiang He wasn't in a hurry. He softened his expression and acted friendly. "I'm not someone sent by the county government. The ghosts around me can talk to you."

The water remained calm. Xiang He was patient and looked around before finding a place to sit down. "I'm not in a hurry. You can say what you want to say when you want to."

The water, from which nothing could be seen, shimmered with an eerie light.

After a long silence, hurried footsteps came from above, sounding like many people.

The calm water surface suddenly rippled with small circles. Xiang He stood up, dusted off her skirt, and turned to face the county magistrate in his official robes.

Lord Liu was utterly astonished. "Who...who are you! Are you a human or a ghost?!"