An Oriental Odyssey

"What's going on?" Yuan An furrowed her brows and looked at Zhao Lanzhi.

"Wait a moment, Young Master Ye. I have a question that I wanted to ask you yesterday."

"Please, go ahead."

"How did you come up with the idea that Ruyue died from inhaling hallucinogenic drugs? Did you think of it yourself, or did someone tell you?"

Yuan An shifted her eyes, thinking it was something the old guy hidden in her family's basement hinted at. But of course, she couldn't tell Zhao Lanzhi about it. So, she smiled and replied, "I read books. They have everything in them."

"Oh? Which book?"

Yuan An felt displeased, letting go of Zhao Lanzhi's hand and turning away, pretending to be nonchalant. "What are you doing? Interrogating a suspect? I read it in Han Dynasty strange stories. In one of the tales, called... I can't recall the exact title, it described a similar incident. Someone poisoned another using a drug. That's where I got the idea."

"I see. Young Master Ye, you are indeed lucky. You encounter a problem, and with just a random strange story, you figure out the solution. I wish I had such luck when investigating cases in the future."

"Hmph!" Yuan An coldly chuckled. "Your martial skills are good, but you should read more books too. Now show me the ledger!"

Before Yuan An could finish speaking, a sudden gust of wind rose on the lake. The ferry shook violently, the horses became restless, neighing loudly. Zhao Lanzhi grabbed the reins of the horses, but Yuan An slipped and fell to the floor. Zhao Lanzhi tossed the horses aside and rushed to help Yuan An, but then the ferry hit a reef and violently shook. All the wooden planks scattered, and both Zhao Lanzhi and Yuan An, along with the ferryman and the horses, fell into the water, struggling.

Yuan An was not good at swimming, she was just a half-baked swimmer who could barely stay afloat in a pond. Facing such a powerful river, she was in grave danger. Zhao Lanzhi grabbed Yuan An's collar with one hand and swam with the other, finally pulling her to the shore. Then, he turned back to rescue the ferryman and the horses.

After struggling for some time, the three people and two horses finally made it to the shore, still trembling with fear.

The ferryman was a straightforward man, now at a loss, "Oh dear, it was all fine, how did the planks scatter like this during the crossing?"

Yuan An got up and picked up one of the floating planks that drifted ashore. She saw some tied ropes that hadn't been washed away by the water, the cuts were neat. She gritted her teeth in anger, "The ropes were cut! Someone has plotted against us!"

Zhao Lanzhi wrung the water out of his clothes, "Fortunately, we weren't far from the shore; otherwise, we might not have survived."

"Hmph! The more someone schemes against me, the more determined I am to find them! The ledger, where's the ledger?"

Zhao Lanzhi patted his body, looking alarmed, "Oh no, it's gone!"

Yuan An was infuriated and jumped up, pointing at Zhao Lanzhi, "What? The ledger is gone? You! You! Did you lose it yourself?!"

Zhao Lanzhi said, "It might have fallen into the river just now when I was busy saving you. What could I have done?"

Yuan An pointed at him, "Get in! Jump in right now and find it for me! What? You won't go? Fine, I will!"

After saying this, Yuan An was about to jump into the river, but Zhao Lanzhi grabbed her from behind, "The water is still rising, are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

"You mind your own business!"

"If you want to die, don't die in front of me!"

Zhao Lanzhi was furious and pulled her collar, firmly keeping her in place. He looked at her as if she were a monster, "Are you insane? You almost drowned just now, don't you know? And now you want to jump into the water again? What are you trying to accomplish with such recklessness?"

Yuan An struggled to break free from Zhao Lanzhi's grip but couldn't. Feeling her blood boiling, her eyes were about to pop out, "Zhao Lanzhi! You are the one who's insane! You gave me three days, and I only have one day left! I only have one day left!"

"Don't you understand? There are powerful people behind this! People with great abilities! Stop meddling in this matter!," Zhao Lanzhi also yelled.

Yuan An screamed, "Stop meddling? You say it so easily! There is a life on the line in that ledger! A life just like yours and mine! A human life!"

The two confronted each other, shouting until their throats were hoarse. Yuan An's eyes widened, furious, just like an enraged calf. Zhao Lanzhi watched her for a while, finally letting go of his hands, "Let's go. Stop causing a scene here. The current is strong, and we won't find the ledger anymore. Go back home."

Yuan An was exhausted, feeling deeply regretful. She swayed unsteadily while standing up, turned around, and wiped her eyes harshly.

Zhao Lanzhi knew she was crying and couldn't bear to see it. "Hey, wait, Young Master Ye, I'll, I'll take you back..."

Yuan An stopped in her tracks, her back facing Zhao Lanzhi. He thought she would turn around, but instead, she spat to the side, then grabbed a horse and rode away.

Zhao Lanzhi watched her go and then took out the soaking wet ledger from his clothes. The evidence he worked so hard to find was still there, the ink smeared by the water, but he could still see the names and numbers. Among them was the name of an old friend.

That old friend woke up at dusk.

His throat was dry as he called out softly for a person's name, "Ruyue, Ruyue, bring me some water."

No one answered.

He turned around, pondering for a while before finally recalling that the beautiful dancer he spent so much time with had passed away.

How did they start?

He had always been a noble and refined young man, respected and admired by many. However, some cousins of similar age joked that he hadn't seen the world and insisted on taking him to the pleasure den for some fun. It was there he saw Ruyue in the splendid Qianduan Pavilion. She danced a Hu dance, twirling so many times at the climax that it left people dizzy, and the audience cheered loudly. After the dance, she fell to the ground, her face to the sky, tears streaming down her cheeks, so beautiful, so sad. The guests were puzzled by Ruyue's sudden sorrow, but he understood. So, he played a tune on the zither, touching everyone present. Later, on a boat, he draped his robe over Ruyue and gently said, "Life is but a dream, who isn't lonely?"