Song Yihuan deliberately changed her voice. She took out the prescription from her sleeve and handed it to the female doctor, saying, "I'm actually feeling quite well. I have this prescription here. I'd like to ask the doctor what illness it's for."
The female doctor took the prescription and unfolded it. Her complexion changed slightly. When she looked up, she seemed hesitant to speak.
Looking around, the female doctor said to Song Yihuan, "Miss, please follow me."
Through the gauze curtain, Song Yihuan couldn't clearly see the expression on the female doctor's face. But she keenly sensed something unusual from the doctor's solemn tone. She got up and followed the female doctor to a small room at the back of the medical clinic.
After closing the door, the female doctor turned around and looked at Song Yihuan, asking, "May I ask where you got this prescription, Miss? And who is the one taking this medicine?"
Hearing the female doctor's question, Song Yihuan clenched her sleeve, calmed her nerves, and replied, "I picked up this prescription by accident. I don't know who is taking the medicine. I'm just curious, so I came to the medical clinic to inquire. I thought that if it's a prescription for a serious illness, I'll try my best to find the owner and return it."
The female doctor let out a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. This prescription doesn't treat any serious illness, but for a woman, it's equivalent to an incurable disease, enough to make a woman in great pain."
Song Yihuan knew that Song Nanxin had continuous vaginal bleeding and couldn't conceive, which could really make a woman suffer. But the next words from the female doctor made Song Yihuan feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave. The warmth in her hands and feet instantly faded.
"This prescription is for treating a woman's continuous lochia after a miscarriage. Look at this herb and this one. Besides stopping the lochia, this prescription can also treat female infertility."
Miscarriage? Continuous lochia?
This was the real reason why her elder sister couldn't conceive, not because she caught a cold after falling into the river during her menstrual period!
Song Yihuan didn't know how she left the medical clinic. The July sun shone on her body, suddenly making her shiver. When the gentle breeze blew, she found that she was covered in cold sweat.
She was bumped into by a passer - by. The pedestrian cursed, "Get out of the way! Don't stand here blocking the road."
Song Yihuan steadied the veil hat on her head, took a deep breath, and quickly left the Western Market.
In Yongning Alley in the south of the capital city, there had been no rain in the capital recently, but there were many puddles in Yongning Alley. From time to time, common people could be seen shuttling through. Everyone would accidentally splash some muddy water when passing by the puddles.
At this moment, two figures were following the village head of Shangyangfang towards the depths of the alley.
The man on the left was nearly six feet tall. His figure was as tall and straight as a pine tree. His broad shoulders were reliable. His steps were steady and elegant, but his overall demeanor carried a killing aura, making people instinctively feel in awe of him.
The man on the right, although not as tall as the one on the left, was still outstanding among men. He was wearing a red official robe, and every gesture of his carried a scholarly air.
However, although they were walking together, there was a great distance between them. From beginning to end, they didn't have any eye contact. They looked like strangers.
These two men were Ji Lingchuan and Gu Yunzheng.
It had been seven days since they started investigating the case where several women were killed overnight. Ji Lingchuan and the yamen had been working together for a long time but still hadn't found any clues.
What was most hateful was that the murderer seemed to know that the yamen was ordering his arrest. He provocatively killed two more people and left a notice in the yamen saying that he would kill another person within three days. This not only made the people in the city panic but also gave the yamen a big headache.
It was Ji Lingchuan who, when looking through the case files, noticed that there were mentions of water stains and moss near the corpses in all the files. He judged that the murderer had sneaked into the victims' homes through the city's waterways to commit the crimes, and only then did the case make a breakthrough.
The village head Wen in front bent his body slightly and said to the two men behind him very respectfully, "He lives in House No. 223 in Yongning Alley. He has been running a small noodle stall on a painted pleasure - boat all year round and knows many boatmen. But recently, the business of the painted pleasure - boats has been bad, so he has become a bricklayer. He hasn't been selling noodles on the painted pleasure - boats for a while. You two adults come at a good time. He's resting today, so you're sure to see him."
Ji Lingchuan didn't say a word. It was Gu Yunzheng beside him who said gently, "Thank you, Village Head. If we can get clues and solve the case, the yamen will surely remember your contribution."
Village Head Wen couldn't close his mouth with a smile, but he didn't dare to be too flamboyant. He said, "It's my honor to serve you two adults."
Before long, the village head led Ji Lingchuan and Gu Yunzheng to a half - open door. As they got closer, they could faintly hear the sound of wood - planing coming from inside.
Village Head Wen raised his hand and knocked on the door ring, shouting, "Old Qi, Old Qi, are you at home? I have something to talk to you about!"
The sound of wood - planing suddenly stopped. Then they heard a sound of footsteps approaching the door. The door was pulled open from the inside, revealing a rather strong middle - aged man. His skin was dark, and he had a bushy beard on his face. He was wearing a blue short - sleeved coarse cloth shirt. There was a lot of sweat on his forehead and face, and his eyes were bright.
The moment he saw the man, Ji Lingchuan's pupils suddenly shrank, and his eyebrows instinctively knitted together.
It was him! That man who had made Song Yihuan show a bright smile in the market!
Ji Lingchuan's gaze carried a bit of scrutiny and oppression, which Qi Lei immediately felt. He couldn't help but look at Ji Lingchuan too. This glance made him secretly surprised.
The man in front of him was handsome and imposing. Although his attire was extremely simple, his overall demeanor was extraordinary. His shoulders and arms clearly showed that he was very strong. That was not the temperament of an ordinary person.
Why would such a noble person appear outside his door?
Although Qi Lei was just a commoner, he had lost his beloved and had a natural hostility towards the powerful and the noble. But in just a blink of an eye, Qi Lei and Ji Lingchuan's gazes clashed.
Finally, Qi Lei took a step back and withdrew his gaze. He put on a cautious look and asked Village Head Wen, "Village Head Wen, this is..."
Village Head Wen didn't notice the undercurrent between Ji Lingchuan and Qi Lei. He said with a smile, "Old Qi, let me introduce these two gentlemen to you first. These two are Lord Ling and Lord Gu from the yamen."
Then he turned around and pointed at the man, saying, "You two adults, this is Old Qi, Qi Lei, the one I told you about."
Qi Lei promptly bowed with his hands clasped in front of him to Ji Lingchuan and Gu Yunzheng and said, "I'm Qi Lei, a commoner. I pay my respects to you two adults."
"Qi Lei." Ji Lingchuan opened his lips and pronounced Qi Lei's name. His gaze was deep and cold. "Get up."
Qi Lei straightened up. Village Head Wen looked behind Qi Lei and said, "It's not convenient to talk outside. How about we go inside?"
Qi Lei quickly stepped aside and bowed, saying, "You two adults, Village Head, please come in quickly."