Su Tingyu quickly got a clue.
After she finished the dreaming operation, she said to Qin Shaoyou and Qin Qiaoer: "There are several farmers outside the city who have met Xue Xiaobao, Xu Ba'an and others. Because they all rode horses and carried knives, these farmers have deep memories. .”
"Where exactly is it? At what time?" Qin Shaoyou asked hurriedly, trying to deduce where Xue Xiaobao and others went based on their whereabouts.
"On the official road ten miles west of the city, the time was three days ago, around feeding time." Su Tingyu replied.
She had already asked all these questions clearly in her dream, so there was no need to ask again when she fell asleep again.
Feeding time?
That is from three to five o'clock in the afternoon.
Qin Shaoyou touched his chin and pondered.
Ordinarily, at this time, Xue Xiaobao and the others were already ten miles outside the city, so they shouldn't miss the time to stay in the city.
Could it be that something happened to them around that time and around that time?
Qin Shaoyou and Qin Qiaoer looked at each other, and then asked: "Did those farmers say how many people were in Xue Xiaobao and Xu Baan's team at that time? Is there anything wrong?"
Su Tingyu replied: "I asked those farmers, and they said there were about a dozen people. Because I didn't dare to look more, I didn't know if there was anything wrong."
After a pause, she added, "Even if it is there, those farmers probably won't be able to tell."
While they were talking, Qin Qiaoer returned to the map and made some gestures on the drawing with her hand.
"Sure enough, I remembered correctly. Ten miles west of the city, there is a fork in the road, which leads to the southeast."
Qin Shaoyou walked over and looked at the fork in the road marked by Qin Qiaoer on the map.
He recalled that there were many forks and branches along the way, including more than just this one outside the west side of the city.
But the one marked by Qin Qiaoer is a little different.
It twists and turns and eventually leads to the lake dozens of miles away.
Qin Shaoyou raised his head and looked at Qin Qiaoer.
Is the lake really haunted by monsters?
But this place is far away from the lake, at least sixty or seventy miles away. Why did Xue Xiaobao, Xu Ba'an and others ignore the county town that was right in front of them, but instead took a long way around, or even took the risk of walking at night to go to several places? A lake ten miles away?
Did they hear that there were demons causing trouble over there at the lake, so they ran there to do something heroic?
But even if Xue Xiaobao is ignorant and wants to show off, Xu Ba'an can't go crazy with him, right?
To take a step back, even if Xu Ba'an couldn't hold Xue Xiaobao down, couldn't he still send someone to notify the local Demon Suppression Department and ask for support?
Or did they encounter an accident at this intersection?
Abducted by demons?
Or maybe he encountered an illusion such as a ghost hitting the wall, and then he deviated from the path he was supposed to take and went to the lake in the southeast?
"Let's go out of the city and go to this intersection."
Qin Shaoyou did not hesitate and made up his mind instantly.
He left a few people at the inn to guard his luggage. He also waited for Zhu Xiucai or Xiao Qingji to come back and tell him where he was going. Then, together with Qin Qiaoer, he took Cui Yougui, Ma Monk and others with him and rode out. city.
By this time, it was completely dark, and the county town had not only closed its gates, but it was also curfew time.
However, Qin Shaoyou and the others had the status of the Red Envoys and had the power to act expediently, so they directly opened the city gate and galloped out.
Soon, they arrived at the intersection ten miles west of the city.
But when everyone got off their horses and searched carefully near the intersection, they found nothing.
Everything is normal here, there are no signs of any battle.
Su Tingyu didn't smell the ghost's scent here.
Cui Youying, Su Jianqing and others did not find any abnormal spell fluctuations here.
Qin Shaoyou also didn't smell the scent of Xue Xiaobao and others here.
After all, after three days, even if there were traces of smell and spell fluctuations left, they would have been blown away by the wind.
Not to mention it rained here two days ago.
It wasn't Qin Shaoyou and Qin Qiaoer who smelled the rain, but Gunshan Jun discovered it.
After becoming a mountain god, he was very sensitive to these situations. Although there was no mountain in this place and he could not use the authority of the mountain god, he still had no problem when he noticed that it had rained.
"Could it be that Xue Xiaobao and the others heard some rumors and went to the lake in the southeast on their own?"
Just when everyone was surprised and guessing, Yin Bing and Qing Ji sent several people back one after another. They found Qin Shaoyou and others at the intersection and reported some of the news they had discovered so far.
The lake in the southeast was indeed haunted by demons!
Folk rumors said that there were people who came to Beijing to take the exam and disappeared near the lake, and there were more than one person.
At the same time, they also brought the name of the lake: "Jinyan Lake."
Cui Youyou frowned and pondered: "Jinyan Lake? Could it be that the monster in the lake is a wild goose monster? But isn't the wild goose monster supposed to live in the mountains? Why is it in the lake?"
Qin Qiaoer shook his head and said: "The name of this lake has been around for a long time, and it probably has nothing to do with the monsters. But according to the news from Yin Bing and Qing Ji, it seems that the monsters are specifically targeting scholars? I don't know why. But It makes sense that it would target Xiaobao. Of course, it is also possible that Xiaobao heard about this and ran away to slay the demon..."
While they were discussing, Zhu Xiucai also came on horseback.
He also brought the person in charge of the local demon suppression department.
A general flag officer in his forties, burly and with a fierce look on his face.
Generally, the person in charge of the Demon Suppression Department in a county holds the title of General Banner, and only the person in charge of the Demon Suppression Department in a large county holds the title of Trial Hundred Households.
Qin Shaoyou just glanced at the chief flag officer and saw that his cultivation level was at the late seventh level, which was not high, but it was enough to command a county.
After all, there are very few people in the world as handsome and powerful as Qin Shaoyou.
"Sir, I asked just now. People from the local Demon Suppression Department said that they have not seen anyone releasing cloud-piercing arrows in the past few days, and they have not received relevant news from nearby towns."
After Zhu Xiucai arrived, he first reported to Qin Shaoyou, and then introduced the general flag officer he brought.
"This is the head of the local Demon Suppression Department, General Liu Changqi. I thought you might have other questions to ask, sir, so I brought him here."
I have to say that Zhu Xiucai really considered things very carefully.
Qin Shaoyou really has some questions to ask his colleagues in the local Demon Suppression Department.
On the way here, Zhu Xiucai had obviously introduced the identities of Qin Shaoyou and Qin Qiaoer to Liu Chang. With a bit of anxiety and nervousness, he saluted and greeted them:
"Liuchang, a humble official, has met two adults from a hundred households."
"General Liu, there is no need to be polite."
Qin Shaoyou waved his hand and went straight to the topic without wasting time with the other party.
"I heard that there are demons causing trouble in Jinyan Lake in the southeast, specifically targeting scholars, and even harming more than one scholar who went to Beijing to take the exam?"
(End of chapter)
