The man was tall, with broad shoulders and a round waist. He was wearing a sheepskin fur, carrying a quiver on his back. He had a short bow on his left and a hatchet on his right. He had thick eyebrows and tiger eyes, a thick nose and wide mouth, tall cheekbones and sideburns, and a big, yellow mouth. Teeth, when you hit that stop, it was like a door panel blocking half of the inn door. When the surrounding diners wanted to complain about the cold weather, but after seeing the visitor, they all bowed their heads and stopped talking. They really dared to be angry but not Speak up.
Mu Mu raised his hand, and the big man looked up with a flash of surprise in his eyes. However, he smiled first, said "Wait a minute," and then asked the waiter to spend three pennies to open a shop for himself.
The whole bunk is a large heated kang, which can accommodate about ten people. Apart from the straw mats, the heated kang, and the walls that are not too ventilated, the rest must be prepared by the residents themselves. At the same time, the residents must take care of their own belongings.
If property is lost in Tongpu, the inn will not care if it is approved by the government. After all, most of the people living in Tongpu are poor people with little money. As for Mu Mu and Han Bu Yao, they were awakened in the morning because the guest who opened the private room was stolen. The police from the government office came to investigate.
Mu Mu wanted to say hello and go into the room to rest, but he didn't want this big man to open the bunkhouse and not check in. He ran up to the second floor to stop Mu Mu and said with a smile: "Brother Shuren, it's easy to lose things in the bunkhouse, not as good as my brother's. Do you keep all your belongings in your house?"
Although he was a little surprised, Mu Mu couldn't help sighing that he was attentive, and deliberately asked the big man's name. The big man laughed and unloaded his slightly exaggerated baggage, bows, arrows, and hatchets in front of Mu Mu. It wasn't until the man had nothing else on his body that he pulled down his fur hat, exposed his bald head, and said with a smile: "My name is Zhang Erhan. I am the second oldest in the family. I am called Erhan. I am sixteen this year."
Hearing this, Mu Mu couldn't help but look at this strong man who was a head taller than himself, and secretly sighed in his heart: How did he eat to become so strong? Han Buyao had heard the two of them talking in the room. When he opened the door, he couldn't help but gasped and sighed: "Are you really only sixteen?"
Zhang Erhan rubbed his bald head and smiled shyly. His expression and movements were completely different from before. He looked a little stupid at the moment. Mu Mu didn't say much. He looked down at the things on the ground and said: "Tomorrow morning Set off, rest as soon as possible, and pay attention to safety, this inn was just robbed last night."
"It's okay, we're cheap, I'll leave everything here with my brother, don't worry." He smiled stupidly, picked up the hatchet, and turned around to go downstairs. Seeing him coming downstairs, Mu Mu narrowed his eyes, picked up the strong man's luggage and weapons and entered the house. .
At some point, he heard a muffled groan in the hazy state. Mu Mu turned over and sat up. Then he actually heard a burst of laughter coming from downstairs. He put on his clothes and pushed the door open. When he entered the corridor, he saw the hall illuminated by dim candlelight. A black shadow was twisting and struggling, and laughter sounded from behind the black shadow. The voice sounded familiar. When Mu Mu saw that Han Buyao had also gone out, they both looked down at the railing.
I saw a burly figure pushing out the door, walking to the dark shadow in the hall and laughing: "Little thief, do you think you are still running?"
After speaking, he patted the figure in black night clothes with his hand and picked up a fist-sized stone from his waist. Such movement naturally woke up most of the guests in the inn. When Zhang Erhan saw that there were more people around, he shouted He shouted: "The thief is stealing and has been injured by me. Please tie him up and send him to the official at dawn." After saying that, he bowed slightly and went back to the store without saying anything. The customers in the store went back to the house to fall asleep with their praises, leaving the shopkeeper to give instructions. The gangster tied the thief, who was beaten to the ground and could not move, to the woodshed in the backyard and waited for him to be sent to court the next day.
Seeing everyone in the inn returning to their rooms, Mu Mu was standing by the railing on the second floor. If he saw correctly, the thief was seriously injured. The impact of one stone was probably not small. Rather than saying that the thief escaped, It would be better to say that it was photographed by Zhang Erhan with a stone.
Thinking of this, Mu Mu breathed a sigh of relief. This time, if one of the three students was escorted to the royal city, it would save him a lot of trouble.
There was no words in the middle of the night. Cui Wenhai's carriage was already waiting at the door of the inn at dawn. However, Mu Mu did not expect that the three horses that Brother Hai prepared for him were actually prepared for Zhang Erhan. Fang Luochen and another student named Si Longjun Riding a carriage with Cui Wenhai, the doctor started to work as a carriage driver again. After Mu Mu and others finished breakfast, the group of six people left Shanyang County and headed east.
And just when Mu Mu and his party left the city and disappeared outside the official road of the East City Gate, two figures walked into the inn where several people had stayed, one after another, and then left quietly.
Midwinter month eleven.
After walking for four days, the group finally walked out of the border of Shanyang County and followed the official road into Zhouzhong County, Lin County. This county, like Shanyang County, is under the jurisdiction of Sezhounan County, but the terrain is gentler than Shanyang County, so the official road There are many flat roads, and there are many flat farmlands on the roadside. However, in the cold winter, you can only see the scattered shadows of trees at the end of the flat land, which is completely desolate.
"Brother Shu Ren, looking at the weather, I'm afraid it will snow before night. Is there a place to spend the night ahead?" Zhang Erhan raised his whip and pointed at the dark clouds above his head and asked Mu Mu. There were six people in the group, Han. Bu Yao was in front, the three people in the carriage were in the middle, and Zhang Erhan and Mu Mu were behind. When he heard this young but too strong idea, Mu Mu nodded silently and said: "There should be three more people to the nearest inn from here. It’s more than ten miles away, and with my current foot strength, I’m afraid I won’t be able to reach it before dark, so be prepared to spend the night outside.”
Zhang Erhan was stunned when he heard this and said: "It's just after noon and there is no wind. How come you can't even walk thirty miles in one afternoon?" The sky has been cloudy since the morning, but it was not long after lunch, so it doesn't count. Can't make it.
Mu Mu raised his riding crop and pointed at the place where the official road disappeared in his sight and said: "Ten miles further, you will reach Yajian Mountain. The road is slippery in the snow, and even the official road is not easy to walk. It will get dark as you go up and down." There is no inn at the foot of the mountain, only a forest more than five miles long, and we will spend the night there tonight."
"Wouldn't it be inappropriate to spend the night in the Diaolin Forest?" Zhang Erhan obviously didn't know what Yajian Mountain looked like, but the Diaolin Forest under Yajian Mountain was notorious.
Rumor has it that there are evil spirits in the Diao Lin who are the ghosts of the hanged people. They specialize in hanging passers-by, especially passers-by who spend the night. They will be hanged in the Diao Lin the next day. I heard that Mu Mu planned to hang himself in the Diao Lin. After spending the night, Zhang Erhan felt something was wrong and immediately asked. The sound of the two people's conversation spread on the official road. Fang Luochen, who was driving the carriage at the front, was the first to react and asked: "Are you really planning to spend the night in Diao Lin?" Mu Mu nodded in agreement. .
But unexpectedly, a weak and out-of-breath voice came from the carriage: "I heard that Diao Lin is haunted at night?"
But it was Cui Wenhai who asked, with a slight tremor in his tone, who was obviously shocked. Seeing Hanbu turn his head and look at him, Mu Mu chuckled and said loudly: "With Master Fang here, even ghosts have to retreat. Now There is no wind, and I am afraid of snow at night. If I sleep on the ground, I am afraid that I will be caught by the wind and cold tomorrow. I once hunted and went into the hanging forest to spend the night. There are a few broken houses on the roadside, which can provide some protection from the wind and snow. The six of us Four of us are good at martial arts and have strong yang energy, and with Dr. Fang’s methods, we will be safe even after one night.”
The cold winter in the northwest territory of the Yuyu Empire can really freeze people to death. The midwinter month is already the coldest season. A few people didn't say anything more about Mu Mu's choice. They just walked less than ten miles, and the official road was also It started to gain some momentum, and everyone knew that they had reached the Yajian Mountain mentioned by the Shuren guard.
"This Yajian Mountain is also called Dragon Claw Mountain. It is a branch of the Seshu Mountains. Because its three ya's are shaped like the tips of claws, and there are black pools at the foot of the mountain, like lying claws, so it is named Yajian Mountain. However, it is said that there is an evil spirit on this mountain. The Qi and the hanging forest echo each other, so the vegetation on this mountain is not prosperous."
The student named Si Longjun said these words in the carriage. His voice was just heard by a few people outside. This Si Longjun has an ordinary appearance and is a bit stronger than Cui Wenhai. It was almost the same pace. The student didn't show up in the car on the first day and didn't get out of the car until lunch.
What surprised Mu Mu was that Si Longjun seemed to have average knowledge and was surprisingly familiar with mountains and geography. However, Si Longjun had never been out of Shanyang County. How could he be so familiar with Yajian Mountain in Zhouzhong County?
Everyone continued on their way, and when they turned around at the intersection, Han Buyao said in surprise: "Who said trees can't grow on Yajian Mountain? Aren't there two on the top of the mountain?"
Looking at the riding whip, Mu Mu said in a deep voice: "I'll investigate first, you guys be careful."
After saying that, he drove his horse past the crowd and started running on the official road with his legs under the horse's belly. Seeing Mu Mu behind the car like this, Zhang Erhan's expression changed and he pulled out three feather arrows from the quiver hanging around the horse's neck. The group of five people did not stop and kept moving at the original speed. Except for the two trees on the top of the mountain that seemed to appear suddenly, the surroundings were indeed as Si Longjun said, and the heavy snow seemed to be pressed down on the mountain clearly.
The mountain road was winding, and everyone saw Mu Mu riding a horse to the top of the mountain, circled it twice, and then slowly came back down the mountain. "I don't know when two stone pillars were erected on the mountain. They must be far apart, so they look like trees, but these stones It seems a little weird, you will know when we get there." After saying that, he and Han Buyao changed places and started leading the group towards the top of the mountain.
When they arrived at the top of the mountain, everyone realized why Mu Mu said it was strange when they saw the huge stone. The huge stone was as long and slender as a pillar, with obvious carving marks on it. The huge stone had holes punched on many sides, and round wooden sticks were wedged on top. Each log was tied with Wearing a mask of different colors but extremely ferocious, everyone could not help but feel a chill in their hearts. At this time, the sky was still bright, the mountain wind was blowing, and the mask slightly collided with the boulder, but the sound was a bit weird.
"It sounds neither gold nor wood... it should be pressed out of paper." After reaching the top of the mountain, everyone stopped and Si Longjun wanted to step forward and take it out for a closer look, but was stopped by Mu Mu, but this Si Longjun obviously saw something. What? After recognizing the material, he turned around and said: "The masks above mostly depict mountain ghosts and spirits. They should be used for worship. I wonder if Brother Shu knows that there is such a custom in Zhongzhou County this week?"
"But I have never heard of it. Although I have been around here, I have never been to this mountain. It's just that this place is official, so it must be allowed by the government." Mu Mu was born as a hunter, and Yajian Mountain is clearly visible, so there is no need. Going up the mountain, he turned to look at Cui Wenhai. The eldest young master said that he had been taking care of things in the city since he fell ill, and his purchasers and shopkeepers never mentioned it.
"Two stone pillars, one thick and one thin, one with more masks and one with less. There must be thirty or forty in total, right? It's really weird." After Fang Luochen finished speaking, he didn't find anything unusual, and everyone didn't stop much. Drive your horse down the mountain and continue moving forward.
After walking for about ten miles, the already overcast sky became a little darker, and the woods of the legendary haunted Diaolin also appeared in everyone's sight. The wind was not strong, but the sound of whimpering through the woods was faint. Upon hearing this, everyone's originally calm mood inevitably became tense.
Mu Mu had a normal expression, and estimated that it would take another five or six miles to reach the Diaolin Forest. There was no prey in Yajian Mountain, and it would be difficult to collect firewood after spending the night on the flat ground. It was easy to light a fire in the Diaolin Forest, and you could also find a place to take shelter from the wind. As for the so-called It's haunted. He spent several nights in the hanging forest and didn't see any ghosts, so naturally he wasn't afraid.
After walking for a while, the hanging forest was already clear. The trees in this forest were mixed, uneven in height and thickness. Some stood straight, while others were twisted and abnormal. It looked quite inconsistent. The dark sky was mixed with the sound of whimpering. It's scary.
Han Buyao couldn't help but frown. She glanced around, but didn't see even a dirt bag. During the three years she was looking for Mu Mu, she naturally lived in the wild, so she understood Mu Mu's arrangement. There is nothing wrong. Zhang Erhan behind the carriage has a rein in one hand and a bow in the other. His face is full of vigilance. Fang Luochen, who is driving the carriage, can't help but swallow his saliva. On the contrary, Cui Wenhai and Si Longjun in the carriage are even more embarrassed because they can't see them. Be calmer.
When they arrived at the entrance of the Diaolin Forest, Mu Mu had already changed places with Hanbu. The cold wind was indeed much lighter after entering the forest. The dead trees in the cold winter could usually be seen through the forest at a glance, but obviously they could not see it in the Diaolin Forest. You can even find a few fruit trees on both sides of the road. Perhaps due to the group's sudden entry, they heard a lot of frightened birds chirping in the forest.
After walking for half a mile, they finally found a slope on the side of the road. Judging from the ashes at the bottom of the slope, it should be a place often used to spend the night. A group of six people dismounted and took a look, and just when everyone felt that it was good, they started to set up camp. , sporadic snowflakes were falling, and the wind above the head began to pick up a bit. Fortunately, the small slope was leeward. There were six or seven large trees on the top of the slope surrounded by two people. The branches were quite densely intertwined, and most of the wind and snow were blocked. , but it saves a lot of effort.
After briefly handling the camping area, Mu Mu and Zhang Erhan gathered dead branches to make a fire. Then the two of them took their bows and arrows and walked deeper into the forest. When they entered the forest, they both found footprints of wild beasts and humans on the snow. It was obvious that this You can hunt game in the hanging forest. It is better to hunt more while it is not completely dark yet. There is dry food on the carriage, but you cannot eat it all the time. The cost of food alone along the way is not small. of.
The two groped along the tracks on the snow. Following the tracks was the most common method used by hunters. After following the tracks three times, they found a footprint of a wild animal that had not been tracked by the tracks. Judging from the tracks on the snow, it should be a hare. After chasing for a while, the two of them were almost two miles deep into the Diaolin Forest. Zhang Erhan was about to follow the traces to catch up, but was grabbed by Mu Mu. He was stunned for a moment, but he looked up along Mu Mu's line of sight. Suddenly, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his whole body was filled with chills.
I saw dozens of corpses hanging densely on the tree in front of me. They were tall, short, fat, thin, men, women, old and young, of all shapes and ages, floating in the wind. They all had hemp ropes around their necks, and some had their eyes closed. , some of them had ferocious faces, and the bodies were covered with blood stains. The cold wind brought the white snow down in the hanging forest, adding to the weirdness of the scene in front of them.
"This... ghost... Uh-huh!" Zhang Erhan seemed to be frightened out of his mind by the scene in front of him. His teeth were trembling and his face was pale. He was about to open his mouth to scream but was blocked by Mu Mu, who saw from the side of his face. Mu Mu's face was calm, without the slightest sense of panic. Somehow, Zhang Erhan seemed to have some confidence in his heart. He took a deep breath of cold air through his nose and slowly calmed down. Seeing this, Mu Mu relaxed. Opening his hand, the Erhan's mouth is indeed a bit big, but he didn't even cover it with one hand.
"Brother Shu, is this Diao Lin...haunted?"
"This is a family that has been exterminated." Mu Mu took two steps forward but was pulled back by Zhang Erhan. He looked back and Zhang Erhan smiled, then let go of his hand full of tangles, allowing Mu Mu to walk into this hanging place. In the real "hanging forest" of corpses.
Mu Mu didn't have any fear at the strange scene in front of him. Because of his past experience, there were only dozens of corpses, so there was really nothing to be afraid of.
After entering, Mu Mu found that there were no footprints on the ground. This place was far away from the official road that passed through the Diaolin. The snow had buried too many traces. What surprised Mu Mu was that there were no traces left by wild beasts under these corpses. Even the carrion-eating crows were reluctant to come over. Most of the corpses had wounds, but they had been frozen. Three of the corpses were the reason why Mu Mu judged that this was a murder case. Those were three The young child was wearing a thick coat with a hemp rope around his neck. There were no blood stains on the coat. There were only black and blue palm marks on the neck. It was obvious that the throat bone was crushed. The wounds on the other corpses were of varying depths and did not look like... It was the work of one person, so this massacre must have been the work of many people.
Destruction of the family... Mu Mu recalled the past, a stern look flashed in his eyes, and then Mu Mu frowned and came to the last corpse. This corpse was different from the one hanging in front. This corpse was that of a middle-aged man with his limbs spread out. Kai's whole body was tied to two trees, with his back facing the corpses in the hanging forest. This man was covered in scars, his eyes were wide open but lifeless. His body was already dead, but his twisted face showed a look of death. With boundless anger and despair, Mu Mu carefully looked at the wounds on this man's body, only to realize that this man had actually been tortured to death.
"Brother Shu, why is this... so miserable?" Zhang Erhan didn't dare to go straight through, so he walked around in a big circle and came to Mu Mu. Looking at the frozen corpse in front of him, he couldn't help but shudder again. .
"Torture until death." Mu Mu paused and then turned around and asked, "Let's hunt first."
"Ah? No, Brother Shu... let's go hunting now, what if... those people are still around?" Zhang Erhan looked at Mu Mu in disbelief, pointed at the tragic and strange scene in front of him, and hesitated in his words, The scene in front of him was definitely the most tragic and strange scene he had ever seen in his life. At this time, he just wanted to go back to the leeward hillside immediately, where there were more people and he could feel more at ease.
Mu Mu glanced at him, shook the snow off his bow, and said calmly: "These corpses are completely frozen, do you think there will be an ambush? What else can you do besides reporting to the official tomorrow? By the way, count them Let’s take a look at the number of corpses and count the men, women, old and children. It will come in handy when reporting to the official. Remember it clearly so as not to cause trouble for ourselves.” After saying this, Mu Mu lowered his head and continued to follow the traces. Zhang Erhan didn’t dare to delay and counted them hastily. After that, he followed closely behind Mu Mu. As for whether he could still catch prey now, he had no thoughts at all. He just wanted to go back as soon as possible.
"With your character, if you can pass the martial arts test, it's really..." Mu Mu didn't say much, and still led the anxious Zhang Erhan deeper into the forest. Fortunately, he was lucky, and hitting one didn't count. The pheasant was too big. It was already getting late. Mu Mu decided to go back first. As for what happened in the hanging forest, he repeatedly told Zhang Erhan not to tell him, which would only increase the fear of others. He was sleeping in the open air. If he was frightened, problems would easily arise. , especially when one of the two scholars is sick.
Back at the temporary camp, Mu Mu skillfully handled the prey, cut it into pieces and put them into the boiled clay pots, sprinkled some coarse salt, and waited for them to boil before everyone used chicken soup and dry food to eat the evening meal. Mu Mu stared at the flickering firelight and thought about what he had just encountered. Just as he was about to put down the bowl and chopsticks, he felt Fang Luochen approaching. The smell of medicine could not be concealed. Before he could turn his head, he heard the young doctor whispering: Said: "What did you encounter in the woods? Is there something wrong with Zhang Erhan?"
"What's wrong?" Mu Mu ignored him and asked casually. Fang Luochen frowned slightly and said hesitantly: "Looking at his face, he was obviously frightened. He didn't look like this before entering the forest. How... really encountered him? A ghost?"
The voice was not loud, Mu Mu hummed, and Fang Luochen suddenly became nervous, and asked with a slightly nervous look on his face: "What's wrong?"
When Mu Mu was hesitating whether to say anything, he suddenly remembered something and turned around and asked, "How many masks were there on Yajian Mountain just now? I remember you seemed to have counted them carefully?"
"Thirty-four, why do you ask this?" Fang Luochen replied blankly.
"You remember correctly?"
"Is there anything I remember wrong? Twenty-seven on the left and seven on the right, a total of thirty-four. Twenty-five big ones on the left and six on the right." After saying this, the doctor saw Mu Mu. His expression became even weirder, and he quickly asked the reason in a low voice. Mu Mu squinted his eyes and thought for a moment before asking again: "Is the biggest one on the left or on the right?"
"This... I'll think about it later... It should be a white mountain ghost mask, on the right, no. Why are you asking these questions?" Fang Luo was asked a bunch of random questions. Chen was even more curious, and couldn't help but pat Mu Mu. The latter was pulled out of his thoughts by this pat, and then he lowered his voice and said, "I have to report to the official tomorrow."
The doctor covered his mouth, his face changed rapidly. After rolling his eyes a few times, he squinted and measured his neck with his palms. When Mu Mu nodded, Fang Luochen finally thought of the question just now and cautiously asked: "Thirty-four?"
Seeing that Mu Mu still nodded without saying anything, Fang Luochen first took a breath, and then after taking a few deep breaths, his expression became calmer, and he even showed a slight smile later on, as if the conversation just now had not happened. This change surprised Mu Mu. After being stunned for a moment, he asked softly: "Aren't you afraid?"
"Brother, I am a doctor." Fang Luochen patted Mu Mu on the shoulder and said, "I came here just to know what made Zhang Erhan become this virtuous. What does the rest have to do with me?" Mu Mu took out a porcelain bottle and poured out a pill. Mu Mu raised his hand to take it and thanked him. Fang Luochen raised his head and snorted with disdain and went to distribute pills to others.
The Guyuan Dan made by the housekeeper was naturally very effective. After dinner, everyone went to rest. The two scholars and Han Buyao spent the night in the carriage. Because Zhang Erhan was too frightened, the night watch became Mu Mu and Fang Luochen. Fortunately, the snow stopped in the middle of the night. Mu Mu took Guyuan Dan and rested until dawn.
The next morning, the sun rose. Fortunately, there was not much snow and wind last night, and it was a bit cold, but it was a sunny day.
Mu Mu took Zhang Erhan to make a fire to cook. Fireworks wafted over the young and burly martial arts examinee. After half a night, there was almost no sign of panic. However, Fang Luochen, the doctor, reacted a little too much. Somehow, it turned out that He showed an eager look that no one could understand, and changed from his usual habit of chewing slowly. He finished the meal in a hurry, moved things quickly and hitched the horse, and before everyone had finished eating, he actually packed everything. Sure enough, looking at everyone's astonished eyes, he said with some urgency: "Let's go, is it possible that we still want to see the scenery?"
Mu Mu didn't say anything more. He took out the map from his chest, spread it out and said, "When you get to the county seat, go to the Yamen to report to the official first, and then hurry up and get on your way."
As soon as these words came out, Zhang Erhan nodded heavily. As for the two scholars and Han Buyao, they were both shocked. The latter reacted quickly. His face darkened and he asked: "What did you see last night?" Mu Mu no longer covered up, After briefly recounting the weird things they encountered in the Diao Lin last night, the two scholars turned pale after hearing this, especially Cui Wenhai, who asked Fang Luochen for some soothing pills and took them in advance.
"In the final analysis, this case has nothing to do with me and others. Once the matter is clarified, we can continue on our way. It will only delay our trip for half a day at most."
After speaking, Mu Mu spread the ashes, extinguished all the sparks, and led everyone along the official road. When passing several villages, Mu Mu specifically asked the merchant to inquire, but unfortunately he did not get any useful information. At noon, we arrived at the county seat in Zhouzhong.
The county town is two miles square. After entering the city, Mumu first looked for a wine shop and then took Zhang Erhan to the county government security guard. However, no one in the wine shop had finished eating and the two of them returned. Han Buyao became a little anxious. Just as he was about to get up, he heard the sound of horse hooves outside. When there was a sound, he looked up and saw that the leader was a county government agent. Behind the horse was Mu Mu, but Zhang Erhan was nowhere to be seen. Behind the two horses was a team of about thirty or forty people following closely. Afterwards, it seemed that Mu Mu was asked to lead the way to the scene.
Before the sound of horse hooves disappeared, Zhang Erhan panted back to the wine shop, took a sip of tea and said: "They went to inspect the site. The county master asked us to stay on the spot and we are not allowed to leave the city without orders."
"What does this have to do with us? Didn't you declare your status as a candidate to us?" The person who spoke was Si Longjun. According to the laws issued by the Yuyu Dynasty, when candidates pass through various counties, local officials need to provide certain conveniences and cannot be detained arbitrarily. , most of this kind of convenience is the provision of accommodation and meals in the hotel, and some wealthy counties may also give some relief funds. This kind of direct order not to leave the city can be big or small, and it is a big deal for the county magistrate. Such unnecessary trouble.
"This kind of tragedy cannot be solved by one person. There are many of us and we have expert guards. It is normal for us to be suspected. When the body is brought into the county office, we will conduct an autopsy. If we are still not sure, we have to go to our county to confirm. Itinerary can be released only after suspicion is eliminated." The person who gave the explanation was Cui Wenhai. He was from a merchant family. He should not have known so clearly. It was really unbearable that he had an incompetent younger brother who was always causing trouble. Naturally, there are opponents who can't stand it and will wait for opportunities to retaliate and frame him. Although this eldest son has an old illness, he has dealt with the county government a lot. Naturally, he knows the procedures of the county government as clearly as an ordinary scholar. .
"Brother Shuren is coming back at night, isn't it? There are more than thirty corpses, why is there no movement at all in such a big... tragedy?" Si Longjun has never been to the scene of the murder, but he still feels chilled all over his body. It's a pity that everyone present He could only sigh at this, and after Zhang Erhan finished eating, he went out to find the post office. Everyone entered from the west gate, but the post office was at the east gate. When he arrived at the post station, he found that it was already crowded with candidates who were also rushing to take the exam. He could only turn back and find the nearest inn. After Han Buyao settled everyone down, he went for a walk near the Yamen, so that Mu Mu would not find anyone when he came back.
This is waiting until the sun is about to set. There are not many shops open at night in Zhouzhong County, and there are naturally fewer people on the streets. When the county police officer came back with the body, it did not cause much commotion. When he saw Mu Muhou Hanbuyao came out from the shadow of an alley. The chief of the police immediately said, "Wait a moment. Wu Mou went to say hello to the county master. The weather is dark today." It’s too late, I won’t stop you from leaving the city tomorrow.”
Mu Mu thanked him with clasped fists and followed Han Buyao back to the inn. At this time, everyone realized that Cui Wenhai's words were true. The black catcher had indeed sent people to investigate along the road on fast horses. In addition, there were indeed many corpses, so The delay on the road was longer, but after seeing the body, Captain Wu eliminated everyone's suspicions, and sending people to investigate along the way was just an extra layer of security.
"The police officers in Zhong County are quite thorough this week, why are the ones in our county usually so..." Zhang Erhan muttered, but Cui Wenhai said directly that it was just a matter of words and deeds. Mu Mu hadn't eaten for most of the day. At this time, He ordered some food and ate it, then said: "After leaving the city tomorrow, walk twenty miles east and you will see the scene of the massacre. With this method, we must be more careful on the way."
Hanbu shook his head and asked, "Why, do you know whose family it is?"
"Wu Captou knew him. He said he was a businessman named Zhou Bu. His ancestors were in the lacquerware business. He lived in a villa two or three miles away from the official road. When he came back, Wu Captou had already sent someone to see if anyone was hiding. It's a disaster, but I guess it's enough." After saying that and finishing his meal, Mu Mu put down his bowl and chopsticks, and happened to catch a glimpse of the flash of love in Han Buyao's eyes. He couldn't help but feel warm in his heart. He nodded and winked slightly to indicate that he didn't have to worry. Seeing that The sky was dark and everyone had no intention of going out for a walk. Shortly after entering the house, they heard Zhang Erhan, who had been living in Tongbu, suddenly scream and rush out of the house.
"I lost my exam certificate!"
