Shoko Gaomen (37)

From leaving the capital, the carriage went west, then north, then east, and then south. It looks like a journey of four or five days, but in fact, it is just going around the capital.

Lin Yutong and the fourth master didn't know if others had seen anything, anyway, they felt that no matter how they went around, they were within a radius of half a day's journey from the capital. It is estimated that these people are also afraid that they will recognize the path, so they never take the official road, and they all go back and forth on the path. Sometimes they will pass through some villages, such a large group of people, where do the villagers dare to come forward, just look out through the crack in the door. Even the wild dogs wandering in the village, seeing this formation, ran away with their tails between their legs. These villages, which are not marked at all, are still different from those towns where the population is concentrated. The town has a name, and there are some decent shops and restaurants, even if these gentlemen don't go out often, they can't guarantee that they have been near the capital. Even if you listen to the voices of people around you when passing by, you can judge the approximate location. But they don't go to places with a lot of people! The more they don't take the official road and the more they avoid the crowd, the more sure Lin Yutong is that this is near the capital.

After six days of circumambulation, one afternoon the carriage passed through a narrow crevice in the mountain, and after walking only a few hundred paces, it entered a basin. The reason why it is called a basin is that this place is surrounded by mountains except for a gap in the 'first line of sky' that passes through when you enter.

As soon as Lin Yutong got out of the carriage, he obviously felt that this place was warmer than outside, because the cold wind here couldn't blow at all.

It was the eunuchs who brought their group, so it should be the emperor who sent them.

Lin Yutong had a guess, this should not have arrived at the emperor's secret guard camp. Thinking so, she couldn't help but look at the fourth master, wanting to confirm her guess. I saw the fourth master nodding slightly.

It's really brought to the lair of the Dark Guard Camp!

Lin Yutong thought so, and then denied it, for them, it should not be difficult to conceal their whereabouts, as long as they arranged a few more groups of people to go from different routes, disturbing the audio-visual, and nothing would happen if they wanted to. The key is that at this time, everyone's eyes are focused on the capital, and the attention to their whereabouts is really not so high.

It is like a village built in a basin, leaning against the foot of the mountain, scattered with some small farmyards, this basin should not be small, staggered, all reclaimed into farmland. If it weren't for the special terrain, I would have thought this place was a small village.

Standing here and looking around, you can see that there is smoke coming from the chimneys of every house, even if it is not the time to cook, but this hot kang must be burned.

"Fourth Young Master, please come here. The handsome boy who followed the frame of the two people all the way pointed out to the fourth master a direction that was completely opposite to Jin Shouren.

Before the fourth master could speak, Jin Shouren shouted over there, "I don't care where you took us, now that we have arrived at the place, we must live together as a family." We are not allowed to talk on this way, and we are not allowed to approach the place when we get there. It's the prisoners in the prison, at most, men and women are separated, and I have never seen a family split like this. ”

The person who followed Jin Shouren over there should be not too young, although he heard that he was laughing, but his tone was unquestionable, "Look at what you said, this husband and wife are locked together, and they are no better than brothers together." Madame Zun is not in front of you, can you rest assured? I advise you, it is better to stop and stop......"

Lin Yutong was very suspicious that these people were afraid of bringing them together, in case someone attacked them, they couldn't ask someone to wrap them up. Just imagine, he and others are now said to be in the hands of the emperor, if someone does not want to snatch himself and others over to threaten Jin Chengan, but takes advantage of the situation to assassinate and provoke the relationship between the emperor and Jin Chengan, it will be really troublesome. Killing someone is much easier than saving someone. If they are all dead, the root of Jin Chengan's vein will be completely broken. And the feud was greatened. So, out of an abundance of caution, it's better not to put your eggs in one basket.

The fourth master shook his head at Jin Shouren and motioned for him not to say more. Then pulled Lin Yutong and Lin Yutong followed behind this handsome young man.

After walking south for half a moment, we reached the foot of the mountain. The path leading to the mountain is built up of steps. I walked down the stairs for another half an hour before I reached the halfway point of the mountain. Halfway up the hill there is a small yard and adobe house, which seems to have been built for a long time. When I went inside, it was clean, a small clay kang with blue floral sheets. Under the windowsill, several new quilts are stacked. There were two large packages on the quilt, which were supposed to be a change of clothes for them. On one side of the kang, connected to the kang, is a stove, with pots and pans. There was a small cubicle inside, where firewood, bath buckets, and gong buckets were placed.

It's well prepared, and it looks like they're going to stay here for a while.

"Fourth Young Master, you and Young Grandma have been here for a while. He pointed to the stove, "Rice, flour, grain, rape meat, all of them are here." It's okay to do it yourself, and let's deliver it. It's just that this is the delivery...... It's a long way to go, it's not too hot to get here, you have to warm it yourself......"

Lin Yutong smiled: "We will do it ourselves." It's just that it's the New Year, and we have to buy everything we should have. ”

"That's nature!" the boy agreed, as if relieved.

Lin Yutong's heart sank, he didn't plan to send them back for the New Year.

The fourth master pointed outward, "Walking around outside, it should be fine, right?"

"This ......," the young man looked outside, "as long as you don't go down the mountain, it's fine." ”

Lin Yutong turned his head and giggled: "Aren't you afraid that we will run over the mountain?"

"The young grandmother told a joke. The young man's face was a little smug, "Let's invite a few little masters to come, we are guests." It's more dangerous out there than we are here. Besides, this mountain...... Try it and you'll see if you can get out. ”

I am not allowed to go under the mountain, there should be many people coming and going, and I am afraid of hearing something that I shouldn't hear. I am not afraid to go on my own on the mountain, because there must be a great sentry on it.

Lin Yutong knew that he wanted to know, so he turned around and went to add water to the pot, and then lit a fire. It's still cold in this room.

The fourth master watched the young man go down the mountain, he stood in the yard and looked down the mountain, the trees on the mountain are all low shrubs, in the cold winter, the bare branches are pressed by the thick snow, some are frozen into the trees, the afterglow of the sun is sprinkled, shining on the trees, shining. But the view is also blocked by these trees, and the basin below the mountain is not visible at all.

No wonder they are still here. This angle is indeed tricky.

When he entered the house, Lin Yutong had already boiled the water, and he was suffocated in the carriage along the way to "go wash ...... first", and the taste was really uncomfortable.

As soon as the fire was lit, the house was warm. This wall is also a wall of fire.

Washing, cooking, eating, and finishing work are already dark.

The oil lamps lit up and gave a dim glow. Lying on the hot kang, neither of them could sleep.

"Let's just stay here?" Lin Yutong hugged the fourth master's arm, "If something happens in the middle, it will be bad...... "Life is in the hands of others, where is it in your own hands to make people feel at ease."

"Hmm!" the fourth master nodded, "Don't worry, we still have time." ”

At least in the last few days, there is no need to rush.

Lin Yutong turned over, and on someone else's territory, he just couldn't be sure. She sat up and gave the fourth master a pill: "Eat this......" and then she poured one herself and ate it. Then he got up and sprinkled the kerosene wick with powder. As long as the person who breaks into the house faints when he smells the smell. "Let's take the antidote first, it's fine!"

This night, the two slept very soundly. When I woke up the next day, it was bright. There really wasn't anything else in the room except two mesmerized mice.

The fourth master pointed at Lin Yutong and smiled: "It's disgusting." ”

Lin Yutong grinned, and then blew out the oil lamp: "It's always a big mistake to be careful." ”

After getting off the kang, the fourth master found a wooden stick in front of the stove, picked up the mouse and planned to throw it out, but when he saw it, he was stunned. The mouse's fur and paws were stained with dark blood.

If the rat ate some kind of beast that was frozen to death, it should have blood stains around its mouth and beard. Why is it on the fur and paws? It's obvious that it's stepped on somewhere, or rubbed.

The fourth master put this one down and picked up the other one, which was just a blood stain on his paws and tail.

"What's wrong?" Lin Yutong was folding the quilt on the kang, and when he turned his head, he saw the fourth master holding a wooden stick and pulling the mouse to watch.

The fourth master shook his head: "There are blood stains on this mouse. It's not their own wounds, they don't eat anything, they rub it. ”

Lin Yutong put the quilt back, and then went down to the kang to look, and both of them looked at it carefully, "Xu is that there are small animal carcasses that froze to death on this mountain, and this corpse was eaten by other big animals, leaving blood stains ......" Before he finished speaking, Lin Yutong shook his head first, this speculation is not valid at all. If there are rabbits and pheasants that freeze to death, and they are eaten by other animals. Then leave blood stains, and by the time the rats arrive, the blood will have already frozen in this weather. Where will you step on or rub on the liquid. The rat is timid, and when other large animals eat, it does not dare to go up and eat. But when the people left, the daylily was cold. Even if there was blood, it became an ice lump.

So, this corpse should be in a warm place. It could be a place where people live, or it could be a cave of some kind of animal.

I can't say for sure.

"Let's cook first. The fourth master shook his head, "After eating, let's take a look inside and out." ”

Both animals and people are territorially conscious. These two rats will never run over the mountain.

Cooking with an earthen stove, Lin Yutong and Si Ye are not new, millet porridge is boiling in the back pot, and pancakes are stir-fried in the front pot, and a meal will not take long.

I ate in a hurry and packed up. The two of them did not rush out of the yard, but searched back and forth between the house and the yard to see where the rats had come from.

The fourth master went to the yard, and Lin Yutong looked for it inch by inch in the house. Suddenly, her gaze froze. Next to the stove, there is a large water tank. The water tank was full of water yesterday, and I used some last night and today, and there is still half a tank left. This kind of cylinder is very heavy, and it is not easy to move the empty cylinder for a middle-aged laborer. And now, in the gap between this water tank and the stove, there is a dead leaf scattered, Lin Yutong took out the leaf, and saw that there was also a little blood on the leaf. It must have been stepped on when the rat came up.

This means that when the rats came up last night, the blood had not yet coagulated. And the place where the rats come up should be under this water tank.

"Found ......," Lin Yutong shouted. But as soon as the voice fell, before the fourth master could answer, he heard the young man's voice reply outside: "What did you find?"

Lin Yutong stood up after rubbing, quickly messed up the firewood in front of the stove, squatted aside, reached out and took off his earring, rubbed it on a little soil and pinched it in his hand, and said with a smile: "It's just a small thing......"

The fourth master entered the house before the young man, and when he saw that everything was in order, he turned his head and said, "There is still ...... water You've sent it again. ”

It used to be a small stream where the water was fetched, but now it is frozen, and you have to fetch water from the well below the mountain. This boy is here to deliver water. From the bottom of the mountain to the halfway point of the mountain, a thin layer of ice has formed on the buckets.

The young man saw that Lin Yutong was holding an earring in his hand, making a mess in front of the stove, so he smiled and said: "This is not good for us here, there is soil everywhere, but we have to take care of these small objects, falling into the dust, it is not easy to rummage through ......." ”

As he spoke, he poured water into the tank.

The boy was followed by two silent young men, one carrying a burden and pouring water into the tank. And six buckets of water were filled again.

The young man smiled: "Even if you use it, it is not a hassle to carry water." ”

Seeing them leave, the fourth master turned around and came back and closed the door. Pointing to the water tank, "You mean ...... down here"

Lin Yutong shook his head: "I don't know if there is another mystery down here, or if it's just a mouse hole." ”

"Let's do it in the evening. The fourth master pulled Lin Yutong out of the door, "Let's go out for a few laps first......" The old circle is in the house, which makes people feel strange.

The two of them wandered around the mountain, put on a rabbit, and came back to peel and stew, and passed the day.

They went to bed early, and it wasn't until the time of their children that they got up again.

Lin Yutong moved the water tank into the space along with the water inside, and immediately after, the faces of the two of them changed. Because there was a big black hole in front of me.

Faintly, there was still the smell of blood coming from inside.

It seems that there is something else in the belly of this mountain!