Baifu Inn is located near the junction of "Heavenly Street" and "Hongqiao". It covers a large area and has many rooms, which can receive more than 200 guests at one time, and is one of the larger inns in Baiyujing.

Every room in the inn has a bright window and is very clean. The bedding is also washed and replaced frequently to ensure hygiene. Lying in the room, as long as you ring the bell, the shopkeeper will immediately come over and ask if you need any service. Living, sitting and lying, food, clothing, housing and transportation, no matter what the guests ask, they can be almost satisfied.

Naturally, such a thoughtful and complete service is also expensive. But in Bai Yujing, the last thing that is lacking is the rich. So no matter how high the price is, Baifu Inn is still like a cloud, and I am never afraid of running out of business. The owner of the inn is also making money every day because of this, which is like raising a hen that can only lay golden eggs.

It's a pity that this hen is now useless. Put yourself in their shoes, overnight, suddenly dozens of guests lost their heads silently. Who would dare to live in such an inn again? If things can cover the lid, then it will be reluctant. But the problem is, no one can cover this lid.

When Cheng Li rode the dragon horse "Taifu" and rushed to the Baifu Inn with Shui Longyin, he saw that the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion had already pulled up a cordon with a thick hemp rope, surrounded the entire inn, and no one was allowed to enter or leave.

Around the inn, there were at least 100 servants. Some are maintaining law and order, while others are interrogating nearby shops and vendors in detail to find clues. There are many other miscellaneous servants in the yamen, who are going in and out, busy.

Such a big battle has already alarmed almost half of the "Heavenly Street". Outside the cordon, the lively people are three floors inside and three floors outside, surrounding the Baifu Inn. Everyone pointed at the inn, whispering one by one, and their eyebrows fluttering. It seems that the excitement outweighs the fear.

Shui Longyin took the lead in turning over and dismounting, casually stuffed the reins to a servant, and shouted: "Zhang Laosan, put Shui Ye and my horse in the past." If you lose a hair, Shui Ye is the only one who asks. ”

The official was suddenly stuffed with a horse's rein, and he couldn't help but be a little inexplicable. When I looked at it, I saw that it was a water dragon yin, and my face changed greatly, and I changed it with a smile on my face. Nodding his head and saying, "Yes, yes." Shui Ye can rest assured. Don't say that your horse has lost a single hair, even if you bark half a lot, you can cut off the little head. ”

Shui Long laughed and said, "Zhang Laosan, you kid is well-behaved." What's the situation now? Sheng Zhutou, Shen Zhutou, and Tian Zhutou are still inside?"

Zhang Laosan said respectfully: "Yes." Not only did they win the catch, but also the 'God of Catcher' Liu Zhengyan, and his old man also arrived. After all, the matter is too big, and the small shoulders of our Jingzhao Mansion Yamen alone can't afford this heavy burden. ”

Shui Longyin frowned and said, "Lao Liu has also arrived?" Hey, troublesome, tricky, tricky." After a pause, he looked back at Cheng Li and said, "Old Cheng, I have to ask you to bear more later." The god catcher Liu hit the smoke, that is the famous evil star in the six doors. He and the 'King Catcher' Li Xuanyi, as well as the 'Catcher' Liu Dufeng", are collectively known as the Three Absolute God Catchers. He has personally arrested countless traitors and bloody villains. ”

Cheng Li's jaw said: "It sounds like an upright and upright person." Such a good man, I just want to make friends with him. Why do you let me take care of it more?"

The water dragon sighed: "It's because it's too rigid." So no one's face is sold, and the style is very tough. As long as he feels that there is a suspicious object, he will interrogate and ask back and forth, leaving no room at all. It often makes the person being questioned feel seriously insulted. So...... So...... cough cough~ All in all, Lao Liu is actually not a bad person, nor is he deliberately trying to embarrass others. Lao Cheng, please bear with me. ”

Cheng Li also casually handed the reins of the "servant" to the official Zhang San, and said with his jaw headed: "As long as it is for the public and not for selfishness, then no matter how this Liu Zhutou asks, I will not blame it." ”

The water dragon sighed with relief and said, "This is the best, the best." Come, let's go in. He was the first to tear open the cordon that had been pulled up with a thick hemp rope, and the short body got into it from below.

Cheng Li naturally followed. The two walked into the door of the inn side by side, and immediately a strong smell of blood greeted them. Looking around, I saw that in the lobby of the inn, all the tables and chairs had been moved to the corner of the wall and folded, leaving a large area vacant.

More than two dozen corpses, all covered with white cloth, were placed side by side in a clearing. Several old servants were gathering around the corpses, examining them in various ways. It is not clear whether the methods they use are effective or not, but it is certain that they are absolutely thorough and absolutely violent.

Suddenly, Cheng Li couldn't help but recall that when he was a teenager, in the research institute, he watched a certain drama with that adoptive father and old man, called "Human Meat Barbecued Pork Bun"!

That play was so disgusting and bloody. So since then, Cheng Lidu has always refused the food of "barbecued pork buns", and even when he just sees the buns, he will feel nauseous and want to vomit.

At this moment, what these servants are doing, although it is still far from the barbecued pork bun. But if this development continues, I am afraid that the only remaining use of these remains can really only be used to make barbecued pork buns.

Even Cheng Li and Shui Longyin, two people who are used to seeing life and death, suddenly saw such a scene similar to a slaughterhouse in front of them, and they would feel extremely uncomfortable. As for the others, there is no need to say more.

In fact, now in the inn, there are not only servants, servants, catchers, but also shopkeepers and innkeepers. The shopkeepers gathered together, crouched in the corner, one by one like quails. The innkeeper was crying and sad, looking like he had nothing to love.

It's no wonder the boss looks like this. There was a murder case in the inn, which was already a heavy blow. If these servants come to such a hand again, which guest will dare to stay here in the future? Even if the entire inn is demolished and rebuilt, I am afraid it will not be possible. In the end, or rolling up the cover and going back to the countryside to farm, it is already the best result for the innkeeper.

The examination of these veterans is so in-depth and thorough. So much so that the officials and catchers in the yamen were all pale one by one.

Cheng Li raised his eyes and looked around, and found that the three of them, "Iron Courage" Sheng Yibiao, "Long Knife" Shen Yunshan, and "Golden Hand" Tian Dacuo, were also included. They are the head catchers of the Yamen of Jingzhao Mansion, and they used to sit down and drink with Cheng Li together with the old lord of Nanzhai Zhai Wu among the eight great families of martial arts, as well as Zhou Xueyu, the lord of Beicheng City, so the two sides also have some friendship.

Seeing Cheng Li and Shui Longyin walking into the inn, Sheng Yidao and the other three hurriedly greeted them and saluted each other. Shui Longyin waved his hand and frowned, "No need to be polite." Anyway, how can you do it here?"

"Long knife" Shen Yunshan said helplessly: "It's not what our god-catcher meant. He insisted on testing it here, saying that he had to hurry up and race against time. Otherwise, after a long time, it is likely that the evidence that is still there will be annihilated. ”

"Golden hand" Tian Dacuo also sighed: "Alas~ The first level of the official university crushes people to death, not to mention that it is still the third level of the official university? So we have no choice but to let the god of capture call the shots." It's a pity that the owner of this inn has lost his life's work. It's pitiful. ”

Shui Long Yin shrugged: "Actually, what Lao Liu said is not wrong. But...... Alas, in short, there are no two ends of the needle. I can only blame the boss for being unlucky. ”

Cheng Li asked: "Since it is the god of capture who asks for an on-site test, what about others?"

"Is Yan Guogong looking for a lower official? Hehe, the lower official is here. It's no wonder that it's rude and rude. ”

A hearty laugh suddenly fell from the sky. Everyone subconsciously looked up, but saw a figure sitting on the fence on the third floor of the inn. He is about 30 years old, with a chic attitude, and he is not dressed like a famous catcher, but like a scholar. He had a pipe in his hand and was spitting out smoke. His legs were dangling in the air, but he didn't look vulgar, but he was more unruly.

Cheng Li smiled slightly at the tip of his eyes, and clenched his fists and said, "Your Excellency is the god catcher Liu Zhengyan?"

The scholar laughed, stretched out his hand and pressed on the fence, and jumped up with his strength, and then like a goose feather, his body fell lightly with the sound of chanting.

"Through the ages, the souls sighed, the sentient beings grieved and looked forward to it, and the waning moon suddenly rose into a fierce wind, struggling to remove the clouds and fog. Hehe, it's Liu Yanyan below. Catching gods or something, it's just friends on the rivers and lakes who love it, and I'm really ashamed. ”

Cheng Li smiled, and then said: "Brother Liu, I know that you are eager to solve the case. But if you do this, how will the inn do business in the future?"

Liu Zhenyan shrugged: "In fact, such a big thing happened, and he couldn't do business in the first place." It's no wonder that others are no different, so it can be regarded as a disaster from heaven. ”

Cheng Li shook his head, suddenly reached into his arms, took out a silver ticket, handed it to the "Iron Courage" Sheng Yibiao, and then pointed to the innkeeper and whispered a few words. Sheng Yibiao nodded, walked over with the silver ticket, handed it to the innkeeper, and pointed a few more times to the shopkeepers.

The innkeeper was full of surprise and looked at Cheng Li. Cheng Li smiled and nodded. The innkeeper woke up like a dream, and was overjoyed, and thanked him again and again. Then he took a group of shopkeepers to withdraw from the lobby and into the back room

Liu Zhengyan lifted the pipe and took a deep breath. said with a smile: "Yan Guogong is worthy of being Yan Guogong, and he is really generous." He used five thousand taels of silver to buy his inn. In fact, according to the current situation, it is definitely too much. If I were to do it, three thousand taels would be enough. ”

Cheng Li said: "Actually, before today's incident, even if you pay eight thousand taels of silver, you may not be able to buy this inn." Moreover, the bloody case of the Seven Great Sword Sects is more or less related to me.

So, the inn is fundamentally affected by me. Five thousand taels of silver, as compensation. Of course, I've already stated it. The five thousand taels also include the severance pay of all employees in the inn. In this way, it is actually not very generous. ”

Liu Zhengyan put down the cigarette stick, looked solemn, and asked, "Yan Guogong, as far as the lower officials know, you are a master of swordsmanship." And all the dead in this bloody case died under the knife. So, can you take a look at it with a saber?"

As soon as these words came out, there was silence in the inn. Everyone held their breath and looked nervous.

As the saying goes. As the saying goes, "the sword is in the people, and the sword is lost". A true swordsman will never let a sword, whose importance is equal to his own life, fall into the hands of others.

This is true for swordsmen, and of course it is true for swordsmen. Therefore, if anyone dares to ask the swordsman for his saber, it is the most serious provocation and even insult to the swordsman.

Shui Longyin smiled bitterly, but he didn't expect Liu Zhengyan to make such a request as soon as they met. He swallowed hard and persuaded: "Lao Liu, you seem to be like this...... Not really, right?"

Liu Zhengyan said coldly: "What's wrong? I don't do anything bad in my life, and I don't feel shocked when I knock on the door in the middle of the night." If Yan Guogong really has nothing to do with this murder case, borrowing a knife to look at it just proves his innocence, what's wrong?"

The water dragon smiled bitterly again and again, and he had to persuade again. Cheng Li nodded and said, "Liu Zhushen's words are quite reasonable. Well, please take a look at the knife. ”

While speaking, Cheng Li untied the Jiuyao Treasure Knife hanging from his waist, and handed it to Liu Zhengyan with a sheath.

"The knife is in the person, and the knife is lost, and the person dies"? Cheng Li has never had such an idea. A knife is a knife, and for him, a knife is the same as a firearm, just a useful tool, and there is no need to sanctify it, let alone produce many unnecessary contradictions for the sake of a tool.

Liu Zhenyan didn't expect Cheng Li to agree so quickly. For a while, I couldn't help but be a little surprised. He was stunned, then came back to his senses and said in a deep voice: "Yan Guogong is really frank enough. On that basis I will believe you in three points. ”

As he spoke, Liu Zhengyan took the Jiuyao Treasure Knife with both hands. When I started it, I suddenly felt that my hands sank, and then I fell again, and I was almost unstable. He was awe-inspiring, and immediately worked hard to hold it steadily, and finally avoided the humiliating situation of holding the unstable sword and falling to the ground with his hand.

Liu Zhengyan wondered in his heart, but he couldn't help but be amazed - this knife was only about four feet, at most it weighed about four or five catties. Why did you get started like you just now, and you actually lived like you had forty or fifty pounds?

The "god catcher" did not know. Cheng Li's knife is neither gold nor iron, but the "Empty Glass Star Gold" obtained by the Liuli clan by using a variety of special minerals that only exist in the depths of the endless star sea, fusing and refining them with each other. Its properties are very peculiar, and they are different from any metal in this world.

Only this kind of "Empty Glass Star Gold" can carry the "Nine Yao Slash" slash performed by Cheng Li's infusion of "robbery power". If it's a regular metal, it can't stand it at all. Cheng Li's knife move had not yet been used, and the knife itself was about to be completely eroded into ashes.

Although I don't know what the "Empty Glass Star Gold" is, this knife definitely belongs to the rare gods. Regarding this, the "God Catcher" can still see clearly.

He unsheathed his sword and looked at it carefully. Suddenly, he couldn't help but say, and jumped out with a knife in both hands, raised the knife over the top, and aimed it at a corpse on the floor, which was a slash.

"Snort~" There was a soft sound, and the corpse was cut in two on the spot. The white flesh at the fracture was turned out, and the plasma gushed out "gurgling~", but it was purple-black. It is not yet condensed, but it will condense, like mud.

Shui Longyin's face froze, and he whispered. Immediately, he didn't care about anything, walked over and crouched down next to the corpse, and watched intently. At the same time, he took out a flat box from his arms and opened it, but there were some strange tools inside, and I don't know what tools.

Shui Longyin picked up one of them, and did not dislike the dirtiness of the plasma, so he directly probed such a tool into the plasma, and then concentrated on observing the changes in its reaction. For a while, he left everything else around him behind.

Liu Zhenyan nodded slightly. He himself is subordinate to the Criminal Department. And the water dragon Yin is the person who embroiders the spring building. Although the two sides are different from each other, there is also overlap in terms of power and responsibility. Therefore, when it comes to investigating and arresting the murderer, the ability of the four major stalls of Xiuchun Building is by no means inferior to the "three unique arrests" of the Criminal Department.

Now that Shui Longyin is like this, there is no doubt that he must have discovered something strange and is analyzing it with the unique method of Xiuchun Building. This is very welcome for Liu Zhengyan.

He nodded with satisfaction. Liu Zhengyan immediately raised the Jiuyao Treasure Knife, turned around, and praised Cheng Li: "Good knife." Chop meat and bones, such as cutting tofu. In addition, it adjusts its center of gravity to match the strength of the person holding the knife to maximize the power of the knife. and kills people without blood, it is really a rare magic weapon. ”

Cheng Li smiled and said, "It's really good." ”

Liu hit the smoke and put the knife into the sheath. He walked over and handed it back to Cheng Li with both hands. "Now, I'm at least sure of one thing." That is, these people of the Seven Great Sects did not die under this treasure sword.

Because the murder weapon used to cut off their heads, although it is also a sharp weapon that is one in a thousand, as long as you look at the wound face, you can know that the murder weapon is compared with Yan Guogong's treasure knife. It's just a small thing, and it's completely unworthy of comparison. ”

Cheng Li hung the treasure knife back on his waist. said: "It would be great if it could make the god catcher relieved." ”

Liu Zhengyan said: "The suspicion of the knife is cleared. But the suspicion of people has not yet been cleared. After all, if you really want to kill, any knife can be used to kill, but there is no need, you have to use this treasure knife.

Therefore, Yan Guogong, yesterday the Seven Great Swords were sent to the door, what is the matter? ”

Anyway, he is frank and open, and he has nothing to say to others. Cheng immediately said, "Yes." Here's how it happened......" then he recounted yesterday's events in detail.

After Liu Zhengyan listened, he asked: "Then after the people of the Seven Great Sects left, until noon today, where is Yan Guogong?

Cheng Li shrugged: "I've always been at home." As for proof, the two ladies in my family, five disciples, and all the subordinates in the family can testify. ”

Liu Zhenyan frowned, feeling very troubled in his heart. If a person really didn't go out, then naturally he can only be proved by his family members. However, according to the general guidelines for handling cases, family testimony is not credible because of the potential for mutual asylum protection.

If someone else committed the crime, then Liu Zhengyan would definitely come to the door and interrogate the suspect's family members one by one. He was confident that no one would ever think of being able to deceive himself in front of him.

But now as a suspect Cheng Li, there is a lady in his family, who is Princess Yongjia, the aunt of today's son.

Even if Liu Zhengyan is famous in the rivers and lakes, he is only a fourth-grade official after all. and Xiao Jianshi, who is the former guard of Ouchi, is at the same level. There are still 108,000 miles away from the noble status of the princess. No matter how upright Liu Zhengyan was, it was impossible for him to run to Princess Yongjia without any evidence and conduct any harsh interrogation.

The people of the Seven Great Sword Sects had indeed clashed with Cheng Li. Then they died mysteriously. Their killer cut off their heads with a sharp knife. And Cheng Li is a master of using knives.

However, during the period from the departure of the people of the Seven Great Sword Sects to the discovery of the body, Cheng Li did not have a strict alibi. In any way, Cheng Li is the absolute number one suspect. Therefore, normally speaking, Liu Zhengyan must first try to track down this clue until it is proved that Cheng Li has nothing to do with the murder case, and then change direction.

But now in such a situation, it is obvious that the common way of grasping the most obvious clue and then pursuing it with all his might will not work for Cheng Li. In this way, Liu Zhengyan had no choice but to change his thinking and start from other methods.

Suddenly, Shui Long, who was squatting next to the corpse to test the plasma, groaned, and said in a condensed voice: "Wrong. We were all wrong. Lao Liu, if you look for Lao Cheng to test the knife, it is fundamentally wrong. Because of these people from the Seven Great Sword Sects, the real cause of their death was not the severed head. ”

Cheng Li and Liu Zhenyan were both in good spirits at the same time. They walked quickly to Shui Longyin's side, only to see that the head of the Shui Da stall had already cut open the corpse's chest, exposing the bones beneath the muscles. The bones were purple and black. Moreover, above the bone, there were several extremely thin needle points, even smaller than a human hair.

Cheng Li and Liu Zhengyan have very keen eyesight, and it is not difficult to find these needles. Liu Zhengyan took the lead in slapping his thigh, and said in a deep voice: "Hidden weapon! Moreover, it is a secret weapon quenched with high poison! The murderer first used the secret weapon to plot against the people of the seven major factions, and then he swung his knife to cut off their heads. ”

Cheng Li sighed: "Several elders from Huashan, Kunlun, Kongtong, Qingcheng, Emei, Changbai, and Hainan are all first-class masters. Ordinary poisons, absolutely not poison them. On the other hand, even these first-class masters can be poisoned, this poison is so domineering. ”

Liu Yanyan's eyes lit up, and he said, "It's a highly poisonous secret weapon that seals the throat with blood!" But because this poison is so powerful, the poisoned person dies too quickly, so even though the breathing stops, the blood of the poisoned person will not stop flowing immediately. ”

The water dragon groaned and said, "That's right. As long as the blood is still flowing, then this small hidden weapon may flow into the heart with the blood, since it enters the human body. ”

Liu Zhengyan did not hesitate, and immediately shouted to the servants next to him: "Come here, dissect the heart of this corpse for me!"

In fact, these are also veterans. The reason why I can't find a clue is entirely because of the wrong direction. Now that someone has pointed them in the right direction, the rest is simple for them.

So just a few moments later, the servants had been found. The secret weapon is a steel needle that is inches long and only as thick as a cow's hair, and it is pierced on the heart flap. So much so that the whole heart turned black, as if it had been fished out of ink. It's really a powerful poison!