Chang'an, April.

The last vestiges of the winter chill have dissipated, and the sky is a clear blue, meaning that it is another sunny day.

People take off their cotton jackets and coats, change them into light and beautiful brocade robes and jade belts, or call friends to accompany them, or drag their families out of the house to enjoy this long-lost warm spring. As the most magnificent city in the center of the mainland, Chang'an City has thousands of residents and all walks of life are extremely prosperous, even in the middle of winter in February, let alone at this time when the spring flowers are blooming. In addition, the birth of Xinfang is approaching, and the merchants are full of energy to make a profit, and the whole city is even more lively.

However, there are exceptions.

One of them is the Abandoned Mill Cluster near the edge of the city wall in the western city.

"Master Di, is it really necessary to patrol here?" Li Yuanfang shook his ears and couldn't help muttering, "The people in the city usually don't approach this area at all, right?" ”

The Master Di in his mouth is naturally the youngest Dali temple secretary in Chang'an over the years, Di Renjie. A few days ago, when he accepted the canonization of the Queen of Heaven on the Xuanzheng Palace, Di Renjie had just turned eighteen years old, and he had already taken charge of a temple before he was weakly crowned, even in Chang'an, which was full of talents, it was a top pearl.

However, Master Di himself seemed very calm, and it seemed that for him, this wide-sleeved gold-inlaid official robe with blue inside and white outside only allowed him to better serve Chang'an.

"It's because people don't come here often that we need to make rounds - otherwise who else but us will notice the cases going on here?"

"Uh...... Adults seem to be right, too. Li Yuanfang raised his head and looked left and right, "It's that every time I pass by here, I always feel like I'm no longer in Chang'an City......"

Chang'an is a living city, all the buildings in the city are generated by Vientiane Tiangong, and if a new square is born, there will naturally be an old square that will be eliminated. A large number of dilapidated workshops moved here along with the meridian walls, forming a vast "no man's land".

Elsewhere, the ruined mill looks like the forgotten ruins of an ancient city, with layers of ruins that can reach several stories high. The mottled walls, crushed fences, cobweb-covered panes, and overgrown attics all show signs of decay.

No matter how glorious these markets were and what celebrities they once lived, they are now a pile of wreckage that no one cares about.

"How can it be, new life and elimination complement each other, just like the human body." Di Renjie brought a smile on the corner of his mouth, looked at the high-rise building of the abandoned workshop and said, "Such a wonder can only be seen in Chang'an City, so you have not left Chang'an, but are witnessing its growth." ”

"Huh...... Is that so? Li Yuanfang tilted his head and touched his head.

"Well said! If there is no elimination, how can there be a new life, this is quite meaningful! Suddenly, a slightly old voice interjected.

The two of them were stunned in unison, followed the sound and walked two steps quickly, and after bypassing a courtyard wall, they saw an old man sitting on a bench on the side of the road.

He was about sixty years old, his hair was gray, he was wearing a white high-necked jacket, and he was basking in the sun leisurely. Despite his advanced age, his spirits are still vigorous, and he shows no signs of sluggish aging.

"In Xia Di Renjie, I have seen the old gentleman." Di Renjie bowed. He had noticed a jade plaque hanging from the other man's waist, with a Rubik's cube and gears engraved on it. This is the unique symbol of Yu Hengsi - the Rubik's Cube represents the core of the mechanism, and the gear represents the skill of the mechanism. This waist card means that the old man is not an ordinary resident, but an official of the Yu Heng Division, and the official rank will not be low.

"What a familiar name...... The new Dali Siqing? ”

"Exactly down there."

"So you're Master Di...... Sure enough, it's better to be famous than to meet. The old man looked at him a few more times, with an appreciative look on his face, "I've heard about you, after settling in Dali Temple, you have cracked many big cases, and it didn't take long for you to be promoted to Dali Temple, it's really terrifying." ”

"You've won a prize. May I ask the old gentleman who is—"

"Oh, the old man forgot to introduce himself, he is really old, and he always forgets some basic things." He shook his head self-deprecatingly, "The old man's name is Yuan Huan, Yu Hengsi is in charge, today is the last day before leaving office, and he should prepare to return to his hometown when he goes back, so the two of you don't need to say much about etiquette." ”

"Wow, you're the presiding officer?" Li Yuanfang couldn't help but exhale, he looked left and right curiously, and circled around the old man before flashing behind Di Renjie, and muttered in a voice that only his boss could hear, "He doesn't have an auxiliary mechanism, and he doesn't have a prosthetic leg...... I've heard that the top management of Yu Hengsi is keen to transform himself into a semi-mechanical person......"

"Yuan Fang!" Di Renjie coughed helplessly, "What about etiquette?" ”

His subordinate is good at everything, but sometimes it is easy to lose sight of the occasion and forget his identity as a detective in Dali Temple.

"Ah...... I'm sorry," Li Yuanfang reacted at this time, stood up and bowed honestly, "I'...... No, the subordinate Li Yuanfang has seen the principal. ”

"Hahaha...... Anyway. Yuan Huan laughed, "Young people should be a little energetic!" ”

"But is he really the head of Yu Hengsi?" Li Yuanfang secretly pulled Ladi Renjie's sleeve and said with his mouth.

Di Renjie replied with an affirmative look, he naturally knew the doubts of his colleagues, but he also knew that no one dared to fake this identity.

Although Dali Temple, Honglu Temple and Yu Heng Si are called the three temples of Chang'an, there is a certain competition between them, but in fact, the scale of the first two is not half of Yu Hengsi. The latter will not only be involved in cases related to the mechanism technique, but will also be responsible for the management and selection of agency divisions, the research of new mechanism techniques, the distribution of agency cores, and the maintenance of the normal operation of various agency facilities in Chang'an City. There are more than 3,000 large and small officials, and it is also the department with the largest number of people and the most complicated affairs in Chang'an.

Yu Hengsi has a total of four chief officers, and his official rank is second only to Si Shilang, which can be regarded as the second-in-command of the department. In terms of grade, a chief official is obviously not as long as a temple, and in terms of function, the chief official of Yu Hengsi is even above the Dali Temple.

"Sit down and talk to the old man?" Yuan Huan didn't seem to care about these details, and took the initiative to invite.

"If Lord Yuan hasn't done yet, he will definitely refuse." Di Renjie replied unhurriedly, "But since you are about to leave Yu Hengsi, that's another matter." ”

Yuan Huan looked at him for a while before smiling and said, "Interesting, sit down." ”

Di Renjie tacitly sat down at one end of the bench, and Li Yuanfang also pretended to be calm and sat down with him.

After all, the dispute between the three temples is related to the influence and actual power of each department, so under normal circumstances, the officials of the various temples will only intersect when they are on official business, and the rest of the time there are more checks and balances than cooperation, and there is almost no friendship between officials in private. After all, no one wants to arouse the suspicion and rejection of colleagues because of their own personal relationships.

"Hey, although the old man also knows that such open and secret battles are always inevitable, but everyone is thinking about the safety of the people of Chang'an, if you can, I still hope that the three temples will have the opportunity to work together in the future." Yuan Huan said with emotion.

"Maybe one day." Di Renjie nodded noncommittally, and then led the topic to something he was interested in, "Lord Yuan is here to supervise the recycling work of the waste workshop, right?" ”

It can be seen that a cordon has been set up around the waste mill to prevent residents from entering it by mistake - such a solid waste naturally cannot be transported out of the city by manpower or machine vehicles, and the city has its own way of dealing with it. When there is enough of a certain number of abandoned mills, the ground in this area will open, causing the abandoned mills to fall into the ground, and then welcome new ones, and so on.

Chang'an's workshop is essentially a product of a large institution, so it is also under the responsibility of Yu Hengsi to manage the finishing work.

"I would like to ask Lord Yuan, if the criminal wants to use the scrap workshop to commit crimes, such as destroying the stolen goods when it collapses, or using the scrap workshop to move to transfer the murder weapon, is it possible?"

"It's possible." Yuan Huan touched his beard and said, "But it's very difficult to do it - it often takes several days for the abandoned workshop to be split and moved to the collapse area, and it takes months from stacking to collapse, which is enough time for Yu Hengsi to completely clean up the remaining items in the house." ”

"Then Dali Temple and Honglu Temple want to find clues inside?" Di Renjie then asked.

"Naturally, it's not a problem, as long as you submit an application, Yu Hengsi will send someone to provide guidance."

"Is there any rule to follow for the rebirth and elimination of Chang'anfang City?"

"Hahaha...... The new life depends on the mood of Vientiane Tiangong, and the elimination naturally depends on the degree of love of the user. However, in general, the speed of the birth of the fang is much faster than the elimination, and because of this, Chang'an has shown a trend of expansion in recent decades. ”

"There is one more question below......"

For Di Renjie, this is a rare opportunity to understand the city and technology of the organ, although there is also an exclusive organ master in Dali Temple, but the mastery of this kind of large-scale organ facilities is obviously far inferior to that of the chief officer of Yu Hengsi.

And Yuan Huan seems to be happy to answer these questions, and he doesn't mean to hide it.

The two of them talked for a quarter of an hour.

"The old man can see it," he finally smiled, "Master Di never leaves the content related to the case, and he is really thinking about his own duty." The old man can now understand why you can be promoted so quickly. ”

"It's just a habit." Di Renjie gave up his hand again, "Lord Yuan's level is also admired by Zaixia, whether it is the understanding of the organ technique or the idea of the organ case, it is very enlightening to Zaixia." ”

"Especially when it comes to scrap mills, it's almost omniscient." Li Yuanfang also admired, "You must have performed similar tasks many times, right?" ”

"After all, it's the duty." Yuan Huan waved his hand, still modestly said, "What's more, this is also one of my personal pastimes." Even when I wasn't finished, I would often come here to sit. The more you see, the more you will understand. ”

"Pastime?" Li Yuanfang was a little puzzled, "Can looking at these dilapidated abandoned workshops also play a pastime role?" ”

"Of course, look there." Yuan Huan pointed to the opposite side of the bench.

I saw that in a courtyard wall not far away, several tree trunks stretched out diagonally, and red flowers bloomed on the branches. Judging from the flowering period, it should be a late cherry blossom in April, with clusters of petals as thin as cicada wings clustering together, which contrasts sharply with the dilapidated abandoned mills around it.

"Flowers grow in this place!" Li Yuanfang couldn't help but be surprised. In the uninhabited area, the squares are stacked crudely, the building structure cannot be kept intact, and the original courtyard lacks water and fertilizer, and does not get enough light, so the plants that have not been removed will not live for long. Unexpectedly, these cherry blossom trees not only did not die, but stubbornly stretched out their branches from the cracks in the street and bloomed as scheduled in the spring breeze.

Its falling petals add a different color to the gray-white abandoned factory.

"That's why I like to be here so often." The old man smiled, "Even in the land of ruins, it can still give birth to new life. Every time I see this scene, I can give the old man a little comfort - even if I want to return to my hometown, it does not mean that I have never been to Chang'an, everything the old man does will affect the people of the future generations, if I can help them, then I have no regrets in this life. ”

Li Yuanfang was about to say something more when suddenly a bird fell towards Di Renjie.

It's not just an ordinary bird, but an expensive "trap bird" that can fly independently according to a pre-set target, making it ideal for short-distance communication.

"Looks like you've got something to do." Yuan Huan, as the director of Yu Hengsi, naturally knew the purpose of the trap bird.

Di Renjie stretched out his hand to let the bird land on his arm, then lifted the dark box on the bird's back and took out the note inside. After sweeping his eyes, he arched his hand towards Yuan Huan, "That's true." I had to rush to Linglong Fang immediately, but I could only lose my company. ”

"It's important to get down to business, let's go quickly." The other party didn't care.

"Yuan Fang, let's go!" Di Renjie didn't say anything more, and after releasing the trap bird, he hurriedly ran towards the east of the city.

In order to arrive as soon as possible, the two jumped directly on the roof and marched in a straight line along the undulating eaves - although there are chariots shuttling between the squares in Chang'an City, but it is more for sightseeing and convenience for the people, and the speed of travel is not as fast as the legs, and the meridian wall connecting the various squares has become a smooth way for them to cross the obstacles.

"Master Di, has something happened to Linglong Fang?" Li Yuanfang asked as he ran.

"Well, there's been a report of a homicide there." Di Renjie's feet didn't stop, "The detectives from Honglu Temple have arrived, but if it involves a murder, Dali Temple still has to take over and deal with it!" ”

……

A quarter of an hour later, the two arrived at the scene of the crime, a teahouse in Linglong Fang.

As Chang'an's newest commercial market, all of its shops and businesses follow the concept of novelty and diversity, and this teahouse is no different. It is completely decorated in an exotic style, with soft rush mats on the floor and red paper lanterns hanging in the corridors; Obviously it is a teahouse, but it gets rid of the noise of the market, and the interior is separated by screens and satin, which has a sense of elegance and chic.

There is no doubt that the guests who can come here to drink tea will never be low-level civilians.

Di Renjie and Li Yuanfang climbed to the second floor and passed through the cordon set up by Honglu Temple. After revealing their identity cards, a middle-aged agent who identified himself as Ma Jun led the two into a compartment at the end of the aisle.

It can be seen that the other party is not very reluctant to receive the officials of Dali Temple, but he has no choice but to stipulate that he cannot refuse the investigation of the two.

"You two take your time, if you have any orders, just call me." Ma Jun said in a casual tone, "But we have already targeted the murderer, and it will not be long before we can be arrested and brought to justice, and Master Di doesn't have to worry too much." ”

"Did you see the murderer?" Di Renjie said unexpectedly.

"Yes, we happened to have a patrol agent passing by here when the murder happened, and the other party had blonde hair, and it was clear at a glance that he was from Haidu." Ma Jun said confidently, "Although he jumped out of the window and escaped, it was impossible for him to escape the net laid by the Honglu Temple." ”

When he walked out of the cubicle, Li Yuanfang made a grimace with his hands on his hips in the direction of the aisle, "Don't be ashamed!" It's clear that they can't even control a petty theft on weekdays, so I think it's the best fit for them to coordinate neighborhood quarrels. ”

"Okay, it's their business how they do the case, let's focus on the scene." Di Renjie focused his gaze on the center of the compartment - the victim was lying on the floor, blood dripping from under him, apparently dead; Not far from him was a willow coffee table, and the teacups landed next to the table, and the unfinished tea soaked a small piece of the ground.

"Yes." Referring to the case, Li Yuanfang also became serious, he approached the victim, looked carefully for a moment and said, "This person should have been sitting cross-legged at the coffee table at that time, facing the aisle of the cubicle." Instead of looking at the scenery outside the window, but staring at the situation in the teahouse, the victim was most likely waiting for someone at that time. ”

"Yes, go ahead." Di Renjie nodded.

"At this time, the murderer should have appeared from his right, and it came very suddenly, so he was frightened and subconsciously avoided to the left." Li Yuanfang pointed to the coffee table that was slightly off the spot, "In the dodge, the victim hit the low table in front of him, and the cup also fell to the ground at this time. It's a pity that the murderer's movements were very neat, and he didn't even get up completely, he received a fatal blow to the chest, and then fell to the ground. ”

"It's at the end of the hallway, but it's not very hidden, maybe it was discovered by someone else, and the murderer jumped out of the window in a panic and fled, and then that's what the agent said."

"It's a possibility." Di Renjie walked to the window, there were obvious traces of trampling on the edge of the window, and outside the teahouse was just the edge of the market, and there was a meridian wall above his head along the façade, if he could climb up in one breath, he could indeed avoid the downtown area and escape. "What about the identity of the deceased?"

"It's the mechanic." Li Yuanfang said decisively, "There are ring-shaped indentations on his index finger and thumb, which are the traces left by the finger sleeves of the tools commonly used by mechanics. ”

It is reasonable for a person of this status to come to a high-end teahouse.

"I guess the person he's been waiting for is the murderer." Yuan Fang shook her ears, "The two agreed to meet here, but the murderer did not walk down the aisle, but went around the other side of the screen into the compartment and killed the person. There is no doubt or contradiction in the whole process, in the words of adults, it is 'a tendon case', and when someone is caught in Honglu Temple, the case will almost be closed. ”

"Didn't you think they were bragging about themselves?" Di Renjie glanced at his subordinates noncommittally.

"Ahaha...... After all, there are a lot of them," Li Yuanfang touched his head a little embarrassedly, "There are so many agents chasing a Haidu person, it's a shame that they can't catch it." ”

"That being said, don't you think the victim's posture is a little strange?" Di Renjie looked at the mechanic quietly for a while, and then suddenly spoke, "Especially the left hand." ”

When the body fell, one hand was pressed under it, and the posture was a little unnatural.

"Because he was hit hard, he covered his wounds?" After being reminded by Master Di, Li Yuanfang also sensed it, "It's not right...... If he subconsciously covers it, he should have his palms facing inward when he falls, but he is close to his chest with the back of his hand, as if he is ...... It's like it's blocking something. ”

The two glanced at each other, and then Di Renjie leaned down and raised the body of the machine master slightly.

His body was already soaked with blood, only a small blank space was left where he was pressed by his hand, Li Yuanfang broke off his left hand, and his eyes sharpened to see a few twisted handwriting written on the floor-

"That's ...... Chang'an ......"

“…… Dangerous. Di Renjie continued.