In the far north, Sichuan Road ——— Wolf King Fang.

…………

Song Dabai didn't know how to answer. Li Yuanfeng then flipped through his notes.

…………

"The next ——— is right, and that's what makes me feel stuffy. On the first night, lamb appeared on the dinner table. Don't you think it's a little strange that a caretaker who is not good at cooking dishes prepares lamb for guests on the first day they arrive? ”

“………”

"At that time, while talking to the old man Putian, the wind dagger made this gesture: 'He put his finger on the black window paper embedded in the black window frame, and drew a vertical line from top to bottom.' Moreover, there is such a text in the text: a line drawn on the black window paper. What do you think? Don't you think it's weird? ”

"This ........."

…………

"If you can draw a line by hand on the window paper, it means that there was a mist of water on the window paper at ———that time."

After a pause, "......... It was summer and it wasn't cold in the room either. As a matter of common sense——— there should be no mist on the window paper in the room. ”

…………

Song Dabai combed his dusty hair with his hands and crooked his neck.

Li Yuanfeng continued.

The next day, Feng Ji and Shizhi went out for a ride, and after the old man Pu Tian took the wind dagger to the big room, An Zheng finally got up. In his conversation with the old man Pu Tian, there are some things that are also puzzling. ”

“……… The first is the issue of 'immortals'. Ann said exactly that——— Recently, many people in the local area have seen God. But at least I've been in Ten Mile City for half a month, and I've never heard of that. What do you think of the legend in this regard, Dabai? ”

…………

"I feel sullen about what you said. By the way, yesterday, you were in the inn, and you asked the little two. ”

"Yes. He also said he didn't know.

…………

After asking, An Zheng also asked many difficult questions for Pu Tian. The relationship between extinct wolves, giant monsters inhabiting lakes, hidden barbarians, and the missing continent......... The wolves mentioned here can be thought to be local coyotes, and the lake may be Lake Akan. But I always felt that something was wrong. There are puzzling points in each question. ”

…………

Later, An Zheng, who was about to go out for a walk, asked if there were any bears nearby, and the old man Pu Tian said very dryly. It also feels weird. In a wooded area like Chuanlu, there are not necessarily bears. Yesterday I asked the inn's junior two, and he also said that in the remote mountains, there will be bears hurting people. ”

…………

Li Yuanfeng took the copy, raised his arm, yawned, and moved his sore shoulder. Maybe his action scared the old man Pu Tian.

He looked up suddenly.

…………

"Now comes the key point."

Li Yuanfeng continued, his tone did not change, "On the third day, after noon, the young man in the big room had not yet gotten up, and the old man Pu Tian felt uneasy and ran to the room on the second floor to have a look. The most advanced is the room with the wind dagger on the left side of the wooden ladder........."

“……… The diary records the state of the house at that time: 'The windows were not closed, and the light came in, dividing the dim room into light and dark. But, as we know earlier, there is a window in the front of this room. ”

“……… If you look at the drawing paper just now, you can see that after ——— went up to the second floor, the room closest to the wooden staircase on the left was facing north. Then this front inner window should also be facing north. It was just after noon, and the sun was just above it. In this way, the record in the handbook is a bit strange. At that time, could the light shine into the north-facing room? How is it possible to divide the room into light and dark parts? ”

…………

Song Dabai shook his head slowly, and a scene from the ancient book "The Magic Lamp" flashed in his mind.........

…………

"For another example——— when the big room was opened and Remu lying on a wooden chair was found, Silence rushed to the gate and wanted to call someone. Later, the wind dagger hurriedly stopped him. The diary of the scene reads: 'As he was about to open the door, the wind dagger hurried over and held his hand. At that time, when he was about to call someone, why didn't he just say 'report the errand', but 'call someone'? ”

“……… Judging from the whole context of the article, I always feel that this seems to symbolize ——— that Lei Mu was not exhausted at that time......... But...... Let's take another example. ”

“……… That is: after dinner that day, after sending Shinoyuki back to his room to rest, Wind Dagger heard the "ugly cries of the little larks in the woods" and said——— "These guys don't have brains." Pu Tian understood this sentence as 'a joke to adjust the atmosphere', but the other two people did not understand what it meant. There's a good chance they don't understand what it means to be 'brainless'.

…………

"But luckily, I happened to find the answer in a book."

"No wonder. ———So, what is the result? ”

"Here's how it turned out." Li Yuanfeng raised his eyebrows, "Under normal circumstances, most of those who can move and jump have brains. ”

"Will it move?"

"It's the common ones. For example, people, dogs, cats, wolves, bears, and fish are all there. ”

…………

"What does this mean?"

"Yesterday my inference was blocked here. At that time, I had to convince myself that the 'little larks' were owls and other birds——— to be honest, if I had figured this question out earlier, I might have come up with the answer. ”

Li Yuanfeng shrugged slightly, closed the copy, and placed it casually on the dusty ground, "There are also a few other places that make people feel stuffy." Take a look at it later and find out where it is. ”

…………

"You just say it so simply, I'm still ........."

"Still don't understand? Stupider than me. Of course, that's just what I said. Li Yuanfeng turned around and looked at Pu Tian, who had been silent and listened to them.

"Although I have always felt bored and puzzled about the places I just pointed out, I have never found the answer. This is all because I thought that the dog meat shop was on Chuan Road from the beginning. This preconceived idea imprisons one's own inferences. After coming here, I realized that the dog meat shop was somewhere else, but where was it? I meditated for a long time. It wasn't until I was on the second floor, inspecting An Zheng's final secret room, that I reacted. ”

"——— at the end of the note, how did you come to that 'conclusion'? If you follow that analysis, you will never get a complete answer. Why is that? What went wrong with the direction of my investigation? ———I kept thinking about these questions, and then I finally understood. I was completely wrong from the start. ”

Li Yuanfeng quietly looked at the silent old man.

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"You built a dog meat shop in a fairyland. It sounds like it only exists in a book. Bounded by Shili City, at the other end of the opposite end of the Sichuan Road——— there is also a dog meat shop where you work as a caretaker. ”

…………

"Immortal Mountain, Midnight Valley?"

Song Dabai couldn't help but shout loudly, "This, Yuanfeng, this ........."

…………

"Let me explain."

Li Yuanfeng said word by word, "30 years ago, Master Li Yu's original idea was this: to build two courtyards symmetrically in the ——— of Sichuan Road and Lingye Valley of the Absolute Immortal Mountain. That is, it is bounded by the ten-mile city, and the two sides are the same as the 'moon in the mirror'. ”

“……… One was built near his hometown of Chuan Road, and the other was built in the Lingye Valley of the Absolute Immortal Mountain. Although it is impossible for the two to be completely symmetrical, in general, the two places are still very similar, so Li Yushi finally chose these two places. ”

…………

When the two courtyards were completed, Mr. Li told his old friends about the ——— Chuan Road Courtyard and sent them an invitation to stay for a few days. But the Peerless Mountain, which can be called the 'Moon in the Mirror', ——— the Courtyard House didn't tell anyone. ”

…………

Li Yuanfeng got up and walked to the window, looking at the bright moon in the sky. He deliberately stopped for a long time, as if leaving time for Song Dabai to think.

…………

After a while, he sighed and turned around.

"If you understand that the 'Dog Meat Workshop' is in the Lingye Valley of the Absolute Underworld, I am afraid that the 'doubts' just listed can be easily solved."

…………

He looked at Song Dabai, "......... The text in the section of the notebook that 'it is rare to see fog' is no longer puzzling. The first time the Wind Dagger came to 'there'——— was the Valley of the Night. ”

“……… As for the question of the early twilight, it is logical. At the beginning of August, we are here for summer, but as we all know, there is only one season a year in Midnight Valley, and the weather is normal. There are only about two or three hours of daylight. At the beginning of the unitary period, the sky was naturally already dark. ”

"What about mutton, how do you explain it?"

…………

"According to rumors, in Ling Ye Valley, there is a sect that has grown in recent years, and its master is Ling Wuxin, who is known as 'Ling Sanye'. It seems that there are many disciples in the door, and money and silver are in short supply for a while, so they have to support themselves. Mr. Li has lived there for many years, and no matter how bad his cooking skills are, he can still roast lamb. ”

"Makes sense. ——— that said, it's a natural thing to do. Right? ”

"Yes. In addition, the reason why there is water mist on the window paper may be that there was a fire in the house of Midnight Valley at that time——— which made it cold outside and fire inside, and there would naturally be water mist on the window paper. ”

"If you make a fire, is there any basis for that?"

…………

"Of course, for example———" Li Yuanfeng glanced at the copy under his feet, "In the notebook, there is such a record. When the young men ran to the meeting room, they shouted 'hot', rolled up their sleeves, stood up, and asked the old man Putian to 'open the window'. After reading this text, we can completely understand that it is summer. But in fact, the four seasons in Midnight Valley are as usual,——— only the windows in the house are closed and the fire is lit. Only then will silence roll up his sleeves and shout 'hot'.

…………

"When we understood that the dog meat shop was in the Midnight Valley of the ——— Peerless Mountain, we went back and read the notebook again, and found that the places that we thought were boring and unknown could be understood. Like on the first day, the wind dagger got sick because of the 'sudden change in climate', snot whirring, etc., ........."

…………

Song Dabai looked at the replica at Li Yuanfeng's feet and wanted to sigh.

He thought of the legend of the martial god when 'Ling Sanye' was young. Indeed, in the hearts of the martial arts people, he can be called a 'god', and he told Li Yuanfeng about this.

Li Yuanfeng nodded with satisfaction.

…………

"Similarly, the 'wolves' mentioned by An Zheng are not coyotes, but a unique kind of wolf in the Midnight Valley of the Absolute Immortal Mountain, also known as the Midnight Wolf. It is said that this wolf has long been extinct, but like coyotes, it seems that people have seen it to this day. ”

"Also, the so-called 'lake' is not Lake Akan. In the Valley of the Night, there are indeed many lakes. But it is not known if there are so-called giant monsters there. ”

…………

"There won't be bears in the local woods?"

"How can there be ——— right, one more point." Li Yuanfeng looked at the replica, "When Fengji and Lonely took Lei Mu back to the courtyard, the old man Pu Tian heard her say such a sentence——— 'It's so beautiful, the sky is full of stars', and when we understand the location, we will feel that this sentence is meaningful." At that time, she may have seen the Ten Stars in the Night, which can only be seen in the Valley of the Night, exactly ten, connected into the word 'ten'. ”

…………

"The midday sun shone into the north-facing room——— this contradiction was no longer a problem. Because in Midnight Valley, the sun is not in the sky due south, but in the sky due north. ”

"Yes."

…………

"In the end, it's the 'brainless' problem."

Li Yuanfeng stretched out a finger, pressed it on his forehead, and said.

"In the book I read yesterday, it said——— White Wolf King Pack is rare and has no brains. Most of them live in extremely cold places, led by one white wolf king, and all the rest of the little wolf kings are all under the orders of the white wolf king. The 'brainless guys' may be the local white wolf kings. ”

“……… It is said that if there is no leader of the White Wolf King, the entire White Wolf King Group will be completely lost, and it is even impossible to hunt unless a new leader wolf appears........."

“……… Therefore, they are known as the stupidest in the world, and they are also called the Midnight Demons by the people of Ten Mile City. ”

…………

…………

"Old man Putian——— no, let's call your real name, Old Man Li Yu."

Li Yuanfeng said to the dejected old man, "When you lost your plum and were expelled from the school, you couldn't gain a foothold in Kyoto, so you had to run to the Lingye Valley of the Absolute Immortal Mountain, instead of Chuanlu. ”

“……… Didn't you say in your notes that it was 'the end of the world'? You hide deep in the woods, in the courtyard that used to belong to you. You have known the 'head of the house' for a long time, Fengjun, who lives in Shili City, and through his arrangement, you changed your name to Pu Tian and lived there in the name of the caretaker of the Duheyuan. ”

“………”

"In February of this year, why did you come to Ten Mile City with a note? You've already remembered, right? The Feng family suffered a catastrophe, and the courtyard was transferred to Feng Dagger's mother. After hearing the news, you ........."

…………

It was then that the old man's mouth, which was as closed as the prison door, finally moved.

…………

"You even know that?"

His hoarse voice echoed through the dimly lit room.

Song Dabai couldn't help but hold his breath and look at his chapped mouth like dead wood.

The old man lowered his head, "I asked you to investigate this matter.........

…………

"Do you regret it?"

Pu Tian ——— Li Yu shook his head slightly.

"I've always looked down on fatalists, and it looks like I need to change my opinion." As he spoke, he raised his head slightly, and a self-deprecating expression appeared on his old and ugly face.

"Despite all your explanations, to be honest, I didn't expect so many puzzling points in that notebook. That courtyard house was built on a wasteland in the Lingye Valley of the Peerless Mountain, where the seasons are as usual, and it began with a fateful meeting 30 years ago, and as for that sect, it was later. ”

“……… These are self-evident things to me——— so I didn't think much about it when I put it down, and I didn't expect you to go through so much trouble. I'm an old trick in dancing and writing........."

…………

"There's one more thing I'd like to ask. Please do not hesitate to advise. ”

Li Yuanfeng looked respectful, "Maybe there is a second book of this notebook, right?" That is, the 'answer' written for yourself. There should be another one. ”

…………

The old man nodded, still with a self-deprecating expression: "Although it is not written for long, there is indeed another one, but it was burned in the fire." I really can't remember the scene at the time of the fire. ”

"In that booklet, you wrote down the truth about the last secret room. The name of the murderer and the motive were recorded........."

"Don't you understand all of this? Now, I don't have to say it. ”

"yes."

…………

Neither spoke.

For a while, the room seemed quiet.

Before I knew it, a beam of light burst in through the window, but it quickly became faint.

It's almost dawn.

Maybe the clouds are coming out, or maybe it's foggy.

…………

"I have to tell you something."

After a while, Li Yuanfeng spoke first, "Yesterday morning, before leaving the inn, we found the wind dagger. I sensed something might change over there. ”

"Really?" The old man's expression changed slightly, and Li Yuanfeng continued to speak unhurriedly.

"I heard that the day before yesterday, they found the wind dagger on the ferry of Liling City. He finally learned the news of the death of the Feng family......... Now, he may be on his way to Kyoto. When he learned that his mother was going to transfer or demolish the Dog Meat Factory, he was anxious to persuade her to give up the idea. ”

…………

"Yuanfeng!! You ........."

The old man looked a little surprised and glanced at the other party, "What do you mean by that?" ”

"No, no, no."

As he spoke, Li Yuanfeng got up from the stool. He put the replica in the bad room, stretched a big sloth at the south window, "We didn't find any traces in this courtyard. Not to mention human corpses, even the remains of dogs have not been found. ”

“………”

…………

"Alright, Dabai, let's go back. I was hungry. ”

With that, Li Yuanfeng turned around and walked towards the corridor.

Song Dabai quickly got up from his chair.

…………

The old man still sat there, as if he had no strength in his feet.

Li Yuanfeng walked to the door, turned around and shouted at him, "Let's go!" Li Yu does not ——— old man Putian. ”

He said cheerfully, out of proportion to the desolate and dilapidated atmosphere of the room.

"In this world, there is no dog meat shop at all. The entries in that notebook were all made up by you based on your 'nightmares'. For me and Dabai, this is the 'real'. ”

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