Far north, Ten Mile City.

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Three days ago.

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That. Song Dabai set up a stall on East Street as usual and wrote letters on behalf of others.

Business isn't too good, and it's not too bad.

After writing some letters to three or five guests, the hour came in the afternoon.

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He has been doing this job ever since he fled to the far north.

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Song Dabai is 25 years old.

Thinking about the days of the young governor in the past, I sighed impermanence.

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At first, Anqiu Town was prosperous, but soon, a woman named "Sun Moon Kaoru" suddenly appeared in the official residence of the governor of Anqiu Prefecture.

Under the coaxing of this person, his father, Governor Song, actually planned to rebel.

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Since then, Song Dabai has been involved in a series of unexpected events.

It was at the beginning of this year that there was a resounding rebellion.

At that time, Song Dabai's team was losing and retreating, seeing the people around him die one by one, and he himself was in danger and desperately escaped.

Shortly thereafter, he fled to the Far North, the City of Ten Miles.

A small stall was set up to write on behalf of others.

Soon, I met Li Yuanfeng, who had just become the governor of Shili City.

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This was originally a job he had always dreamed of, but he didn't expect this post to help him realize his long-cherished wish in advance, which really made people laugh and cry.

But he was by no means numb and did not forget his terrible past.

So far, in the past two months, whenever Song Dabai thinks of the tragic situation that happened in front of him, he is still terrified.

I won't dwell on those past events here.

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Three days ago.

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That day, Song Dabai first checked the letter paper on the table.

After closing the stall, he came to the "show box" outside the governor's residence.

——"Show box" is the first small rule set by Li Yuanfeng after he became the head of the mansion.

All the people in the ten-mile city could write a letter to the people.

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However, Shili City is a small remote city, with a small population, and every family has to take countless photos every day, and they are familiar with each other, and theft is rare.

Therefore, half a month since the advent of this "show box", it has been empty.

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As for the work of checking the "show box" every day, Li Yuanfeng handed it over to Song Dabai, which can be regarded as a handy job, with half and two months of money per month.

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In the "show box" that day, Song Dabai opened the lock as usual to check it, but was surprised to find that there was a personal letter written to the governor - Li Yuanfeng. Although he said that, the recipient on the envelope was not Li Yuanfeng.

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Ten Mile City, the governor of the mansion receives.

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The writing is crooked, like that of a child.

Although there has not been a single small case in half a month, Li Yuanfeng, as the head of a city, does not sit out of thin air every day.

He wrote a story. To be exact, a suspense story.

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Song Dabai often cheered Li Yuanfeng up, saying that if he could speed up his creation, control the length of the article to be able to use it as a script, hand it over to the storytellers in various teahouses, divide the upper, middle and lower paragraphs every day, give three speeches, and then portray the protagonist of the story as a guard who does not smile and runs around, then he will soon become a generation of great writers.

But Li Yuanfeng himself has no interest in this, let alone any literature, and he doesn't seem to care about even the title of governor.

When Song Dabai was alone, he would often say: "In a few years, I will simply not be the governor of this mansion and go to a no-man's land to be a little master." ”

"A little master goes to write a suspense story, it can't make people laugh."

He said with a hippie smile.

Song Dabai couldn't figure out which sentence he said was true and which was false......

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Song Dabai read it again, and after confirming that it was correct, he opened the envelope.

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On the back of the envelope there is only the sender's name - "Pu Tian".

There is no address. It's a strange name.

The word "Pu Tian" makes people think that the other party is an old man, but his handwriting is too bad.

The words written in ink are like earthworms crawling, crooked and unrecognizable:

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The day before yesterday, I heard the master's master's work. At that time, Lao Yu was recuperating in a medical hall on East Street, and I happened to hear the storyteller in the tea room of the medical hall talking endlessly, which made me listen to it with relish.

I'm sorry to bother me today, but I do have an urgent request, so I have the courage to write this letter. I had a special encounter with something that I wanted to ask the prefectural in person.

The old man also knew that this kind of request was a bit arrogant and too hasty, so I wonder if the adults can arrange it properly?

I will soon be at the Governor's Residence. Specific matters will be discussed at that time.

Please do this!!

Respectfully by Pu Tian.

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In the evening of the same day, this man named Pu Tian came to the door of the governor's residence.

At that time, Song Dabai was reading a book in the library in the official residence, and the old guard who suddenly broke in outside the door called "Dabai".

Da Shan is an experienced old guard, and he met Song Dabai half a month ago.

So like Li Yuanfeng, he is also called "Dabai".

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"Dabai, there's a knock on the door outside. The man said he was looking for the governor. ”

"Okay, got it."

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Song Dabai threw down the book and walked towards the door.

At that moment, he subconsciously felt that the person who knocked on the door in the middle of the night was the person who surrendered during the day.

In fact, he had been thinking about the letter all afternoon.

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Song Dabai felt that it was more than just a simple letter.

The letter, "Something special happened to me—"

That passage made him think about it, and he couldn't let it go.

For some reason, Song Dabai felt uneasy in his heart.

What the hell is going on?

Did he deliberately write that in order to get our attention?

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"I've been waiting for a long time, I'm the caretaker of the mansion."

"My name is Pu Tian, and I wrote a letter to you, I don't know if I received it?"

Just as Song Dabai imagined when he saw the words "Putian", the person in front of him was not only old, but also had a rickety body, and even his voice was hoarse and weak.

It's like an old man about 60 years old.

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"See." Song Dabai replied very simply.

The other party looked at him for a while, and paused slightly: "Where to start........."

"You said in the letter that something special had happened."

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"yes, yes, that's what I want to say."

The old man Pu Tian suddenly began to nod vigorously.

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"Writing to see the governor very abruptly, you must think I'm a nasty old fellow, don't you? But other than that, I can't think of a better way. How can I say it......... This request is related to the meaning of my existence........."

"Can you make that clear?"

Song Dabai felt that the other party was by no means a paranoia or dementia.

On the contrary, his tone was steady, which gave the impression of wisdom.

In short, it is necessary to listen to what he has to say.

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"Do you know about the fire that broke out in an inn on East Street in February this year?"

"Huh? Ah, remembered. Of course I've heard of it. ”

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In late February this year, a big fire broke out in the Jinyan Inn near the end of Shilicheng East Street.

It was a tragic event, the entire inn burned down, and many of the guests and innkeepers were killed.

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"At the time, I was staying at that inn. I didn't have time to run out, I was seriously injured, and then I finally chose a life. ”

"Oops........."

Song Dabai looked at the letter in his hand, "So he was sent to the hospital later?" ”

"Yes. I was in a coma for a long time due to burns, a blow to the head. ”

"Oops........."

Song Dabai didn't know what to say.

This is indeed a "special event", but what does it have to do with Li Yuanfeng?

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"Finally came back to life, and the wound healed. Seven or eight days ago, the doctor finally let me go home to recuperate. ”

The other man paused for another moment. "However, I can't remember. When I woke up in the infirmary, I found that I couldn't remember what had happened before. ”

"Can't remember?"

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Song Dabai was surprised and asked again.

The other party sighed.

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"The doctor didn't know what it was. Where do you live? What for? Forget everything. ”

"Forgot your name?"

"Everything in the inn was burned by the fire, even my clothes and luggage. The fire spread in the middle of the night. Later, I learned that when I was rescued, I was only wearing an ordinary cloth shirt. There is almost nothing left to prove who you are. ”

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"Then how did you later know that your name was Pu Tian?"

"I only have one thing that counts as a clue."

"Clues?"

"A notebook, I guess I wrote it, and there is a name written on it - Pu Tian, despite this, but how to say it? I didn't think it was my name at all. The doctor tried many ways to cure me, but nothing worked........."

"I see."

Although Song Dabai nodded, he still didn't figure out what those things had to do with Li Yuanfeng.

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After listening to Song Dabai's questioning, the other party lowered his head and sighed, as if he was exhausted.

"I heard a person's name at the storyteller in the tea shop of the medical hall."

"You go on."

And in the notebook just mentioned, the same name also appears. - A man named Li Yu. ”

"Li Yu?"

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Song Dabai's voice unconsciously rose, "Is there really such a thing?" ”

"Yes. At least until August last year, I seemed to be the caretaker of an old mansion called 'Dog Meat Factory', and that old mansion happened to be designed and built by Li Yu. ”

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After Song Dabai promised to try to let him and Li Yuanfeng meet tomorrow, he closed the door.

After that, he put his hand on the letter paper and pondered for a long time, and the mood at that time was indescribable.

- Li Yu.

Song Dabai never dreamed that he would hear this name. Maybe the uneasiness I felt when I saw the letter was a premonition.

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- In Li Yuanfeng's suspense story, Li Yu is a little guard, and this person has long since died. He solved many strange unsolved cases in various places, and many tragic events occurred in those unsolved cases.

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Two days ago.

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At first glance, Pu Tian is an ugly old man.

He was thin, of medium build, with a large head that appeared uncoordinated. Bald, the left half of the face is blackened, presumably from the wounds left by the fire.

"Early."

His voice was exactly the same as the one in front of the official residence last night, hoarse and weak, "I'm Pu Tian, the head of the mansion." ”

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This is an ordinary inn on East Street, with many houses nearby, and the governor's residence is a mile to the east.

Early in the morning, Song Dabai and the others came to the old man's room at the agreed time, and Pu Tian, who came out to greet them, smiled a little awkwardly.

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"First time we met, I was Li Yuanfeng."

When Li Yuanfeng meets people, he greets them like this.

He was not frightened by the old man's appearance at all, and pointed to Song Dabai who was standing next to him, "This is Song Dabai." ”

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"I'm sorry to let you come here. You may be seated, you may be seated. ”

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After the two of them sat on the wooden chair, the old man put down the crutch he was holding in his right hand and called the inn's junior over.

"Tell them to bring some tea."

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"The way I look, I must be scaring you, right?" Pu Tian sat across from them and touched his dark cheek with his right hand, "The doctor asked me to continue the treatment, saying that in this way, the scar left by the burn would be smaller, but I wanted to continue living in the hospital so much, so I refused." ”

Li Yuanfeng looked at him straight and nodded.

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Pu Tian continued: "I once had a brain blow and was treated for several days, and these scars on the left side of my face are evidence. The doctor said that if you are not careful, you may not even be able to speak. ”

"It's so painful."

After listening to Li Yuanfeng's words, the old man's tightly knit brows added a little wrinkles, and he shook his head slowly.

"What makes me sad is that I don't feel any pain at all."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Because I can't remember the fire. I can't even remember what I used to look like. So, how to say it? I don't have a feeling of 'loss', it's more of a resigned state of mind, and it doesn't matter what happens anyway......... But at the same time, I felt that I couldn't live like this, and I was getting more and more anxious every day. ”

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Pu Tian picked up the old tea on the table and handed it to his lips. As soon as I took a sip, I was choked and coughed incessantly: "I'm sorry." ”

He spat the tea on the towel, then took another sip and closed his eyes for a moment.

"You see, I'm not young anymore."

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After a pause, he spoke again, "I'm not in good health, so I don't think I will live long." Now, I don't want to live forever at all, but it's also a death, and it's always a bit of a pity to pass without even knowing who I am. ”

"Of course."

Li Yuanfeng's expression was a little strange, he rested his elbows on the wooden table, arching his back slightly, "I really can't think of anything?" ”

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"It's true that I can't remember my past at all. As for the text, common sense, etc., it has not been forgotten. ”

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"What did the doctor say?"

"It's rare to say that situations like mine are rare. It may be that the brain is broken, and it is not easy to use, as for why this is so, the doctor can't say clearly, in short, he just can't remember the past. ”

"Then you'll continue to be treated."

"It's been cured a lot, and I don't expect to be completely cured anyway."

"Why is that?"

"I don't know, maybe I don't trust the doctor." The old man squinted his right eye.

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"Didn't you investigate your origins yourself?"

"It's an investigation. I asked the well-known old people on the streets of Shili City, and I also went to several places where there were many people to ask. ”

"Nothing came of it?"

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"Yes, none of them know me........."

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Xiao Er brought the tea over.

Pu Tian finished a cup slowly.

Then, a second cup was poured.

During this process, he kept rolling his eyes and staring at the expressions of the two opposites.

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"Next, I will talk about the reason why I took the liberty of asking to meet with the prefectural governor."

"I've heard Dabai say this."

Li Yuanfeng narrowed his eyes. His eye sockets were a little sunken, and there was some dark halo under his eyelids, "Da Bai said that this matter is related to a person named Li Yu." ”

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Pu Tian nodded silently in response. His gaze shifted to the empty wooden chair next to him, where a book sat very casually.

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"That's the note you've been talking about?"

Li Yuanfeng asked.

Pu Tian nodded silently again, picked up the book with his right hand, put it on his lap, and flipped it up nonchalantly.

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"The above is about the events of August last year. This seems like a lot of importance to me. Because I heard that when the guards rescued me from the fire, I fell to the ground with the book in my arms. When I fled the room, I didn't take anything, including luggage and silver, but I didn't forget about it. Perhaps, that day, I escaped the room unharmed and then rushed in to get the book. ”

"I see."

Li Yuanfeng looked straight at the book in his hand, "I heard that you only knew that your name was Pu Tian after seeing this note.........

"Yes."

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"Is the handwriting in there yours too?"

"Even if you can compare the handwriting now, it doesn't make any sense."

"Why?"

"Because I'm left-handed......"

"So what's the impact?"

"Didn't you two notice?"

As he spoke, the old man pointed to his left wrist with his right finger, "Now, my left hand is crippled, and I can't hold the pen even if I want to." ”

"Is that - the fire?"

"It's not. Before that, my left hand seemed to be disabled........."

"So, what happened to you last year, after you finished that notebook?"

"It should be like this - when Song Dabai received my letter a few days ago, did it take a hard time to read? It took me a lot of effort to write it with my right hand. ”

Pu Tian closed the note, took a sip of new tea, and looked at Li Yuanfeng again, "I heard the ...... of the prefectural by chance."

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"Wait, interrupt, please don't call me 'Lord', just call me Li Yuanfeng."

Pu Tian smiled awkwardly; Li Yuanfeng scratched his head.

"Then I'll call Yuanfeng."

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The old man changed his name, "Have you ever heard of the name Li Yu?" ”

"Li Yu?"

"Mu Zi Li, the language of words."

"Don't worry, let me think."

Li Yuanfeng tilted his head and looked at Song Dabai, "Dabai!" Do you know? ”

"I don't know."

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"Don't you all know?"

Pu Tian sighed, "When you finish reading this note, you will understand." In the past, I was a caretaker and took care of an old house. And the previous owner of the house seems to be called Li Yu. ”

"Really? What you mean is that Li Yu built the old mansion. It seems to be called a dog meat shop, right? ”

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"That's what it says in the notes."

"Is it - so what kind of character is this Li Yu?"

"Looks like a scholar. He used to be the deputy master of the Longmen Academy in Ten Mile City. ”

"Is it the Dragon Gate Academy?"

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"Originally, he built it as a courtyard house, but after selling it to others, I became the caretaker there......... Really, I think it's better for you to read this notebook for yourselves than to talk about it. ”

After speaking, Pu Tian gently placed the book in his hand on the table.

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Li Yuanfeng asked another question: "Does anyone else know about this notebook?" For example, the doctor in the hospital or something........."

"When I was unconscious, they seemed to have seen it. Because when I woke up, they all called me Putian. ”

"Even so, haven't they figured out where you came from?"

"Yes."

The old man covered his face with his wrinkled hands, "They kept pestering me to ask if the contents of the notes were true, and I was puzzled at the time. Even after I read it later, I still didn't get my senses. The more I read it, the more I realized that it was not a true record, but a story. ”

"Story?"

"Maybe it's a story I wrote with Pu Tian as the protagonist. After listening to my opinion, the doctors seemed to agree. Even I hope that it is a fictional story, because what should I say about it? ”

There was a pause.

“……… It's horrible. I hope that doesn't happen......"

"I see."

Li Yuanfeng clasped his hands and leaned back on the back of the wooden chair, "But after you read my story—you know, my story is based on facts—you have to deny your thoughts." Because the name 'Li Yu' also appears in my story......... I'm not wrong in my speculation, right? ”

"Yes."

"So, Mr. Pu Tian, what is recorded in that notebook?"

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

The old man swallowed back the words to his lips.

With his right hand, he pushed the note on the table in front of Li Yuanfeng, "Anyway, can you read it first?" Then, I would like to hear about Takami. This notebook is relatively long, so you can take it back and read it slowly. ”

Li Yuanfeng nodded silently and reached out to pick up the note. It was a common thick blue paper, the size of a palm, and the cover was charred and blackened everywhere.

"That's what happened at the dog meat shop from August 1 to 4 last year."

Pu Tian drank the new tea and said, "You can roughly guess one or two, right?" ”

"Is it a murder?" Li Yuanfeng blurted out.

Old man Pu Tian lowered his eyelids weakly: "Yes." ”

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