Gu Congzhou left Heren Pharmacy and soon parted ways with Sheriff Yao and his party. It was only then that he took out from his pocket what he had just hidden—it was a slimy mass that Gu Congzhou had just found on the floor in the back room of the pharmacy. Judging by its form, it looks a bit like the residue of boiling medicine, and it has not dried up yet, indicating that it was probably made just last night. Gu Congzhou twisted it with his fingers, it felt a bit like the leaves of some kind of plant, and when he smelled it again, there was an obvious smell of alcohol.

What the hell is this?

Gu Congzhou didn't know much about traditional Chinese medicine, he wanted to go back to the hospital to ask someone at first, but after thinking about it, they were a Western hospital, and it was estimated that no one would know this thing when he took it back, so it was better to find an experienced old Chinese medicine doctor and ask, maybe it would be faster. It's just that Gu Congzhou didn't know too much about Chinese medicine, and after thinking about the people he knew around him, Gu Congzhou decided to go to Shen Yu for help.

"Uncle Xue!" Shen Yu took Gu Congzhou into a pharmacy, and as soon as he entered, he greeted the old Chinese medicine doctor who was grabbing medicine in the house.

"Yo, Shen Yu!" Doctor Xue turned his head, "Why did you kid come to see my old man today, could it be that you came to me for a drink again?" ”

"Dad, have you forgotten what you promised me and my mother last time?" Xue Bing pinched his finger bones and "reminded" on the side. When Dr. Xue saw it, he immediately shrank his neck and changed his words: "Cough, I'm just joking with Xiao Shen, don't drink, don't drink!" ”

"Uncle Xue, I have a serious business looking for you today." As he spoke, he pointed to Gu Congzhou on the side, "This is my friend Gu Congzhou." ”

"Hello Uncle Xue, I would like to ask you to help me identify what kind of ingredient this is." Gu Congzhou took out a handkerchief, which was filled with the handful of "medicine residue" he had just picked up. Dr. Xue took the handkerchief together, he first twisted it, and then put it under his nose and sniffed it, and suddenly his face changed: "Little friend, where did you get this thing?" ”

Gu Congzhou saw the problem from Doctor Xue's suddenly serious face, he looked around, and motioned to the other people in the pharmacy. Doctor Xue understood and beckoned to the two: "You come with me." ”

The three of them went to the inner room together, and when there were no outsiders, Doctor Xue spoke: "This is a leaf picked from a tree called coca, which I saw when I went to the south a few years ago. The local villagers smoke this leaf as a tobacco leaf, just like we smoke a big cigarette. I heard an old Chinese medicine practitioner there say that if you mash the leaves and soak them in white wine, and then steam the wine to dry, you can get something much stronger. Look at this thing you are taking, it seems to be the scum of the old doctor's method. Doctor Xue explained as he looked at Gu Congzhou and Shen Yu, "Where did you find this thing?" ”

"It's in one of our pharmacies in Kanto City. The owner of the pharmacy seems to know the method you said Dr. Xue. Gu Congzhou replied, "Doctor Xue, I want to ask, do you know what the specific effect of this thing is?" For example, will he hallucinate or self-harm after smoking him? ”

"It's not just self-harm, it's suicide!" Doctor Xue sneered, "This thing has a sweet smell when it is lit, and it can make people feel very happy after smoking, so many people will keep smoking it." But in fact, it is more harmful than big smoke, after smoking a big cigarette, people are just lazy and don't like to move, this thing is easy to hallucinate when you smoke too much, feel that there are bugs crawling in the body, I have seen someone cut off his arm. ”

"And what if you mix this thing with smoke?"

"Mixed up?!" Doctor Xue was also taken aback, "I've never seen this before, but the smoke itself is addictive, if you add this thing...... I guess it's only a matter of time before that man goes crazy......"

Gu Congzhou's brows furrowed deeply. According to Dr. Xue, "golden smoke" is obviously more addictive and dangerous than ordinary big smoke. Now that such things have flowed into Kanto City, will there be more people in Kanto City who kill themselves like Lu Gongzi or the coachman that day in the future? Also, Shopkeeper Pan made some of these things before he died, does it mean that the murderer also has gold smoke in his hand? Who is that going to be for?

The more Gu Congzhou thought about it, the more he felt that there must be a bigger conspiracy behind this matter, so he hurriedly thanked Dr. Cui and pulled Shen Yu out of the Chinese medicine shop. As soon as he went out, he immediately said to Shen Yu: "Shen Yu, I ask you one thing, you go to Xishuncheng Street now and help me check the Heren pharmacy." ”

"Heren Pharmacy? Is that the dead man's pharmacy you just talked about? ”

"Yes." Gu Congzhou nodded, "When the people who patrolled the room were there to inspect just now, I found that the two clerks had been making eye contact with each other, there must be something wrong." You can help me inquire about it, especially if the boss is in contact with anyone on weekdays. I'll also go back to the hospital and ask, you can come to the hospital at any time to find me if there is any news. ”

"Good. Leave it to me. After Shen Yu finished speaking, he put on his little hat and walked away quickly.

After arranging Shen Yu, Gu Congzhou himself returned to the hospital, and he wanted to ask Lu Shirui in detail about the situation of Shopkeeper Pan and the Heren pharmacy. However, to Gu Congzhou's disappointment, Lu Gongzi didn't know much about the shopkeeper Pan. When Gu Congzhou talked about the murder of the shopkeeper Lu, what Lu Gongzi was most worried about was where he would get the "golden smoke" in the future.

"You almost hacked yourself to death yesterday when you smoked this thing, and you still dare to smoke it?"

"Hey, don't worry, I didn't know the amount yesterday. The guy surnamed Pan told me not to smoke too much at once at first, because I didn't control it yesterday. ”

Gu Congzhou saw that this person didn't care about it, and he didn't want to persuade anything. However, his statement was similar to what he heard from Dr. Xue, so he asked: "Master Lu, what is the difference between this 'golden smoke' and ordinary big smoke?" ”

"That's a big difference." As soon as he said this, Lu Shirui immediately came to his senses, "Our general smoke is black, and it is black with gold, so it is called golden smoke." Moreover, it is more fragrant than the average cigarette, and has a toffee flavor......"

Lu Shirui said, with an expression of infinite fascination on his face. Soon he rubbed his nose and said, "No, I want to smoke it when you say it." Little Blessing! ”

"Huh!" A small guy ran in through the door.

"Bring me my cigarettes, I'm going to take a puff."

"Young Master, Madame said that you should smoke less today......"

"Eh, my mother is not here, you listen to me, get it for me!"

The little guy couldn't resist Lu Shirui, so he had to nod his head and say "yes". Within two minutes, he returned to the ward with a full set of smoking sets. Lu Shirui took out a black crow with gold from the cigarette case and showed it to Gu Congzhou: "I saw Doctor Gu, this is a golden cigarette." ”

Gu Congzhou observed the big black smoke with gold in it, and saw Lu Shirui put it in the pipe and lit it, and there was indeed a sweet smell in the air. Gu Congzhou had a plan and said, "Master Lu, can you give Gu some golden cigarettes?" ”

"What?" Lu Shirui suddenly became very vigilant, "What do you want this thing for?" ”

"I want to take a little bit and test it to see if I can test the ingredients in it," Gu Congzhou lied, "Maybe I can make it according to the ingredients." ”

Lu Shirui's eyes rolled, and he seemed to think that this method was feasible. So he took out a piece from the cigarette case and handed it to Gu Congzhou: "You save some use, if you have the left, remember to return it to me." ”

"Okay."

After getting this thing, Gu Congzhou immediately left the ward, he was about to go out to find Shen Yu, but he didn't want to bump into Shen Yu at the gate of the hospital.

"Hey, I just happened to run into you!" Shen Yu pulled Gu Congzhou over, pulled him aside to no one's place, and whispered, "I found someone who has seen the murderer!" ”

"Really?!" Gu Congzhou was taken aback, "Who?" ”

"That's the case, didn't I just go to inquire about that Boss Zhou? Then he told an uncle on the street that he had seen a man come out of the side of the shop last night when he went out to pour the night pot. I thought it was strange, so I asked the time, and the uncle said it was almost ten o'clock in the evening. Isn't this exactly the time when the person surnamed Pan was killed? ”

"What does that guy look like?"

"Alas, the annoying thing is here," Shen Yu said, his face fell, "It was very late, and I couldn't see the person's appearance clearly in the dark light." I asked the uncle several times, and he could remember that the man was a tall man, wearing a long shirt and a hat. Oh yes, the uncle also said, saying that I felt that the person 'walked a little weird', I asked him what was strange, the old man calculated for a long time, and finally said, 'That man's waist is straight' - I almost spurted out a mouthful of blood when I heard this, you said that except for Luo Guo'er, whose waist is not straight? ”

Hearing this, Gu Congzhou was also a little disappointed. It is indeed difficult to identify the murderer based on these points alone. So he asked, "Then do you have any other inquiries?" ”

"Two more things. First of all, this pharmacy is from out of town, from the shopkeeper to the guys. Some people say that listening to the accent is like Ji Province. It is said that the ginseng in his pharmacy was brought directly from the mountains in the north. In addition, this shopkeeper Pan may have something to do with the army in the north, because someone heard him say that it would be better if he called a few soldiers directly from the north. ”

Hearing the word "soldier", Gu Congzhou suddenly thought of something: "You say, the person who killed the old man last night could be a soldier?" ”

"Soldier?" Shen Yu was stunned, "Why are you a soldier?" ”

"Didn't you just say that the murderer that the old man saw last night had a 'very straight back'? Don't you think it's a lot like a soldier? ”

"It seems to be ......" Shen Yu touched his chin and first agreed, and then frowned, "But it's not right!" According to his neighbor, this man surnamed Pan should have a good relationship with the army, so how could the army people come to kill him? It doesn't make sense! ”

Gu Congzhou knew that Shen Yu didn't understand the factional strifes in these officialdoms, and now the question was whether the death of the shopkeeper Pan was because of those golden smokes. Last night, what was the intention of the murderer to take the golden cigarette and kill people? If he is really a soldier and a man who can afford to wear leather shoes, then who will be the target of his next action?

Gu Congzhou thought about it, pulled his legs and walked out. When Shen Yu saw it, he hurriedly chased after him: "Where are you going?" ”

"The Great Marshal's Mansion!"

Gu Congzhou and Shen Yu waited at the gate of the Grand Marshal's Mansion for a long time, and finally waited for Adjutant Li to come out.

"Doctor Gu, Reporter Shen," Adjutant Li greeted the two of them, his face a little puzzled, "I heard that the two of you are looking for me?" ”

"Yes." Gu Congzhou nodded, and he said to Adjutant Li, "Adjutant Li, do you have time now, I have something I want to ask you for help." ”

Adjutant Li glanced at Gu Congzhou, and then nodded: "The two of you come with me." ”

Adjutant Li took the two to an unoccupied room, and Gu Congzhou told Adjutant Li the whole thing about the "Golden Smoke". "Adjutant Li, the harm of golden smoke is far greater than that of ordinary crows, I have personally seen a person go crazy after smoking this kind of cigarette, if such a thing is allowed to circulate in Kanto City, I don't know how many disasters will be caused. Moreover, the shopkeeper Pan was killed just after making the golden smoke, and if the murderer just wanted cigarettes, there was no need to kill people at all. Now he chooses to kill people, doesn't it just mean that he has some ulterior use for these golden cigarettes! ”

Adjutant Li frowned, he thought for a moment and said, "What does Doctor Gu want Li to do?" ”

"I hope Adjutant Li can go and check the Heren Pharmacy to find out who the shopkeeper can contact and whether he made a golden cigarette last night. Even if the murderer can't be caught, at least it can give the relevant personnel a wake-up call to prevent being assassinated. ”

Adjutant Li took a deep look at Gu Congzhou - since he knew his true identity, he had been a little puzzled about Gu Congzhou. This person concealed his identity and concealed his photos, and it was inevitable that he would think that he had bad intentions; But looking at him now, it seems that he is a friend rather than an enemy...... However, at present, Gu Congzhou's suggestion is advisable, so Adjutant Li nodded and called in a guard: "Bring a few people, and we will go to the Heren Pharmacy on Xishuncheng Road now." ”

"Yes!"

Xu Because of the murder, Heren Pharmacy did not open today, but through the door panel, you can hear the sound of chaotic footsteps inside. One of the guards went up and knocked on the door, but there was no answer inside.

"Keep knocking." Adjutant Li said.

The guards stepped up a little harder, and the sound of slamming the door caused some of the surrounding shops to poke their heads out. Only then did the door of the pharmacy open a small crack, and a person said through the crack in the door: "Sorry, we don't open the door today, please go ...... to buy medicine"

Before the man could finish speaking, he was jerked by the guards outside the door. The door was knocked open in an instant, and the man didn't have time to dodge, and his forehead hit the door panel directly, making him dizzy.

"I said what happened to you......

Before he could finish his curse, the man stopped, for he noticed that the group that had come in were all wearing the uniforms of the Kwantung Army. At the same time, Gu Congzhou and the others also saw the situation in the house clearly, and saw that the pharmacy was messy, and several people were scattered all over the room, each of them had a furoshiki in front of them, which contained precious medicinal herbs and other valuable utensils. Gu Congzhou noticed that the shopkeeper and the doctor he saw in the morning were among them.

"Yo, the shopkeeper of your store has just passed away, and how many of you are planning to split up?" Adjutant Li walked into the room and swept his gaze over several people in the room, "So anxious, what's wrong?" ”

When the guy in the store saw the clothes of the Kwantung Army, he secretly said that it was not good in his heart; When he saw Gu Congzhou who was next to Adjutant Li, his face was even more dead. Gu Congzhou saw that he saw him, so he simply spoke directly: "We already know that the killing of your shopkeeper last night was related to coca, or what you call 'golden smoke', you had better recruit from the truth, who did the shopkeeper Pan see last night?" How much gold smoke did the man take? ”

The clerks of the "......" looked at each other, obviously hesitating to speak. Gu Congzhou knew their mentality, and said: "Don't want to be deceived and pass the test, this is the adjutant of Young Marshal Guan, do you think that no matter how big the backer behind you is, can you pass Young Marshal Guan and Dashuai Guan?" ”

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of those people changed even more. Seeing that their hearts were shaken, Adjutant Li spoke: "I heard that Doctor Gu said that you have something to do with the army in the north, is it Liang Shuai of the Second Army Corps, or He Shuai of the Third Army Corps?" Liang Shuai and He Shuai's wife Li have all seen it, and none of their maiden families are surnamed Pan, and there is no surname Pan among the generals above the division level of the Second and Third Army Corps, so whose relatives are you Pan shopkeepers? ”

Adjutant Li's few short sentences can be described as a salary draw from the bottom of the kettle, which completely broke the illusions of these people. The adjutant of the family obviously knows everything about the senior officials of the Kwantung Army, and the little Buddha in his own family is nothing in the eyes of others.

"How is it," Adjutant Li looked at the white faces of several people, and asked, "Can you recruit them from the truth?" ”

Kanto suburbs, racecourse.

"Okay Zheheng, whoever loses today will have a treat, don't say that I bullied you when the time comes." Guan Tingxiao sat on horseback, sorting out his things while laughing with Sun Yibing.

"Don't worry, although you are the landlord, I will not release the water." Sun Yibing also replied with a smile.

"Well, then I'm relieved." Guan Tingxiao held the horsewhip, leaned slightly on the horse's back, and asked Sun Yibing, "Are you ready?" ”

"Alright."

"Okay, one, two, three, let's go!"

With an order, two war horses jumped out at the same time! A puff of dust suddenly rose in the quiet forest!

"Drive!" Guan Tingxiao clamped his legs on the horse's belly and kept waving the horsewhip. The horse's hooves under its crotch were raised, galloping like the wind through the forest. The horse he was riding was a two-year-old stallion with a black coat. Yuefeng's speed and endurance are amazing, and he is Guan Tingxiao's favorite war horse.

As a soldier, although Guan Tingxiao did not fight countless battles like his father, he also inherited some military nature, for example, Guan Tingxiao especially likes to ride horses. He kept several fine horses in the stables of his villa outside the city, and every week he would take some time to come here and play with a few horses and ride them. This time he was confined by his father, and the only pleasure he could get out of was probably horseback riding. It's just that riding alone is boring, so as soon as Sun Yibing came today, he pulled Sun Yibing to race with him.

The two of them ran a path in the woods, starting from Guan Tingxiao's villa, bypassing a mountain and returning here. Guan Tingxiao has to run this road once a day for the past few days, and he really knows it well. Coupled with Yuefeng's tacit understanding with him, one person and one horse quickly opened up the distance between him and Sun Yibing. Guan Tingxiao ran more and more comfortably, so he urged the mount under his crotch to accelerate.

"Drive!" "Drive!!"

The whip was swung continuously, and the leaping wind ran faster and faster. Just when Guan Tingxiao wanted to turn around and laugh at Sun Yibing, suddenly he felt the dust on the ground, and before he could react, he felt that the mount under his crotch suddenly shook violently, and his whole person was thrown out in an instant-

"Bang!"

The horse let out a terrible neigh, and fell to the ground with Guan Tingxiao. Guan Tingxiao only felt a strong tingling pain in many places on the side of his body when he landed on the ground, and he noticed that many inconspicuous pushpins were thrown on the ground at some point, and it was obvious that these nail tips had just pierced into his body. And on the ground not far away, there is a thick hemp rope. Just now, this thing suddenly bounced up, and directly tripped the horse to the ground.

Seeing the pins and trippings in this place, Guan Tingxiao suddenly knew that something was wrong - this was obviously a deliberate plot. Guan Tingxiao immediately wanted to get up, but his entire right leg was pressed under the horse, and the horse didn't know if it was injured, so he was only lying on the ground neighing at the moment, and no matter how Guan Tingxiao whistled, he couldn't get up. Guan Tingxiao's legs were pressed, and his feet were wrapped in stirrups, and he couldn't get up at all. And at this moment, a figure quietly flashed from behind the tree - it was a man of the same age as Guan Tingxiao, not tall, and he looked a little weak, but the gaze in his eyes was like two ice picks, nailed to Guan Tingxiao's body.

"Who are you?!" Guan Tingxiao immediately reached out and touched his waist, but he didn't feel empty. Only then did he remember that he had not brought a gun when he went out today.

The man didn't answer Guan Tingxiao's words, but when Guan Tingxiao touched the gun, he also took out a short knife from behind his waist......

Guan Tingxiao knew that something was wrong, but he still maintained his composure on his face: "Who are you?" What exactly do you want to do? ”

"What do I want to do?" The man said, with a cold smile on his face, he raised his short knife and rushed towards Guan Tingxiao—

"I want your life!!"