"Do you know anything about the beasts?" Xiao Yan lowered his voice suddenly, and there was even some taboo in his words.

"Ah Yan said, but in the Persona book, there is a beast named Monkey, covered with white hair, with a head like a bronze lion, a mouth like a bee needle, four hooves as big as a bowl, a tail as strong as a giant python, a sound like thunder and lightning roaring, and a penchant for eating human marrow." Sima Liang whispered as he drove the horse closer to Sima Huanting, and deliberately lowered his voice at the end of the sentence, and suddenly patted her shoulder while Sima Huanting was fascinated by what he heard. scared Sima Huanting so much that she couldn't help screaming.

The five of them were walking to the mountain forest trail down the mountain, the surroundings were extremely quiet, and the sky was a little darker, Sima Huanting's scream frightened Xin Zixi and Mu Qingmo, who were listening attentively to the anecdotes, and began to scream.

Sima Liang, who just wanted to scare his little sister, didn't expect that he had gained a lot as soon as he said this, and he couldn't straighten up when he saw the three of them laughing so embarrassed.

After everyone calmed down, Sima Liang, who had never believed in ghosts and gods, asked

"But it's all rumors, why did Ah Yan say this?"

"Ah Liang doesn't know? Didn't your two brothers mention this before they left? Several people died mysteriously on the outskirts of Longxian County, with a little wound on the center of the eyebrows, and there were bowl-sized hoof prints on the ground next to the corpses, and there were even rumors that someone had witnessed the beast at night. ”

"Third brother, I'm afraid. Don't say it, let's go back to the camp quickly" Sima Huanting suddenly felt a chill crawling behind her, her head felt that there was a tendon twisted and uncomfortable, and she felt that there was a yin aura around her, and she hurriedly urged everyone to hurry back to the camp.

The story of this beast lingered in everyone's hearts, and no one said a word on the second half of the way back.

Yuanzhou Longxian County

"Big brother, you see that there are many shops in the market in this county, the cries of selling are endless, and the pedestrians are all in good spirits, it seems that this Longxian county is still prosperous."

"This place is mostly Pingchuan, with abundant rain in all seasons, and the geology is easy to cultivate, so I passed by the fields outside the city, and the people were busy with spring ploughing, and there was no wasteland. It seems that this county magistrate is also in a good way. ”

The two young men wearing black gauze hats and dark robes, who looked like they were about twenty-five or sixteen years old, were the Yunjin Si Shuangjie in Xiao Yan's mouth, Sima Chen and Sima Jing. The two of them have been driving horses from Yunjin City for three days, and they have only arrived in this Longxian County today, and as soon as they enter the city, they will go straight to the county office.

showed the identity document to the county official, and the two brothers were taken into the inner hall, and Zhong Pin, the county commander of Longxian County, had already prepared tea and waited here.

"I don't know that the two adults came to the county, and they missed the distance, and I hope the adults will not blame them."

"Since Guixian didn't know that the two of us were coming, why did you send someone to prepare tea in advance to wash the dust for the two of us. Your county really has the ability to predict the unknown... Sima Jing put the hat and sword on the table, then picked up the tea and sat down to take a sip, and when he heard Zhong Pin's words, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Zhong County is polite, we are here to investigate the case on the orders of the Yuanzhou Criminal Department." Sima Chen, who was seriously plucking the floating tea leaves with the lid of the cup, suddenly interrupted Sima Jing's words, put down the teacup in his hand, sat on the chair and said to Zhong Pin with a slight fist.

"In the remote and small area of the county, what important case can be made by the two adults"

"The Yuanzhou Criminal Department Department received a report that there are beasts infested in Longxian County, which have injured several lives.

"With all due respect, two lords, this matter cannot be investigated in detail."

"Oh? Why? Sima Jing raised his eyebrows, and his fingers unconsciously began to knock on the tea case.

"The two adults may not know, this matter is very evil, the deceased only has a wound on the center of the eyebrows, it does not look like a living person, the two adults do not believe it, they can call the Ya Nei to come and talk back. In addition, some people even say that they have witnessed the appearance of beasts in the suburbs at night, which may be the work of evil spirits. ”

"Bold, Emperor Meiji, this is clear, how can you say that there is a demon and evil." Sima Jing slapped the table table violently, making Zhong Pin tremble.

"Second brother, don't worry. Don't mention the ghosts and gods in your county, you might as well lead the two of us to the corpse room to have a look. ”

Speaking of Sima Chen, Sima Jing followed Zhong Pin to the corpse room, although the weather has not warmed, but some of the corpses have been stored for a while, as soon as they entered the house, there was still a rancid smell that made the two brothers cover their noses with their sleeves.

Seeing the two brothers turning over and over the corpse, Zhong Pin was a little unbearable, and he couldn't bear the smell of rancidity, so he said goodbye to the two brothers and went to wait outside the house. After touching a stick of incense, Zhong Pin saw that the two brothers finally lifted the curtain and hurried to meet them

"Two adults, can you see what the clues are. Is this true? It's the stuff over there. ”

"Are all the bodies here?"

"Lord Hui, some of the corpses have been too old and have long been decomposed, and they have already been sent to bury them for fear of spreading the plague."

"Do you remember when the first such dead body was found?"

"About 3 months ago"

"Do you remember the exact time?"

"The record of lowly duty is not very accurate"

"Then do you have a document to record the case?"

"Yes, yes, go and present the paperwork to the two adults."

Waiting for the official to take the documents from the archives, Sima Chen took a detailed look, and his fingers were drawn to the murder record three months ago, and the book was written, in the fourteenth year of Xiangyong, on the sixteenth morning of the lunar month, a corpse was found on the suburban county road, with only a wound on the center of the eyebrows, and it was concluded that he died on the fifteenth night, and the motive was unknown.

Sima Jing leaned over to the side, saw the place where the eldest brother was fingering, and whispered, "Fifteen... The motive is unknown... ”

"Zhong County Order, judging from this document, it is only a murder case, why is there a rumor of a beast?"

"The two adults don't know that after this person died, it was rumored that someone saw the beast at night."

"Oh? When and where did this rumor come from? Who are the witnesses, bring in for questioning. ”

"Returning to my lordship, this... This rumor was said in the crowd when the people gathered at the entrance of the yamen to watch the excitement when the murder was investigated, and the specific person who was lowly did not investigate deeply. However, in the suburban villages, there were several people who claimed to have seen the beasts, so they went to invite the villagers for questioning. ”

"Your county is slow, can you prepare hot water for your county, and after the two of us take a bath and change clothes, we can go to the village to inquire by ourselves." Although he was already familiar with the autopsy, the smell around him still made Sima Chen feel uncomfortable.

"It's the negligence of the lowly position, and the lowly duty is for people to do. The other two adults have been tired from the journey, and they have sorted out the two guest rooms in the backyard, and they ask the two adults not to dislike the simplicity. The two adults can settle down first, and the investigation of the case can be talked about tomorrow. There are still some affairs piled up in the county government today, so I will leave first, and the two adults will please take care of themselves. ”

After that, Zhong Pin ordered the two brothers to take the two brothers to the guest room, and left in the direction of the inner hall study.

Put down the luggage, after bathing, Sima Jing changed his clothes, went to knock on Sima Chen's door, and saw that the eldest brother who came to open the door and himself generally changed into a dark colored armed force with tight cuffs, easy to fight and easy to move at night, Sima Jing stepped into the house, closed the door, and said softly

"What, my eldest brother and I went to the same place?"

"What does the second brother think of what Fang Cai Zhong Pin said?"

Jing thought that there was something else hidden in this matter. You and I inspect the corpse, the wound is precise and vicious, although it is difficult for ordinary people to do it, but those who practice martial arts are not impossible. ”

"Just now that Zhong Pin was secretive, I think it will be difficult for him to speak again. Moreover, since the rumors came from the suburbs outside the city, perhaps the breakthrough of this beast mystery lies in this, so we went to find out before. ”

The suburbs of Longxian County

It was already afternoon when the Sima brothers walked to the outskirts of the city, and when they saw a peasant woman with a white cloth tied in the field, they dismounted and walked to the ridge of the field, and asked softly

"This eldest sister, I heard that there are beasts infested here, may I ask if this is really the case?"

The peasant woman looked up and saw that the two of them were dignified and well-dressed, and asked, "The two sons look handsome, richly clothed, and equipped with long swords." Inquire about the beasts, otherwise where else is the Taoist from here to help us get rid of the demons? This beast is simply too hateful, my family Li Er went to the mountain to collect firewood a few nights ago, but he didn't expect to be killed by this beast. Two Dao Masters, you must help us kill that demon beast! Thinking of her husband's death, the peasant woman suddenly felt unbearable sorrow, and the crying Sima brothers were caught off guard.

"Eldest sister, you misunderstood. We were ordered by the Yuanzhou Criminal Department to investigate the murder case of the beast. ”

"The Criminal Department? It's useless for the Criminal Department to come here, you don't know how to subdue demons and eliminate demons, you want to find a Taoist priest, the Criminal Department is really a treasure. ”

Hearing this, Brother Sima turned his face to look at each other, and continued to ask softly, "Does the eldest sister know who in the village knows where the beast has appeared?" ”

"You two babies, handsome, but Braincase Qiao, really don't listen to persuasion, saying that you can't control the beast, you have to go, then you go and ask the village chief, I heard him put him and he saw the beast."

After asking where the village chief was, the two said goodbye to the peasant woman and walked to the head of the village, where they saw a grandfather in a courtyard lying on a rattan chair, lazily basking in the sun. The two of them stepped forward and saluted

"Old man, are you the head of this village?"

"Ah, it's me. What is the matter with you?" the village chief slowly got up and asked the two brothers with open eyes.

"We are ordered by the Yuanzhou Criminal Department to investigate the case of the beast. I heard that the village chief has seen a beast, can you tell me more about where you have seen a beast and what it looks like? ”

"Oh, yes. Xiao Lao'er in the lunar month last year, get up at night to pee in the field, on the road to see a behemoth, a body of hair in the moonlight all over the body snow-white, huge tail in the ground dragged out for a long time, turned around and the mouth is like a bird's beak, but it is particularly long, that is the beast, the beast saw the little old man pounced, the little old man turned around and fled, desperately ran home to escape. The village chief talked about what he saw and heard at that time, and his excitement flew with spit.

The two brothers saw that the village chief was old, and his actions were even a little trembling, not like they could successfully escape when they encountered a beast on the road at night. "Old man, tell me the truth, have you really seen the beast with your own eyes?"

Seeing that the two of them instantly exposed their lies, the village chief turned pale and lay down on his side, raised his hand with his back to Brother Sima, "Oh, I just heard about it, why don't you ask someone else." ”

The Sima brothers went to visit other people who claimed to have seen the beast, and like the village chief, they were only at the county yakou that day, and they heard others talk about it, so they turned around and claimed that they had seen it with their own eyes. The places where the beasts haunt are also different, and no one can tell the source of the rumors at that time.

Feeling hopeless from the rumors, the Sima brothers decided to go to the suburban county road where the body was found to have a look.

"Big brother, this place is a county road, backed by a barren mountain, there is no one around, and nothing unusual has been found nearby, but why do the gangsters kill people here? According to the wife of the deceased Li Er, the two of them were busy with spring ploughing recently, and when they were cooking the day before yesterday, they found that there was no firewood at home, so Li Er took a torch and told his wife that he was going to come to this barren mountain to collect firewood, but Li Er was gone forever. Li Er's wife saw that her husband had not returned for a long time, so she came to the barren mountain with the villagers to look for him, but she didn't expect to find his body on the county road at the foot of the barren mountain. ”

It's really strange, Li Er's wife also mentioned that if it weren't for the search for Li Er, ordinary people in the village would not dare to go to the barren mountain, as long as they climb near the mountainside, they will easily lose their way. This is also very strange, near this county road, along with this barren mountain, it is like a mysterious force surrounding and unwilling to let people approach. ”

"Big brother, why are you also taboo? I don't believe in evil, and I don't think this barren mountain is very unusual, but the weeds everywhere are extremely dense, or we will go and break into this barren mountain today? ”

"Okay, let's go up and have a look"

The barren mountains on the county road are not majestic, and they go to the top at a glance, but the weeds are very thick, and there are few villagers to come and go.

"It's really evil, seeing that the top of the mountain is not far away, why are we still on this mountainside after half an hour, and we see that the sky is almost dark. Did you really meet a ghost hitting the wall? ”

"Second brother, I think this barren mountain is not simple. The villagers also always lose their way on the mountainside, I think it's not a strange thing, but a good Qimen Dunjia people who have set up a suspicious array here."

"The eldest brother is reasonable, it can be seen that the secret in this barren mountain is very important, and he does not hesitate to let the villains set up a formation and kill people. I only feel that there is no difference between grass, stone, and wood around this barren mountain, and since there are ghosts in this place, why should we break through the formation and go to investigate? ”

"I just checked the paperwork, and I didn't find any pattern in the time of the deceased's death, so for now, you and I can wait here."

"Big brother is saying that we have been squatting here recently to see if there are any suspicious people."

"Exactly"

Longxian County Ya

"Are you two coming?" As the night deepened, seeing that the two adults who had been out of the county for a long time had not returned, Zhong Pin was a little worried and paced back and forth in the study

"Yu County Order, the two adults just returned to the Ya, saying that they met a ghost hitting the wall in the barren mountain, and their expressions were a little open, and they have gone back to the room to rest, so let's not go to disturb."

"Ghost hitting the wall?" Zhong Pin was so frightened that his hands kept trembling, and cold sweat broke out faintly on his forehead. In a moment he left everyone behind and shut himself in his study.

The two Sima brothers, who squatted around the barren mountains on the outskirts of the county for dozens of days and nights, but found nothing, Sima Jing couldn't bear it after all, and was a little discouraged in his heart about the direction of the investigation.

"Big brother, I can't go up this barren mountain, and there are no clues around. What's next? ”

"Throwing stones and asking for directions"

"Big brother is saying that you will attract the gangsters to come and lead the way?"

"Exactly, since there are beasts infested here, why don't we let this fake thing be done?"

"Wonderful, but you and I have been guarding for dozens of days, not only does the beast seem to disappear, but even the barren mountain has no movement."

"Second brother, I think that the rumors of the beast's existence spread only after the first corpse was found on the fifteenth day of the lunar month of the previous year, and although the time of death was not very regular, one person also died on the fifteenth day of February. Let's venture to assume that the fifteenth day of the month is a special time, and the murderer does not want anyone to come near the barren mountain. This can also be seen from the mountainside maze, we might as well pretend to appear in the barren mountain on the fifteenth day of the beast. ”

"But just after the fifteenth day of this month, we didn't notice anything unusual on the fifteenth day."

"I'm also very surprised by this, could it be that my guess is wrong...

"Big brother, maybe, I just said maybe, there has been no movement on the fifteenth day of this month, because the thieves know that you and I are in a secret ambush, so they have not acted."

"It's not impossible, there are many people who know that you and I came to investigate the case this time, and it cannot be ruled out that there are gangsters behind the scenes."

It's better for you and me to pretend to go home first, and then think about it in the long run. ”

"Second brother knows me."

The next day, the Sima brothers asked Zhong Pin for their resignation, saying that they had no clue about the matter of Longxian, and Yunjinsi ordered someone to send a message to the two of them to accumulate official business during their stay in Longxian, and ordered the two to return to Yunjincheng as soon as possible, and the matter of Longxian would be investigated by the Yuanzhou Criminal Department.

Zhong Pin thought in his heart that Yun Jinsi's detective skills were well-known, and the two of them had no clue about the case, and who could replace them. When he saw the backs of the two of them gone, although he was full of doubts in his heart, when he thought of the look on the return of the two described by the servant yesterday, he seemed to understand a little, Yun Jinsi Shuangjie is a mortal after all, and he will also be afraid of ghosts and gods.

"Big brother, if we leave like this, I'm afraid Zhong Pin will be suspicious."

"It's okay, even if he sends someone to follow us, he will only follow us all the way back to Yunjin City"

"Haha, it's just that the third brother who has not long returned from our spring hunting has only been off for a few days, and he will be requisitioned by us soon."

"Hey, the second brother is wrong. Xiao Liang has always liked these strange stories, and he will definitely help them. ”

The Sima brothers, who fled in a hurry in Zhong Pin's eyes, actually rushed back at this time because they had a countermeasure in their hearts.

Sima Zuo's Prime Minister's Mansion

The Sima brothers finally arrived home, and as soon as the two entered the mansion, they sent a few good guards to see if the tail of Yunjin City, who had come all the way, was still there.

After confirming that the tail had returned to his life, Sima Chen and Sima Jing called Sima Liang to the Dongyuan study.

"Xiaoliang, the eldest brother knows that you like strange stories, if you are asked to restore the beast, you are a little sure."

"Big brother and second brother, don't look at me with such expectant eyes. Although I am obsessed with Persona, the beast is only known on paper after all, and I am not completely sure if I want to draw it. Furthermore, what do the two brothers want to do with the beast? ”

Sima Chen and Sima Jing informed Sima Liang of the current inference of the case and the idea that the two wanted to use the fake beast to lure out the behind-the-scenes generation.

"Two elder brothers, if you let the third brother piece together the beast, it is not impossible, although the beast is rumored, everyone knows that it has four characteristics, the whole body is snow-white, the mouth is like a bee needle, and the tail is like a python, you need to help me prepare...

Sima Huanting felt that several elder brothers were very strange recently, since the eldest brother and the second brother returned home, they had been pulling the third brother and didn't know what to plan in the study. Taking advantage of today's dinner, the cook made white fungus soup, and just sent it to a few brothers to see what they were doing.

Sima Huantingfu felt a little strange as soon as she entered the East Garden, there was no light in the garden, and she saw a snow-white thing standing in the inner court of the East Garden by the moonlight, which seemed to be a male lion, but she faintly saw that there was a thing like a python shaking at the back end of the male lion, and when she heard the movement of her group, the male lion turned around, and there was a jaw like a giant steel needle on his face, thinking of the words that the third brother said that he liked to eat the marrow of people on the way back to the camp that day, Sima Huanting only felt that her heartbeat was so fast that she almost jumped out of her throat, and her blood poured directly into the spiritual platform, her eyes were dark, and her body was soft to the side. The maid servant who followed by him panicked and shouted,

"Someone, no, Miss fainted."