In early summer, the land was very wet after days of heavy rain, and the air was filled with the smell of dampness, and a few small flowers swayed in the breeze in the wet soil.

It was a farmer, about thirty years old. His face was beardless, his skin was dark, and his powerful arms were wielding the hoe in his hand. It's a wasteland not far from his home, and when he moved to Lijia Village last year, he built a house near it and lived with his wife and children.

The land not far from home has been barren and pitiful, so I plan to reclaim it and grow some vegetables to eat. Because it had rained, the land had absorbed enough water and was so wet that the hoe could be easily turned.

The summer sun shone brightly white, and something seemed to flicker in the grass, and then vanished.

The farmer wiped the sweat from his head, and the hoe continued to swing. Suddenly, he paused, frowning. The hoe touched something hard, like a big rock. Like the pebbles that can be seen everywhere on the river beach, they are soft and exude a miserable white color.

With a low curse, he began to continue gouging. However, without a few swings of the hoe, he stopped, his face pale and his eyes wide.

For a long time, above this calm mountain village, there was a man's mournful cry: "Someone! Dead man! ”

The grass was turned up, and the moist soil was exposed to the sun, and in a few moments it was dried by the sun. A skull that had lost its flesh and blood, I don't know how many years old, had lost its original color, it was white with a yellowish color, the black hole was filled with dirt, the triangular part was a nose with no flesh, and a row of teeth were white. It was as if it was staring at the sky above it, and it looked at the eyes that had not existed, as if it were crying without emotion.

When Qian Ye rushed to Lijia Village with Zhao Zhutou, he saw such a scene. Speaking of which, she thinks that the ordinary life of catching fast is about patrolling the streets, catching thieves, and helping the elderly. Although this is also true, it is impossible for the water to be calm all the time.

Recently, there have been no people in the yamen, and everyone is very busy. Especially in the summer, when the number of merchant ships increases, there are many disputes. Whenever there is a quarrel or brawl, it is necessary to go out to mediate. Speaking of which, the days of the officials have been much more leisurely recently. Guarding the door and cleaning the yard of the county office, the salary is too low.

There were only two people who came to catch the fast, Qian Ye and Zhao Zhutou, and there were eight officials and one servant who came with them.

The officials borrowed hoes from nearby farmers, and quickly dug up the surrounding soil, exposing a white skeleton that had been around for some years.

There were a lot of onlookers around, but in comparison, the white bones seemed to be less terrible than the decomposing corpses.

Qian Ye frowned and looked at the not gentle, who took out the white bones and stacked them on the stretcher on the side, and then saw that Zhao Zhutou was directing beside him, and he didn't need himself for the time being, so he took the bean paste bag and asked the farmer who found the white bones.

The farmer, who claimed to be surnamed Liu, had only moved to Lijia Village last year. It is said that it was uninhabited before, and it was a little remote away from the villagers' houses. But as Lecheng has become more and more prosperous over the years, more people have moved in. Most of the people in Lijia Village before were surnamed Li, hence the name. Unexpectedly, a small village with less than ten households was now very lively.

Qian Ye looked at the house not far away, which obviously had new traces, and then looked at the few bungalows not far from them. This white bone looks like it has been some years old, otherwise at such a close distance, the murderer would have buried the body, and the villagers who lived nearby would have found it. However, before that, in addition to asking about the nearby residents, you also need to seek answers from the people.

This time, do you have to invite someone from the six doors to come over? Could it be that those people are so idle?

"It looks like this white bone will have to be seven or eight years old, or even longer." The old man yawned and said.

Qian Ye stood aside and nodded thoughtfully, although she didn't know much about the autopsy, but according to common sense, the body was buried in the soil, because it was basically not exposed to the air, so the speed of decay would be much slower than usual, one-eighth of what it would normally be, and even slower than in the water. It usually takes half a year to decay into a white bone, but in the soil it takes more than a year or so.

"Look closely and see if there's anything else." Zhao Zhutou commanded the officials on the side.

Because the corpse had turned into white bones, and the clothes were rotten, and there was no appearance at all in the dirt, and when you twisted it with your fingers, it became like a muddy thing. Without the absence of robes, which can determine the identity of the deceased, it is even more difficult to determine the identity of the deceased. Especially someone who may have been going on for about seven or eight years, or more.

"Look, my lord!"

Unexpectedly, he found something like a seal near the white bones. Zhao Zhutou took it and carefully wiped the soil on it, only to see that there were two seal characters written on it: Zhang Wen.

The white bones were transported back to Yizhuang, and naturally there were Qianye and Zhao Zhutou together.

The smell in Yizhuang was still full of corruption and coldness, but Zhao Zhutou had long been used to it, but he was still a little curious to see that Qian Ye did not feel the slightest discomfort. The last time I heard that 'he' was alone guarding the dead man, I was astonished.

The old man neatly arranged the white bones, and what appeared in front of several people was a complete human skeleton. "The person was a young male, aged between 18 and 25. He was about 7 feet 3 inches tall, and the main cause of death was probably due to the direct crushing of the skull with a blunt object and excessive blood loss. He pointed to a hole about the size of a walnut in the back of the skull.

In the past, Qian Ye often heard people say that corpses are the answer. But in the face of a white bone that has lost its flesh and blood, it is still quite difficult to solve the case. "However, to beat people into this shape, this strength is quite great!"

The skin and flesh of the human body have a certain degree of thermal toughness and elasticity, and blunt force blows will generally cause depressions or cracks in the bones. But if such a big hole can be caused, it can be seen that the other party is deliberately putting people to death, otherwise he would never use such a big force.

"yes, I don't know what kind of thing was used as a murder weapon." Zhao Zhutou also seemed to feel something, nodded and said.

The old man glanced at the two of them and said, "It's really rare and strange, a strong man can smash a big hole in your head with just a big sturdy stone." ”

Although it was daylight, there was still some gloom in Yizhuang. The old man was old, his eyes were cloudy, and his face was a little pale, and at this moment, the gloomy voice couldn't help but make the two of them feel a chill down their backs, and they touched the back of their heads together.

Qianye has never been beaten in the head, but his ribs have been broken several times. This kind of injury is extraordinarily painful, and because the broken bone is extremely slow, the whole person is fixed in bed and cannot move The days are really miserable!

"It seems that we can't solve this case with our ability." Although it is indeed embarrassing to repeatedly ask for help in the capital, Lecheng's arrest has always lived comfortably, and the usual encounters are only fights, and this Lecheng has not experienced a murder case for several years.

"Headcatcher, do you want to ask Six Doors to help?" Qian Ye frowned inadvertently, he really didn't want to get along with those people.

Zhao Zhutou sighed helplessly, shook his head and said, "I don't want to, but there is really no way!" "Especially since people have been dead for years, it's really tricky!" Alright, let's all go back! ”

The old man didn't say much, anyway, it won't be long before he quit this business, maybe this white bone is the last corpse he examined!