In a dark, damp basement of the Wild Rose Lodge of the Seaside Beggars, there was a "click" and a drop of sweat fell onto the floor. Because the environment is very quiet, the sound of sweat dripping echoes repeatedly in the secret room.

Lan Jin was hanging from the cement pillar with her hands tied behind her back, her wet gray hair hanging down to cover her face. She didn't move, as if she were dead.

Another drop of sweat dripped from her hair.

"You're so tough!" The lame old man on the ground looked up and said, "It's the first time I've met a woman who has been beaten for hours without even snorting." "Under the lonely incandescent lamp, he can be seen with a horse's face, which is pitted like the moon; He stared at one eye, the other empty; His mouth was open and full of burnt teeth.

Lan Jin is used to being a teacher, and when he heard the lame old man's words, he raised his face and smiled heartily, "This is just the power of psychological suggestion, which is amazing to ordinary people, but its principle is very simple." I was about to explain the principle of psychological suggestion to the lame old man, but I saw the lame old man throw away the cowhide whip in his hand, turn around and drag his right foot out of the small iron door in the basement.

Lan Jin carefully observed the terrain of the basement, hoping to find a chance to escape. It is evidently located in the ground of the whole lodge, and rows of thick concrete pillars are the pillars of the building overhead, and on these pillars are mounted pairs of iron rings, and on the iron rings are also hung hemp ropes; The ground was leveled, and about three meters in front of Lan Jin, in front of the incandescent lamp, there was a small square table, on which was placed an open toolbox, in which were placed eye-gouging knives made of iron sheets, axes with iron handles, bundles of gauze, and strange knives with no apparent purpose.

"The equipment for this operation is not professional at all," Lan Jin shook his head with some disdain, "It's not even as good as an ordinary small clinic." ”

At this time, there was a "bang", and the lame old man opened the small iron door in the basement and walked in.

Lan Jin shook his head again, "If I were a beggar, I would use the Stockholm Syndrome, the Lucifer Effect, and Goebbels' Law of Lies to control and manipulate the victims. In the current situation, the best way to deal with a strong-willed woman like me is to imprison and starve, to let time and pain wear away my will - it seems that the psychology of these guys is unprofessional. ”

The lame old man walked towards Lan Jin with a boxed lunch in his hand, opened the boxed lunch and said, "Eat!" Eat something, the mortality rate of people with limbs cut off is very high, and this may be your last meal. The implication is obvious, Lan Jin is older and weaker, and it is very likely that he will die after being cut off.

Lan Jin glanced at the axe in the toolbox, looked at the rice again, and panicked in his heart. I didn't expect that I had fought with criminals all my life, and in the end I ended up like this.

The lame old man sighed, "Most people are too sad to eat when they know that their hands and feet will be cut off soon, but I advise you to eat a little, even if it is only a little, to increase your chances of survival." As he spoke, he picked up the spoon in the lunch box, filled a little rice, and raised it to Lan Jin's mouth.

Lan Jin opened his mouth and said according to his habit: "Thank you!" ”

The spoon in the lame old man's hand fell to the ground, the lunch box in the other hand also fell to his left foot, and the already dirty and torn leather shoes were full of food.

The lame old man lowered his head, and his shadow trembled violently in the light, like a werewolf before it was about to transform. His waist was bent violently—the whip of cowhide lay at his feet, like a twisted snake.

Lan Jin was also surprised, secretly wondering if this lame old man had some hidden disease, and now he suddenly fell ill? But the old man only trembled, and did not fall down, not like he had committed a hidden disease. Lan Jin thought again: "Could it be that I said something to hurt this old man?" "When I think back to what I've said, there's nothing wrong with that.

At that time, the moon rises tomorrow, and the sea water makes a roaring sound under the action of the tidal force of the moon, as if it is excited because of the moonrise. A late return fishing boat on the beach sounded its whistle, and the long whistle could be heard clearly in the basement.

The lame old man trembled for a long time, slowly raised his head, his eyes were red and swollen, and his lower eyelids were soaked with tears and were obviously swollen, he looked up at Lan Jin, and asked sharply, "What did you just say?" ”

Of course, Lan Jin was not frightened by him, and said loudly: "I said, 'Thank you!'" 'What's wrong?' ”

The lame old man clasped one hand to his chest and said, "Alas, you are the first person in decades to say 'thank you' to me. It's a strange feeling to be said 'thank you', my heart is so hot that it hurts, but it doesn't hurt, it's very comfortable. If you die, I will burn incense for you every day. ”

Lan Jin secretly wondered: "Someone has never heard anyone say 'thank you' to him in his life?" Yes, this old man has never been respected in his life, and ordinary people see him as a beggar, so naturally they will not say anything kind to him; Lin Zirong saw that he was a subordinate, and of course he would not say anything polite. "Although this old man's behavior is hateful, like many criminals, there must be something hateful about the poor, and on the contrary, the hateful person is usually pitiful.

Lan Jin asked softly, "What's your name?" ”

The old man smiled embarrassedly and said, "Brother Bangli calls me Wu Ba, my name is quite cheap. "I'm embarrassed to say my real name.

Lan Jin insisted and asked, "Mr. Wu, what is your big name?" ”

The old man said a little shyly: "The fortune teller said that my life is only eight yuan, and it is a natural beggar's life, so my father named me Wu Baqian." ”

Lan Jin is a criminal psychologist, so he naturally knows some superstitious things, and sees a person's fate as something with weight, and the heavier the life, the richer and richer, only in the Four Pillars Fortune Telling Method. Looking at the attitude of the old man, it is estimated that he doesn't know a few big characters, Lan Jin comforted and said: "Actually, I also understand the four-pillar fortune-telling method, one or two lives are the emperor's life, how can the eight coins also be a three-grade master, really according to numerology, your life is a rich and noble life." ”

This was a lie, of course, but the old man believed it, "Really? I was a rich and noble life? He looked up at the sky as if he was recalling the fortune teller's words.

Lan Jin saw that the old man's confidence was shaken, which was greatly beneficial to himself, and continued: "Of course, I am a national expert, of course what I said is true? That fortune teller is an expert of several levels, you called him to us to theorize face to face. ”

Wu Baqian thought to himself that the fortune teller was an expert of several levels, that is, a person who set up a stall to beg for a living, and he was more confident in Lan Jin's words, but he was puzzled and said: "I am the life of the third-grade master, how can I fall to this point?" ”

Lan Jin came up with a variety of explanations at this time, such as the Buddhist theory of cause and effect, feng shui theory, etc., which can explain why the life of a three-rank master is reduced to a beggar, and it is relatively easy to accept with this old man's education level. But she smiled and said nothing, hoping that the old man would come to his senses.

Sure enough, Wu Baqian thought for a while and said: "I have done too much evil in my life, and I have almost folded my blessings, of course I will fall to this point!" Alas! He sighed heavily, as if he regretted it.

The saying of folding blessings is in the Buddhist theory of cause and effect. The Pure Land Sect of Pure Buddhism in Dongfu City is very prosperous, and it is estimated that this old man's hidden belief is Buddhism. Lan Jin was used to being a teacher, and seeing that the old man was remorseful, it was the right time to take advantage of the situation, and immediately said, "Don't you want to cultivate the afterlife?" ”

Originally, Lan Jin was a criminal psychologist, and he didn't believe in cause and effect, but in the current situation, it is easier for Wu Baqian to accept cause and effect, which is better than saying that the Lucifer effect is better. As long as Wu Baqian changes his past mistakes in the future, does it matter if it is science or superstition? Lan Jin defended himself in his heart and said: "This is teaching students according to their aptitude. If he had a college degree, I would have told him about the Taylor Effect, the Lucifer Effect. ”

Wu Baqian thought for a long time, sighed dozens of times, and suddenly his eyes widened, and he looked at Lan Jin and said loudly: "You are right! I have decided to start doing good deeds today and strive to have a good birth in the next life - I will save you! ”

Lan Jin said seriously: "Mr. Wu Baqian, then thank you." Originally, this lame old man could also be called "Wu Ba" or "Wu Baqian", but the meaning of these two names to the old man was completely different. Lan Jin insisted on calling him "Wu Baqian", which was a kind of respect.

The old man was overjoyed, moved a small square table to untie the rope hanging from the blue brocade, put her down, and said in a babbling voice: "You are so good to people, I don't know if there is a shortage of florists in the house, I like to plant flowers, but I don't have my own land." ”

As soon as Lan Jin's feet touched the ground, she immediately screamed in pain, it turned out that she was beaten very badly by Wu Baqian, and at first she used psychological hints to suppress the pain, but at this time it was useless, so she screamed in pain.

Wu Baqian carefully helped her up, and said worriedly: "I beat you all afternoon, you will definitely hate me." In the voice, there is infinite regret.

Lan Jin smiled, "It's false to say that you don't hate at all, and it won't be enough to say how much you hate." I'm a criminal psychologist and I've seen a lot of things, and I understand people better than the average person. ”

Wu Baqian helped Lan Jin and slowly walked towards the small iron gate, he lowered his head and said in a choked voice: "You are really a good person, teach me so many principles of being a man." If only I had known you a few years earlier. ”

Lan Jin didn't believe that he could persuade Wu Baqian to change his evil and turn from good, and he was still thinking about the principle, and finally could only explain it from Masno's hierarchy of needs: "Wu Baqian also longs to be respected, because he has never been respected in his life, so a 'thank you' is especially important to him." In the history of crime, there are indeed senior criminals who wake up and become new people because they hear a 'thank you'. She was thrilled that the discovery could be a breakthrough in criminal psychology. But I thought: "Psychology can explain human behavior, but there is no way to predict human behavior, and there may be many limitations in its application." ”

Wu Baqian was lame, Lan Jin was injured again, and the two of them moved towards the small door step by step, naturally extremely slow. Wu Baqian said again: "There are not a few children who have my eyes gouged out and cut off their hands and feet, and I also cut off the limbs of a car model last year, and the court will not let me go after I go out, right?" ”

Lan Jin was unwilling to deceive him anymore, and said: "From a legal point of view, you are indeed unforgivable; But from a moral point of view, you have a will. That is, 'people are in the rivers and lakes, and they can't help themselves.' I'll make my case to the court when the time comes. ”

Wu Baqian was silent, lowered his head and helped Lan Jin to the small iron gate. Lan Jin saw drops of tears dripping from Wu Baqian's low face to the ground, and he was also very sad in his heart, but he couldn't think of words to comfort him.

Suddenly, a short figure rushed in from outside the door, and the man roared sharply: "Wu Ba! What are you doing? "But it's Lin Zirong, the leader of the beggar gang, who is here.