The old man went out of the house, did not rush out of the yard, but went into the main house to explain to his wife, went to the hut again, poured some forage for the beasts, and took a self-defense stick in his hand, and then came to Qiao Xiaojing and the others.

When Qiao Xiaojing and the others walked out of the yard with the old man, the cold was thick, and the frost was like ice, it was obvious that this was the coldest time of the day, and it was also the closest time to dawn.

"As I said before," Qiao Xiaojing suddenly remembered the three people who died in peasant clothes and against the wall, so she asked the old man beside her, "I have met three dead people in the alley, and they are all scratches with sharp knives in the throat, do you know who did it? Let's put it this way, have you encountered or heard of similar cases before?" ”

"This ......" The old man paused, obviously because he was worried about causing trouble, he vigilantly looked left and right to make sure that there was no abnormal situation, and then whispered to Qiao Xiaojing, "This kind of thing happens often in the past year or so, and it is not a matter of one or two times, there is nothing in the whole town that no one does not know, even a fool knows who did it." ”

"What do you mean...... Japanese?" Qiao Xiaojing said tentatively.

"Of course," said the old man, "who can kill people without blinking an eye, except those beasts who have exterminated human nature?"

"I look at the three dead people," Qiao Xiaojing said, "they are clearly farmers, why did the devil kill them, are they also laborers involved in digging tunnels, or are they underground workers like your nephew?"

"This is impossible," said the old man with a wave of his hand, "the laborers who participated in digging the tunnels for the devils have long since they died, and the devils have killed them all since the tunnels were dug shortly. To say that they are underground workers is unlikely, anyway, the underground workers I know were later killed by devils and traitors. As for why they were killed, I don't know, but judging from the wounds you mentioned, there is no doubt that they were killed by devils, and I have seen this kind of wound a long time ago. I remember very well that my nephew had a sharp knife in the throat, and the scars were exactly as you described. ”

"So," Qiao Xiaojing sighed, "The devils are arrogant enough, they have killed so many innocent people, and they dare to come to the town at night, and they will either kill people and set fires, or roosters and dogs and thieves, isn't that so, uncle?"

"No," said the old man, "for most of the year, the common people have rarely been able to see them in the graves of the devils, and only when this happens, can everyone remember the devils who live in the graves outside the town......"

In the so-called grave, Dazhi was still tortured by the devils, his clothes had rotted one by one, blood had oozed from the places where he had been whipped, and even blood droplets hung on his unkempt hair.

"There is an old saying in China," the devil who interrogated Dazhi was replaced by a new person, he grabbed Dazhi's hair tightly, and said unhurriedly, "There is a way in heaven that you don't take, but there is no door in hell and you break in, so how can you blame us for being too ruthless in attacking you? You and I are well aware of the current situation, although I don't know if you are a real businessman, we have to guard against it!"

"Why bother," Dazhi said weakly with swollen eyes, "don't you just want to make me admit that I am an anti-Japanese element, or a spy sent by an anti-Japanese element? Even if I compromise and admit that I am an anti-Japanese element according to your will, what can you get, I will not do anything but do business, hmph, of course, business has not been done well. ”

"Do business?" the devil slowly loosened Dazhi's hair, nodded, and asked disdainfully, "May I ask what kind of business you have, why do you have no money in your baggage, except for a few shabby clothes, there is only half of the dry food left uneaten, how to explain this? To be honest, I have seen a businessman, but I have never seen a businessman who has not had a penny. ”

"I," said Dazhi, "didn't I say it? I can't do anything, not even business." The business didn't do well, I lost a lot of money, and I owed a lot of money to the other party. The other party naturally stopped doing it, and had to force me to pay off the debt with my life, and if the business was lost, I would lose it, but I couldn't put my life into it anyway, so I gave up the avenue and ran for my life in desperation. I didn't dare to take the avenue, so I could only go over the mountains and mountains, but I didn't expect it to be planted here. Alas, what more can I say if it is my fate?"

"You're very smart," the devil glared at Dazhi and said, "you're very good at making up stories, and this story sounds really wonderful at first glance, but unfortunately, I don't like to listen to stories, because most of the storytellers are liars, and the stories they tell are all liars, and in reality, stories don't happen, at least they don't happen like stories." ”

The devil slowly walked in front of Dazhi, with his hands behind his back, his head tilted left and right, staring at Dazhi's face, as if he wanted to find Dazhi's true identity from Dazhi's face, but suddenly reprimanded loudly: "You are dishonest, full of nonsense, and you are not a businessman at all." Hmph, don't you think it's ridiculous that a businessman doesn't know what he does......"

Walking outside the town, the layer of black curtain that blocked the sky slowly faded, replaced by a thin layer of white veil, although everything in heaven and earth has not yet fully revealed its original face, but many things can already be seen vaguely, of course, including Qiao Xiaojing outside the town, who had witnessed the pale and lifeless Pingchuan where Dazhi fell into the trap.

"Right there," the old man took Qiao Xiaojing and they came to a small hill outside the town, although the small hill is not big, but the location is excellent, it is really an excellent place to observe the devil's tunnel, but unfortunately the eyes are only Pingchuan, and there is no entrance to the tunnel, but the old man pointed to the Pingchuan Road, "That is where the devil's tunnel is." ”

"But......" Qiao Xiaojing glanced at the old man, her heart was full of doubts and loss--- this old man is joking, isn't this just a horse Pingchuan, where did the devil come from? If this is the devil's tunnel, why bother to come here? I have been there with the big man last night, and I have not found the location of the devil's tunnel after the field investigation......

Ah Zi felt that this old man's words were no different from not saying it, and was about to step forward to argue with him, but was dragged by Cuiyu, who shook her head at Ah Zi and signaled not to be impulsive. In fact, it was just Ah Zi's doubts, everyone present was puzzled, and their eyes turned to the old man in front of him.

"What do you want to say," said the old man, "I know in my heart, do you want to say that there is nothing there, just a flat river washed by the flood that broke the embankment, and there are no crops, where is the devil tunnel?"

"Exactly!" Qiao Xiaojing did not hide her thoughts, she said, "Everyone knows this, it is a flat river, maybe the tunnel is under that flat river, where is the entrance and exit?

"If there is no exit," the old man shook his head, as if he felt ridiculous about Qiao Xiaojing's words, and said lightly, "Isn't that really a grave? ”

"Why? There's no way to get in or out. Qiao Xiaojing's tone was firm, after all, she dug a deep pit there last night, even if it was half a meter deep, she still didn't see anything.

"How do you know?" The old man was surprised by Qiao Xiaojing's words, glanced at Qiao Xiaojing, and then said, "Indeed, you can't see the entrance and exit here." The entrance was at the foot of the mountain, and the town blocked the view, and it was too dangerous to go there during the day, and if you wanted to see it up close, you had to wait until night and sneak up the mountain to see it. ”

The mountain that the old man was referring to was the last one Qiao Xiaojing and they climbed, and it was when they crossed the mountain that they saw this town, and they also saw the smoke rising from the stove, and they were ecstatic and fell into the devil's tunnel.

Boss Wu, the big man, Cuiyu and Ah Zi didn't fully believe the old man's words, and came over the mountain and saw the town, but they didn't see anything unusual at the bottom of the mountain, so they looked ahead silently.

"I see!" Although Qiao Xiaojing nodded, she, like Cuiyu, didn't fully believe this old man's words, and secretly thought in her heart, hoping that Dazhi could hold on......

"I'm a Sven," said the devil who interrogated Dazhi dangling in front of Dazhi's eyes, pacing as he walked, "I don't like to be rude, I don't like to see blood, I don't like to see rivers of blood, really, I hope we have something to say well, of course I'm sure you want that too, right?"

"Yes," said Dazhi, "I have always been a good talker, and since I strayed into this place, I have been even more good at talking, and I have not said a word of falsehood, and of course I dare not say it." But I've said it all right, why don't you believe what I say? I, I'm a cowardly person, I never dared to lie to Taijun, and I never lied to Taijun. ”

"That's good!" said the devil, "I like to deal with honest people the most, and since you dare not lie, then tell me honestly, who are you, why are you here, how many people are with you, and where are they?"

"I," Dazhi shook his head, "I've made it clear enough, I'm a businessman who escaped debts, and I strayed here to escape for my life, so how can ......I have any accomplices?"

"Shut up!" the devil rebuked, "do you think I'm a three-year-old? I tell you, my patience is limited, and if you don't tell you honestly, you'll be able to taste the torture here, and then you'll know what life is better than death." ”

"I'm such a businessman, I really ......" Dazhi's words were full of grievances.

"Come," said the devil, "let him taste the torture......

"Go," said the old man, as he descended the hill, "I know you don't believe me, and I'll take you to see it in the evening." In order to make it easier to get in and out, the devil has carved a road along the mountain, which is not only wide but also smooth enough for a large truck to pass through, and you will believe me as a bad old man. ”

Qiao Xiaojing took two steps, turned her head and glanced at the flat land, and said in her heart: "Dazhi has been in the devil's grave for about twenty hours, I hope he can wait until we go ......"