The horse catcher in Wohu County, Yungui Prefecture, Southern Xinjiang Province, is not very neat in his feet, but Xia Yan can see that this person has cultivation.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, everyone sat in the shade of the tree and listened to the old catcher tell the case:

"Our Crouching Tiger County, although it is only a county, but the area is larger than the average prefecture, and you have also seen it along the way, it is all mountainous.

The village is one in the east and one in the west, and Xishui Village is one of the more remote locations.

Little Lao'er, I have suffered from leg disease in the past few years, and I basically stay in the county office.

On weekdays, the patrol in the county was handed over to the group of boys below me.

Ten days ago, my boys didn't come back, and I didn't take it seriously at first.

I'm not afraid of the jokes of the gurus, in the eyes of you, people like us are a fart.

But in front of the mountain people, this official uniform and tiger skin still has a bit of weight.

I'm old, those boys are still young, a good friend in the East Village, a concubine in the West Village, and it's common not to come to the county government at night.

It's just that in the recent past, you should also know that something big has happened in the southern Xinjiang territory.

Soldiers from all localities, including county officials, are not allowed to act recklessly, and those who violate the order will be beheaded.

In case someone from above comes down to check the post and this group of boys doesn't come back, it's easy to lose their heads.

So that night, I asked the mountain people to go and spread the word to these boys.

Come back quickly, don't die on the belly of a woman......"

As soon as Ma Zhutou said this, Jiang Yuan became impatient when he heard it: "Old man, can you just say the point." ”

"It doesn't matter." Xia Yan said, "The introduction of the case, the more detailed the better, you continue." ”

"Big brother, do you know how to solve the case?" Jiang Yuan turned his head and asked.

Xia Yan said honestly: "I understand a little." ”

The construction of the virtual world of Honghuang has long been not artificially built, but handed over to artificial intelligence with the support of quantum computer computing power.

The task of solving cases and solving puzzles is vast, and if you really want to go and appreciate them one by one, you can't finish it in a lifetime.

Back then, Xia Yan did a lot of such tasks for the sake of cultivation resources.

Hundreds of millions of players, everyone has the same starting line.

Even if a generation of sword immortals is achieved in the end, it will be from the bottom.

Therefore, murder and arson, eliminate violence and peace, solve criminal investigations, protect the media, and even kick the widow's door and dig up the grave.

There are few moral constraints in the virtual world, and Xia Yan has done all the bad things in order to climb the peak of cultivation, and he has done a lot of good things.

After fifteen years of floods, no matter how big or small things in the world are good or evil, Xia Yan dares to say a word and understand a little.

When Xia Yan spoke, Jiang Yuan was silent.

The others also nodded their heads, agreeing with Xia Yan's statement.

Ma Zhutou raised a pair of cloudy eyes and looked at Xia Yan.

People are old and treacherous, and with this juncture, he has found the true backbone of this team of masters.

The old man smiled slightly: "What is the name of this master?" ”

"Xia Yan."

"Oh, it turned out to be Master Xia." Ma Zhutou nodded and continued, "Our county is relatively large, and the mountain roads are not easy to walk.

According to the patrol itinerary, this group of boys should have been patrolling in the area of Xishui Village that day, far away from the county seat.

So that night I asked the mountain people to speak for me, just to remind the boys, and I didn't expect them to come back.

As a result, at noon the next day, some mountain people came to the county seat to report that the entire village of Xishui Village was missing.

That's when I found out that something was wrong, and I rushed here.

Arrived at the scene, Master Xia, that was really hell.

The whole village is in good condition, except for a family at the entrance of the village who kills chickens, there is not a drop of blood in other places.

Then the people were gone, and my boys, who were supposed to patrol the vicinity, were never heard from since. ”

When Xia Yan heard this, he asked, "How many people are there in total?" ”

"Four people." Ma Zhutou said, "There are many wild beasts in this mountain, and it will be dangerous to fall alone, so it is generally a group of four people to patrol everywhere. ”

Xia Yan asked again: "Then now a village and four officials are missing?" ”

"Yes." Ma Zhutou nodded.

"Then Ma Zhutou, or the county master, how is it sure that this is the work of the demon beast, and came to the Ten Thousand Swords Academy Palace to ask us to help?" Xia Yan asked.

Ma Zhutou frowned: "It's not obvious, if you want to say that you lost one or two, it is understandable, maybe the beasts in the mountains took it away."

But all the people in the village are missing, plus my four boys.

I'm not afraid of Master Xia's jokes, those four boys are not only my subordinates, but also my apprentices.

Although I am now old and frail, and my legs and feet are not good, I also had a double peak of cultivation when I was in my prime.

My four boys have also entered the double realm.

This cultivator is resting in the mountains, and it is a group of four people, so it stands to reason that nothing can happen.

The only explanation is that these 100,000 demon beasts from the depths of the mountains have come to this outer realm.

Master Xia, I suspect that this is a demon beast that can confuse people's hearts, and this can be so untraceable. ”

"Oh, I see." Xia Yan nodded, "Then let's go down the mountain and take a look at the scene?" ”

"Please!"

……

After a general understanding of the case, Xia Yan and his entourage followed Ma Zhutou down the mountain and walked into Xishui Village.

The village of hundreds of families looks good on the mountain, but it is quite big when you really walk in.

The kind of village life that Xia Yan is very familiar with in the flood wilderness is coming.

In the yard of the house at the entrance of the village, there were indeed blood stains, and there was a wooden basin next to the blood stains, and a chicken that had begun to stink was soaked.

Walking further inside, Xia Yan looked at the family one by one, and it seemed that everything was normal.

Among them, there are many people, and the bed is still messy.

It does seem to have happened at night.

After looking at about ten households, Xia Yan already had a basic number in his heart.

By this time the group had arrived in the middle of the village, which was supposed to be a threshing floor.

The rest of the roads in the village are mud, but this one is the only one where the ground is paved with bluestone slabs.

There are gaps between the stone slabs, filled with gray earth.

Xia Yan squatted on the ground and touched it, recognizing that it was Sanhe soil.

The three-in-one of hydrated lime, fine sand, and clay has good strength and water resistance.

The other people looked at Xia Yan squatting on the ground, and looked at each other again, which was a big star.

According to the idea of the captain Tu Su, his group came to assist the officials in handling the case, and they mainly focused on the intelligence and actions of the officials.

If there is a matter of injustice between officials and officials in terms of force, then it is up to their own people to settle it.

After all, everyone is a student of the Cultivation Palace, and they don't understand such a thing as solving a case, so they naturally let professional people handle it.

As a result, looking at Xia Yan's meaning, he actually investigated the case.

Not to mention others, even Tu Su, who has the most confidence in Xia Yan, is not very down-to-earth at the moment.

So she also squatted down and asked softly, "Is there a score?" ”

"There's no score, just play the piano." Xia Yan glanced at her, clapped his hands with a smile, and stood up to meet Ma Zhutou's eyes.

The old catcher looked like a smile on his face at this moment, and nodded: "Master Xia, look at this matter......

"Since we are here, things naturally have to be dealt with properly." Xia Yan said, "But Ma Zhutou, if this kind of thing is not done without your cooperation, it will definitely not be done." ”

Ma Cheng frowned: "Master Xia, what do you mean by this?" ”

"Ma Zhutou didn't tell the truth." Xia Yan smiled slightly.

"Where does this start?" Ma Cheng said, "What I just said is true. ”

"That's not right." Xia Yan shook his head, "The villagers of Xishui Village are not missing. ”

"This ......" Ma Cheng looked surprised.

"Ma Zhutou, you should understand that it is very difficult for mountain people to make a living in the mountains." Xia Yan said, "It's okay to eat, rely on the mountains to eat the mountains, as long as it's not a disaster year, you generally don't die of hunger."

But the clothes on the body are often not rich.

Let's not mention silk and cotton cloth, even if it is the coarsest linen cloth, the woman weaves it and then tailors it, it is quite labor-intensive, and a stitch and a thread can hurt the eyes.

It would be very good for a person in the mountains to have a set of linen clothes, and he would naturally cherish it.

I don't wear it when I work during the day, for fear that the sweat will rot.

I don't wear it when I sleep at night, it's a hindrance.

And just now I saw more than a dozen houses, the beds are messy, but there are no clothes off the side.

This means that after getting up in the middle of the night, he was conscious, put on his clothes and went out.

So this kind of thing can't be attacked by demon beasts, it can only be done by people.

Horse catcher, am I right? ”

Ma Cheng was speechless for a while, and looked Xia Yan up and down again.

"If I'm not mistaken...... Xia Yan said, "It's only those four officials who are missing, and the villagers of Xishui Village are in the county jail at the moment because they are involved in this case." ”

"How do you know that?" Ma Zhutou asked.

Xia Yan said with a smile: "The footprints in this barn field are scattered, but only the footprints on the east side overlap a lot, and they are relatively neat. It shows that the people gathered here first, and then were escorted away by the official messenger, and left from the east, isn't that the direction of the county seat? ”

When Ma Zhutou heard this, he seemed to be finally convinced, and he clenched his fists and arched his hand: "Master Xia, could it be that you really have immortal skills, and you can pinch and calculate?" ”

"I've been talking about the basis for speculation for a long time, and it's still a fortune teller?" Xia Yan shook his head, "And the source of suspicion is Ma Zhutou's own words." ”

"Oh?" Ma Zhutou asked, "What's wrong with my words?" ”

Xia Yan smiled: "If it is only speculated that there are demon beasts, and there is no actual witness confession of demon beasts, I don't believe that your county government dares to report this case." ”

Ma Zhutou was stunned, then his whole body relaxed, he also smiled, and said slowly: "Masters, forgive sins.

Things in the mountains are often complicated, and they can't be settled by anyone who cultivates high.

I wanted to try the students of the Ten Thousand Swords Academy, whether they were nerds who could only practice, or masters who could really help.

Now I know, real gold is not afraid of fire.

Master Xia, and all the masters, don't rely on me about this matter, it's all explained by the peak.

It is said that you must test your eyesight.

If you can't see the flaw in Xiao Lao'er's words, then it is not appropriate for you to continue to participate in this matter, and please go home. ”

After Ma Zhutou finished speaking, the others look at me, and I look at you.

Jiang Yuan raised his hand and gave Zhou Wuji a look at the back of his head: "Hey, little Taoist, your head seems to be fake, it doesn't do anything." ”

Zhou Wuji was extremely angry, holding his head in both hands, raised his head and said, "Didn't you see it, and let Ma Catch Your Head not go down!" ”

"Alright, alright." Fan Bi'an waved his hand, "Don't argue with the two chiefs, as if you don't have enough face." ”

Tu Su proposed at this time: "Then our mission will be headed by Chief Xia, and we will listen to him." ”

"Okay." Fan Bi'an hurriedly responded.

"That's how it should be." Jiang Yuan rolled his eyes.

"Anyone can do it, I'm the youngest anyway." Zhou Wuji shook his head.

Xia Yan looked at this group of companions and felt a headache.

"Alright, Master Xia." Ma Zhutou said, "Then tell you about the situation of this demon beast?" ”

Xia Yan nodded: "Please." ”

……