Outside the window, the torrential rain roared, and the wind whistled faintly.

Separated by a wall, the bright lights could not illuminate the haze on everyone's faces. Everyone sat around a table, their eyes flickering, not knowing what they were thinking.

"I said, boss lady," Qin Xiang suddenly said, "You inn ......"

"Don't worry, it's strong enough," Chu Jieyun knew what the other party meant, and then said: "I just cleaned it up not long ago, and it won't collapse because of this heavy rain." ”

"That's good, that's good......" It was Zhang Qi who answered, he said with a trill, and after wiping his sweat, he seemed to be relieved. But a pair of small eyes, still glancing around from time to time, afraid that something would suddenly come back.

After a short conversation, the scene fell into an eerie dead silence again.

In the field, the worst mood should be Meng Xiangping. I thought that I would be caught, but because my interrogation was delayed for too long, the door was closed in heavy rain. Looking at the rain, I am afraid that it will not be able to decrease in a few days, so not only will my helpers not be able to come, but now the news here will not be transmitted.

In the meantime, he had to stay here and stay with these people. Not to mention the weird shadow, from the bottom of his heart, Meng Xiangping still didn't believe that Boss Li was killed by a ghost, and the murderer must be someone else.

That murderer is still hiding among these people at this time, hiding by his side, and maybe even more than one person......

And the embarrassing thing is that he is not limited to the people who will have this kind of thinking now.

Everyone is suspicious of the people around them, and an atmosphere of suspicion is forming unconsciously.

"Hmm, huh." Qiu Shaohu cleared his throat, as if to break the embarrassing dullness, he spoke, "You guys, have you heard the story of Yundi Village. ”

Everyone couldn't help but look at him.

"Are you talking about the story that storyteller told me these days?" Wang Hu continued.

Although Qiu Shaohu's head was very stiff, it was obviously useful, at least everyone, for the time being, their attention was shifted to places other than each other.

"Yes," Qiu Shaohu nodded, and said, "The story he told is really good, but this story seems to be different from ordinary romance, and I have never seen it in any book." ”

"Who knows," Wang Hu said nonchalantly, "I also heard this story for the first time, and I asked him where he heard it, but every time I finished listening to the book, I couldn't find his figure." Maybe I picked up some old books from that bookstall. ”

"It's not," it was Qin Xiang who spoke this time, he glanced at everyone, and said in a deep voice: "That story doesn't look like I saw it from an ancient book. Didn't you notice that some of the terms in the story are even at this time. ”

It was an unexpected discovery, but when everyone thought about it, it was true. The years in the story told by the storyteller are all used in the era name of the current emperor - Jingqi.

Today's saint reigned for forty-three years, and only before Jingqi twenty years ago, he was the only emperor in the world.

"And the background of that story, I vaguely heard." Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Qin Xiang put one hand on his chin and pondered:

"In the story, Yundi Village is empty, and there is a lot of land for farming all day long. But it is at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, far away from people, so it is rarely heard. It is rumored that in the west of the empire, near the area of Bazhong Jingchang, there is a dense forest to cover the sun. Behind the dense forest, there is a brilliant white light, like the first sunny day after the snow, clear as jade. Locals say that this is the shelter of a sacred mountain, and there should be a snow-capped mountain here. ”

"According to what you say, there is still some truth." Zhou Linchao frowned and said: "In those years, the war was non-stop, and it was natural for some people to move to remote places to avoid trouble. But listening to that story, it was clear that there was a tragedy in the Yundi Village later, which led to the slaughter of all the people in the village, how to explain this? ”

Everyone, you say a word to me, and when you talk about such strange things, the originally tense heartstrings are unconsciously relaxed. Even Anu beside Zhou Linchao listened attentively at this time.

"I'm just hearsay, I can't tell the truth." Qin Xiang touched his forehead and said, "But the story says that after the tragedy of Yundi Village, one person survived. When I was begging for a life in Jingchang Kingdom, I also heard that one day after the dense forest, there seemed to be a fire, and then a figure seemed to come out from behind. ”

"In the past two days, I have heard from the neighbors that there was a rumor that a person from the west had come here, saying that he was from the foot of the snow-capped mountains and lived nearby with a thing, but he has disappeared since then."

"I didn't care about it until I heard the storyteller's story in the past few days, and I connected them!"

"In other words, the survivor of Yundi Village also came to Lizhou and left something behind." Zhou Linchao pondered the relationship.

"It's just that this story suddenly became popular again not long ago." Chu Jieyun grasped a hint of the key, "Could it be the thing left by the other party, which suddenly appeared again." ”

"It's also possible that he himself came back in person." Qiu Shaohu added, "And Boss Li said today that he was going to do a big business with people." ”

And after that, Boss Li suddenly died here!

Like a thunderstorm, it roared in everyone's ears. They all thought of a possibility.

"Ghost, it must be a ghost!" Zhang Qi suddenly shouted, "It's a ghost, it's a ghost who died in Yundi Village, he's back for revenge!" He killed Boss Li first, and then he was going to ......"

"Oh, calm down, it's just hearsay, you really believe this kind of nonsense!" Wang Hu, who was originally silent, slapped his thigh and said disdainfully: "It's just a story, and one by one it seems to be true." Why don't you say that the person disappeared from Lizhou, because he went to sea all the way to the east, went overseas, went to the place that is rumored to be the closest to the starry sky in the sky, and then found the fairy island, and since then he has become an immortal! ”

"Because what you're saying is more ridiculous." Qin Xiang said coldly.

"What, don't you believe it?" Speaking of the worldly fairy island that he was thinking about, Wang Hu was obviously more energetic than just now, and immediately straightened up, raised his chin and said excitedly: "Have you ever been out to sea?" Have you ever seen something overseas? Foreign exchange at sea, the land of a thousand islands, where there are many small countries, used to pay tribute to the imperial court, but now because of the harassment of the warships of the Lang barbarians, most of the goods have been robbed. But do you know, where did those small countries get so many specialties to exchange with us? That's all a gift from the immortals! ”

"Those small islands are full of traces of immortals, and if you ask, you can know the rumors left behind."

"Legend has it that in the depths of the sea, there is an island where true immortals live, and from time to time there will be treasures of immortals, flowing down the tide to the world. It is the authentic place of the immortal gate, and it is the holy place of cultivation that all monks in the world have in mind. ”

"Although there are many monks on the mainland, those sects, whether it is the Chaomen Lingchuan Sect close at hand, or the Fansheng Temple in Kangjing, or the Songye Gate in the north, their cultivation is not worth mentioning compared to the Taoism on the island, so ......"

"Enough!" Meng Xiangping, who had been silent, endured to the extreme, his face was gloomy, and after he got up, he looked at everyone coldly, and said without emotion: "I'm still trying the case, this is not a place for you to chat!" Don't forget, there has just been a death here, and all of you present are suspects until the suspicion is cleared! ”

"The county lieutenant is really majestic, and he treats my small shop as a yamen, but I don't know if you just asked, and I don't know anything, and now what are you going to do." Chu Jieyun yawned, the corners of her eyes were lazy, "The concubine is sleepy." ”

"Now that the heavy rain is closing the door, it is difficult to move an inch, I will wait for the rain to light up, and my colleagues will come over, and then continue to investigate with you." Meng Xiangping obviously had already made a plan, "I'm sleepy, right, okay, I can let you go and rest." There should be a lot of vacant rooms on the second floor of this store, one of you in one room, all of them are for me to live separately, without my permission, neither allowed to come out, nor allowed to communicate! As for Boss Li's room, it is not allowed to be approached! ”

After thinking about it, Meng Xiangping felt that it was safest to separate them one by one. As for the ghost, it is just pretending to be a ghost, and when the real murderer is found out, it is naturally not to be afraid.

"Anu, it's my thing, you can't count it alone, she wants to be with me." Zhou Linchao said coldly: "And you are just a Jiupin county lieutenant, do you really treat us as suspects?" ”

"You're just a disarming sergeant, and you've been removed from the military. Even if I'm still here, it's not the military, and your immediate boss won't be able to control me. Meng Xiangping was indifferent, "You can try, what will happen if you don't listen to the government." ”

As he spoke, he once again revealed the waist card on his waist, which represented the authority of the imperial court, and at the same time motioned for Zhou Linchao to go upstairs.

"Humph!" Zhou Linchao snorted coldly unconvinced, but he didn't say anything, and immediately pulled his female slave and walked upstairs first.

"I was going to stay here, but it's just right, I don't need the official to lead the way!" Qin Xiang also had a bad tone, carried his salute, and followed him up to the second floor.

"Thank you Lord County Lieutenant for being accommodating, the concubine's room is also on the second floor, so I will rest early today, so I don't have to worry about it." Chu Jieyun smiled and walked towards the stairs.

"Hey, hostess, wait for me, arrange me a room close to your boudoir!" Wang Hu hurriedly followed.

"No...... I'm not going! Seeing that he was left alone, Zhang Qi was anxious, waved his hand and said, "Yes...... There are ghosts, if I am alone, ghosts...... The devil will kill me! ”

"Then you live next door to me, if the ghost comes to you, you have to come to me first!" Meng Xiangping directly grabbed Zhang Qi's collar and insisted on dragging him upstairs.

"Uncle Zhang, you can take my account book," Qiu Shaohu sighed and said, "There is my breath on it, and ordinary ghosts dare not approach." ”

"Okay, thank you, thank you Xiaoqiu!" Zhang Qi took the book, just nodding his head constantly.

"What about you?" Meng Xiangping finally turned around and glanced at Qiu Shaohu.

"Me? I won't go up to the second floor. Qiu Shaohu said lightly: "My room is on the first floor, first, it is convenient to close and watch the door, and secondly, the proprietress does not let me go to the second floor easily, saying that it is not suitable for the guy to live with the guests." ”

"Then you are not allowed to move around at will, just stay in your room!" For this poor scholar who has no power to tie the chicken, Meng Xiangping is the most relieved.

Everyone left, and in the empty lobby, except for the sound of rain outside, only Qiu Shaohu's own breathing remained.

Qiu Shaohu, as usual, packed up the tables and chairs, tidied up and closed, and then extinguished the headlights on the ceiling one by one, and went to his room instead.

On the other side of the staircase, there was a small wing, where he lived.

Pushing open the door and lighting the fire fold placed on the side of the door, the dim light faintly illuminated the inside, and the table was full of all kinds of books, as well as a handwritten word written by Qiu Shaohu himself, hanging at the head of the bed.

It is not the "God rewards hard work" commonly used by readers, but the "double cultivation of life".

It's more like the slogan of Taoist health preservation.

Qiu Shaohu only blinked an eye before he saw that his room was brightly lit, and there was an extra table next to the bed, which was full of delicious food. A woman stood at the foot of the bed at some point, looked at him with a smile, and said: "Official, you are back, the concubine has come to serve you, and she has brought you a lot of money, which is enough for you to rush to the exam to gain fame, and you don't have to continue to do those miscellaneous subordinate work here." ”

The woman opened her hands, and inside were two pieces of yellow gold.

"Eating is a gut-breaking medicine, and not working hard is a bone poison. Beauty is easy to age, and happiness is easy to pass away. A gentleman is upright, self-denying, and not disturbed by external objects. ”

Qiu Shaohu turned a blind eye to the temptation in front of him, walked straight to his bookcase, and took out a piece of paper with a fire fold.

Seeing that everything was in vain, the woman immediately revealed her true ferocity, and the lights in the room were all extinguished in an instant, and the delicacies, gold, etc., turned into poisonous insects, constantly wriggling, spitting out poisonous slime.

The woman turned into a fierce ghost, with a bloody mouth, and pounced directly towards Qiu Shaohu.

"Leave!" Qiu Shaohu unfolded the piece of paper, and on it was an intricate talisman that he had drawn with a pen, which he lit with a fire fold. At the same time, he picked up a glass of water beside him, took a sip of the water in the cup, and squirted water towards the lit talisman and facing the ghost.

The water rushed through the paper, and instead slashed a flash of fire, bringing a burst of flames towards the ghost.

That's fire, and it's not fire.

Because the spark fell to the ground, but it didn't ignite anything. But when it fell on the ghost, it immediately burned.

The fire spread rapidly, and the ghost did not even scream, and was burned clean in an instant.

When the dust settled, Qiu Shaohu shook his head slightly.

A gentleman is upright, and evil is difficult to deceive. For him, these ghosts could not directly harm him, but could only use some blinding spells to tempt him, and then take advantage of his unpreparedness.

Demons and evil are powerless to hurt people, and those who are in chaos are easy to kill themselves.

But since the day before yesterday, these evil things have become more and more rampant, as if he has been stimulated by something, so that he can only use some other methods to protect himself.

It's just that the method of exorcism talisman is not like what an ordinary scholar can use.

I don't know what will happen tonight, thinking hard to no avail, Qiu Shaohu didn't think about it anymore, instead sat on the bookcase, took out a book, and began to bury his head in hard reading.

He didn't light the lamp, and the shopkeeper's lamp oil was distributed monthly, and he had already run out of it this month.

But he had another way to illuminate it, his hand went deep into his pocket, and Qiu Shaohu took out another book that he was carrying.

This book, without any handwriting on the cover, cannot turn a single page, but it exudes a faint light all the time, illuminating everything around it.

Since Qiu Shaohu had no intention of getting this book when he was a child, he has been using it instead of oil lamps for many years, and has accompanied him through countless slow and long nights of hard reading.

The brilliance lingers, like the stars gathering.