When Zhao Rang returned to the inn, the last trace of sunset on the horizon had quietly disappeared, replaced by a gradually thickening night.

He gently pushed open the slightly old wooden door of the inn, and with a soft "squeak", a familiar and friendly atmosphere came to his face.

The furnishings in the inn are still the same, the familiar counter, those neatly arranged tables and chairs, all tell the hustle and bustle of the past. At this moment, these familiar scenes are shrouded in a faint layer of sadness, and there is less vitality in the past.

Zhao Rang's steps were a little heavy, he knew that he had not come this time to enjoy the tranquility, but to pursue a confusing truth.

He walked to the counter and saw that the boss was busy sorting out the accounts, and he was very meticulous.

The boss looked up and saw Zhao Rang, a hint of imperceptible surprise flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Guest, you're back."

The boss said with a smile, his voice full of kindness and enthusiasm.

Zhao Rang nodded, counting as a response.

This is not the time to greet each other, and you must get to the point as soon as possible.

"Boss, I want to ask you something."

The boss put down the ledger in his hand and looked at Zhao Rang, waiting for him to continue.

"Do you know Boss Hu's sister?"

Zhao Rang asked.

The boss was stunned when he heard this, then shook his head and said:

"Guest, you're asking the wrong person. I know Boss Hu, but I don't know much about his family. Although Boss Hu comes back to my shop from time to time to eat noodles, he has always been low-key and introverted, and rarely mentions his family affairs. ”

The boss's words made Zhao Rang feel a little disappointed.

In particular, he said, 'Boss Hu is low-key and introverted', which is very different from the Boss Hu that Zhao Rang knows!

However, there are thousands of people, and Boss Hu is a scheming and speculative person. But he said that Boss Hu would go to his shop from time to time to eat noodles, and maybe the boss would know something about other aspects.

"Then do you know who Boss Hu usually interacts with? Or has he ever offended anyone? ”

Zhao Rang continued to ask.

The boss thought for a while and said:

"Although Boss Hu has a strange temper, he is very smart and should not offend people easily. I really don't know who he was associated with...... He comes to eat noodles alone, and he doesn't talk to other diners. The other diners either knew him and knew that he was not someone they could get close to, or they saw what he was dressed and knew that he should be a big person, so they would not take the initiative to come over. ”

The boss's words made Zhao Rang feel a little frustrated......

I thought I could get some useful information from the boss, but I didn't expect to get nothing.

The boss looked at Zhao Rang's eager appearance, and couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart, but he still shook his head helplessly and said:

"Guest, I really don't know about the rest...... If you really want to know about Boss Hu, you might as well ask others. ”

Zhao Rang looked at the boss's frank and helpless look, knowing that it would be futile to ask any more, so he nodded and said:

"Well, that's all there is to it."

With that, he turned and walked out the door.

The disappointment in his heart was so heavy that he couldn't sleep at all.

Just as he was about to walk out of the inn, the boss suddenly stopped him again:

"Guest officer, wait a minute!"

Zhao Rang turned to look at the boss, and there was a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"Guest, there's someone he might know about what you're asking!"

Zhao Rang's heart moved when he heard this, and he hurriedly asked:

"Who?"

"It's the man in the city."

The boss said.

"He patrols the town every day and knows everything about the people and things in the town. If you want to know about Boss Hu, you might as well ask him. ”

The boss's words made Zhao Rang's heart happy.

That's at least a valuable clue!

After thanking him, Zhao Rang turned around and walked out the door, his steps becoming much brisker.

In the middle of the night, Zhao Rang was alone, shuttling through the silent streets.

The old houses on both sides of the street stand quietly in the moonlight.

The husband is old, and his back is like a mountain that has been eroded by wind and rain.

The arms are thin and powerful, like two ancient trees. In the dim light, the scars and calluses on his arms could be seen.

Although the epidermis is already covered with wrinkles and blemishes, the inner strength remains tenacious.

The lantern in his hand is an extension of his arm and a symbol of his protection of the land.

The frame of the lantern is a little old, and the lantern paper has become yellowed due to the erosion of time, but the fire in the lantern is still flickering.

Whenever the night breeze blows, the lantern sways gently and squeaks with the footsteps of the husband.

Zhao Rang took a step forward, breaking the silence around him. He tried to make his voice sound soft and sincere:

"Old man, are you the husband in the city?"

The husband raised his head, and in the dim light of the lantern, his face looked furrowed, only his eyes were still like the stars in the night sky, shining brightly.

He looked Zhao Rang up and down, nodded, and said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"I am, is there anything wrong with you?"

Zhao let him take a deep breath and try to keep his voice as steady as possible:

"I want to ask you about someone, his name is Boss Hu, do you know?"

When the husband heard the words "Boss Hu", his eyes were obviously condensed, and he frowned, as if he was recalling something.

After a while, he said slowly:

"Boss Hu? He's the man we have here, of course I know. But ......"

The husband's tone suddenly became a little heavy.

"He's no longer alive."

Zhao Rang continued to ask:

"I know he's dead, but I'm his friend and have something I want to ask you."

The husband looked Zhao Rang up and down again, a trace of doubt flashed in his eyes, he shook his head and said:

"Friends? I don't think so! I patrol this street every day, and I've never seen you and Boss Hu together! ”

Zhao Rang said silently:

"Old man, I am indeed his friend, but I have only recently been here. I heard that he passed away, so I wanted to find out what was going on. ”

The doubts in the husband's heart seemed to be slightly reduced, and he was silent for a while, as if he was weighing something.

Finally, he spoke:

"Well, I believe you. But I don't know much, I can only tell you some ordinary things. ”

Zhao Rang was overjoyed.

If you are willing to speak, it is already a good start.

"Thank you, old man! Just tell me what you know! ”

The husband nodded, and at the same time walked slowly, and said as he went:

"Boss Hu, alas, how can you say it...... He was indeed rich and powerful, but he was not very good. He often used his position to oppress ordinary people and collect ill-gotten gains. Many people in the city dare to be angry with him! ”

Zhao Rang followed behind the husband and listened quietly.

According to what he knows, although Boss Hu is definitely not a good person, he is not as bad as his husband said...... Zhao Rang couldn't help but wonder if her husband's words were exaggerated.

The husband seemed to see Zhao Rang's doubts, he stopped, turned his head to look at Zhao Rang and said:

"I know you may not believe what I say. But that's only part of what I know. Boss Hu has done too many bad things, too many to count! ”

Zhao Rang didn't interrupt his husband's words, even if he knew a lot of stories in it, it was probably because he added oil and vinegar after hearsay.

After waiting for the husband to finish speaking, Zhao Rangcai continued to ask:

"Then old man, do you know if Boss Hu has offended anyone recently?"

The husband didn't think about it, and blurted out:

"Offending someone? He offended so many people! ”

"Old man, can you elaborate on that? For example, has anyone specifically targeted Boss Hu recently, or has he had any unusual behavior recently? ”

Zhao Rang tried his best to make his words easy to understand.

The husband thought for a moment and continued:

"There's been a strange thing lately."

The husband coughed twice and spat a mouthful of thick phlegm under the wall.

"Boss Hu has often gone out alone at night recently, and every time he comes back, he looks in a hurry, as if he is in a hurry."

"Do you know where he went?"

Zhao Rang chased.

The husband shook his head:

"I'm just a husband, how can I know so much. However, I noticed that every time he went out, he went in the direction of the west of the city, and when he came back, he always had a faint smell of medicine on him. ”

Medicinal fragrance?

This is a new clue that has never been grasped before!

Zhao Rang quickly searched in his mind for information related to Boss Hu, Chengxi, and Yaoxiang, trying to find the connection, but he didn't sort out any useful information, so he could only continue to ask the husband:

"Old man, do you know anything special about the west of the city? For example, pharmacies, medical clinics, etc.? ”

Gambit says:

"There are indeed a few pharmacies and medical clinics in the west of the city, but I don't know the exact situation."

That night, Zhao Rang did not continue to delve into it, and went back to the inn to rest.

Even if you are in a hurry, you need to do it step by step.

In the early morning of the second day, when the first rays of sunlight shone on Zhao Rang's face through the window, he had already gotten up.

The west of Zhenhai Castle is completely different from the east of the city.

The western part of the city is home to both the common and the lowest, with low-rise and dilapidated houses and narrow and crowded streets.

Zhao Rang shuttled through the streets of the west of the city, carefully observing everything around him.

He found that there were indeed a lot of pharmacies and medical clinics here, and business seemed to be doing well.

He walked into a pharmacy at random, pretended to be a customer, and inquired from the shopkeeper:

"Xiao Er, have any special guests here come recently?"

Zhao Rang tried to make his question sound natural and not obtrusive.

The shopkeeper thought for a while, shook his head and said:

"Guest, this question is really stumbling on me. There are so many customers coming and going in our pharmacy every day, how can I remember it so clearly. ”

"Like someone with a special medicinal fragrance on your body?"

Zhao Rang continued to ask.

"If you're talking about guests with medicinal scents, that's possible. After all, there are many medicinal herbs in our pharmacy, and it is normal for some customers to be contaminated with some medicinal fragrance. ”

Zhao Rang nodded, turned around and left the pharmacy, and continued to wander the streets west of the city.

It's a pity that I went to every pharmacy and medical center in the west of the city, but the results are all the same.

No one noticed whether Boss Hu had been here, and no one knew what was going on with the medicinal fragrance he was carrying.

Zhao Rang couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

He had thought that the west of the city would be the key to solving the mystery, but now it seems that this is not the case.

Helpless, Zhao Rang had to continue to inquire in a different way.

He no longer asked about Boss Hu's situation directly, but began to pay attention to the pharmacy and the medical hall itself.

Walking into shop after shop, pretending to be interested in medicinal herbs, talking to the shopkeeper and his buddies, trying to get some indirect information from them.

In a medical hall called "Jishitang", Zhao Rang noticed that some rare medicinal herbs were placed in the corner of this medical hall, and the aroma of these medicinal herbs was somewhat similar to the medicinal fragrance smelled on the black shadow man who had attacked and killed him before.

Zhao Rang stepped forward, ready to take a closer look at these medicinal materials, when an elderly healer came over, and seeing that Zhao Rang was interested in these medicinal materials, he asked:

"Young man, are you interested in these herbs?"

Zhao Rang nodded, and said smoothly:

"Yes, old sir. I'm interested in medicinal herbs, especially these rare ones. I wonder what is so special about these herbs? ”

The old man smiled slightly, and began to explain the uses and characteristics of these medicinal materials to Zhao Rang.

During the conversation, Zhao Rang skillfully guided the topic and gradually led the topic to Boss Hu.

"Sir, have you ever heard of Boss Hu? I've heard that he used to come to the west side of the city a lot. ”

Zhao Rang asked tentatively.

When the old man heard this, a hint of discoloration flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to normal, shook his head and said:

"Boss Hu? It is not clear under it. Although our hospital is located in the west of the city, there are many customers coming and going, and I don't remember such a Boss Hu. ”

Zhao Rang's brows furrowed slightly, he was sure that he saw the trace of strange color in the old man's eyes, which was definitely the reaction of a person who didn't know anything about Boss Hu.

"Oh? Is it? ”

Zhao Rang pretended to be a little disappointed.

"I thought the old gentleman might know something about him. I heard that Boss Hu is also a figure with a head and a face in the city. ”

When the old man heard this, an embarrassed smile appeared on his face, and he waved his hand and said:

"Young man, you look down on me. Although I have been in this hospital for many years, I am busy diagnosing patients and taking medicine on weekdays, so how can I have time to pay attention to these big names in the city! ”

Zhao Rang smiled slightly, and did not directly expose the old man's lies, but continued to ask from a different angle:

"Sir, have you noticed anything unusual in the hospital recently? For example, have any strangers ever visited, or have any special herbs been bought? ”

The old man shook his head and said:

"I don't remember the people coming and going in the hospital every day. As for the special herbs that were purchased and taken away...... Well...... Recently, it seems that some of the rarer medicinal herbs have been bought by a customer. However, the guest was a regular customer, so I didn't ask much. ”

Zhao Rang saw that there was a door, and immediately asked:

"What does that guest look like? When did he come to buy the herbs? ”

The old man frowned and thought for a moment, and said, "That guest is of medium stature, wearing a black robe, and a mask on his face, which has never been taken off. I came there probably the other night, it was getting late, and I just remember his voice. ”

Zhao Rang's heart sank when he heard this, and his black robe, mask, and hoarse voice ...... How similar these traits were to the Shadow Man who had attacked him earlier!

Just as Zhao Rang's mind was wandering in the quiet air of the medical hall like flowing water, suddenly, a terrible scream pierced the silence.

The scream was like a sharp claw, instantly pulling Zhao Rang out of his contemplation.

Zhao Rang's heart pounded, and he looked up at the source of the sound almost instinctively.

I saw that the old man who was still talking to him just now had fallen to the ground at this moment.

A dagger plunged deep into the old man's chest.

The handle of the dagger was still trembling slightly.

"Old man!"

Zhao Rang rushed forward instantly, but by the time he touched the old man's shirt, which had been stained red with blood, it was already too late.

The old man's eyes were still open, but the light in his eyes had disappeared, and his face still had the horror and pain of that moment.

Looking around, I found that the rest of the people in the hospital hall had been frightened by this scene.

The air was filled with a strong smell of blood, which was in stark contrast to the original herbal fragrance of the medical hall.

Zhao Rang's gaze returned to the old man again, the already stiff body and the pool of blood on the ground that was gradually spreading were all ruthlessly announcing that all this was between lightning and flint, and it really happened!