After Wu Neng shouted Shi Cheng several times in succession, Shi Cheng reacted. Wu Neng followed Shi Cheng's gaze and saw the children who were fighting, so he smiled and asked, "What's wrong, Old Shi?" Childlike innocence? ”

Shi Cheng asked very seriously, "Wu Neng, do you know what game they are playing?" ”

Wu Neng originally wanted to make a few more jokes, but seeing that Shi Cheng was so serious, he put away his thoughts and replied honestly: "This game is called God Hunting and Chasing Thieves, a very popular children's game in the Western Desert Country and several surrounding countries, Lao Shi, haven't you seen it since you came to the Western Desert?" ”

Shi Cheng thought for a moment and asked again: "In this game, what does the "bandit" with a green paint label represent?" ”

Wu Neng thought for a moment and replied, "What you said is called falling grass, right?" In this game, as long as the thief is not caught, the player who plays the thief can designate a player before the start of each subsequent round and give him the green sign so that he can also become a bandit. In fact, it means that the cottage leader is forced to fall into the grass. ”

Shi Cheng nodded and didn't speak again. Although Wu Neng was a little strange why Shi Cheng was suddenly so interested in a game, there was obviously something more important at the moment.

"Lao Shi, the medicine is boiled, why don't you go and take a look?" Wu Neng reminded Shi Cheng again.

"Oh, yes." Shi Cheng patted his head lightly, and turned around and went to the house with Wu Neng.

……

After finishing today's free clinic, Shi Cheng packed up the medicine box and drove to the inn with his companions.

After returning to the inn, Wu Neng looked at Shi Cheng, who was sitting on the chair thoughtfully, and asked, "Old Shi, what are you thinking, I haven't seen you say a few words since the afternoon." ”

Shi Cheng waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about the news I heard in the past two days." ”

"I don't think we've gathered any useful information." Wu Neng muttered: "Those officials looked so dead, I see that you didn't ask any questions related to the case when you chatted with the families of those patients." ”

"Young man, you still have to learn one in many places." Shi Cheng chuckled, "In some cases, inquiring about information shouldn't be straightforward, and some of the questions I asked in Redwood City were also because I met victims like Li Yan and the Zhang family, and there was no need to hide anything in front of them." ”

Seeing that Wu Neng's expression was still a little puzzled, Shi Cheng explained: "Let me give you an example, do you remember that I once talked to a vendor surnamed Xu about the prices in the city during the free clinic this morning. ”

Wu Neng nodded.

"Through the changes in prices in the city in the past few months, to a certain extent, we can judge the frequency of crimes on Xieyang Road in a period of time. When disappearances are frequent, the number of merchants who dare to come to Yunqiu City to do business with goods will naturally decrease significantly, and the supply of goods will be reduced, and prices will rise. Of course, there are many factors that affect prices, and although price changes have reference value, it is not entirely accurate to use them to judge the frequency of cases. ”

After listening to Shi Chengju's example, Wu Neng couldn't help but praise: "Lao Shi, you really deserve to be an old Jianghu, if I can have half of your means, I won't even touch the shadow of the Spirit Snake Society in the past four years." ”

"So, what did you discover in those two days?" Iron Mask, who had not spoken, suddenly asked.

"Based on the information I have heard in the past two days, I can roughly draw the following conclusions." Shi Cheng crossed his fingers and said, "The first is the frequency of the Xieyang Dao crime I just mentioned, from a general point of view, it was the most rampant in the period before that Sun Qincha arrived, and after this Sun Qincha took office, the frequency of the crime began to decrease, but the disappearance cases still happened from time to time. ”

"It seems that this Lord Sun is quite capable." Wu Neng nodded.

Shi Cheng crossed his fingers and continued: "The second is that the local officials of the various cities on the Xieyang Road seem to be very incompatible with the officials of the Qin Mission, and there have even been cases of local officials refusing to cooperate with the Qin Mission. Of course, this speculation is still doubtful, after all, with Zhao Ping beside them, it is inconvenient for those people to say anything. ”

"What else?" Iron Mask asked.

"The third is that the price of medicinal materials in the city has been high, and the pharmacists seem to be working together to find something. The last thing is ......" Speaking of this, Shi Cheng suddenly stopped. He looked at Wu Neng and asked, "Wu Neng, do you remember the merchant named Yu Haiguang who was scared mad on the Xieyang Road because he saw the hordes of ghosts on the Xieyang Road when we first left Redwood City?" ”

"I remember," Wu Neng nodded, "It seems that he was also the first witness to see the ghost village in vain on the Xieyang Road." ”

Shi Cheng's fingers tapped lightly on his knees, and he said seriously: "Judging from the information I have gathered in the past two days of small talk, that merchant may be living in this city now. ”

"What a coincidence!" Wu Neng exclaimed, "That old Shi, have you ever inquired about that person's residence?" ”

Shi Cheng said helplessly: "That Zhao Ping has been staring at me from the side, and I really can't delve into this matter." When we have a chance in the future, we will investigate in private. ”

"The first three pieces of information don't seem to be of much use at the moment, so why don't I sneak out of the inn tomorrow to find out where the merchant lives?" Iron Mask asked emotionlessly.

Shi Cheng shook his head and said, "Now we don't know how many spies are ambushed outside the inn, I know you have the skills, but there is no need to take risks now." But...... If you're willing to take off your iron mask and let me help you change your face, you might be able to fool the eyes of those spies. ”

Iron Mask didn't answer, just sat back on his bed, and said lightly: "I once swore that I would never take off this mask until I finished what I wanted to do." ”

Wu Neng muttered quietly, "Why do you still have such a strange oath?" ”

However, Iron Mask ignored him, he sat directly cross-legged on the bed, closed his eyes and sat up.

Seeing this, Shi Cheng didn't get to the bottom of it. He thought for a while and said, "Tomorrow, Lord Qincha will probably meet with us, I hope that things will turn around by then, everyone has worked hard today, let's rest early." ”

Wu Neng nodded, and after washing, Shi Cheng and Wu Neng went to bed separately to rest.

……

Sun Jinyong sat on a chair and quietly listened to Zhao Ping's report. He lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then said to Zhao Ping: "Ah Ping, what do you think of Shi Cheng, what do you think is the purpose of his coming to Yunqiu City?" ”

Zhao Ping replied respectfully: "My subordinates don't know. In the past two days, his subordinates really can't see the flaws on Shi Cheng's body. ”

Sun Jinyong waved his hand and said, "I know you don't have evidence, I just want to hear how you intuitively feel about Shi Cheng." ”

Zhao Ping hesitated for a long time and didn't say anything.

Sun Jinyong sighed softly and said, "Tomorrow you go and summon Shi Cheng and them, and this official should also have a good chat with them." Ah Ping, go and rest, you have worked hard in the past two days. ”

……

Before dawn, a group of city guards who had just finished their patrol on the Xieyang Road galloped into the city from the city gate, led by a young military attaché, whose faces were full of exhaustion.

When everyone walked to a private house, the military attache headed by the leader suddenly made a gesture, and looked at the people who were talking about a hut with some confusion. He glanced at one of his subordinates beside him and said, "San'er, go see what's going on over there." ”

The official named San'er understood, and hurriedly dismounted and ran quickly to the people outside the hut, and when the people heard the sound behind them, they turned around one after another, and saw that it was an official who was running, and everyone hurriedly got out of the way.

San'er drank and asked, "At this hour, why are you gathering here to make a noise?" ”

An older middle-aged man stepped forward and replied with an indignant face, "Official, please call the shots for us." He pointed to the hut behind him, and then said, "The wife of my neighbor brother Wang, as well as several other neighbors, have been killed by a quack doctor who has been swindling around the city for the past two days!" ”

San'er took a few steps to the door of the house, and could barely see the situation inside the house by the faint light of the oil lamp. A man dressed in a patched coarse cloth robe threw himself at his wife's bedside, weeping silently. The woman lying on the bed remained motionless, as if she had died.

San'er turned his head and said to the people around him: "Ben Yu has to go back to the house as soon as possible, and I can't afford to take care of your affairs at the moment." After dawn, you will go to the yamen to beat the drum and sound the grievances. ”

After saying that, San'er turned around and returned to the horse team, and soon, the horse team went away in the direction of the Qincha Mansion in the night.