In the next few days, since we were not locals, most of Matsuko's knowledge of the local area came from the investigation when he was looking for the heart of the formation, as well as his previous knowledge of various documents, county chronicles, and even field history. So Qin Bukong was left at home to look for various ways and means to deal with "charm", while Songzi and I inquired everywhere, trying to find all the information about Qingchuan Pavilion, Yuwang Palace, and Tiemen Pass.

But in that era, although it was not a war and chaos, it was indeed not very peaceful. Since the nationwide began to confiscate the surrender of guns and put them under military control, the armed struggle between the various factions has become much weaker, but there are still occasional group beatings and stick fights, but the situation has improved a lot compared with the previous few years. Although Songzi and I look at the ordinary people without doubt, because we are from the Xuanmen, everything must be low-key.

After a few days, we basically grasped all the non-repetitive information that we could hear, but it made us difficult. Because the local people told us that the iron gate pass, which is most likely to hide secrets, was protected by Hubei Province a few years ago, and is now a cultural relic. When we went to the local cultural relics management museum to check the materials, we found that although the iron gate pass was built in the Three Kingdoms period, it was actually very damaged in the Tang Dynasty. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was only one earthen pedestal left.

This means that the iron gate pass that we can see now is actually built in the Qing Dynasty, is a tall arch, and the gatehouse used to be the Guandi Temple, but due to political reasons, the incense has been cut off for a long time. If what we are looking for is from the Song Dynasty a thousand years ago, then the only thing we can look for is that section of the earthen pedestal. Obviously, not to mention that the pedestal could not withstand the newly built arches and Guandi Temple, even if it was, since it has been classified as a cultural relic, it is obviously impossible for us to dig up and find something casually.

When we got here, everyone was very depressed, and it seemed that there was nothing more to think of. On the fourth day, Songzi inquired about a desperate news, saying that in the early Qing Dynasty, there was a major flood in Wuhan, and many places were inundated, including the location of the Iron Gate Pass. At that time, there was no new construction of arches and temples, but the whole people invested in building a temporary embankment on both sides of the river, and the authorities thought that the iron gate should be rebuilt anyway, in order to prevent the next flood, so they directly demolished the original soil base, and raised it about six or seven meters on the original site, and then built a new building.

In this way, the little hope that was left to find it seems to have been dashed. The only thing that has been left for thousands of years has been demolished, and even if there is anything left by the master who set up the formation back then, I am afraid that someone has found it. So when Qin Bukong and I heard the news that day, I sat directly on the bench, and began to think in my heart that our road to passing the test would probably stop here, but I don't know if this matter will cause any bad backlash to ourselves because we triggered the formation but did not break it.

So all day long, the three of us were very frustrated, Qin Bukong even tore apart the order of fighting against "Mei" that he had scribbled on the paper before, in his words, since he couldn't even find something, naturally he didn't have to bother. I knew he was venting, so I didn't say anything, and after dinner, I went out into the street alone.

That night, I wandered around until some late before I went back, and after entering the house, I found that Qin Bukong had already fallen asleep. Matsuko's bed is a simple wooden plank between two benches, and my bed is located on either side of the hall. On the side where he slept, across the wall was the kitchen. But when I got home, I found that he was not in bed, and I felt a little strange because this guy meditates every night, and I have never stopped knowing him for all this time. But Qin Bukong was already asleep, if I went to ask him, I would inevitably touch his nose, when I thought of this, I went to bed silently, and after thinking about it for a while, I fell asleep.

Over the years, I've been in the habit of waking up early, unless I've stayed up for many days in a row, or I've slept too late the first night, and I've been the one who has the habit of waking up earlier than others in most cases. Unlike Matsuko, I used to meditate when I woke up in the morning, but when I woke up the next morning, I found that Matsuko's bed was still empty, the quilt was neatly folded, and some of his clothes and personal belongings were still on the bed.

I was shocked, could it be that this guy secretly ran away again after seeing that there was no play? After all, this guy is a person with a criminal record. But I quickly dispelled this suspicion, because some of his things were still on the bed, and if a person were to escape, he wouldn't leave them behind. Besides, we are not robbers, these days we get along, and we don't have any distinction between each other, not to mention that we can't break the level, even if there is a way, if you want to go, you can just put it up directly, you don't have to be sneaky.

So I didn't take this matter to heart, and after washing my face, I planned to go into the house to tell Qin Bukong to get up, but I found that the bed board had been pulled apart, and Qin Bukong had already gone into the tunnel. I smiled bitterly in my heart, it seems that among the three of us, the one who can't let go of this matter is still this old man. So I also went into the tunnel and walked in the direction of the center of the formation, first, to see what Qin Bukong was doing down there, and second, if he was still looking for another way out of frustration or unwillingness, I would also persuade him.

After walking to the center of the formation, the white powder left on the ground when the "Fish" was extinguished was still there, but the color still became much darker and deeper, Qin Bukong really squatted on the ground facing the stone pillar, raised his head and looked at the pillar silently, as if he was thinking about whether there was another way to work. And he obviously knew that I was coming, so he didn't turn his head, but just asked me, what are you doing here, go back and rest by yourself, you can't help here except to make trouble.

I was angry when I heard it, this dead old man really didn't speak well, and said early in the morning that I was causing trouble, and even if I didn't learn well, I wouldn't be so bad, did I make trouble for your dead old man once upon a time? Originally, after a night of adjustment, I finally recovered a little mood, but now I can't get better. I didn't have to be bored underneath by touching a nail, so I listened to him and turned back to the ground.

And that whole day, Qin Bukong never came back, even the lunch was sent to him by me, of course, I left after sending it, and I didn't pay attention to him, I was actually afraid that if I stayed down for a long time, there would be hope in my heart, and I would be disappointed again, I was not cheap, why should I abuse myself so much.

In a daze, the day passed quickly, and I realized that I had done nothing for the day except cooking a bowl of noodles. Qin Bukong came back at dinner, I saw that he was gray-faced, he must have been locked up underground all day, and he probably didn't want to understand what kind of name he was, so he simply didn't ask. I told him that you cook and eat by yourself, while I go out and eat something outside, and stay at home every day, either with green vegetable and tofu soup and somen noodles, and I should also treat my appetite.

So I had a beautiful meal in the canteen of the supply and marketing cooperative, burping while slowly going home, and on the way I watched a few old men play chess on the side of the street. I went home earlier on this day than the day before, so when I got home, Qin Bukong hadn't slept yet. But when I pushed the door open, Qin Bukong suddenly asked, what about the pine nut man?

I was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at his bed, and saw that nothing had changed as before. So I replied to Qin Bukong and said, I didn't go with him, didn't he come back when I went out just now? Qin Bukong shook his head and said, I thought you two were together, you are close in age, and you can talk better. I said he didn't come home to sleep last night, don't you know? This time Qin Bukong was stunned, and then he said, I don't know, I haven't been out of the back room since last night, and I didn't go out in the morning when I woke up and went straight down the tunnel, I didn't know that he didn't come back last night.

After Qin Bukong finished saying this, I didn't speak anymore, and the room was suddenly quiet. Maybe something feels weird when you're just weird in your mind, and another person who is just as weird discusses it with you. Matsuko didn't come home for two days in a row, and now we're not worried that he's leaving because he's leaving, but that he's in danger outside.

Qin Bukong asked me, tell me when was the last time you had contact with him? I said it was yesterday at dinner, because there was nothing to gain, and the clues that were inferred before are now found to be unfeasible, and everyone is more frustrated, he was still at home before I went out after dinner, but after I wandered around for a while and came back, he was gone. Qin Bukong also said, he also saw pine nuts at home after I went out last night, but because some words are not speculative, they don't like to talk to each other, so Qin Bukong went back to his room early, about an hour after I left. And I remember that I spent almost two hours outside in total, which means that after Qin Bukong returned to the room, before I went home, in the gap of this hour, Songzi left on his own.

When I think about this, I'm a little anxious. So I turned over the pillow on the pine nut bed at once, and he was used to saying that the feng shui books and compasses he studied on weekdays were placed under the pillow, because it was not something that needed to be carried around.

But now there was nothing under the pillow, except for a new ID card.