Chapter 6 Chapter 6 The mountain behind is not very high, and the road is also...

The back mountain is not very high, and the road is not steep either. It is a road that is wide enough for three people.

Hezhou chased after him with a wooden stick in his hand. Xie Xunzhi was smart enough to definitely think of that.

When the murderer brought the body, he must have taken the main road.

It can be seen that no one has walked on this road for a long time, and there are already some green weeds on both sides of the road.

He cursed a thousand times in his heart. Xie Xunzhi was a patient after all, how could he be so bold and believe whatever the scoundrel said?

It was so lonely in the woods that all he wanted was to walk as fast as possible.

It’s getting dark and I can’t find anyone now. If I find him in the morning, I don’t know what he will be.

Hezhou was walking quickly with a frown on his face when he heard a sound from the front, as if someone was talking.

He put away his baggy clothes, took small steps forward with the stick in both hands, and became excited when he saw the shadow. He had finally caught him!

"Fuck you!"

The stick hit the tree trunk hard, and the huge recoil made Hezhou's hand hurt. When he saw the person in front of him clearly, he couldn't help but gasp.

Xie Xunzhi also looked bewildered and fell to the ground along with the falling leaves from the tree, his eyes full of confusion. "Brother He?"

"Oh my god!" Hezhou dropped the stick in his hand and opened his eyes wide.

He patted his palms. He hadn't paid attention to the wooden stick he brought when he came. It hadn't been used for a long time and was not only covered with mud but also dust. He was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat.

Hezhou looked around and saw Wu Hao with his hands and feet tied up, lying on the ground in a mess, with another footprint on his back.

"Sir! Sir! Please quickly explain the law to this young man! Killing is against the law! Help! Help..."

Hezhou didn't believe that Xie Xunzhi had the intention to kill. In his eyes, Xie Xunzhi's fighting ability was at the same level as the broom at home.

He wiped his hands and pulled Xie Xunzhi up, looking back and forth. "Are you okay? I looked from behind and thought it was Wu Hao here."

Xie Xunzhi shook his head with a guilty look in his eyes. "It's my fault. I should have told you."

"It's okay!" Hezhou walked over to Wu Hao and kicked him. "Does this kid really have any clues?"

"Sir... Sir, I have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child... I am forced by life... Sir!" Wu Hao rolled over and wailed, the branches on his wrists being worn white.

He turned to look at Xie Xunzhi, only to see him shaking his head and frowning.

"I asked, but I didn't know anything. They tricked me into walking for so long, saying they wanted to teach me a lesson. Then they stepped into a puddle on the way and fell, and the rolling pin fell out."

Hezhou laughed when he heard this. "You're quite brave and lucky, buddy?"

"Ah! Murder! Murder!" Wu Hao was like seeing a ghost. He rubbed the branch that was tied to his feet against the ground like crazy. When it broke, he ran away.

Xie Xunzhi ignored him and pulled Hezhou down to squat, pointing to the mud with half a footprint. "Look, there are carriage tracks here. I was just wondering how the murderer got the body out."

"You mean the carriage?"

"Well, there is always an open space at the very edge of the dilapidated temple. I asked the residents around here, and no suspicious people appeared. There was no bloodstain on that road either." Xie Xunzhi compared the lengths and took out a notebook from his arms to record them.

Hezhou picked up the branch and placed it aside, measuring it with his hand. It was about two inches. "The mark isn't very deep. It looks like a small carriage. Could it be that this guy was a vagrant? Did he pick up a customer somewhere else, dispose of the body on the way, and then dump the body?"

Xie Xunzhi turned around and looked at him, also thinking about this possibility. "The probability is relatively small. I smelled the scent of soap under the deceased's fingernails. He must have been washing clothes today. If he really was a vagrant committing crimes, it would be troublesome..."

"What do you mean?" He helped Xie Xunzhi stand up. "Are you okay after the fall just now?"

Xie Xunzhi had a headache. He closed his eyes and took a moment to relax before saying slowly, "It's okay. Mr. Chen is watching you right now. If we can't find the murderer, who knows what he'll do next."

"Hey, there must be a way when you reach the mountain. Let's go and find it. It's getting dark." Hezhou took the notebook and started walking, supporting him.

The white clothes were too thin. Hezhou could even feel the heat coming from the other person and the smooth skin underneath the thin clothes.

This feeling was wonderful. He had come into contact with other people before, but never... as satisfied as he was now.

The forest was completely different from when he first arrived. Insects were chirping loudly, and there were also the sounds of some unknown animals.

"Brother He?"

"Ah!" Hezhou suddenly bumped into Xie Xunzhi's eyes and dodged as if he had hit fireworks.

"I've been calling you for a long time. What are you thinking about?" Xie Xunzhi said softly with a smile.

He blushed a little, and the more he thought about it, the more he strayed. "I was just thinking about the pile of blood under the dilapidated temple. If they had killed someone somewhere else and brought it here, it should have been shed long ago."

"Not bad! Brother He remembered it after just two glances?" Xie Xunzhi patted him and nodded with some satisfaction.

"Indeed, I checked the ground and there's no blood splatter. That shouldn't be the scene, but I guess it's not far away. I wanted to look for it tonight, but then I thought of Brother He..."

Hezhou couldn't help but straighten his back. If he had a tail behind him, it would have been shaking to the sky. "I... I..."

He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm fine with anything! If you... go at night, I'll accompany you!"

It sounded like he had made up his mind, and it would have been more so if there wasn't that sense of hardship in his tone.

"It's okay, you can come tomorrow."

"Really?"

"real."

Hezhou's eyes lit up and he became happy again. He helped him down the mountain and chattered about his encounter with Mr. Song. The topic then turned to what to eat in the evening.

I didn't eat lunch. It was okay at first, but after a while I started feeling hungry. Now my legs are shaking.

"No, no, we need some vegetarian dishes later. My eyes go dark when I see meat now." Hezhou tilted his head in disdain. "You are really amazing. Such a big hole..."

Xie Xunzhi covered his mouth and laughed, "Brother He, I advise you to change the subject, otherwise... when you go to bed at night..."

Hezhou's face flushed visibly from behind his ears to his neck. "I think, Xunzhi, the house we just cleaned needs to be exposed to the sun for a few days."

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It was dark when they reached the foot of the mountain. The mountain road was not far from the ruined temple, but the two of them came down slowly. Hezhou was really hungry and kept muttering the names of the dishes. He even skipped the meat dishes on purpose.

Xie Xunzhi was observing his surroundings. Since the murderer might have come by carriage, he could only take the main road. He wanted to see if he could find some clues.

Unfortunately, there was nothing. Old Song had already left with the corpse at the foot of the mountain. The two newly bought servants were leaning in front of the dilapidated temple with wooden faces.

Hezhou really couldn't help but be amazed. These two people were probably about the same age as him, so how could they be so bold.

He took over the task assigned by Xie Xunzhi to put up the seals, and asked one of the men in sackcloth, "Aren't you afraid of seeing a corpse?"

The man shook his head and spoke in a hoarse voice without any tone, "I'm not afraid. I've lived with corpses before. If it weren't for Master Xie today, I would be a corpse too."

"Ah?" Hezhou looked back and saw Xie Xunzhi still looking for clues around. He shook his head in confusion, thinking of asking again after dinner.

"What's your name?"

"Lotus."

"Lotus?" Hezhou checked back and forth curiously. The person in front of him was indeed a man.

Lotus said nothing, lowered her head, and went to the window on the other side with the paste.

He realized belatedly that he seemed a little impolite, touched his nose guiltily, put the seal on his hand, and moved next to Xie Xunzhi.

"Xunzhi, I'm a little hungry. Let's go to Chen's Wine Shop to eat. Can we invite Hehua to come with us?"

"Yes. By the way, remember to post a notice tomorrow. If the identity of the deceased is discovered, all ten households will be brought to court for questioning. Please submit a letter explaining the situation and see if they can provide some money to hire some yamen runners."

Hezhou looked embarrassed. "Okay! But..."

"I'll help you write first. I'll teach you how to read after Brother He solves this case."

"Got it." He happily called the two people over, "Let's go, Master Xie is treating us to dinner at Chen's Wine Shop!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other person collapsed to the ground, tears instantly flowing from the corners of his eyes.

Hezhou was startled and looked at Xie Xunzhi, then bent down in confusion. "What's wrong? Why are you crying while eating?"

The other person just looked at him and cried even harder, biting her lip to keep from crying out loud.

Xie Xunzhi stood behind him, kicking his calves and mouthing to him, "A bit scary?"

"No, what are you thinking? Just a simple meal. I have to go to work tomorrow. What's your name?"

"Spring Roll." Spring Roll's voice was hoarse, and her eyes were swollen. She must have cried many times. "Is there still a tomorrow?"

"Of course." Hezhou raised his eyebrows and reached out to help her.

Chunjuan glanced at them, knelt down and kowtowed, "Thank you, sir. Chunjuan will serve you well!"

"Hurry up and get up, or Master He will faint from hunger if you delay any longer."

Hezhou turned his head and leaned against him, "Yeah, Xunzhi, I'm so hungry now that I can eat a cow!"

"You can eat so much?" Xie Xunzhi smiled and supported him. "Let's go."

Chunjuan quickly got up and wiped his face with his sleeve, leaving a patch of blood on his face.

Hezhou kept leaning on Xie Xunzhi as they walked all the way, and then he picked him up by the waist.

I don’t know why I feel full in my heart whenever I’m with Xie Xunzhi. Maybe it’s because the two of us seem out of place here.

When they reached a crowded area, Xie Xunzhi nudged him and whispered in his ear, "Hurry up, it will be embarrassing if we are seen."

Hezhou took a quick look and saw that there were indeed quite a few people looking at them through the windows, muttering something in their mouths.

Some brave children even approached him and asked, "What does a corpse look like?"

"Would they come out in the middle of the night and catch children?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Go home quickly, have you finished your homework?" Hezhou waved his hand and sent the child away. Tsk! The children here are not likable at all.

When they arrived at the wine shop, it was very busy. They sat in front of the door and waited for a while before going in to eat.

He didn't even need to look at the menu, he just listed the names of the vegetarian dishes one after another, staring at Xie Xunzhi with a twinkle in his eyes, "Xunzhi, do you want anything else to eat?"

Xie Xunzhi took the teapot and brewed the dishes in front of him. "Aren't these all my favorites? Spring rolls, lotus flowers, do you want anything else?"

"No." The two said in unison, both sitting at the edge of the bench, lowering their heads to minimize their presence.

Hezhou took the dishes washed by Xie Xunzhi with a smile and said, "Okay, that's all. If it's not enough, order more."

"Okay, wait a minute!"

As a result, Hezhou was already filled with anger before they even had a chance to eat.

"Do you think the newly appointed county magistrate is really a disaster? Yes! There haven't been any murders in years, and there's also that short-lived ghost he brought with him..."