Chapter 5 Chapter 5 The sun is about to set,...
The sun was about to set and the people watching the show were leaving one by one.
Some vendors were still carrying their loads, but everyone came back at the same time when they heard the call of the scholar in white.
Everyone was talking at once, with Wang Hao, among them, trying to fish in troubled waters, shouting, "It's been a while since there's been a murder case in Cai County! I'm afraid the new county magistrate is a disaster..."
But some people believed it, looking at him with their heads tilted, with suspicion flashing in their eyes.
Hezhou rolled up his sleeves, locked onto Wang Haomeng in the crowd, and kicked him.
Wang Hao ran back and forth, busy shouting and didn't notice that he fell flat on his face, leaving a muddy footprint behind him. People around him came forward, gathered in a group, pointed at him and laughed.
Hezhou glanced at him, his dark face looked even more intimidating, like a desperado.
Wang Hao didn't dare to say anything for a moment and tilted his head.
Hezhou helped the scholar who was spitting constantly and gave him a handkerchief.
"Tell me slowly what happened."
"A dilapidated... a dilapidated temple. Inside, there's a... ah! A faceless person... hanging from the beams!"
Xie Xunzhi quietly walked forward, took out a blueprint and handed it to him. "There is a temple at the very end on the east side, but it has been abandoned for a long time due to disrepair."
Hezhou took the blueprint and stared at Xie Xunzhi for a while, the corners of his mouth unconsciously raised. "Tell me in detail! Your situation!"
"Yes, yes, I'm Li Ningshu, a scholar from the east city, now a bookkeeper at home. This morning, as usual, I went to the dilapidated temple to pray, but unexpectedly, my family called me back to the fields. After I finished planting, I went to the Ding family store for a drink at noon..."
Li Ningshu collapsed on the ground, his eyes dull, and he spoke incoherently, not knowing what else to say.
“Get to the point!”
"Yes, yes, I went there to pray this afternoon! The temple was unusually closed, so I didn't think much of it and pushed the door open. I saw a faceless corpse hanging there, bleeding profusely..."
Hezhou turned his head and glanced at Xie Xunzhi, holding the blueprint, feeling uncontrollably nervous.
This is like sending ice in the snow. What can he do? Is this something he should be investigating? If he sees a faceless corpse later, he will faint first.
His face remained expressionless, and his feet did not move at all.
Or wait until Xie Xunzhi whispered to him, "Sir, let's go over and take a look first. The yamen is short of staff. We can recruit more later."
"Well, I was wondering if there has been any missing person reports recently?" Hezhou finally frowned and walked towards the east.
Ajia rolled his eyes and saw that he could be used, so he hurriedly bent over and ran to his side.
"Sir, I'll go to the yamen first to see if there's anything missing to report."
Hezhou smiled and patted his neck, wishing he could twist him into ten thousand pieces.
"Ah~ That's thoughtful. Be careful on the road."
"Of course... of course..."
After he slapped Ajia a few times, a slight red spot appeared on the back of his neck.
Ajia looked at him with his eyes downcast, smiled coldly and ran away.
A brave man nearby broke something on the ground with a look of dissatisfaction on his face.
Hezhou lowered his eyes, looked around, and quickened his pace to go to the ruined temple.
The ruined temple is located at the easternmost edge. You have to walk along the mountain for a while before you can see people. The road in front of the temple is flat and there are not many weeds.
The paper window in front of the temple cracked from top to bottom, and a large hole was smashed on the top of the temple, through which a beam of light shone directly.
Hezhou walked around the temple, and if he looked carefully through the window, he could see a pair of legs hanging inside, swinging back and forth.
He was not wearing boots, but his other clothes and socks were all in good condition.
He didn't dare to look any further. The blood had already flowed onto his clothes and coagulated into a horrifying black and red color.
Hezhou stood on the small slope at the back and could just see the scene inside the temple. There was a hole as big as a jar on the right half.
He turned around, took two steps back, and stood firm, pointing at the ruined temple. "What's going on?"
A man in a small shirt next to him said, "It was hit by a rockfall on the mountain two years ago. We didn't have the money to repair it... That's it..."
Hezhou nodded and looked at him. "Why are you dressed like this?"
"Hey sir, if you're investigating a case, doesn't the whole county come to join in the fun?"
The man looked back embarrassedly. There were indeed not many people around him. Most of them were downstairs, and there were even fewer people who were as disheveled as him.
"Buttoning up your cardigan, wearing a towel, and still sweaty. You must have just started work at this hour... Now you want to watch a show?"
The man scratched his head in embarrassment, looking a little embarrassed. "I just got kicked out, ugh! Every good thing!"
"Where do you work?"
"Chen's Restaurant."
Hezhou nodded and looked into the distance, smoke rising in the air.
"Are you afraid of death?"
"No."
"Okay! Let's go!" Hezhou clapped his hands, and finally prepared himself mentally and walked down with the man. People gathered in front of the temple.
The scholar didn't know when he was moved here. He knelt on the ground and chanted "Amitabha, Amitabha" over and over again.
A group of people surrounded him, asking about the situation inside.
Xie Xunzhi was standing in front of the dilapidated temple in white clothes, holding a few indentures in his hands. When he saw him coming, he started coughing before he could say anything.
"Xunzhi, there is no need to say more. Your health is important." Hezhou walked to his side and found that he was wearing official uniform and had no cloak or jacket to take off.
He still looked at Xie Xunzhi worriedly, feeling that he would faint in the next second.
"No problem, has your Excellency gone in to take a look?"
"Not yet. I observed the surrounding terrain... Here..."
Xie Xunzhi didn't wait for him to finish and said, "Let's go in and take a look. I'll accompany you, sir."
"Okay!" Hezhou agreed quickly, looking at him with complicated feelings, unable to finish the words in his mouth, and just silently hiding the person behind him.
Hezhou took a deep breath, squinted his eyes and pushed the door open.
Squeak~
The door then opened, a gust of cold wind blew in, and the corpse inside moved.
A woman in light-colored clothes was hanging on the beam. Her face was painted in patches of dark and light, revealing her bones. Her chest was a deep red.
Hezhou took a look and felt his stomach sour. He wanted to cover Xie Xunzhi's eyes with his hand, but the other party dodged it easily.
He looked back again, and finally couldn't help but ran out to vomit. The man who had just said he was not afraid was also next to him.
There were screams outside, and people vomited one after another. Circles of people suddenly dispersed.
I don’t know how long it took, but Hezhou just felt dizzy from vomiting, his eyes turned black, and he couldn’t even spit out the acid water.
He leaned against the pillar of the dilapidated temple, closed his eyes, tilted his head and didn't want to look anymore, but he could smell a faint smell of blood anyway.
Thinking that Xie Xunzhi was still inside, he was probably scared and started vomiting inside, and probably didn't have the strength to come out.
He mustered up his courage and lowered his head, "Xunzhi! Where are you?"
"grown ups?"
Hezhou narrowed his eyes, Xie Xunzhi was wearing gloves, the body had been taken down long ago, and there were several cuts on the face and ears.
He couldn't even see the other person's expression, but he saw the expression of the corpse on the ground, all black and with its teeth bared.
“I’ll go!”
The confidence that Hezhou had built up disappeared in a moment, and he turned and ran away.
Next to Xie Xunzhi stood the newly bought servant, holding the notebook and pen numbly.
He just stood outside and chatted with the man.
Hezhou found out the other person's name. It turned out to be Li Erniu, a native of Cai County, who had been working in Chen's wine shop before.
He put his arm around Li Erniu's shoulder and asked why he was fired today.
Li Erniu sighed in frustration and said, "My salary keeps getting deducted, and today they even falsely accused me of missing a dish. In a fit of rage..."
Hezhou listened to him quietly and agreed from time to time.
Xie Xunzhi came out with the notebook and took a picture of it for him.
"We don't know who the body belongs to at this point, but we're roughly 20 to 25 years old, probably married. There's nothing distinctive about her face; the scratches were purely a vent of anger. She hasn't been dead long. If she wasn't poisoned, the chest wound would have been fatal. Call the coroner."
Hezhou was holding a notebook and pretending to read the certification, but he was actually listening to Xie Xunzhi's speech the whole time.
"Who is the murderer?"
Xie Xunzhi looked at him with some doubt and continued, "This shouldn't be the crime scene. There's no blood on the ground except where he was hung. The murderer is most likely a young man. After all, hanging someone up is not an easy task. Besides, this temple is not short."
"Is it possible that there are two people?" Hezhou looked at him with curiosity.
"That's impossible. He wasn't afraid of being found, and he didn't even hide any traces of the ladder. He first wrapped the thick hemp rope around the deceased's neck, then connected it with a thin rope. He climbed the ladder through the beam and pulled the man up from the other side. Can you... go in and take a look?"
"No, no, no!" Hezhou gave him a thumbs up and turned away to refuse.
What’s the difference between letting him in now and letting him die again!
So scary!
"By the way, you...you...aren't you afraid?"
Xie Xunzhi shook his head and lowered his eyes. "Maybe what I did before I lost my memory was related to this? But I'm just telling you these outsider words. Professionals will know it's wrong as soon as they hear it."
Hezhou felt a little headache. He really didn't want Xie Xunzhi to think about the past.
"Okay, that guy... Li Erniu? Do you know where our coroner is?"
Li Erniu glanced at Xie Xunzhi and smiled, "Sir, Old Man Song might be at home now, helping to kill the pigs."
"Changed career?" Hezhou kept tapping away at his notebook. "Alright, lead the way!"
Li Erniu bent down and nodded, then turned around and smiled, "Okay! Okay, okay! Then this gentleman..."
"Of course with me..." Before Hezhou could finish his words, he felt the corner of his clothes being gently pulled from behind. Xie Xunzhi was standing behind him and shaking his head.
"Of course I'm here to guard the scene. Why are you talking so much? Lead the way!" Hezhou said with a stern face and a low voice.
Li Erniu quickly agreed. He smiled and trotted along the way, "Sir..."
"Shut up." Hezhou knew what he wanted to know, so he stopped talking and followed Li Erniu all the way to a fenced yard.
There was an old man sitting in the yard. He had a birthmark on half of his right cheek, a small wooden box on his back, and was sharpening a knife while sitting in the yard.
"Mr. Song!" Li Erniu pointed at the man inside. "Mr. Song, the only coroner in our county."
"Mr. Song, a murder has occurred in the dilapidated temple, so we may need to..." Hezhou walked forward and saluted, speaking at an even pace.
Old Song looked up at him with a pair of clear eyes. "It's been a while since there's been a murder case, right?"
"Hmm?" Hezhou rarely saw this kind of look, and the person in front of him had no expression at all. He didn't know what to say for a moment.
Old Song lowered his head and tested the blade. "Let's go, human lives are at stake!"
After saying this, without giving him time to react, he stood up, put away the knife, and walked forward with his head covered.
Seeing that he didn't react, Li Erniu came forward with a smile and said, "Sir, this is what Mr. Song is like..."
"Let's go." Hezhou patted him with a smile and quickly followed.
The three people were not too close to each other, and Hezhou heard Li Erniu's words more or less on the way.
Li Erniu asked him if he still needed someone. Hezhou deliberately ignored him for a while before telling him that he would not receive any salary for the first month.
The other party waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Hey, I'm working for the government. It's a face-saving thing to tell others about it! It will be easier to find a wife in the future!"
Hezhou tilted his head to look at the man in white shirt and beard, who looked to be at least thirty years old.
He crossed his arms and lighted it occasionally.
When he arrived at the dilapidated temple in Hezhou, he stood outside, under the pretext of investigating the scene.
Li Erniu also stood outside and said he was taking a walk.
Hezhou didn't go far and just walked around outside. On the way, he asked Mr. Song that the body should be moved away because it was difficult to inspect it here.
He stood at the door, his heart beating fast, and he always felt that something was wrong with the other party.
Hezhou stood with one foot on the stone, looking at the smoke rising in the distance.
Thoughts gradually drifted away, and Li Erniu huddled over and said, "Sir, can I go change my clothes first? This is such horrible weather!"
"Xunzhi!" Hezhou realized something was wrong! He had been standing outside the door for so long, why didn't Xie Xunzhi come out?
Suddenly he didn't care about being afraid anymore and rushed in with his sleeves rolled up.
Apart from Old Song and the two people who signed the contract today, the only person inside was the corpse wrapped in a straw mat.
"Where is Xie Xunzhi!" Hezhou walked up to the person who made the record today.
"Thank you, sir... Wu Hao just said... there's something in the back mountain..."
"What! Can we believe what that drunkard said?" Hezhou hurried to the back mountain and picked up a wooden stick on the ground.
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