Volume 1: Swan Goose Chapter 237: Incense and Harmony
Lu Ning pointed to the cuts on the three people and said, "Look, sir, their wounds are very smooth. They were clearly cut by knives, not bitten by wild beasts! Moreover, their limbs were all tied up.
There are traces, someone must have kidnapped them here and tortured them!"
After saying that, she looked at the two heads whose faces were still identifiable, and suddenly frowned: "Sir, these two people... I have seen them in the mine..."
Hearing this, Xia Yunqing's heart was shocked, and a cold air rushed down from the top door.
After standing there for a long time, he murmured as if he was out of his mind: "Could it be that...they were brutally murdered just after they were released? Then who could be the person who killed them? Aren't all the people in the mine locked up?
Is it done?」
Lu Ning hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice: "It could also be the caravan...or people from Prefect Cai who did it!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Toto's expression changed, his head drooped and he didn't speak.
Just at this moment, another cry came from outside the cave: "Master Xia, something is wrong!"
Xia Yunqing hurriedly walked out and asked, "What's wrong? Did you find another body?"
The officer outside the cave was startled, then nodded: "Five more corpses were found in the valley ahead, they seem to have fallen from the mountain!"
Before Xia Yunqing could speak, Lu Ning had already walked out of the cave and said in a deep voice: "Don't make any conclusions yet! Take us to see!"
The yamen servant did not dare to delay for a moment, and led a few people to a valley covered with thorns.
After getting closer, I saw five corpses lying peacefully at the bottom of the valley.
Lu Ning no longer cared about the blood and fear, and hurried over, squatted down and examined it in detail, and his face suddenly darkened.
Seeing the color change on her face, Xia Yunqing was shocked again and asked, "Could it be that... they were also killed?"
Lu Ning nodded and said in a trembling voice: "This time the murderer did not hide anything. The ropes tied to their wrists are still there. They must have been pushed down from the valley. Their heads fell on the ground and they died suddenly on the spot!"
Xia Yunqing suddenly saw stars flying in front of his eyes, and his tall body swayed a few times. Fortunately, Hu Qi stretched out his hand to support his back, preventing him from falling.
But Toto's eyes were spitting fire, and he cursed angrily: "Damn it! Who did this cruel thing? If I catch this thief, I will definitely tear off his head with my own hands!"
Xia Yunqing was in a trance and murmured: "Could it be that these people...are also people from the mine?"
Lu Ning shook his head, with a troubled look on his face: "Sorry, I don't have much impression of these people, but I guess nine out of ten of them are also prisoners in the mine."
Hu Qi gritted his teeth in anger: "This murderer is so ruthless that he killed several people in a row. I'm afraid he is warning us that if we continue to investigate, we will end up like them!"
Toto waved his mace wildly and roared to the sky: "I'm not afraid, Toto! I must kill this birdman with my own hands!"
"Since they all come from the mine, why don't we go to the mine to take a look first. Maybe there are some people who haven't left yet. We can ask them to identify the bodies and ask about the situation!" Lu Ning suggested.
Xia Yunqing was so confused at this time that she couldn't do anything. She could only nod and said: "Okay! Without further ado, let's go there quickly!"
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The sky was drooping, dark clouds were pressing overhead, and the sky and the earth suddenly became gloomy.
The group of people walked non-stop and arrived at the garrison where the iron mine was located, five miles outside the city.
Looking far into the distance, everything is deserted. The whole garrison is empty, and there is not even a single figure anywhere.
After getting closer, I saw corpses strewn all over the ground, blood stained yellow sand, and the air was filled with a strong and pungent smell of blood.
Xia Yunqing staggered down from the sedan. He had experienced countless storms in his life, but when he saw the scene before him, his hands were still shaking violently, and his whole body seemed to be on the verge of collapse.
Hu Qi quickly ran over and helped him. Lu Ning and Totuo also jumped off their horses and ran in.
Lu Ning bent down and inspected every corpse on the ground.
Then one by one, the doors of the barracks were kicked open to check whether there was anyone alive inside.
Hu Qi helped Xia Yunqing come forward and asked loudly: "Little deer, how are you?"
Lu Ning looked solemn and shook his head slowly: "Everyone was killed with one knife, leaving no one alive!"
Xia Yunqing's face turned pale and he said in a trembling voice: "Are the people who died all the government servants in the government office?"
Lu Ning nodded hesitantly, unable to bear to speak.
While he was talking, Toto rushed out of the tent in a rage, holding his mace in the air and waving it wildly.
Lu Ning saw that he was so out of control, and he expected something in his heart: "Brother-in-law, is there any chance of survival?"
Toto was furious and scolded loudly: "That Ma Sanbao is missing! All the officers and soldiers in the military camp were killed with one knife! Who else could have that kind of sword skills besides Ma Sanbao? That's his brother!"
Although Toto was reckless, he hated people who ignored friendship the most in his life. Seeing this scene, he was naturally filled with anger and found it difficult to vent.
Lu Ning's expression suddenly changed and he shouted: "No, I'm afraid the people in the iron mine are in danger!"
Before anyone around her could react, she turned around and hurried towards the iron mine.
Xia Yunqing's face was ashen, and he pointed at the silver mine with trembling hands: "Let's go and have a look too!"
Hu Qi gritted her teeth, supported Xia Yunqing, stepped over the corpses on the ground step by step, and staggered towards the silver mine.
Along the way, when Xia Yunqing looked at the corpses on the ground that were alive yesterday but lifeless today, she felt her heart sinking and sinking again and again.
His eyes were filled with tears, and the road he saw was blurry.
The two of them walked to the entrance of the silver mine in despair. Hu Qi supported Xia Yunqing and waited outside, not daring to let him go in any further. However, Xia Yunqing was filled with grief and anger, and rushed in regardless of dissuasion.
Amid the sea of corpses and blood, a young girl in red stood majestically, her back turned to him, her slender figure trembling slightly.
Xia Yunqing's eyes were blurred and he asked in a trembling voice: "Are they... all dead too?"
Lu Ning, with his back on his back, was stunned for a moment, and said in deep thought: "Well, they were all killed with one knife, and no one survived!"
Xia Yunqing sighed, tears rolled down her face, and she was speechless for a long time.
After a long time, I heard him muttering to himself: "If you have any resentment, just come to me. Why do you want to attack these defenseless people? Why?"
Hu Qiti's face was livid, and he cursed with righteous indignation: "It must be that Ma Sanbao knew that his evil deeds were exposed, so he simply went to pieces, killed people, silenced them, and destroyed the evidence of his private iron ore mining!"
"Evidence?" Xia Yunqing suddenly remembered something, her face suddenly changed color, her eyes tightened, and she shouted loudly: "Hurry, go back to the government office, those prisoners in prison are in danger!"
Hu Qi frowned and asked in confusion: "No matter how powerful Ma Sanbao is, he wouldn't dare to break into the government office alone!"
While he was talking, a yamen servant rushed over sweating profusely. As soon as he saw Xia Yunqing, he kowtowed to Xia Yunqing. His whole body was shaking uncontrollably and he was speechless for a while.
Xia Yunqing reached out and grabbed his chest, shook it a few times, and asked in a voice, "But something happened in the government prison cell?"
The officer looked horrified and said angrily: "There was a fire in the cell just now. The fire was so fierce that we had no time to rescue them. None of the prisoners in the cell escaped, they were all swallowed up by the fire!"
Xia Yunqing reluctantly listened to the last word and burst into tears. However, she couldn't hold it in anymore, so she fell to the ground and passed out...
It was clear after the snow, the white clouds were pale, and even the sunlight became cold.
In the early morning, when I opened the door, I saw the ground covered with white snow. The snow on the eaves had not yet melted, and the plum branches in the courtyard were still frozen by ice and snow.
Lu Ning sat in front of the window wearing a mink fur coat, looking at the silver-covered world, and took a deep breath of fresh air.
When I looked down, I saw a round-headed and naive snowman. The red cloak on its body was fluttering in the wind. Lu Ning leaned against the window lattice and smiled, and he knew without asking whose masterpiece this was.
She slowly lay on her arms and looked at the
A smiling snowman is lost in thought:
Sometimes, she really envied that carefree, careless boy. Because no matter how difficult the environment, he could always find the beauty in life and find things to make himself happy.
Suddenly, a white light flew towards him. Lu Ning subconsciously stretched out his hand to grab it. He couldn't help but exclaimed "Ouch" and felt that his palms were cold.
She quickly opened her palms to look, and found that what she had just grabbed was actually a snow ball. The snow had melted in the warm palms, leaving only a piece of ice water.
Lu Ning leaned out and looked around, calling out: "Xiao Qi, is that you? Where are you hiding?"
After a while, I heard a burst of hearty laughter.
Immediately, a chic and elegant figure walked out from behind the tree.
Hu Qi has a face like a crown jade, lips like red dots, a sapphire blue satin brocade robe, a frost-colored fox fur, a head full of green silk, tied behind the head with a silver ribbon.
He stepped on the frost and snow on the ground and walked towards her with high spirits.
Lu Ning looked out the window at the graceful and jade-like figure between the vast white sky and the earth, and couldn't help but admire:
Such a figure, such a face! Even if all the beautiful words in the world are used on him, it seems that it is not an exaggeration!
"Xiaoqi, why do you get up so early every day? I seem to see you every time I open the window!"
Hu Qi leaned against the window lattice, with a look of pride on his face: "When the sky is just dawn, that's when the aura of heaven and earth is at its strongest. I like to get up at that time and see the world with my own heart."
Lu Ning raised his eyebrows and smiled slightly: "Oh? Then what did you see?"
Hu Qi crossed her arms and looked up at the clouds, and said softly: "Have you ever heard the sound of snowflakes falling to the ground? Can you feel the beauty of plum blossoms blooming slowly overnight?"
Lu Ning was surprised to hear what he said. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "How can anyone hear such a tiny sound?"
Hu Qi came up to her and said with a smile: "These are gifts given to us by heaven and earth. We cannot see them with our eyes. We must see them with our hearts!"
Lu Ning was so fascinated by what he said that she couldn't help but think deeply: She couldn't be like Hu Qi with a heart as bright as the bright moon. Last night, the tragic scene in the mine tortured her so much that she couldn't sleep, and she still has lingering fears.
.
She looked into Hu Qi's tender eyes and asked in a low voice: "Master Xia, are you up?"
Hu Qi's expression darkened, and he said in a low voice: "I went to visit him in the morning, and my wife said that Mr. Xia fainted last night and hasn't woken up yet. I saw him crying yesterday, I'm afraid he was too sad!"
Lu Ning lowered his eyes and sighed quietly: "I don't know what will happen next, and I don't know if Mr. Xia can bear it!"