The moon was dark and the wind was so high that I couldn't see my fingers.
The rain in spring comes as soon as it comes, and the drizzle keeps falling. The night breeze is gentle and slightly cold.
On the official road from Niujiao Town to Xinlin County, in the dark night, Yunjing walked forward with an oil-paper umbrella in his hand. His feet did not touch the ground and he covered a hundred or ten meters in one step, just like a ghost.
Walking on the road on a rainy night, not a corner of his body was muddy or wet.
Along the way, everything within a radius of ten kilometers on both sides of the road was reflected in his mind.
He had walked this road many times, but never as carefully as this time.
In the afternoon, I heard at home that my sister Yun Xi’s little sister had gone to the county town but had not been heard from. He contacted the incident of missing children in Niujiao Town, so Yun Jing took advantage of his family to go to bed and came to check along the way.
It's best to gain something, and solve the problem by the way. It doesn't matter if you don't gain anything, it won't waste much time anyway.
The raindrops were ticking on the oil-paper umbrella, and the trees on both sides of the road were dancing in the night wind. To be honest, in the dead of night, walking alone in the wilderness, I really don't dare to walk alone in the wilderness without any courage. I have a poor psychological quality.
People, in this situation, I guess I always feel like there is something following me behind me...
Not long after, Yunjing arrived at the three-way intersection in the middle of the road. The inn was still there. The pace of this era was very slow. After many years, the inn was still the same, and it had not changed much from before.
Several carriages were parked outside the inn, and the dim lights inside the inn came out through the windows, casting swaying light and shadow on the muddy ground.
It was obvious that there were guests, a large number of people, and there was the faint sound of people changing glasses and chatting.
Yunjing didn't stop here. The inn was not his goal. After noticing that there was nothing worthy of attention here, Yunjing continued to move towards the county seat.
After leaving the inn for more than ten miles, Yunjing stopped at a place.
The road here is lined with dense woods, which continue for a long time, and the sounds of various animals can be heard in the darkness.
In the darkness, Yun Jing lowered his head slightly and looked at the muddy ground in front of him. With a thought, the mud and water separated, and a piece of wood splinter the size of a finger flew up.
This piece of wood is obviously not a naturally fallen branch, but broken from some kind of man-made wooden appliance, maybe a carriage, maybe something else, who knows.
"It's hard to tell from this fragment that there was a fight and killing in this place not long ago, but..."
Whispering in his heart, Yunjing looked around, and as his eyes moved, pieces of inconspicuous pieces soon flew up and appeared in front of him.
These things include rags, broken metal arrowheads, broken iron pieces, and even dark red soil...
"Not long ago, in the past two days, there should have been a brief fighting here. The traces were obviously cleaned up briefly, but some details were not taken care of properly. And judging from these remnants, everyone involved in the fighting was
It is done by people who have certain skills and are practicing martial arts, otherwise there would not be any fragments of the sword left behind."
Yun Jing analyzed the things he found inexplicably.
Then he looked at a tree on the side of the road. There were marks of two knife cuts on the tree, and a thread hung on the cracked bark. Yunjing deduced that someone should be being hunted, so
I leaned against the tree to take shelter, but accidentally my clothes got hung up, leaving lint.
There were a lot of car thieves and road bullies in this era, and just by looking at the things in front of him, Yun Jing couldn't tell whether they were related to the disappearance of the children in Niujiao Town.
Finally, Yunjing raised his head slightly and faced the distant woods on the left.
In that direction, two miles away from the official road, there were traces of burning, and the ground was scorched black, but the burned things had turned into fly ash, leaving no residue worthy of attention. To the left of the burning trace was a white dome.
In the forest, there were some bones scattered over a large area, which were obviously the beasts.
"Probably someone was fighting here two days ago. The traces were simply cleaned up. All the items were taken to the depths of the jungle and burned. The corpses were also left in the wilderness and became the prey of wild beasts. Were the corpses destroyed and no traces left?"
Thoughts flashed in his mind, but again, based on these words, Yunjing could not determine whether it was related to the missing children in Niujiao Town. After all, robbery and killings in the wild in this era are too common, the road is difficult to travel, and it is unsafe to travel far away.
, which is why many people never leave their hometown in their entire lives.
After stopping for a while, Yunjing continued to move forward.
Along the way, he noticed traces of fighting and killing many times, but the time was short and he didn't pay much attention to it.
Not long after, Xinlin County appeared in his sight, soaring into the sky, the cloudscape came to the sky above Xinlin County.
After patrolling with his mind, he could not find anyone who matched Yun Xi's description of the little sisters.
"My younger sister said that her little sister came to the county to visit relatives, but there was no one who matched the description. She does not rule out the possibility that she has left, but it is more likely that she did not come to the county at all. In this case, the place was ruined.
The location where the corpse disappeared is worth scrutinizing. After all, the trace is new and it happened not long ago..."
Thinking of this, Yunjing immediately returned.
If something happens to the little girl's friend, she will definitely be very sad. I hope it's okay...
Returning to that place again, Yun Jingzai carefully observed the surroundings, digging three feet into the ground. Except for finding some irrelevant fragments, he did not get any valuable information. Nature had wiped it out in two days.
Too many traces have been removed.
After pondering for a while, Yunjing realized that this was going to be difficult.
Soon Yunjing raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the Sancha Junction Inn. At this moment, he remembered a detail that he had ignored before.
That is, the inn at Sancha Junction seems to have changed its owner!
Although this era often emphasizes the importance of property being passed down from generation to generation and not being sold off easily, so it is normal for the property to change hands, but it is always a good idea to keep an eye on it.
Moreover, Yunjing felt that the sudden change of ownership of the inn was too unexpected.
Yunjing passed there when he first went to Xinlin County, and stayed there many times. Until he returned from his study tour, the inn was still run by the original shopkeeper and his family. Why did it suddenly change owners?
The inn has been open for so many years. I think there are many people who have stayed there many times. There are many regular customers, but I have never heard anyone say that the inn is going to be sold. If the store wants to sell, how can it not talk to the regular customers?
Say hello?
This is a bit abnormal.
Of course, this was just Yunjing's suspicion. He was not familiar with the original owner of the inn. Maybe he had wanted to sell it a long time ago, but he didn't know it.
"This kind of fixed asset changes hands and must be registered with the government according to normal procedures..."
Thinking of this, Yunjing flew to Xinlin County again and secretly looked through the records in the Yamen file warehouse, focusing on the records of the most recent period, but did not find any transaction records.
Even so, Yunjing did not prejudge that the inn had been occupied by someone. Instead, he flew to Niujiao Town to look through the filing records, and then he actually discovered something.
That inn has been there for many years, so there must be records.
The fact is that the history of that inn can be traced back two hundred years ago, and it changed hands and was destroyed many times. However, that place is the only way from Niujiao Town to Xinlin County, and there are many people who need a rest and accommodation, so it continues to
now.
According to the records in Niujiao Town, the last time the inn changed hands was a month ago. It was sold to a man named Zhang Wang for three hundred taels of silver. It was a normal transaction and there was nothing suspicious about it. After all, not only
The government has records and there are intermediaries as guarantees.
"The problem is that the inn is so good, why did it suddenly be sold? The original shopkeeper is not very old, and he still wants a son. Even if it is inconvenient to run it when he is old, he can pass it on to his son to continue the business..."
Yunjing always felt that there was something fishy in this.
With his thoughts flickering, he decided to dig deeper and do it in secret. It didn't matter if he overthought it. If there was a problem, he could find it in time.
Then he obtained the identity information of the previous innkeeper through the transaction records of Niujiao Town, and then found his home address in the household registration warehouse...
"The home address of the old shopkeeper is the Sanchakou Inn, and that is their home. However, now that the inn has been sold, where have they gone?"
Originally, Yunjing wanted to use the other party's address to quietly see if there was anything fishy about the inn's change of ownership, but now he didn't know where to find the person.
In fact, it is not impossible for Yunjing to find out the whereabouts of the old innkeeper. After all, he has been running the business for so many years, so he must have acquaintances. He should be able to find out his whereabouts through visits to those acquaintances. If not, the waiter of the inn, or even
The people who help deliver goods there also know a thing or two.
But Yunjing felt that it was too troublesome. If there was any problem with the inn's change of ownership, he could just go over and secretly observe the new operator.
After such a long detour, in fact Yunjing's main purpose is still to investigate the missing children in Niujiao Town. At present, it seems that the inn is the most suspicious.
It's just suspicious. Make bold guesses and verify carefully. Even if there is nothing in the end, there will be no loss at all.
On a rainy night when I couldn't see my fingers, the inn was still standing quietly on the roadside at the three-way intersection. Yunjing came here again.
Not interested in blowing the cold wind outside, he went straight to the door holding an oil-paper umbrella.
But before he came to the door, he removed the power of his mind to drain away the rain. His feet were stained with mud when he stepped on the ground, and his body was also wet from the rain. His clothes were dusty and dirty.
Woohoo~!
In the kennel outside the inn, the always ferocious black dog saw Yun Jing, but it did not bark loudly like it did when it saw other people. Instead, it wagged its tail at Yun Jing, looking like it was getting close to him.
Yun Jing was not surprised at all by this. He was used to animals being close to him. He had not even experienced the mosquito bites that ordinary people complained about for many years.
Knock knock knock~!
Stepping onto the steps, Yunjing put away his umbrella and knocked on the door, saying: "Store, open the door."
Before Yun Jing came, there was the sound of people pushing cups and changing glasses inside, but as he knocked on the door, there was a brief silence inside, and then people continued.
The cloud scenery was clearly visible, and the people in the inn were a little surprised that there were still people coming so late. However, this kind of thing was normal, and they didn't pay special attention to it. This inn was opened here, so it missed the town.
people stay overnight.
Footsteps sounded, and soon the door opened, and a waiter carrying a lantern appeared inside.
He looked to be in his thirties, wearing a green robe and a small hat, and dressed as a normal store waiter, but Yunjing could clearly feel the blood flowing in the other person's body, and there were calluses on the mouth and fingertips of his right hand.
He is a martial arts practitioner, and he also has acquired mid-level cultivation.
"Not only the owner of the inn has changed, but also the waiter has changed. But having said that, the inn is open in this wilderness, it is normal for the waiter to have some skills. After all, it is difficult to open the store without a few moves. But the problem is, this waiter has some skills.
How much money does the inn make to be able to hire a mid-acquired martial artist as a waiter? Especially if there are more than one!"
Thinking of this, in Yunjing's view, this store became even more suspicious.
As the door opened, many eyes in the inn looked at the cloud scene at the door. At a quick glance, there were more than ten people.
Most of the people who saw Yunjing had expressions of astonishment, as if they couldn't understand why a weak scholar in Yunjing would rush here in the middle of the night, but everyone was out of town. In the spirit of doing more, it is better to do less.
I almost stopped paying attention.
"Close the door quickly, the wind is blowing very cold today," someone couldn't help complaining.
The waiter quickly stepped aside and said enthusiastically: "This young man, please come in quickly. Do you want to work as a boss or stay in the hotel?"
"Brother, in the middle of the night, what else can I do besides staying in a hotel in the middle of nowhere?" Yunjing said with a smile as he stepped into the lobby of the inn, but he was muttering in his heart. The waiter in this hotel has obvious experience.
Not enough.
The other party was not embarrassed at all, and murmured confidently: "What happened in the middle of the night? We can't do apex? Most of the guests in the hall are apex, and they are going to sit there all night."
Yunjing: "..."
Well, it’s just my lack of experience. Actually, if you think about it, accommodation costs money, and many people are reluctant to spend that money. They might as well save a little, just order food and sit there for the night, as long as they have a place to protect themselves from the wind and rain.
become.
The waiter murmured in a low voice, but did not forget his own job and asked: "Sir, our store has four types of accommodation: upper, middle, lower and Datongpu. The upper room costs three taels of silver per night and comes with two dishes and hot meals."
Water and toiletries, one tael of silver for the middle room, it’s just a single room, nothing else is given, the lower room only has a bed, two people per room, 50 coppers, the Datong bunkhouse costs 20 coppers a night, what kind of room do you need?
?”
Yunjing called him "good guy". This wilderness inn is actually divided into four levels. He smiled and said, "Come and have a room."
"It seems that the young master is not short of money," the waiter chuckled, and then shouted loudly: "There is a guest in the room!"
The reason why I yelled so loudly was because I was notifying the counter.
When I went to the counter to hand over money and get the keys, the other party didn't even ask for Yunjing's identity information...
Yunjing couldn't help but be speechless. It's no wonder that the people running this inn now have no problem.
Normal accommodation registration requires the issuance of a household registration guide. It should be noted that the population movement in this era was very strictly controlled. Once a wanted criminal appeared, the government would have traces to follow. However, this store simply omitted the problem.
"Master, please follow me and take you to your room. The toiletries are all new. I will bring you hot water after I take you there. I can't choose food. It's too late. The cook has already taken a rest. I can only
I’ll give you some simple ones,” the waiter said as he led the way upstairs.
Yun Jing said with a smile: "When you go out, you don't have to pay so much attention. Just be casual."
"Young master is open and bright. I see that your master is dusty and dusty. Where did he come from?" The waiter had nothing to say.
Could it be at the bottom of the market?
Yun Jing smiled and said: "I went to visit friends in the county a few days ago and was going to Niujiao Town. Unexpectedly, something happened on the way and I missed the time. Fortunately, I know there is a store here, otherwise I would have to sleep in the wilderness." After a pause, Yun Jing was curious.
Said: "Brother, I think you are very handsome, and I remember that the shopkeeper is not the same one as before."
"Sir, what are you talking about? Our owner of this store came over a month ago. It's normal if you don't recognize us." The other party replied, and then said: "Sir, you are very brave. You are not afraid of walking alone at night."
"A gentleman is magnanimous, why should he be afraid?" Yun Jing said calmly.
The waiter didn't say anything else. He arrived at a door on the third floor and said, "Sir, this is it. If you please, I won't bother you. I'll prepare hot water for you."
"Thank you..."
Arriving at the room, Yun Jing almost rolled his eyes after closing the door. This store is no different from a black store. There is no registration for accommodation. Good guy, you can get a room for three taels a night, why don't you grab it?
No wonder there are so many people in the lobby who would rather sit there all night than sleep in a room, and all of them have a bad face. Remember, this inn was not so expensive back then.
But there is no other way, this is the only one here and I have no choice.
At the same time, Yunjing was also summarizing his findings.
There are nine people running this inn. One of the shopkeepers is Zhang Wang, who didn't tell me his name. I don't know if he bought the inn.
Then there are four waiters, two cooks, one busboy, and the remaining one helps take care of the guests' livestock.
A total of nine people. How could this roadside inn have so many people?
In particular, these nine people are all skilled in martial arts. The shopkeeper who occupies the counter has a late acquired talent, and his internal strength can be said to be strong. The four waiters in the store are all in the middle acquired condition, and even one of the two chefs is in the middle acquired condition...
Who can believe that this guy can take over a mountain to become the king and establish a sect, and even come to run an inn? He wouldn't believe it even if Yunjing didn't have any tricks.
To say that it is normal for this kind of inn to have a support room for the day after tomorrow, is it too much for you to have so many?
The waiter who led Yunjing turned around and went to the kitchen. After all, the inn was operating normally, so if he wanted to deliver hot water for food, he still had to deliver it.
After he came to the kitchen, he leaned towards the door and pouted and said: "It's time to work, we have guests. Prepare hot water, cut some mutton and a plate of pickles to make two steamed buns."
"You don't know how to do it yourself, don't you bother me? I'm busy," the bald man with a big waist and round waist said without raising his head. He was using a boning knife to quickly decompose a hung fat pig with a clean and neat technique.
The waiter immediately stopped working and glared: "What the hell are you talking about? It has been agreed in advance and the division of labor is clear. We wait in the hall to serve the guests, and this is what you do in the kitchen."
"Oh, it's true, are you working as a waiter in a shop?" The bald man turned around and said strangely, holding a bright boning knife.
The waiter coughed dryly and shouted: "I don't care, I won't do the work that I shouldn't do anyway, and you won't give me more money, so just waste it like this and neglect the customers. Then the boss will blame you for the suffering."
"
"Damn it, use the boss to suppress me, just wait, sooner or later I will chop you up like a fat pig," the bald man cursed.
The ‘boy’ didn’t show any fear at all, he curled his lips and said, “If you don’t succeed, you may not know who will kill whom by then.”
"Okay, you guys, I'll do it, mutton steamed buns and fried beans, right? It's such a big deal, is it worth arguing about?" A thin man came in from the back door and said with a smile. This man is another person in the kitchen, and he only has the early stage of acquired cultivation.
Being weak and pitiful, he could only take the job, not knowing how to scold his mother.
"Brother, let me give you some advice when I have time," the bald man said happily, and continued to clean up the fat pig.
While the skinny man was busy preparing things, he whispered: "Brother Ming, the boss asked me to ask you, have you figured out that person's path?"
"Fuck you, that kid looks like a scholar at first sight. He speaks impeccably and doesn't ask any questions," the 'waiter' curled his lips.
The skinny man nodded when he heard this and said: "That's it, then forget it, just treat him as a normal guest. Business is important, don't make matters worse."
The bald man threw a slice of pork into the upper frame and turned around and asked, "What the hell, does the boss want to take a vote?"
"What the hell, no scholar is easy to mess with." The skinny man shook his head while preparing things quickly, and then continued: "Boss, let me remind you, that kid is not simple, we can't take risks, anyway, he is
We will leave tomorrow. Unless our target appears, this place will be just a normal inn."
"That boy, I think there is nothing wrong with him except for his good looks. Is it worth reminding the boss?" said the 'boy' while scratching his head.
The skinny man said: "The boss is the boss. If he hadn't reminded me, I wouldn't have thought about it. The boss said, that guy doesn't look so polite, but he actually hides it. Don't say anything else, he is the only one."
Do ordinary scholars have the courage to walk at night? Furthermore, did Brother Ming notice that it was raining outside, and as for him, except for the mud around his shoes, there were half a speck of mud on his body? This is enough to prove his skill.
He’s so clever, plus he doesn’t have any calluses on his hands. Scholars, there are no calluses when holding a pen all year round. What does this mean? It means that he is at least a late acquired master who has cultivated his internal strength!"
After hearing what he said, the waiter suddenly said: "I see, no wonder the boss specially asked you to remind him, forget it, never mind him, he is not our target, there is no need to provoke him."
"Okay, Brother Ming, the things are almost ready, please help deliver them," the thin man said, bringing a tray and a bucket filled with hot water.
It was the waiter's job, but he didn't complain, but he said melancholy: "When will this kind of life end? I should be living a carefree life, but how could I have fallen into this situation? Not only do I have to serve people, but I also have to
Or do you want to do something that is harmful to nature and evil without conscience..."
"Shut up if you don't want to die. Be careful that walls have ears," the bald man said with a sudden glare.
The waiter immediately shut up and said no more.
But they don't know that the walls really have ears...