After Luo You'er checked the house and followed the smell outside to look for clues, he and Wei Wushuang also started busy in the house.
The furnishings in the room were in a mess, as if they had been passed over by wild boars. There were obvious eruption-like blood marks on the floor and walls, and these fan-shaped marks outlined the location where the deceased finally fell.
From the first sight of the victim, this case has been characterized as an "evil incident."
Ordinary humans simply cannot make the corpse look like this. Even if it is as powerful as a hydraulic press, it is impossible to ensure a smooth surface.
The two endured the smell of spoiled blood and quickly determined the cause of death of the four victims.
Both the man and the woman of the Qian family died from being squeezed by the closet, but because there was a partition on one side of the closet, the woman's body was shorter. Their eldest son was caught in a drawer and died. The youngest daughter fell farthest from the bedroom and did not stop until she ran to the door of the courtyard. Unfortunately, a barrel lying there killed her.
This conclusion is not fantastic. If the corpse is wrapped, it can be stuffed back into these containers.
The remains of flesh and blood inside the wardrobes and drawers also prove that they once housed the deceased.
Under such astonishing pressure, the container itself will not burst. This phenomenon beyond common sense is exactly the characteristic of chaos. Only evil spirits composed of accumulation and energy have such ability.
"When evil spirits appear at night, the first person to be killed should be the head of the Qian family." Xia Fan pinched his nose and walked to the bedside, facing the wardrobe stained black with blood. "He might have gotten up at night and didn't notice the wardrobe. The door is open."
"Agree." Wei Wushuang nodded, "He didn't make any resistance when he was pulled into the cabinet, so he still had one hand in his pants. However, the scream of being squeezed woke up his wife, and the latter's first One reaction was to push the younger daughter, who was not yet six years old, out of bed while warning the older son in the next room."
Xia Fan looked at the hoe mark left on the wardrobe, then moved his gaze to the broken oil lamp on the ground, "Did the eldest son fight against evil spirits?"
"I'm afraid I just want to save my mother."
The result was obviously in vain. A hoe alone was not enough to repel the evil spirit. The course of events became clear. The eldest son and his sister tried to escape, but were pulled into the drawer of the table next to the door by the evil spirit. Although my sister was targeted last, she was unable to escape due to her age.
Then the two went to Xue's house again, and the situation was similar. The only special thing was that one of the corpses was pressed into the shape of a water tank.
Xia Fan and Wei Wushuang looked at each other and had a preliminary answer in their minds.
Its whereabouts are unpredictable and it is not affected by fire, so the possibility of charm can basically be ruled out.
He has a clear hostility towards living things and actively attacks the residents of the county, which is not in line with the characteristics of monsters and sprites.
Then the result is obvious.
The murderer is either a ghost or a sprite.
It is also the most difficult opponent among evil spirits.
As for which one it is, it will not be determined until the inquiry team collects information about the parties concerned.
I don't know where Li is now... While waiting, Xia Fan couldn't help but look to the west. The speed of the carriage is definitely not as fast as the two-horse transfer, and it would take half a day at the fastest. I hope she won't have any accidents along the way.
At this moment, there was a sudden argument from across the street.
Xia Fan curiously walked out of the yard and looked across the street - he saw several local residents clashing with the government officials, including two old people kneeling on the ground, crying and begging for something.
Are those the victim's family members
But the words that reached his ears quickly overturned his guess.
-They are actually praying to the government not to let the Privy Council interfere in evil incidents again.
"This is the sixth time in three years that we really can't afford the money!"
"Please let everyone see Mr. Hu!"
"Every time the Privy Council comes, they will collect an evil tax from the neighbors. If this person is not killed by the evil spirits, he will be killed by the money! Lord, please have mercy!"
"If you want to howl, don't howl here. Didn't you see those adults are handling the case?" The Yamen servant impatiently drove them away with a stick, "If you don't call the Privy Council, why don't you go kill monsters? If you want to die, just hang yourself from the beam. Don't implicate other people. Others can afford this money, why can't you?"
"My husband was ill before and spent a lot of savings... Can't this money be put aside for a while?"
"C-Cao people too! Something happened at home-"
"That's your own business. If you don't have money, won't you sell all your land? It's not like the county magistrate didn't give you a way! For every acre of land sold, you can get a 30% tax reduction. Who can blame you if you die and don't let go!"
"But there are too many evil spirits!" The old man's voice was already crying, "I come here twice a year, and I won't be able to hold on selling my land for long!"
"Yes, sir, if the fields are gone, wouldn't we be doomed?"
"How is it possible? You can go work in the fields of the magistrate." The Yamen servant sneered, "You are cheap and lazy. You don't deserve to die? Let me make it clear to you. Notifying the Privy Council is a rule set by the Holy One. Those Your Excellency, the main expenses are also borne by the county government. The few taels of tax money you paid, do you really think you can hire a sixth-grade divine judge from the Privy Council Office? It is just to make up for the losses of the county, and to provide relief to the victims. As for evil spirits If there are too many, then it’s your fault for your bad luck. Isn’t it Master Hu’s fault!? Get out of my way now, or I’ll make you look good!”
After saying that, they were scattered with a flurry of sticks.
Xia Fan didn't know what to do for a moment.
He wanted to rush over to stop him, but his feet felt like lead. Report this matter to Judge Zhang Shen, or go to the headquarters of the headquarters? No... there's no point in doing that. After experiencing Zhang Fuzi's incident, he has learned to consider issues more carefully - the administrative systems of the Privy Council and Qiguo are two separate teams and do not interfere with each other. The Privy Council will never interfere in the tax administration of Gaoshan County because of this matter.
What's more... can this really change
The anti-evil tax can be renamed, or even changed to donation or apportionment... As long as the county magistrate is willing, this money will never escape.
There was nothing he could do about it.
"Brother Xia, what's wrong with you?" Wei Wushuang's voice interrupted his thoughts, "You didn't even respond to my calls just now."
"It's okay..." Xia Fan hesitated, "How much did you bring with you when you came out this time?"
"Let me take a look." The fellow villager took out the money bag. "They are all copper plates and broken silver. The total is about two or three taels?"
Sure enough, most people don't carry a lot of cash with them. One or two thousand is already considered too much.
"Oh, by the way... I also brought two gold leaves for emergency use." Wei Wushuang added.
Xia Fan couldn't help but feel refreshed. One gold leaf was almost equivalent to five taels of silver, and two pieces equaled ten taels. Plus the bag of copper coins he brought, it should be able to sustain those people for a while.
"Can you lend me the gold leaf? I will return it to you when my salary is paid next month."
"Brother Xia, why are you so polite? Just take it if you need it." Wei Wushuang took out the rolled gold leaf from his sleeve without asking for a reason and handed it to him.
Thank you, fellow bourgeoisie.
Xia Fan took the money and chased in the direction where the county residents left.
He knew that this was treating the symptoms rather than the root cause, but it was better than sitting idly by.
At least... it can make me feel at ease temporarily.