It was late, but Wu Xiang was waiting outside the city, Bo Ruoyou didn't delay, put on a thick cloak and followed Hou Yang out of the city.
As soon as the carriage arrived under the mountain gate of Xiangguo Temple, night fell. Hou Yang took Bo Ruoyou through the small town at the foot of the mountain, all the way to the village on the west side of the town.
Below Nanshan is a large area of farmland and a village. After leaving Feiyun Temple, Li Shen landed at the foot of the mountain on the west side. Along the frosted path at the foot of the mountain, the carriage finally stopped in front of a two-entry house. down.
This mansion is much wider than the mansions of many nearby villagers. The gray tiles and white walls also show a bit of elegance, and it takes two incense sticks to walk from the town, which is neither far nor close .
Bo Ruoyou pushed the door and entered, and the garden was brightly lit. Wu Xiang and He Chang came out to greet her. Wu Xiang said, "I'm sorry, Bo, I let you come so late, but only You can help us determine whether this is the place where the crime occurred."
Bo Ruoyou was naturally duty-bound, and Wu Xiang said as they walked into the house: "We were looking for someone in the town at dawn today, because there was not much movement after taking the portrait, this person probably heard the wind and so temporarily We ran away, and later we met a shopkeeper who was selling melons and fruits with loads nearby, and he said he knew him and pointed us in the right direction.”
"I found this place later. It looks ordinary here, but there is a lot of space inside." After entering the main hall, Wu Xiang pointed to the north wall of the main hall and said, "There is a bedroom behind this, and the left and right wing rooms are One of the study rooms is Nuan Pavilion, because I live alone, it is still tidy and clean, come with me—”
He turned his feet and headed towards the study. When he arrived at the study, Bo Ruoyou saw a doorway that was a person's height on the west wall.
Wu Xiang pointed to the door opening and said, "Originally there was a bookshelf here, but after it was removed, it leaked out of the door opening. This is a place for doing things, come in and have a look."
As soon as Bo Ruoyou walked into the dark corridor, she felt breathless. There was a pungent smell of candle oil and some indescribable bloody smell that couldn't go away, and because of the lack of ventilation in the dark room, it was especially damp and mildewy. taste.
The corridor was less than ten steps away, and soon Bo Ruoyou saw a dim yellow light. This dark room was only ten feet square, and the surrounding walls were all painted with the bright yellow color that Taoists like. Hanging from the roof, the runes written in cinnabar make up for it, and the entire dark room gives people a sense of depressive horror and weirdness.
Bo Ruoyou quickly noticed the stone tribute platform in the middle. There was no offering table in the whole dojo, but a square high platform with half a person's height standing in the middle, surrounded by incense candles. It was also at this time , Bo Ruoyou saw the two chains hanging from the roof, and her heart skipped a beat.
Stepping forward on the red brocade carpet, there is a kneeling mat with bright yellow embroidered cloud patterns under the tribute platform. No matter how you look at it, this is a place for Taoist worship. Wu Xiang waved the hanging prayer flags and pointed at the tribute. Tai said: "Come and see, there are a lot of blood in it—"
Bo Ruoyou stepped forward quickly, walked up to the tribute platform and took a look, and found that there was a sunken gossip stone plate in the middle of the tribute platform. The stone plate was densely covered with scriptures. Bo Ruoyou took out a handkerchief to twirl the dried dark brown blood scab, quickly nodded and said, "It's human blood."
After she finished speaking, she raised her head, and the chain hanging from the top was made of iron, with shackles two or three inches wide at the end. Bo Ruoyou thought of the bruise on Wen Jin's wrist and said, "It basically matches the scar on Wen Jin's body."
Wu Xiang continued: "We have also verified that the incense and candles are used in temples and Taoist temples, and they can burn for about two hours. There is a gap behind the stone platform, and all the blood flows to the back of the stone platform."
Bo Ruoyou walked back around the stone platform, and soon saw a low-lying place that looked like a pool. There were two stone candlesticks in the pool, with burnt lamp oil inside, and the pool was dark at the moment. It was all dried human blood.
At this time, Bo Ruoyou raised her eyes to look at the prayer flags hanging from the top, and then pulled the nearest one to her to look at. When she got closer, she realized that the runes written on the prayer flags were not cinnabar, but It was blood stains that had faded over time. Although she didn't understand the meaning of the runes written on the prayer flags, such a strange place was not an ordinary place for Taoist rituals.
Bo Ruoyou stepped forward to check the hanging chain carefully, and then looked at the candles around the tribute platform, "The blood on a six or seven-year-old child's body adds up to less than one kilogram, and if he loses too much blood, he will die in less than two hours." , coincided with the time of his sacrifice, and the handcuffs basically matched the injuries on Wen Jin's body. If we can find Wen Jin's lost shoes, socks and murder weapon, we can basically conclude that this is where the crime took place."
"I found it!" Wu Xiang pointed to the northwest direction, "There is an open space behind this yard. When we came here just now, we found a place where Wen Jin lost his shoes and socks. They should have been abandoned by him that day. When the corpse was left at home, when I came back, I found that I had to dig a hole to bury it. In addition, in the wardrobe outside, I found the fairy cave clothes worn by Taoists. I checked and there was blood on it."
"The mask was also found, not only the monkey king mask, but also the fox fairy mask worn by Wen Jin that day, and other things, come and see—"
Wu Xiang turned and walked out, Bo Ruoyou followed naturally, and after walking out of the corridor, he let out a deep breath, he led Bo Ruoyou to the Nuan Pavilion, the doors of the cabinets in the Nuan Pavilion were all wide open, and the couch by the window Wearing the immortal cave clothes he just mentioned.
This celestial fairy cave garment is gorgeous and incomparable. It is sleeveless on the front. The whole garment is the color of purple air coming from the east. It is also embroidered with gold and silver threads with auspicious patterns such as cranes and unicorns, eight trigrams pagodas, sun, moon and stars. Next to the monkey king mask and the fox fairy mask, there are a rattle, a saber and a simple Sanqing bell.
Wu Xiang said again: "We also found some fish drums, dust whisks, and yin and yang rings, all of which are used by Taoists. These are all related to the case. The rattle and mask were mentioned earlier, and the mask will be found The old man checked to see if it was made by him. This saber is quite sharp and there are bloodstains on the tip of the sword. It may have been used to stab the dead that day. There is also this bell. I wonder if it has something to do with the sound of the bell that Mr. Ming mentioned—— "
As Wu Xiang said, she picked up the bell and shook it, the sound was crisp and sweet, but just after hearing the ringtone, Bo Ruoyou felt a sharp pain in her heart, she hurried out Voice, "Catch the head, people can be caught back"
Wu Xiang put down the sanqing bell, "The gold and silver and the clothes he usually wears in his house are all gone, so I searched in two directions, one went to Nanxia Wharf, the other went to Luozhou Dry Road, he was sick He should not be able to bear the torment, and asked the people nearby, saying that there was a green cloth carriage in his house, but now it is gone, so just check the carriage, it is easy to hunt down."
Bo Ruoyou was a little relieved, and looked at this house again. Although the house looked neat and elegant, it was not a new house, "He was kicked out of Feiyun Tower last year, when was this house built?"
"I asked the people around me, but they didn't know. They always knew that there were people in this house, but they never saw the owner of the house. However, the picker said that Li Shen started to buy things from him after July this year, because he didn't like to come. Bazaar, so buy some common things from him—”
"After July?" Bo Ruoyou frowned, "If he's been here all the time, it doesn't make sense to start buying after July, how did he get enough food and clothing earlier? If others weren't here, where were they before then? "
Wu Xiang said: "These things will be known after the person is brought back for interrogation. The surroundings are yet to be visited, and the origin of this house is still being investigated. It will be clear in two days."
Wu Xiang asked Bo Ruoyou to help look at and confirm the physical evidence, and then ordered the yamen servants to pack up the physical evidence and bring it back to the yamen. Bo Ruoyou stood beside the couch, and his eyes fell on Sanqingling unconsciously.
The Sanqing bell is about six inches high, made of brass, with a "mountain"-shaped handle on the top, and a bell bell with a diameter of two and a half inches below. There is a tongue inside the bell, and scriptures, spells and statues of the Three Purities are carved on the bell surface. , the light shines on people, Bo Ruoyou ghostly picked up the three clear bells, and shook them lightly, and the clear and clear bell sound penetrated into her ears like a spirit snake, her heart tightened, and she hurriedly picked up the bell Handed it to the Yamen who collected the evidence.
When the time came to Zi Shi, the prayer flags and runes in the dark room were all taken off, and the feeling of depressive horror could not help but faded a lot. Bo Ruoyou went in and stood by the side of the Fu, watching, and said: "We still need to invite a priest Let's take a look and see if there is another mystery in this altar."
Wu Xiang nodded, "That's right. I was thinking that this person took Wen Jin as a sacrifice. I don't know where I heard the crooked way, but he also prefers to attack children. It's really hateful."
Bo Ruoyou watched the dojo being demolished. After all the objects were taken out, only the tribute platform and the blood pond were left. This dark room was specially built for doing things, especially the one on the roof. The hook lock that can hang people up is even more unusual. Bo Ruoyou stared at the hook lock for a while, then pointed and said: "Captain, it's best to send someone to look at it, and the rest can be faked." , but this hook and lock will rust, look at the rust, and you will know how long this thing has been nailed."
Wu Xiang didn't expect this, so he asked people to go out to find a wooden ladder to look at. After waiting for a while, a government officer borrowed a wooden ladder from a farmer's house in the distance. Hou Yang volunteered to climb up. Said: "There is no rust on the chain's fixed expenditure. I estimate that it has not been half a year."
Bo Ruoyou's beautiful eyes sank instantly, "Even though this mansion has been around for a long time, if he committed murder more than once, then the place where he used to commit crimes must not be here." After she finished speaking, she said coldly, "But you must live Take it back."