In the darkness, Lu Heng's eyes were so bright that he couldn't stare at him, and there was no trace of sleepiness. He sat up immediately, Wang Yanqing had not slept soundly, and when Lu Heng lay down, she was dazed and unresponsive, but when Lu Heng was about to leave, she woke up suddenly.
Wang Yanqing opened her eyes, and before she understood the situation, she reached out to touch the dagger under the pillow, Lu Heng held her hand and snorted softly, "It's me, don't make a sound."
Wang Yanqing's eyes gradually focused, she saw the person in front of her clearly, and nodded slightly. Seeing that she was indeed awake, Lu Heng slowly let go of her hand and walked under the bed.
Both of them were lying in their clothes, and they did not affect their actions at this moment. With the knife in his hand, Lu Heng quietly sneaked to the window and looked out through the crack of the window.
There was no one in the courtyard, Lu Heng pushed open the window without saying a word. Wang Yanqing followed behind Lu Heng and was shocked to see his actions: "Second brother!"
As soon as the voice fell, the window had been pushed open and hit the wooden frame heavily. Wang Yanqing looked up, her pupils dilated uncontrollably.
A waning moon is like a hook, hanging alone in the boundless night. On the roof of the dark county government house opposite, a paper figure with his back to the moon, with an exaggerated red face and black eyes, was grinning at them.
Rao is Wang Yanqing who has experienced a haunted battle, and was taken aback by it at the moment. This paper is as big as a real person. The body is made of white paper, and the clothes and facial features are painted with bright paint. It is lifelike and looks like a real person at first glance.
Wang Yanqing suddenly remembered the paper figurines used to worship the gods on social days, which also looked like this.
The night wind came, and there was a dull water vapor in the air, and it should be about to rain. Wang Yanqing was calmed down by the cool wind. She quietly approached Lu Heng and asked, "Second brother, who put this paper figure on the roof?"
Lu Heng stared at the roof and shook his head slowly: "It may not have been put there."
Wang Yanqing was puzzled: "What?"
Before she finished speaking, she suddenly saw the paper figure on the roof moving. Its joints were stiff, as if it had just learned to move, it made several movements slowly and strangely, and its exaggerated smiling face was always facing them. After doing this set of actions, it suddenly turned around and jumped off the beam without warning.
Wang Yanqing took a deep breath and asked with a frown, "What is this?"
The action of the paper figurine alerted the yamen outside, and there was a shout from the road, and then someone shouted: "Catch it."
The summer night was silent, this roar could be described as earth-shattering, the footsteps suddenly became dense, the firelight shook everywhere, and then their courtyard gate was banged: "Commander, there seems to be an assassin in the county government, are you okay? ?"
Lu Heng put the knife back in its sheath, laughed briefly, and said, "Let's go, let's go out and have a look."
Jin Yiwei knocked on the door for a long time and did not respond. Their hearts tightened and they were about to break in when the courtyard door suddenly opened from the inside. The commander was neatly dressed and stood calmly inside the door, followed by a girl. The attendant was relieved for a long time, and hurriedly clasped his fists in salute. At the same time, he also felt that he was stupid. Where did he get the confidence, that the commander would be tricked by the murderers and needed their help
"See the commander. This subordinate just saw a... paper man of unknown origin. I'm worried about the commander's safety, so I came to rescue him. Please show me the commander."
"I'm fine." Lu Heng replied lightly and asked, "Where did that thing go?"
"Run to the southwest."
"Chase. Surround it, don't let it run away."
"Yes."
The subordinates clasped their fists together, well-trained and spread out from both sides, obviously they are used to this kind of thing. In addition to Jin Yiwei, the officers of the county government office also woke up and ran out to help. The chaotic sounds of running sounded from all over the government office, and the shouts came one after another, which pierced the quiet night in an instant.
Lu Heng stood at the gate of the courtyard with his hands behind his back, with a calmness of staying out of the way. He turned around and asked Wang Yanqing, "Is it cold?"
The buttons on Wang Yanqing's shirt were neatly tied, and he shook his head with a solemn face. Lu Heng said: "That's good. It may take a while. Do you want to watch outside or want to go back to the house to rest? If you want to go back, I will call a team to guard the door, so don't worry about safety."
Wang Yanqing still shook his head: "No, I want to watch outside."
Seeing her insistence, Lu Heng stopped persuading her and said, "I might not be able to take care of you after a while because there are too many people. Be careful yourself and don't go to dark places."
"I understand." Wang Yanqing replied, "Second brother, go get busy, don't worry about me. I'll just see for myself."
The courtyards that had already fallen into a deep sleep were lit up one by one, and Cheng Zhifu ran out without putting on his clothes, and asked in shock, "Lord Lu, what happened?"
Lu Heng stood in the center of the crowd wearing a cyan official uniform. His waistline was tied up with a leather belt, revealing straight shoulders, straight back, and slender legs. Even standing in the crowd, he was the most eye-catching one, Zhuo Ran. Independent and oppressive.
The moist and cool wind was blowing from the depths of the night, and the firelight swayed from side to side. Lu Heng's profile was in the firelight, delicate like jade: "I don't know. I heard a strange noise in the middle of the night, and I opened the window and found a strange-looking paper figure standing on the roof. It didn't know what to do, and then jumped to The front yard is down."
Cheng Zhifu's voice changed: "What, paper man?"
The Jinyi Guards brought by Lu Heng surrounded him, and ran back from the front alone, clasped his fists and said, "Return to the commander, my subordinates clearly saw the paper figurine running in this direction, but it suddenly disappeared."
"Oh?" Lu Heng asked, "Have you checked the intersection ahead?"
"It's all guarding people, and no one sees it pass."
Cheng Zhifu hid behind Lu Heng, and when he heard this, his face was pale with fright, and his voice trembled: "Dangguanfu, how can there be such a thing! Could it be that there are ghosts and gods?"
Lu Heng looked back at Cheng Zhifu: "The governor believes in ghosts and gods?"
Cheng Zhifu hesitated for a while when asked, and said unconvincingly: "If you don't say that you are weird, you will naturally not believe it... But Mr. Lu has seen paper figurines everywhere, and now there are officials everywhere, and that strange thing has disappeared out of thin air. Now, this... I have been an official for 20 years, and I have never seen such a strange thing."
Lu Heng nodded and sighed: "Yeah, after it fell, I immediately arranged for Jin Yiwei and the yamen to chase after it, but it disappeared in plain sight. The yamen is only so big, where can it hide?"
Cheng Zhifu heard it and immediately said: "Xiaguan has nothing to do with this matter. If Mr. Lu doesn't believe it, you can go and search Xiaguan's house. Xiaguan has nothing to say."
Seeing Tao Yiming approaching slowly from behind, Lu Heng asked with a smile, "Tao Zhixian, what do you think?"
Tao Yiming also handed over and said, "Xiaguan is willing to cooperate with Master Lu in investigating the case."
Lu Heng was rude, and immediately sent someone to search the house, not even the houses of Cheng Youhai and Tao Yiming. The officers and soldiers held the lights and opened the doors one by one to search, and everyone stood outside together, silently waiting for the results of the search.
In July, the weather is getting colder, and the night is already a little cold. Cheng Zhifu rubbed his arms and said, "Master Lu, forgive me, I was in a hurry when I came out, and I didn't put on my clothes. The poor appearance made Master Lu laugh."
Lu Heng nodded and smiled, indicating that he didn't care. After waiting for a while, Jin Yiwei finished the search, and came out to report to Lu Heng: "The commander, I didn't find the paper man."
There was no movement on Tao Yiming's face, but Cheng Zhifu gasped: "This... what the hell is this!"
At this time, someone hurried in and said in a panic, "Master Cheng, Master Lu, Taozhi County, something happened!"
Lu Heng's expression remained unchanged and asked, "What's the panic?"
"I don't know when a paper figure was hung at the entrance of the county government office. Come and have a look!"
Lu Heng and Cheng Zhifu heard about this incident and hurried to the door. The people of the county government rushed to the gate again, and sure enough, outside the main gate, there was a paper man on the steps.
As soon as Cheng Zhifu saw this paper figure, he snorted and quickly covered his eyes. There were also discussions among the officers and soldiers: "Obviously all the intersections are well guarded, how did it get outside?"
The voices of people were amazed, and silent panic spread through the night. As if he couldn't hear it, Lu Heng quietly walked to the paper figurine and stood face to face with the paper figurine who was waiting for him.
I couldn't see clearly from a distance just now, but now that I stand close, I realize that the piercing is really realistic. Lu Heng touched the paper and asked, "Which shop's craftsmanship is this?"
Cheng Zhifu blocked his eyes, don't say anything, he didn't even dare to look at the paper man. Tao Yiming could only step forward and said, "Although there are shrouds and birthday paper shops in this county, the workmanship is very rough and cannot make such realistic paper figures. It should be from outside."
"It's from outside?" Ruowu Ruowu evoked a smile on Lu Heng's lips, "The city gates are locked, why did you come from outside?"
Cheng Zhifu cautiously asked, "What is your opinion, Lord Yilu..."
"Go back to sleep first." One strange thing happened after another, but Lu Heng suddenly gave up and said, "It's late at night, and it's not good for your health to delay. I'm so disturbed tonight, thank you two for your cooperation."
Cheng Zhifu and Tao Yiming quickly declined, not daring to accept. Lu Heng's words were scattered, and everyone dared not obey. The people from the county government went back one after another. Jin Yiwei looked at the paper man who was still smiling at the door, and clasped his fists and asked, "Commander, this thing..."
Lu Heng glanced at it and said, "Find a clean place to avoid water and put it away. Tomorrow's investigation will fall on this paper figurine."
"Yes."
Jin Yiwei has seen a lot of living dead people, not to mention a paper dummy, they stepped forward, lifted this tall paper figure, and walked towards the backyard. The crowd dispersed, and Lu Heng was at the end, walking back leisurely. Wang Yanqing walked silently to Lu Heng's side, Lu Heng looked back and pinched her face amusingly: "What's wrong, so serious?"
Wang Yanqing shook his head and did not speak.
After returning to the house, Wang Yanqing immediately closed the door and said to Lu Heng, "Second brother, something is unusual tonight."
Lu Heng smiled: "I know."
"then you… "
Lu Heng shook his head, took Wang Yanqing's hand, tested the temperature on her neck again, and said, "You are in a special situation, so you need to pay more attention these two days. It's very late, you should go to bed."
Lu Heng said at the door just now that it was late at night, and it would be bad for your health to delay, referring to Wang Yanqing. Otherwise, he would take care of Cheng Youhai and Tao Yiming's health.
Wang Yanqing heard Lu Heng's hidden voice and hurriedly asked, "What about you?"
"Don't worry, I'll be watching in the house." After Lu Heng finished speaking, he mentioned it casually, "By the way, go to Westinghouse to find something."
"Didn't you say too much earlier?"
"Yes." Lu Heng smiled and said lightly, "So I have to look for it now."
Wang Yanqing was sent to bed to sleep, while Lu Heng was reading in the Westinghouse. He was afraid of affecting Wang Yanqing's sleep, so he closed the lights tightly. Across the bed tent, Wang Yanqing saw a hazy orange in the doorway, and there was a faint sound of flipping books in his ears.
She doesn't remember her past, but it seems like summer should be like this.
She didn't know when she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
In her sleep, she seemed to hear the door opening and closing, someone went out and came back. She wanted to open her eyes, but her limbs seemed to be filled with lead, and she couldn't move.
Early the next morning, the sky was bright, and Wang Yanqing woke up suddenly. Wang Yanqing was lying on the bed, and when he moved a little, he felt a pain in his waist and abdomen.
She let out a long sigh.
It was really unfortunate that Lu Heng got it right.
Her little day has come.
Fortunately, she packed a carry-on bag before she set off, so she wasn't caught off guard now. Wang Yanqing changed her clothes, and when she came out, she found that Lu Heng had long since disappeared, the Westinghouse candle was half burned, and there was a half-read dossier on the bookcase.
Wang Yanqing picked up the file, which was on a disappearance case. The informant said that they lived at the foot of Qingxuguan, and young and middle-aged people were often missing nearby. Once when they were walking at night, they seemed to see the Taoist priest Qingxuguan carrying something into the back door.
Young adults? This description is similar to Hegu Village. Wang Yanqing found a place to sit down and read the file carefully. The door was suddenly pushed open, and Lu Heng came in. Seeing that Wang Yanqing was well dressed, he said, "You woke up so early? Why did you change your clothes today?"
Wang Yanqing lowered his head and turned a page, pretending not to hear. Lu Heng's eyes moved, but he didn't ask any more questions, and said, "Just when you woke up, I ordered the kitchen to bring you breakfast in a while. Be sure to eat it well and don't take it seriously."
Wang Yanqing heard that his voice was wrong, looked up and asked, "Second brother, are you going out?"
"Yes." Lu Heng nodded, "I asked someone to check the shop where the paper figurines were made. I have some clues just now. I'll go and see for myself. Is it okay for you to stay in the government office?"
"I'm fine." Wang Yanqing shook her head. After speaking, she sighed lowly and said with guilt, "It's a pity that I always hold back and can't go out with you."
Lu Heng stepped forward, rested one hand on the table case, and stroked the top of her hair with the other hand, stared at her eyes earnestly and said, "You are helping me the most by taking care of your body. Take a good rest, Don't think about it, if I don't come back at noon, you can eat by yourself."
He bent down and supported Wang Yanqing in front of him, his tone was not very strong, but his attitude was condescending, as if he circled a field and completely surrounded her. Wang Yanqing nodded silently, Lu Heng rubbed her hair again, got up and went out.
He and the emperor issued a military order to solve the case within three days. Today is the second day.
Lu Heng was so energetic that he didn't feel tired. After a long night of trouble last night, he went out to check the paper people again this morning. Cheng Zhifu could only sacrifice his life to accompany the gentleman, and forced his weak body to go out with Lu Heng to investigate the case.
They hula-la took away a large number of people, the county office was suddenly empty, and even the cicadas were quiet. Wang Yanqing was inconvenient, so he stayed in the room by himself and turned the book. Westinghouse left a lot of files, enough for her to read for a long time. Wang Yanqing searched for relevant cases and carefully checked them one by one.
There was a knock on the door outside, Wang Yanqing wondered why lunch was delivered so early today, and said, "Come in."
Wang Yanqing put down the dossier, and the food delivery person also walked in and put down the food box in the main room. The person who came was dressed in the clothes of a servant boy, with his head lowered, with a raw face. Wang Yanqing glanced at it and asked, "Why are you here to deliver food?"
The servant lowered his eyes and said, "The kitchen is busy, so Aunt Zhao asked me to deliver meals to the girl."
Wang Yanqing nodded, thinking that the servant girl was surnamed Zhao yesterday. The servant opened the food box and took the lead to bring out a bowl of soup. Seeing the cassia seeds and chrysanthemums in the soup, Wang Yanqing frowned: "Is this the lunch that the second brother ordered?"
After Wang Yanqing finished speaking, he immediately retreated, but he was still one step too late. The other party slashed at her with a horizontal hand, and Wang Yanqing quickly raised his hand to resist, but the other party avoided ahead of time as if he had foreseen her move.
A puff of white smoke hit Wang Yanqing's face, she tried her best to hold her breath, but she accidentally inhaled a little. Wang Yanqing felt dizzy very quickly. The other party stepped forward and covered Wang Yanqing's mouth and nose with a handkerchief dipped in the drug. This time, she fainted completely.
Everything happened in an instant, Wang Yanqing lost consciousness before he could even make a cry for help.
·
Not long after, Lu Heng stopped in front of the mountain road on horseback. Tao Yiming raised his hand and pointed to the building hidden in the jungle above: "Master Lu, this is the Qingxu View."
The sun was extremely hot, and Cheng Zhifu couldn't help wiping away his sweat. He raised his head and looked up the mountain with difficulty: "The Taoist priest who can tie the paper as mentioned by the shopkeeper lives here?"
There are not many craftsmen who can make such a big paper figurine without deforming. Lu Heng sent someone to inquire about the shop that handled funeral paper products. No one in Qi County could make such fine paper figurines. Finally, a shopkeeper in Lin County came to the news that he had seen the ritual of Qingxuguan, and the Taoist priests there would know how to do it. Making paper figures, lifelike, much better than what they sell in their store.
From this, Lu Heng and his party came to Qingxuguan.
"Yes." Tao Yiming replied, "Qingxu Temple has been established for a long time, and it was there before the next official took office. It's just that the Taoist priests here are very strange. I rarely interact with the people down the mountain, so the incense is not good."
"It's weird." Cheng Zhifu said, "Don't monks and Taoists try to get them to donate sesame oil money? They don't communicate with the people, so how can they survive?"
Tao Yiming shook his head.
Lu Heng, dressed in a dark cyan waistcoat, sat upright on the horse. Even if the sun is blazing, and the gold and rocks are flowing, he is still straight and fresh, and there is not a drop of sweat on his face. Lu Heng restrained the horse with one hand, and said lightly, "What's going on, just go up and take a look."
When Lu Heng walked up the mountain with the prefect, his entourage and others, Wang Yanqing's pale and cold face was leaning on the pillow and suddenly woke up.
The windows were closed, and the light was dim. The effects of the drug hadn't dissipated, Wang Yanqing was sweating on his back and felt extremely uncomfortable, but even moving his fingers struggled. She secretly adjusted her breathing, and at the same time quickly calculated, where is this, and who is going to kidnap her
Being able to stun her unconsciously and bring her out of the county office, the meaning behind it was that she felt cold all over just thinking about it. Wang Yanqing's stomach cramped, she didn't eat, and was frightened again, and the menstrual pain that had been adjusted clearly started again.
Wang Yanqing couldn't help but put his hand on his stomach. At this moment, footsteps sounded next to him. Only then did Wang Yanqing realize that there was someone in the room!
She turned back immediately, and at the same time, a familiar voice entered her ear: "Qingqing, you are awake."