After a rain, the sun was shining in March. Li Jinglong came out of the wine shop. The people were divided into two teams. Mo Zhigen, Lu Xu, Qiu Yongsi, and Artai still went to Zhaoling, while Li Jinglong went with Hong Jun and Ashina Qiong. Qianling said that Bi Geng had called Artai, and gave instructions in a low voice.
As soon as Qiu Yongsi returned to Chang'an, he insisted on following without taking a breath, but Li Jinglong didn't force it, and said, "Everyone, work harder, and have fun after the work is over."
"You still owe everyone." Qiu Yongsi threw something to Li Jinglong, Li Jinglong raised his hand to take it, and said, "I can't forget it, let's go!"
So everyone got on their horses one after another as if they were out on a green trip, and each went out of Chang'an City.
Hong Jun thought that Li Jinglong would act alone with him, but unexpectedly brought Ashina Qiong with him. It was the first time for him to go on a mission with Ashina Qiong, so he couldn't help but be full of curiosity about him.
The only time the two teamed up before was to deal with Lu Xu who was running fast. After returning, Ashinaqiong seemed to have been warned by Artest, so he didn't come to provoke Hongjun often. At this time, he was full of curiosity about Ashina Qiong, and Li Jinglong had always looked serious in front of outsiders.
Qianling Mausoleum is located in Liangshan, just north of Chang'an, very close to the imperial city. This place is different from Zhaoling Mausoleum. Since Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian, Li Longji clearly hated Wu Zhao, so he only sent fifty people here to guard the mausoleum. Half of the ghosts died last night, and everyone was panicked, just wanting to escape back to Chang'an as soon as possible. However, the Sixth Army issued a death order, and anyone who dared to escape would be beheaded. Even so, no one dared to approach within a thousand steps of the Qianling Mausoleum entrance.
The Mausoleum Guard was originally under the control of the Sixth Army. Over time, it gradually became an independent organization. It neither fought nor traveled with the emperor. They don't necessarily have to go out to fight. Who would have thought that guarding a mausoleum would cost their lives
When Li Jinglong arrived, the mausoleum guards were trembling in imminent disaster. They neither let them run nor dared to approach. Twenty-five corpses covered in white cloth were lying on the ground in front of the mausoleum. And the case officer is watching.
"The exorcist is here!"
"Li Jinglong! It's Li Jinglong!"
The mausoleum guards held Buddhist beads, grinded jade, and burned incense. When they saw Li Jinglong, they immediately seemed to see a savior, and they wished to stuff Li Jinglong into the tomb immediately. Man Chang'an City always liked to ridicule him for being idle, idle, and believing in ghosts and gods, but now when he saw him, he adored him from the bottom of his heart. Before he was afraid, he never believed in this evil. Once he believed in it, what Li Jinglong did became a proper occupation, and catching ghosts seemed to be a craft.
"Marquis Yadan."
The prime minister of Dali Temple greeted him in person, saluted Li Jinglong, and clasped his fists at Hongjun and Ashinaqiong.
"Cheng... Cheng..." Hong Jun remembered what Huang Yong said.
"Cheng Xiao." The young Si Cheng replied.
Cheng Xiao is only seventeen or eighteen years old, looking at his appearance, he is only a little older than Hong Jun, dressed as an immature young man, although he is also a bright young man, compared to Hong Jun, his temperament is instantly compared.
"Hey, have you come to Dali Temple?" Li Jinglong said casually.
Seeing the two greeting each other, Hong Jun actually recognized each other, and Li Jinglong said to Hong Jun, "Cheng Xiao used to be in the Shenwu Army, but he was a careful detective."
"Don't dare." Cheng Xiao said with a smile, "I haven't congratulated Chang Shi Fenghou yet."
Being able to become a temple minister at the age of eighteen must be quite capable. Hong Jun remembered that when Huang Yong informed them that day, he also mentioned that Cheng Xiao had entered Zhaoling, but he and Lu Xu hurried in and out, and the two sides did not meet. .
Right, everyone is very smart, but I am the only one who is stupid—Hong Jun thought to himself, Qin Wu in the past, Cheng Xiao in the present, these young people seem to be very familiar with Li Jinglong.
Ashinaqiong felt it, and winked at Hongjun, Hongjun thought to himself, why do you two seem to know what I'm thinking, so you have to pretend not to see it.
"Let's talk about the situation." Li Jinglong said.
"Thirteen days and nights." Cheng Xiao said earnestly, "Zhaoling was on duty in the first team of the mausoleum guards, and it was said that they were killed by ghosts during the night patrol..."
When Hong Jun walked up to the corpses, the rows of corpses hadn't stopped. From last night to now, the school grounds in front of the mausoleum were filled with gloomy winds.
"...One went crazy that night, and four died. I went to Zhaoling to investigate with the yamen servants, and found blood. It continued to the gate of Zhaoling, but was blocked by the Dragon-Breaking Stone. It is conceivable that the Dragon-Breaking Stone was opened at that time. "
Hong Jun thought it was similar to what I found out.
"But there is a pool of blood on the Broken Dragon Stone." Hong Jun said, "Did you hit it?"
Cheng Xiao and Li Jinglong looked at Hongjun, and Cheng Xiao said: "It is inferred that there is a person who ran into the Dragon-Breaking Stone while escaping, and his neck was broken in two, and blood was sprayed all over the ground. dragged in."
Hong Jun knelt down on one knee, and lifted the white cloth covering the corpse, and an extremely disgusting smell came to his nostrils, which almost made Hong Jun vomit.
"After we raised the Broken Dragon Stone, we found a corpse in the middle of the tomb."
"What about the crazy people?" Li Jinglong asked.
"Dead." Cheng Xiao said, "He was scared to death. According to the clues on the scene, I guessed that it was the lunatic and a companion who heard the strange noise, so the two went in to investigate, and the two escaped at the same time. One was amputated. And died, the other was frightened mad..."
After listening to the beginning, Ashinaqiong guessed the end: "Later the monster chased him out, killed the other three together, and captured the lunatic inside."
"Monster... okay." Cheng Xiao replied, "Maybe so."
"What did you find in the tomb when you went to investigate?" Li Jinglong asked.
"Nothing." Cheng Xiao replied, "Only the lunatic's corpse."
Li Jinglong and Hong Jun looked at each other, Hong Jun noticed something unusual, nothing? Isn't there obviously a prison? After Cheng Xiao entered, the tomb was empty, so he took out the body, closed the door, and left the tomb. In the end, he went in by himself, but he and Lu Xu found Xiong Prison in it? !
Hong Jun wanted to ask, but Li Jinglong stopped him with a look.
"The situation here is that I arrived an hour earlier than you. I came out of Dali Temple just before dawn, and came here in a hurry."
Hong Jun saw that the face of the corpse was black and purple, as if he had been poisoned by some kind of strange poison, and the smell was disgusting. onto the corpse.
Hong Jun frowned, but Ashina Qiong waved his hand to indicate that it was okay, and handed him a sachet casually. Li Jinglong noticed it immediately and said, "Hong Jun, come to me."
Hong Jun responded, but didn't go over, followed Ashina Qiong to check the twenty-five corpses, and Cheng Xiao said: "These twenty-five people were all present last night, and their necks were all broken, but it's more like being hit by someone. A strange poison... there is no need to test it, I have already used silver needles, and it cannot be detected."
"Silver needles can only be used to test the most common arsenic." Hong Jun said, "Some flowers and plants can't be detected after they are poisoned to death."
"It's not an ordinary poison." Ashinaqiong said.
Li Jinglong said: "So, there is nothing abnormal in the tomb, and the door has never been opened."
"No." Cheng Xiao pondered, "Compared with Zhaoling, it's more difficult. We don't have any witnesses."
After the accident in Zhaoling, the rest of the tombs have all sent additional manpower, and the news must have spread by now.
"I still have to go to Zhaoling to take a look." Cheng Xiao said, "Compare the details of the crime."
"The brothers from the Exorcism Department have been sent out." Li Jinglong replied, walking straight towards Hongjun, and the two looked at the corpse lying on the ground with the white cloth uncovered.
"They're all children." Li Jinglong said, "What kind of demonic hands and feet do they look like?"
Cheng Xiao took out his gloves and put them on. Hong Jun remembered that Li Jinglong also had these gloves. Li Jinglong said calmly, "You practiced well."
"It's all taught by you." Cheng Xiaoke said politely.
"Demon?" Cheng Xiao asked Li Jinglong.
"You still don't believe that there are monsters in the world?" Li Jinglong said casually.
Cheng Xiao was about to start the autopsy, and said seriously: "Master Hou, with all due respect, I still don't really believe how many monsters and ghosts there are in the world, unless I see it with my own eyes..."
Hong Jun hesitated for a moment, then patted the carp demon on his back, and said, "Zhao Zilong, come down to investigate the case."
The carp demon had been listening behind him, but didn't speak. At this moment, he suddenly made a somersault, drew an arc in the air, and stood firmly on the ground, holding Lihun pollen sac in his hand. Look around and say, "I'm coming!"
Cheng Xiao: "..."
The yamen servant screamed in horror, but Cheng Xiao managed to maintain his composure. Li Jinglong said, "Do you believe me now?"
The carp demon approached, stroked the beard on his lower lip, and said, "The smell smells weird."
Cheng Xiao stared straight at the carp, and finally nodded with horror.
Ashinaqiong said: "The twenty-five corpses have the same smell."
"Can you smell it?" Hong Jun asked the carp demon.
The fish's sense of smell is extremely sensitive in the water, but it doesn't work well after leaving the water and on land. Li Jinglong had an idea and said, "Come here."
He fetched a bucket of water outside Lingwei's residence, submerged the carp demon in the water, and put a corpse's helmet in it. As soon as the helmet entered the water, the carp demon made a "crash" and popped up with the helmet on, saying, "Wine!"
"Drinking...drinking is the norm in the military." It was Cheng Xiao's first conversation with a carp. It was obvious that his inner activities were turbulent, and he was barely able to maintain his composure.
"Wine." Ashina Qiong said, "People who drink to death have this smell on their bodies."
"What?" Cheng Xiao was shocked.
If twenty-five people can drink to death, how much wine do they have to drink
Hong Jun seldom drank alcohol, but he believed in the judgment of the carp demon. The carp demon hugged his helmet, slapped past, and sniffed the corpses one by one, which made Hongjun a little creepy, but for the carp demon, Smelling human corpses is as common as human smelling dead fish, shrimps and crabs. At the end it said: "Drink to death."
Cheng Xiao already looked confused.
Li Jinglong said in a deep voice: "You didn't learn much, it's wine."
Li Jinglong and Ashinaqiong looked at each other, while Hong Jun walked towards the house where Lingwei lived. The ground was in a mess, but the smell of alcohol was very faint, almost indistinguishable.
Ashinaqiong sniffed the cup and said, "Strong wine."
When guarding the mausoleum last night, the mausoleum guards must have drank more or less, but this is the first time I have seen him die from drinking. Li Jinglong came to the entrance of Qianling Mausoleum and took the lead spontaneously.
"Go back." Li Jinglong said to Cheng Xiao.
Cheng Xiao didn't want to leave, so he just ordered the yamen servant to wait outside, and followed Li Jinglong into Qianling.
Outside the Qianling Mausoleum, there is an iron gate about ten feet high, which seals the entrance. There are also iron chains and heavy locks. When Hong Jun was about to throw his knife, Cheng Xiao hurriedly said, "I'll borrow the key."
Ashinaqiong signaled no need, inserted the flying knife in his hand into the keyhole, back and forth a few times, only to hear a continuous sound from the lock, and finally it opened with a "click".
The Qianling Mausoleum was pitch-black, and there was a faint wind blowing from the corridor. The wind carried the smell of the drunken corpse, and it became more and more obvious as he walked in. Hong Jun asked in a low voice, "Light the lamp?"
"No." Li Jinglong replied, "No need to do anything."
He took out a small box, buzzing inside, three fireflies flew up and flew into the dark corridor.
With so many people and Li Jinglong around, Hong Jun was not as suspicious as before, but he still couldn't help approaching Li Jinglong. Li Jinglong consciously stood in front of him.
"Either you go out first?" Li Jinglong asked.
"No." Hong Jun replied.
Cheng Xiao looked back at Hong Jun with a surprised look. Under the light, Hong Jun felt a little strange and asked, "What's wrong?"
Cheng Xiao didn't answer, everyone walked into the hall along the corridor, Hong Jun was sweating, very nervous. The location of the underground palace in the tomb is intricate, like a huge underground labyrinth.
The Qianling Mausoleum was built in the pattern of Chang'an City, with an outer city on the outside and an imperial city on the inside. There are also a large number of iron-cast tomb guards standing on both sides. Among them, there are countless three-color and sacrificial objects.
The place where the emperor sacrificed usually only ends here, and there is another door up there. Behind the door is the coffin of Li Zhi and Wu Zetian.
"Continue to drive?" Ashinaqiong asked.
The sound was especially abrupt here, Li Jinglong hurriedly raised his hand to stop it, and looked up, there was a ventilation hole in the high part of the tomb, Li Jinglong said to the carp demon: "Zhao Zilong, please go in and have a look."
Hong Jun threw the carp demon up, and the carp demon grasped the edge of the tomb, wagging its tail and slipped in, while everyone waited outside.
"Nothing." The carp demon replied, "There are only two coffins, but there is a strong smell of alcohol inside."
Li Jinglong glanced at the gate of the tomb, and said in a deep voice, "Go."
Cheng Xiao wanted to say more, but Li Jinglong signaled that there is no need to say more, and everyone went out of the tomb, Li Jinglong said to Cheng Xiao: "You go back to Dali Temple, and now the Exorcist Division takes over the case, so that Master Huang doesn't have to worry about it, so that you don't have to send it in vain. The life of the yamen servant."
"But..." Cheng Xiao seemed rather embarrassed.
"There's nothing wrong with it." Li Jinglong said seriously, then motioned to the yamen servant in the distance, and winked at the carp demon. The carp demon passed by, and not long after, when the yamen servant sneezed, the carp demon rushed back quickly.
Cheng Xiao sized up Li Jinglong, but finally had to give up. Li Jinglong then ordered the Lingwei outside to send the dead body back to Chang'an and hand it over to Dali Temple for burial. Ashinaqiong said, "Meet?"
"No." Li Jinglong said, "Back to Chang'an, Ashinaqiong, can you draw symbols? Just draw something outside."
Ashinaqiong drew a Zoroastrian Martial God symbol to reassure the Lingwei. Li Jinglong explained to them that there will be no more hauntings in the future, so don't worry, and then left with everyone.
The three of them returned to Chang'an with a fish, and they had made an appointment to meet at the restaurant, but Li Jinglong went into the Exorcism Division alone. Hong Jun was about to enter the hall, but Li Jinglong grabbed his collar.
"Change into casual clothes." Li Jinglong ordered.
Hong Jun: "???"
Hong Jun was only wearing a linen shirt, and Li Jinglong had to put it on after he said it. After a while, the three of them arrived in the backyard, and Li Jinglong climbed over the courtyard wall lightly and went to the neighbor's house.
Next door to the Exorcist Division is the Shenling Mansion in the suburbs of Chang'an, which is in charge of the approval of farming fields in the Guanzhong Plain and under the jurisdiction of Chang'an. It is also a Qingshui yamen on weekdays, except that spring and autumn are a little more lively, approving documents. Do the math. Several civil servants usually had nothing to worry about, and they were all bored in the official mansion. After the three of them landed, Li Jinglong pushed open the back door of Shenling Mansion and made a detour.
Turning round and round, the three of them mingled with the people out of the city, and left Chang'an again. Li Jinglong asked Qian to rent a donkey cart from the people outside the city, and headed for Fenghuang Mountain in the northwest.
"Where are you going?" Hong Jun sat on the donkey cart and thought it was quite fun, but he didn't know what Li Jinglong was up to.
"It's useless to hide." Ashinaqiong said, "If you really want to spy on us, you can still tell by changing your clothes."
"I bet they won't see it." Li Jinglong replied, "It's always a gamble."
"Who is watching us?" Hong Jun asked.
"The subordinates of Xie Prison." Li Jinglong said, "If I were him, I would definitely stare at us every day."
"Where are you going now?" Hong Jun asked again.
"Dingling." Li Jinglong replied.
Dingling Mausoleum is the tomb of Emperor Zhongzong Li Xian. In comparison, Li Longji was obviously closer to Li Xian. After Li Xian passed away, the tombs were the most luxurious among all the tombs. Ashina Qiong said: "How many more tombs are there?"
"Xianling Mausoleum." Li Jinglong replied, "Inside is Gaozong; in Qiaoling, there is Ruizong."
Counting Wu Zhao before Li Longji, there are six in total. However, Wu Zhao and Li Zhi were buried together, and there are five imperial tombs. They are Xian, Zhao, Qian, Ding and Qiao, all located on the mountains around Chang'an. Hong Jun probably understood that Li Jinglong planned to sit back and wait.
"Five imperial tombs." Li Jinglong said, "I don't know why, but I always feel that something is going to happen. Now that the prison has started, it is now blatant to lure us there."
"Not necessarily." Ashinaqiong replied, "It's still a guess, what if the prison is not smart?"
Not long after, the three of them arrived at Dingling, and Li Jinglong said, "Ashi Naqiong, you unlock the lock for us first, then go to Qiaoling and join Artest, so we will be divided into three teams."