Capture the Jade:

The man stared at Lin Chengyou without saying a word.

"Are you wondering where you are showing your secrets?" Lin Chengyou gripped the silver chain tightly, and said with a smile.

There is a blue window and a bright moon behind him, and the night wind pours in through the window, blowing the oil lamp on the table flickering.

"In all fairness, you did a perfect job." Lin Chengyou said, "The matter between Qingzhi and Yao Huang is dead and unconfirmed, a sachet can't explain anything, there is no trace of Luoyang's Xiaoyao Sanren, and even the Rotten Heart Grass is replaced by Gejin You are blamed. As long as you clean the small Buddhist hall, all the evidence will be wiped out, and after a few days you walk out of the Caifeng Tower, no one will know what you have done."

The silver chain rang softly, and the man seemed to have just come to his senses, while stroking the sore spot on his chest, he coughed: "Cough, cough, cough... I can't understand a word of the prince's words, I just broke in by mistake just to avoid disaster..."

Teng Yuyi hid behind Lin Chengyou, but her eyes kept paying attention to the man's demeanor and behavior. After hearing this, she smiled slightly: "Having worn the mask for a long time, have you almost forgotten your true colors?"

The man's throat got stuck.

"When you attacked me, you shot so fiercely." Teng Yu looked at the opponent calmly, "From the perspective of palm style and speed, your kung fu is not below the five ways of Dongming Temple. As long as Lin Chengyou comes in a little Later, my life will be in your hands."

The man's expression became more and more terrified: "No, Mr. Wang, is there some misunderstanding? I mistook you for Juanerli just now. I wanted to say hello to you, but I didn't understand what was going on. I was **** by the prince, you see you are doing well now, if I want to hurt someone—"

The people in the room were buzzing: "There are all the witnesses and material evidence, how dare you quibble—"

Lin Chengyou raised his hand to signal the people around him to be quiet: "I was just thinking about whether you would confess your crime quickly. It seems that I was overthinking it. How could a murderer who has gone mad, bow his head and admit his mistake? Since you are confident, I also There is patience, if you refuse to speak, I will speak for you."

As he spoke, he raised his voice and said, "Bring the things in."

Immediately, two yamen servants came in with trays in their hands.

When the man caught a glimpse of the contents in the tray, his expression changed subtly.

The plate on the left is a stack of scarlet women's skirts, and the right is a Taoist priest's black robe and gauze cap.

Lin Chengyou picked up Zhu Hongru's skirt and glanced at the man: "Actually, until tonight, I wasn't sure whether you wanted to kill Juan'erli or Eji, because both of them had bumped into something they shouldn't have bumped into. Everything has the possibility of being killed by you, if you guessed correctly, the female ghost that Eji saw outside the small Buddhist hall that night was you, right?"

The man's eyes were rippling.

Lin Chengyou stared at each other with a smile: "You went to the small Buddhist hall late at night to set up an array to harm people. Unexpectedly, you were bumped into by E Ji. She saw you wearing a vermilion skirt and mistaken you for a female ghost. With your cautious temperament, you shouldn't let Eji go, why didn't you kill her in the end?"

The man looked dazed and shook his head in a daze.

"If you don't tell me, then I'll just guess casually." Lin Chengyou touched his chin, "Eji is a talkative person. After hitting a ghost, she told people about her experience everywhere, and soon everyone knew about Xiaofotang. There are female ghosts haunting, if you act right now, it will be hard to prevent people from linking Eji's death with the small Buddhist hall. The greater risk, it is better to stand still. Other than that—"

"You are very sure that Eji will not recognize you." Lin Chengyou looked at the opponent's figure, "The female ghost was wearing a skirt, and when she left, she was as light as the wind. That would be you. That day I told Eji that the female ghost might be the murderer, and asked her to recall the appearance of the female ghost. Although she became suspicious, she never thought about you. I think it's because you are quite good at disguise. Great. Second, in her heart, you are not only as cowardly as a mouse, but also very clumsy in stature. How could a light female ghost be you? Killing one more person means taking an extra risk. Since she suspects If it's not on you, it's better to let her go temporarily, am I right?"

The man squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying: "My lord, the more I listen, the more confused I become. I can't understand a word of the female ghost and the red skirt."

"Don't understand?" Lin Chengyou sneered, and casually picked up another Taoist robe on the tray, "Then let's talk about this."

He lifted his collar and shook it, and the pale yellow black robe hung down. At first glance, it seemed that the robe was extremely wide, and only tall and strong people could wear it.

"Does it look familiar to you?" Lin Chengyou said with a smile, "This is based on the clothing of that Xiaoyao Sanren. It is said that this humane skill is quite good, and the small Buddhist hall was built under his guidance. Strange. Few people in the building have seen such an important guest with their own eyes. I asked all the prostitutes and temple guests in the building, and no more than fifteen people claimed to have seen Xiaoyao Sanren, one of them was Juanerli, and Not only did she meet in Caifeng Tower, but she also met Xiaoyao Sanren once afterwards."

His voice paused: "On the eighth day of last month, Juanerli went to Bodhi Temple to burn incense. When he came out, he was resting on the side of the road. He accidentally saw Xiaoyao Sanren passing by the door. This Taoist priest had been missing for a long time and suddenly appeared in Chang'an. It’s hard to avoid making people feel strange, Juan’erli told Baozhu about it when he came back, but Eji and Qingzhi overheard it, and this matter finally reached your ears, giving you the idea of ​​killing Juan’erli.”

The flesh on the man's face seemed to be frozen, and his expression remained motionless.

Lin Chengyou said again: "Actually, I couldn't figure it out at first. Didn't I just see Xiaoyao Sanren, so why did I invite murder? In order to understand this, I went to the Bodhi Temple on purpose, and found that In addition to the Husi Tavern, there is also a jewelry shop in that place, and after asking, I found out that Qingzhi bought a lot of precious jewelry in the shop with a few ingots of gold that day, and her money was extorted from you."

The man coughed violently and waved his hands while coughing, with the word "wronged" written all over his face.

"Are you trying to say, what Juerli saw was a free and unrestrained man, why did it come to you again?" Lin Chengyou sneered and put the Taoist robe back on the tray, and picked up a portrait underneath, "It's because of the rebirth In the end, there is no such thing as a free and unrestrained person, and this Taoist priest has always been pretended by you."

As soon as these words came out, there was a thunder in everyone's ears.

"This, how is this possible?"

Lin Chengyou glanced at the angry-eyed Taoist priest in the portrait: "From this portrait alone, who would have thought that you were the Taoist priest? You also know that you are very good at disguise, and you deliberately pretended to be Taoist priest when you were following Qingzhi." Xiaoyao Sanren, at that time you already had the idea of ​​killing Qingzhi, because she repeatedly blackmailed you, instead of doing it in the Caifeng Tower, you might as well find a secluded place on the street and kill her, the prostitutes in the building on the eighth day They asked for leave and went out, Qingzhi was no exception, you thought it was a good opportunity, so you followed Qingzhi, but Juanerli saw this scene.

"Juan'erli didn't know that you were following Qingzhi, because she only saw you dressed as a casual person, but didn't see Qingzhi in the crowd, but you were always suspicious and worried about what she would think of. Qingzhi must die Undoubtedly, if Juan'erli remembered that Qingzhi had been followed by Xiaoyao Sanren before his death, the authorities would definitely be suspicious, and if they were to find Xiaoyao Sanren, many things would be hidden."

Speaking of this, Lin Chengyou threw the scroll back on the tray: "You know very well in your heart that the Xiaoyao Sanren are nothing, and you can't stand the investigation at all. When you appeared in Caifeng Tower pretending to be Xiaoyao Sanren, you were nothing more than trying to borrow Taoism The name of the small Buddhist hall was built. The name of the small Buddhist hall is to suppress evil, but it is actually a place for performing sorcery."

The man couldn't maintain his expression anymore, his sleeves were still covering his lips, but he forgot to cough for a long time.

The smile in Lin Chengyou's eyes deepened: "As for why you chose this place, it is because the famous Qimang guides the way and there are various restrictions. The first rule is that you can only deploy at the place where the deceased dies. Died in the building, you can only detain their souls if you do it here, am I right, Peng Dalang."

The wick exploded, and the candlelight illuminated a layer of white oily light on He Mingsheng's forehead. He looked at Lin Chengyou quietly, his eyes seemed to be a pool of still water.

Lin Chengyou's eyes were complicated: "If I'm not wrong, before you murdered the couple, you had already planned to use Qimang to guide the road seals to torture them. Not long after the two died, you deliberately attracted many ghosts to the building , the local people heard that this building is not clean, so how dare they pay for it, and when the time is right, you can pretend to be a businessman from Luoyang to buy this building. You are spreading sorcery, so naturally you can't find a real Taoist priest to come forward. So while you are repairing, you are pretending to look for an expert."

He paused, and sneered: "On a certain day, you will appear as a free and unrestrained person, and as an expert, you will guide the craftsmen to build a small Buddhist hall according to your wishes. Gao Ming, the false mothers have staring eyes like hooks, you are afraid that they will find something wrong with you, so you intentionally dismiss them before you come, so there are only a handful of people in the building who have seen Xiaoyao Sanren."

"I said—" He Mingsheng said abruptly, "How did you find out that there is a seven-pointed guide seal in the small Buddhist hall?"

Teng Yuyi's scalp tingled. It's strange to say that this person's appearance has not changed, but his demeanor and tone seem to have changed into another person in an instant. Possessive, unhurried when speaking, as if there are huge waves hidden under the calm voice.

When she entered the building a few days ago, she accidentally saw the account book in He Mingsheng's hand. She remembered that she was surprised at that time that a businessman who was only interested in profit could write good handwriting. The work of the day.

In fact, if you want to avoid arousing suspicion, it is best to even cover up this point, but He Mingsheng is not like this. It can be seen that even if this person is used to pretending everywhere, there is still something deep in his heart that he does not want to give up.

"It's okay to tell you." Lin Chengyou took out a seal and tossed it in his hand, "My two younger brothers found a little mark on the floor tiles, which looked like the first seal of Qimang guiding the way. After checking, I suspected that someone had practiced Fa in the Small Buddha Hall."

He Mingsheng nodded slowly: "So it's this one. That brick is hidden in the corner under the incense case, and the mark is shallow. I thought I'd find someone to replace it in a few days, but I didn't have time."

Lin Chengyou said: "You are already cautious enough. Judging from the tragic situation of the Tian couple's ghosts, you have been torturing them for some time, and you have done so many times, leaving only one flaw. My two juniors cleaned all night, so it might be difficult to find it. But when it comes to this, Boss He still doesn't understand, compared to this mark, another omission is the most deadly."

He Mingsheng bowed his hands calmly: "I also ask your son to advise you."

Lin Chengyou smiled slightly: "When a few craftsmen were working, they accidentally smashed the depth you stipulated. They were afraid that they would not get paid, so they didn't tell you about it. You didn't know that there was a hundred years hidden underneath. The big formation has never taken any preventive measures. It will be too late when the second monster escapes from the formation half a year later. It is precisely because I want to catch the monster that I will live in the Caifeng Building. If the person who investigates the case is not me, you With all kinds of means, the truth may never surface."

He Mingsheng looked a little regretful: "It's just that Peng has devoted himself to cultivating sorcery all these years. His cultivation on the righteous path is too shallow. If he had discovered that there were other demons hidden in the bottom, maybe I would wait until I subdue the two monsters before doing it." , as long as you avoid this for a while, you won't arouse the prince's suspicion."

Lin Chengyou looked at He Mingsheng meaningfully: "Actually, you hid your face well enough. None of your neighbors recognized your appearance, but it's not surprising. Your nose has been damaged. You have been seriously injured and disfigured, and your figure is not the same as before."

He Mingsheng: "I asked why I was suddenly called to the garden in the afternoon. It turned out that the prince specially found someone to identify me."

"Have you killed so many people, and you have never regretted it?"

He Mingsheng smiled lightly: "No."

"It's fine for you to have an enmity with the Tian family, why did you kill Qingzhi and Yao Huang?"

He Mingchang sighed: "They have broken their minds, and they are harming people even if they live. Instead of causing more people to suffer in the future, it is better for me to get rid of this pair of evils."

Lin Chengyou felt that this was very fresh, so he folded his arms and said, "Oh? How do you say this."

"Yao Huang ruined Gejin's appearance just because of jealousy, isn't it bad enough? Qingzhi conspired with her elder sister to harm her, she knows her, isn't it bad enough? After she peeped into my secret, she took the opportunity to blackmail me, isn't it bad enough "He Mingsheng shook his head and sighed, "Ge Jin moaned day and night after his disfigurement, but Yao Huang and Qingzhi showed no regrets at all. Their thoughts are so sinister at such a young age, and they will only become more vicious in pursuit of profit in the future."

Lin Chengyou: "So you already knew they were the ones who killed Gejin?"

The corners of He Mingsheng's mouth were tightly pursed: "There is nothing in this building that can be hidden from me."

"How did Qingzhi blackmail you?"

"Then it's a long story." He Mingsheng shook his sleeves.

He Mingsheng has been looking for the whereabouts of the Tians and his wife for many years, from the south to the north, he spent a lot of painstaking efforts, and his hard work paid off. About a year ago, he finally found out the whereabouts of the Tians and his wife.

One day, he disguised himself as a businessman and went to Caifeng Building to buy cloth. It happened that the Tians were not in the store, so he asked the store clerk about the daily life of the Tians. A servant accidentally spilled tea on his shoe.

At the beginning of autumn, He Mingsheng was only wearing a pair of soft thread shoes on his feet, and the cup of hot tea burned all the way to his insteps through the uppers of the shoes.

He Ming couldn't bear the pain, so he hurriedly got up and left. The clerk next to him was so frightened that he didn't know what to do, so he had to tell the matter to Rong Shi who was behind him. New socks for guests.

He Mingsheng only said that there is no need to hire a medical worker. After receiving the socks, he left without even changing his shoes.

After coming out, he cautiously walked to a secluded corner to take off his shoes and change his socks, but he didn't know that this scene was seen by Mrs. Rong upstairs.

Because he was worried about offending the distinguished guests, Mrs. Rong had been upstairs to pay attention to the conditions of the distinguished guests when they went out. Unexpectedly, she saw a red birthmark the size of a bowl on the back of He Mingsheng's foot, and she was stunned.

Ms. Rong is from Yuezhou. Before she came to Chang'an, she lived in Taozhi Ferry in Yuezhou. In her memory, the ferry is a good place for recreation. The young ladies came to play together. Among the young gentlemen, there was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old gentleman who was the strangest. He didn't go into the water when he came, but just sat on the shore with a book in his hands.

Ms. Rong heard everyone call that person a "Peng family bookworm", and said that he will go to Chang'an to take the exam in the future. Such a person may become a minister in the future, how can he play with the common people? There is a lot of chatter, anyway, they can say anything.

Peng Jia Dalang let his friends make fun of him, and read on his own. Once someone pushed Peng Jiada Lang into the water by tricks. The first thing Peng Jiada Lang did after swimming up was not to scold people, but to look around for shoes. When he found the shoes, he smiled and put them on his feet. , although the movement was surprisingly fast, Rong Shi still saw the birthmark on his foot.

The birthmark back then was exactly the same as the one on the businessman's foot downstairs, and even the way he hid to the side and put on his shoes was exactly the same.

Rong's whole body went cold with fright, because she couldn't possibly see this man in Chang'an.

The life of the eldest son of the Peng family is very hard. Ten years ago, he was murdered together with his parents and sister.

Moreover, the Peng family is as thin as a bamboo pole, but the figure of the businessman in front of him is extremely fat, from facial features to demeanor, there is almost no similarity. But Rong still felt something was wrong, could there be such a similar birthmark in the world?

Just when Rong was wondering, Qingzhi came to the store to look for her. Qingzhi had been trying to find out her sister's whereabouts for the past few years.

Ms. Rong asked Qingzhi if she knew what happened to the Peng family back then. Although Qingzhi was also from Yuezhou, she had always lived in Lefang. When she heard Rong's description of the tragic situation of the Peng family, she smiled and said she did not know.

Not long after, Rong went to a nearby fruit store to buy preserved apricots for Rong, and unexpectedly saw He Mingsheng in the crowd again, she hurriedly asked Qingzhi beside him if she had seen this man, Qingzhi naturally said no.

With such a delay, Rong Shi and Qingzhi bought back the preserved apricots later than usual, Qi Shi insulted Rong Shi, Qing Zhi foolishly defended Rong Shi, saying that Rong Shi did not intend to stay away, but saw an old friend , and said that the man's surname was Peng, who was also from Yuezhou.

Qi's complexion changed at that time, and she wanted to ask Qingzhi after she pulled her. Afraid of Qi's beating and scolding, Rong scolded Qingzhi for talking nonsense. The owner’s surname is Cheng, but this family came to Chang’an more than 20 years ago. Mrs. Rong lied that she saw Mrs. Cheng on the road, and managed to get away with it in front of Mrs. Qi. leave.

From then on, the Qi family intensified the beating and scolding of the Rong family. Not long after, the Rong family committed suicide by jumping into a well because of Qi's humiliation.

He Mingsheng knew nothing about the relationship between Rong and Qingzhi. He murdered Tian and his wife as he wished, and bought Caiboxing a few months later.

On the day Caibo Xing turned into Caifenglou, Wo Ji brought her daughters to seek refuge. Qingzhi was crowded in the crowd, and she recognized He Mingsheng at a glance. According to Rong, this man named Peng Dalang The man died ten years ago, but this man not only appeared in Chang'an, but also called himself He Mingsheng.

Qingzhi thought that Rong's memory was wrong, but she couldn't help but pay attention to He Mingsheng's every move.

Didn't find anything wrong for several months, until one day last month, Qingzhi was ordered to deliver things to He Mingsheng's room, just in time for He Mingsheng to check the account books with the purchaser. When swiping the pen to sign the money, I accidentally wrote the wrong word.

In the place where "He" should have been written in the account book, "Peng" was actually written. Even though He Mingsheng kept his face and changed it quickly, Qingzhi was still surprised. No matter how confused a person is, he will never misspell his real name. Could it be that Mrs. Rong is not mistaken, the master is really the big man of the Peng family.

In order to further confirm her guess, Qingzhi began to create opportunities. Once when she met He Mingsheng in the corridor, she suddenly called out: "Peng Dalang."

As expected, He Mingsheng's complexion changed immediately.

Qingzhi pretended to say the wrong thing and left in a hurry, but her heart was full of joy. Afterwards, whenever He Mingsheng was present, she would mention Rong's family intentionally or unintentionally, not only Rong's family, but also Yuezhou.

At that time, He Mingsheng was secretly deploying an array to deal with the souls of the Tians and his wife, and he never expected that Qingzhi would pop out at this time.

There is a saying that "If you want others to not know, unless you do nothing yourself", I thought everything was perfect, but God made a joke with him. What a person has done will eventually be revealed in a way that is unexpected.

He Mingsheng began to deal with Qingzhi, but found that she didn't know much, and the girl's words alone were far from proving that he was Peng Dalang. An excuse to drive Qingzhi out.

Qingzhi seemed to have seen through He Mingsheng's plan, and when he had someone call her to the front building for questioning, he asked him a question face to face: "My lord, do you know the Qi family?"

She said that she was not surprised that Mrs. Rong remembered about the Peng family, but she was only surprised by Mrs. Qi's reaction when she heard "Mr. Peng from Yuezhou" a year ago. Mrs. Qi was obviously not from Yuezhou, so why was she so panicked.

"My lord, you always went to Caibo Xing at that time, did you also know Qi? Everyone said her death was a bit weird, should I tell the government about it?"

He Mingsheng understood on the spot that this Qingzhi was a born blackmailer. Although she didn't know the whole story, she relied on a keen intuition to see the darkest part of his heart.

At that moment, He Mingsheng made up his mind to get rid of Qingzhi, and he gave Qingzhi a few ingots of gold as he said, but he began to follow her behind his back, looking for an opportunity to attack her, when the second monster rushed out.

"After you lived in Caifenglou, Qingzhi felt that she had something to rely on, so she began to blackmail me twice." She thought I didn't dare to act rashly, but unexpectedly, I had secretly cast a spell on her. When I asked her out that night, she probably thought that the well was near the small Buddhist hall, so I didn't dare to do anything to her, so I am relieved to go to the well."

"When a person is greedy to the extreme, he will often show a stupid face." He sighed, "If Qingzhi keeps extorting me harder, maybe I will let her go. Unfortunately, if there is no if, she deserves death. As for her destructive A beautiful sister, it is not a pity to die."

He made a conclusion calmly, with an ordinary tone as if he was talking about the rain last night.

"So that's what happened." Lin Chengyou murmured.

He raised his eyes and looked at He Mingsheng: "If you leave Chang'an after killing the Tian couple, there will be no troubles, but for you, taking the lives of the Tian couple doesn't seem to be enough to vent your heart Hate."

The corner of He Mingsheng's mouth twitched almost invisibly.

"You hate them very much." Lin Chengyou observed every change on his face, "Especially Qi, if I'm not wrong, she is your aunt."

He Mingsheng's figure flickered, and a strong hatred shot out from his eyes, and his originally calm face was instantly full of murderous aura.

He laughed sinisterly: "'I am a dog, not worthy of living."

Every time he uttered a word, a satisfied look appeared on his face.

"My biggest regret these years is that I let these two beasts live an extra ten, three months and twenty days."

Lin Chengyou didn't induce He Mingsheng to speak anymore, but just looked at him quietly.

He Mingsheng stood motionless, as if lost in memory, sharp edges and corners appeared on his cheeks, obviously he was clenching his teeth tightly.

Suddenly, he seemed to have remembered a certain episode, the originally ferocious facial features loosened, and a desolate look slowly appeared on his face.

When he spoke again, there was more bitterness in his calm voice.

"My surname is Peng." He looked up at Lin Chengyou quietly, "My original name is Peng Yugui."

Lin Chengyou was taken aback for a moment, then smiled lightly and said, "'A piece of jade from Kunshan, a branch from Guilin', a good name."

"You made me laugh." Peng Yugui smiled wryly, "Peng's grandpa took it. He hoped that one day I would win Gui Panchan, so he even took my name from it. I also have a younger sister, The younger sister's name is Baojiao, which was also chosen by my grandfather. 'Baojiao' naturally means the love of my heart."

His brows trembled slightly, and he closed his eyes suddenly, but the tears were uncontrollable at all, and fell down silently.

Lin Chengyou had mixed feelings in his heart, and when he suddenly heard the rustling of the fabric behind him, he realized that Teng Yuyi seemed to be touched.

"My grandfather is a sour literati." Peng Yugui slowly opened his eyes, his expression a little numb, "After studying books all his life, he failed in the end. In the eyes of the world, he is obviously not very promising, but we all know that, He is a good old man. It is said that it is a village school, and the grandpa accepts all the children from poor families. When it comes to the end of the school, more than half of the children can't afford the money, but the grandpa doesn't care. I still devote myself to teaching, and I have opened a private school for several years, and I can’t make ends meet every year.

"My aunt never seemed to know how to complain. In order to supplement the family, she made needlework and washed clothes for others all day long. She saved some money on weekdays and used it to feed our brothers and sisters. The surplus is slow. The time was running out, and the days became more and more difficult. Grandpa felt sorry for Auntie, so he closed the private school cruelly. He heard that fishing could make a living, so he wrote calligraphy and painting for others during the day, and secretly went to learn to fish in the middle of the night. "

He smiled bitterly: "Even if we live in poverty, the family is always happy and harmonious. There are many rich families in the ferry, but my sister and I have never envied other people's children. My mother is the best at doing it." Lengtao' (Note 1), every summer, she twists the leaves of locust trees into juice and noodles, puts the noodles in the well water, and then mixes them with vegetarian sauce for us to eat. Lengtao Biyingying , My sister and I can eat a big bowl. After wiping the corners of my sister’s mouth, A Niang smiled and wiped it for me. My grandfather wants me to study hard. As long as he is free, he will teach me to write stroke by stroke. I have learned it, and I will teach my sister."

Peng Yugui spread his palms, tears glistened in his eyes, and the calluses on his knuckles were still there, which were the marks left by his hard training. His father and mother left him nothing in the world, except for these calluses on his hands.

In these years, he was reluctant to put down the pen in his hand, because he was afraid that time would wear away the calluses. If this also disappeared, the last thought left to him by his parents would be gone.

"I am eleven years older than my sister. On the day before she died, she just learned the word 'er'. I wrote her name on the paper and told her: You are Baojiaoer. She wrote A whole picture of the word 'er', laughing and running around the room." As Peng Yugui spoke, a gentle color appeared on his face, which made his face look a lot calmer.

The people in the room listened intently, and no one had the heart to interrupt Peng Yugui.

"There was a year when Grandpa rescued a wealthy businessman, and our family's life was much easier. The wealthy businessman was superstitious about divination. After being rescued by Grandpa, he said that it was his year of great calamity, 'at least he lost his fortune. If you are serious, you will lose your life'. Only when you meet a noble person can you save your life from danger. He firmly believes that my grandfather is his noble person, so he insisted on giving him fifty ingots of gold. According to his previous temperament, he would never accept such a gift. It was a huge sum of money, but maybe it was because the family had lived too hard these years, or maybe it was because of my future future, but in the end he took it. It was the fifty ingots that attracted the pair of wolves."

Peng Yugui clenched her fists tightly, her face suddenly gloomy.

"People often say that 'accumulating virtues will accumulate benevolence, and accumulating evils will lead to disasters'. Do good, because 'good and evil will be rewarded in the end'." He sneered, "But I think these words are purely deceptive, because I A good person like Ye Niang has not escaped the cruelty of the wicked, but wolves like Tian Yunde and Qi Cuie have lived a good life for so many years."

Speaking of indignation, he couldn't help but grab the neckline and touched the cold silver chain around his neck, only to realize that he had fallen into the hands of the government.

He was dazed for a moment, then raised his head and laughed loudly, his laughter was intermittent and dry, endlessly ironic, he laughed for a long time, his voice gradually sank, and finally turned into a sneer in his nasal cavity.

He said blankly: "My aunt is a nostalgic person. Since she settled in Yuezhou, she often asked Grandpa to write letters for her to the eldest sister and youngest sister in Guanzhong. Tian Yunde and Qi Cuie were doing well at that time Not too bad, but I replied to a few letters here and there. A few years later, there was a famine in Guanzhong, and the pair of wolves couldn't survive in their hometown, so they came out to seek refuge with their relatives. The elder sister of the Qi family died of illness the first year. They had to go to Yuezhou.

"Auntie was very happy to receive the letter, and hurriedly packed a dormitory. One evening after more than a month, Tian Yunde and Qi Cui'e went ashore with the refugees. My grandfather picked them up at the ferry and took the Lead the jackals to our village on the mountain."

Peng Yugui said while recalling the situation at that time, the resentment slowly rose from his chest, and his face became more ferocious.

When the Tian couple arrived, they were surprised by the wealth of their family. When the family welcomed them that night, Tian Yunde took advantage of his grandfather's drunkenness to deliberately slander them.

When the couple heard that the Peng family had obtained such a huge sum of money out of thin air, they were extremely greedy. After staying for a few days, Qi Cui'e said that she planned to settle here, and would make a living selling rouge in the future, but she had no money left, so she wanted to borrow some money from her sister and brother-in-law first.

Grandpa lent ten ingots of gold to Tian Yunde without further ado, but the Tians and his wife made an inch of their progress, so they made up their minds about the rest of the gold.

I remember that Tian Yunde started to persuade Grandpa to do business with them that night, saying that he could see clearly on the way to the south that Guanzhong lacks the most good color. Jinggui wants to be happy, once the business is done, he will not have to worry about food and clothing in the future. It's just that there are too many people doing this business. If you want to stand out from the crowd, you must invest a lot of money.

Grandfather knew nothing about business, so he flatly refused. Tian Yunde and Qi Cuie didn't give up, they dragged Grandpa to drink more ecstasy soup, but Grandpa just refused to nod.

Two days later, it coincided with Qi Cui'e's birthday, Tian Yunde and Qi Cui'e said they were locked up on the mountain all day after they came, today is a rare opportunity, if they want to go down the mountain, they don't know what good places to go in Yuezhou.

Recalling this, deep regret appeared in Peng Yugui's eyes.

At that time, he was only sixteen years old. In his eyes, his uncle was warm and kind, and his aunt was straightforward and aggressive. In addition, he came from afar, so he naturally felt close to them. There is a lotus dock, why not row a boat to pick lotus at night.

The younger sister clapped her hands and yelled with joy, and the grandfather had no objection, so the mother happily prepared a lot of food and wine, and the family took a boat to see the lotus in the evening.

Unexpectedly, Tian Yunde and Qi Cui'e talked about their partnership in business again.

Grandfather flatly refused, saying that the Peng family would never do business.

Peng Yugui was playing with his younger sister on the side of the boat. Hearing this, he knew that Grandpa was worried that doing business would ruin his son's future.

The imperial court has always placed many restrictions on the sons of merchants when they took office (Note 2). Once the Peng family becomes a merchant and merchant, it is likely to affect his future scientific research.

Tian Yunde and Qi Cui'e persuaded him for a while, but Grandpa refused to agree. Seeing the sullen look on Grandpa's face, the Tian couple had no choice but to stop talking.

Aniang was afraid that the family would become too tense, so she hurriedly persuaded them to drink, but not long after, Qi Cui'e started another topic, saying that since her brother-in-law is unwilling to do business with them, why not introduce the giant who donated money to them for them? Jia.

Wealthy businessmen are rich and powerful in the local area, and if a little scum leaks from the cracks of their hands, it is enough for the couple to manage the business. Of course, my brother-in-law had to come forward for this matter. My brother-in-law is the savior of the wealthy businessman. As long as he asks, the wealthy businessman will definitely agree.

Grandpa was furious, saying that they took him for someone else, and that they could just do this kind of destructive thing by themselves, so as not to hurt the Peng family's reputation.

Qi Cui'e's smile froze on her face. She hated her grandpa's indifference in her heart, but after being scolded by him, her voice became louder. Saying that grandpa is not willing to do this or that, it is clear that he dislikes the poor and loves the rich. If it weren't for seeing them poor, grandpa would probably have another face. The more he said the words, the more ugly they sounded, every sentence stabbed at Grandpa's heart.

When they quarreled, Baojiao was so frightened that she cried. Peng Yugui wanted to hug her sister and walk away, but she was worried that the quarrel between her parents and uncles and aunts would become more violent.

Suddenly I heard Grandpa say in a fit of anger: If you treat him as a villain, why don't you even ask for the ten ingots of gold. While speaking, he protected A Niang to leave the cabin. As soon as the words fell, Tian Yunde suddenly stood up from the table, chased behind Grandpa with a few steps, and gave Grandpa a hard push.

Grandfather is thin and thin, but Tian Yunde is tall and majestic. The deck is already wet, but this time he exerted all his strength. Grandpa was off guard for a while, and fell forward, and his forehead happened to hit the board Raised iron locks.

A Niang screamed, Qi rushed out when she heard the sound, Tian Yunde seemed particularly puzzled, still cursing something.

Peng Yugui ran over to help Grandpa, only to find that Grandpa's head had been opened wide open, and the bright red blood flowed out, covering Grandpa's entire face in an instant, and breathed Grandpa's breath, Feeling weak and abnormal, his heart sank, and he said angrily: "Why are you hurting people?!"

Aniang also saw that Grandpa was not good, and began to cry: "Killer! Killer!"

Qi was frightened and froze, Tian Yunde also panicked, it was an act of anger, but he didn't expect to hurt people so seriously.

The boatman rushed over when he heard the sound, and was at a loss when he saw it: "Madam, do you want to report to the official?"

Aniang's hands were covered with blood, and she kept covering the wound on Grandpa's head with a handkerchief, and cried intermittently: "Hurry up, go back to the shore and find Huang Medical Worker, or Master may not survive if it's too late."

The boatman became more and more anxious: "Medical worker Huang went to the city to see a doctor, and he is not at the ferry for a few days. .”

Peng Yugui's heart was twisted into a ball, Grandpa's blood couldn't be stopped at all, let alone more than an hour, he would die in half an hour.

He said anxiously: "Go back to the shore first! Let's go!"

While they were talking, Qi was always looking nervous, but Tian Yunde's expression became more and more weird. The chains hit the boatman head-on.

The boatman was caught off guard and fell on his back. Tian Yunde rushed forward and made up the second, third and fourth blows...

Peng Yugui was stunned, the voice was muffled and unspeakable, like the sound of a drumstick beating a broken drum, when he realized that Tian Yunde's next target was himself, he hurriedly dragged A Niang back.

"You're crazy!" he trembled.

However, Tian Yunde was obviously red-eyed, and ran straight towards them.

Behind is the river, staying on the boat may not be able to beat Tian Yunde, the only way to escape is to dive, but Baojiao is still standing behind Tian Yunde, she is obviously frightened by this scene, crying loudly while rushing to A Niang and Peng Yugui opened her arms.

Just after this moment of hesitation, Tian Yunde had already rushed in front of him, and A Niang said sharply: "You crazy! Cui'e, tell him to stop!"

Peng Yugui lowered his shoulders, and bumped his head into Tian Yunde's chest, this time was urgent and heavy, Tian Yunde groaned in pain, and fell to the side suddenly.

Peng Yugui dragged A Niang past Tian Yunde, and ran to Baojiao in one breath, and was about to bend down to pick up her sister when the back of her head suddenly felt a sharp pain.

His brain exploded, Tian Yunde would not catch up so quickly, the only thing to do was——

A Niang said heartbreakingly: "You poisonous woman! I will fight with you!"

Qi Cui'e dragged her neck and yelled: "Tian Yunde, help me, she is going to bite me to death!"

Peng Yugui tried desperately to stand up, but his head seemed to weigh a thousand catties, the back of his head was wet and cold, and something hot was coming out, and he managed to get up, but his feet were too soft to stand up.

Aniang yelled sadly: "Da Lang, take Baojiao and run away!"

It was this roar that inspired the remaining strength in Peng Yugui's body. He stretched his arms forward, but he didn't care to look back, hugged his crying sister, and staggered up.

He has no choice now, he must find something convenient to fight back as soon as possible. With injuries on his body, the boat is still far away from the shore, and if they dive into the water, neither brother nor sister will survive.

He was staggering to find something like ironware, when he heard a familiar blunt sound from behind, thump-thump-thump-thump, every hit seemed to hit his brain.

Peng Yugui's heart convulsed violently, and Baojiao screamed in his ear, unable to tell whether it was fear or disgust, he casually grabbed a fragment of the hip flask that was broken at his feet, and yelled wildly: "I'm with you." You have worked hard!"

A Niang's head was covered with blood and flesh, but her arms were still tightly hugging Tian Yunde and Qi's feet, Peng Yugui's blood rushed to her head, and she slammed into Tian Yunde like a beast.

When even he was knocked down by Tian Yunde and Qi Cuie, the scene in front of him could not be seen clearly, and the pain on the bridge of his nose was unspeakable, like a broken bone.

In a trance, I feel Baojiao touching her face with her small hands, crying out of breath: "Brother, brother..."

Suddenly the pair of small hands left his face, and someone carried Baojiao away from his side.

Baojiao's legs thumped vigorously on top of his head, and she cried even louder.

Qi Cui'e panicked and said, "What to do, if this child keeps crying like this, he will attract people sooner or later."

Another person dragged Peng Yugui to the side of the boat, he barely raised his head, and said dying, "Please... let Baojiao go..."

The man didn't say a word, and Peng Yugui subconsciously clawed at the deck with his fingernails. Because the grip was too tight, ear-scratching noises were made along the way.

"She's still young..." he moaned, "...doesn't know anything..."

"Please, please let her go..."

"She won't, remember..."

Tian Yunde paused, seemingly hesitant.

Qi Cui'e realized that Tian Yunde was soft-hearted, and stammered: "Du, you've come to this point, what are you going crazy about, don't say that this kid already remembers things, just doesn't remember things, who doesn't know Baojiao around here ? Take this child with you, and everyone will know that we killed the Peng family. You, you, hurry up, I, I'm afraid."

Tian Yunde finally left Peng Yugui behind, got up and walked in the direction of Qi Cuie, Peng Yugui realized what Tian Yunde was going to do, twitched in fear, tried to hug Tian Yunde's foot, but he broke away easily.

Baojiao's crying became closer, Tian Yunde walked over with her in his arms.

She mourned and cried: "Brother...Brother..."

Peng Yugui was so terrified that he wanted to vomit, even if he died immediately, he would not be more desperate than this moment, he was like a dying fish flopping on the deck in vain, just begging Tian Yunde and Qi Cuie to have the last bit of conscience.

"Aunt..."

Baojiao seemed to have realized something, and her crying became louder and louder: "Brother!"

Peng Yugui tried her best, only hated that when she moved a little, a thick **** smell gushed out of her throat, how could a person who was seriously injured and dying, his body be controlled by consciousness, when he finally moved to Tian Yunde's feet Bian: "Please, let it go..."

Before he finished speaking, there was a plop, and Bao's tender and childish crying stopped abruptly.

There is a cool mist on the forehead, which is the splash of water.

Peng Yugui's ears fell silent, as if a sharp knife had been inserted into his heart, his internal organs were instantly shattered, and he fell into a complete madness.

He opened his mouth wide, and there was a gurgling sound in his throat. Every time he took a breath, his body trembled with pain. He howled silently, and crawled desperately towards the edge of the boat.

Baojiao is only five years old, and he shouted in his heart: God, please open your eyes, please give me a way to survive, take my life, as long as she survives.

Tian Yunde didn't seem to have expected that Peng Yugui would burst out with such strength all of a sudden, and hurried to catch up from behind. Before he could make another fatal blow to the back of Peng Yugui's head, Peng Yugui fell headfirst into the river.

When Peng Yugui regained consciousness, she found herself lying on the bank of an unfamiliar river, with stars shining above her head, and the sound of water waves rising and falling beside her ears. The mountains in the distance under the moonlight.

He twitched his body lightly, which immediately caused a severe headache.

Aren't you dead? He tried to identify where he was, the bridge of his nose and the back of his head hurt deeply, but his trunk was numb. He barely moved, only to find something in the crook of his left arm.

He straightened his neck and looked down, and through the starlight, he found that it was a black round wet head.

His heart sank, and he turned over with difficulty, only to realize that it was his younger sister Baojiao. He had no feeling in his arm, but he was still holding Baojiao tightly. Baojiao's body has been stiff for a long time, her small body is curled up in his arms, her face is so quiet, as if she was sleeping peacefully in A Niang's arms in the past.

Peng Yugui's lips began to tremble, and she hugged her sister's cold body tightly, crying heartbreakingly.

***

It was half a month after Peng Yugui woke up again. He was seriously injured and almost died. It was a young monk from a Buddhist temple on a nearby mountain who rescued him.

There are only two monks in the Buddhist temple, and the old monk is merciful, not only taking in Peng Yugui, but also burying Xiao Baojiao's body.

The two monks were pure in nature. Because they suspected that Peng Yugui was being hunted down by his enemies, they did not tell anyone about his whereabouts. up.

During his recuperation period, he heard about the appalling murder of the family intermittently.

The Tian couple escaped by chance, and all their money was looted. Peng Shusheng and his wife died so terribly, and there was no possibility of the Peng family brothers and sisters surviving.

The county government was snobbish and fatuous. Seeing that the victim was just a family of ordinary people, they didn't care much. After a month of investigations, they found no results, so they declared that the Peng family was killed by rebellious refugees, and hastily closed the case.

Peng Yugui listened numbly, knowing that even if he went to the government to appeal for grievances, the other party would only be perfunctory. However, as long as the Tian couple change their appearance, they may never be caught.

Peng Yugui couldn't afford to wait, he wanted to kill the pair of animals with his own hands. Afraid of revealing his whereabouts, he begged the old monk and the young novice to keep the secret for him, and the two agreed without hesitation, understanding his difficulty.

On the day of leaving the Buddhist temple, Peng Yugui stood dumbfoundedly in front of her sister's grave for a long time, took out the rattle she made in the temple, bent down and inserted it in front of her sister's grave.

After crying bitterly, he left the small lonely tomb in the green hills and green valleys, and went down the mountain step by step.

"In these years, I have been looking for the whereabouts of the Tians and his wife, and at the same time trying to make a living." Peng Yugui's eyes were bloodshot, "Not long after I left Yuezhou, I was lucky enough to meet a Luoyang businessman named He En He just lost his beloved son that year. Seeing that I was smart and honest, and had read some books, he recognized me as his adopted son and asked me to do business with him. During my stay in the He family, I met a strange man in the world. Seeing how capable that man is, I tried every means to worship him as a teacher, practiced hard for several years, and secretly acquired a whole body of magic. Five years ago, He En's health was deteriorating. Seeing that I am quite talented in business, I let him die before he died. My son’s name officially turned me into a child of the He family. Since then, I have changed my name to He Mingsheng.”

Lin Chengyou was in a complicated mood, so it was like this. When he sent someone to Luoyang to inquire about the details of "Xiaoyao Sanren", he also inquired about He Mingsheng's identity by the way, but judging from the household registration of the He family, He Mingsheng was not inappropriate at all. , because of this, he did not investigate further.

"It was two years ago when I found the Tian couple." The corners of Peng Yugui's mouth cracked into a devilish smile, "They didn't receive any retribution for doing such evil things, since God won't do it, so let me do it!"

Peng Yugui's broken nose was already disfigured, and he deliberately made himself fat these years. When he met Tian Yunde for the first time in the hostel outside Chang'an, Tian Yunde didn't recognize him at all.

He sat on the table next to him and listened to Tian Yunde chatting with his servants, only then did he know that Tian Yunde went to Yuezhou every year to buy Ling Ling. The beauty Tian Yunde met by accident at Taozhi Ferry.

Peng Yugui heard a few words, wishing to eat his flesh and lay his skin on the spot. It seems that because Tian Yunde didn't make a fatal blow that year, he was always uneasy. He went to Taozhi Ferry every year, just wanting to inquire about his whereabouts. Once it is known that he is still alive, he will definitely act first.

Following Tian Yunde for a few days, Peng Yugui successively recruited the most vicious ghosts nearby. Tian Yunde was haunted by all kinds of strange ghosts every night, and couldn't help talking nonsense.

After listening to Tian Yunde's nonsense, Peng Yugui knew that Tian Yunde was afraid of his wife because Qi Cui'e wrote down what they did in the past and hid it somewhere. If Tian Yunde dared to betray her, she would let everyone in the world know about him. What is it.

When Tian Yunde was tortured until he lost his mind, Peng Yugui asked Ji to write the **** "Peng" character on the bottom of Tian Yunde's cup. , fled back to Chang'an overnight, Tian Yunde never tired of eating and drinking all these years, he already got a head start, was hunted down by ghosts day and night, and died in less than two months.

After solving Tian Yunde, it was Qi Cui'e's turn, so there was Qi Cui'e's act of hanging herself, and then there was the confession letter full of "I am a dog".

"But how can it be enough to just kill them?" Peng Yugui's eyes slowly slid over everyone's faces, "Isn't it too cheap for them to die like this? If it were you, what would you do?!"

Everyone was silent because no one could give an answer. Lin Chengyou looked at Peng Yugui dumbly, his expression was far more complicated than usual.

Although Peng Yugui spoke in a questioning tone, he obviously had his own answer.

"Of course, these are far from enough. For me, the moment the Tian couple died is the beginning of revenge." Peng Yugui twitched her nostrils and laughed happily, "I will arrest the souls of this pair of jackals. Tormenting them every night, they knelt down in front of me like mud, begging me to spare them.

"I asked Tian Yunde why she refused to spare us back then? I grabbed Qi Cui'e by the hair and asked her if she had any regrets over the years? My mother treated them well, and my grandfather donated money to help them get through Overcoming difficulties, Baojiao was only five years old back then, before the accident she said 'Uncle, Aunt', when they threw her into the water, did they ever feel unbearable?!"

He weeps blood in his eyes, looking like he is insane.

Accompanied by his accusation, the night wind also began to be mixed with humming sounds. At first glance, it sounded like someone was crying.

"Fortunately, there are such ingenious sorcery in the world." Peng Yugui had tears in his eyes, giggling, "I can torture them without panic, thanks to Qimang's guide. their tongues, and cut off their hands. No matter how many times they reincarnate in the future, they will be born with deformed appearance. It’s a pity that I am not good at learning, and I don’t know that there are demons under the siege, otherwise, I will be able to take them out just once. Both feet were also cut off."

Every time he said a word, Peng Yugui's ferocious facial features stretched a little. At the end, he looked at his hands with a confused expression: "After the last time, I can stop..."

"Can you really stop it?" someone asked.

Peng Yugui was startled, and slowly raised his eyes.

"Your target is the Tian family, but you have also started to use magic to harm others, haven't you?" Lin Chengyou looked at Peng Yugui thoughtfully, "You killed Qingzhi with magic and rot heart grass. Yao Huang. Juan Erli just accidentally ran into your disguise, and you also regarded her as a murder target. You hid the bag of poisonous needles first, and then wanted to dig out her heart in the name of corpse evil tonight. You really got it, your viciousness and ruthlessness have almost caught up with the Tian couple back then."

"No!" The flesh on Peng Yugui's face twitched, "I'm different from these two beasts, I have my reasons."

Lin Chengyou paused, a hint of sarcasm slowly revealed from the corner of his mouth.

"I have a reason!" Peng Yugui's eyes were scattered, trying to maintain his composure, "Qingzhi and Yao Huang deserved to die a long time ago, Juanerli, Juanerli—if ​​she tells what she saw, you will soon die It's been found on my head, I don't want to be punished, because then I won't be able to go back to Yuezhou."

He said in despair: "I want to go back to Yuezhou, to Taozhi Ferry, to the place where my family lived."

Looking at Peng Yugui's ferocious face, Lin Chengyou felt sad in his heart. This sorcery is quite harmful to people's nature. Once infected, no one can keep their nature. The door has been opened to him, kill the first one, there will be the second, the third... In the future, whenever the vital interests are violated, Peng Yugui will habitually use killing to solve the problem.

"Everyone in this world has difficulties." Lin Chengyou sighed, "But when you swing the butcher knife at innocent people, you can't go back to Taozhi Ferry.

Peng Yugui's gaze sharpened, and the palm of his right hand suddenly turned over, his fingertips became dazzlingly silver, shooting out a long line like a silver thread.

The long line shot straight at Lin Chengyou's throat, but Lin Chengyou didn't dodge or avoid it, Teng Yuyi's pupils shrank, she knew this thing, it was as thin as raindrops but extremely sharp, if touched it would kill her.

"Be careful." She pulled Lin Chengyou aside, "This thing can kill people!"

Unexpectedly, Lin Chengyou was already prepared. He tilted his head to the left, shook the silver chain in his right hand, and hit out of the window with his backhand. Then he got short and dragged Teng Yuyi to roll into the room.

Peng Yugui became suspicious, did Lin Chengyou go in the wrong direction in his panic? It was too late to think about it, it would be serious to escape out of the window while the silver chain on the neck was loose.

The silver thread in his hand can cut gold and iron, as long as he escapes first, he can cut the silver chain around his neck in time.

Unexpectedly, as soon as I reached the window, the silver-like moonlight suddenly changed color, and a wide golden wing came in along the window, which looked half a foot wide, and immediately hooked it with a giant red claw. , Straight to Peng Yugui's neck.

Peng Yugui shot out the silver thread from her fingertips in a panic. She only hated the silver thread for its small size, but its wings were too wide. pain.

Seeing that the blood was about to splatter three feet, Peng Yugui's heart felt cold. At this moment, he suddenly felt his collar being pulled, and Lin Chengyou dragged him back into the room. At the same time, he ignited a talisman in his right hand and flew towards the monster. .

"You came here uninvited, do you want to court death?"

The monster shrieked and retreated as if it had been burned by coals of fire.

"Young Master in Gold Clothes." Lin Chengyou quickly pasted a few talismans on the window, then turned around and told everyone, "We need to deal with corpse evil here, so hurry up and follow me to the Small Buddha Hall."

He said to Teng Yuyi: "Juesheng and Qizhi will come here soon, as long as you don't leave this door, the evil spirits won't try to break in in a short time."

Teng Yuyi was sweating profusely, staring at Lin Chengyou without saying a word.

"Don't worry." Lin Chengyou glanced at her, "I will definitely do what I promised."

Teng Yuyi nodded in satisfaction, squatted beside Peng Yugui, and checked the silver thread in his hand.

"He was badly hurt."

Peng Yugui's neck was dripping with blood, and he was panting in pain. Lin Chengyou tore off a strip from his inner sleeve, knelt down and pressed it on Peng Yugui's wound, and said to Teng Yuyi, "Press it."

Teng Yuyi just took out her handkerchief, seeing that Lin Chengyou had already pressed it down first, so she had no choice but to tuck the handkerchief back into her bosom, took over and pressed it down heavily.

Lin Chengyou freed his hand, took out a pill from his pocket and tried to stuff it into Peng Yugui's mouth.

Peng Yugui's face was as pale as paper, carefully dodging the pill, and said with a wry smile: "I didn't want to hurt anyone just now, I just wanted to escape, but the prince is right, what I did has deviated from my original intention, I can no longer deceive myself and others, I have to blame for everything, I deserve to die, and my son does not need to save me."

Lin Chengyou grabbed Peng Yugui's jaw, stuffed the pill into his mouth without saying a word, then took away the silver thread from Peng Yugui's hand, stood up and said, "I'm only in charge of investigating the case, not judging whether you are good or evil. Let me stay Now, everything has room for reversal.”