Mu Wan had a high fever and lay in bed for more than five days. Seeing that the weather was getting hotter and hotter, with flowers blooming and grass growing, she had no chance to go out and enjoy it. Shan Hai was very afraid that there would be something wrong with her head because she was sober.
Rarely. Most of the time
Li Muwan was always clamoring to go back, and sometimes it seemed as if she had already gone back in her dreams. Most of those dreams could tell the happy ending of a false alarm. In a small part of the time, she didn't react at all, and just calmed down through her closed eyes.
Jing shed tears, sliding down her hot cheeks.
In fact, on the sixth day, her fever had already begun to subside. The innkeeper was worried that it was tuberculosis or other plagues, and he was afraid of infecting other guests. Fortunately, she improved, and he did not let the innkeeper rush them away.
They read the letter several times. From the lines, they were sure that it was indeed written by Chi Li, and there were also greetings from Mo Liang and Xiao. The letter did not mention her mother's reaction, but just said "nothing serious." It seemed that
Her mother also knew about her son's death and became seriously ill because of it. The end of the first letter was that she "had better" come back. Her mother wanted to see her, but the old man also said it herself that she would not be able to come back.
That’s okay too.
Siyan is dead. Mu Wan’s brother is dead.
This is a sad story. Everyone thought that the ice between brothers and sisters had begun to melt. But they never imagined that the mountain torrent would break through the embankment and sweep away everything, leaving nothing behind. This accident took away
opened up their countless possibilities.
Or...it's not an accident.
The obituary was very simple. There was another person's handwriting on the back. Judging from the tone, Mo Liang had specifically noted it. They could almost imagine that after Chi Li, who didn't want Mu Wan to worry too much, packed the letter, Mo Liang quietly took out the obituary.
, followed by a lot of slightly scrawled explanations. According to his character, he might be more willing to tell the truth. Chi Li might have believed that Mu Wan would come back, so he didn't say much, but Mo Liang didn't think so.
In that remote and impoverished place, Siyan did not die of an infectious disease or a rebel army—rather, it was impossible to give birth to an armed force in that kind of place. The way he died seemed reasonable, but upon closer inspection, it was very confusing.
unreasonable.
He died of an assassination.
Siyan's "home" there was a simple thatched hut, no more luxurious than those of the villagers. This hut was even where he worked. It was very simple inside, with pots and pans for one person, firewood, rice, oil, salt, and a few pieces of silver.
None. He sent them all to his mother. The possibility of suicide needs to be ruled out. Firstly, there is no suicide note, and secondly, there is no motive for suicide at the moment - after all, he has lived in this desolate place for many years and interacted with the local "unruly people"
In fact, it's quite peaceful.
His body was discovered during the day, and the villagers discovered that he had not inspected the planted spring wheat as usual. At first, people just thought that he was unwell, until noon, the people at the granary said that he would come to see him, but he did not show up.
I just wanted to take a look at his house. When I went there, I found that the man was already cold and fell to the ground, with coagulated blood all over the floor.
There is a table in the room, but it is just a moved stone, as are the two stools. There are two glasses of water on the table, but most of the water is on the position where he fell. The other side should have been untouched. Since there was no movement during the day yesterday
When one meets someone, this person should be a "traveler" who is "passing by". He visits at night, and Siyan simply entertains him.
The candlestick had been moved and was originally placed in the center of the table. There were old traces and residual wax blocks. When the murderer left, he placed the candlestick on the edge of the table and then blew it out. The half candle did not indicate the time the murderer stayed in the room.
It's not very messy, but you can still see traces of being rummaged through, probably because it doesn't have much in it.
A stack of official documents from his own hand, a wrapped seal, a folded imperial appointment certificate, a few letters to and from his mother, an inkstone, some ink stones, two old writing brushes, a candlestick, and three and a half candles
, a piece of fire
, a winter quilt, a winter coat, a jacket, a pair of rag shoes and straw sandals, a pair of bowls and chopsticks, a pot, a kitchen knife, a frying spoon, a bunch of knotted copper plates for daily use, a basin, a
There is only a scoop and a bucket for water.
This is all his belongings, all of them.
The last thing to talk about is his wound. He was stabbed through the heart from behind and died on the spot.
According to Mo Liang, although this person did not leave any evidence at the scene, he was "full of loopholes." The murderer could have wiped Siyan's neck, leaving only a thin wound that cut off the artery, allowing him to bleed to death.
Death. In this way, people would not be able to tell what kind of murder weapon he used. Mo Liang said that they all believed that it was an outsider who committed the crime, but the motive was unclear. Because in such a poor place, there is absolutely no such quick and easy way.
A sharp knife.
In fact, the wound was only thin on one side and thick on the other side, so the murder weapon was a knife. A weapon that can completely pierce a person must be a long knife, not a dagger. The wound penetrated straight through, so
It's a straight knife.
None of them knew whether Mu Wan had read these notes carefully. But in Shan Hai's eyes, this killer was not stupid.
But pride.
He doesn't care at all.
Mo Liang finally scribbled a sentence, "Everything is fine, don't think about it. He probably thought that Mu Wan would not come back. But who of the two understood Mu Wan better? We don't know the answer yet."
The only thing they knew was the description of the wound, which reminded the three of them of an old acquaintance at the same time. The technique was also similar - wasn't Yan Muxue also stabbed in the heart with a straight knife? But from the front. I have to say it was because
They couldn't find a reason. What connection does Mu Wan's matter have with her brother? If someone wants to trick her into returning to Xueyan Valley, there is no need to go through such trouble.
Run to that kind of wild land. In that kind of place, there is no talk of robbing wealth, and there is no reason to fight with the court. Siyan's character should not make enemies, at least who can he make enemies with in a place like that?
He just had some conflicts with some stubborn local guys. After all, he was an "official" and no one would wield a knife or a gun.
When he died, the villagers were sad. Everyone was sad.
"When we were chatting before, she said that if we had the chance, she would take us to meet her brother," Dai Luan said.
"When she gets better, we'll leave immediately," Shi Wuqi said.
Shanhai and Aluan looked at him, and then at Miss Qi beside him. Shanhai asked hesitantly:
"Where to go?"
"Xueyan Valley." His tone was matter-of-fact, "Will she go back?"
"Yes...but the soul-returning fragrance..."
"There's no rush. I've been waiting for so long, no more than a day or two." Shi Wuqi shrugged nonchalantly, folded the two pieces of paper in half and stuffed them back into the envelope, "Didn't I fail to go with you last time?
And does that girl live nearby? If there is still a chance
, we need to clarify it. I heard that Aluan said that she makes a fan, and if time permits, I can give some pointers. There is also that strange incense burner. Didn’t we say that if we really had no clue, we would ask
Yun Waijing? Although I remember Aluan said he was very unreliable."
"Ahaha... I can't say it's completely unreliable."
If Mu Wan knew his plan, he would definitely be moved, right?
But they can't say that, because everything is unknown. When will she truly recover and what decision will she make? No one can make up her mind for her.
"Go north in Xueyan Valley, and further north..." Shanhaidao said, "There is a place called Cuipingtan. There used to be a human village there, but now it is the territory of monsters. I heard about it decades ago.
Yes, the monsters living there were not harmonious and they drove away the humans. At that time, Cuipingtan was rich in Luoshen sand."
Luoshen sand is also one of the materials for soul-returning incense. Dai Luan said that it sounded like the excrement of some kind of animal. After all, Luming sand and Wangyue sand came from bats and hares. But they were not sure because they needed Luoshen sand.
There were so few things that no one was impressed.
"It must have been produced by some kind of monster. When I was running the Weeping Corpse House, a monster used it to pay off debts, and eventually it was circulated. If I knew it had such a use, I would naturally keep it," Shi Wuqi said.
Today is the seventh day. Mu Wan's fever has gone away, but he is still sleeping. Shi Wuqi went to the street to listen to the scattered information about Jianghu. Shanhai went to the pharmacy to buy medicine that was about to be used up. Dai Luan borrowed the backyard
There was a small stove where medicine was burned. The aroma of the medicine drifted up the wall and entered the slit window.
The familiar smell of medicine entered Mu Wan's nose. She opened her eyes once, but quickly closed them. This kind of half-dream and half-awake state is the most annoying. It always gives people the illusion that they will never wake up after falling asleep, but here
After opening her eyes, she would have a severe headache. She had just seen a ray of sunlight pouring in through the cracked window, which happened to fall on her arms, making her feel slightly hot. When she closed her eyes, she saw a green world, endless as far as the eye could see.
It seemed to be a vast grassland, with many beautiful flowers growing and water. There was a person standing on the bank, showing his back. Judging from the thick texture of the lead-gray hair, he should be Lord Shuangyue. In this early morning, the sun
Hanging in the sky on the right.
Is it the function of the Demon-Sealing Blade? But didn't Lord Shuangyue say that he couldn't sense the traces of the Demon-Sealing Blade? Or was this hallucination shown to her by the Demon-Sealing Blade, a certain connection between herself and Lord Shuangyue?
?
The Demon-Sealing Blade was placed beside her pillow, and she could see it if she turned her head slightly.
The breeze blew by, but Shuangyue Jun was still standing on the shore. Mu Wan tried to shout loudly, but he did not look back.
"This is your knife!"
In the dream, Mu Wan was waving wildly, trying to attract the attention of the only living creature. But Lord Shuangyue seemed inaudible and stood still. This made her a little confused. She tightened her grip on the Demon-Sealing Blade and tried to walk over there.
.
Suddenly, she seemed to hear a thunderclap, which shocked her so much that she couldn't move.
It's not an exact sound, it's just a feeling, a warning. Mu Wan suddenly froze and couldn't move, as if he was pressed into bed by a ghost in a dream. And the scenery in front of him changed drastically, and all the scenery
It was clearly still there, but it was covered with a layer of blood, and the sky was red and transparent. The silhouettes of Lord Shuangyue and those plants turned into black silhouettes.
In the blink of an eye, everything returned to its original state. And when she took another step, it would turn into such a terrifying scene. But she felt that she could not retreat and had no way out, so she faced the inexplicable and huge depression,
Holding the knife, he walked forward step by step. The picture began to tremble, distort, and eventually shake into afterimages, confusing the entire scene into a white dot in front of his eyes.
At that moment, Lord Shuangyue seemed to have turned around, or he might not have turned around.
Mu Wan rolled down from the bed, holding the Demon-Sealing Blade in her hand. She was soaked with sweat, and there were water stains on the ground when she fell. Dai Luan, who had brought the medicine up, happened to encounter this scene. Before she could put down the medicine, Mu Wan
Wan then used his hands and feet to get close to her with his weak body, which frightened her so much that she almost dropped the medicine bowl.
"Quick, let's go to the north...cough, cough, let's go to the north."
