It was still dark, so Xu Zhiqiong arrived at the Yamen early.
The atmosphere in the Yamen today was different. Xu Zhiqiong found that many people were very enthusiastic about him.
For example, Ning Wenyi, the old lantern guarding the gate, usually didn't bother to look at Xu Zhiqiong, but today he stood up to say hello.
Did this old man drink sugar cane juice? Why is his mouth so sweet?
After entering the yamen, Xu Zhiqiong wanted to go to the dungeon first, but Deng Yong, the white lantern man in charge of ordnance, came to greet him: "Zhiqiong, Yi Qianhu asked me to pick a good knife for you before, but I ended up choosing it over and over again.
, I haven’t picked out a decent one for several days. The Ascetic Workshop just sent ten new knives, and I left one for you. Please look carefully, this knife is of the highest quality."
What's going on? Is there a knife?
After more than half a month in Zhangdeng Yamen, I was finally given a knife?
Xu Zhiqiong unsheathed his sword. He had learned some knowledge about weapons in the academy, and this was indeed a good sword.
Deng Yonglai is mean and very unfriendly to newcomers. Such a good knife must be given to Qingdeng at least. How could he be willing to give it to me?
Xu Zhiqiong hung up his sword and was about to go to the prison. Si Kecheng, the Qing Deng Lang who was in charge of miscellaneous tasks, came over.
But today he took the initiative to say hello to Xu Zhiqiong.
"Zhiqiong, I asked someone to arrange a small room for you, but you go out too early every day to patrol the night, and I haven't had time to tell you."
Have you even arranged a dormitory for me?
Xu Zhiqiong was surprised by a series of magical changes, but he quickly found the source of the problem.
Ma Guangli was sitting among a group of white lantern men, telling a story.
"That Zhou Haijin was really not a thing. He took Second Sister Lin's hand and was about to kidnap her. Xu Zhiqiong went up and stopped her. Zhou Haijin pointed at Zhiqiong's nose and cursed, and the curse was unpleasant.
You all know that Zhiqiong is stupid. I have to go over and say a few words to him. In front of me, Ma Denglang, you dare to rob people's girls. Aren't you afraid of the king's law?
Zhou Haifan was really evil this week. Not only did he not listen to the advice, but he also gave Zhiqiong a knife. When I saw how good this was! Isn’t this bullying an honest person? I went up to teach Zhou Haifan a lesson, but I didn’t expect that Zhiqiong’s hands were faster than mine.
Look at Zhou Haiqiu's hair, click...oh my god!"
Ma Guangli trembled with fright, and Xu Zhiqiong stretched out his knife and put it on his neck.
"Zhiqiong, why did you show up all of a sudden? Don't do this in the future. You, don't stand behind me in the future."
Since killing Zhou Haijun, Xu Zhiqiong has become famous in the yamen. In the words of leaders and seniors, he is an outstanding young man with integrity, loyalty to his duties, and aversion to evil.
Of course, these are not the point.
No one would have thought that a taciturn and honest man could be so fierce.
No one knows when this honest man will have murderous intentions again.
Who dares to provoke such a person?
Looking at everyone's wary eyes, Xu Zhiqiong smiled innocently and went to the prison.
In the prison, the haggard Meng Shizhen was still putting on a show, playing with various instruments of torture to scare Chen Jiuer.
Chen Jiuer on the torture rack looked scared, but in fact he was just pretending to be a show-off for Lao Meng. After seeing these instruments of torture every day, they had long lost their power to intimidate him.
Tired of putting on a show, the haggard Meng Shizhen sat in a chair in a daze. When she saw Xu Zhiqiong coming, she asked, "Have you asked someone to tell your fortune?"
"Forget it, I've figured it out, no, I haven't figured it out yet."
Meng Shizhen shook his head and said, "That's all. I'll go find Mr. Qianhu and accept the punishment. I really can't do this job."
Xu Zhiqiong took out a wooden box from his arms: "Although I can't calculate it, the Yin and Yang cultivator gave me a magic weapon."
"What magic weapon?" Meng Shizhen's eyes lit up.
"An instrument of torture."
When she heard that it was a torture instrument, Meng Shizhen's eyes dimmed again: "Stop violating her. It's not that she doesn't tell the truth, it's that she really can't remember it."
"Well, that's not necessarily the case!"
Meng Shizhen was right, it wasn't that Chen Jiuer refused to tell the shape of the scar, she really couldn't remember it.
She was frightened that night, which is a typical case of psychological traumatic amnesia. To get her memory back, she needed to use some special means of stimulation to help her reproduce the characteristics of the scar.
Stimulation and recurrence are two key elements.
Regardless of Meng Shizhen's obstruction, Xu Zhiqiong opened the wooden box and placed a dark object inside on Chen Jiuer's body.
Chen Jiu'er screamed, but he saw the dark mass scattered everywhere, squirming around Chen Jiu'er's body.
Just looking at it, Meng Shizhen felt itchy all over: "Zhiqiong, where did you get this thing?"
"Hua, I bought it at a big price."
Chen Jiuer screamed loudly, and Xu Zhiqiong shouted: "You scream! If you scream, I'll get in your mouth!"
Chen Jiuer cried so hard that Meng Shizhen felt distressed again: "Zhiqiong, you know she is not a bad person. Don't harm her again. She really can't remember her."
"I think, even if I can't remember, I still have to think about who, who made me, Brother Meng, suffer!"
"That's it, that's all, get rid of the bugs quickly!"
"No, no, I spent a lot of money to buy it!"
Meng Shizhen said angrily: "How much did it cost? I will compensate you!"
There were centipedes crawling on his face and centipedes on his arms. Chen Jiuer wanted to scream but didn't dare to open his mouth.
Meng Shizhen couldn't stand it anymore, and was about to knock the insect down. Xu Zhiqiong stopped Meng Shizhen and shouted again: "If you don't say yes, the insect will get into your flesh right away!"
When Chen Jiuer heard that it was drilled into the flesh, Chen Jiuer trembled all over, as if he remembered something.
"Master Denglang! I remember, I remember! I know what that scar looks like!"
Meng Shizhen shook his head and said, "Okay, no need to trick me, I'll just let you down."
He stepped forward and untied Chen Jiu'er and shook off the bugs. Chen Jiu'er pulled Meng Shizhen and said urgently: "I really remembered it. Mr. Denglang, give me a pen and I will draw it right away."
Meng Shizhen waved her hand and said, "I've put you down, what do you want? Do you still want to tease me?"
Chen Jiuer clutched his pen, looked at Xu Zhiqiong and said, "Master Deng Lang, do you have any paper?"
"Where is the paper? You, find a place to draw!" Xu Zhiqiong looked at Meng Shizhen's arm specifically.
Chen Jiuer suddenly realized it, took Meng Shizhen's hand and said: "Master Denglang, I can draw it on your arm, even the right place."
"Let go and you still want to paint on me? Why did I give you such shame?"
Meng Shizhen resisted very much, so Chen Jiuer grabbed Meng Shizhen's arm and rubbed it a few times.
Meng Shizhen looked at it for a while, frowned and said, "Is this a scar?"
"It's absolutely true, sir."
Meng Shizhen stared at the ink marks on her arm for a while, then asked Xu Zhiqiong: "Can this be true?"
Xu Zhiqiong said: "Ask me what to do, and it's not like I can draw!"
Meng Shizhen looked at Chen Jiuer and said, "If you dare to trick me again, you will inevitably be beaten!"
Chen Jiu'er nodded and said, "If I beat you, my concubine will never cry out for injustice!"
Seeing Chen Jiuer's confidence, Meng Shizhen gritted his teeth and went to Mingdengxuan again.
Wu Xu was ordering tea in front of the stove. Meng Shizhen rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward: "Qianhu, that woman has painted it!"
Wu Xu looked at it for a moment, frowned and said, "Is this a scar? This is obviously a worm!"
Meng Shizhen scratched her head and said, "It looks a bit like a centipede to me."
"Are centipedes so short? Are their legs so long?"
Meng Shizhen thought again: "Could it be a centipede?"
Wu Xu poured a cup of tea on Meng Shizhen's arm, which made Meng Shizhen grin.
"You are so excited that people draw bugs on you. It will make you look very embarrassed. Please wipe them off quickly!"
Meng Shizhen wiped the ink stain and said with an aggrieved face: "She said that's what the scar looked like."
"Believe whatever she says, go back to the prison and continue to guard me."
"Qianhu, please spare me. I can do whatever I want. I don't want to go to jail anymore."
"Go as you are told, Xidi Luosu!"
Meng Shizhen walked out dejectedly, but suddenly heard Wu Xu shouting: "Come back!"
Meng Shizhen hurried back.
Wu Xu poured another cup of tea and handed it to Meng Shizhen: "You have really worked hard these days."
Meng Shizhen lowered his head and said, "I can't say it's hard, I just don't want to stay in that unlucky place."
"The dancing girl must be scared. The more I push her, the less she will be able to remember."
Meng Shizhen nodded vigorously: "Master Qianhu said yes!"
"Please release her from the prison and send her to your small house to stay temporarily."
Meng Shizhen blushed: "Isn't this inappropriate? Being alone and alone has ruined my reputation."
"You go to the teahouse every day, but you are not afraid of ruining your reputation? If you don't want to go to a small house, you still live in jail!"
Meng Shizhen said quickly: "I will take her to the small house right now."
Wu Xu warned: "You must stay close to her at all times in the hut. Don't let her meet strangers. Be careful in everything."
Chen Jiuer drew it correctly. The scar was in the shape of a centipede, exactly as Wu Xu had guessed.
The reason why Chen Jiuer was released was to convey a message. He wanted to let people hiding in the dark know that he had found clues.
"Someone must be unable to sit still," Wu Xu murmured to himself, "Let's see whether he comes to me or waits for me to find him."
For more than ten days in a row, nothing happened. Xu Zhiqiong concentrated on honing his skills in the hook fence, using his power of meaning and imagery with ease.
That night, Xu Zhiqiong was about to patrol the night, but was stopped by Qu Jinshan, the lantern guard.
"Zhiqiong, there is no need to go on patrol tonight. You and I will go to the banquet with Qianhu."
Going to a banquet? Such a good thing?
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said: "Where to go to the banquet?"
Xu Zhiqiong's smile disappeared: "Who is Zhou Langzhong? No, it's not the one from the official department, right?"