Chapter 111 Brother, you are making things difficult for me, Yàn San!
Regardless of the ashes on the ground, Ye Qing lay directly next to the traces of the scorched corpses.
According to He Wen's command, the pose was put into the position where Ziyuan Zhenren died tragically.
There are references for comparison.
Many of the confusions about this case that He Wen had previously had in his mind suddenly dissipated.
He followed Ye Qing's spine and looked toward the west-southwest direction:
"According to what we guessed before, after the tragic death of Master Ziyuan, if he looked in the direction of the murderer."
"Then his sight should be judged based on the direction of his lumbar spine."
Ye Qing, who was curled up on the ground, acknowledged:
"Yes, according to what you said before, when a person is injured and dying, his vitals will be protected."
"The fire must be extremely painful, so your head will shrink and you should look in the direction of your lumbar spine."
then.
He Wen looked to the northeast again and said: "Also, according to another previous speculation, Ziyuan Zhenren was injured and wanted to chase the murderer. After crawling on the ground, he crawled back to the center of the hall because of the fire."
"In addition to crawling back from the southwest, turning around and looking in the direction where the murderer left, he might also have crawled back from the northeast."
"What's left is that there may be something in the place under Ziyuan Zhenren's body."
"However, when I came to investigate back then, there was nothing unusual about this place."
After a pause, He Wen continued:
"To the southwest, at the very edge is the wall of Sanqing Hall, and then about a foot and a half away, there is a pillar holding a person."
Then, he looked to the northeast, frowned slightly and said:
"To the northeast, there is also a pillar, and there is the altar dedicated to Sanqing Hall, and then there are the walls of Sanqing Hall."
After saying that, he helped Ye Qing up.
Ye Qing pressed his hands on the ashes-covered stone slab and supported Ye Qing to stand up. His brows furrowed slightly. He pointed at the two cracks in the stone bricks under him and said:
"Brother He, take a look at the cracks in the bricks."
He Wen squatted down and looked along the cracks in the bricks pointed by Ye Qing.
The white marble of Sanqing Hall is used as the base, and the paving is so tight that it is difficult to see the existence of cracks in the bricks.
After a year and a half of exposure to the sun and rain, the ground should be filled with dust and the cracks between the bricks should have been filled up so that they cannot be seen.
But next to the white marble brick where Ye Qing was lying just now, and next to the white marble brick with the marks of the burned corpse, the gap between the two stones was actually exposed.
Although there are intermittent cracks in the stone, lying down and looking at it, coupled with the light of the lantern, it is impossible to hide it from the eyes of two people with excellent eyes.
The two people, who had been reasoning for a long time, thought of various possibilities, and couldn't help but look at each other and smile bitterly.
He Wen covered his forehead speechlessly and said softly: "Good guys, let's search one by one. We gathered together at the burnt corpse marks and stopped."
"I previously deduced that it was impossible, but I didn't take a closer look, and I didn't realize that it was actually here."
Ye Qing didn't mind being dirty. He took out a copper coin from his arms, lay on the ground, pulled it along the cracks in the stone, and said with a smile:
"It rained a while ago, and the ashes here were washed away. It is estimated that the ashes in the stone crevices seeped into the secret passage, and then some stone crevices leaked out."
He Wen thought about it and said, "Indeed, when I came to see it, it didn't rain during those days, so I probably missed it."
After saying that, He Wen also lay down, took out a copper plate from his arms, and scratched the crack in the stone.
There is a cavity under the stone cracks, and the ashes of two stone bricks are still stuck in the stone cracks. When the copper plate is touched, it breaks and falls without much force. There are few stubborn bricks that stay in the stone cracks.
The two people used their hands and feet quickly, and soon exposed the stone gaps around a three-foot-long white marble brick under the marks of the scorched corpse.
He Wen tapped his fingers on the stone bricks, making a dull sound.
He knocked on the stone bricks next to him again, and the sound was the same dull sound. There was no difference at all.
Ye Qing frowned and said: "With this sound, I can't tell that there is a secret passage below at all. The bricks should be very thick."
He Wen nodded and said puzzledly:
"How can such a tightly-fitted stone brick be picked up without any points to draw strength from?"
Ye Qing, who didn't know what to do, patted the ashes on his hand and exhaled a breath:
"If someone with unparalleled strength pushes up from below, it is possible to lift the stone, but from above, it is really impossible. Maybe there is some special mechanism or something."
organ?
He Wen's eyes lit up, he pointed to the southwest and northeast, and said quickly:
"Maybe the agency is in these two directions."
The next moment.
He Wen frowned again, rubbed his chin and said, "No, no."
"If this secret passage is really under this stone brick."
"This white marble brick is three feet in diameter, so it's not ordinary heavy."
"The murderer killed Ziyuan Zhenren. If he jumped down the secret passage and then moved against the stone bricks, he would definitely leave obvious scratches."
"But when we looked, there were no scratches at all on the stone tiles around here."
"Unless there is a mechanism under the secret passage that can move the stone bricks."
"Besides that, the murderer hurt Master Ziyuan and stole the Zijin Cauldron."
"Because the murderer has a close relationship with Master Ziyuan, even if Master Ziyuan is injured by someone close to him, he is still willing to help him cover up the crime, dragging his injured body and closing the secret room?"
Careful speculation and various possibilities derived from it.
Ye Qing, who was exposed to such a difficult mystery for the first time, felt a little confused and his brain was running out of energy.
He shook his head in confusion and said:
"You are an expert in solving crimes, so think first."
"The main hall was burned down, the columns and beams were burned, and the institutions may have been destroyed."
"Brother Yan is very strong. Let me see if I can find a way to remove the stone bricks from above."
"All our speculations now are that the secret passage is under these stone bricks."
"With the secret passage, our reasoning can be established and other possibilities can be ruled out."
The clear and coherent supplement won He Wen's approval.
"Indeed, you are right, all the reasoning is based on the secret passage under the stone bricks."
"I'm going to check out the remaining columns and wooden beams."
Ye Qing was not afraid of getting dirty, but the habit he had developed by selling noodle soup all year round made him clap his hands and see the ashes stained on his gray-white cotton clothes.
He raised his head and said to Yan San, who was looking around vigilantly:
"Brother Yan, come here and help me!"
Yan San remained vigilant, taking a step forward without moving his head, and glanced around.
When he reached Ye Qing's side, he withdrew his gaze and said:
"How can I help you? Tell me."
Ye Qing pointed to the stone bricks under him and asked, "Brother Yan, is there any way you can lift these stone bricks?"
Yan San frowned as he looked at the cracks in the stone, which were not much thicker than a hair.
He squatted down, rubbed his beard and said:
"Brother, you are making things difficult for me, Yan San!"
"The cracks in the stone are so thin that I can't even put my fingers through them, and I can't use any strength."
Ye Qing, who knew this was the case, sighed helplessly:
"Hey, I know it too, this..."
The words are not finished yet.
Yan San was seen kneeling down on one knee, taking a deep breath, forming a fist with his right hand that was stroking his beard, raised it suddenly, and violently smashed the stone bricks in front of him.