A murder occurred in the most inconspicuous residential area of Yunzhou City, but it caused a shock in the world of Yunzhou City.
In other words, things are calm in the high places of the rivers and lakes, but undercurrents are surging in the low places of the rivers and lakes.
There is scenery at the top, and people in the scenery probably don't care too much whether such a person dies or lives, nor do they care much whether people in the lower reaches live or die.
The deceased was an old man, slovenly, lazy, and withdrawn, and the neighbors didn't seem to like him very much.
The old man died extremely miserably. He must have been beaten to death and then set on fire, leaving only a charred corpse, as black as coal.
His house was also burned down, probably because the assailant simply set it on fire in order to hide himself.
The neighbors all closed their courtyard doors, perhaps because they were a little scared at this moment.
Chief Inspector Tang Jiu of Yunzhou Prefecture stood in the yard, covering his mouth and nose with a handkerchief. The unpleasant smell made him almost vomit several times.
Originally, this yard was not clean and the smell was pungent. After it was burned, it was like purgatory on earth.
He has been following former Chief Inspector Lei Fenglei to handle cases a long time ago. In a place like Yunzhou where the situation is complex, murder cases are not uncommon.
Some people may not believe that people die abnormally every day, but no one doubts that hundreds of people die abnormally every year in Yunzhou City.
Therefore, Tang Jiu felt a long time ago that he had adapted to all kinds of corpses and would no longer have the same big reaction as ordinary people.
But this time, the murderer was too cruel.
The charred corpse was huddled in the corner, and even the boss didn't want to come forward to check it. After all, if he touched the burnt flesh, it would fall down.
Of course Tang Jiu knew who the dead old man was, a humble medicine seller who was regarded as a god by many people.
The government's investigation was strict. Those charlatans were injured in fights and did not dare to go to serious medical clinics for treatment. How many people survived only because of the treatment of this rich old man.
Especially those at the bottom of the Yunzhou rivers and lakes. They actually have no money and no power. This old man Qian is the one who brings them back from hell time and time again.
Tang Jiu glanced back.
The alley is full of people, densely packed. These are a group of low-level underworld figures who would usually avoid the police when they see them.
But they were standing there at this moment, staring at the small courtyard with their eyes.
There is no silk or satin on their bodies, and many of their clothes are even shabby.
They are the bottom class, and they are also the people who are hated and feared by the people at the bottom. They represent ugliness and filth.
They have all kinds of tattoos and scars on their bodies, as well as their stubbornness that remains even after experiencing all kinds of tattoos and scars.
When Tang Jiu faced these low-level underworld people for the first time, he felt a little afraid.
He waved his hand: "Let them go."
Several policemen immediately walked toward the people crowding the alley and shouted to them, but those people were indifferent and still stared at the small courtyard.
"Walk!"
One of the police officers was so angry that he hit the man at the front with a whip, leaving a bloody mark.
The man grinned, feeling hurt, but made no sound.
He just glanced at the policeman who beat him, and then his eyes returned to the small courtyard.
The policeman became even more angry and raised his whip to give him a second blow. More people from behind the alley began to push forward.
Another man took a step forward: "Don't just hit him. Take turns, but we won't leave."
As a result, the policeman who beat people also felt a little afraid.
Tang Jiu asked Wu Zuo: "How long will it take?"
Wu gave a difficult answer: "There is really no way to conduct an autopsy. How about loading up the body and transporting it back to the government office first?"
Tang Jiu thought for a while and shook his head: "No need."
Transported back to the government office?
More and more people from outside will follow you all the way to the government office, and Mr. Fu Zhi will be furious.
These low-level gangsters gathered outside the government office in an elegant manner. What they wanted was not an explanation from the government, but the body.
Tang Jiu asked Wu Zuo not to do any more autopsies. He walked to the door of the small courtyard, looked at the men and said, "The body is handed over to you. I will investigate the case and give you an explanation."
The men who crowded the alley began to squeeze to both sides, making way for Tang Jiu and others to pass.
Tang Jiu led the government officials through the dense crowd, as if they were walking in a jungle, surrounded by wild beasts with red eyes.
These men are rough, savage, and have bullied others and been bullied by others. They cannot represent the civilization of Yunzhou.
After the government officials left, these men silently walked into the yard and looked at the charred corpse in silence.
A bearded man dug hard in his pocket and took out all his belongings... dozens of copper coins.
He knelt down, kowtowed, placed the copper coins on the ground, then moved away and stepped back.
The next person comes over, kneels down, kowtows, cleans his pockets, puts down a few coins, gives way, and comes next.
One by one, this group of people who least respect order is in perfect order at this moment.
Master Qian is gone, and he was not very dignified when he was alive. Now that he is gone, we must try to make him more dignified.
But, a coffin with better wood and thicker wood costs ten or eighty taels of silver.
If they use expensive wood, they actually don't know how much silver it will cost, because people like them seem to have nothing to do with luxury.
Such a group of undignified people are preparing to give a decent funeral to an undignified person.
It seems that no decent person should appear on such an occasion.
Until the young man dressed in plain white arrived, the colors in the alley seemed to become brighter.
Lin Ye heard the news that Old Man Qian had been killed in the martial arts hall, so he turned around and walked out silently.
His wife, Lei Hongliu, quickly asked him: "Where are you going?"
Lin Ye replied: "Go and send it off."
Lei Hongliu said: "Today is not a suitable place for you to go to a place like that. Otherwise, in two days, my wife will accompany you to burn paper in front of the grave?"
Lin Ye replied: "I'm going today."
He went home and put on the white clothes he had made to see off his blind uncle and lame uncle.
He walked in front, Gao Gong and the others followed behind, everyone wearing filial piety on their arms.
They also brought a coffin, the best ready-made coffin that could be bought in Yunzhou City.
Most of the people at the bottom of the underworld in the alley don't know Lin Ye because they are a world apart.
Some of them knew Gao Gong, and they were all Gao Gong, but later Gao Gong was not the Gao Gong they knew.
They once laughed at the ridiculous name of Dafu Dog, and they all secretly envied Gao Gong and lived a decent life.
Lin Ye walked to the entrance of the alley. The men looked at him and felt that an outsider had arrived.
Lin Ye didn't care about their eyes, and of course he didn't care about the hostility in their eyes.
Every world is exclusive, whether it is beautiful or not.
He knelt down at the entrance of the alley, kowtowed, stood up, took a step, knelt down, kowtowed, stood up, took a step, knelt down, kowtowed...
So, the group of men squeezed again and made way for Lin Ye.
So, Lin Ye kowtowed all the way into the yard.
The charred, huddled body was still in the corner. No one dared to touch it, and no one wanted to touch it.
Lin Yefu laid out the white cloth he brought, carefully picked up the body, placed it on the white cloth, picked it up again, and put it into the coffin.
His white clothes were completely unrecognizable.
Then he arranged for people to prepare the funeral arrangements, one by one, without any omissions.
The men looked at him and felt a little strange, why is this young man so skilled?
Enter the coffin, offer sacrifices, burn paper money, kowtow, and proceed to the funeral.
This shouldn't be something that can be completed in one day, but with the way Master Qian is acting, no one wants him to stay in the human world and rest in peace.
At three o'clock in the morning, the farewell procession took to the street.
At the street entrance, Tang Jiu, who was sitting at a tea stall drinking tea, saw the young man and couldn't help but frown.
"Why bother getting dirty when you are already in a clean place?"
He was not talking about the dirt on Lin Ye's white clothes, but those at the bottom of the underworld. In Tang Jiu's eyes, they were all filthy.
Lin Ye has been appointed as the Inspector of Contract Soldiers, and he is no longer in the same world as these underworld gangsters.
He felt that if there was too much contamination, Lin Ye would not be able to clean it. He also felt that Lin Ye should understand this.
You have already walked on the Mingguang Avenue, so why bother looking at the things in the ditches on both sides of the avenue?
The funeral procession was so long. A lonely, despised and hated old man seemed to have a prosperous family.
They left Yunzhou City and went outside the city. They chose a place with good feng shui and buried the coffin in it.
After the earthen tomb was erected, Lin Ye knelt down beside the tomb, not towards the earthen tomb, but towards the men.
Everyone came up to kowtow, and Lin Ye kowtowed to everyone in return according to the etiquette of a dutiful son.
When it got dark and the crowd gradually dispersed, Lin Ye sat down by the grave and patted the grave.
"Last time I told you that after taking the money, I would change my life to become a rich man and have fun. You smiled and said that I was still young and didn't understand your happiness."
Lin Ye said: "Seeing so many people seeing you off, I understand now that you don't want to sell wild medicine, you just want to give hope to those who can only afford wild medicine."
He brought a jug of wine and kept it hanging on his waist. Only then did he take it off and slowly sprinkle it in front of the grave.
Lin Ye said: "You should be considered a Bodhisattva."
After saying this, Lin Ye said nothing more and sat there quietly until dawn.
Many people returned to the city before dark because the city gate would be closed after dark and they had things to do when they returned.
Not all of them are alone, there may be some who are raising families. They came to give an explanation to Master Qian, and when they go back, they also give an explanation to their families.
But everyone knows that the funeral was held, the soil was sealed, and the grave was raised, but it was not over yet.
Lin Ye waited until dawn to return to the city. When he went home yesterday, he told Xiao Zinai that he would not come back at night and would return in the morning.
On the roadside, Gao Gong and the others were waiting for him, and there were hundreds of people in Dafu Dog, also waiting for him on the roadside.
When they saw Lin Ye approaching, they all stood up. When Lin Ye approached, Gao Gong took the lead, and hundreds of people leaned down at the same time.
"The boss!"
Lin Ye said: "Thank you for your hard work."
Then he said: "Work harder and find people."
"yes!"
Hundreds of people responded in unison.
They walked back and when they approached the gate of Yunzhou City, they saw a crowd of people in darkness.
The men who came to see Master Qian off yesterday came back again, probably by coincidence.
There are many more people than Dafu Dog. It seems that the scale is at least five times greater.
They did not block the city gate, but lined up on both sides of the official road, and everyone's arms were tied with mourning.
When Lin Ye came back, the group of men leaned over neatly.
Yesterday, Lin Ye kowtowed to them one by one as a filial son. Today, they bowed to Lin Ye because they all knew it.