Knife splashing

Chapter 456: Cemetery

The night is as dark as ink, and the evening breeze makes waves of sobs.

Wow! Wow!
Even the sound of digging near the rocks could not be drowned out by the Jialing River's lapping against the shore.

There was a tinder placed beside him. In the faint light, the yamen runner waved his hoe again and again, his eyes flickering with nervousness and fear.

"Woo~"

In his ears, he seemed to hear the sound of a child crying.

He shuddered, and with the stench of corpses constantly pouring into his nose, he finally couldn't help but let his legs go limp. He knelt on the ground, clasped his hands together and said in a trembling voice: "Don't blame me, don't blame me. I can't help myself..."

After saying that, he picked up the hoe and continued digging.

Over and over again, sweat kept dripping.

He seemed to feel that something was watching him, but he was trembling all over and didn't dare to raise his head.

Click!

With a crisp sound, he finally dug up something.

When I took a look at it with the help of a fire stick, I was immediately horrified.

But he saw a rotten child's head sticking out of the mud, with empty eyes crawling with maggots, as if it was looking up at him.

What's even weirder is that there was a strange smile at the corner of his mouth.

"No, no..."

The bailiff was so frightened that his entire body was covered with hair. He muttered, "When he was buried, he was clearly upside down. How did it change?"

"Maybe you remembered it wrongly?"

A cold voice suddenly sounded behind me.

"what--!"

The bailiff immediately got angry and turned around abruptly.

He saw a dark figure standing on the reef next to him, looking down at him.

"Yuan Aqiu, it's you!"

Although the light was dim, the bailiff still recognized the other person's identity. He was the junior brother of Captain Wan Baoquan, who was also a member of the Emei Huamen Sect.

They are all detectives, but they belong to different factions.

He is a local tyrant in Chongqing. Three generations of his family have been yamen runners. He has good connections with both the black and white worlds and makes a lot of money on a daily basis.

Wan Baoquan, on the other hand, made a name for himself and was valued by the Chongqing government, gradually gaining the reputation of being the number one detective in the southwest.

The benefits are self-evident.

At least in the martial arts schools of Huamen, the number of disciples suddenly increased dramatically.

Wan Baoquan's fame is also inseparable from the help of his fellow disciples. The two sides usually keep to themselves.

"My..."

The yamen runner cursed inwardly, then begged, "Brother, listen to my advice, don't get involved in this matter, just pretend you didn't see it."

Seeing that the other party had a cold face and didn't even say a word, the bailiff became angry and drew out his knife and stabbed forward.

"You die for me!"

But as soon as the knife was stabbed out, the figure disappeared from sight.

The Wan Baoquan lineage is not only the "Hua Men" among the eight leaves, but also has another name, called Canbi Men.

"Can" means practicing boxing is like a silkworm spinning silk continuously, and "Bi" means to seal the enemy's hands tightly when fighting, avoiding the real and attacking the fake, hence the name.

This move combines hitting, grabbing and knocking. As soon as the yamen runner stabbed out with his knife, the opponent rolled in the air and flipped over his head, while at the same time holding the yamen runner's neck with his right hand.

Bang!
The bailiff felt the world spinning around him and was pinned upside down on the ground.

Seeing him faint, Junior Brother Wan Baoquan spat and went to the deep pit to look down.

Seeing the rotting corpse of the child, murderous intent rose in his eyes, and then he looked around carefully.

This time, I suddenly discovered more strange things.

A lot of the sand seems to have been moved by people...

Soon, a large number of yamen runners rushed to the scene upon hearing the news. Torches were burning on the river bank and the sounds of hoes and pickaxes digging the ground were constant.

The bodies of children were dug out one after another, one every three feet, all of them were highly decomposed, looking up at the sky...

Wan Baoquan felt his scalp tingling and murmured:
"The cemetery!"

…………

"Quick, go over here!"

"Search over there!"

"Search them all carefully for me!"

As soon as daybreak came, the tranquility of the streets was broken.

Several yamen runners and a team of garrison soldiers rushed into the old street, breaking into every house and searching.

Because of the plague that year, many people died in this street. Later, some incidents happened one after another, and it was regarded as an ominous place by the people of Chongqing.

Only wandering people are willing to settle down here.

"Where are you from?"

"Is there an ultimatum for entering the city?"

"what is that!"

The yamen runners and messengers were as ferocious as wolves and tigers. After breaking into the house, they either rummaged around or arrested people for interrogation, scaring these street performers into crying for their parents.

Because of the Wu class incident, many teams had left early, and the rest were tortured and interrogated, and they couldn't help but regret it.

Boom!
The small courtyard where Li Yan and his group were was also kicked open.

But as soon as I entered the door, I smelled a foul odor.

But the little white fox Chuqi was seen standing in the yard, wagging its tail, its big blue eyes fixed on the soldiers rushing in.

The soldiers' pupils immediately lost focus.

Li Yan and others stood in the yard, but in the eyes of these soldiers, the yard in front of them was overgrown with weeds and empty.

"Let's go, there's no one here!"

The leading soldier shouted and led his men away.

After they left, the courtyard door slowly closed.

Several streets around were under Lu San's surveillance, and these soldiers were discovered before they arrived.

On the seventh day of the first lunar month, the little white fox finally mastered the art of bewitching people.

Although still young, he has no problem dealing with these soldiers.

The soldiers searched in vain and extorted some money from the street performers before leaving satisfied.

"Good guy!"

After they left, Sharifei immediately said in dissatisfaction: "It's just killing a few evil beggars, is it necessary to do this?"

Li Yan looked at Lu San thoughtfully, "San'er, let Li Dong see what other places look like?"

Lu San nodded and raised his hand. The falcon soared into the sky, circled over Chongqing Prefecture, and then landed with a chirping sound.

"It's a city-wide search." Lu San replied in a muffled voice.

After hearing this, everyone looked at each other in surprise.

A city-wide search is not a common practice. Not only do you have to mobilize soldiers from the garrisons and block roads, but you also have to break into people's homes to search, which is very unpopular.

Especially since Chongqing is the largest port in the southwest, with complex flow of people and developed trade, it is unknown how much loss will be caused.

Li Yan frowned when he heard this, "Something is wrong, you guys stay here, I'll go investigate..."

After saying that, he pinched his fingers to perform the Mysterious Water Escape.

The fog in Chongqing has dissipated a little today, but the sky is still gloomy, and the mist is like a veil, wrapping around the entire mountain city.

As soon as the Xuanshui escape technique was used, Li Yan immediately disappeared without a trace. He came to a nearby street block and listened to some soldiers chatting. His expression suddenly changed and he quickly returned to the mansion.

"There's something wrong with that group of beggars!" Looking at everyone's eyes, Li Yan said in a deep voice: "Last night, the government searched and found hundreds of children's bodies on the river bank. They were hidden in the soil, densely packed like a forest, and their eyeballs were all dug out."

Wang Daoxuan frowned slightly, "Charnel Ground?"

Li Yan nodded and said, "It should be."

"What is a cemetery?" Sharifei asked puzzledly.

Wang Daoxuan shook his head and said, "'Charnel Ground' originated from Shendu (ancient India), meaning 'grave field', also known as 'cold forest'."

"It was later introduced into Buddhism and became a place for practice, which could quickly get rid of the obsession with the body. In the Sutra on Giving Up One's Body, people were advised to cut up their flesh and blood after death and give them to the cemetery to be eaten by birds and beasts."

"Before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, this custom also existed in the Buddhist areas of Han China, but later some evil people used it to perform evil magic, so it was banned."

"Today, Tibetan Buddhism is still preserved, and Buddhism has also passed down the method of bone contemplation, which is relatively rare."

"In the popular Journey to the West a few years ago, it was mentioned that there were piles of bones on Lion Camel Ridge at the foot of Lingshan Mountain. Perhaps it was referring to the 'cemetery of corpses'."

Sharifei said speechlessly: "Practicing in a cemetery, that's not..."

Before he finished speaking, he quickly shut up and looked at Li Yan.

Read the error-free version at 69shuba! 6=9+shu_ba is the first to publish this novel.

Li Yan shook his head and said, "They are two different things. My method is to use the Yin Sha Qi, and the 'Shi Tuo Lin' method is to see through the flesh."

"Killing people to build forests is probably because someone is practicing some evil method derived from it. They also pick children and dig out their eyes..."

Wang Daoxuan's heart trembled, "Borrowing luck to break through the realm!"

…………

"This is a demon who is using luck to break through!"

In the lobby of Chongqing government office, an old Taoist with white beard was talking eloquently.

Unlike Wudang, he was dressed in a white Taoist robe, holding a whisk in his hand, with white hair and a youthful face, and a tall and thin figure, which gave him a Taoist aura.

The Taoist's name is Dan Hezi. He is an Emei master and also the priest of Chongqing City God Temple.

In the hall, Chongqing Governor Du Ling looked at the file in his hand, his eyes were filled with anger and he could no longer suppress it. He said in a deep voice: "Master, the City God Temple is responsible for the affairs of the Xuanmen in Chongqing Prefecture, and the Law Enforcement Hall has allocated a lot of money over the years. Why did this happen?"

He was impeached by officials of Chengdu Prefecture. Although he was helped by important officials in the court and managed to keep his official position, he was still reprimanded by the emperor.

Du Ling was also smart and knew what this meant.

He did nothing wrong. The emperor was also on guard against the King of Shu. Although he would not take action, he had to find ways to check and balance him.

Therefore, as soon as he arrived, he quickly reorganized Chongqing Prefecture and seized power.

But now the war in the southwest is still at a critical juncture, and issuing an imperial decree to reprimand him is to ask him to stop and not cause trouble at this time.

He was also very honest. He immediately claimed to be sick and rarely showed up.

Who would have thought that such a big mess would occur.

Hearing the governor's rebuke, the Taoist didn't care at all, and just said calmly: "Please forgive me, sir. I have been in charge of the City God Temple for less than a year, but judging by the corpses, it started at least two years ago."

Governor Du Ling's eyes turned cold and he didn't dwell on the matter any more.

He naturally knew about the affairs of Qingcheng Mountain and Emei Mountain, but although the two sides were at odds with each other, he never got involved in the affairs between the King of Shu and the court.

He also didn't want to push too hard and cause any trouble.

Thinking of this, Chongqing Governor Du Ling asked again: "Excuse me, Taoist priest, what is 'borrowing luck to break through the realm'?"

Dan Hezi flicked his whisk and said in a deep voice: "People who practice cultivation often have difficulty in making breakthroughs due to limited talent or advanced age. In the Xuanmen sect, this is called insufficient opportunity and good fortune."

"Some people, in a desperate situation, will resort to various evil methods to devour the children's fortune and break through the realm."

"These monsters are simply insane!"

Governor Du Ling slammed the table hard and looked to the side, "Captain Wan, is there any progress?"

Wan Baoquan quickly clasped his hands and said, "Someone from the government office was involved in this matter. I have arrested him and he is being tortured."

"But that person was very difficult to deal with. He insisted that he was the one who ordered the human trafficking and that it had nothing to do with others."

"Keep asking and pry his mouth open!"

Governor Du Ling gave the order in a cold voice, then hesitated for a moment and said, "Someone from the government office is involved, and this is a matter of reputation for the court. Captain Wan, please don't say anything you shouldn't say."

"Yes, I understand."

Wan Baoquan quickly cupped his hands and said, "Everyone has been ordered to keep quiet. They just said that there is a demon in the martial arts world causing trouble, and the guards are searching everywhere."

Governor Du Ling then nodded with satisfaction.

"Within three days, settle this matter."

"Master, I'm sorry for your concern for this matter."

"Sir, I know."

After giving some instructions, Governor Du Lu turned around and left.

Dan Hezi also turned around and left the hall. Before he had taken two steps, Wan Baoquan trotted over and said bitterly, "Uncle Master, give me some advice. What on earth is going on?"

Dan Hezi glanced at him calmly and said, "You are the best detective in the southwest, and I am not good at investigating cases. Why are you asking me?"

"this…"

Wan Baoquan looked around and whispered, "Those guys from the Duwei Division have been following us from the beginning. Although they haven't hindered the investigation, they are always threatening us."

"Also, I know that kid. He loves money and lust, bullies the weak and fears the strong. He is definitely not someone who can handle things. But now he is like a weight on his chest. He won't say a word even if you beat him to death. The real murderer must be someone powerful."

"Why do I feel like someone has set me up?"

He can speak Mandarin, but when he gets anxious, his speech becomes full of Sichuan accent.

Dan Hezi looked at the sky and said calmly, "The people from Qingcheng Mountain left and took away all the soldiers and horses of the City God Temple. The mountain is now in chaos and cannot provide support. This really makes it difficult for me, the old Taoist."

"According to my opinion, this is a fight between two tigers. The people from the Duwei Division may know something. You can try to find out from the side and end this matter as soon as possible."

"Remember, just handle it impartially. No matter what happens, our Xuanmen must not get involved!"

After saying this, he strode away with his sleeves fluttering.

These words are quite confusing.

However, when Wan Baoquan heard this, his expression suddenly changed and he cursed in a low voice: "Fuck your ancestors..."

Suddenly, he thought of something, and without saying anything, he ran to the prison, and at the same time hurriedly said to his fellow apprentice next to him: "Quick, follow me, get the person out first, don't keep him in the prison!"

His fellow apprentice followed closely behind, bewildered.

When he arrived outside the prison, Wan Baoquan immediately asked the jailer, "Has anyone been here before?"

When the jailer heard this, he hesitated.

"Hurry up and tell me, or I'll beat you to death!"

Wan Baoquan suddenly cursed.

The jailer quickly replied: "Zhao Dianbu came here just now..."

"You har!"

Wan Baoquan was furious and rushed into the cell immediately.

The bailiff we caught last night was a serious criminal. He was detained in the deepest part of the prison and was heavily guarded.

But as soon as Wan Baoquan entered the cell, he found something wrong.

All the jailers and servants stood there motionless with strange smiles on their faces, their faces ashen and they were not breathing.

He quickly drew out his long knife and rushed directly into the deepest part of the cell.

But inside the cell, the yamen runner from last night was covered in blood, his head rolling on the ground, and in front of him stood a middle-aged official.

"Mr. Zhao, you are crazy!"

Wan Baoquan cursed angrily, unable to believe it.

This Zhao Dianbu usually worked in the yamen, but he was a good guy. He often drank with him and recited poems when he was drunk, which often made him laugh at him.

Why did the other party suddenly do this?

The middle-aged official had his back to them. When he heard Wan Baoquan coming, he slowly turned around with a strange smile on his face.

He cut his own neck with the knife in his hand.

puff!
Blood splattered, and the light in the cell flickered...

(End of this chapter)