The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

Kong Zheng looked at Xiao Jin's innocent face, smiled, and explained, "This car is too conspicuous; we might need to change our mode of transportation."

"What kind of transportation?" Yun Ziang looked around curiously, but he didn't see any cars nearby.

Kong Zheng raised his hand and pointed to the electric tricycle under the big tree in the distance.

Yun Ziang paused for two seconds, then said, "...Wow."

"Wow! Xiao Jin likes tricycles!" Xiao Jin beamed with joy, jumped up excitedly, and ran towards the tricycle.

Yun Ziang followed helplessly.

The three got into the car and were taken to the town mayor's house.

After arriving, the three settled in briefly, and Kong Zheng wanted to take Xiao Jin and Yun Ziang to see the Locked Dragon Well first.

Yun Ziang, with the mindset of finishing as soon as possible and going home, was even more proactive than Xiao Jin.

Kong Zheng led the two along the village road for about ten minutes, and stopped in front of an old well made of bluestone.

The well opening is small, only a little over a meter in diameter. Around it stand four stone pillars about half a person's height, with iron chains as thick as an arm wrapped around them. The ends of the iron chains sink into the well, taut and straight.

The bluestone on the well ring was badly weathered, and dark green moss grew in the cracks. A thin layer of dead leaves covered the well platform, as if no one had been here for a long time.

Kong Zheng stood on the outer edge of the well platform, his tone calm: "Those four people were found here. The first one died on the east side of the well platform, the second and third were lying in the southwest corner, and the fourth was leaning against a stone pillar."

Yun Zi'ang asked curiously, "What was the cause of death?"

"They had already stopped breathing when they were found, and the forensic examination determined it was cardiac arrest."

Kong Zheng paused, his gaze sweeping over the four stone pillars and the iron chain sunk into the well. "But everyone has a wound on their body, in different locations."

"What injury?" Yun Ziang pressed.

"The first victim's tongue was bitten off at the base, the cut was very clean, as if it had been completely ripped off by something. The second victim's left arm was broken, with bone fragments piercing the skin."

"The third victim suffered a comminuted fracture of the right tibia. The fourth victim had injuries on his back, with marks of being whipped with an iron chain, and the wounds were deep enough to expose the bone, but there were no signs of external force involved, and there were no signs of being dragged on their bodies."

After listening, Yun Zi'ang frowned deeply.

"Didn't you consider that he might be a serial killer? His tongue was bitten off, his arms and legs were broken—it sounds like he was tortured and then dumped here."

Kong Zheng glanced at him calmly: "Those who come to us have naturally already investigated everything they can and found nothing, so they come to us."

Xiao Jin had broken free from Yun Ziang's hand and ran to the well. She stood on tiptoe, poked her head out, and looked down into the well.

The well was deep and dark, with only a faint light reflected from the water's surface.

The four iron chains extended down from the well platform and disappeared into the water, stretching out as four cold-colored lines in the darkness.

Yun Zi'ang quickly stepped forward and pulled Xiao Jin back: "Little Miss, don't get so close! What if you fall!"

As he spoke, he peered into the well and saw only darkness, as if something was slowly surging deep inside.

He pulled his head back, patting his chest with lingering fear: "The Dragon-Locking Well... could there really be a dragon down there?"

"The legend of the Dragon-Locking Well exists in many places." Kong Zheng walked over, his gaze falling on the four stone pillars at the well's mouth. "It is said that a wicked dragon is locked in this well. Because it stirred up storms, a wise man chained it to the bottom of the well. The well water is therefore connected to the sea eye and cannot be disturbed. If it is disturbed, disaster will follow."

He looked down at the four taut iron chains, his tone calm and objective. "There are many such legends, and their veracity is impossible to verify. But the villagers here have believed them for generations, and no one dares to touch these chains."

"Is there anything down there?" Yun Zi'ang asked in a low voice.

Xiao Jin suddenly turned her head, winked at him, and curled her lips into a mischievous smile: "Grand-nephew, you'll see when you jump down."

Yun Zi'ang's expression was indescribable: "Little Miss, you can't joke like that."

He awkwardly stepped back two steps from the well and stood behind Xiao Jin.

Kong Zheng looked at Xiao Jin, his voice gentle yet earnest: "Xiao Jin, have you figured it out?"

Xiao Jin did not answer immediately.

She slowly walked around the well platform, and finally squatted down by the well opening, reaching out to gently tug at one of the iron chains.

The chain was heavy; her small hands could only grasp one link.

She closed her eyes briefly, as if sensing something, then released her grip, stood up, patted her knees, tilted her head, and said, "Xiao Jin can see it; there really is a problem with the Locked Dragon Well."

"But... this problem doesn't seem like it will kill anyone."

She paused, her expression turning serious. "The matter of the dead and the Locked Dragon Well seem to be two different things."

Kong Zheng's gaze flickered slightly: "What do you mean?"

"Although the lock on it has been moved, the things at the bottom of the well can't get out, so it can't harm anyone."

Xiao Jin looked up at Kong Zheng, her dark eyes filled with certainty, "The four people who died were probably scared to death by something else, it has nothing to do with what's in the well."

Kong Zheng was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded: "The time of death for these people was around midnight, and the latest was no later than 1 a.m.

"There are no surveillance cameras in the town, but there are cameras installed by villagers in their own homes on this road at the village entrance. All four of them went out alone at night, without anyone following them."

"They all got here and then died."

Kong Zheng's eyes darkened. "If it's not a problem with the Dragon Locking Well, then it's a problem with the village."

Xiao Jin pondered for a moment, "Then it seems the problem lies at night. Let's come back tonight!"

As Yun Ziang listened to the two of them talking back and forth, a chill began to run down his spine again.

He rubbed his arms, steer the conversation back to the main topic: "So we're coming back tonight? This place is gloomy even during the day, wouldn't it be even scarier at night?"

"If I don't come at night, I won't be able to catch the bad guys. If I can't catch the bad guys, I'll just have to stay here forever," Xiao Jin said matter-of-factly.

"I don't want to stay here," Yun Zi'ang pouted. "Then what do we do now?"

Yun Ziang glanced at the time; it was just past three in the afternoon. "There's still a long way to go before it gets dark."

After a moment's thought, Kong Zheng suggested, "I'd like to walk around the village and visit the deceased's family members to see if I can find out anything else. Would you like to come along?"

He looked at Xiao Jin and Yun Ziang, "This might be helpful for tonight's investigation."

Xiao Jin nodded without hesitation, "Okay, Xiao Jin wants to go play too!"

Seeing this, Yun Zi'ang could only say, "Alright, we're just sitting here anyway, let's go."

The three left the Locked Dragon Well and walked along the village road into the village.

Lun'an Town is small, with houses scattered sparsely on both sides of the dirt road. Most of them are brick and tile houses, with the occasional single-story house with white walls.

As they passed a house, Kong Zheng said it was the home of one of the deceased. He and Yun Ziang went in to inquire about the situation. Xiao Jin was squatting on the stone steps at the door, originally waiting for them, but after a few minutes, her attention was drawn to a few children not far away.

Three or four children gathered in the open space at the alley entrance, where they built a small stove with bricks. Inside, they placed a pile of branches and dry leaves, and the flames crackled and jumped as they roasted several sweet potatoes wrapped in mud.

The sweet potatoes were turned over frequently, and their skins were charred and cracked, revealing the golden flesh inside. A sweet aroma wafted over on the wind.

Xiao Jin's feet moved over against her will.

She squatted down, rested her hands on her knees, sniffed, and stared intently at the sweet potatoes in the fire.

The children were all quite young, the oldest looking about seven or eight years old, wearing a dusty gray short-sleeved shirt, their faces red from the heat of the fire.

He glanced at Xiao Jin and saw that she was wearing a clean T-shirt and overalls, with white sneakers on her feet, completely different from the others who were all tanned dark. He couldn't help but ask:

"Whose child are you?"

"I am my family's child," Xiao Jin answered earnestly, her eyes still fixed on the sweet potato.

The eldest boy looked her up and down, his gaze finally settling on the smartwatch on her wrist.

He then asked, "What brand is the watch on your wrist?"

Xiao Jin glanced down and shook her head: "Xiao Jin doesn't know either."

The boy stared at her glittering watch face, then at the sweet potatoes in the fire, and suddenly said, "Would you like some roasted sweet potatoes?"

Xiao Jin's eyes lit up, and she nodded obediently, "Yes!"

"Then you can trade your watch for it." The boy pointed to her wrist. "One sweet potato for one watch."

Xiao Jin glanced down at her watch, then looked up at the sweet potatoes in the fire, swallowed hard, and then shook her head seriously.

"This is the first gift my nephew gave to Xiaojin; it can't be used to exchange for food."

The boy's face immediately darkened. He stuck the branch he was holding into the fire and waved his hand impatiently.

"If you're not going to change, then don't stay here. Get out of here."

Xiao Jin blinked, looking somewhat lost.

She stood up, brushed the ash off her knees, glanced at the fragrant roasted sweet potatoes in the fire, and said with a pitiful expression, "Okay."

Xiao Jin turned to leave.

She had just taken a step when a hand suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed her wrist. The little boy jumped up, grabbed her hand, and used his other hand to pry open the watch on her wrist.

"Give it to me!" the boy yelled.

"Ah!" Xiao Jin exclaimed in surprise, and subconsciously swung her arm. The boy felt a strong force coming from her, and was thrown backward, staggering and sitting on the ground with a thud.

Seeing this, the other three children swarmed around Xiao Jin and reached out to push her.

Xiao Jin's face turned red with anger, but her two little legs were firmly planted on the ground. The children pushed her as if she were a wall, and she didn't budge.

Then she stretched out her little hand and gently pushed the three children, one to the left and one to the right, until they all fell to the ground.

The youngest one burst into tears. The oldest boy got up from the ground, enraged, and swung his fist at Xiao Jin.

Xiao Jin neither dodged nor flinched, but raised her hand to catch his fist and pushed him away. The boy stumbled back several steps as if he had been thrown out, and fell into a pile of dry grass at the entrance of the alley.

"You can't bully Xiaojin!" Xiaojin said angrily. "Xiaojin isn't playing with you anymore!"