When my great-great-grandfather arrived at the door, he found that the village chief was also there. He was talking to these people dressed like officials. When the village chief saw that my great-great-grandfather had returned, he hurriedly introduced them to him.
It turned out that after my great-great-grandfather told the village chief about the barren slope, the village chief asked his eldest son to report the case to the Yanjin County government. When the county magistrate heard that there was some progress in the case of the missing children, and that one of them had been found, he felt that his chance to be promoted and rich had come. At this time, the disappearance of children was a national issue, and there was no place in the country that could solve the case. If he could solve the case at this critical juncture and report it to the imperial court, then his future would really be boundless.
Therefore, the county magistrate sent his most capable constable to follow the eldest son of the village chief to Sanwang Village.
These constables were more intelligent and had solved a few medium-sized cases before. They were quite famous in Yanjin County. After he led a few constables to the village chief's house, he immediately asked to see my great-great-grandfather and asked him to lead them to the scene.
After the village chief explained the purpose of the officials, my great-great-grandfather smiled and agreed. At this time, my great-great-grandfather also had a few unsolved doubts in his heart. Even if these officials didn't come to find him to lead the way, he would still take time to take a look at the barren slope. At this time, the officials invited him to go with them, just so that he could have a legitimate reason.
Sanwang Village is on the south bank of the Yellow River, and Yanjin County is on the north bank of the Yellow River. Logically speaking, Sanwang Village on the south bank of the Yellow River shouldn't be under the jurisdiction of Yanjin County on the north bank of the Yellow River. However, my grandmother said that the elder son of the village chief reported the case to the county government of Yanjin County. He was an official sent by the county magistrate of Yanjin County. I believe my grandmother won't remember wrongly. This is an unsolvable mystery. Don't ask me, I don't know what's going on.
Back to the main topic. After my great-great-grandfather brought a few constables to the barren slope, the traces of fighting and trampling that night were still there. My great-great-grandfather pointed out a few places based on his memory. One was where he met the Red Ghost, another was where he fought with the Red Ghost and the Green Ghost, and the last was where he met the little girl.
During this period, my great-great-grandfather also found the ghost mask with red hair. After he picked up the little girl, he found the mask to be a hindrance and was afraid of scaring the child, so he casually threw it away. Even though it was broad daylight and he was holding the mask in his hand, he still felt that it was terrifying. The constable walked over and took the mask from my great-great-grandfather's hand. After looking at it, he put it away. This was also an important piece of evidence.
After my great-great-grandfather pointed out these places, the constable waved his hand at the constables. The constables quickly spread out on the barren slope and searched all over the mountains. They were probably looking for other clues.
At this time, the constable asked my great-great-grandfather a few questions, some common sense questions, such as why my great-great-grandfather came here in the middle of the night, what he was doing here, and so on. The constable had heard from the village chief what my great-great-grandfather did for a living. In addition, my great-great-grandfather had saved a child, so he was very respectful to my great-great-grandfather.
My great-great-grandfather was an honest man, not to mention that he was facing an official. He answered the constable's questions in detail. After the constable heard this, he asked my great-great-grandfather," Mr. Liu, who do you think those two people who snatched the children were?”
My great-great-grandfather thought for a moment and said," I think they might be Taoist priests. After I pulled that old man's hair off, he had a bun on his head. There was a hairpin inserted in the bun. That hairpin, I now think, seems to be a Taoist priest's hairpin.”
During the Qing Dynasty, there was a practice of " keeping one's hair but not the head ". Men had shaved their foreheads and had long braids at the back. There were only two types of people who were exceptions: monks and Taoists. The old man had a bun on his head and a hairpin on it. He was undoubtedly a Taoist priest.”The constable asked to himself.
At this moment, a bailiff's shout came from afar." Constable, constable, come and take a look…"
The constable and the other constables, including my great-great-grandfather, heard the shout and ran towards the constable.
When my great-great-grandfather came closer, he saw that it was a four-foot-square wasteland. It was similar to other places. The only difference was that the weeds here were all dead, as if someone had pulled them out and buried them back.
At this moment, the constable from before bent down and pulled out a straw rope from the grass nest next to him. One end of the rope was connected to the bottom of the withered grass. The constable pulled the straw rope up gently, and the withered grass and the land were lifted up.
It turned out that there was a hidden wooden cover under the withered grass. One end of the cover was connected to a straw rope, and it was covered with yellow soil. The withered grass was buried in the yellow soil, just like a trap used for hunting. However, this was not a trap. Under the wooden cover was a deep vertical hole. The hole was three feet square. From above, one could see that there was a wooden ladder in the hole. If one followed the wooden ladder, they would probably reach the bottom of the hole.
At this time, because the light outside was relatively bright, it was at least dark when looking into the cave from above. The bottom of the cave could not be seen.
A few constables stood on the top and looked into the cave. Although they could not see anything, they looked at each other. This was perhaps the most bizarre case they had ever encountered, including my great-great-grandfather. None of them could have thought that there would be such a secret place on the barren slope. What was in the vertical cave? Could it be related to the missing child case? It was easy to recognize.
Because the cave was too dark, there were not many people who came up. They did not know if there would be hidden dangers in the cave, so the constable did not dare to let anyone go down rashly. On the one hand, he sent people back to the village to borrow torches from the village chief. On the other hand, he sent people back to the county office to report to the county magistrate, asking him to send more people to investigate the area around the barren slope.
An hour later, the constables who had returned to the village returned. Not only did they find a few torches from the village, but they also brought a few young and strong villagers with them. They were led by the village chief's youngest son.
With the torches and people, the constable began to arrange for people to go down to the cave to investigate. The first to go down were the constables under the chief constable. They lit two torches and went down the ladder while the others waited on top.
In the time it took for a meal, there was a commotion in the cave. Then, a few constables clamored and climbed up with a child.
When my great-great-grandfather saw the child, he realized that it was his good friend Wang Liang's son, Wang Xiaoliang. When he saw the child, his face revealed a happy expression. He hurriedly took it from the hands of a few constables and thanked them repeatedly.
At this time, Wang Xiaoliang seemed to have fallen asleep. My great-great-grandfather used his hand to test under his nose. He was breathing. He might have been knocked out by something like knockout powder.
Several constables reported to the constable that the inside was not big and was divided into two rooms. The outer room was decorated like a Taoist temple with Sanqing statues, incense burner, futon, and so on. In the middle of the room was a triangular cauldron covered with a lid. Beside the cauldron was a wooden bed. Previously, Wang Xiaoliang was stripped naked and tied to the bed. Beside the bed was a clay table. On the table were a few sharp knives. From the looks of it, it seemed like they wanted to do something to Wang Xiaoliang, but they hadn't done it yet.
Other than Wang Xiaoliang, the constables did not find anyone else in the cave. "According to my guess, it might be because of my great-great-grandfather. My great-great-grandfather alerted the enemy and they all ran away.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。