Weird show

※one※

Qin Songfeng and others did not evade, and they all boarded the boat with Xiao Jiu.Song Gang stood straight on a big rock on the bank, and said coldly, "Why do you let outsiders come to listen to the jokes of the Heaven's Punishment Sect?"

Xiao Jiu had already boarded the boat, turned back and said unceremoniously: "The embarrassing thing has already been seen, if it is still hidden, it will be even more embarrassing."

Song Gang didn't respond for a moment, then unexpectedly said: "This statement makes sense."

Ji Shuliu couldn't tell whether he was speaking satirically or speaking the truth.

Soon everyone gathered in the largest cabin and lowered their voices, Song Gang outside must have been unable to hear them.Peng Guru gave way to everyone, sat down on the ground, his eyes were very painful: "Ajiu, I have learned from the pain for several months, thinking that I made four big mistakes one after another, which led to the development of the matter to the point of no return. .

"First, I shouldn't have brought so many young people with me when I was going to look for a new hiding place on land. At the beginning, I considered that the outstanding disciples of my sect would inevitably walk in the rivers and lakes in the future, and wanted them to exercise. The three-person sword formation I created a few years ago worked very well, so I selected nine people and divided them into three groups to follow Ah San, Ah Si, and Ah Wu. Actually, I shouldn’t bring any of them, not even your brothers. Shouldn't be.

"Second, since I have brought so many young people, I shouldn't encourage them to compete with each other, let alone tell them that they may re-elect the head in the next few years. Before, Lao Song and I felt that these children don't know the world, the biggest The danger comes from outsiders, so every time we go to a state capital, Lao Song and I sit in the city and let the three groups of young people travel separately. They should try their best to inform us of their itinerary so that we can take care of them at any time; but they don’t know each other. In order to compete. I didn’t expect that, long before boarding the ship, your fourth brother hooked up with Yuan Banjiang, who is next to Ah San, and asked him to leave secret notes along the way to leak out your third brother’s itinerary continuously.”

Xiao Jiu said: "Fourth brother has already launched a murderous plan?"

"Ah Si claimed that at first he was just trying to understand his opponent's movements in order to compete for the first place. Later, because of repeated quarrels, he had the desire to kill."

Xiao Jiu nodded: "I heard from the kidnapped child that before the accident, there were foreigners wandering around the streets of Hero Town, looking for little beggars to help him run errands and deliver messages. It must be Yuan Banjiang."

Peng Guru lowered his head and rubbed his brows: "That's right... My third mistake was seeing your third brother and fourth brother quarreling in front of me many times over trivial matters, but they didn't take it to heart. Their quarrel, It's nothing more than Ah Si satirizing Ah San's obsession with cleanliness, and Ah San criticizing Ah Si for wandering around the land of love and moon, but I forgot that small grudges can also accumulate into deep hatred.

"The last mistake is the most serious. In fact, your third brother is careful and vigilant, and he may have had a bad premonition. The day before he was killed, he suddenly sent a letter to me, Lao Song, and your fifth brother, saying that he had something important to discuss. Let's go to the Peace Temple in Hero Town to find him. The tone of his letter was not urgent, so I didn't arrive in time after receiving the letter."

"When you and Uncle Song arrived at Ping'an Temple, he had already been killed? What was the situation at that time?" Xiao Jiu's eyes gradually became sharper.

The Ping'an Temple was cleaned up too cleanly, and she had no way of knowing the situation at that time, but what happened to Pan Ziyun was closely related to the truth of that night in Ping'an Temple.

Peng Guru closed his eyes in pain, and the corners of his eyes showed deep wrinkles due to excessive force: "We went too late, what happened in the early morning, we arrived at noon. There are five corpses lying in the Peace Temple, one is Your third brother, three are young people who followed your third brother, and one is Dang Xun who originally followed your fourth brother. It can be seen that it was Yuan Banjiang and Dang Xun who cooperated with each other and killed your third brother and the other two. The same name. Because your third brother's sword is slightly wider than others, only Yuan Banjiang and Dang Xun have the wounds left by your third brother."

Xiao Jiu's voice was slightly sluggish: "When I was young, I practiced swords with Dang Xun. Even my father said that he has some talent."

"Dang Xun's swordsmanship ranks among the top few among the younger generation of the Heaven's Punishment Sect. Although it is far inferior to yours, among the people who are close to your fourth brother, there is no one who has higher swordsmanship than him."

"What's the matter with Yuan Banjiang? I remember he was very good with the third brother before."

"On the island before, he had a falling out with your third brother. You should still remember that although your third brother is more kind, he is too clean." Peng Guru looked gloomy, "The temper has been accumulated for too long, and occasionally it will suddenly Attacked people close to him. They almost made a move that time, and they have been strangers ever since. Later, when Yuan Banjiang was about to go to sea, Yuan Banjiang knelt down to apologize, and your third brother agreed to take him with him. Now thinking about it, he suddenly knelt down, probably because Instigated by your fourth brother."

Qin Songfeng took Ji Shuliu's hand and wrote in his palm: "Shangguan brothers decide on the candidates. It can be seen that the cracks in the Heavenly Punishment Sect are deep, and the Shangguan brothers are very powerful."

Ji Shuliu squeezed Qin Songfeng's hand to express his understanding.When Peng Guru talked about his sect, it was inevitable to embellish the embarrassment. When Shangguan San and Shangguan Si walked with their fellow sects, they would act as noble sons themselves, and the rest of the sect would act as guards. will be so.

Xiao Jiu continued to ask: "Is Dang Xun and Yuan Banjiang the only ones who attacked? Didn't my fourth brother participate?"

"That night he was a prostitute in Taohua Town, dozens of miles away, and he never left until noon the next day." Peng Guru said, "According to the testimony of the prostitute woman, after eating half of the supper, Dang Xun pretended to relieve himself and left suddenly. , and then never came back. The women here have asked about it several times, but your fourth brother and the other two have always said that you don’t need to worry about him.”

Xiao Jiu frowned slightly: "How does Fourth Brother explain this matter?"

"He said that he had quarreled with Dang Xun before he came, and that Dang Xun wanted to go to another house to meet his old friend, so they thought that Dang Xun was taking advantage of convenience to find a good friend. There was a flaw in his words. When Lao Song found your fourth brother, he had already In the afternoon of the next day, Dang Xun still hadn't returned, but he still didn't go looking for it."

Xiao Jiu lightly brushed the messy hair hanging from his temples and covering his eyes: "You find the child in Hero Town to confirm that it was Yuan Banjiang who leaked the whereabouts of the third brother, and that he was indeed going to send the letter to Taohua Town. In this way, the evidence is solid enough. "

"Ajiu has grown up, and it will work at once." Peng Guru seemed to be very relieved, "Old Song was so angry that he almost killed your fourth brother on the spot, but I felt... well, I couldn't bear it after all. , the old head has only two sons left. We have been arguing endlessly, and another young man next to your fourth brother took the opportunity to escape, but he failed to recover in time, which almost made a big mistake." He clasped his fist at Qin Songfeng , "I still want to thank the second sect master Qin."

Qin Songfeng clasped his fists in return, but did not explain that it was Ji Shuliu who shot.

Xiao Jiu nodded: "So now you and Uncle Song are arguing whether to kill someone or not. Is fourth brother still locked up, and where is Aunt Feng?"

"Mrs. Feng was worried about your fourth brother. We died within a few days after we came back."

Xiao Jiu was silent for a moment, then sighed.

Peng Guru also sighed and said: "Your third brother is Madam Jiang's own flesh and blood. Madam Jiang was shocked by the bad news. How could she not want to kill your fourth brother to pay for the crime? I think it was probably after Madam Feng died that Madam Jiang felt pity. It’s only now that I’ve advocated saving your fourth brother’s life.” He changed his tone, “But in fact...Lao Song may have some truth in saying that she was overwhelmed with grief and delirious.”

"Oh?"

Peng Guru said: "Mrs. Jiang has been fighting with Lao Song these days. It's better to let Lao Song decide about her matter. Your Uncle Song must be waiting outside. If there is nothing else, I will replace him." How about coming in?"

"Uncle Peng, go slowly." Xiao Jiu got up to see him off, and the others also stood up.Peng Guru politely yielded.

Peng Guru, who is less than half a century old, always has a serious expression and a polite manner.

※two※

Song Gang, who was over sixty years old, only had sternness in his eyes.

"Shangguan Si must not stay. This person is not only ruthless, but also despicable and shameless. He sent Dang Xun to kill people, and he hid in the kiln for fun. He intended to escape the crime if he missed. If such a mechanism is exhausted, the crime will be increased.

"You hold the Mingshen sword, which is equivalent to the sword in your own sect. You can bypass Lao Peng and directly clean up the sect. Why don't you go and kill Shangguan? I have been in charge of punishment for decades, and I finally taught this thing that killed my fellow sect and murdered my brother. I have already lost face to others, as long as I can let him die, even if I take the blame and abdicate, I will have no complaints."

Xiao Jiu didn't answer his words, but said very gently: "I'm going back to the island this time, besides visiting the place where my third brother is buried, I have one more thing to do. Your son, Senior Brother Song Bai..."

"I've heard about the cause and effect," Song Gang hastily interrupted Xiao Jiu, "Death is like a lamp going out, so there's no need to mention it."

His tone was not as cold as his words themselves, anyone could hear a little panic.As if to cover up, he blurted out a jerky soft word: "You are completely different from before. I heard that you have never been married and have no friends. Why do you have to think about it so hard?"

"I have friends, otherwise who are they." Xiao Jiu pointed at Qin Songfeng and others perfunctorily, and returned to the topic, "I already know roughly what happened at that time. Uncle Song, please tell me the evidence you have in hand."

Song Gang was in charge of the punishment, and indeed he weighed more evidence than Peng Guru. In his narration, he drew the location of the corpses in the Ping'an Temple, and he knew exactly where everyone was injured.

Ji Shuliu compared his words with Ai Xiucai's memories.

Ai Xiucai said that the owner of the half jade pendant had many wounds all over his body, and the fatal wound was on his back.According to Song Gang, among the five corpses in Ping'an Temple, there were two with many wounds and severe back injuries. They were Shangguan Sanhe and one of his "guards" who had always followed him.However, Song Gang said that there was a lot of blood around each dead person, and it seemed that they were killed in situ, rather than moving their corpses to the temple from other places.

——But if the two masked men moved the corpses, and then got a few animals to cover them with bloodletting, wouldn't it be difficult to distinguish them?

"The evidence is very conclusive," Song Gang insisted. "Mrs. Jiang said that because of excessive grief and insanity."

Xiao Jiu said: "She looks calmer than I remember."

"You have never seen her talking nonsense, nor have you seen her cut open the abdomen of your third brother's corpse by taking advantage of others' surprise, insisting that there is evidence inside."

Ji Shuliu shivered when he thought of what Ai Xiucai said about swallowing the jade pendant.Xiao Jiu asked casually, "Is there any evidence?"

"Mrs. Jiang claimed to have it, but no one saw it when she had her abdomen cut. She probably stuffed it in herself. Not only that, but her words were even more confusing. She actually claimed that her grandfather was the master of Lu Longcheng. She was used to autopsies since she was a child."

Ji Shuliu grabbed Qin Songfeng's hand tightly.He once heard from the Yanshan School that among the women who were kidnapped by Haifengzhai in Jiefu Village, there was indeed a granddaughter of Lu Longfu who lived in the city when she was young and returned to the village after her grandfather passed away.Mrs. Jiang's statement may be true. Why did Song Gang insist that she made it up?

Xiao Jiu hadn't heard the news, but he didn't trust Song Gang either: "In fact, go to Lulong to investigate and you will know the truth."

"It's a pity that it's not easy to go to sea, and it's hard to expose it directly." Song Gang's face was calm, "But Madam Jiang's words are full of flaws, and no one except her own will believe it. Regardless of whether there is any reason for a corpse to be cut open casually, let me ask which one would know Let the young granddaughter touch the dead body, even if her grandfather's behavior is upside down, why didn't she say it before, why didn't even the old people in Jiefu Village hear that she knew how to do autopsies? These are obviously Madame Jiang's delusions after she went mad."

——Wuzuo is a taboo profession, and the villagers pay more attention to it. Lu Long's granddaughter naturally doesn't need to mention this in front of the village women in her hometown.It's just that it seems reasonable that Song Gang didn't think of this level.

Song Gang said again: "After you left back then, our school often argued endlessly about whether the punishment should be strict or lenient. It happened that your third brother was more lenient, your fourth brother was more strict, and your fifth brother was in the middle. The Hudong residence is divided into three parts, and let them manage them separately to see the effect. Do you know the conclusion?"

"Probably Fifth Brother is in charge of it the best."

"That's right, being too lenient or too strict is not advisable." Song Gang looked directly into Xiao Jiu's eyes, "The Heaven's Punishment Sect made mistakes in the past that were too strict. Wouldn't it be ridiculous if they made a mistake of being too lenient again in the future? Old Peng blamed himself too deeply. , I have long been unable to distinguish the line between kindness and indulgence. When I am too old to manage affairs and A Wu's prestige is not enough to convince the public, what will happen to the Heaven's Punishment Sect in Lao Peng's hands? Hold the sword, you are already a famous martial arts master , you can take on the important task, I suggest you use Shangguan Si's blood to wake him up."

"I understand your concerns, but I have to listen to other people's opinions before making a decision." Xiao Jiu said, "Where is the fourth brother now? Also, he originally brought three people with him. The child was killed, what's left?"

Song Gang said: "Shangguansi is locked in Xixintang, and the rest of the witnesses are in the dungeon in the back mountain. Outsiders are not allowed to enter."

"I know," Xiao Jiu blinked, "Three outsiders, you don't mind sending me to the prison door."

Sun Chengxiu hurriedly said, "I don't mind."

So everyone got up, Song Gang got off the boat first, Xiao Jiu whispered to the other three people: "I trust Aunt Jiang more. She won't go crazy."

※three※

Starting from the west bank of Xixin Island, the coast with piled up rocks is the first floor, Xixin Lake and its nearby Xixintang and "iron bucket" are the second floor, and the houses in the east of the lake are the third floor. The back mountain is the fourth floor.On the fourth floor, there are many simple houses built on a relatively flat open space, which should be the residence of Song Gang, who was in charge of punishment, and the disciples of the Heaven's Punishment Sect who were under the control of punishment alone; further east is the dungeon.

Xiao Jiu walked into the dark cave entrance. According to her arrangement, Sun Chengxiu stayed nearby and waited, while Ji and Qin turned back the same way to observe the situation on the island.

Now, more than 30 disciples of the Heavenly Punishment Sect, who were in charge of punishment, stood upright in another open space nearby, chatting with each other occasionally, preparing to go to the island for routine inspections when Song Gang came out of the dungeon.This is almost all the people who were executed, and those simple houses are almost empty.

There was only one room where there was a conversation between an old man and a young man.

The young man complained angrily: "I practice hard every day, but my aptitude is really not good enough. Don't count on me anymore. Why don't you teach my brother more."

"Diligence can make up for one's weakness. Except for idiots, there is no one with bad qualifications." The old man coughed and panted, "Do you know what the former head Dong said about the old head Shangguan?" .' But the prestige of the old head Shangguan in our Heavenly Punishment Sect is ultimately higher than that of head Dong."

The two of Ji and Qin stared at each other, "Judge Shangguan Judgment" is benevolent and cowardly?

The young man refused to accept: "If the old head is really so powerful, why did we kill each other back then."

"Cannibalism is nothing. In the early years, Heaven's Punishment sent enemies all over the place, and more and more people died every year. Later, the head of the Dong and the former head of punishment, head of the book, and the original successor of the head were killed at the same time. If the old head of Shangguan hadn't been ordered in danger, the Heaven's Punishment Sect would have been expelled from the Jianghu at that time!

"The old master's swordsmanship is superb. Not only did the Heaven's Punishment School become more famous and the casualties were reduced, but it also corrected the disadvantages of our swordsmanship that hurt the body. When I was your age, I was already plagued by old injuries. Can you be healthy?" It is all thanks to him to be healthy and healthy until now. Be content, work hard, and stop talking nonsense, since a benevolent and cowardly person can punish the head of the sect that day, why should a dull person not be able to practice swordsmanship."

Ji Shuliu whispered: "How do you write about benevolence, and how do you write about cowardice?"

Qin Songfeng pinched his waist: "Don't interrupt, listen."

However, the young man practiced kung fu with his head closed, and stopped talking.

The two left regretfully, and climbed to a nearby high ground with a better view, looking at the Hudong folk houses on the third floor.Those dwellings have been clearly divided into three parts, obviously belonging to the three Shangguan brothers.At this moment, no one was walking among the houses, and it was eerily quiet.

Ji Shuliu said to himself: "It's not hot, why don't these people go out."

Qin Songfeng said: "Maybe it's because we are here, what is the ban..."

As soon as the voice fell, the long bell sounded again from the Xixin Hall in the distance.The people in the Hudong folk house came out of the door noisily like children after school.

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Note: Normal post-mortem examinations in that era did not do laparotomy.