Suspect in Jinling

Dark blue clouds hung low from the west of the city, and the air was full of water vapor. The desolate border between the Bingma Division of the West City and the Bingma Division of the North City, a flock of birds were released from the dark sky, whistling and circling, as if a panic was brewing. rain.

Sha Xiangyue stepped on the stepping stone with the hem of her clothes on, and stepped over a puddle of water.Kuang Jian followed behind him without saying a word.

This area was originally assigned to the soldiers and horses in the north of the city. It was a long and narrow wasteland with a width of about two miles near the Qinhuai River.The original regulations of Bing Ma Si Wo Pu were somewhat organized. Later, more and more private buildings were built by miscellaneous people, and every household tried their best to invade the street and occupy land, which made a series of thatched huts protruding from front to back, with countless side roads. When outsiders come in, it's like a maze.

Unlike the place outside Doumu Temple that was obviously cleared last night, there are many pedestrians on this narrow and muddy road. Every ten steps you can see a person coming out of the left and right narrow alleys. Kuang Jian followed behind Sha Xiangyue. All the people who passed by were nodding to say hello to Sha Xiangyue, Sha Xiangyue nodded silently, and responded one by one in a non-enthusiastic manner.

The sky is getting darker and darker, the alleys are getting narrower and narrower, and at the end of the intersection, only one person can pass through, and it is difficult to see the road conditions under the feet, but the night in this area seems to come alive, and the shacks are getting more and more lively. Musical instruments and drinking orders came and went, the only strange thing was that the doors of the shacks were closed tightly, and no matter how loud the noise was behind the doors, the doors would never be opened.

Sha Xiangyue stopped outside a dark door without a signboard, told Kuang Jian to wait outside the door, then pushed open the door and ducked in. The moment the door opened, there were loud shouts and a The candlelight flooded out, but was soon cut off. Kuang Jian waited outside with his arms in his arms, looking at the dark surroundings in the faint night, and looking at the outline of Qingliang Mountain in the distance to identify his position.

But he didn't last long.

The north wind was blowing tonight, and it seemed to be raining heavily. Fifteen steps away from him, there should be a ditch where excrement was used to raise nitrate soil. The night wind was blowing, and the smell was unbearable, but there was still someone on the wall on his left. When the man came to the climax, he panted heavily and excitedly. Although Kuang Jian couldn't see it, the combination of the two really challenged his endurance, so he turned around decisively and pushed the door in.

The loud noise in the shed suddenly stopped the moment he stepped over the steps.

In the narrow and stuffy restaurant, it seemed that someone had sucked the air dry for a moment. Everyone put down what they were doing and turned their heads to look at Kuang Jian.This is a vertical hall, with more than forty people crammed into the narrow square, and there was a huqin player—the only one who was not disturbed, but because everyone suddenly stopped talking, the rough strings rang out. It became extremely sharp in this stuffy little space.

"Find the toilet."

In the dead silence, Kuang Jian said this to them.

The men here are all hulking, with bald heads, tattoos, and scars. They are not good at first glance. Two women are wearing heavy makeup and cool clothes interspersed among them. When one of them saw Kuang Jian, he took a step back guardedly and blocked A lotus platform shrine is enshrined in the back corner of the pavement, with a vigilant look.

Kuang Jian is sure that he has never been to this area, this place is close to Wai Guo and does not belong to the prefecture, but it is obvious that his presence in this strange place has created a very tense atmosphere, and the air in the small shop is getting worse and worse. He was dignified, as if he dared to act rashly, and these people would fight him anytime.

After an unknown amount of time, the big man closest to him gave way slowly, raised his chin, and calmly moved towards the back hall.

"Thank you." Kuang Jian nodded calmly, and walked through the crowd as usual.

The aisle of this shop is extremely narrow, the smell of sour wine and sweat are intertwined, and the roof is getting lower and lower. He watched the two sides calmly, until he saw a gap in the dark room next to the shrine, killing Xiangyue stood inside, as if talking to someone.

The environment of the restaurant is still like this, so there is no need to count on its latrines. Kuang Jian held his breath and finished solving himself. When he opened the curtain and came back, the conversation in the restaurant stopped abruptly again. A group of strong men looked at him warily. Head, Sha Xiangyue who was in the dark room just now was gone, he quickened his pace, put down a copper plate while passing the old man Huqin, and walked out quickly.

The wind was strong at night, the door knocked behind him, and the shack became lively again. Sha Xiangyue waited outside with her arms folded, when she saw Kuang Jian came out and said hello: "The person who brought you to meet is named Jin, I call him Second brother. I just asked, he is here tonight."

At this time, Sha Xiangyue could be regarded as amiable even with a stinky face, Kuang Jian followed in his footsteps, and gave a vigorous "hmm" in cooperation.

This is not a flattery at all, and Sha Xiangyue suddenly became angry. The misunderstanding from an hour ago came to his mind. He stepped aside indifferently, kept a distance from Kuang Jian, and said fiercely: "Leave I stay away, it's hot!"

Kuang Jian was scolded by him for no reason, and a momentary uneasiness suddenly flashed in his eyes. Although the emotion was too fast for people to catch, his steps were cautiously paused, and he gave up an arm's distance coldly and quickly.

But Sha Xiangyue's mood didn't improve because of Kuang Jian's "obedience". With the unused arrow stack on the wall, he suddenly said in a casual chat: "When I first came here, it took me a long time to find my way."

Kuang Jian pondered for a while, and wanted to ask if the people from the Taiping Sect led the way for you?He opened his mouth, afraid that he would think he was spying on the news, so he gave up.

Sha Xiangyue sneered: "At that time, there was an unsightly person staring at me. He saw that I was like a fat sheep. He hijacked me with a knife and asked me to hand over all the money," he stopped. , pointing to the north side, "It's just two alleys away over there."

He turned his head and smiled at Kuang Jian, as if he was sharing something interesting.

"Then what?" Kuang Jian asked, cooperating with his talk.

Sha Xiangyue tilted her head and looked at him very seriously: "Then I broke his legs."

The night was dark and quiet, and there was an ominous cry of a night crow in the distance.

Sha Xiangyue's eyes are like a mysterious cat, with a dark and gloomy green light in the middle of the night: "That bastard is not my opponent at all, I subdued him in two strokes, grabbed his neck with one hand, and penetrated him with the other." I grabbed his head and slammed it against the wall fiercely—嗙, 嗙, 嗙, I opened the scoop for him in only three strokes, the little rascal was lying on the ground, and I didn’t know who he was, but I thought, when someone wakes up Well, he can still go to robbery, so I dragged his feet to find a place to rest his feet, it was daytime, I dragged him two lanes, and I dragged him here," Sha Xiangyue pointed to the On the wall of the arrow stack, the rough iron railing is as high as a person's calf. He gestured and demonstrated to Kuang Jian: "I let him lie flat on the ground, put his knees on it, and stretch out his calf, and then I pressed against the wall. Jumping down from the top of the canopy—you know I was good at the head, and I broke his legs in one blow—it was rebellion, and if nothing happened, he wouldn’t have to stand up again for a year.”

Kuang Jian stared at Sha Xiangyue seriously.

Unexpectedly, he did not make any comments on Sha Xiangyue's tyranny. Instead, he walked to the edge of the wall and stomped on the horizontal bar above it.

With a "bang", the iron fence was in disrepair for a long time, and it was overwhelmed, and the horizontal bar was stamped out of a deep hole, shaking twice in the wind like a candle.

In the awkward silence, Sha Xiangyue stared straight at the useless wall, as if a lying child had been punctured on the spot.

Kuang Jian didn't say anything, he didn't speak harshly, raised his gaze with a flat expression, and asked earnestly, "How long will it be?"

Sha Xiangyue stopped talking, turned around and walked forward quickly.At the end of the chaotic alley is an open space overgrown with weeds. The open space is surrounded by miscellaneous trees on three sides, and there is an earthen wall covered with weeds in the depths. It looks like the remains of the original archery range. On one side of the archery range, there is a river bank style The huge monster, Sha Xiangyue found the entrance, a few mules walking by the door, Sha Xiangyue pushed open the iron gate, opened his mouth and shouted: "Second brother, someone is looking for!"

The small gambling house inside looks unremarkable, and the entry of Sha Xiangyue and Kuang Jian does not seem to have attracted much attention. Kuang Jian raised his hand and pushed aside the hanging pieces from the roof to see the layout inside. There are eight gaming tables, On the table are Pai Gow, dice, Shuanglu, scattered silver, and precious banknotes. There are 32 people, all of whom are men. Depending on the color of their clothes, there are many cars, boats, shops, feet, and teeth. The table on the easternmost side of the gambling house The clothes were slightly different, and the old man facing him was wearing an elegant Dongpo scarf. He touched the cards contentedly, and "touched" the opposite side with a smile. The low square table is slightly hunched over. She is dressed in a dazzling red dress, with wide shoulders, thin waist and narrow hips. Just a back view already reveals a majestic aura.

With a sound of "哗啦", the man pushed another Pai Gow, and then he smiled and stretched his arms and turned around, shouting "Xiangyue" loudly.

Only then did Kuang Jian see the man's appearance clearly, with a thin face, sword eyebrows and a hooked nose, from the left temple to the right jaw, red flame patterns spread out, and the beard and beard on his face hadn't been shaved for a long time, lined with fiery red tattoos, The demeanor is very uninhibited.

While Kuang Jian was sizing him up, the man's gaze shot towards Kuang Jian like an arrow, but he called to Sha Xiangyue, "Come and take my place." He stood up abruptly and walked towards Kuang Jian.

The man has long hands and long feet, and he stands eight feet high. When he stopped, the young people at several tables also stopped playing cards. Unlike the previous restaurant, these people were dressed very low-key, with no The tattoos that have obviously been in prison, but the outermost ones are very hard at first glance, and the eyes projected over them are full of fierceness.

Sha Xiangyue walked over calmly, took his cards and passed him by, muttering as she walked: "What kind of bad cards are you looking for again?" The man called "Second Brother" looked at others with a cold face , looking at Sha Xiangyue's pampering, he pinched the back of his neck casually, asked "what's wrong with the hand", and said, "you win it, and I lose it."

Kuang Jian took a step forward, narrowing his eyes dangerously, but "Second Brother" has already stepped in front of him, looked at him with a half-smile, and said politely:

"Captain Kuang, what's the point of coming here?"

Moths flew into the river bank and hit the oil lamp on the ceiling with a "splashing" sound.

Everyone felt nervous, Sha Xiangyue turned her back to those two people, and out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Jin Er's subordinate named Yang Su taking out a wooden stick under the gambling table, and the head of the next table poked it with his arm The arm of the person at the same table was covered with two daggers under the opened red silk cloth. Sha Xiangyue could only ignore it, and skillfully took out a Pai Gow with her right hand, and flicked it on the table, making a crisp sound of "knocking".

Kuang Jian looked around indifferently, and replied softly, "Nothing else. It's just dealing with official business and investigating the Taiping Sect."

These words were so direct that people were caught off guard. Several young and energetic people had blushed and stood up directly. Coming here is a taboo, Kuang Jian is still so outspoken, he is not abrupt, what happened today?

The second elder brother smiled and licked the corner of his mouth, as if hearing some joke, he said loudly to the people behind him: "Look, Catcher Kuang is doing his duty with dedication and responsibility!" The red lotus tattoo is presumptuous on his face The ground danced, and he continued coldly: "But this area is not peaceful at night, so Catcher Kuang is not afraid of any danger?"

"What danger?"

Kuang Jian just looked at him, very calm, his eyes were as cold as ice: "The ambush outside the Doumu Temple?"

He ignored the thugs who were slowly approaching in a semicircle with sticks, and asked in his usual calm and composed voice, "Your Excellency did it?"

The second brother narrowed his eyes slightly.

"The Taiping Sect is different from the Taiping Sect. Some worship Luo Cheng Taoists, some worship Maitreya Buddha, there are Jingkong Sect, Jinchan Sect... As far as I know, the murder at Doumu Temple the night before was not done by Your Excellency. "Kuang Jian looked at Jin Er, her tone was indifferent and calm, "Isn't the secretary of the town government coming to make trouble these few days? Someone has made such a big commotion in his own territory, and your Excellency and your subordinates are willing to sit idly by." huh?"

"Touch!" Sha Xiangyue played a card casually, and vibrated violently.

Those thugs who were slowly approaching stopped at some point, and everyone in the gambling hall was scrutinizing Kuang Jian.Sha Xiangyue could feel that the tense atmosphere in the gambling hall had been easily resolved in Kuang Jian's words, but another kind of uneasiness arose in Sha Xiangyue's heart. Kuang Jian had come prepared, but He wasn't sure how much Kuang Jian knew and how to use it, but he really dared to speak out directly to provoke the relationship between the Taiping Sect while he was still alive.

Moths kept hitting the outer wall of the oil lamp. Jin Er looked back at Sha Xiangyue's back, then at Kuang Jian, and said with a smile, "It's not convenient here, let's go in and talk?"

The old man wearing a Dongpo scarf smiled and raised his hand to respond, "Second Master, let's get busy, let's continue playing cards!"

Sha Xiangyue couldn't sit still and was about to get up, but the little old man knocked on his arm - such an old man shouldn't have such strength, but the skinny arm holding him seemed like cast iron. Usually, Sha Xiangyue rolled down a layer of trembling, Zhan Zhan looked up, and saw a small face opposite him, and said kindly to him: "Xiao Sha, let's go with Xiao Jin, you don't belong to my Southern faction, But we must also understand our difficulties.”

Sha Xiangyue had no choice but to sit down, holding the Pai Gow with her fingertips, and pushed out a card in a state of confusion——

"That's why you, Ying Tianfu, want to help me get rid of my opponent and let me become the head teacher."

In the darkroom of Heku, Jin Er rubbed his forehead, frowning a few times.

Kuang Jian's eyes were gloomy, and she still had the same indifferent expression, and said calmly: "Your Taiping Sect's head teacher is not static, isn't it? ——If the information I have is not wrong, More than ten years ago, the Xu family occupied the most powerful altars in Shandong, and the Jin family was squeezed out to the south of the Yangtze River. Now the feng shui has taken turns, the south has gained a firm foothold, and the north is declining day by day. Mrs. Jin even indulged Mrs. Xu to intercept and kill members of the Gongmen under your auspices... It's too much to be so unappreciated, or even underestimated."

Jin Er let out a snort, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and he looked dumbfounded, "It's hard for Lord Catcher to care so much about the plight of people like us, but who told you that I have a grudge with Mrs. Xu? Xiangyue said that?"

What he said was meaningful, and he seemed to be interested in seeing Kuang Jian panic and make a fool of himself.

Kuang Jian didn't take this gesture seriously at all, looked straight into Jin Er's eyes calmly, and interrupted: "There were five ambushers outside the Doumu Temple the night before, and someone from Kuang killed two of them, and Sha Xiangyue killed three of them. , He was poisoned on his hands and arms, the poisoner, surnamed Xu, line four."

The person on the other side was really calm, meticulous, calm, as if a peerless master made a move, and had no intention of fighting, but the momentum has passed everyone.

This made Jin Er suddenly waver, fearing that Sha Xiangyue and Kuang Jian had missed the point. He clenched his fist with his left hand and touched his nose: "What about you? Ying Tianfu asked me to join forces, what do you want?"

Kuang Jian gave a gentle smile, spread his palms slightly, and said quietly: "I am a member of the Gong family, what can I ask for? Jinling's long-term stability, prosperity and stability is what I want--don't want so many murder cases." , don’t want so many sectarian struggles, your Excellency has not had trouble in Jinling for so many years, you are a trustworthy person, I am here today, that’s all I want.”

Jin Er stroked his mustache on his chin, and was surprised to find that he actually believed Kuang Jian's words. If someone else said this theory of long-term peace and stability, he would definitely think that this person is full of nonsense, and he would give him a headbutt , but when Kuang Jian said it, his quiet and low-key attitude and calm demeanor made people trust his words for no reason.The impression he gave of this man was really not so good, he was courageous, insightful, calm and self-controlled, no wonder Sha Xiangyue was so interested in him.

but……

Jin Er smiled, and still politely pushed back the kindness: "Kuang Catcher rarely comes here, thanks to Ying Tianfu, but I, Jin Er, am no longer a thing, and I won't be so inferior as betraying my brother." The matter of the three abuses. Let’s stop here for today, Lord Catcher, don’t come again.”

"it is good."

The polite words have already been finished, and Kuang Jian didn't say much anymore. He simply stood up and said flatly: "Jin Er, whose real name is Jin Chizi, is in charge of thirteen merchant shops in the east of Jinling City, and the gang of teeth and feet in the west of the city. I would like to remind you that no matter how far west the city is, it is also the boundary of Jinling. Mr. Gui, who made a mistake in the gate of the Qinhuai River, is still locked up in the town government office, and Zhao Quan, who is digging up excrement, is locked up in my Yingtian mansion. Perhaps on the day of the confrontation in the hall, they will all be willing Tell me, who robbed Liulier on the night of March 21 and ran away, and on March 28, who tricked a commoner into sending food to the female prison of the Ministry of Criminal Justice."

Finally, the knife is brightened.

Kuang Jianyun was calm and breezy, showing that careless ruthlessness, suddenly, he had the upper hand in the situation between the two sides.

Jin Er grinned grimly: "You threaten me?"

"Not really."

Kuang Jian's eyes were calm, and the angle of the backlight made his face dark, casting a huge shadow on Jin Chizi, like a giant whale in the deep sea, no matter what others do, they can't change his trajectory: "Jin Chizi, I respect you three points, but I also have my duties, if you don't want to talk to me, I can only talk to your opponent," he tapped the armrest of the armchair lightly, and made two crisp sounds Wooden voice, "Think carefully, I'm leaving first."

It's changing outside.

The wind was blowing, and the night wind poured in from the small window on the top floor of the river bank, making the oilcloth rattle.

When Kuang Jian walked out of the darkroom, only Sha Xiangyue's table was still playing in Heku. All the thugs gathered around, holding a thick and long wooden stick in their palms, with fierce expressions on their faces.Kuang Jian was unmoved, turned his head and called Sha Xiangyue calmly.

Jin Chizi came out lazily with the curtain lifted, dressed aggressively in red—he was also the boss after all, and at this time his face was full of emotion, making it impossible to see what he had just talked with Kuang Jian. Looking around, he took a look at the condition of Heku, and said casually: "He's here, let him play around, and Catcher Kuang will go first."

Kuang Jian didn't move his feet, stood stubbornly on the spot, and shouted to kill Xiangyue again.Sha Xiangyue turned her head and looked at him quietly, her eyes met.

No one spoke, and the atmosphere became subtly stagnant. Only the old man sitting opposite Sha Xiangyue looked around, and said with a smile: "This is just getting fun, and Catcher Kuang still wants to ask Xiao Sha what he means." , he is willing to go with you!"

Kuang Jian's Adam's apple visibly slid up and down.

Today the official duties are over, he thought he could go home from work, but he was caught off guard by such a mistake.He glanced around from the corner of his eye, Liu Lier had already escaped, Sha Xiangyue washed his head and tail clean, and he had no bargaining chip in his hand to hold him back, if Sha Xiangyue said no at this time, Kuang Jian would never There is no way.

Kuang Jian stared at Sha Xiangyue with deep eyes, without saying a word.Sha Xiangyue has a slender waist and back, her lavender skirts are reflected in clusters of lights, and she looks at him coldly—thanks to this situation, Sha Xiangyue's brows and eyes are distant, and she feels happy for the first time, and finally she is not the one who was chosen , but Kuang Jian stood alone, waiting for his decision. Kuang Butou's words of "treasure lamp" last night rang like thunder in his ears all day, and it was time for revenge.He slowly pulled away from the intertwined gaze, restrained and turned his head cruelly, and said softly: "It's going to rain, Kuang catcher, please go back."

The muscles on Kuang Jian's cheeks suddenly shrank.

He didn't say anything, he strode decisively, turned around and left.

"Bang!" With a loud noise, Kuang Jian took three steps at a time, and slammed the iron door to the outside like the wind.

A heavy rain fell in the night sky, and it filled all the silence with a huff. Sha Xiangyue gnashed her teeth and didn't turn her head to look at the leaving figure. She pinched Pai Gow's fingertips, but began to tremble bit by bit.