bestfiction Chapter 57 The Red Line Between the Gaps
Chapter 57 The Red Line Between the Gaps
A triumphant smile appeared on Lin Lezhi's lips.
Looking at the smile on Lin Lezhi's lips, Xiao Yihuo knew that Lin Lezhi was deliberately seeking revenge. He shook his head helplessly, a smile forming on his lips.
The main buildings of the two courtyards face each other back to back.
Because people have lived in Yarenzhuang all year round, only the outside of the courtyard is covered with weeds and trees, and there is only this banyan tree in the courtyard. However, the courtyard on the other side is overgrown with weeds everywhere, with no order at all, and it looks desolate at first glance.
Only by looking down from a high point can you see the courtyards on both sides through the exposed roof of the courtyard on the other side. They have different shapes but the same layout.
"You say..." Lin Lezhi stood up slightly, comparing the courtyards on both sides and said: "Have we seen the shapes of these two sides somewhere before?"
The buildings on both sides of the courtyard, except for the main house in the middle, are built back to back, while the other houses are all built on the east and west sides, and then there is the gate facing the main house directly.
Lin Lezhi used his fingers to draw something on the empty space on the roof, and Xiao Yihuo took out a small knife from his sleeve and handed it to Lin Lezhi like a magic trick.
The knife is small and exquisite, with the word "Xu" engraved on the handle.
"Use this."
"I can't believe you carry tools with you. I've never seen you use them."
"It's for self-defense. I wanted to use it when I was on the bamboo raft in Yulong Village, but I didn't expect you to show up, so I couldn't use it."
Lin Lezhi took the knife and carved a not-so-deep dot on the roof to represent the house in the courtyard, and joked, "If I knew you could get out by yourself, I wouldn't have saved you."
"But you saved it."
"Indeed, it's too late to regret."
As dots took shape on the ground, even without connecting them, one could tell their general direction. Lin Lezhi and Xiao Yihuo looked at the banyan tree behind them at the same time. Compared to understanding, there was more shock in their eyes.
"totem!"
“It’s a totem!”
Lin Lezhi thought for a moment and said, "And we have seen this kind of structure not only here."
"You mean... an abandoned house?"
"That's right. Although the abandoned house is built in the Northern Qi style and there are no houses built with their backs facing each other in the courtyard, the overall layout is the same."
"If what we think is correct, the original owners of this Yarenzhuang and the abandoned house were originally from the Xing family. They came to Northern Qi for some reason and established Yarenzhuang in this secret place. They were later replaced by Yan Jingyi."
Lin Lezhi pointed to the southeast corner of the other side of the courtyard and continued, "If I remember correctly, the skeleton of the withered boy was found at that location."
"Do you want to go down and take a look?" Xiao Yihuo asked.
"Don't worry. It looks like there's no one over there. But think about the two people just now. Which direction did they come from? Although I know you are a martial arts expert and can come and go freely, there's no need to rush."
"Since they have been preparing for so long, we must of course see what they want to do."
"Could it be that someone from the Xing family has returned to seek revenge?"
Lin Lezhi shook his head, sighed and said, "I don't know. I also hope that someone from the Xing family came back for revenge. This way, everything can be explained."
"From your tone, it seems that this matter is not that simple."
Lin Lezhi lay on his back, looking at the clouds floating in the sky, but he didn't feel relaxed at all. "Well, if it's just revenge, you can just kill the enemy directly. There's no need to be so mysterious."
"Including Yan Jingyi and the second in command, they are also very mysterious. Why don't they do good jobs and run to this deserted mountain valley to do this shameful business of pawnbrokers?"
"If Yan Jingyi and the Second Master had something to say, they could have just found a chance to talk in private. Why did they have to hide it from everyone and build a secret door in the house?"
"And if you want to hide it, wouldn't it be better to choose the courtyard on the other side for renovation?"
Xiao Yihuo's eyes darkened slightly, and he said slowly: "You are suspecting that Yan Jingyi and the second in command did this for money on the surface, but there are other reasons behind it."
"When I came here, I thought the orientation of this Yaren Village was strange. Most people build houses, whether for a good meaning or good lighting, usually the orientation of the house is to sit north and face south. However, this Yaren Village sits south and faces north. It is not highly regarded from the perspective of Feng Shui, but it also has its purpose."
"Any idea?"
"Of course there are. Let me tell you three of the most common theories among the people."
Xiao Yihuo didn't say anything and waited patiently for Lin Lezhi to continue.
"First, the south is rich in vegetation, and sitting south and facing north means respecting and following nature."
"The second is to be on guard against the north."
"The third one..." Lin Lezhi hesitated for a while, then said: "All houses in the world are facing north and south. This is the opposite of other houses in the world, and it also means that it has a high status and is worshipped by all people."
Hearing this, Xiao Yihuo's eyes darkened, and there was a hint of strangeness in them, but soon, Xiao Yihuo hid that look, and when he looked at Lin Lezhi again, his expression had returned to normal.
"Speaking of secret doors... I wanted to ask you just now, how did you find the secret door in Yan Jingyi's house in such a short time?" Xiao Yihuo looked at Lin Lezhi and asked.
"curious?"
Xiao Yihuo nodded.
Lin Lezhi looked down. The courtyard was silent. There had been no wind for a long time. The paper money and copper coins on the ground also fell safely to the ground.
Lin Lezhi sat up, looking very happy, and asked with a smile: "Since there is no one in this courtyard now, do you want to go down and take a look yourself?"
"it is good."
After saying that, Lin Lezhi used the knife in his hand to erase the marks left on the roof.
"What does this mean?"
"You don't understand, this is safe."
Lin Lezhi smiled smugly, then returned the knife to Xiao Yihuo, stood up and prepared to climb down the branch of the banyan tree. However, before his feet touched the branch, he was grabbed by Xiao Yihuo at the shoulder, and his whole body flew into the air with Xiao Yihuo.
Before Lin Lezhi could understand what was happening, he landed steadily in the courtyard.
When it landed steadily, the paper money on the ground was only slightly lifted up, and then lay quietly in the same place again.
After Lin Lezhi landed, he was still in a daze.
Although I am not new to the world, I have watched many TV dramas and read many novels about martial arts, and I have also ridden roller coasters and bungee jumping machines.
But this feeling of having no protection, no safety rope, and no psychological preparation was the first time.
Xiao Yihuo smiled slightly with an expression as if he didn't need to be thanked, and then walked into Yan Jingyi's room on his own.
Why is he showing off? He just doesn't have the chance, otherwise it would be his turn to show off.
Lin Lezhi followed and protested in a low voice: "Next time you want to take someone else to fly, could you please let me know in advance?"
"Are you afraid?"
Without waiting for Lin Lezhi to answer, Xiao Yihuo, who had no intention of doing anything wrong, smiled and added: "I was wrong. I will pay attention next time."
"........."
After saying that, Xiao Yihuo turned his attention to the furnishings in the room.
Lin Lezhi was too lazy to argue with Xiao Yihuo. After all, he had more important things to do. He couldn't help smiling at the thought.
The room was not big, and there were many valuable items on the desk and shelves, including jade, gold, wood, porcelain, and coral ornaments. Each one would be worth a lot of money if sold.
"Have you figured out anything?" Lin Lezhi asked, leaning against the door.
Xiao Yihuo glanced at Lin Lezhi, with understanding in his eyes. He raised the corners of his mouth slightly and walked to the shelf near the wall.
Without any hesitation, his bony fingers reached out to the shelf and counted from the bottom up. He found a porcelain vase on the second shelf of the third row and gently turned it to one side.
In a moment, the bookshelf split in the middle and moved to both sides. A ray of sunlight came in, and a secret door leading to the outside opened.
Although this room is full of valuable items, the front and back of each item can be identified, except for this inconspicuous porcelain, which will not make any difference when moved left to right.
Xiao Yihuo smiled, and naturally a hint of pride appeared in his eyes. He looked in the direction of Lin Lezhi.
But there was no one sitting next to me.
Xiao Yihuo thought something had happened to Lin Lezhi, so he walked anxiously to the door, but found Lin Lezhi happily picking up copper coins outside.
Still muttering in a low voice: "I'm rich, I'm rich~"
"Jiang-Lian-An!"
A low pressure voice came, and a chill rose behind Lin Lezhi. Then he stood up holding the copper coin in his hand, chuckled and said, "I think that mechanism will not be difficult for you. Money is made to be spent. It is a waste if no one wants these copper coins. Besides, I have to make plans for my future."
"from now on?"
"Yes." Lin Lezhi looked around hurriedly, then walked up to Xiao Yihuo, grabbed his sleeve, and walked towards Yan Jingyi's house, saying as he walked, "Let's not talk about it outside. It will be terrible if we are discovered."
When I just entered the room, the secret door closed on time.
Because his right hand was holding Xiao Yihuo's shoulder, a copper coin in his left hand rolled down when he entered the house. The copper coin rolled for a while and made a "buzzing" sound.
"I said, you are so smart, you will definitely find it."
"What do you mean by what you just said?"
Xiao Yihuo asked for the answer to the previous sentence.
Lin Lezhi exhaled lightly, found a place to sit down and said, "Xiao Fox, I have to live too, and I have to make plans for my future."
"I have no intention of interfering in your affairs with Qingchuan. We were involved in this case unintentionally. It was not what you or I wanted. So after this case is over, we should return to the path we were meant to take."
"Of course, meeting is fate, and I am very happy to meet you as a friend. Maybe we will meet again in the future if we are destined to do so."
Of course, it’s best not to meet.
This is Lin Lezhi’s true thought deep in his heart.
Who wouldn't want to follow Xiao Yihuo through a life of hardships and dangers? Anyway, even without his help, Xiao Yihuo would reach the pinnacle of respect in the world.
In that pitfall story, Nan Rongyi was already dead, so he naturally couldn't be tripped by Nan Rongyi.
"Which path do you want to take?" Xiao Yihuo asked with a sullen look in his eyes.
Lin Lezhi smiled and responded from the bottom of his heart: "I don't know. I don't even know who I am. If I can't remember, it's not bad to help others solve cases or find a place to live a pastoral life."
Maybe I could even write some storybooks and earn some extra money.
"So, if I didn't come back to find you this time, would you just finish the case here and leave without saying goodbye?"
This question confused Lin Lezhi for a moment.
"No one knows me better than Brother Xiao."
Then Lin Lezhi stood up and said with a smile: "Besides, everyone says that I travel alone in the world. It seems that I am really used to this kind of life."
"In short, you are my recognized friend. No matter what you want to do, I believe you can do it." As he said that, Lin Lezhi walked up and patted Xiao Yihuo on the shoulder.
Xiao Yihuo took a deep breath, then smiled and said, "You didn't recognize anything else, but you recognized that I was alone, so you recognized this very quickly."
"If you want to leave, I won't stop you, but you also said that we met by chance, and your luggage is still at the inn. Let's go back and have a meal together before leaving."
"No problem!" Lin Lezhi agreed readily.
After dealing with Xiao Yihuo, Lin Lezhi turned back to look for the dropped copper coin.
"Don't look for it, it's here."
Xiao Yihuo bent down to help Lin Lezhi pick it up, but halfway through, his eyes were attracted by something else on the bluestone slab.
"Thanks for reminding."
Lin Lezhi heard the sound and came over to pick up the copper coin. He also noticed Xiao Yihuo's gaze.
There is a thin red line at the joint of the bluestone slab. Because there were many people here before or the light was not enough, Lin Lezhi did not notice anything unusual in this place.
After Lin Lezhi and Xiao Yihuo looked at each other, they worked together to lift the bluestone slab and found several red threads stuck in the gaps between the wood underneath the bluestone slab.
Lin Lezhi pinched it with his hands.
The red line is so light that it seems like it will be blown away by the wind.
Seeing the lingering sadness in Lin Lezhi's eyes, Xiao Yihuo's eyes were also stained with some sadness. After a long time, Xiao Yihuo closed the bluestone slab and slowly said, "Lian'an, you actually already knew who the murderer was, right?"
Lin Lezhi didn't answer, but the emotion in his eyes said it all.
Just when Lin Lezhi was about to speak, the sound of a large number of pedestrians walking outside the manor was heard. Lin Lezhi and Xiao Yihuo became alert and hid behind the door as quickly as possible.
After seeing the people rushing over, and seeing Qingchuan and Yang Hancai in the crowd, both of them could not hide the shock in their eyes.
Not only the two of them, but all the people who were sent out were brought back, including the four customers.
There were some people nearby wearing civilian clothes, holding wooden sticks as weapons, maintaining order and allowing the people to move forward.
After everyone left the courtyard of Yarenzhuang, Lin Lezhi noticed that Xiao Yihuo's eyes were tinged with self-blame. Lin Lezhi stepped forward, patted Xiao Yihuo on the shoulder and said, "Don't take it on yourself. It has nothing to do with you. Let's go. It's time to settle this case."