Cao Thief

Chapter 292 Snow Lotus, Snow Lotus ([-])
When the banquet was about to end, there was another disturbance.

It turned out that when Yueguan was changing clothes, Chi Zhong couldn't bear the impulse in his heart, quietly left the waterside pavilion, and secretly peeped.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Dao also came out of the waterside pavilion at this time, and saw Chi Zhong's behavior.

The two of them didn't get along very well, so Zhudao stepped forward and grabbed Chi Zhong.But Chi Zhong became angry from embarrassment, and fought with Zhu Dao.

The two are brothers and are very familiar with each other.

So this fight immediately attracted everyone to come out of the water pavilion to watch.

Yue Guan was so ashamed and angry, he didn't say a word inside the gate of Kuayuan.Chi Zhong seemed to have gone crazy, desperately fighting Zhu Dao.Zhu Dao, on the other hand, looked a little embarrassed, moving and dodging.Although the two were familiar with each other, Chi Zhong went crazy, which gave Zhu Dao a headache and backed away again and again.

But seeing the flashing light of the sword, the sound of scolding continued.

Chen Qun looked gloomy in front of the Shuishi Gate, only looking at the two of them without speaking.

"Old Zhu, Boyu, hurry up and stop."

Xuan Shuo shouted loudly, but the two of them didn't seem to hear it.

"Magistrate Chen, what, what should I do?"

"Let them fight, let's see who can get away in the end."

Chen Qun shouted sharply, causing everyone's expression to change immediately.They forgot that Chen Qun was the order of Luoyang, and above him was an extremely tough Henan Yin.If a human life is caused at this time, it will definitely not be let go in the end, and no one will be able to escape.

Yue Guan was also in a hurry and hurried over to stop him.

Chi Zhong also calmed down at this time, feeling ashamed, and walked away without saying a word.

Zhu Dao hummed twice, but said nothing.Yue Guan's eyes were red, as if he had suffered endless grievances, he stepped forward to apologize to Chen Qun and others.

Outside the pavilion, it started to rain again...

Cao Peng leaned over the desk, and seemed to have fallen asleep.

Chen Qun smiled wryly and said, "Master Yuean, it looks like I'm going to bother you tonight. Youxue is drunk, and it's really not suitable for walking anymore. I wonder if there is any room available?"

Yue Guan said: "There are three wing rooms in the front hall, just to make it convenient for laymen to rest.

It's just a bit rough, if Chen Luoyang doesn't dislike it, he might as well rest in the front hall with Mr. Cao.Anyway, the three wing rooms in the front hall are sufficient. "

"So annoying!"

Chen Qun bowed his hands to thank him, then called Chen Ju, and helped Cao Peng to the wing.

"Su Gong, there is one more thing I need to trouble you with."

At the end of the song, Chen Qun called Su Wei.

Su Wei looked terrified, "What is Chen Luoyang's order?"

"I would like to ask you to inform Luoyang's prominent businessman that he will come to the county government office to discuss matters at noon the next day.

You also know that I just came to Luoyang, and I don't know people well. Mr. Su, you have lived in Luoyang for a long time, so you must know him better than I do. I wonder if it is possible? "

A respectable Jia Ren?

Su Wei was taken aback, and quickly said: "Xiaomin is willing to help."

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The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and Cao Peng suddenly opened his eyes.

In the front yard, it was very quiet, and the guests had all dispersed.Cao Peng opened the door, walked out of the wing room, and walked to the door of the next room.

He raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door.

"Brother, are you here?"

Footsteps were heard in the room, followed by the door being opened.

Chen Qun looked surprised, "Ah Fu, why did you knock on my door?"

Cao Peng stepped into the room and sat down in the room.

"Brother, if I don't come to you, who else can I go to?"

Chen Qun shivered in fright, "Aren't you..."

"Brother, you misunderstood!" Cao Peng said softly, "I pretended to be drunk just now because at the banquet, someone told me that she knew how my fourth brother died and asked me to try to stay in the nunnery...you You don't really think that I have something to do with that Yue Anzhu."

"Does anyone know the cause of Zhu Gongzuo's death? Who!"

Chen Qun's drunkenness suddenly woke up.

"The little monk in the nunnery, do you remember?"

"Of course I remember, she is also a beauty...but compared to Master Yuean, she seems to be less charming... Could it be that she knows?"

Cao Peng nodded and exhaled a foul breath.

He picked up a glass of water on the table and gulped it down.

"In the past few days, I have been thinking about who killed the fourth brother.

But I thought about it, but I couldn't think of a clue... Before my fourth brother was alive, I was investigating a case. It was when I saw someone fall into the water by the river.What happened that night is still vivid in my mind.I'm sure someone fell overboard!But unfortunately, people are not seen when they are born, and corpses are not seen when they are dead.When I left Luoyang, the fourth brother promised me that he would investigate to the end.Unexpectedly, he was killed bizarrely. "

Chen Qun kept silent, and took another bowl of water from the kettle in the house, and put it in front of Cao Peng.

"I kept thinking that if the fourth brother was poisoned, someone must have poisoned him.

However, I went through the testimony carefully, but could not find any clues about the poisoning.The warehouse was burnt down, the fourth brother was poisoned to death, and the man who fell into the water... I was thinking, what is the connection between these three.Xuelian communicated with me today, which made me suspect that the murderer was someone at the banquet tonight.However, I haven't found the answer yet, I just wait for Xuelian to come over tonight and tell me the truth. "

Chen Qun nodded, "This case needs to be settled as soon as possible."

"Snow Lotus will come over in a while, and ask the elder brother to keep an eye on it."

"Of course."

After Cao Peng finished speaking, he got up and prepared to leave.

But at this moment, I heard a soft string sound.

A short arrow pierced the window paper, flew into the room, and shot towards Cao Peng.

It was also Cao Peng who reacted quickly, and was so frightened that he rushed to the iron bridge. The short arrow almost flew over Cao Peng's nose, and the fluff hit the bed railing.

Excited, Cao Peng gave a chill.

Without saying a word, he rushed out of the room.

The door opened and he came outside.Before he could stand still, the second short arrow whizzed towards him.

Cao Peng quickly dodged and jumped from the porch into the courtyard.The rain and fog are misty, and the vision is extremely blurred.Cao Peng vaguely saw a figure flashing on the gable wall.

"Dog thief, where are you going?"

Cao Peng made a gesture and rushed out, his figure was as fast as lightning.

His figure is fast, but he is faster than the iron meteor in his hands.

An iron meteor flew out of Cao Peng's hands at the moment Cao Peng threw it out... Only a muffled groan came from the gable, followed by a plop, as if someone had fallen under the gable.Like a tiger, Cao Peng came to the foot of the gable wall, stepped up into the air, grasped the top of the wall with both hands, swooped up, and stood on the top of the wall.Looking outside the wall, I saw a short bow and a Hu Lu holding a short arrow on the ground...

Other than that, there is no trace.

"Zi Fang, there are assassins!"

Chen Qun also ran out of the room at this time, shouting loudly.

Chen Ju and the two generals who lived in the next wing room ran out immediately when they heard the movement, holding a sword and looking around nervously.

"Ah Fu, how's the situation?"

"Let him run away!"

While talking, Cao Peng jumped from the wall to the outside.

"Zi Fang, hurry up and help."

"Master, your side..."

"Don't worry about me, go outside and help you learn. It's enough to have their protection here."

The two families will stand at the door, looking around warily.Chen Ju didn't dare to hesitate, opened the mountain gate, and rushed out like the wind.

"Cao Beibei, how are you?"

Cao Peng squatted on the ground and picked up the short bow and arrow.

"Zi Fang, do you have a Huozhezi?"

"Have!"

Chen Ju stepped forward, polished the torch, and handed it to Cao Peng.

It was drizzling, and the light from Huozhezi was also very weak.I saw messy footprints on the ground outside the wall, and Cao Peng's iron meteor was half submerged by muddy water.Cao Peng handed the short bow and short arrow to Chen Ju, stepped forward to pick up the iron meteor, and put it back in his pocket.

"This guy is not tall, and his body is very flexible."

Cao Peng seemed to be talking to himself, stood up and looked up into the vast night.

In the distance, Beiman Mountain is like a beast, crawling in the night.It was foggy and rainy, and it was impossible to see the road ahead, let alone find the murderer.Cao Peng stood there blankly for a moment, then turned around and returned to the nunnery with Chen Ju.Yue Guan also heard the movement, and Pi Yi hurried out from the backyard.Just happened to have a face-to-face meeting with Cao Peng, and Yue Guan looked anxious, and quickly asked, "Cao Beibu, are you all right?"

"I'm fine!"

Chen Qun's face turned pale, obviously frightened.

However, he didn't panic too much, nor did he show any fear. He just stood on the porch with his brows furrowed.

"That guy is hurt!"

"Ok?"

"Only bows and arrows remain."

Cao Peng handed the short bow and short arrow to Chen Qun, and then walked into the room.

Crouching on the edge of the bed, he carefully looked at the short arrow planted on the bed.After a while, he stretched out his hand and pulled out the short arrow.

"This guy's strength is not small."

“How come you see?”

Chen Qun walked in, just in time to hear Cao Peng's question.

Cao Peng pointed to the arrow mark and said: "This short bow is a Zhe wood bow, made of two strands of ox tendon tanned and made into a bowstring."

Said, Cao Peng picked up the short bow, and bowed to the full moon.

"If you want to draw this bow, it is impossible without a force of more than two hundred catties. He just shot the arrow from under the gable, and the distance from there to the room is about [-] steps. The range of this two-stone short bow is Up to eighty steps. If you can penetrate the window edge and hit the bed, if you can sink half a finger, you can see that this person's strength is extraordinary...Brother, this kind of person should not be too difficult to find."

"Oh?"

"He should be very familiar with this place, otherwise he wouldn't have escaped so quickly.

Therefore, I judged that this person, if not a local, at least lived here for many years.Strong, flexible, not tall, and good at bows and arrows.Big Brother can follow this clue to find out, and you can find out the clue soon..."

Yue Guan stood at the door, looking nervous.

Chen Qun nodded, "I'll send someone back and order an investigation."

Cao Peng thought for a while, then suddenly asked: "Master Yuean, where is that little nun in your nunnery?"

Yue Guan was taken aback, "Did the young master talk about snow lotus?"

"Exactly."

"She's right next door to me... This girl, such a big thing happened, and she didn't move at all. I'll go and call her here."

Cao Peng nodded and asked Chen Ju to go with Yueguan.

"Ah Fu, it seems that we have touched their sore spot."

"It should be, otherwise I wouldn't be assassinated."

Obviously, the assassin came for Cao Peng.Shooting two arrows in a row, if Cao Peng hadn't been nimble, he might have become a dead man at this time.

The more so, it means that the other party is nervous!
But why are they nervous?
Cao Peng suddenly had an ominous omen in his heart.He was just about to walk out of the room when he saw Yue Guan running over from the back hall in a hurry.

"Young master Cao, the snow lotus...is gone!"

"what?"

Cao Peng shuddered Lingling, and his expression changed immediately.

He hurried out of the porch and shouted loudly: "Take me there quickly."

Yue Guan led the way, followed by Cao Peng.After walking two steps, Cao Peng suddenly turned around and said to Chen Qun: "Brother, call the county government officers immediately to seal off this place."

Chen Qun also realized that something was wrong, and quickly ordered one of his retainers to rush back to Luoyang to gather more people.

In the nunnery, there was silence.

Chen Qun felt creepy.

Someone was assassinated first, and then an insider suddenly disappeared...

He shivered and didn't dare to stay in the front hall any longer. He took Chen Ju and another general, hurriedly followed Cao Peng, and came to the back hall.

There are three houses in Xiaokua courtyard.

One is the meditation room of Yueguan, and the other is where some books are stored.

The remaining one is Xuelian's room.

"After the dance, Xue Lian told Ni that she was not feeling well, so Ni asked her to go back to her room to rest.

Later, the banquet was over, and Ni felt overwhelmed with alcohol, so after arranging the residence of the master, he went back to his room.You see, Shuixieli didn't even have time to tidy up, and it was about to wake up tomorrow and call Xuelian to go with her.But when I came in just now, I found that there was no one in the Snow Lotus House. "

Yue Guan explained while pushing open the door.

Cao Peng stepped in and saw the silver candles lit in the room, lighting up the room transparently.

This is a very simple house, with a bed and a mat.On the central wall is a niche with Buddha statues inside.

The copper furnace in front of the Buddha statue is still warm.

It shows that someone has been in this house not long ago.

Very clean and very tidy.

But for some reason, Cao Peng always felt a little weird.

But he couldn't tell where the weirdness was, so he walked to the desk next to the bed, stood firm, and picked up the silver candle on the desk.

"Are you sure, Xuelian has returned to the room?"

"I saw her go back to the house with my own eyes."

"But, it's clear that no one has ever slept on this bed... Master Yuean, didn't you say she was uncomfortable?"

"This... Ni is not clear."

Yue Guan Fen dimpled, revealing a look of misery, and said softly: "Xuelian has a weird temper, and she doesn't talk much except visiting the Buddha on weekdays. Although she is practicing with the nun, she has always practiced by herself. The nun has no time. Taking care, I didn't expect her to..."

While speaking, tears glistened in those soul-stirring eyes.

Cao Peng was silent, just sat quietly beside the desk...

"Master Yue An, you go out first.

Someone from the county government will come over in a while, so you can take them to check around.The county and Cao Beibu have something to say, Chen Ju and my family are outside, so you don't have to worry. "

After all, he and Cao Peng are old acquaintances. Seeing Cao Peng's actions, Chen Qun could guess his thoughts.

Yue Guan seemed to be in shock, but he still left the room.

Chen Qun sat down in front of Cao Peng, looked at Cao Peng, and said nothing.

Candle tears, flowing along the silver candle...

Cao Peng was like an old monk in meditation, without saying a word.

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About an hour later, Chen Xun hurried over from the county government office with dozens of servants.

Chen Qun walked out of the room and ordered the servants to look for clues near the Chrysanthemum Temple.The rain stopped, and the surrounding area of ​​Chrysanthemum Nunnery was brightly lit and full of voices.

Unknowingly, a white belly appeared on the horizon.

The servants returned one after another, but found nothing.

Cao Peng walked out of the room, stood on the porch for a while... and walked towards the well in the corner of the courtyard.

That night made him dizzy.Cao Peng believed that Xuelian had nothing to do with the assassin, otherwise he would not have secretly informed him.

But where is she now?

The ominous omen in his heart became stronger, and when he walked to the well, he picked up the wooden bucket and was about to throw it in to draw water.

Suddenly, Cao Peng was stunned!He stared at the well in front of him obsessively, feeling an inexplicable fear in his heart...

A pale face, floating up from the water.Staring at Cao Peng with dull eyes, there were faint tears.Cao Peng's eyes met those eyes, as if they had traveled through time and space.The wooden barrel fell to the ground with a bang, and the bones rolled.

That face was Xuelian.

(End of this chapter)