That afternoon, the Vice-Chancellor of the Supreme Court, Huang Yong, came in person.
"Elder Li!" Huang Yong brought along the civil official called Lian Hao and a porter. They picked a lacquered chest and sent it to the courtyard of the Exorcism Department. Li Jinglong was hungover and had a headache. His hair was messy and his brows were furrowed as he came out to meet the guests.
After the imperial examination case, the Supreme Court no longer dared to roll their eyes at Li Jinglong. After all, he had contributed to the country and was favored by the Emperor. Huang Yong was full of smiles and said amiably, "You're still not up? How presumptuous of me to come. Your Exorcism Department must be going out at night to catch demons … "
"Please come in." Li Jinglong only managed to get Hong Jun back when the sun was high in the sky. His entire body was about to fall apart from being laid on by Hong Jun, and he could barely open his eyes. He said tiredly, "Jinglong was too presumptuous. Let me change my clothes …"
"Go to sleep!" Huang Yong hurriedly said, "This is the case that the Supreme Court handed over to you. Just put it down."
Li Jinglong immediately woke up. He looked at the chest and did not come back to his senses for a long time. Huang Yong said, "If you have anything to say, tell Lian Hao."
Lian Hao hurriedly said yes and ran away with Huang Yongfei.
Li Jinglong's face was full of shock. He opened the chest and saw that it was filled with over two hundred scrolls.
When everyone woke up that day, they all had tired faces. When Hongjun came out to wash up, he was still singing "Spring River Tide Connects Sea Level …" Everyone was still talking about last night's brothel.
"Let's go play at night, hehehe." Qiu Yongsi said.
Atay said, "I don't have much money left anyway. You still haven't paid me back the three thousand two hundred taels of silver I paid you last time."
"I have, I have." Hongjun said, "Let's go buy that shop that makes cherries."
Mo Rigen said, "Okay! This shop … "
"It's time to investigate." Li Jinglong said with a hopeless expression, "Still playing? Let's just disband. "
After lunch, Hongjun looked at the pile of files on the table, and everyone was dumbfounded.
"We're just looking for a cat," Mo Rigen said. "Is it necessary?"
Li Jinglong threw a scroll to each of them and said, "These are the difficult cases accumulated by the Dali Temple. Let's screen them all first and investigate them separately tomorrow."
"Is this all related to demons?" Hongjun asked.
"Where did all these monsters come from?" Qiu Yongsi said with a smile, "It must be because we are favored by His Majesty and the Imperial Consort, so they threw all the people they dare not offend and the cases they can't solve at us."
Li Jinglong answered, "As long as they have nothing to do with demons, we'll give them a 'no demonic aura' and send them back to the Supreme Court. We won't care about them."
Hongjun glanced at the scroll in his hand and said, "Peddler Qin suddenly died in his home in the middle of the night. You don't care?"
Li Jinglong took the scroll, glanced at it, and threw it aside. He said, "The one who was murdered was not a demon."
Atay said, "On the night of the second of November, four strings of money disappeared without a trace …"
Qiu Yongsi laughed and answered, "It was stolen by the children at home."
"The children kept crying at night, and it was suspected that they were possessed by ghosts …" Mo Rigen held another file and said, "They should be looking for someone to recover from the shock. Why are they looking for the Exorcism Department?"
"The donkey leaving the city was frightened and ran away, and it was suspected that it saw a demon … scram scram scram …" Li Jinglong only wanted to bring his subordinates to flatten the Supreme Court.
Hongjun picked up the scroll of the dead person and said, "What will happen if we don't investigate?"
"That's the responsibility of the Supreme Court," Li Jinglong answered. "Send it back, they must investigate."
Hongjun said, "According to what you said, if the Supreme Court can't afford to offend the murderer, then this case can't be investigated, right?"
"Then we can only sink it," Qiu Yongsi answered.
Hongjun picked up the case of the dead person and put it aside. Li Jinglong sighed and said, "Fine, we have nothing to do anyway. If you want to investigate, go ahead."
Hongjun took the scroll and went out.
Mo Rigen wanted to accompany him, but Hongjun waved his hand to indicate that there was no need. He changed his clothes and went out.
"I'll go take a look." Li Jinglong was restless and stood up.
The others hurriedly said, "That's right, that's right. Chief Inspector, you should go take a look. Chief Inspector, you have to go take a look."
Li Jinglong: "…"
Li Jinglong sat cross-legged again, crossed his arms, and said seriously, "The three of you, I think we need to talk in detail. Do you have any misunderstandings about me taking special care of Hongjun?"
Hongjun passed through several streets and came to Guiyi Street. This was where the Chang 'an poor people lived. The courtyard walls were broken, and the houses were next to each other. There was even sewage flowing in the alley. The courtyard of a single-family house was filled with the goods of a peddler. It was quiet inside. Hongjun picked up a rattle-drum scattered on the ground and hit it a few times. A young man's voice said, "If you like it, take it. Throw the money in the jar."
Hongjun pushed open the door and entered. What he saw was a poor Chang 'an family. The windows were covered with paper, and there was a suit of armor at the door. The armor was very familiar. It was the armor of the Long Wu Army that Li Jinglong had once worn.
A young man who looked not much older than Hongjun sat on the edge of the couch, wiping a sword in his hand. When he heard Hongjun's voice, he raised his head to look at Hongjun with a confused expression.
"The Exorcism Division is on official business." Hongjun showed his waist token and asked, "Who is the deceased peddler to you?"
This was the first time that Hongjun investigated a case. He learned that the young man's name was Qin Wu. He was nineteen years old and happened to be Li Jinglong's colleague.
Qin Wu put the sword in his hand aside and said with a frown, "The Exorcism Division? Isn't this Li Xiaowei's office? What are you doing here? "
Hongjun said blankly, "Didn't the peddler with the surname Qin have an accident … an accident?"
"My father was murdered." Qin Wu stood up and stared at Hongjun. "It's none of your business. Let's go."
Hongjun sat down on the edge of the couch and said hesitantly, "Let me sit with you for a while."
Qin Wu said, "There's nothing to entertain you at home. How is Li Xiaowei?"
Hongjun replied that he was good. The two of them sat facing each other for a while. Qin Wu sighed deeply. Hongjun asked again, "Who killed him?"
"It's the Yang Family." Qin Wu said, "Yang Guozhong worked with my stepmother to strangle him in the middle of the night. There's no other way. My family is too poor."
Hongjun thought that Qiu Yongsi's guess was not far from the truth. The Supreme Court did not dare to offend the murderer, so they pushed the blame to the Exorcism Division. It seemed that he had come in vain.
"What's his name?" Hongjun could not bear to see him like this. He asked again, "Let's go to the Supreme Court again."
Qin Wu did not answer. Instead, he looked at Hongjun and said, "I saw you that day on the drill ground outside the Long Wu Army. Is Li Xiaowei good to you? "
Hongjun did not know why he changed the topic to this irrelevant topic. He thought for a while and replied, "The Chief of the Army is very good."
"Yes." Qin Wu replied, "Cherish him well. Let him not worry about me."
Hongjun: "???"
Hongjun wanted to ask more, but Qin Wu stood up to see him out. Hongjun could only go back. Qin Wu was too calm. If it was Hongjun himself, he would not be able to do this.
Qin Wu saw Hongjun out. Not long after, the door was pushed open again. He was about to pick up his sword when he turned around and saw that it was Li Jinglong. He stood up abruptly. The two of them looked at each other silently in the dim room. In the end, Qin Wu said, "Li … Li Xiaowei …"
"When Hongjun got the case, I guessed that it was your family." Li Jinglong sighed and sat down. He asked, "Where's your concubine?"
"She's in mourning." Qin Wu replied, "49 days. She married him after the seventh day of her marriage. Now, she's renting a house outside. "
Li Jinglong sighed and said, "These years, the Yang Family has been very powerful. You can only swallow this anger."
Qin Wu did not speak. Li Jinglong finally said, "As colleagues, I'll give you a piece of advice. I'll take this case to heart. It's just that the time is not right."
"The Yang Family covers the sky with one hand and bullies others." Qin Wu said, "They dominate the market, take over the fertile land, and beat women and children. They embezzle the salaries of the Six Armies and the border troops. How long should I tolerate them? "
Li Jinglong said, "In this life, there are always many grievances, but there will be a day when they are resolved. Don't take it too hard. I'll take this case to heart. That's all. "
After that, Li Jinglong stood up and left. Qin Wu just stared at his back in a daze. When Li Jinglong went out, Qin Wu suddenly said, "Li Xiaowei, you're still the same as before."
"I'm not the same anymore." Li Jinglong tilted his head and said, then left the Qin Residence.
The next day, a new case came.
"Why are there so many?" Hongjun had not even finished reading yesterday's case. Everyone was simply convinced.
Li Jinglong said, "Lian Hao! Stop right there! "
"There's a murder case today!"
Lian Hao put down another large stack of files and ran away like a wisp of smoke. Everyone was bored looking at the cases, so they began to take shifts. In the morning, Atay, Mo Rigen, and Qiu Yongsi looked at the files. In the afternoon, it was Li Jinglong, Hongjun, and the Carp Demon's turn. The rest of the people went out to check the cases. The cases that had nothing to do with demons were all returned to the Supreme Court.
"Qin Wu asked you." Hongjun said when he was looking at the cases that day.
"What did he say about me?" Li Jinglong said indifferently, glancing at Hongjun from under the files.
Hongjun asked curiously, "Were you two friends in the past?"
Li Jinglong answered, "You could say that."
Hongjun looked into his eyes. Li Jinglong could not help but say, "When Little Wu entered the Long Wu Army, he was about the same age as you."
Li Jinglong was a lieutenant in the Long Wu Army. His martial arts skills were quite respected by his subordinates. However, in the second year after he entered the army, an incident happened. This incident happened to be related to Qin Wu.
"He was betrayed." The Carp Demon buried his head in the files and said.
Li Jinglong said, "Later, there was a promotion in the Long Wu Army. Qin Wu's family was too poor, so he wanted to seize this opportunity. It was also because I was close to my subordinates that Qin Wu said something behind my back to my colleagues. Even my … reputation in the army was damaged. "
"You're almost twenty years old and you're still not married." The Carp Demon said, "It's hard for people not to think wrongly when you're flirting with young men all day long."
"You …" Li Jinglong's heart almost stopped. Hongjun hurriedly patted his back and asked, "What reputation was damaged? How was it damaged? Why can't I understand? "
Li Jinglong wanted to say something but stopped. The Carp Demon could not help but look at Li Jinglong and asked, "Is it true?"
"How could it be true?" Li Jinglong said, "I'm innocent. I didn't do anything to him!"
Although the soldiers were all young men, there was no lack of handsome young men in the six armies. It was natural for the young men who were not married to be close. However, those who joined the army naturally prioritized martial arts. Being a soldier was a responsibility. In times of crisis, they had to wield their weapons and die for the country.
Usually, the Long Wu Army was under the Emperor's watch. They absolutely could not cause trouble. Training, competitions, and competitions. The big ones were going out with the Emperor to hunt. The small ones were the routine drills of the first and fifteenth year of middle school. They were graded according to the actual situation. Those who could not keep up would be humiliated and taunted. During the ceremonial parade, they had to wear full armor under the sun and stand for eight hours.
With this kind of intensity, every day when they returned to the camp, they immediately fell asleep. How could they have the energy to do anything? Once they dragged the whole team down, they might even be beaten by their colleagues in the middle of the night. If there were rumors that they were gay, they would definitely drag the whole team down and become the laughing stock of the whole army.
It just so happened that Qin Wu had been strictly trained by Li Jinglong. He felt that it was unfair. In addition, he wanted to be promoted and push Li Jinglong down. That was why he made such a scene. It just so happened that he was eighteen years old. Thus, their brotherly love and marriage were all ruined.
"How big of a grudge is this!" Hongjun finally understood that Qin Wu's words today were probably because he felt guilty. According to Li Jinglong, later on, Qin Wu also got promoted. After Hu Sheng heard the rumors, he transferred him to another team. In the following days, the soldiers under Li Jinglong's command had an indifferent relationship with him.
Li Jinglong replied, "Forget it. It's my fault for speaking too much when we're not close friends."
"Eh —?" The Carp Demon seemed to have heard something. The entire fish suddenly became vigilant and sized up Li Jinglong.
When he said this, Li Jinglong could not help but look at Hongjun again. Hongjun was still indignant about this matter. However, based on what Hongjun knew and heard, he would not think so much.
"Then do you like Qin Wu?" Hongjun asked again.
"I don't like him," Li Jinglong said straightforwardly. "It's only because he's young, and … and … and …"
Li Jinglong lowered his head and muttered to himself, "His family is poor and pitiful, so I specially took care of him. You don't have to complain about this for me. I've already gotten over this matter. Now that we're in the Exorcism Division, everyone is like fish in water. Naturally, I won't take it to heart. "
Hongjun thought for a while, and his final comment was, "Oh."
Li Jinglong pondered for a moment. When he looked up at Hongjun again, Hongjun turned to the Carp Demon and said, "I thought that only males and females could 'do that'. It turns out that males and males can 'do that' too."
Carp Demon: "…"
Li Jinglong: "…"
The carp demon said, "But if you do that with a male, you won't be able to have children. I don't do that with a male fish."
"How do you fish 'do that'?" Hongjun was very curious.
These words became more and more awkward. Li Jinglong just wanted to quickly find a topic to change the topic, but the Carp Demon said, "Don't worry about this. What's the point of knowing so much? But then again, there was nothing one could do about it if one really fell in love with someone. Some loved 'this', some loved 'that'. The world was all-encompassing. So what if Elder Li loved men? There was no need for others to worry about it. Speaking of which, Hongjun? Didn't you also like that little fox before? "
"I don't like him!" Hongjun said, "I just feel that he's pitiful."
Li Jinglong immediately picked up the scroll and threw it to Hongjun, ending the topic and saying, "Take a look."
Tianbao Year 12, November 5th.
Exorcism Division Case: Caravan Accident (Murder)
Difficulty: Mer-level
Region: Pinghe Ridge
Involved: Western Region Qiuci Caravan 22
Case: November 5th, Qiuci Caravan passed by Pinghe Ridge, a branch of the Qinling Mountains. In the afternoon, they were attacked. Twelve people in the caravan were killed. The murderer is unknown. It is suspected that a demon is causing trouble. Transferred to the Tang Dynasty's Exorcism Division for handling.
Reward: Qiuci Caravan, Chang 'an Permanent Merchant Ambassador, Han Guo Lan.
"Let's take a look."
"It's too late. Let's do it tomorrow," Li Jinglong said.
The twilight was dark and the autumn night was cold. Mo Rigen and the other two had also returned. Everyone sat down and began to eat, and began to exchange information.
"Where did you go to play again?" Li Jinglong saw that everyone had no appetite and asked casually.
"We encountered a case of wife murder." Mo Rigen frowned and drank water. He said, "The blacksmith quarreled with his wife and used a chisel and a hammer to hammer her to death. The brain matter splattered … on the wall, on the couch … "
"Stop talking!" Qiu Yongsi and Atay immediately stopped Mo Rigen from repeating the process. It was not easy for them to forget.
Hongjun was drinking a bowl of crab soup without any disturbance. Atay continued, "There was another case. A patient coughed due to wind fever and went to see a doctor. The doctor was a barefoot doctor. He let the patient bleed and the patient died. The doctor escaped. The family members carried the coffin and are making a scene outside the Chunlin Hall. "
"Mm." Li Jinglong was still thinking about the attack on the caravan. He asked again, "What else did you see?"
"Since the beginning of the month, there have only been a few murders," Atay said.
"Since the beginning of November, there have been so many murders?!" Li Jinglong put down his chopsticks and asked.
Mo Rigen answered, "I don't know if the murders in Chang 'an are frequent. Is this considered normal?"
Qiu Yongsi said, "Correction, these murders happened yesterday and today."
"Three murders in two days. Including the caravan, fourteen people died." Li Jinglong frowned and said, "Is it that serious?"
Atay said, "Don't forget, we don't know where the Demon King is hiding."
Hongjun said, "Is this a provocation?"
Li Jinglong took a deep breath and frowned again. He did not answer and gestured for everyone to go to sleep first. They would go out to investigate the case early in the morning.
Late at night, Hongjun squatted by the well to rinse his mouth. The Carp Demon popped his head out of the pond and said, "Hongjun."
Hongjun turned and raised his eyebrows, indicating that he should speak.
The Carp Demon said, "Have you met someone you want to spend the rest of your life with?"
"What do you mean?" Hongjun rinsed his mouth and sat by the pond.
"It means that you want to be with her for the rest of your life. You don't want to jump through the dragon's gate anymore. You want to be with her until the day she dies." The Carp Demon's mouth opened and closed as he said in a daze.
"Yes." Hongjun smiled and said.
"Who is it?" The Carp Demon asked.
Hongjun said, "Father, Qing Xiong."
The Carp Demon said, "That's not what I meant. Forget it."
The Carp Demon wanted to go back to sleep, but Hongjun grabbed its tail and dragged it out. He asked, "What's going on? Tell me. "
The Carp Demon said, "It means that you want to be with her all the time. When you're with her, you always feel indescribably free and you don't have to think about anything …"
Hong Jun replied, "Elder Li, I guess."
The Carp Demon said, "Bah!"
Hongjun answered, "Elder Li is always very reliable and he's a very good person. You can just leave everything to him, right? Zhao Zilong, what's wrong with you? You feel weird today. "
The Carp Demon said, "I've fallen in love with a koi."
"Ah?" Hongjun asked, "What do you mean?"
"I want to start a family with her." The Carp Demon said, "And never be separated."
"Aren't you going to jump through the dragon's gate?" Hongjun said in surprise, "You're not jumping anymore?"
The Carp Demon put one hand on the edge of the pond and held the fish's head. He blew two bubbles and said, "Those words were just to comfort myself. As long as one is alive, one should always have something to think about, right? Even if this thought can never be realized, right? "
Hongjun scratched his head and asked, "What does' love 'mean?"
"Sigh, you don't understand." The Carp Demon dove into the water and looked up at Hongjun from the bottom. He didn't say anything else.
Hongjun was about to scoop it up and continue asking when there was a sudden rush of knocking on the door. When the door opened, a person covered in blood suddenly rushed in and said in a trembling voice, "Save me … save me … Lieutenant … I'm sorry … save me …"
"Qin Wu?!" Hongjun was shocked.