Chapter 1253: Investigate to the End (3)

Qi Xiuyuan rubbed his forehead and said, “Can’t you find any clues?”

Logically speaking, considering there were so many of them, even if they hid well, there would be traces left behind. This was because private soldiers had to eat, drink, and poop. If they had needs, there ought to be flaws.

“They’re all very secretive. With the shops and farms covering up for them, it’s very difficult for the government office to find them. Moreover, I believe they operate independently, so we can’t find any clues in the village. Only the bandit leaders might know about each other, but they won’t say anything. And it’s not like we can kill them.”

“I don’t believe that they didn’t leave any traces,” Qi Xiuyuan said coldly. “Wasn’t this bandits’ nest exposed because of the murder of the Qin family and the traveling scholars?”

“It’s fine if they were really violent and couldn’t help but kill people, but the murder of the Qin family and those dozen or so students was an accident…”

These people could hide in the forest for more than ten years just to find an opportunity to assassinate them. For example, the assassination attempt on Little Treasure and Little Bear this time. Because various conditions were suitable for assassination, they took action this time.

When the conditions were not ripe, they stayed in the village and trained hard in martial arts. How could such people kill passersby for money?

It was only because Eldest Master Qin and the dozen or so students who passed by had discovered some clues.

Regarding these two matters, the dozen or so bandits weren’t as tight-lipped. As long as the question did not involve their accomplices, these people didn’t shy from answering.

With regards to the previous two murders, the bandits answered readily when asked. Coupled with Eldest Madam Qin’s words, it was not difficult to figure out the truth.

As a person who had an interest in strange tales, whenever Eldest Master encountered strange things, he liked to investigate them. He also loved to travel and play, so he often traveled. Naturally, he was rather knowledgeable.

Because he was bringing his wife and children south to seek refuge with his uncle, Chief Qin, he didn’t take the dangerous path this time. Even if he coveted the beauty of the mountains and rivers, he would choose the byway which was easier to walk on. Sometimes, this inevitably caused him to miss his accommodation and thus had to spend the night in a farmer’s house.

Due to Eldest Master Qin’s personality, he loved to talk to the local people about the local wonders wherever he went.

One day, they stayed at a farmer’s house which was not far from the bandit’s nest atop the mountain. The villagers told Eldest Master Qin that there were demons in the mountain and that no one was allowed to enter the deep mountains. Once the villagers crossed the line, they would not be able to return. What was strange was that the demons in the mountain also ate three meals a day. Occasionally, they would see smoke rising from cooking in the depths of the mountain.

The villagers felt that Eldest Master Qin was knowledgeable, so they asked him with a smile, “Since they’re spiritual monsters, they should drink wind and eat dew. Why do they need to start a fire and cook like us?”

Eldest Madam Qin remembered that her husband’s answer at that time was, “I’m afraid these spiritual monsters haven’t achieved full cultivation, so they’re not extraordinary. Such spiritual monsters are the most dangerous. In order to replenish their essence, they probably even eat humans. I think it’s best for everyone not to enter the mountains easily. If they have no choice but to enter, don’t go deep into the mountains.”

Eldest Madam Qin wiped her tears and said, “At that time, I felt that it was strange. I even blamed Eldest Master for scaring the villagers because although Eldest Master liked to listen to these strange tales, he never believed that there were ghosts and spirits in this world. He often told the children that there were no gods or Buddhas in this world. It was only because humans wanted there to be gods and Buddhas, that they existed. There were also no ghosts and monsters in this world. It was oftentimes fear that caused humans to put the blame on ghosts and monsters for things that are inexplicable.”

Eldest Madam Qin cried, “If only I had asked more questions and stopped him from walking down the path.”

The bandit leader said to Qi Haoran, “Although we do things secretly, we do sometimes overlook certain things. That’s why we often get people to disguise themselves as traveling doctors or peddlers to scout around the villages and towns nearby. If anything happens, we can deal with it as soon as possible. In the past, there were people who suspected that there were people in the mountains and even urged people to enter the mountains to search.” The bandit leader sneered and said, “We killed everyone who entered the mountains and heard of this matter. Then, we got people to spread the rumors of ghosts and monsters. From then on, no one dared to enter the mountains again.”

“That Qin fellow was quite obedient. He followed our instructions and told the villagers that it was spirits monsters, which managed to send those villagers away. Otherwise, we would have to find a chance to kill them too.”

Actually, if Mu Bowen and the rest had not appeared, they could have pretended that the Qin family’s disappearance was an accident. At that time, they were too arrogant and thought that the Qin family only had a dozen servants and were weak. That was why they only sent out 20-odd of their least competent men. Who knew that they would encounter such tough opponents?

They wanted to send someone to kill Mu Bowen and the rest, but they were quick and quickly entered the nearest county. While they could kill them in the suburbs, they could not do it in the city since the possibility of being discovered and caught was too high. In addition, they also realized that Mu Bowen’s identity was not simple, so they let him leave alive.

As for the dozen or so traveling students, it was entirely an accident.

They did not know who had made up the story of there being a mine in the mountains. Because those students had been unable to pass the examination, they wanted to take a shortcut and make a contribution. With that thought in mind, more than ten people arranged to go to the mountains to check things out.

After learning some reconnaissance skills, they hired two hunters to lead the way into the mountain. In the end, they accidentally discovered the mountain stronghold.

When those xiucai saw the defensive layout of the mountain stronghold, they knew these weren’t ordinary mountain bandits. It was no different from a rebellion.

The bandit leader sneered and said, “They thought that they had made a huge contribution and could use it to get ahead in their career. Unexpectedly, we discovered them, too. They died before they could report it. On the other hand, the two hunters were lucky. At that time, they fled into the forest and disappeared. However, seeing as they didn’t return home, they were probably eaten by wild beasts in the mountains.”

Unable to stand the smug look on the bandit leader’s face, Qi Haoran said, “So what? Ultimately, you exposed your tracks after killing those people and the Imperial Court discovered your existence.”

The bandit leader sneered and said, “That’s because we’re unlucky and didn’t do a good job. It’ll be difficult for you to find the rest. If you don’t kill us, we’ll be watching you make a fool of yourselves. Hahaha…”

Qi Haoran finished the interrogation process and said angrily, “Big Brother, do you think there’s any other way to pry open their mouths?”

“Is there nothing the Court of Judicial Review Minister can do?”

“Other than using torture, his other tactic was to reason with the other party. Those people are highly loyal to Qin Fang. Even if he puts all kinds of evidence of Qin Fang’s crimes in front of them, they don’t care. They say, ‘Regardless of how my adoptive father treated others, he’s extremely benevolent to us. Not only did he save our lives, but he also gave us clothes, food, shelter, and even taught us to read and write.’ After all that they’ve said, how can we continue to reason with them?”

Qi Xiuyuan had no choice. He looked at his brother silently for a moment and could only wave him away.

When Qi Haoran returned home, Tiger Head and Little Lion were singing with their younger siblings.

Qi Haoran frowned and asked, “How did you guys learn to sing this song too?”

This was written by the great scholar, Chen Guangdi, to mock Qin Fang. It spread from his students and had already spread throughout the streets and alleys. Chen Guangdi used this opportunity to increase his previously damaged reputation.

“A lot of people are singing on the streets. We thought it was pretty good, so we learned it and sang it for Mother.”

Mu Yangling stroked their heads and said, “Alright, I hear you. Isn’t it just comparing Qin Fang to a rat? Go play in the garden. I need to speak with your father.”

Tiger Head and Little Lion immediately ran into the garden as they sang loudly. Little Lion and Baozhu, too, sang as they followed.

“When I went out with the children today, I heard everyone on the street singing this song. I even saw people denouncing Qin Fang in the restaurant and teahouse. The commoners sitting around were very worked up. At that time, I was sitting in the carriage and felt that one only needed to gently scratch the flint to ignite everyone’s emotions. When the time comes, I’m afraid the situation won’t be easy to control.”

“Big Brother just told me about this, but the commoners were greatly agitated. Coupled with the fact that someone was deliberately flaming their emotions, they were extremely worked up. However, those bandits in the prison won’t confess no matter what. We can’t find their accomplices, so we can’t allow everyone to vent their anger at all.”

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