No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 269
Ouyang Rong got up suddenly.

He sat on the couch with his arms around the quilt,

He turned his head in a daze.

The pitch-black room.

The white moonlight flowing on the floor in front of the bed.

And the wooden casements that let in the constant chirping of summer insects.

It was three o'clock outside, the moon was as still as water, and he was still on the familiar bed in the Meilin courtyard.

The young magistrate looked dazed.

"Why did I wake up again, it was still that long, long dream..."

With a murmur, Ouyang Rong lowered his head and rubbed his sleep-numbed face.

He casually called: "Craftsman."

Words just fell.

A long and narrow wooden box leaned against the foot of the bookshelf three feet away from the bed.

"Kudden—!", "Kang——!"

As if the sound of pulling the trigger echoed in the house, the wooden sword box suddenly opened, like a butterfly spreading its wings.

On the right "wing", a long sword is inserted obliquely, and the snow-white sword body emits gray moonlight.

It is the moonlight long sword.

The left "wing" is empty... No, the sword nourished by the left wing is too fast, faster than the blink of an eye.

An "arc" floated quietly in the center of the dark inner room.

Ouyang Rong let out a long breath, as if he felt relieved.

Get out of bed.

Pushing open the window, Ouyang Rong was wearing a thin white shirt, looking up at the moon, frowning.

In the sky, the crescent moon is like a knife, hanging in the western sky.

In the house, the tripod sword is like an arc, hanging in the air.

Ouyang Rong turned his back to "Craftsman", staring at the moon.

It has been three days since I recovered from my illness and went down the mountain.

He was going to regroup and start over, but for the past three days, he was haunted by a strange dream every night.

During the day, when dealing with official duties in the county government, I often lose my mind.

Now awake, especially in the memory of broken dreams in my mind.

He felt as hot as swallowing a golden crow, and then touched a slender woman who was as cool as a moon.

One hot and one cold, the sun and the moon melt together, as if performing a Zhou Gong ceremony.

Ouyang Rong vaguely remembered that he seemed extraordinarily rude.

What impresses her the most at this moment is that he seems to have bitten her soft white collarbone hard, venting like a wild beast.

The latter hugged his head tightly and silently endured everything he vented.

That quiet moon-like woman gave him the feeling that she was as fragile and slender as a flat boat before the stormy sea.

When it can be touched, it is as inclusive as a quiet sea, able to withstand all the storms given by men.

This feeling of taste is unsurpassed.

"Is it a dream..."

Ouyang Rong whispered, turned his head suddenly, and glanced at the dark Dagu Mountain in the distance.

"Unknown genius doctor...Miss Zhao..."

There was a murmur at the window.

He seemed to have an impulse in his heart.

The next moment, the window slammed shut.

In the center of the room, a clear blue "arc" disappeared.

In front of the bookshelf, the wooden sword case, the two wings are retracted, and the mechanism is closed.

The short-haired young man put on a regular uniform, took out a bronze mask from under the pillow, and stuffed it into his sleeve.

He turned around and went to the bookshelf, picked up the Mohist sword case, slanted his back, and walked out quickly.

Ouyang Rong was as light as an ape, and quietly left the yard.

However, there is nothing to hide in Meilu Garden.

In the past two days, Meilu Garden was very clean. Mrs. Zhen and Ye Weilai have not returned yet, Ouyang Rong lives alone, accompanied only by a few old guards, leaving early and returning late.

Only the younger junior sister looks for him every day, as for the several invitations from Li Xian's family next door, Ouyang Rong declined all of them with excuses.

During the day, he went to the Longcheng County Yamen, and led Diao Xiancheng and Yan Liulang to finish all the affairs on July [-]th. When he returned home at night, he took care of all the basic necessities of life by himself.

It can be regarded as quiet while busy, and it is rare to be fulfilled.

This also gave Ouyang Rong a chance to calm down and think about some issues seriously.

For example, what is important and what is not.

This involves his future plans.

A heart calmed down, and because of this, the "biting dream" that haunted his mind for several days was so weird and conspicuous.

Late at night, Ouyang Rong carried the box and left Luming Street.

He sneaked around the curfew and went out of the city wearing stars and moons.

No one was notified.

When the first light of dawn polished the Buddhist temple on the top of the mountain, Ouyang Rong arrived at Donglin Temple, and the hem of his clothes was wet with dew.

Ouyang Rong found Xiufa and said directly:

"Not long ago, I recuperated in Sanhui Hospital, do you know?"

"what?"

Xiufa, who was copying the scriptures and reading in the morning in the hall, was stunned for a moment, and looked up at the county magistrate who was on the mountain early in the morning:
"I know a little bit, but the Sanhui Temple was rented by Miss Xie after going through the formalities, and later I heard that you were the magistrate of the county, and you went in unconscious.

"Miss Xie first asked my master to treat you, but the master is not proficient in this disease, so he let it out.

"Miss Xie seemed to beg for a doctor from out of town."

Ouyang Rong asked intently: "You and the monk, have you seen the doctors and medical assistants in the Sanhui Temple these days?"

Xiufa patted her head, "The little monk didn't see it, the main reason is that Mrs. Xie and the others closed the yard and didn't allow us monks to approach, and the senior brothers probably didn't see it either.

"I heard that Mrs. Xie invited a miraculous doctor. I don't know why. He is mysterious. Even the morning and evening meals are brought from the mountain, not from the temple."

Ouyang Rong asked, "What's the name of the genius doctor?"

"I don't know, little monk." Xiufa shook her head, as if thinking of something, said in a daze:
"However, I heard that in addition to the miracle doctor, there is also a woman from a good family who takes care of the patients. It seems that Mrs. Xie and Mr. Xie found help from the mountain. After a while, there should be a name."

Ouyang Rong said calmly:

"After I left the day before yesterday, did anyone still live in Sanhuiyuan? Where did this woman from a good family go?"

"I don't know, the day the county magistrate recovered from his illness and went down the mountain, the Sanhui Temple was empty, uninhabited, and had been cleaned by the monks.

"This woman from a good family must have gone down the mountain, and I don't know where her home is."

"Okay." Ouyang Rong sighed lightly: "Where is the roster for entering the temple, take me there."

"Okay, Mr. County, please wait a moment."

Xiu handed out the Buddhist scriptures and took a break with the uncle who supervised the morning reading in the hall.

Ouyang Rong followed him and silently went to the main entrance of Donglin Temple, and got a thick roster from a monk.

Ouyang Rong quickly flipped through the page, followed the corresponding date, and found the specific page number of the registered person's name on that day, sliding his fingertips line by line.

"Zhao, mother?"

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and whispered, it was the familiar handwriting of the younger junior sister.

But only two characters were registered, not the full name.

He pursed his lips, his eyes were slightly disappointed, but he didn't feel too surprised.

The women of the Daqian Dynasty and the Dazhou Dynasty were mostly called a certain mother, or a certain little lady, and only those close to them could know the specific boudoir name.

On the roster that Ouyang Rong turned over right now, most of the other female benefactors are also like this. Older women are even registered directly with Li and Wang.

"This Mrs. Zhao should be the Miss Zhao that my junior sister and the teacher mentioned. It's not wrong... Is her surname Zhao..."

Ouyang Rong tried his best to search his memory, and he really didn't know anyone with the surname Zhao in Longcheng, except for a squire.

His brow is not loose.

Immediately afterwards, Ouyang Rong asked the monk who was picking up the guests at the door if he still had any memory. After confirming that the other party had no memory, Ouyang Rong turned around in disappointment.

The thread is broken.

Miss Zhao, who was suspected of being raped and bitten by him, is nowhere to be found.

"What is the magistrate looking for?" Xiufa asked curiously.

"Dream." Ouyang Rong whispered.

"Dream?"

The little novice monk Zhang Er couldn't figure it out.

Ouyang Rong walked downhill slowly.

In fact, he wasn't sure if it was a dream.

But when he woke up that day, his waist and back hurt like a falling apart, and now this suspicion has deepened.

If it wasn't a dream, the "woman in the dream" was most likely Miss Zhao who took care of him personally.

This is something Ouyang Rong cannot tolerate.

He couldn't just tarnish the chastity of a woman from a good family, and even his rudeness may have caused a lifetime of psychological shadow on the other party.

What, you said that the other party may be active, even enjoying?
But what is she trying to figure out?

Ouyang Rong couldn't figure it out.

Is it simply because he is handsome, talented and wealthy, but why did she disappear afterwards?
It's not like that. Could it be that he is 100% sure to keep the seed, and he is sure that he can't escape?So it disappears temporarily, and there will be another big wave in the future?
This guess is getting more and more outrageous.

Ouyang Rong shook his head slightly.

Looking at the back of the young county magistrate who was rushing up the mountain for a "dream", Xiufa couldn't help shouting:
"Would you like to go to the Zaozhaiyuan for a meal before leaving, the county magistrate? You are here, I remember that you really like going there."

Ouyang Rong's footsteps stopped slowly.

"I like to go there..." He murmured to himself, then suddenly nodded slightly: "There is another place that I also like to go."

"What?" Xiufa was taken aback.

But in the next moment, the little monk saw the young county magistrate suddenly turn around, and the wind passed by him and re-entered the temple gate.

"Hey, Mr. County, Zaozhaiyuan is not going this way."

Ouyang Rong ignored it and strode forward, he was more familiar than Xiufa.

A quarter of an hour later, Ouyang Rong came to a monastery that was more familiar than the Zaozhai Temple.

In Beitian Ji Nursing Home, under the early morning sun, all the inpatients have woken up and lined up for meals in the hospital.

The old, weak, sick and disabled are very pitiful.

Ouyang Rong walked around the courtyard, but did not see the two familiar figures.

He went straight to the backyard again, came to a wellhead, and checked the underground palace.

Except for the unknown master Xiuzhen, there was no one there.

Crane Cloak Qiu Laodao and the dumb girl with severed fingers are not in Beitian Jiyangyuan.

Ouyang Rong silently turned and walked away.

Only this time, he no longer left directly like the last time he came to look for someone and returned disappointed.

"The roster of disabled patients admitted to the hospital during this period?"

At the concierge of Beitianji Nursing Home, the steward Xiudu stared blankly at the young county magistrate who came to the door early in the morning, and asked curiously.

"That's right." Ouyang Rong stared at him: "There are also records of the patients who have recently left the Beitian Ji Nursing Home...all of them have been taken.

"The Beitian Jiyangyuan is funded by the county government. These details should be very detailed."

"Ming Fu is right, please wait for a moment, the little monk will go get it."

Seeing Ouyang Rong's serious expression, Xiu Du hurriedly nodded, turned around and went to the courtyard to get the brochure.

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and waited.

Previously, he had found Old Taoist Qiu and Dumb Girl with Severed Finger here twice.

The first time was the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the dumb girl with the severed finger was present, but the old man, Crane Cloak Qiu, was not.

The second time was to resign quietly, stay overnight in Donglin Temple, and look for people in the old days before preparing to redeem the blessings of the underground palace.

Both Crane Cloak Qiu and the dumb girl with severed fingers were absent.

At that time, Ouyang Rong only searched around and didn't investigate carefully, thinking that they were taken down the mountain by their family members.

"Mingfu, please take a look, it's all here."

After a while, Ouyang Rong got a thick book with a dirty cover.

He took a deep breath, flipped through it carefully, his brows became more and more wrinkled, and at a certain moment his fingers stopped on a line of records.

"It's actually included in the register... Could it be that I'm thinking too much..." Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and murmured, "Is it really a patient in Beitian Ji Nursing Home?"

The roster in his hand shows that the Heke Qiu Laodao and the dumb girl with severed fingers were indeed taken in in the nursing home recently.
The date of admission was after the date that "Zhao Niang" registered into the temple.

Even this roster of inpatients is more comprehensive than the roster of temple admissions. It not only records the symptoms of illness, but also records when the patients in the hospital left recently.

Ouyang Rong found out at this moment that the old man Qiu and the dumb girl with severed fingers left after going through the formalities on the morning of the day he recovered from his illness.

They almost went down the mountain with Ouyang Rong. Both of them were picked up by family members down the mountain, and their whereabouts are unknown.

Ouyang Rong frowned:
"Is it such a coincidence? Also, that Miss Zhao and the unknown genius doctor also left on the same day. Is there any connection between the two.

"Whether I was real sleepwalking or fake sleepwalking after recovering from the illness that day, but there was already a precedent of sleepwalking and falling into the palace, how to explain it, could it be... no, this guess is a bit ridiculous.

"Besides, how could the genius doctor of Xuanhu Jishi be a patient who was taken in by Beitian Ji Nursing Home, and was covered in malignant sores.

"The same goes for the little lady Zhao who took care of me. If she was a woman from a good family who was recruited from the mountain to take care of patients, how could she be a patient who needs to be taken care of by Beitian Ji Nursing Home?

"Both of them are clearly in conflict, or is it that one of them has a forged identity? These contradictions are just artificial blindfolds?
"Then most likely, the identity of Beitian Ji Nursing Home is forged.

"But how do you explain these few lines of detailed records?

"Could it be that someone guessed that I would turn around and investigate, this person is so thoughtful, finishing and cleaning up, and doing so meticulously?

"I'm a master, I was almost deceived, it's not wrong.

"Is that so?
"If this kind of master really wants to set up a trap to harm people, he should have closed his net and eaten meat by now.

"Shooting out to save people like this, not taking a penny, and leaving so cleanly, what the hell is it? Doing charity, or putting a long line to catch big fish?"

Concentrating his eyebrows for a moment, Ouyang Rong shook his head vigorously:
"There are not enough clues, these are just speculations, and such deduction is useless."

After a while, he sighed and said to himself: "Ouyang Lianghan, why didn't you stay a little longer that day, why did you go down the mountain with my junior sister so soon..."

But the matter has come to this point, and it will be useless to tangle now, Ouyang Rong restrained his mind, continued to scan the roster, and immediately fixed on a line on the paper.

They are the registered names of Crane Cloak Qiu Laodao and Broken Finger Dumb Girl respectively.

"Old Sun, Xiu Niang."

The old Taoist's surname was Sun, Ouyang Rong was not surprised, he had already asked the old Taoist, and now he is verifying again.

And the dumb girl's name, which Heke Qiu Laodao had been telling off, fell into Ouyang Rong's eyes at this moment.

"Xiu Niang?"

There are only these two words registered on the paper, and there is no doubt that it should be the name reported by the "mute family" who picked up the dumb girl. It was registered by the monks in the courtyard, and the register is all in the same handwriting.

And the name "Xiu Niang" is obviously not the full name of the dumb girl.

Maybe it's just like Sun Daochang joked in the underground palace before, the old-fashioned customs in his hometown make it difficult to reveal his full name?

Therefore, Ouyang Rong can't find the connection between "Xiu Niang" and "Zhao Niang" for the time being, and he is not sure whether it is the same person with different titles.

However, as he chewed on the word "Xiu Niang" for a while, his pupils shrank.

Ouyang Rong has some impressions!
"No way……"

Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his head, returned the roster immediately, turned around and rushed out of Beitian Jiyangyuan, and left Donglin Temple quickly.

This swift and swift action made Master Shandao and Xiufa who had rushed over stunned in place.

Ouyang Rong didn't leave any nonsense, rushed down the mountain and returned to the county.

He once heard the name "Xiu Niang" mentioned by Ah Qing:

The cook of Meiluyuan seems to be called Xiuniang too!I vaguely remember that she was also a dumb girl.

Of course, it is not ruled out that the word "xiu" appears frequently in women's names, and it is easy to hit names.

But just now Ouyang Rong suddenly remembered an insignificant incident a few months ago.

When Li Dalang treated guests to dinner at Yunshui Pavilion, Ouyang Rong saw a figure from the back similar to that of a thin and dumb girl.

At that time, he followed Qianying and found the kitchen, but he didn't see anyone.

But later, Ouyang Rong ate a rich and delicious meal of spicy dishes in Yunshui Pavilion, and when he returned to Meilu Garden at night, he mentioned it to Mrs. Zhen, and the latter seemed to remember it.

Finally, Mrs. Zhen ordered Banxi to invite the cook, who was also called "Xiu Niang"!
After searching, he didn't find any trace of that "Miss Zhao", but he accidentally met the identity of the dumb girl under the mountain?
As soon as he returned to the county seat, Ouyang Rong went straight to Yunshui Pavilion on a busy street at the wharf.

Walking into the lively restaurant, he immediately went to the counter, just like in Donglin Temple, looking for someone to question.

About a quarter of an hour later, the young county magistrate silently walked out of the gate of Yunshui Pavilion.

Walking on the busy street, his face was a little distracted:

"Is it true that this dumb girl named 'Xiu Niang' is always by my side, working as a cook in Meilu Garden?"

A look of surprise appeared in Ouyang Rong's eyes.

He had just cross-examined carefully, and the cook that Mrs. Zhen asked Banxi to invite in Yunshui Pavilion was indeed named 'Xiu Niang', she was a dumb girl with a broken little finger, exactly the same.

Ouyang Rong couldn't help muttering: "Why didn't she tell me... Forget it, she can't talk, but even if she can't talk, why didn't she find a chance to appear in front of me and let me find out?
"Is it because I don't know that I am the head of the family, or there is something unspeakable."

Ouyang Rong suddenly remembered, when she climbed out of the underground palace, the dumb girl's pair of clear eyes, and her little face with vague reluctance.

"When she left, why...why did she look at me like that; but when I approached, she kept her head silent?"

Ouyang Rong stopped slowly, stood in the street, and looked around.

The leads were broken again.

The cook, Xiuniang, has left her job and hasn't been to Meilu Garden for a long time, so there is nowhere to look for her.

Ouyang Rongkong sighed.

whisper:

"In the dream, the incident of biting people rudely while performing Zhougong's ceremony, is it true?

"Is the dumb girl Xiuniang Miss Zhao?

"If both things are true..."

He couldn't help falling into silence.

In fact, it is very simple to verify these two questions.

Find the woman whose teeth marks were planted by him at the constriction of the neck.

Or meet the mute girl Xiuniang again, and see if there are any teeth marks on her neck.

"It was dark in the underground palace that day, so I didn't see her neck carefully..."

Ouyang Rong rubbed his eyebrows.

At this time.

"Brother, why are you here?"

When Ouyang Rong turned his head, Xie Lingjiang stepped forward in surprise, grabbed his sleeve, looked him up and down, and said in a concerned tone:

"I got up early and went to Meilu Garden, but I didn't see you. I went to the county government office, but you were not there. I have been looking for you for a long time..."

Ouyang Rong's heart warmed, and he said softly, "I had a dream."

Xie Lingjiang was puzzled: "What dream?"

Ouyang Rong suddenly raised his hand and pointed behind her: "Do you want to eat that?"

Xie Lingjiang turned his head to look, "What, candied haws? Don't eat it, children love it."

Ouyang Rong glanced at the fair and flawless slender neck of the girl in red in front of her, and asked:
"Aren't you just a child?"

"You are!" she argued.

"Okay, then I'll eat." Ouyang Rong walked over with a smile.

"..." Xie Lingjiang.

After about a stick of incense, on the snack street, a certain pair of brothers and sisters walked side by side in the sun with a bunch of candied haws in each hand.

Xie Lingjiang followed the elder brother with an expression of "reluctant and unwilling". At a certain moment, the tip of her pink tongue quickly pecked the first candied haws on the stick.

A pair of pretty eyes narrowed like crescent moons.

She glanced at the person who swallowed the jujube whole and ate up the stick, and the girl in red clothes stood sideways to protect the food today, staring vigilantly:

"I've eaten it!" After the fierceness, she tilted her head and asked, "By the way, you haven't finished talking yet. What are you dreaming about?"

Ouyang Rong flicked the thin stick, squinting at the Jiangnan Snack Street, which was gradually recovering in the early morning in the morning.

"Suddenly forgot."

He smiled and said, "Take it as a dream for now."

　Late but here!Can't help but overcode thousands of words, make up for my good brothers!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)