Chapter 37 Nian Jiu Appears
Returning to the forging room, Li Yuan carefully cleaned up his footprints, locked the door, and quickly returned to the house.
"call!"
Listening to Fatty Sun's snoring, Li Yuan let out a long sigh, took off his bamboo hat, wiped off the rain water and hung it on the wall: "I feel a little more at peace now!"
He felt it was worth giving up a shoe to buy peace of mind.
"The straw paper stuck to the sole of the shoe is the most common kind. No one can recognize my dog-like calligraphy... Well, this matter should be considered over!"
After thinking it over, Li Yuan felt relieved that he had nothing missing, but he still had some concerns.
Liu San, the only person who knew that he had bought the shoes, had been killed by Nian Jiu, but Nian Jiu...
"Nian Jiu is a potential threat. I can't expect him to die in the roundup..."
After taking off his clothes and putting them away, Li Yuan walked out of the house with a hammer in his hand, his expression calm:
“Of course, the words of a wanted criminal are not credible, but to be on the safe side, I still have to improve my status in the weapon forging shop.
Manager Cao is second only to Qiu Long, and was formerly the top expert in Gaoliu City..."
Wow!
In the heavy rain, Li Yuan closed his eyes, regulated his breathing, and stood with a hammer in his hand:
"First cultivate to great success, then penetrate the six directions and cultivate internal strength! Persevere until you enter the Divine Weapon Valley, and all hidden dangers will no longer be a problem!"
He exhaled a breath of foul air, and his body moved with the wind, hammering the raindrops to break them. He used the heavy rain to practice his fighting skills and listening to the force.
Perhaps because he felt relieved, Li Yuan fought very happily today. In the rain, he did not stick to the White Ape Cloak Hammer, but also used the Military Fighting Hammer.
In the storm, he danced with the hammer.
……
……
The outer city county government office was brightly lit.
In the lobby, several yamen runners were collecting a shoe with strange looks on their faces, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
call!
A man rushed out from the rain and walked into the lobby wrapped in the wind.
"Captain!"
Several yamen runners all lowered their heads.
"Humph!"
Qiu Da, who was still reeking of alcohol, shook off the rain on his body. With a big bump on the back of his head, he looked at the weapon that hit him on the table, his face darkening.
"Boss Qiu, these are top-quality Liuhe boots. Judging from the style, they are from Zhelong Mansion. Also, there is something on the soles..."
A bailiff came forward and handed Qiu Da a pair of tattered Liuhe boots.
“These shoes…”
After being hit on the head and drenched in rain, Qiu Da's alcohol smell had mostly dissipated. He reached out to take the shoe, pulled out the rain-soaked straw paper from the sole, frowned, and looked very bad:
"With...shoes, you can attract...Nianjiu? What the hell is this? Even a dog can crawl clearer than this!"
"Qiu Tou, this..."
Hearing this, the yamen runners looked at each other in bewilderment.
"That thief's technique was precise. He was able to hit the back of my head even through the heavy rain and the outer wall. He must not be an ordinary person..."
The anger on Qiu Da's face flashed away, and he looked thoughtful:
"But how can a worn-out shoe lead to Nian Jiu? Could it be..."
With a swish sound, the Liuhe boots were torn apart. Qiu Da's expression changed slightly: "Liuhe boots are famous for their wear resistance. The six layers are sewn into one layer, so there will not be a layer missing for no reason..."
"Qiu Tou thinks there was something on the sole of this shoe?"
Several bailiffs came over.
“It may not be impossible.”
Qiu Da muttered to himself.
Nian Jiu was wanted because he stole things from the Divine Weapon Valley. Others didn't know this, but he knew it.
He could even guess that the reason why Nian Jiu was reluctant to leave Gaoliu was probably because he had lost that thing!
This broken shoe...
"Could it be that Nian Jiu was reluctant to leave because of this thing? The thief who injured you, I'm afraid he wanted to use us to eliminate the trouble in the future?"
Some yamen runners were guessing.
The hall was filled with experienced officials who had been discussing matters with one another, and they had worked out a lot of things.
"Wouldn't that just give the thief an advantage?"
There were also some younger yamen runners who looked indignant.
After stuffing the straw paper back into his arms, Qiu Da closed his eyes, feeling the severe pain at the back of his head, and gritted his teeth: "After arresting Nian Jiu, are you still afraid that you don't know who this thief is?"
……
……
The next day, the sky cleared up, the afterglow of the temple fair was still there, and the inner and outer cities were still quite lively.
Early in the morning, vendors have already set up their stalls, and the aroma of snack oil fills the streets and alleys.
"Have you heard? Yesterday on a rainy night, a thief broke into the county government office and tried to steal. He was beaten back by Captain Qiu. I heard he was injured!" "Captain Qiu was actually injured? No wonder the bailiffs started patrolling the streets again today. This thief is so bold that he actually went to steal from the county government office?"
"What is there in the county government worth stealing? Can't you just steal the files?"
……
At a breakfast stall, those who were well-informed were already discussing what happened last night.
"A bowl of tofu pudding costs three cents? Boss, you really should go rob it!"
The guest cursed with a smile.
"You can ask around the city and see which shop charges less than three cents. It's not me who raises the price!"
The stall owner smiled, glanced at the beggar lying on the corner, and drove him away impatiently:
"Go, beggar, where did you come from? Go lie down over there!"
In the corner, a beggar with ragged clothes and unkempt hair was crawling with his broken legs. A customer couldn't bear to watch and bought a steamed bun and threw it to him:
"The situation is getting worse year by year. There are more and more beggars on the streets. Don't look at this one person. He's not rich either..."
"Hey? Where was I just now?"
"Old Li is kindhearted..."
Several guests laughed and joked that they were reluctant to give away the steamed buns:
"What did the thief want to steal when he broke into the government office at night?"
"Yes, yes! I heard from my brother-in-law who is a yamen runner that the thief did not steal the files or the money, but went for the evidence right away..."
"It is said that Captain Qiu found this tattered pair of Liuhe boots somewhere?"
Swish!
In the corner, a beggar with messy hair covering his face suddenly looked up, and a look of suspicion and coldness flashed in his one eye.
"Qiuda!"
……
……
"Qiu Da is indeed an efficient official. He acted so quickly. In just two days, the news spread throughout the outer city."
In the forging room, the work was in full swing. Li Yuan was hammering pig iron and he heard the discussions of the helpers nearby. He was also paying close attention to the matter.
"Brother Li, the master is calling you!"
At this time, someone shouted outside the door. Li Yuan turned around and saw Niu Gui.
"Master, have you recovered from your injuries?"
Li Yuan's heart moved, he put down the hammer and walked out the door.
From the day Yu Zhen came to his house until now, nearly four months have passed, and Tang Tong has not left the house.
"The people from the government office are here."
Niu Gui said something in a low voice and left quickly.
Ever since his brother-in-law was transferred out, he had a very uncomfortable time in the inner courtyard. First, Wang Gong and others kicked him out of the small circle, and then the other senior brothers attacked him more harshly during the sparring.
All the trivial matters were thrown to him.
"yamen?"
Li Yuan frowned slightly and walked quickly back to the inner courtyard.
In the yard, Tang Tong stood with his hands behind his back, with Qiu Da, who looked slightly pale, standing beside him. In the martial arts field, there stood a dozen apprentices, all of whom were experienced apprentices who had achieved some success in hammering.
Soon, Li Yuan knew what had happened.
"Nian Jiu has appeared!"
Li Yuan's heart shuddered.
"Yesterday at midnight, Captain Qiu was patrolling the streets. When he passed by a place, he was suddenly attacked. Not only was the important evidence destroyed, but Nian Jiu also escaped from the city! County Magistrate Lu was furious..."
Tang Tong's voice was loud:
"Today, Captain Qiu came to borrow some personnel to search for the severely injured Nian Jiu!
Anyone who is willing to go can receive one ounce of silver, regardless of whether they catch anyone or not. If they catch someone, they will receive three ounces of silver per person! The court will pay half, and the shop will pay half!"
Qiu Da's face turned pale and almost blue. He cursed Tang Tong inwardly for not giving him face, but he had no choice but to respond and nodded repeatedly.
"Only three taels of silver?"
There was a slight commotion in the venue, but no one responded.
Qiu Da's face darkened slightly, and he whispered, "The county magistrate said that every family must send at least ten people!"
"Humph!"
Tang Tong snorted coldly and called out the name:
"Yun Jin, take Wu Ming, Liu Chen, Tian Ding... well, Li Yuan, you should go with them too. It's not nice to not go out for several months!"
"Yes!"
The apprentice who was called nodded helplessly.
Li Yuan also looked helpless, and his heart was slightly moved.
(End of this chapter)
