There is a god in the sky

Chapter 431 Nighttime Mountain Search

After sunset, Prefect Liu practically counted down the time.

"My lord, there is only half an hour left until the hour of Xu (7-9 PM)."

Prefect Liu sighed, "Go, summon all the constables in the yamen and have them go with Lord Xiao. Tell them to sharpen their weapons properly, and in case of a conflict, don't hold back."

The chief constable's heart pounded when he heard this.

The officials in the yamen usually only catch petty thieves, so they have no chance of winning in a real battle.

At the city gate, Xiao Ji was surrounded by quite a few people.

He brought not only his personal bodyguards but also people from the Criminal Investigation Department with him on this trip.

When the two sides joined forces, their momentum was overwhelming, and they really looked like they were about to do something big.

When Prefect Liu saw that even Shen Lan was there, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that Xiao Ji was just putting on an act, otherwise he wouldn't have brought a woman into the mountains.

Perhaps he thought it was just a murder case, unaware of what was hidden in the mountains.

Prefect Liu didn't know whether to feel fortunate or disappointed.

"Set off."

Shen Lan rode a horse, which strolled slowly along the road.

Prefect Liu rode in a carriage, while the other officials walked, so the procession couldn't move quickly.

"At this rate, the villagers would have already received the news and made preparations," Shen Lan sighed.

"Well, it's okay, they're not the point."

Upon arriving at Muyun Village, the village was shrouded in darkness.

At this time, the villagers were all resting, and only a few households turned on their lights after hearing the noise.

The village chief came out of his house and was startled to see so many people. He took his grandson's hand and came out to greet them.

"Oh? Lord Liu? What's going on...?"

The child was terrified and hid behind his grandfather.

While everyone else's attention was on the village chief, Shen Lan stared at the child.

He was about seven or eight years old, but already as tall as the village chief's shoulder. His eyes showed no fear, only vigilance.

"A male corpse has been found in the back mountain. I have led my men into the mountain to investigate the case."

"What? A corpse? This..." He slapped his thigh hard. "Hey, it must be Zhang Er from our village. He's been missing for days. His mother is almost blind from crying. How could he have died in the mountains?"

"Sir, I'll go and call the Zhang family right away, so they can all go into the mountains with you."

“Zhang Er?” Prefect Liu looked at Xiao Ji.

He did not know the identity of the corpse.

Xiao Ji stepped forward and said, “I have already determined the identity of the corpse. It is not one of your villagers. Well, it’s getting late. Let’s go into the mountains first.”

The government officials lined up to go up the mountain, followed by many villagers, and even women and old women came along.

They were all carrying shovels and hoes, saying they were there to help the government dig up the corpses.

But Xiao Ji knew in his heart that if a conflict broke out, these people would not hesitate to attack them.

Xiao Ji had seen many troublemakers, and their eyes were all too similar.

"Be careful, they have the geographical advantage if things really come to a head," Shen Lan said to Xiao Ji.

"Yes, you be careful too. If things look bad, hide first."

When Xiao Ji arrived at the place where the body was found that morning, he immediately realized that the body had been dug up.

He held the torch and looked around, then beckoned to the village chief and asked, "Have any villagers gone up the mountain today?"

"I don't know about that. Let me ask."

"Then make a list of the villagers who are not at home today, find them in the mountains, and I want to question them."

"Now?" The village chief was taken aback.

"Yes, right now. We have no shortage of officials here. No matter how many people there are, we can find them!"

At this moment, a young man in plain clothes ran up from behind and said loudly, "Sir, I have checked and found that apart from some young children and some elderly people, everyone in the village is here."

He held the roster of Muyun Village in his hand. "There are 185 people missing from the village, all of them men."

Xiao Ji waved his hand and said, "Then let's start searching."

Officer Xing had already assigned tasks and led his men into action.

Prefect Liu's heart raced; he roughly knew Xiao Ji's plan.

It seems that whether the body is here or not is unimportant; he just wants to use this incident to find the person openly and legitimately.

"Go, be careful, don't miss anything, and send a signal immediately if there is any news."

Each person had a torch in their hand, and they quickly spread out in the mountains and forests, illuminating many dark places.

Prefect Liu asked cautiously, "Lord Xiao, it's pitch black at night, why didn't you come during the day?"

"A black spot is good, it makes it easier for the villagers to see us and find them sooner, right?"

Shen Lan saw several children, some of whom were not quite grown up, sneak into the woods. Just as she was about to follow them, Xiao Ji grabbed her arm.

He simply shook his head slightly.

Shen Lan withdrew her foot and, seeing the villagers in a defensive posture, lowered her voice and said, "With them here, we can't leave even if we want to."

"Well, wait."

Although this mountain forest is large, there is strength in numbers, and it is only a matter of time before we find the location.

Shen Lan saw a woman with a deathly pale face, clutching her stomach and squatting down. She went over and took her pulse.

The woman was initially somewhat resistant, but Shen Lan was a woman, and a young and beautiful one at that, with a pleasant scent, which gradually made her lower her guard.

"You're pregnant, but it's early in the pregnancy. The evil energy in these mountains is too strong, which is bad for the fetus."

The woman's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Really? I...I'm pregnant?"

"Yes, about two months. You can calculate the days yourself. However, the pregnancy is not stable, so you need to take care of yourself."

She was overjoyed at first, then covered her face and cried, "I have a child! I finally have a child!"

Shen Lan could tell she was only in her early twenties, but after hearing from the woman beside her that this was her first pregnancy, she understood why she was so excited.

"Pregnant women shouldn't get too emotional. You should ask someone to accompany you down the mountain."

Shen Lan only carried medicine for her injuries, not any herbs to help with pregnancy, so she could only advise her: "When it gets light, it's best to have a doctor take care of you."

The woman moved her hand to her stomach and suddenly made a decision.

She stood up, supporting Shen Lan's hand, but stumbled and leaned against Shen Lan, taking the opportunity to whisper something in her ear.

Shen Lan calmly helped her stand up until an old woman came over and took the woman away.

The old woman asked expectantly, "Ahua, are you really pregnant?"

The woman replied shyly, "Yes, the female doctor said it's been two months."

Her name is Liu Ahua. When she married into Muyun Village, everyone said she was very lucky.

As a result, she had been married for five years but still hadn't gotten pregnant, and her husband and in-laws began to feel dissatisfied with her.

But she knew that in Muyun Village, there were no women who had been divorced.

Outsiders all thought that the men in this village were so devoted that they would never divorce their wives and send them home.

But she knew that it wasn't that they wouldn't divorce their wives, but that they didn't want their wives to take the secret out of the village; they were willing to lose their wives.

She took her mother-in-law's hand and said, "Mom, come back with me. It's dark at night, and I'm afraid I'll fall."

"But here..."

"With so many people here, we won't be missing. Besides, what if it's a boy in my belly..."

The old woman thought about it and agreed.

Although my son is important, with everyone here, I'm sure nothing bad will happen.

But the grandson in the daughter-in-law's belly is the family's first child, and someone they've been longing for for many years, so of course it's important.

"Okay, let's go back first."

Seeing them leave, the other villagers did not stop them.

Shen Lan returned to Xiao Ji's side and wrote a few words in his palm.