Phi-Fic Chapter 82 Where Did the Children Go?
Chapter 82 Where Did the Children Go?
Wu Huanbi looked at the few people he had guessed before and was basically able to confirm the identity of the old Taoist priest.
The deceased old Taoist priest was from the Central Plains, his surname was He and his name was Dan. He came to Kyoto Prefecture 30 years ago and worked as a handyman and learned skills for several circuses and jugglers.
After that, he started to perform for a living, but later he retired from the world for some reason. Because he was not famous, no one cared that there was one less person at the intersection of East Street.
Some of his most famous performances at the time were juggling tricks.
Just a few lines record the first forty years of He Dan's life, which is very disorganized. These records were only recorded because of a major case involving a juggler more than ten years ago.
These were just a few short lines that Zhao Huaiqing copied down after going through all the scrolls related to jugglers.
As for how the Tianshi Sect was later established and how it started to deceive people, I know nothing.
The two checked it clearly, wrote down the scroll and handed it to the clerk in charge of the archives. After the Shaoqing and the Dali Temple Minister reviewed it, the case was closed.
Zhao Huaiqing still felt extremely heavy-hearted. He always felt like something was missing, but he couldn't remember what it was.
On the other hand, Xinhai was busy running through the streets and alleys every day, thinking only of finding the child.
Shaoqing was responsible for investigating how the case happened, and he was responsible for finding out where the child was hidden.
That many children is not a small number.
But he searched everywhere but couldn't find any trace of him. He did give out a lot of money in the morning and met many disabled little beggars who tugged at his clothes, their hands clenched until they turned white, and asked for money without saying a word.
Xinhai felt sorry for the children and gave them some. Unexpectedly, he met four or five of them in one morning.
This number doesn't seem right. I thought about it over and over again in my mind, but I didn't see any child who matched the child in the portrait. I couldn't help but think that it was just a coincidence.
"Xinhai, can you see me standing downstairs?" Xinhai walked back to the main street, and Gu Qingyun pulled him to experiment.
Xinhai looked carefully and found that it was indeed a little vague. If you didn't look carefully, the person wrapped in the shadow would be hard to see.
Gu Qingyun sighed. This restaurant has private rooms on the second floor. Just as the shopkeeper said, as long as you pay, you will be allowed to come up for tea and snacks.
Gu Qingyun asked him who booked this room on the Mid-Autumn Festival.
The shopkeeper recalled for a long time and only said that two or three people came in and out, wearing bamboo hats, and could not be seen clearly. But because he gave money and was very generous, he did not need to give change, so he did not care what they were doing in and out. In addition, the business was good during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and he was exhausted from running around, so he did not pay attention to whether there was anything unusual.
Gu Qingyun understood that the owner of this teahouse had been here for nearly twenty years and would not cheat him.
Gu Qingyun also asked whether there were lanterns hung that day.
The shopkeeper thought he was joking and couldn't help laughing, "How could they not hang it? The Wang family on the left, the Lu family on the right, and the Deng family across the street all have them hung, and they've been busy looking at the patterns and where to hang them. If you don't hang it, your business won't be that good. If you hang it, people can see it from far away, so it's a good deal."
Indeed, in Kyoto Prefecture, it is not allowed to hang lanterns except during festivals. Doing so will pose a safety hazard and affect the entire street.
By then, every household will have rolled up their lanterns and storefronts, and will have rolled up their goods and tried to attract customers. What will be left?
Gu Qingyun sat in the teahouse and looked down. This private room in the shop had an excellent location. As long as he stayed here, no one would know even if he sprinkled knockout drugs into the crowd.
Xinhai stood on one side and tried it. He was able to even fit two adult men on it without anyone noticing.
"Shaoqing, I found something strange when I went out on the street today..." Xinhai recounted the story of the little beggar he had just met. He always felt that something was strange, but he couldn't figure it out for a while.
It was the same in the Huguangzhai case. What if there are still such cruel and ruthless perverts?
Gu Qingyun's pupils shrank after hearing what he said. "Let's go, let's go quickly." Then he said in a serious tone, "We will separate and secretly follow those disabled little beggars to see where they go."
"Shaoqing is suspicious..." Xinhai also found it horrifying.
"Yes." Gu Qingyun thought about it and whistled towards the window. Soon a pigeon flew in and stood on the window. Gu Qingyun stuffed the small note into the small box on the pigeon's leg and patted the pigeon. The pure white little pigeon flew up and quickly disappeared.
"If there is any danger, leave first." Gu Qingyun said again.
The two men climbed onto the roof and quickly shuttled through Kyoto Prefecture. The places where the little beggars appeared in the morning were empty. Xinhai looked at Gu Qingyun on the roof not far away and made a gesture to indicate to Gu Qingyun that there was no one there.
"There are fewer people in the north of the city in the morning, and most of those who go out are scholars and officials. They have a higher chance of getting money. In the afternoon, we should go to the south of the city. All the vendors at the market have money, and we can get more money by begging for sympathy there." Gu Qingyun thought for a while after calming down.
Xin Hai nodded, and then heard Gu Qingyun say, "But it's also possible that they only make money in the morning. Let's go down and walk down. Maybe they will see it and come up to ask for it."
The two men traveled around Kyoto Prefecture from afternoon to evening, and they never saw a lame little beggar again.
On the other side, Wu Huan, who received the carrier pigeon, kept twisting his eyebrows, pulling the tender flesh between his eyebrows red.
"Even if that's the case, they kidnapped the child just to ask for money. That's too ridiculous." Wu Huan looked at Zhao Huaiqing in confusion.
In those days, although not everyone was starving and freezing, not every household had surplus food. If you saw a disabled little beggar, you would feel pity for him and give him some money for food. But if you saw them every day, and there were still so many little beggars, even if you had money, you would not feel sympathy for them.
"Shaoqing's suspicion is somewhat reasonable, otherwise why would so many disabled little beggars suddenly appear. But, is it possible... that the other party kidnapped so many children not just to make them little beggars... but that the ones Xinhai met happened to be little beggars..." Zhao Huaiqing thought for a while and said.
"But if it's a child from Kyoto Prefecture, even if he has rarely been out of the house, don't we worry about him running away after being released?" Wu Huan still wondered if the others were just trying desperate measures.
Just now it was Wuhuan who kept rubbing his eyebrows, and now the two of them were staring at the Kyoto Prefecture Fengshui map in front of Wuhuan and frowning.
Gu Qingyun and the other person did not get the answers they wanted, and soon returned to the Dali Temple. Seeing the expressions of Zhao Huaiqing and the other person, they walked over and stared at the feng shui map.
Xinhai told everyone about his morning route, and Gu Qingyun also told them about the location he had explored this morning, which was probably correct.
After checking the information, several people were even more confused.
Are the children really still in Kyoto Prefecture?
Could they have been taken away in batches?
Even if dozens of people don't go out, it is impossible for them to go without food and water. How did the other party hide these dozens of children?