Chapter 265: Top of the Mountain
Zhang Huan and Di Chun realized it later: "If so, everything can be explained. Why did the general say that the deceased died before the first quarter of the night? Why didn't the mute girl hear any footsteps other than the boss's?"

Di Renjie smiled with satisfaction and nodded repeatedly, feeling the pleasure of nurturing others. Zhao Ji Ze just felt that his brothers were still too slow.

Li Lang was able to draw inferences from one example: "But, there is still one more question. The mute girl came upstairs quickly after hearing the noise. How did the fat shop owner close the door from the outside in such a short time? How did he create the so-called secret room that the general said?"

Zhao Ji chuckled and explained, "This is not difficult. There are many ways. I'll just guess. For example, the store owner did not leave the scene immediately after committing the crime, but closed the door inside the house first. The mute girl knocked on the door to no avail and naturally left."

"After the mute girl left, the owner calmly came out of the room. He now had plenty of time to set up the scene and create the effect of a secret room."

"He could even hide in another guest room for the night, then break the bolt in the morning and pretend to break the door open..."

After hearing this, Li Lang nodded thoughtfully to show his agreement.

At the same time, Di Renjie and others were immersed in the discussion, Wu Xiang had hurriedly stood up and ran towards the governor's office at a brisk pace...
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In the evening, in Dayang Mountain, the afterglow of the setting sun sprinkled down, dyeing the whole mountain blood red. The forest was so deep that there was no end in sight, and the mooing of man-eating beasts could be heard everywhere.

Deep in the woods, in the darkness, two horses emerged. They were Li Yuanfang and Ruyan.

Ruyan watched the two of them get out of the dense forest and let out a long sigh: "Finally we got out!"

Li Yuanfang looked around and said, "I'm unfamiliar with this place and have been lost for a whole day. I finally got out and it's almost night again."

Ruyan sighed, her voice full of worry: "Yuanfang, we can't sleep outdoors tonight. Kui Wenzhong has been poisoned and is dying. If the cold gets to his body, I'm afraid he won't be able to survive the night."

She patted a large cloth bundle hanging beside the horse and said, "We must find a place to stay in the mountains as soon as possible."

Li Yuanfang laughed bitterly when he heard this: "I can't tell east from west, south from north, where can I find someone in this vast mountain?"

Ruyan looked into the distance, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.

Suddenly, she pointed to the top of a mountain in the west and said, "Hey, look, there seems to be someone's home over there!"

At this time, the setting sun has gradually sunk behind the mountain, and the brightness of the afterglow has become softer and no longer eye-catching.

Li Yuanfang raised his head and looked in the direction of Ruyan's finger. Sure enough, on the top of the mountain, a small courtyard was looming in the twilight.

A warm feeling suddenly surged in his heart: "God knows there is always a way out, let's go and take a look!"

As they spoke, the two of them clamped their mounts together and galloped off towards the west.

When we arrived, the courtyard was already shrouded in darkness, with only one lamp flickering in the main room.

Li Yuanfang dismounted, walked quickly to the door and knocked, his voice full of sincerity and urgency: "Excuse me, is there anyone here? Open the door!"

No one answered.

Ruyan also got off the horse and walked over quickly: "Why, no one?"

Li Yuanfang pointed at the light in the room and started knocking on the door again: "Can you open the door? We are guests staying overnight!"

After a moment of silence, an old man's trembling voice came from the courtyard: "Is it a human... or a ghost?"

Li Yuanfang responded with a smile, trying to ease the other party's tension: "Of course I am a human. I am tired from the journey and missed the place to stay, so I came to your place to stay for one night."

With a slight creaking sound, the gate slowly opened a crack, and an old man's face could be vaguely seen: "Are you really here to stay overnight?"

Li Yuanfang nodded upon hearing this: "Yes!"

The old man's eyes flashed with doubt, but also with a bit of curiosity: "Why did you come to this desolate mountain?"

Li Yuanfang smiled sheepishly: "I accidentally got lost during the day and ended up here by accident."

The man carefully looked at the two of them, and finally slowly opened the door: "Since you are guests who have come from afar, please come in."

Li Yuanfang took out some silver from his pocket and offered it to him: "I don't want to stay here for free, but this is a little money for you to travel with. Please accept it, old man."

The old man waved his hand and said, "We are from a mountain family. You don't need to pay for the accommodation. Please come in."

Li Yuanfang hurriedly thanked him, "Thank you, old man."

Then he turned and walked to Ruyan's horse, unloaded the heavy bag, carried it on his shoulders, and walked into the yard.

When you enter the courtyard, you will see several coffins parked in the yard, which makes you feel chilly.

Li Yuanfang and Ruyan exchanged surprised glances, paused, and then caught up with the old man.

The old man led them to the main room and gently opened the door: "Please come in, both of you."

The house was simply furnished. There was a kitchen in the middle. There was a fire lit under the stove and someone was cooking. There was a small dining table next to the stove and a few benches next to it. There were two bedrooms on both sides of the kitchen.

The old man turned around and asked Li Yuanfang and Ruyan with a smile: "May I ask if you two are married?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Li Yuanfang and Ruyan were stunned and could not speak for a long time.

After hesitating for a long time, Li Yuanfang said with a stiff upper lip: "We are... a pair of brothers..."

Before he could even utter the word "sister", Ruyan suddenly became anxious and secretly elbowed Li Yuanfang, saying righteously, "Yes, we are a couple!"

The old man smiled knowingly when he saw this. He nodded and said, "Then you can live together in the east room!"

Ruyan agreed politely: "Thank you very much, father-in-law."

The old man smiled and nodded, then turned around to busy himself at the stove.

Ruyan rolled her eyes at Li Yuanfang, and hurriedly pulled him into the eastern compartment, where she placed Kui Wenzhong on the bed. The old man's voice came from outside the door: "You two, I've made some food. Let's eat together after we clean up."

Li Yuanfang turned around, a little embarrassed: "I feel bad for bothering you, old man, how dare I enjoy your meal again."

The old man smiled and said, "People in the mountains don't have so many rules. Don't be polite."

Li Yuanfang bowed and thanked him: "In that case, I will respectfully obey your command."

Ruyan felt something was wrong: "Why does this old man have so many coffins in his house? It's creepy."

Li Yuanfang shook his head. "I've been here for a while. Liuzhou seems to be rich in coffins. The old man might be doing this for a living. Ruyan, open the cloth first, don't let him get suffocated."

Ruyan nodded, climbed onto the kang, gently lifted the cloth covering the bundle, revealing Kui Wenzhong inside.

I saw Kui Wenzhong's face was purple and black, he was lying quietly, motionless.

Ruyan reached out to feel his pulse, then raised her head, frowned, and shook her head continuously.

Li Yuanfang asked hurriedly: "What happened?"

Ruyan tilted her head, as if puzzled: "How strange, his pulse is very normal, could it be that his skills are too profound?"

Li Yuanfang was stunned when he heard this, and asked in confusion: "You mean, his poison is gone?"

Ruyan quickly shook her head and said, "The pulse can't tell everything. Maybe the poison will suddenly take effect at night. It's hard to say whether he can survive tonight."

Li Yuanfang sighed when he heard this: "Ruyan, you take care of him. I'll go out and ask the old man where the town is in the nearby mountains."

After saying that, he walked out the door quickly.

Outside, dinner was already on the table. It was very simple, with a bowl of rice, two plates of pickles, and a few bowls of hot tea.

The old man was sitting on a bench serving rice. Li Yuanfang came out and sat next to him: "Old man, are you alone at home?"

The old man nodded: "Yes. My wife is gone, and I am all alone."

Li Yuanfang asked tentatively: "What do you do for a living? Why did you build your house on the top of this high mountain?"

The old man sighed and said slowly: "When I was young, I was a hunter. I traveled between mountains and forests every day. In order to make it easier to hunt, I built a house on this mountain."

"Later, as I got older, my legs and feet became weaker and I couldn't climb the mountains anymore. My husband also passed away, so I could only make coffins to make a living."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanfang nodded to show his understanding.

The old man continued, "The roads in Dayang Mountain are very difficult to travel. Except for the occasional coffin carrier, few outsiders are seen throughout the year. How did you get lost here? Where were you originally going?"

Li Yuanfang smiled and explained, "I came to the mountains to see a friend, but he was poisoned. We were in a hurry to find a place to treat him, and we got lost in our haste."

The old man's expression changed when he heard this, and he said in shock: "Poisoned? That's terrible!"

Li Yuanfang nodded, and the old man said, "Let me take a look, maybe I can help."

Li Yuanfang was stunned for a moment, then reacted: "You also know medical skills?"

The old man smiled and shook his head: "It can't be considered medical skills, but when I was a hunter in my early years, I had to know how to deal with poisonous insects and fierce beasts in the mountains, otherwise how could I survive."

After saying this, he stood up and walked towards the side room with Li Yuanfang.

In the side room, Ruyan was carefully wiping the dirt off Kui Wenzhong's face. Seeing the two men come in, she looked up at them.

Li Yuanfang quickly introduced: "Ruyan, this old man said he can treat some diseases, let him take a look at Kui Wenzhong."

When Ruyan heard this, a glimmer of hope flashed in her eyes and she quickly nodded in agreement.

The old man quickly stepped forward and carefully checked Kui Wenzhong's injuries. He couldn't help but gasp: "This poison is very strong. It seems that he was bitten by a poisonous snake."

Li Yuanfang quickly confirmed: "That's right."

The old man reached out and opened his eyes, then shook his head gently: "You two, don't blame me for being foul-mouthed. I'm afraid your friend is beyond help."

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanfang and Ruyan felt a sinking feeling in their hearts and looked at each other, both revealing helplessness.

However, the old man changed the subject: "However, I still have some detoxifying and heat-clearing herbs at home, maybe they can help your friend get some relief."

Ruyan's eyes lit up instantly: "Old man, what herbs do you have?"

The old man pondered for a moment and replied, "There are Plantago, Aristolochia, Pihan, and..."

He paused deliberately, and seeing that Ruyan was listening attentively, he continued, "Du'er is weird."

When Ruyan heard the name "Duerguai", she was immediately delighted: "Great! Duerguai is a good medicine for detoxification, especially for python clam poison. If we can use it to make medicine, Kui Wenzhong may be able to survive these two days!"

Yuan Fang was also surprised: "Really?"

Ruyan nodded firmly: "Of course it's true. Old man, can you give us more poison monsters?"

The old man smiled cheerfully: "It's not difficult, they all grow in the mountains and are worthless!"

Ruyan smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you very much."

(End of this chapter)