When the book-traveling little detective meets the two-faced prince

"Thank you."

With the help of Xiao Yihuo, Lin Lezhi gathered his strength again, put the bag back on his back, stepped over the thick tree trunk and continued to move forward.

Under the leadership of Zhou Yuanliang and the soldier, they arrived at the place where the two of them found their footprints.

A wet footprint was revealed on the bare ground among the grass. Luo Zhifeng gently picked up the moss on the ground and twisted it apart with his hands.

"The moss on the footprints is still moist, so they must have been left there not long ago."

Having said that, Luo Zhifeng turned over the nearby weeds and described what he saw in the weeds: "There are traces of being crushed in the weeds, and there are water droplets on them. As long as we follow the traces in the weeds, we will probably know where he went."

Looking at the trampled traces in the weeds, Cheng Su looked serious and gritted his teeth and said angrily: "Chase after it, I want to see whether it is a human or a ghost."

The crowd followed the traces in the grass and walked out of the forest in about an incense stick of time.

Without the obstruction of the grass, the clear footprints and dripping water droplets on the ground are clearly visible, and the dripping water marks extend forward into the lake.

There are many lanterns floating on the lake.

Some were damaged by wind and sun, while others were brand new lanterns that had just floated over a few days ago.

"Back...back to the water. Could it really be a water ghost?"

Seeing this, Zhou Yuanliang was shocked and said with fear on his face.

Lin Lezhi turned his head and looked back.

This place is not far from the cliff, and we can get there faster if we don’t go through the forest.

Due to the distance and angle, as well as the mountains and woodlands blocking the view, this place cannot be seen from the cliff.

"If it really is a water ghost, why would it hide? Only people with ulterior motives would deliberately act mysterious and pretend to be a ghost."

Lin Lezhi looked at the water marks and footprints on the ground, his eyes hinting at a hint of coldness.

Cheng Su glanced at Lin Lezhi, then looked away and agreed, "Detective Jiang Gui is right. Only humans would play tricks."

As he spoke, Cheng Su looked back at the water stains on the ground and said, "The water stains on the ground may just be a trick to make us think it was done by a water ghost, but in fact they are not in the water at all. Everyone, pay attention and check nearby for other clues. Don't let the real culprit throw you off balance."

"Yes, General!"

With Cheng Su and Lin Lezhi's words, everyone calmed down for the time being and returned to the forest again to look for any useful clues nearby.

They searched for about half an hour but still found nothing.

Everyone's confidence, like the water marks on the ground, gradually fades away with the passage of time and the change of temperature, until it evaporates and disappears, leaving only the disturbing but indelible traces of moss, which continue to take root and spread in people's hearts.

Just when everyone was about to give up, sounds of playing were heard from the lake not far away.

Hearing this kind of voice at this time is not something to be happy about.

In an instant, everyone's spirits tensed up and they looked in the direction where the sound came from with stiff necks.

Cheng Su has always been a person who does not believe in evil. He immediately grasped the sword at his waist and walked towards the lake. Lin Lezhi immediately followed him.

Seeing this, Xiao Yihuo and Liu Yunhe looked at each other and then followed closely.

Before leaving the forest, I saw Cheng Su standing at the edge of the forest. He was not standing in a battle-ready posture with the hilt of the knife in his hand, but in a relatively relaxed posture.

When he first saw it, Lin Lezhi was puzzled as to why Cheng Su changed his attitude in such a short time, but the moment his eyes fell on the lake, he understood.

I saw.

Qiao Ying held a lantern in her hand and walked with her legs soaked in the lake water. She played with the water around her and looked very happy.

The people who followed later felt relieved when they saw it was Qiao Ying.

At the same time, I was surprised and happy that Qiao Ying was able to survive.

When everyone saw Qiao Ying, Qiao Ying also saw them coming out of the forest. She immediately seemed to have discovered something new and interesting, and ran towards the crowd with a lantern in her hand.

Qiao Ying ran over with her face and body covered in dirt and wetness; only the lantern in her hand was clean.

Qiao Ying ran directly towards Lin Lezhi and Xiao Yihuo, then raised the lantern in her hand in front of them with a happy look on her face, and said with a smile: "Big brother, look at the lanterns, it's a lantern!"

Lin Lezhi lowered his head and looked. It was the lantern that he and Xiao Yihuo had helped him repair on the night of the Lantern Festival. It was still wrapped with black tassels.

"Grandpa, this is for grandpa."

Qiao Ying was obviously very happy to find this lantern.

Seeing Qiao Ying's innocent and happy expression, Lin Lezhi couldn't bear to tell her that Wu Sanshan was dead. He tried to smile and said, "Okay, I'll give it to Grandpa when I see him."

"Ok!"

Qiao Ying nodded happily and vigorously, then jumped around happily holding the lantern, never getting tired of it.

perhaps……

In Qiao Ying's world, even if he was told that Wu Sanshan was dead, he would not understand the meaning of death. He would only think that his grandfather was just asleep.

"That...Qiao Ying?"

At this time, Zhou Yuanliang on the side suddenly called Qiao Ying's name.

When Qiao Ying heard someone calling her name, she stopped, turned her head and looked at Zhou Yuanliang with curiosity, waiting for Zhou Yuanliang to speak to her.

The others also looked at Zhou Yuanliang.

Zhou Yuanliang glanced at the water stains on the ground when Qiao Ying ran over, then looked at Qiao Ying with a panicked and uneasy face and asked: "Qiao...Qiao Ying, did you...did you see anything strange by the lake?"

"You don't doubt that Qiao Ying is the water ghost."

Meng Dafeng on the side stepped forward and spoke, his tone clearly indicating that he did not think it was Qiao Ying who did it. He looked at Qiao Ying with an expression that was obviously distressed, thinking that it was miserable enough for Qiao Ying to be born mentally retarded, and now Wu Sanshan, who cared about him the most, was gone, and he was still being suspected like this.

Zhou Yuanliang waved his hands quickly, looking somewhat guilty, and said, "No...no, I just thought that he had been staying by the lake, and maybe he had seen some clues."

However, the timing of Qiao Ying's appearance was indeed too coincidental, and she even walked out of the lake.

Fortunately, Qiao Ying didn't understand everyone's doubts about him, and tried hard to think about Zhou Yuanliang's question. After thinking for a long time, Qiao Ying's eyes suddenly lit up, and he raised the lantern above his head with both hands, made a sharp gesture and said, "Boat!"

After saying that, Qiao Ying imitated the movement of a boat and swam back and forth.

"Boat?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Su's eyes darkened immediately. He stopped Qiao Ying, who was walking back and forth, and asked with a serious expression, "Where did you find it?"

Qiao Ying was frightened by Cheng Su's actions and fierce expression. She looked like she was about to cry and turned her head to the south.

After knowing the direction, Cheng Su let go of his hand.

Qiao Ying immediately ran behind Lin Lezhi and Xiao Yihuo and hid herself.

Cheng Su said nothing more. After learning the location of the ship, he immediately walked in the direction pointed by Qiao Ying.

After Cheng Su walked away, Qiao Ying dared to stick out half of her eyes. With a look of fear as if she had done something wrong, she quietly watched Cheng Su's receding back.

Lin Lezhi turned around and comforted him: "Don't be afraid, General Cheng is just concerned about the case and has no intention of harming you."

Qiao Ying didn't quite understand what Lin Lezhi said, and couldn't figure it out, but Lin Lezhi's tone was very gentle, so it didn't matter if she didn't understand, she just smiled and nodded.

Then, everyone hurried in the direction Qiao Ying said.

After turning a corner, in the southwest of the lake island, a boat was parked by the lake, with mossy footprints on the deck.