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

His identity had been revealed, and Yang Hancai knew there was no need to hide it anymore. After getting up from the ground, he hurried to Xiao Yihuo's side.

Qingchuan also walked to Xiao Yihuo's side.

Shi Peng's eyes darkened, he took a deep breath, looked at Lin Lezhi and said slowly: "Jiang Guitan, you are very smart. Even if you didn't see it with your own eyes, your inference is already 80% correct."

Shi Peng cast his gaze towards the people in the abandoned house nearby, his eyes reddened, and he said with gratitude: "Everyone in the abandoned house could have stayed out of this matter, but after knowing what happened to Cao An, they were all willing to lend a helping hand to me."

"All the secret passages in Yaren Village were dug out bit by bit by the people in the abandoned house after they were brought into Yaren Village. They dug continuously for ten years before they finally dug through the base of Yaren Village. The next step was to plan how to kill these unscrupulous people."

Shi Peng turned his gaze to Jiang Lian'an again and said, "Jiang Guitan, you are right. Killing people like them alone is not only not enough to expose their evil deeds, but it will also not change anything in the world."

Shi Peng laughed self-deprecatingly and said, "But I... am just a common man, how can I come up with any good ideas?"

"Just half a year ago, I went to help out at the back of Chunhua Tower at the appointed time. I accidentally heard someone asking about Jiang Lian'an's deeds. They said that Jiang Lian'an never feared the powerful and was always honest in his heart when solving cases. But who is this Jiang Lian'an? How could we easily meet him?"

"That day, Detective Jiang Gui and that girl came to the abandoned house to investigate the Yulong Village case. I had seen her several times when I was helping out at Chunhua Tower, and I knew that she often inquired about Jiang Lian'an's affairs, so I recognized that girl as someone from Chunhua Tower at a glance, but I didn't recognize Detective Jiang Gui."

"Until that day, when Jiang Guitan appeared in Zhouqing Town again wearing tattered clothes, the people in the abandoned house accidentally discovered the smoke-cloud scar on Jiang Guitan's left wrist through the rotten cuffs of Mr. Jiang."

Hearing this, Lin Lezhi looked embarrassed and smiled helplessly.

"Then he rushed back to the abandoned house and told me. I wanted to confirm it again, so I followed Jiang Guitan and the prince to the narrow alley. After confirming that it was indeed Jiang Guitan, I hurried back to the abandoned house and discussed the matter with everyone."

"Everyone felt that now was the best time. If we waited until Jiang Guitan left, we might not have another chance. So we planned all this overnight. We took out all our savings, went to the coffin shop, and bought a lot of ghost money in the name of the coffin shop, and arranged everything in the abandoned house."

After that, Shi Peng looked at Lin Lezhi with an apologetic look and said, "I also want to apologize to Jiang Guitan for what happened that night."

"Why?" Lin Lezhi asked puzzled.

"That night, I attracted the attention of the three masters to you. If it wasn't for the clever intervention of Detective Jiang, I would have almost harmed you."

"Well... you don't have to apologize. Since I dared to come here, I must have thought of this a long time ago." After saying that, Lin Lezhi smiled awkwardly and saw the suspicious looks from Qingchuan and Xiao Yihuo.

Lin Lezhi quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject, "Where did you get the copper coins from the seventh year of Chengjing?"

"Those copper coins were what I saved up little by little or exchanged for with others in the year Cao An passed away. I then wrapped them up carefully and placed them at the place where Cao An was buried. I used them to commemorate Cao An and also to remind myself of that day." As Shi Peng spoke, his hands at his sides tightened.

"That night, I came to Yaren Manor disguised as Yan Jingyi and asked the second manor owner to meet me outside the manor. I guess he also suspected that I was not Yan Jingyi..."

That night.

When the second in command arrived at the burial site, he saw Shi Peng standing in front of the grave with his back to the grave. A hint of doubt rose in his eyes, and he said respectfully from a distance: "I wonder if the owner of the manor called me out tonight because of the dry bones?"

Shi Peng turned his back and said nothing, which made him look more majestic without even getting angry.

The second in command immediately knelt on one knee, clasped his fists and said firmly: "Master, rest assured, those who were involved in this matter back then can no longer speak!"

After a long while, Shi Peng turned his back and said slowly, "What if there were still people alive back then?"

Upon hearing this, the second in command immediately looked up at Shi Peng, with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

The second in command had a bad feeling in his heart, but he still said, "I am sure that I saw him commit suicide with my own eyes."

"Are you sure? But I don't believe it."

Shi Peng turned around and slowly approached the second in command. Every step he took seemed to be stepping on the second in command's heart. As he got closer, a white light flashed before his eyes.

As they got closer, the second in command also saw Shi Peng's moss-covered feet. He looked up warily and said, "You are not the owner of the manor!"

A flash of astonishment flashed across the second in command's eyes. He wanted to draw the long sword hanging on his waist, but it was difficult to do so while kneeling. When he was about to stand up and pull out the sword halfway, the short sword was not as fast as he could stab, and Shi Peng's sword pierced straight into the second in command's chest.

Then, the second in command fell to the side with his eyes wide open, and was silent.

"I thought he was dead, so I drew out his knife and tried to arrange the place as you see, but because of the disease on my left eye, I didn't realize he was still alive."

When Shi Peng changed his clothes onto Yan Jingyi's body and was about to chop off Yan Jingyi's head with Second in Command's knife, Second in Command, who was still alive, suddenly grabbed Shi Peng's feet.

Shi Peng was caught off guard and his left side fell straight to the ground. He was dazed and the knife in his hand was thrown out. Then the two men started fighting.

Although the second in command was fatally injured, he was able to easily subdue Shi Peng with his size advantage.

After the second in command saw Shi Peng's appearance clearly, he showed a puzzled look.

"who are you?"

Shi Peng said viciously: "The one who wants to kill you!"

“Are you from the Xing family?” But after a while, the second in command said in disbelief: “No, it is impossible for anyone from the Xing family to be alive. I saw him commit suicide by the river with my own eyes. It is impossible for him to be alive. It is impossible…”

Although Shi Peng didn't understand what the Second In Command was saying, while the Second In Command was in disbelief and trance, Shi Peng quickly took out the safety knot in his arms, flipped the Second In Command to the ground, pressed down the Second In Command's arms with his legs, and fastened the safety knot around the Second In Command's neck.

"Do you still remember Cao An?"

Upon hearing this, the second in command's eyes suddenly widened even further, but he was strangled by the neck and could not utter a word, and his face turned blue.

When the second in command was about to die, Shi Peng whispered in his ear: "Didn't you ask me who I am? Remember, my name is Shi Peng."

Shi Peng didn't let go until the second in command died with his eyes open.

After sitting on the ground for a long time, Shi Peng stood up and arranged the scene as people saw it during the day. Finally, he put a black veil on Yan Jingyi's broken head.

Listening to Shi Peng's story, there was no connection between him and Cao An. Lin Lezhi asked puzzledly: "What is your relationship with Cao An?"

Hearing this, Shi Peng was somewhat absent-minded, and seemed to be trying hard to think about his relationship with Cao An. After thinking for a while, Shi Peng smiled bitterly, shook his head and said, "I have nothing to do with him."

After these words were spoken, Liang and Duan could no longer sit still on the ground.

It’s not enough about Jiang Lian’an, now there is also a prince and a prefect.

At this moment, the big boss Duan Hongzhi, who was already paralyzed on the ground with fear, struggled to get up from the ground, and shouted in the direction of Shi Peng: "Since you have nothing to do with him, we have no grudges against you, why do you want to harm us!"

Duan Hongzhi looked panic-stricken, as if he had suffered an unexpected disaster.

Shi Peng stood up and looked at Duan Hongzhi. His suppressed anger caused his voice to tremble slightly.

"No grudges or hatred?" Shi Peng sneered, and then said: "You haven't done anything to me, after all, you won't remember me."

"Then why did you..."

"No reason. Do you think that if you hide in this Yaren Village for the rest of your life, all the evil things you have done will be buried underground forever?"

Although Shi Peng's voice was not loud, it was loud enough for everyone present to hear. Anger and sadness intertwined in his eye, making his expression look somewhat hideous.

The boss Duan Hongzhi, who was used to using his power to bully others, was actually frightened into silence.

After a long time, Shi Peng turned his gaze back to Lin Lezhi and tried to calm himself down, but a slight tremor could still be heard in his voice.

"Detective Jiang Gui, I just said that you have deduced 80% of it. The remaining one or two are just some past events."

Shi Peng withdrew his gaze and looked towards the place where the boy's body was found in the abandoned house. His expression seemed to be pulled back to the distant past.

"In the early years, the border areas were not so desolate. Although they were not prosperous, they were peaceful and harmonious."

"Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. A war broke out between Northern Qi and Yunqiang. The people living in the border area between the two countries were forced to endure the war, causing them to leave their homes and become displaced. It was there that my eyes were blinded by the flying cloud arrows."

As he spoke, Shi Peng covered his injured eye with his hands. There was an indelible sorrow in his eyes, as if the injured eye was still aching slightly, and his voice was trembling uncontrollably.

"Fortunately, the arrow didn't penetrate deep enough, so I managed to survive. That's when I met Cao An. Although Cao An is a few years younger than me, his knowledge and insights far surpass those of his peers, which often makes me feel inferior."

Thirteen years ago, during the New Year, Emperor Xiao Jingzheng of Northern Qi vowed to flatten the Yunqiang Kingdom to prove the style of Northern Qi.

There was war and chaos at that time, and countless people were displaced. Shi Peng, who was only fourteen years old, lost his home.

The separation from his family and the severe pain in his eyes made the young Shi Peng want to give up his life.

At this moment, Cao An, who was younger than Shi Peng, appeared in Shi Peng's sight.

"Are you okay?" Cao An asked with concern.

The costumes of the Yunqiang Kingdom are very recognizable. The anger and grievance suppressed in his heart made the young Shi Peng lose his mind. He turned over and pressed the thin Cao An under him, punching Cao An again and again. Tears fell from his healthy eye and hit Cao An's face.

Shi Peng let out a vent for his inner distress. His body was shaking restlessly and his fists gradually lost strength, becoming weaker and weaker. Finally, they stopped and fell weakly to his side, choking with sobs.

In fact, Shi Peng knew very well that it was Northern Qi, not Yunqiang Kingdom, that started the war this time.

Shi Peng trembled and cried, "It was you who killed my family. You all should die, all of you should die..."

One of Shi Peng's eyes was blinded by the cloud arrow, and blood dripped from his pupil to his cheek, looking like tears of blood.

Cao An was not angry, but raised his hand to wipe away the tears from Shi Peng's eyes. He also had tears in his eyes, and tears fell from the corners of his eyes. He choked and said, "My family also lost their lives in this war. If you are willing, we can become a family and live together."

"It's useless for anyone to live with you. Everything is useless. Everyone will die."

"Who said it's useless? As long as we work hard, we will definitely survive."

The two of them were not friends, but they were not enemies either. They hid from the war every day and rarely talked to each other. If there was food, they ate together. If there was no food, they starved together. When it was cold, they hugged each other for warmth.

As time passed, the two people survived.

After avoiding the war for several months, the Yunqiang Kingdom was defeated by the Northern Qi and took the initiative to send envoys to seek peace. In addition to supplying a large amount of gold, silver and treasures, it also sent the nine-year-old crown prince Nan Rongyi to the Northern Qi as a hostage. Only then did the war stop.

That year was the seventh year of Chengjing.

They thought they had finally escaped the chaos of war, but the two people walking on the side of the road were kidnapped by bandits lurking in the mountains on the border. They were going to be sold to a wealthy family as slaves.

The ones who caught the two of them and took them back were Liang Gaocheng and Duan Hongzhi, but they were not called these names at that time. Instead, they were Liang Erniu and Duan Xiaogou.

The two of them had no status in the village, but they liked to take out their anger on those weaker than them.

Duan Hongzhi pulled Shi Peng over from a group of children and laughed at him in front of everyone: "Look at your eyes, they are so disgusting. You can't sell them for a good price. You might as well find a place to die."

Vicious words came out of his mouth casually, causing people around him to laugh.

Shi Peng was afraid of being bullied by them, so he could only let them talk. Tears fell uncontrollably from his eyes and hit the ground in big drops.

"Hey, look at you, you started crying after just a few words. You are such a useless thing."

But at this moment, Cao An rushed out, opened Duan Hongzhi's hand, and pulled Shi Peng behind him. The children behind him also quickly pulled Shi Peng behind him. Then Cao An said to Duan Hongzhi, "You are wrong. People in this world are not judged by their appearance."

Cao An's words successfully angered Duan Hongzhi. Duan Hongzhi pulled Cao An by the collar and dragged him off the ground, saying viciously: "Who do you think you are? You lowly thing from Yunqiang country, how dare you talk to me like this again and again!"

Since coming here, Cao An has stood up to speak for everyone more than once. Even if he knows he will be beaten and scolded, he will stand up resolutely.

Cao An was not without fear. His small body was trembling, but he still said with an unyielding look: "I am not a thing. I have a name. My name is Cao An."

Duan Hongzhi spat on Cao An's face, then took out the sword from his waist and said viciously: "How dare you talk to me like that, you lowly thing? You said that appearance is not important, right? Today I will teach you a lesson!"