Chapter 10 Chapter VII

This is what I heard. Imakawa looked up at the sky with an inexplicable sadness and unexplained depression. The sky is covered by the firmament called the sky.After all, the universe is limited, and there must be an end, and it cannot be separated from it.Breaking the shell of self, leaving the family, leaving the society, escaping the country, breaking the rules, no matter what you do, it is the same, and you cannot do without the universe. For some reason, the extremely blue clear sky in winter is not clear at all, but it is extremely harsh, which makes Imagawa feel like this. The old man Jiuyuanji seemed to be suffering and out of breath.Although Fukizu stopped making loud noises, he seemed to be in a meaningless glow.That kind of energy, in this situation, always has a kind of destructiveness.In Imagawa's eyes, even his sharp eyes seemed to shoot himself through, which made people feel uneasy.

A gate appeared at the other end of the equally spaced trees. It was pitch black, and it was Minghui Temple. "It's there." "Ah, tossing me to death. This is a doctor who doesn't know how to keep in good health. He doesn't exercise enough." "That's because you are an old man. Here, Big Bone, let's go, you take the lead." "At least tell me to stay in the ancient nunnery. It's always embarrassing to hear the nickname when I was a child." "Understood. Well, let's go, Big Bone Broth! There is a police officer in front of that strange door! Use your devilish face to scare them away!"

Recklessly.He clearly said he would think of a way, but Fukizu probably didn't plan to do anything at all.If they have already come to this kind of place, but are driven back, regardless of Imagawa, the old man of Kuonji may not be able to survive halfway. As soon as the gate was approached, officers came running, as expected. "Hey! Except for related people, no entry is allowed." "Uh, well, how should I put it..." "Hi, thank you! I'm Detective Reijiro Fukizu. Here, let's go!" "what?" A police officer turned his head in surprise when he saw Fu Mujin.Seeing the officer's reaction, the other police officers tilted their heads in the same way.

"What's wrong?" "Hey, he's from the 'Golden Skull Incident'..." "Wow ha ha ha, you were the police driver who drove to the church to pick me up at that time! You are really useless to stand guard in such a cold place, you have to learn from me. Next time you meet that one less Gentle police department, I will say something nice for you. Tell me your name later!" "Yes! I am from Ishii Police Department..." "That's it!" Fu Mujin said loudly, and after passing through the gate, he said: "This is my friend!"

The police officer didn't seem to hear. Imakawa followed behind in cold sweat. The old man of Jiuyuan Temple complacently encouraged the police officers: "Do a good job!" I don't know if this was a mistake or was expected.Speaking of it, the police department that knows who it is just by saying that it is a muscle police department is too pitiful.If everything is like this, the future is really bleak.But Fu Mujin also used this method to break through difficulties during the war and made countless achievements.Imagawa complained in his heart several times, hoping that he would also think about the subordinates who followed behind.

There was no one in the temple.As if walking in his own backyard, Fu Mujin passed through the third gate without hesitation, and stopped there. "Hey, Big Bone Broth, where does the monastery begin?" It's really hard to see.The landscape in front of me looks like a mountain, and it also looks like the area of ​​a temple.However, it is also not clear that the temple that Zai Mujin refers to is a building, or whether it has entered the scope of the temple. "This is inside the temple." Imagawa replied.It should be right. At least here - it is within the enchantment of Minghui Temple.

Fu Mujin let out a disinterested "Oh". "Why, you've already come in. What about the monk? Where is he?" "have no idea……" Are you still in the meditation hall?In terms of time, it should be the time to perform tasks.But Imagawa doesn't know what happened after leaving yesterday, so he can't make a judgment.If you wander around casually, you may be kicked out when you meet the criminal police.No, it wouldn't be any different even if you met a monk.Either way, the foreign body should be ruled out. "What's the matter!" A sharp voice sounded like a whip.

It's so hard to die, it turned out to be - kindness. The beautiful monk in black stood majestically with his arms crossed. "At present, except for those who are related to this temple, entry should be prohibited. What can you do? Mr. Imagawa, shouldn't your affairs in this temple be settled? Why are you visiting again?" "This……" Imakawa couldn't understand the monk Cixing, he was of a completely different race from himself.Not content, but appearance.Imagawa felt that Cixing was not the same kind of creature as himself.He felt that the part that made him suffer, but Cixing didn't have it at all.For a creature like Cixing, the human body may not have any extra parts at all.But Imagawa seems to be living in a lot of extra clothes.

"It's for a search." "Searching is the work of the police, not the domain of antique dealers. Please go back." "But……" Imagawa first took a sneak peek at the old man Kuonji.Speaking of which, Imagawa is only responsible for leading the way, and it makes no sense to bear the brunt of this situation.However, the old man Kuonji seemed to be thinking about what to say, so Imagawa continued to look at Fukizu. ——Is this person the same as that person? Facing the direction of Cixing, Fu Mujin stood like a vajra warrior.The glass bead-like eyes reflected the surrounding snow scene, shining a gray light, just like a fake.

"This guy... who is it?" Fu Mujin tightened his thick eyebrows and lips, stared at Cixing and said.Then he suddenly half-closed his eyes, becoming more and more like a dummy.Imagawa had no choice but to answer: "This is the supervisor and Master Tian Cixing." Cixing didn't change the posture of crossing his hands at all, approached as if gliding, and stopped in front of Fu Mujin. "Who are you?" "I'm a detective." "Detective?" Cixing narrowed his slender eyes.Fu Mujin stared at Cixing, and took a step closer.The tall Fu Mujin stared directly at Cixing as if looking in.Ci Xing, who was slender and small, raised his slender eyebrows and stared back as if looking up.Fu Mujin said: "How did you survive?" "What?" "I'm asking, how did you survive all this time?" "What do you mean?" "That's what it means." "Practice Buddhism." Sheng .

"Hmph, is that so?" Fukizu relaxed as if he suddenly lost interest, and turned his eyes away.Cixing also seemed to have undone the curse, and moved his gaze to the side. Imagawa felt as if he saw something that he shouldn't see, so he turned his eyes away. Ah Ling stood in front of her line of sight. this is…… The Ichimatsu doll was still staring at them with a pair of dark pupils like a dark bottomless cave. A horrific chill passed through. Cixing found Ah Ling. Fu Mujin also noticed it, and looked at Ah Ling. In an instant, the three puppets froze together with the stage equipment. It's like the three are restraining each other. Ah Ling said, "What are you doing here?" "Why... you... who are you?" Fu Mujin said intermittently. "Go back." Ah Ling said. However, it was Cixing who shouted immediately. "Come on! Come on!" Rather than screaming, it was actually closer to screaming. Several monks rushed out from the corridor like tigers and came through the third gate.Then almost at the same time, the police officers rushed out from Zhike Liao. "What are your orders?" "Call Renxiu here! Immediately!" The monks turned sharply and passed the police officer to leave.The police officers could not grasp the situation, they just watched from a distance.It seems that the police officers have not been coordinated, is the chain of command still chaotic?Compared with the astute movements of the monks, the officers looked disorganized. "What's wrong? Huh? Isn't this a detective?" It's Sugawara. "It's strange, where did you come in from? What are the patrolling people doing? You can't be careless at all. Huh? Ah, it turned out to be Mr. Wada..." Sugawara pushed aside the gathered police officers, came to the two of them, and then looked at them from head to toe as if looking at something strange. "Oh, it's really a big deal." The reaction was leisurely, but Imagawa could understand his mood. For Sugawara, Fukizu and Cixing are basically laughing at each other. Ah Ling... Ah Ling was gone. "Hey, detective, I don't know where you got in, but it's not okay. If you make trouble like this, it's hindering the search." "It's this person who made the trouble, not me. If you think I'm lying, Mr. Shimantogawa and Dagutang have seen it nearby, so you can ask them." "Huh? Li-lian are you here too? What a mess. But this is not a game. Hey, tie up." "What?" "Have you got ropes? Tie them up. That's obstructing the execution of duties." Terrible. The police officer came running. At this point the monks returned. The movements of the police officers stopped instantly. The monks brought in a dirty man they had never met. A bald head and ragged clothes.Rather than wearing it, it is simply wrapped around the body.The body and face couldn't tell whether it was sun-dried or soiled. They were extremely dark, and the edges of the clothes were also unclear. It looked like tattered clothes had grown hands and feet. "Ragged" was dragged in front of Cixing and knelt down on the snow. Cixing's posture remained the same, but became more rigid, and he yelled: "Renxiu!" This group of rags seems to be the rumored old man Renxiu - Ah Ling's guardian. Imagawa felt a huge gap between Cixing's attitude of rudely calling the elders directly, and the elders with a huge age difference, and his attitude of strictly abiding by the precepts before, and fell into extreme confusion.But when someone in front of them is excited, most people will be affected by that excitement, and their heartbeat will speed up, maybe Imagawa is just like that. Cixing looked down at Renxiu, and said sternly, "Didn't I tell you so sternly not to let that girl enter the temple? How dare you disobey my order! You bastard!" Kindness is closer to cursing than to scolding. The corners of his excited eyes were slightly stained with a blush. Sugawara and the officers also seemed completely unable to comprehend what was happening.The police officer who came to Imagawa held the rope in his hand—no, he was about to put on the rope, but he was distracted by what happened on the other side and stopped. Renxiu kept apologizing. "Master Monk, I'm really sorry. Ah Ling is like that, a young child who doesn't know what to do. Please, please raise your hand and forgive the little one." Instead of kneeling, he curled up on the ground, like a rag spread out on the ground. "Whispering! I don't want to hear your excuses! How many times have I told you not to disturb the order in the temple..." Cixing winked, and the monk at the side immediately issued a warning. Cixing waved a warning. "You still don't understand!" Renxiu was hit hard on the left shoulder and fell to the right. Cixing mercilessly raises the alarm again. The old man Jiuyuansi pushed away the police officer and ran towards Renxiu. "Uh, hello! Master Cixing! What are you doing to the elderly? Is this what monks do?" "Get out of the way, this has nothing to do with you!" "I can't sit idly by! I'm a doctor. Hey, police officer! There are ropes to tie up us kind people, so we should tie up this barbaric monk first, right? This is an act of violence!" The old man Jiuyuansi blocked the old man Renxiu and glared at the police officer. "Step aside!" Cixing once again raised the alarm.Imagawa strongly wanted to step forward to stop it, but to be honest, he was intimidated. He remembered what happened yesterday afternoon, Cixing was beaten yesterday.The Zen master said that it was not a violent punishment, and Imagawa accepted it.But the kindness now is obviously different from that of Zhetong yesterday. There is a kind of sadistic viciousness in his vision.However…… "Hey, Mr. Wada..." Sugawara took a step forward, "Isn't this a monk? You monks are free to fight each other, but this is not allowed. If you hit this doctor, you have committed a crime of injury. We But policeman, don’t think that no matter what the occasion, your fallacy will work.” Ci Xing looked at the burly detective with a look of contempt—what looked like contempt. "Exercising the power of the police to legally restrain ordinary people, is there any difference between the behavior of poor monks? Indeed, even if these people are restrained or imprisoned, they will not complain. But that is also because of the existence of the law of obstructing public affairs." Right? Just as these people have a tacit agreement to follow the law, there are also unwritten laws here. If this Renxiu asked the police for help, asked for protection, and even said that he would sue the poor monk, then the poor monk would obey him honestly, but ...Well, now he is like this, he is willing to be beaten. Although this person is not a monk in this temple, he lives with monks in the temple. Freedom is different from being beaten by the police and inflicting physical pain. Although the form is different, it is still the same behavior. We have changed our behavior and fully assisted the police in their search activities, so please don’t interfere with the temple’s affairs.” Sugawara was tongue-tied—he really half-opened his mouth, stroking the back of his ear.Renxiu looked up at Sugawara, and said in a hoarse voice: "Please, please don't stop it. The little one has done evil deeds that deserve to be beaten, and it doesn't matter if you get beaten. Please hit the young one, the young one wants to be beaten." Renxiu gently pushed away the old man of Jiuyuan Temple, and apologized to all the people present.Jiuyuanji frowned, his forehead was almost wrinkled and said: "You are groveling!" Cixing showed a disdainful expression as if staring at filth, and insulted Renxiu wordlessly.Then he stared at Sugawara and said, "Speaking of which, Master Boxing will become like that, all because of this Renxiu... No, it's that girl. That's enough, Renxiu, step back. Get out!" Renxiu lowered his head as if he was about to make a hole in the snow, then stood up slowly, without shaking off the snowflakes attached to his body, and left listlessly.Imagawa looked at his back, and felt a sense of emptiness that couldn't be dispelled. "Mr. Wada, do you mean the girl named A Ling by the girl you mentioned? Can you tell us what happened? The Yamashita Police Department has been paying attention to that monk since the morning, and I don't know how many It's been a while, is Ah Ling related to this matter?" Sugawara's dissatisfied statement was immediately dismissed. "Master Boxing has nothing to do with this incident, so there is no need to explain." "It's not unrelated, is it? In fact, the cell was opened last night. Even if he couldn't get out by himself, someone was trying to release that man named Kanno..." "Kano?" The old man Jiuyuan Temple made a sound and stood up, his clothes were wet.Sugawara glanced at him, and then said: "Well, no one can deny that Kanno Hiroyuki may have committed murder. Mr. Wada, you are the same, so why Kanno..." "Sugano... Hiroyuki? Hey, isn't the name Hiroshi who writes a doctor and Walking Xingxing? How about it, Sugawara? Hello!" The old man Kuonji completely interrupted Sugawara's words now. Sugawara responded helplessly to the doctor's question: "What did you say? Is it your name? It seems to be it. Remember it was written like that, Mr. Wada?" Cixing nodded, and looked at the old doctor with puzzled eyes. "Then...Master Cixing, that man named Hiroyuki Kanno, he must be an old man who is nearly seventy years old, right?" The old man of Jiuyuan Temple opened his eyes.Sugawara asked: "Why, are you Mr. Kuonji? Mr. Kuonji, do you know that monk?" "No, I just know someone with the same name and surname. Hey, how is it? Is it an old man? Or a young man? Tell me, Master Cixing!" This unexpected situation made Ci Xing pale, with a pair of slender eyebrows furrowed deeply.Sugawara replied instead of him: "Yes, it's an old man, a very old man, an old man like a dead leaf. Because he can only talk nonsense, and he doesn't know his real age, so what's the matter?" "Kano...it's Kanno...Fukizu!" The already red face of the old man Kuonji turned even more purple, and his eyes turned to Hashikizu.Imagawa looked at the detective imitating his movements like a mechanical puppet or a penguin. The detective shook his head. no, he... Still following Ah Ling's whereabouts. Yokokizu didn't seem to hear anything. Because the detective was in a trance, the old man Jiuyuanji seemed to give up on him, and turned back to Sugawara: "This... really... Hey, since when did that Kanno come here and come to this temple?" "Master Boxing came to the mountain in the 16th year of the Showa era." Cixing replied. "Sixteen years... Hey, Mr. Criminal Police, is your name Sugawara? Let me meet that person." "Even if you say that, it's really..." "Is this the time to hesitate? 90% of the time I know that old man, Kanno Hiroyuki. I know him very well." "You know him? Really?" "You'll know if it's true or not. After all, Kanno is in this kind of place... Where is he? Where are others?" Before the old man of Jiuyuan Temple asked the destination, he had already started walking.He strode between the officers, turned around and shouted, "Come on!" Imagawa felt that his eyes were full of courage. For some reason, Cixing was quite frightened.Sugawara chased after him, followed by the police officers.The police officer next to Imagawa also followed up with a rope in his hand in order not to fall behind.After Cixing confirmed the situation, he took a final look at Fu Mujin, and suddenly disappeared among the three doors.The monks immediately followed suit. Imagawa, who was left behind, walked up to Fukizu who was still stuck in place, confused and didn't know how to make a sound, and finally only said: "Uh..." The thinly pigmented skin of the detective who looked like a Western doll became even paler. He stared into the distance and said, "Is there such a thing..." Imagawa dragged Fukizu to catch up with the old man Kuonji and the police officers. It was located in the room where Imagawa and others were imprisoned yesterday - the building next to the meditation hall.It's a weird situation.There was a snowdrift like a trench in front of the hillside, and a dark cave opened in the ditch of the trench.Due to the uplift of the snowdrifts, the cave would not be noticed by those who did not know it.It also feels a lot like a dugout.There are iron railings embedded in the cave that can only be barely entered by bending down. The door of the iron railing is open, and the police officer and old man Kuonji stand in front of the door.Imagawa pulled Fukizu's sleeve down into the ditch, and followed closely beside him.He felt that it was better for the two not to separate. Sugawara stooped and walked out from the iron railing. "Oh, I've had enough of this kind of work. Here, you can go in. Hey, do you want to go in too? No matter what." No one said they wanted to go in at all, but after being told like this, it would be impossible not to go in. Inside was a pitch-black darkness. "There are steps below, be careful." Sugawara followed from behind, of course. Although the population is small, the ceiling is high, and the tunnels gradually descend.Perhaps because of the space in the cellar, it wasn't very cold inside.A strange smell faintly passed through the nasal cavity. Imakawa put his hand behind the old man of Kuonji who was walking forward, and temporarily closed his eyes just like that.In fact, it doesn't make much difference with your eyes open.As soon as he closed his eyes, he noticed that his nerves were a little hyperactive.When I slowly opened my eyes, the excitement calmed down a little, and my eyes got used to the darkness, and the scenery inside appeared vaguely. From the looks of it, it didn't look like it was completely dark inside. And this place is more like a cave than a tunnel.The space inside is unexpectedly large. The walls and ceiling are uneven rock walls, but the ground is smooth, with an area of ​​about ten tatami mats.There are several holes in the wall, and objects that look like stone statues are placed in them, but in the darkness, it is impossible to confirm whether they are stone statues, or whether they are processed from natural caves, or excavated like a coal mine. from. There was a huge cave in the front, and there was another room from which the light of the fire came. "Go in there." Sugawara said briefly, reverberating. There was the faint sound of dripping water. The other room—is the prison threshold. About the same size. However, the same iron railing as at the entrance cut off the entire room in about half. In front of the iron railing, two men were sitting on a box-like object, both of them holding something like a lantern in their hands.One of them turned his head with a lantern near his face, and it was Yamashita. There is a tatami mat on the threshold of the prison. Something is sitting on it. Across the sill—in the cell—the fire was lit by a single candle hung on the wall by a metal hook. There was a faint layer of smoke lingering inside. I can't see clearly. "It's interesting." Fu Mujin said in a low voice, but it was still very loud. Yamashita heard it sensitively, and said in a nearly silent voice: "Hey! Detective and detective, too? The voice will become very loud, so don't speak loudly. My head hurts. Here, come quickly and identify." The old man Kuonji approached the prison threshold as if being pushed forward by Sugawara, and Imagawa followed him obliquely to the right, standing shoulder to shoulder with Yamashita. "Wahhahahahahaha!" Fu Mujin let out a very high-pitched and strange laugh. Imakawa was so frightened that his waist almost went limp, and the reverberation echoed like a low roar. Not sure if he thought it was funny, Fukizu smiled "hehehe". "Hey, it's so noisy! Are you a three-year-old kid? Hey, Sugawara, who told you to put this thing in!" "Unconsciously. Here, Mr. Kuonji." It was dark, and the expression of the old man Jiuyuan Temple could not be seen.But it was impossible for Imagawa to understand the mood of this old and free-spirited bald old man.He only knew that the old man Jiuyuan Temple was not a bad person, and he would act together, almost out of habit.Because I'm used to it, I feel at ease. The old man Kuonji took out his glasses from his inner pocket and put them on, as if he was staring closely.But in this case, glasses are useless. "you……" Nothing in it moved. "Are you Kanno?" Still not moving. The old doctor turned to Yamashita and said, "Hey! Why is he confined in such a place? Is he a criminal? This, this kind of treatment is too much..." "Please, please don't talk too loudly. This is not closed by the police. It has been like this since the beginning. You blame the wrong person." "Why is it like this from the beginning? Shouldn't he be released immediately? You can't lock people up in this kind of place. This kind of treatment is inhumane and it's a human rights issue. Why do the police turn a blind eye to this situation?" "So, Sugawara, you should explain it in advance. Hey, this place is too narrow. You go out. Mr. Kuonji, this man escaped from here yesterday and made a big fuss. After a fight, the monk and the police officer A total of three people were injured." Instructed by Yamashita, the criminal police who had been sitting stood up and dodged to the entrance. "Making a fuss? What and what?" "That's why he is very vicious. You can say that he has a hideous face. It seems that he has a mental problem. No, wait a minute. You don't have to say it, I know it. I know you want to say that he should be protected. Let him receive medical treatment is the first priority. But for the time being, we can only lock him here. Tomorrow we will find professionals to take him away. By the way, what do you think? Although this man can talk, as for what to say... ..." "It's too dark to see. Can't you take it outside?" "He'll be good if he stays here. He should be quite old, but if he takes a step outside, he's like a mad dog..." "Don't the people in the monastery have any clues? Just now monk Cixing said that he came to the mountain in the 16th year of Showa..." "Yeah. It seems that he appeared suddenly, and then he shaved his head and became a monk here. No one knows his previous occupation and experience... Hey, why should I explain these things to you ordinary people? It is you who should cooperate with the search Bar?" "I know. But even if I want to cooperate, it's too dark to see anything." "Mr. Bear..." "what……?" Fukizu spoke up.Although the name was still completely wrong, Imagawa felt that his voice was serious. "I remembered a very disgusting thing. It's very dark in here, so the disgusting things can be seen very clearly. That..." "Fukizu, what did you see?" "It's just a disgusting thing..." A flash of light flashed across, and a big, scruffy man with stripes emerged from the distorted circle. ——Dari Tathagata Imagawa didn't understand what happened, and he didn't know why he thought so. If you ask why, because it happened in an instant without even confirming the time, the distorted circle quickly moved along with the stripes that were a beat slower, and turned into a strange painting. That's not painting.The stripes are the shadow of the iron railings, and the different paintings are the same male figures. In other words, the distorted circle is given a realistic scene of color and shape by the light emitted from Fukizu’s hand—the light of the flashlight. "Ha, let's take a good look at it like this." The man looks up. "Sugan, Kanno, you are Kanno!" The old man Jiuyuanji threw himself on the iron railing. The face that emerged was not a human face. In the gap between the striped shadows of the iron railings and the round shadows of the old doctor, the alien face opened its eyes wide.Thin face, fluffy white hair.Whether it is the mouth or the chin, it is covered with beard.On the earth-colored skin that has lost its elasticity, wrinkles are like tiny cracks all over it. However, the reason why the man's image is far from human is not the alienation effect caused by the aggregation of each twisted part. It was the eyes, and his eyes were dead.Even though they were exposed to direct light, those eyes were cloudy.The irises are flaccid, and the slightly open pupils absorb all the light. Eyes like dead fish... Old man Jiuyuanji pressed his face against the iron railing. "Hey, it's me, don't you recognize me? I'm Kuonji, Kyuenji's close relative, the director of Kuonji Hospital in Zoshigaya. Hey, Kanno, you can't forget me!" Kanno looked demented, with those fish eyes open. The old man of Jiuyuan Temple shook the iron railing, making the sound of rusty metal creaking and rolling. "It's me! Hey, remember! Damn..." The old doctor snatched the lantern from Yamashita and illuminated his face from below. "Don't you remember my wrinkled neck?" Kanno opened his mouth.That's not so much the opening by force of will, it's more like muscle relaxation that makes the jaw slip. "Ah ah ah ah ah……" An extremely annoying sound. "Dean...Mr. Dean..." "Oh! Talked. After confirming, this guy is someone you know. Okay, let's go, I have something to say outside." Yamashita stood up, as if he had had enough of the cave.But the old man Jiuyuanji refused to leave the prison. "Hey, let's go! Hello!" "Kano, you, you..." "Okay, Mr. Kuonji, this person can't speak normally, let's go." "No, no! I have something to say to this man! I, I, I have something to say!" Due to being too excited, the old man's pronunciation became unclear.The bald head floating in the restless light, the blood vessels on the temples are dilated.The old doctor looked like he was about to explode at any moment. "Hey, Mr. Kuonji! Hey, Sugawara, help me!" The detectives grabbed the old man Jiuyuanji's shoulders, trying to pull him away from the iron railing. At that moment, the black shadow suddenly shook faintly.Imagawa felt as if the darkness was stretching, but that was because the light source was far away.That is, Fukizu who was holding the flashlight moved for some reason, maybe he was tired. After it got dark, Kanno was silent again, and the old man of Kuonji had nothing to do and left the prison. Fu Mujin made a strange sound far from ordinary people at the entrance.The moment he heard the voice, Imagawa felt a strong urge to rush outside immediately.So he headed in the direction of the sound. The old man from Jiuyuan Temple was moved to Zhike Liao.Imagawa accompanied Fukizu, following behind like a piece of goldfish droppings.Because he couldn't think of any other appropriate action, he couldn't do anything about it. Yamashita sat down where Cixing sat when Imakawa first visited this zhikeliao, and invited Imagawa and others to sit on the cushions, with an attitude as if he was at home. Yamashita settled down and immediately asked, "What did that Kanno do before?" "He is a doctor like me. He was a classmate who took care of my senior when I went to study in Germany. Before the war, he worked as a pediatrician in my hospital. In the spring of Showa 16, he disappeared." Sugawara murmured: "I heard that he has been here for sixteen years. If Wada's words are to be believed, the time is very consistent." "Yeah. I always thought he was wandering around, or he was hiding somewhere, or he was dead, but I didn't expect that he would become a monk and be locked up in the mountains. Alas, to me, he is an existence that is invisible to me. " Yamashita listened to his words, looked at the stains on the ceiling for a while, and then said with determination: "Mr. Kuonji. To be honest, I feel a little regretful now, regretting not arresting all of you in Xianshilou in the first place. Get up. If you do that, maybe you can avoid the current situation. Because even if it is nonsense or dictatorship, at least it does not deviate too far from the correct approach. Even if it is not true, the conspiracy of all the guests is valid.” "what do you mean?" Yamashita smoothed his drooping bangs and said, "Listen well, the search meeting decided to downgrade you from suspects to witnesses only for the reason that travelers have no motive to kill. But three years have passed since then. My God—it’s only been three days, what happened during this period? The woman named Iiwa is actually a related person, and Imagawa there was a related person from the beginning, and the other interviewers have also been related to the person here several months ago. People are connected, and now even you are a related person. It doesn't matter... Hey, what are you doing?" But—the unrelated Fu Mujin stood up, stretched his body and looked at the carved lintel. "Sit down! I'm really arresting you! ... In short, the only thing that has nothing to do now is this stupid detective. Is this a coincidence? I can't think of it that way, there is no such a coincidence." "Police Bubu, you're absolutely right. It's not accidental, it's inevitable. Let things take their course, it's like this. People with connections - even if only a little bit - gather for some reason Actions together lead to incidents, so it would be unnatural if there were completely unrelated people mixed in." "What is that? Isn't it just a coincidence that there are monks in this monastery who you knew before?" "Well, it's not a coincidence..." The old man of Jiuyuan Temple shifted his center of gravity from the right to the left, and corrected his posture, "I used to go to that Xianshilou every year in the early Showa period until the outbreak of the Great East Asian War. The inn that I have frequented since my first generation. Kanno became a full-time doctor around Showa 7, so... yes, I have taken Kanno there several times." "Go to Xianshilou? Take that man?" "yes." The old man blinked his small eyes, showing an extremely gentle expression for some reason. "At that time, the scale of the hospital expanded. Except for the fact that the little girl was weak and sick, Si, I was considered happy. But after careful investigation, since then, my life has shown signs of collapse, but at that time I had no symptoms at all. Noticed. I forgot which year it was, I once ran into a group of noble monks in Xianshilou..." Imagawa has heard of this too. "At that time, when Kanno saw the monk, he didn't know where he felt, and he said to me: 'We cut and suture the sick, soak them in medicine, and keep them alive. Even so, as long as they die, this is the end. So far, nothing can be done for them. Because there is another patient, there is no way, but I always have doubts about it. Doctors can only take care of the living, so the patient should be alive no matter what, But is this really good? Is this the only way to heal others?’—— Kanno once said that, I remember it clearly.” The old man Kuonji closed his eyes, and turned his face away as if thinking about it. "At that time, how did I answer him?" "Mr. Kuonji, Mr. Kuonji..." Yamashita called out inexplicably. "Even so, the doctor's job is to keep the client alive as long as possible, isn't it? If you die, you'll lose everything. Your loved ones will be sad, and the hospital won't make any money. What is that guy talking about? There are no benefits. If there is such a doctor, the clients will be snatched away by other hospitals." "Not a guest, but a patient." "Patients are customers, right?" Yamashita's reaction made the old doctor sigh deeply. "Maybe you don't understand." "I understand. The job of a criminal policeman is to catch bad guys, the job of a doctor is to cure diseases, and the job of a monk is to solve problems. If you have doubts about your job, you can't do it." "Maybe so. It's just that his words left a deep impression on my heart." "and then?" "A few years later, Kanno disappeared." "Look, can't you go on?" "You don't need to be so smug, I thought so too. In fact, I don't know why Kanno is hiding, I don't understand at all. As for now, I understand why a little bit. But this is just a guess. Maybe he is Hiding for a completely different reason, like a debt or something I can't possibly know about. Or maybe it's just a whim, and there's no big reason at all. But if that guy is here..." Old man Kuonji closed his eyes sunken in the flesh. "It means that Kanno remembers what he said at the time, maybe because of this, he came to this mountain..." "Didn't you look for him?" Sugawara asked. "Is that... Pediatrics? He has abandoned his post. You must be very troubled, right? Haven't you thought about looking for Kanno?" “我当然很困扰，结果小儿科也关起来了。” “关起来了？” “我撤掉了小儿科。本来我的医院里，小儿科的评价……不，菅野的评价就非常糟糕。就这个意义来说，就像山下你说的，患者敬而远之，再加上时局险恶……” “评价很糟？这么说来，恕我失礼，你的医院风评似乎很不好呢。” “哦，你调查过了？不过那个时候，医院本身的风评并不差，糟糕的是菅野个人的评价。” “是他医术差劲吗？” “一般的医生是没有医术高下之分的。治疗所需要的，是丰富的知识与正确的判断力，其他就是品德了。需要高度专门技术的，只有一小部分的人。” "Is that so?" “是啊。大部分的庸医不是没有知识，就是判断错误，再不然就是没有品德。” “那菅野缺少的是什么？”山下问。 “品德。不，他这个人也不坏，只是……该说是癖好有问题吗？” “癖好？” “所以说……这么说来，你确认过我的身份了吗？不是叫你去问东京的警察吗？” "what?" 山下看菅原，菅原不悦地回答：“报告还没有送到，前天才照会的。或许今天左右，报告书就会送到仙石楼的益田老弟那里了。” “对啊，才三天而已，还没收到。” 山下强自辩解。久远寺老人看到他那个样子，微微突出下唇，不服且自嘲地说道：“你们或许不晓得，但我对自己的事清楚得很。就像你们知道的，我就是去年夏天引发轩然大波的医院院长。许多人陷入不幸，也死了好几个人，还有人受伤，最后只留下我一个人。所以东京警视厅和检察厅里，有一大堆关于我的情报。我不知道那是调查记录还是口供笔录，不过同样的事，我巨细靡遗地说了不下三十次，文件应该多到抬不动了才是。” “这……前阵子也听说了。” “所以，报告书里应该也有提到菅野。你们自己去读吧，我不想说。” “那个人是那起事件的关系人吗？” “算关系人吗……？唔，没有直接关系。因为事情是发生在他失踪的时候，是他埋下了事件的种子……不，他也算是关系人吧。” “他是凶手吗？” “凶手是我。” "what?" “意思是，我等于就是凶手。凶手什么的，那起事件里根本没有什么凶手。” “没有凶手？你涉人的是'杂司谷婴儿连续诱拐杀人事件'吧？凶手没有被逮捕吗？” 菅原答道：“在我的记忆里，凶手没有被逮捕。而且关于婴儿诱拐杀人，事件本身似乎甚至没有被报道出来。被报道的好像是意外还是自杀，我不清楚。喏，辖区的次田就记得三流杂志写些卑俗的中伤报道大加炒作，闹得人尽皆知。所以，可能还没有解决。” ——你没听说过我吗？ 今川想起久远寺老人在初次见面时曾经这么问。如果曾经经历过这样的事，也会忍不住想问吧，今川现在才想起。山下问道：“没有解决吗？” “已经解决了。对吧，復木津？” 久远寺老人征求侦探的同意。今川虽然不知道来龙去脉，但久远寺老人会如此信赖復木津这人，似乎也是因为当时之事。 然而受到信赖的侦探似乎处在就快打瞌睡的状态，不仅是半眯眼，根本只剩下三白眼地说：“没有我出马还解决不了的事件。” “胡说八道，没有凶手哪叫做解决？”山下不服气地说。 “那是……哎，等报告到了你们就知道了，警察不会对自己人扯谎吧。” “唔，就算东京和神奈川再怎么交恶，同样都是警察，送来的不可能会是作假的报告书……唔，这事就先算了。可是啊，做医生的有可能会跑去当什么和尚吗？菅原？” “这个嘛，有可能吧。老是把人体切切割割的，也会感到空虚吧。像我复员之后，也曾经想要剃发出家呢。” “你这个人很不科学，我可以了解那种心情。但那是小儿科啊，怎么说呢……久远寺先生，你能够了解菅野的心情吗？他放弃了科学，投入了宗教，对吧？” “没有哪个蠢蛋会放弃科学的。要是有的话，一开始根本就没有科学精神可言，信仰不可能拿来取代科学思考。菅野不是厌倦了当医生，而且是厌倦了胜任不了医生的自己。别把这给搞混了，刑警。”久远寺老人飘飘然地激昂道。 山下也不反驳，有些丧气：“可能吧，我已经听够这种话了，和尚的歪理都快把我搞得消化不良了。对了，久远寺先生，你是做哪一科的？” “我到去年为止，一直都是妇产科医生，不过本来是外科。” “这样啊，那菅野的症状你也诊断不出来吧。” 久远寺老人突出下唇，把身子往后挺：“他是什么样的症状？你们说他变得凶暴，非常严重吗？” “昨天大闹了一场，反抗得比走投无路的强盗更凶狠。刚才我也说过了，他待在那座漆黑的洞穴里头似乎就很安静，可是只要走到外面一步，就完全无法应付了。这样是生病吗？一开始我也觉得那种待遇太不人道，但是他那个样子，和尚们也不知该如何处置吧。昨天实在恐怖极了。对吧，菅原？” “太恐怖了，不，真的很恐怖。对了，那个人到底几岁了？” “他比我年长七八岁。今年应该七十左右吧。” 这样说的话——今川想起多余的事来——久远寺老人才六十二三岁而已。他看起来比实际年龄苍老多了。今川原本还估计他应该已经七十岁了。 菅原发出惊讶的声音：“什么！七十吗？那种年纪，手臂又像枯枝一样，哪来的那种蛮力？有个警官还被打成了脑震荡呢。” “那种症状是从什么时候开始的？” 山下回答了这个问题：“好像因某事造成了发病的契机，听说从那之后就一直这样。至于是什么事，目前还没有半个和尚愿意吐实，现在也还在侦讯这方面的事。他们嘴巴牢靠得很，坚称跟这次的事件无关。” “应该是没关系吧？他都被关起来了。” “可是昨天他擅自跑出来，大闹了一场呢，不能保证之前也没有出来过。说起来，和尚对警察隐瞒事情的态度太可疑了。他们隐匿了菅野这个人的存在，教人不起疑心反倒奇怪吧？” “因为没关系所以才没说吧，或许他们觉得这是寺院之耻。这当然不是什么值得称赞的行为，也教人提不起劲说吧。” “你说这什么话啊？在警察面前，不做任何虚伪的证词，才是善良国民的常识。” “你胡说八道些什么？与犯罪无关的事，一句话都不透露给警察，才是百姓的志气。那你是在……怀疑菅野吗？” “当然怀疑啦，因为那个男的那个……精神异常，所以……” “所以把尸体倒插在厕所里、在暴风雪的夜里爬上屋顶都没什么好奇怪的——你是这个意思吗？把什么事都当成是异常者干的当然既省事又方便，但这不会太单纯了吗？这可不是那么简单的事哪。” “不，事情应该很简单。犯罪这种东西本来就是很单纯的，只是很难找出头绪罢了。这就像九连环一样，只要抓到窍门就简单了，我认为菅野就是这个关键。” “哦？的确，我过去涉人的事件也很单纯哪。我想听听你这么说的理由。” “这座寺院的和尚太过冷静了，因为他们有菅野这个秘密武器。就算找到了指纹等决定性的证据，如果菅野是凶手，其他的和尚就可以置身事外。昨天夜里那个叫桑田的和尚吓得逃跑，但我觉得他的嫌疑也很重。感觉他像是知道会发生骚动，所以逃跑了……” really.昨晚下山途中，桑田常信非常害怕。但论害怕的话，看在今川眼里，那个小个子的小说家看起来更要害怕得多。 “而且那个菅野越狱大闹的时候，和尚们慌乱得不成样子。因为那完全事出突然，安全装置松脱了，所以他们才会惊慌失措。之后，和尚们变得比之前更加沉默了。” “警部补先生，你这番话真是让人搞不懂是有道理还是没道理哪。如果菅野是凶手，就算他从牢里跑出来，和尚们也用不着慌乱或动摇啊。根本不必隐瞒他的存在吧？反倒是把他当成代罪羔羊送出去，才能够保证其他和尚的安全啊。” “这……所以菅野是听从某人的命令行动的。” “要遥控疯狂的人是很困难的。” “或许是佯狂。” “佯狂？” “假装疯癫是吧？”復木津突然大叫，“哈哈哈哈，这点事我也知道。可是那个人是真的哟，社长。” “你怎么会知道！” “当然知道啊，你是睁眼瞎吗？” “你、你太失礼了！” “且慢且慢，别这么生气，大人物要稳重点。復木津也是，就不能说得委婉一点吗？可是山下，就像復木津说的，如果菅野是佯狂，为什么要做出那种摆置尸体的怪诞行为？” “如、如果他是佯狂的话，就像这个人说的是装做疯癫的样子，那么一切都是装出来的，那些手脚也是为了让人这么以为的……” “为什么非得让人这么以为不可？” “那当然是因为……” 山下一瞬间闭上了嘴，久远寺老人趁机说：“哪有什么因为不因为的。” “如果菅野真的是精神异常，那可以理解。可如果不是这样，而且尽管不是这样，却要装做这样的话，不就等于是在宣称那些有如异常者行径般的尸体摆置是自己干的吗？如果要伪装成是异常者的所作所为，就必须表现得不像是一个异常者才行吧？如果照这样想，菅野果然是真正的异常者，是他逃狱之后独自犯的案。” “啊……呃……是啊。我明白了，这是其他的和尚为了嫁祸给菅野，而做出异常的摆置……” “那也说不通。” 今川听不下去，开口道：“不管是菅野先生单独犯案说，或是真凶另有其人，想要嫁祸给菅野先生的说法，在这个情况下都说不通。若是那样的话，那么真凶的伪装手法是失败的。” “失败？为什么？” “因为菅野先生的外形不管怎么看都不像个和尚。明治以后，和尚可以蓄发，东京等地也有不少和尚发型和一般人相同，但是那些和尚身上也都穿着袈裟。换句话说，判断一个人是不是和尚的基准是服装，再不然就是发型，如此罢了。” “那又怎么样了？” “饭洼小姐看到的疑似凶嫌的男子是个和尚。” “所以那又怎么……” 山下露出厌倦无比的表情。今川接着说：“在夜晚的暴风雪当中，就算有室内灯，依然非常阴暗，视觉辨识度非常低。然而饭洼小姐却在一瞬间就看出那是个和尚，我认为这是因为那个人穿着像袈裟般的衣物——虽然穿着袈裟应该没办法爬屋顶——但至少不是穿着西服。而且最重要的是，对方是剃发。除此之外别无他想了。若非如此，饭洼小姐是不会认为对方是个和尚的。但是服装姑且不论，菅野先生留着头发，所以爬上屋顶的应该不是菅野先生。而如果这是有人想要栽赃给菅野先生而动的手脚……” “只能说是失败了，原来如此啊。” “所以起码菅野先生不是弃置了稔和尚尸体的凶手。至于其他，我虽然不了解，但我觉得不会只有树上弃尸事件是别人所犯下的罪行，换言之，那并不是依照狂人的理论所做出来的疯狂行为。” “这样吗？不，我觉得这有待商榷，而且饭洼的发言是否值得信赖也很可疑。” 久远寺老人说道：“山下先生，你又不是哲学家，不是事事都加以怀疑就是好的。像那样怀疑所有的证词，会没完没了的。例如说，包括警察在内的我们大家都不认识生前的小坂了稔，连那具尸体是不是真的小坂都不晓得啊。只有这里的和尚们说是而已。如果从这里开始怀疑，或许这座寺院里还隐藏着呈报人数以外的和尚呢。和田慈行搞不好也不叫这个名字，什么都不能相信喽？” “不会有那种事的啦……对吧，菅原？” “对，除了撒谎能够得利的人以外，是不会有人说谎的，久远寺先生。看破对方的谎言，使其自白，就是刑警的工作，所以怀疑是理所当然的。” “可是你们不就轻易相信了那些你们觉得应该不是谎言的部分？或许就是这些部分有利害关系啊。总之，那位小姐非常害怕。怕成那个样子，是没办法扯谎的，相信她吧。” “那样说的话，桑田常信也很害怕啊。” “哦，今早吵着抓老鼠的时候，我看了一下他的房间，他好像真的很害怕。也相信他吧。” “这哪能当成基准？对吧，菅原？” 菅原稍微晃了晃那张粗犷的脸。 感觉上山下变得极度依赖菅原。 根据今川的记忆，一开始在仙石楼吋，两人应该是针锋相对的。他们到底是以什么样的形式缔结了信赖关系，今川很感兴趣。 久远寺老人问道：“先不管这个，那个让菅野变得疯癫的事情，虽然还不知道详情，不过是什么时候发生的？他是从什么时候变成那样的？” “听说是去年，去年夏天。” “去年夏天啊……”久远寺老人说道，沉默下来。 “听说在那之前，他是个非常循规蹈矩的和尚。因为他还当上了……典座是吗？听说那是个很了不起的职位。他短短三四年就出人头地到那个地位了。” 山下的说明似乎传不进老医师的耳里。 总觉得状况变得有些奇妙。直到刚才为止，还吵着要逮捕还是被逮捕，但是现在这种状况要说是妨碍公务也颇为奇怪。山下可能也这么想，他只叮嘱三人要尽快回去，不要在寺院里乱晃，就打算离开了。 久远寺老人开口道：“山下先生啊。” "What's wrong?" “能不能……给我一点时间和菅野两个人单独谈谈？只要短短三十分钟……不，十五分钟就行了。拜托你。” “可是那家伙不会说话啊，就算说了也听不懂。” “没关系。” “就算你说没关系……你很可疑，那家伙更可疑，我不能允许你们单独会面。” “为什么我很可疑？” “你有可能是共犯，或者是幕后黑手，这有十二分的可能性。” “你竟然想得出这种事！今天可是我第一次来到这座寺院哪，你就不能相信我吗？” “嘴上要怎么说都成。菅野或许就是你送进来的间谍……老鼠也说不定哪。不，这是有可能的事。嗯，原来如此。” 山下似乎想到了什么。 “什么跟什么啊？我何必做这种事？菅野关在连电话跟信件都收不到的寺院土牢里，我要怎么跟他联络？” “只要想就办得到。年轻的云水都会去镇里托钵，进行募款。听说他们会到汤本或元箱根一带。其实那里面还有一只你放进来的老鼠，只要把云水当做传令兵使唤，就能够通讯联络了。从仙石楼的话，外出砍柴的途中一下子就去得了……” 山下“啪”地拍了一下手。 “哦，所以你才要逗留在仙石楼是吧？菅野发疯被关果然是装的，这是为了让人认为他不可能下手。只要关在牢里，就不会有任何人怀疑他了。然而实际上云水却依照你的指示打开门锁让他外出……” 山下可能是因为胡思乱想意外地说出个道理而感到高兴，他人就这么站着，开始演说起来了。久远寺老人目瞪口呆，说不出话来，偷偷瞄了今川一眼，耸了耸肩。 “你是不是对小坂和大西有个人的恩怨？你的杀人计划从战前菅野人山的时候就已经想好了，却因为某些理由而中止……是因为战争吗？八成是战争吧。然后你要菅野杀人……哦，出现在仙石楼的和尚就是你自己吧，你那颗头跟和尚没两样嘛。” “啊，啰嗦啦，我的确是个秃子，却是个爬不上屋顶的老头子啊，我才没那种体力。而且我何必等到这种时候才下手？战后到今年都已经第八年了。” “这我怎么知道。不过你不是说你碰到了别的事件？你说过吧。就是因为那个。” “你不该当警官，应该去当作家的，会写出比关口更有趣的作品哟。唔，听起来似乎是碰巧说得通。不过那我问你，为什么菅野会在昨天大闹？那也是我指示的吗？” “如果说他的大闹，是一种SOS信号怎么样？因为秘密快被揭露，所以大闹，于是你间不容发地赶过来……” “我才不知道他大闹这回事，我根本无从得知啊。而且那样的话，我何必要他用那种陸异的方法杀人？或者是我干吗要那样杀人？” 山下突然沉默了。“就是这个，总是碰到这个瓶颈哪……” 锐气受挫了。 菅原站着说道：“山下兄，关于这位久远寺先生，就等报告书来了再说吧。那时那边的侦讯应该也结束了，鉴识也已经回去了，派个警官监视出口就行了。” “是啊，可是万一他们商量要如何湮灭证据或串供的话……” “没关系的，只要他们跑不掉，做什么都无所谓，反倒有可能露出马脚。就算证据全都烧掉了也没关系，我会逼他们自白的。” “我不管你们要怎么处置，只要你们允许我见菅野，我就在这里等着。我问心无愧。” “是吗？那你就在这里乖乖等着吧。”菅原撇下这句话，和山下一起离开房间。 刑警们出去后，復木津立刻躺倒下来。 “啊，怎么这么麻烦呢？这里是个坏地方。” “怎么啦，復木津？你知道些什么了吗？” “已经知道啦，那个孩子是妖怪，那个和尚空空如也，简直是个人偶。不……那是……哎，算了。” 在復木津看来，阿铃像个妖怪吗？对今川来说，不管是阿铃还是慈行或復木津，看起来都不像是和自己相同的人类，全都是妖怪人偶。这三人当中，毋宁说慈行是他最能够理解的。 “凶手……怎么样呢？” “没有凶手。” “没有凶手？” “对！”復木津说完，翻过身去背对他们。 确实，这番意见似乎比任何人的看法都更切中要点——今川这么认为。 久远寺老人望着復木津的背。即便见识到如此惨不忍睹的侦探行动，老医师似乎依然未对侦探感到失望，他的视线没有失望的感觉。老医师为何会对这名怪人寄予如此深厚的信赖？今川感到难以理解。 那起事件。 是因为那起夏天的事件吗？ “老先生，那起所谓夏天的事件指的是……” 今川头一次想询问这件事。在这之前，今川只对眼前老人的表面有兴趣，对他的内心世界则漠不关心。这不仅是针对老人一个人，今川对几乎所有的事物，一直都是采取如此的态度。今川认为反正内心世界是不可能了解的，所以一直放弃去理解。他并非改变了主张，硬要说的话，或许是与泰全的对话影响了他。 “那是个令人难过的事件吗？”