Chapter 33 Chapter VII

When Qiao Tai and Ma Rong arrived at Lan Dakui's house, Lan Dakui was practicing in the yard. He was shirtless, juggling a solid iron ball the size of a human head.I saw the iron ball rolling back and forth on his body, neck, back and two arms, as if attracted by some kind of force, but did not fall to the ground.Although the north wind was bitter, Lan Dakui's bald head was steaming with heat. Qiao Tai and Ma Rong were amazed and couldn't help applauding.Seeing Qiao Tai and Ma Rong's visit, Lan Dakui put the big iron ball under his arm, cupped his hands and saluted, "You two virtuous brothers, wait a moment while I get dressed."

Ma Rong curiously took the big iron ball from Lan Dakui, only to feel that it was extremely heavy, and just about to turn it, it fell to the ground with a "bang", sunken halfway into the soil. Ma Rong shouted: "My God, it's so heavy! Big brother Lan is so strong. I wonder if big brother can teach younger brother to fiddle with this iron ball." Lan Dakui said with a smile: "The key to this game is to cultivate qi. The way to cultivate qi is to be pure-minded and ascetic. The two virtuous brothers are not mediocre, so I'm afraid I can't play with it."

Ma Rong said: "Brother Lan, don't underestimate us. Although we are big brothers in terms of strength, we can usually study hard and practice hard. How can we not succeed?" Lan Dakui said seriously: "I ask you, can you do the three taboos?" "I don't know which three taboos big brother is talking about?" "First, don't drink alcohol, second, don't eat meat, and third, don't approach women." Ma Rong was speechless, so he shook his head and smiled wryly. Lan Dakui said: "Actually, brother, why do you need to practice this iron ball? You are very proficient in boxing and sticks. I am afraid that there are very few opponents in the world."

Ma Rong said: "Where, where, it's very embarrassing in front of Big Brother Lan." Qiao Tai said: "Master Di sent us to invite Big Brother Lan to go to the store to inquire about Miss Liao Lianfang's disappearance. Big Brother is very familiar with people in this area, please don't refuse. Go and change clothes and go out together." Lan Dakui changed his clothes and walked to the store with Ma Rong and Qiao Tai.The store is bustling with people and horses.Nine out of ten passers-by on the road recognized Lan Dakui, and they couldn't help pointing and complimenting him, and most of them gave way respectfully.

Lan Dakui said: "The history of this store is very long. Merchants from inside and outside the customs like to come here to do business, so the stores and stores have their own characteristics. Not only the goods from the Central Plains, Sichuan and Shaanxi, but also the goods from Huaiyang and Jiangnan. All the goods are on sale, and the business side is booming. Oh, I heard that Ms. Liao got lost when she was watching a monkey show at the corner of the T-shaped street next to the store. We might as well go to the corner of the T-shaped street to have a look first. I remember There is a fireworks kiln to the east of Zijiekou, could it be that they were tricked by the people in that kiln?"

Ma Rong waved his hand and said, "No, we have already checked the brothel several times. Tao Gan also visited secretly. It seems that Miss Liao's disappearance has nothing to do with the brothel." Suddenly, he heard a strange cry behind him, turned around suddenly, and saw a thin, short, ragged boy begging for him with outstretched hands.Ma Rong took out a few copper coins from his sleeve and gave them to him.The boy took the money and quickly ran behind Lan Dakui, tugging at Lan Dakui's sleeve.Lan Dakui smiled and stroked the boy's head. Qiaotai asked in surprise, "Brother Lan knows this boy?"

Lan Dakui nodded and replied: "He is an orphan. One day I saw that he was kicked by a drunk on the road and broke his ribs, so I took him home, treated him, and took care of him for half a month. Then he was cured. He was a mute, and he could make some incomprehensible sounds when he said 'babbling', but I could understand a little bit. Forget it, come back." Qiao Tai said: "Brother Lan, why don't you just ask him about Miss Liao?" Lan Dakui nodded, took the boy to the intersection of T-shaped street, and asked the boy with gestures if he had seen two women—an elderly adoptive mother and a young girl.

The boy understood clearly, reached out from Lan Dakui's sleeve and took out the jigsaw puzzle, bowed his head and carefully arranged it. Lan Dakui smiled and said: "I taught him how to spell jigsaw puzzles a few times. After all, he is naturally smart and quickly learned it. He often uses jigsaw puzzles to tell me what he wants to say." The boy used jigsaw puzzles to form a strong and tall figure. Lan Dakui shook his head, not understanding the meaning of this graphic.The boy was in a hurry, "Yiya" a few times, tugged at Lan Dakui's sleeve and turned to the corner of the street.Sitting on the ground at the corner of Dingzi Street was a beggar woman.The boy pointed at the old woman and yelled a few more words.Lan Dakui hurriedly stepped forward and poured a few copper coins into the old woman's broken bowl, and asked about Miss Liao's disappearance that day.Qiao Tai and Ma Rong were waiting at the door of a sword shop.

When making an appointment for a cup of tea, Lan Dakui Xizizi walked back alone.After seeing Qiao Tai and Ma Rong, he said, "Two virtuous brothers, take a step to talk. I have already found out what happened to Miss Liao on the day she disappeared." When the three of them walked to the corner of an alley, Lan Daquanai whispered: "An old woman beggar at the street told me that she and the boy happened to see an old woman dressed as a servant among the crowd watching the monkey show that day." and a young girl in bright clothes. The boy was about to squeeze forward to beg from the young girl, but saw a lady whispering a few words in the girl's ear, and the girl peeked at the elderly woman who was a few steps away , and the lady quickly slipped out of the crowd. The boy also followed the girl out of the crowd, caught up to the girl and stretched out his hand, but was pushed aside by a tall and fierce man by the collar, and scolded severely A few words. The man hurriedly followed the wife and the girl and walked forward. How dare the boy catch up and beg? The image the boy spelled out just now is the man who scolded him. It seems that the young girl is It's Miss Liao, but I don't know what kind of people that wife and man are."

Ma Rong said: "Can the old lady describe the appearance of the wife and the man?" "It's a pity that I didn't look carefully. The old woman said that the wife covered most of her face with a scarf, and the man's fur hat was also very low, and the ear protectors on both sides completely covered his face." Qiao Tai said: "We need to report this suspicious situation to the master as soon as possible. This is the most reliable clue about Miss Liao so far. We have to work hard to find the wife and the man." The three of them hurried to State Street, and when they arrived at the gate of Chunfeng Restaurant, they suddenly saw two soldiers coming out with two jeweled women.Seeing that one of the soldiers was one-eyed, Qiao Tai felt alert, so he stepped forward to stop him, wanting to check his identity.

The one-eyed soldier replied, "We are soldiers from the third battalion of the Beizhen Army." Qiao Tai said: "Have you ever been to Goat Town?" "Goat Town? Sir, we're passing through Goat Town on our way back to camp from vacation." "Are you trying to rob passing merchants on the road? Some people have reported that you cut trails on the mountain road." "Cutting the path? Sir, don't be kidding. We only saw a merchant who looked like a merchant. When he saw us, he ran away in a panic. I thought it was a thief." Ma Rong asked: "Is there a big leather bag on the merchant's horse?" The one-eyed soldier scratched his scalp and said, "The officer reminded me that there is a big bulging leather bag hanging on the saddle of his little gelding." Ma Rong and Qiao Tai exchanged glances. Qiao Tai said: "Okay, please come with us to the state government office. Master Di wants to ask you about something. Hugh is so panicked that you won't be able to miss your return date." Then he turned to Lan Dakui and said, "Let's go. !" Lan Dakui cupped his hands and said with a smile: "You two virtuous brothers are safe, I'm sorry. I have to go home to take care of some trivial matters and go to the bathroom to take a bath."