Chapter 10 Chapter 9 The Grave

"Xiaoye, I found it!" The next afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and the dazzling sunlight shone directly on the desk from the window, making people want to sleep lazily.Xueying rushed into the classroom like a gust of wind, and threw a pile of data on my desk with an excited expression, without even caring to wipe off the sweat on her face. "What is this?" I casually turned a few pages and looked up to her. Xueying glared at me: "This is the student files that people worked so hard to find in the school's reference room. I found out that ten to fifteen years ago, there were seven people named Li Ping who were in the third year of high school."

"This little girl is still angry with me..." I tapped my hands on the table slowly, dumbfounded, and asked in a deep voice, "Then, have you found out which class Li Ping is from in the school legend?" "Isn't that simple?" Xue Ying said angrily, "Isn't it mentioned in the school legend that more than ten years ago..." Her voice gradually lowered, and she struggled to think about it in her mind for a long time. After a while, he suddenly realized and said loudly: "That's right! The school legend only said that a senior high school girl named Li Ping was raped by the principal's son more than ten years ago. After a long time, we didn't even know where she was. Class of students!"

"Actually, it's not impossible to find out which class Li Ping in the legend belongs to. Just check the school's graduate movement records. There should be them in the data room." I walked upstairs through the window on the left. look down. "Graduate movement records? What is that?" Xue Ying asked curiously. "The senior high school students have only one use for each school, which is to see who has been admitted to which prestigious university, how high their own admission rate is, etc. These can be used to put money on their faces. Our school is inherently snobbish. , there should be detailed records on this aspect. Go and check the movements of all the people named Li Ping after graduation from 20 to 10 years ago. If there is no one, it should be the one you are looking for .”

"So there is such a way..." Xueying put her hands on her head and looked at me strangely: "Xiao Ye, are you really only fifteen years old? You know so many things that I can't even imagine... ..." too exaggerated!I didn't bother to pay attention to her, and pointed out the window with my finger: "Did you see that Ojisang who is about 30 years old by the lotus pond? That guy has been smoking there for more than an hour!" "It doesn't bother you that he smokes, so why bother?" Xueying glanced at him and said disdainfully. "But he seems very nervous, and he keeps looking at this classroom." I thought while resting my chin.The man seemed to notice that I was looking at him, and hurriedly threw the cigarette butt in his hand on a coniferous pine whose branches and leaves had begun to wither, and walked away quickly.

"Oops!" I immediately stood up and rushed out of the classroom and ran downstairs, shouting at Xueying as I ran, "Quickly ask the boys to carry a bucket to that pine tree, and hope that cigarette end won't cause a fire! " Within a few minutes, the fire burst into flames with a "coax" sound, and it burned more and more intensely.The branches of coniferous pine already contained a lot of oil, and the flames were blown by the wind, which immediately became more blazing. The surrounding trees were constantly being swept into the fierce fire one after another. Even if we kept pouring water over it, the fire did not weaken in the slightest.

Finally, the firefighting engine from the fire station arrived, and we were so relieved that we were in a hurry due to the fire. "Who is that guy who has no sense of public morality?" I frowned and asked angrily. The bear standing beside him glanced at the playground and said in a low voice, "That man's name is Zhong Dao, and he is the son of our current principal." "Ah, that person is the male protagonist in the school legend, the one who raped Li Ping?" Xue Ying said angrily with her eyes wide open: "After that guy came out of prison, he didn't change his ways at all. Look at his bad taste just now." This kind of person should be sentenced to life imprisonment, so as not to be released and harm others.”

"Huh? So he is Zhongdao..." I dragged my chin in thought, and quickly recalled the information about him accumulated in my mind.This cowardly, decadent and cowardly guy seems to be a bit inconsistent with the vicious, domineering and shameless image in the campus legend.Could it be that his courage and temperament have been worn down because of being locked up in prison? I raised my head inadvertently, and accidentally saw Gou Xiong give Zhang Wen a strange wink, and then he patted my shoulder vigorously and said, "Xiao Ye, what are you up to lately? You disappeared after class, and you can't find it if you look for it." .”

"I'm preparing for the exam with Xueying." I said cautiously. "Xiao Ye, let me tell you something quietly." Zhang Wen also leaned over, showing his signature flattering smile, carefully looking around and said to me: "Yesterday, I found an interesting thing at the construction site of the playground. Something. Are you free tonight? Let's go and have a look." "I'm not free." He shook his head resolutely, this guy, I don't believe he will find anything interesting. Unwilling to give up, Zhang Wen came to my ear and whispered softly: "You will regret it if you don't go. That thing is really interesting. At nine o'clock tonight, after the evening self-study, I, you, Xiong Xiong and Xue Ying, the four of us will gather under the ancient pavilion. We will never let you down!"

"Hmph, I'm definitely not going." Seeing that he wanted to force others to do something difficult, I was about to walk away impatiently. "It's a tomb, a very big tomb!" Zhang Wen called out mysteriously behind me: "No one has ever entered that tomb, Xiaoye, maybe there will be a lot of treasures inside..." Depend on!These two inexplicable guys are indeed freaks. I'm not a money fan, and of course I know very well that nothing good will happen to me when I'm with Zhang Wen and Gou Xiong. Not long ago, I played a Die Xian game with them. The best proof is that these guys left me and Xue Ying alone.That incident made me fully understand their nature.They are selfish, never caring about other people's lives, and timid.Every time I want to do something dangerous, I think of the principle of crowds, hoping to bring a few more people into the water together, so that someone can be buried with me if I die.Although I'm not a good person, I have an indescribable dislike for people like them.

But that night, after all, Xueying and I went to the place we had agreed with them. "Do you really believe that there will be treasures in the tomb discovered by Zhang Wen and Gou Xiong?" Xueying was puzzled that I would go crazy with them out of boredom. I looked into her big black and white eyes, and said with a smile, "Do you believe that they will take the initiative to share the benefits with us?" "I don't believe it." Xue Ying shook her head without hesitation, and asked doubtfully, "Then why did you go?" I raised my head to look at the dull sky, took a deep breath and replied: "Do you still remember the disc fairy we invited a few days ago? The disc was still moving after our hands left. I told you that it seems to want to convey a message to us, a message related to the three key words 'by the water'. I thought hard for a long time, but finally the foundation of Guting inspired me. "

"Foundation?" Xue Ying was puzzled, "What's so remarkable about that unremarkable thing?" "Of course there is." I said slowly while recalling: "It is said that the ancient pavilion was built during the Jiaqing period, with a history of more than 160 years. And this school was built more than 70 years ago. In order to maintain its original flavor, the cultural relics in the town and the scenery of the school have always been preserved according to its original appearance. Even if there are any major fortification changes in the school, try not to touch this ancient pavilion. That is to say, this Over the past 160 years, the ancient pavilion and the nearby plants and trees have not changed. That is to say, the raised foundation of the ancient pavilion was also a product of that time, and it was not added later.” "What exactly are you trying to tell me, why can't I understand?" Xue Ying was at a loss. I scratched my head in distress and said, "To put it simply, do you think the materials used to build the foundation are strange?" Xueying pressed her index finger to her lips and thought for a while, then shook her head honestly. I continued to explain: "The things used to repair the foundation of the ancient pavilion are all large pieces of black rock and yellow clay, which were the most commonly used materials for dams and embankments nearby at that time. People in the Qing Dynasty were very superstitious, and generally they would not Use these to build rest pavilions. Unless..." "Unless this pavilion is by the river!" Xue Ying finally understood what I meant, her whole body shook, and she slowly turned her head to look at me with fearful eyes: "You mean, that's the information that Die Immortal wants to tell us?" "That's right." I nodded, and said, "There is no word 'river' on the Eight Diagrams graphic paper. I think the meaning of 'by the water' should be more like 'by the river'." "No!" Xue Ying suddenly thought of something, and asked me: "If there used to be a river under the pavilion, where did the river go now? The embankment of the pavilion is so high, and the corresponding river should not be too big. Small is right." "I don't know." I shook my head and said, "I don't want to let go of any clue just because I don't know. If Zhang Wen's discovery is not a lie, it might be an important clue!" good.Below the ancient pavilion is the playground of the school. If my guess is correct, then more than 160 years ago, the location of the playground should be a big river.I don't know what kind of message Die Xian invited a few days ago wants to convey to us, but I'm sure that that message must be inextricably linked with the former Dahe. If Zhang Wenzhen found a tomb on the playground, then the tomb should at least have a fairly long history.Maybe I can find a lot of questions in it that can solve the puzzles that confuse me... "I found that tomb by accident yesterday afternoon. Recently, the school plans to build a new student dormitory on the north side of the playground, so the surrounding land has been sealed up, and a foundation more than three meters deep has been dug. Yesterday was boring. , I just sneaked into the construction site alone and wanted to take a walk around. Unexpectedly, I found a very interesting thing on the ground soon." Zhang Wen walked in front to lead us the way, and he kept talking about his great adventure experience yesterday: "Guess what it is? Ha, it's actually a human skull that has been soaked into a marsh color! But I didn't know it at the time. I thought it was an old gas mask in the chemical laboratory, so I stepped on it. I didn't expect it to shatter as soon as I stepped on it. Then I realized that it didn't seem to be a plastic product. So I began to look carefully at it. Surrounding them, they found that there were many broken coffins scattered on the ground not far away... And near those coffins, there was a large pit, a rectangle about five meters long and three meters wide. Pothole. I can't judge its depth because of the dark brown sewage accumulated in the hole. But the situation is quite clear: the hole must be a tomb, and the migrant workers on the construction site dug it up by accident, and then put the inside The coffin was carried out, hoping to find some funerary objects." Zhang Wen turned his head to look at me, and asked, "Xiao Ye, have you ever heard of a legend that is widely circulated in this town? A legend about the treasure of the Chen family?" "Chen Family Treasure!" I almost cried out in surprise, "Do you think that tomb is related to the Chen Family Treasure?" "That's right. I discussed it with Zhang Wen, and went to the library to check a lot of related books. Finally, I think this possibility is very high." Gou Xiong interjected. "Impossible! The tomb of the Chen family should be in the area of ​​the Yufu ruins more than 40 kilometers away from this town." I shook my head and resolutely denied their judgment. "What is the treasure of the Chen family?" Xueying pinched my arm and asked curiously. I glared at her angrily, rubbed the pinched place and explained in a rough voice: "I am ignorant... The Chen family was a wealthy family in this area during the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty. Mr. Chen was even a legend at that time It is said that he started from scratch by helping people with divination and divination. After accumulating some capital, he started to speculate. But the strange thing is that as long as he buys something in large quantities, it will be out of stock soon, and then Mr. Chen will take the opportunity to sell it at a high price Making money out of bad intentions. Of course, this kind of business is the fastest way to make money. Not long after, the old man transformed into the most famous wealthy businessman in the local area. Then he colluded with the government and gentry, secretly began to lend usury, and engaged in smuggling and selling smuggled salt. In short, he did whatever he could to make money, and it is said that later, he piled up most of his money in the yard, and finally even replaced the floors of all the living rooms and bedrooms in the mansion with gold." "Where's the treasure?! Why do you always like to tantalize people when you tell stories?" Xueying interrupted me with her mouth curled up. "Be patient, okay!" I reached out to pinch her nose dissatisfied, but she avoided it nimbly. "That old man has been doing bad things for most of his life. You have to know that people who are richer and enjoy themselves more are more afraid of death. Of course, Mr. Chen is no exception. He hopes to bring his luxurious life to another world. So he spent a lot of money to build a huge tomb near the Yufu ruins, and put all the priceless jewelry and antiques he looted into it. On the day his tomb was repaired, Mr. Chen vaguely felt that his time had come. So he walked into the tomb alone, put down the thousand-year-old stone, and shut himself in. During the next two hundred years, many people went to his tomb, but everyone returned empty-handed. Gradually, Mr. Chen The tomb of the tomb was exaggerated by the nearby residents, covering it with a layer of mystery, and finally became the so-called Chen family treasure." "It's weird." Xueying intentionally imitated me like to hold my chin when I was thinking, and said to me: "Since Mr. Chen spent a lot of money to build a big tomb, he must have hired a lot of workers, which means Many people know the location of his tomb. Then why no one in the future can confirm where his tomb is? Could it be that Mr. Chen killed all the people who built the tomb?" "Good question!" I clapped my hands and applauded at her: "Your question is worth 100,000 U.S. dollars. Three years ago, the historians offered a reward of 800,000 yuan in the hope that someone could answer this question, but until now there seems to be no answer." Anyone to reveal the list. So they decided to postpone the reward indefinitely until the answer is found." Xueying glanced at Zhang Wen and Gou Xiong, who were listening to our conversation with their ears upright, and asked in a low voice: "Xiao Ye is so curious, has she not investigated such strange things? I want to know what you think .” "When did you know me so well?" I said with a wry smile, "However, I have indeed checked a lot of relevant information about Mr. Chen. There are also many legends about him. At that time, many people tended to It is believed that Mr. Chen is blessed by the gods and knows magic. Some historical materials have recorded the descriptions of some migrant workers who built the tomb of the Chen family. Those people all said in unison that they gathered all the relevant people together the night before Mr. Chen entered the tomb. , I personally poured a bowl of sake for everyone. After drinking, the migrant workers were immediately enveloped in drowsiness, and fell to the ground one by one. When I woke up the next morning, all the memories about the tomb disappeared inexplicably. Lost." "After you said that, I also began to believe that Mr. Chen knows magic." Xueying laughed in confusion. I nodded and bluffed her and said, "According to many signs, that old man may really have supernatural powers." I stretched out my hand and pulled Zhang Wen who was walking in front and listening to my story attentively. Asked: "Since you suspect that the tomb is the treasure of the Chen family, then you should have found some evidence." "Sure enough, I can't hide it from you." Seeing that I knew so clearly about the Chen family's treasure, Gou Xiong and Zhang Wen seemed to have made up their minds to be honest with me. Zhang Wen said with a smile: "I have found a decisive Evidence." As he spoke, he took off his backpack, pulled out the contents and handed it to me. It was a fragment of coffin wood about 30 centimeters long. The wood should be very good. It can be seen that it has been soaked in water for a long time, and the surface has begun to rot, but the rot is not very serious. "It should be nanmu." I sniffed a little bit of the powder and brought it up to my nose, only to feel a stench, so disgusting that I almost spit it out. There are some characters faintly engraved on the lower right foot of the fragment, and I took the flashlight to identify them carefully. "It's the word 'Chen'!!" Xueying leaned over curiously, and cried out in surprise. "That's right, it's the word 'Chen'." I touched the word with my hand, but I couldn't feel happy at all. Xueying didn't notice my expression, she was so excited that she almost jumped up: "So, Zhang Wen, the tomb you found may really be the treasure of the Chen family?" "That's right! I think the few of us are about to make a fortune!" Zhang Wen said with longing, "Think about it, how many things can I do when I have money? I don't have to go to school at all, I can play every day and kill myself I can’t run out of time! What about Xiao Ye, what do you plan to spend when you have money?” I frowned, and stopped abruptly: "I'm not going, I'm going back to the dormitory to sleep." Xue Ying, Zhang Wen and Gou Xiong looked at me in surprise. "Xiao Ye, what's wrong with you?" Gou Xiong raised his voice in great dissatisfaction. I shook my head with a sneer, turned around without humming and walked back.Leaving the three of them standing in place with astonishment on their faces. Not long after he left, someone quickly chased him from behind, it was Xueying. "Xiaoye, what's the matter with you? Do you hate that Mr. Chen's behavior and don't want to take his treasure?" She was panting and pulled my arm and asked non-stop. "How much did you score on your last history test?" I asked rhetorically. "Full score." Xue Ying was again at a loss, completely unable to guess the connection between her historical scores and current events. "Then you should know that the characters written in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty were in seal script, right? Hmph, but the characters carved on the coffin wood are in Song style." I turned my head to look at her, and continued slowly: "And the words on it don't look like they were engraved more than two hundred and sixty years ago. Although the eyes can't see them, they can be easily distinguished by touching them. That character should be a recent masterpiece. Because there is no sign of decay in the traces carved by the character." "You mean... this is a trap deliberately arranged by someone?" Xue Ying was taken aback. "Perhaps." I said in a deep voice, "Being careful can make a ten-thousand-year ship. Don't you think Zhang Wen and Gou Xiong are particularly restless tonight? There must be something wrong with them. Even if they didn't engrave the word, they should I know some inside information. In short, I absolutely do not believe that the two of them knew nothing about the fact that the word 'Chen' on the wooden fragment of the coffin was fake!" "Then what do they want to do?" Xueying was thinking in distress, and suddenly stared at me with fear on her face: "Could it be that they want... No, it's impossible." She shook her head vigorously as if trying to get rid of the thoughts in her mind . "That's right, what do they want to do?" I muttered to myself.She didn't notice Xue Ying's series of strange actions at all. In the past week, too many unimaginable things have indeed happened, and each of them left me with a lot of incomprehensible and completely clueless questions. The dish fairy, the disappearance of the duck, the story of Lu Ying, the crying of the baby near the ancient pavilion at midnight, and the pile of clothes I took from the tree last night and the school card of the third-year boy named Zhou Jian... …all of this is filling my brain, constantly clogging and consuming a large number of my brain cells.I feel as if my whole life is starting to mess up.And thoughts, more entangled like an unreasonable mess, becoming more and more chaotic...