Chapter 6, suddenly the world becomes cold and indifferent

The little carpenter remained motionless, and the man did not take any further action. Instead, he cast a cold glance at him and then pointed his gun at the object he was holding, asking: "What is this?"

Previously, everyone praised him, but after a turn in the county town, he became a suspect's apprentice. This shift in identity and the immense disparity left the young carpenter momentarily bewildered. He instinctively tried to break free, but was restrained by several familiar Liu family servants nearby. At that moment, a stern-faced man approached him, pulling out a black box from his waist and pressing it against the young carpenter's chest

Upon hearing this, Chief Lin merely curled his lips in noncommittal response, while the official beside him remarked: "If that is the case, then things will become troublesome, as it also involves vendettas from the underworld—people like you who traverse the rivers and ports, stirring up trouble everywhere. Who can tell whether the issue originated here or if it was a grievance from elsewhere?"

The next day, he was pushed awake by someone, and there were cries and wails outside the door. He got up and saw the butler's son, Dayong, standing in front of the bed, while two others were rummaging through the wooden chest, taking out the silver dollars and valuables from the bottom layer.

There is nothing else besides this

The person calmly moved the black box aside and said nonchalantly, "I know."

He was nagging beside me, and the officer Lin did not stop him; instead, after he finished speaking, he asked the carpenter a few more questions, then said: "This matter is currently a bit complicated, as everyone's account differs. Having seen the scene here, take me to where you live to have a look."

Those who create such a situation not only damage their moral integrity but are also undoubtedly very frightening individuals

Dayong disdainfully pushed him down to the ground and then said: "I know, but the two members of my Liu family were harmed by your master, this money is compensation for their relatives..."

After the public official finished his instructions, he left with the old steward of the Liu family. Since the police responsible for maintaining public order were overseen by the gentry, and the eldest son of the Liu family was still in the provincial capital with He Jian, they were quite courteous towards the members of the Liu family

The carpenter pointed at the money and said, "The money belongs to my master"

The carpenter shook his head and said, "We build houses; who could possibly be our enemy?"

Did the master commit murder

He suddenly remembered something

Gun

The carpenter hurriedly denied: "He is just a carpenter, helping people build houses. He knows a bit about what Lu Ban taught, but he is merely assisting others in dispelling evil, a skill for navigating the world."

He was about to leave when the young carpenter stopped him and asked, "My master would never do such a thing; it definitely wasn't him"

Although the Liu family prepared guest rooms for the master and apprentice in the old residence, Lu Da was a stubborn person who preferred to sleep at the construction site. This way, he wouldn't have to travel back and forth, and he could also keep an eye on the site. Therefore, he stayed with everyone in the construction shed, but there was a separate small compartment where the master and apprentice lived.

During these days of work, he had heard of this person's reputation and knew that he was named Lin Yimin. He was a notable figure throughout the Chenyuan Dao, having connections with both the officials above and the local gentry, as well as with the bandits who roamed the mountains.

The carpenter complied, and when the wooden box was opened, it revealed several layers. The top layer was somewhat empty, as tools such as axes, saws, planes, chisels, knives, drills, hammers, and chalk lines, as well as protractors and multi-line rulers, had all been left at the construction site and had not been tidied up in time. The middle layer contained the change of clothes for both the master and the apprentice. The bottom layer held various small items, including peach wood talismans, short wooden swords, and jars and bottles, along with silver coins wrapped in red paper.

The person next to the inspection reached out, picked up a piece of sauced pig liver, put it in his mouth, chewed it with delight, and then said to the man: "Sheriff, we saw this young fellow when we arrived, considering the time, he shouldn't have anything to do with this."

It is impossible. Throughout his life, the master has traveled extensively, and although he has a somewhat peculiar temperament and enjoys drinking, he has never committed any evil deeds, let alone murder

Then the official Lin asked: "Do you have any enemies?"

The young carpenter felt flustered in his heart. Once the people left, he finally realized that his stomach was growling, and he was unbearably hungry. He reached out, only to remember that the food he had bought from the county town was taken away by someone and had not been returned.

These oceans are mostly the rewards for previous efforts to eliminate evil, along with some savings of Lu Da himself

The little carpenter was at a loss at this moment, only able to nod in response

After Lin Yimin checked, he instructed someone to collect those peach wood talismans and the like. The young carpenter said a word and did not dare to say more. Subsequently, two officials left, and before leaving, they told him to refrain from wandering around these days and to stay here, as there might be some matters that would require him later.

Moreover, he had a good relationship with the Liu family members who were guarding the construction site, having no past grievances or recent enmities. Why would he want to kill them?

Upon contemplating this possibility, the carpenter immediately recalled many things—ordinary people typically use filthy objects for curses and hexes, while those who are more ruthless resort to animal entrails and corpses. The use of the bodies of unborn infants as mediums falls into the category of particularly venomous and cruel practices

The man referred to as "Officer Lin" ignored him, and the other officer beside him also paid no attention. Only Dayong, who was holding him, spoke with a face full of hatred, saying: "We still want to ask you, where is your master?"

Previously, Lu Da had a conversation with the young carpenter, expressing the view that although the Liu family had spent money to settle the matter, the individuals behind the scenes might not be willing to let it go and could potentially take further action

The young carpenter opened his eyes and saw the middle-aged man with a stern expression standing in front of him. He waved his hand at the young carpenter and said, "Come here"

Because that infant had to endure countless hardships to arrive in this world and enjoy its beauty, yet it passed away before birth, the resentment in its heart is, in fact, more intense than that of any living person

The resentment of the latter is so intense that it is almost unbearable

The little carpenter did not dare to speak carelessly and honestly finished explaining his situation

There was a vein pulsating at his temple, thumping continuously, thud, thud, making him feel dizzy. After a while, he heard someone respectfully call out, "Director Lin."

Why is that the case

The person stopped, thought for a moment, and then asked: "By the way, I heard them say, what did your master teach in the Lu Ban school before?"

Lin Yimin instructed the carpenter to open the wooden box

The carpenter was aware of Lin Yimin's considerable power and did not dare to refuse, leading the people towards the construction shed

Although he said this, a sudden "thud" echoed in the heart of the little carpenter

The carpenter was aware of the gentleman's identity—during the Qing Dynasty, he was referred to as a constable, and by the time of the Republic of China, he was called a police officer. However, due to the remote location of Qiancheng and the current turbulent situation, the police were hired by the local militia, managed by the gentry, and funded locally, responsible for maintaining public order.

At this moment, he also recognized the person in front of him, who was dressed in official attire and had a fierce appearance

It is precisely with such abilities that he is able to occupy such a position in these chaotic times

He turned around and walked inside, and the guy carrying the food did not return the items to him, but followed behind. The young carpenter, not caring about the food, asked: "Where is my master? Where is he?"

It was the officer who cast a glance at him halfway.

The person gestured for someone nearby to come over, and then said: "Open it."

My head feels a bit dazed

Dayong whispered incessantly in the little carpenter's ear, and the little carpenter caught one phrase—Master has killed someone

An incident occurred at the construction site, resulting in a death, and Dayong even claimed that his master was a suspect. The accumulation of all these events left the young carpenter somewhat overwhelmed

Someone reached out to snatch something, and the young carpenter did not resist, allowing the person to take it away. Subsequently, that person opened it and said to him: "Sheriff, this is a braised pig's knuckle and braised pig's liver from Zhang's shop, a bag of peanuts, and this wine should be from Deyue Tower"

Could it be the work of the person who previously cast a curse in the new residence

The carpenter followed Officer Lin to a wall in the courtyard, where there was no one around. Officer Lin glanced at him and then said, "What is your name?"

The young carpenter, venturing at the dock, naturally knew what the object pressing against his chest was, and he was also aware of the consequences that would follow once the trigger was pulled, thus he dared not struggle any further

In recent days, they have remained here to prevent this matter

The young carpenter did not dare to conceal anything and hurriedly explained the situation here to the forest officer.

The carpenter replied: "Food, and also wine"

However, what he is most concerned about is the whereabouts of his master

The man stared at the little carpenter and said, "Zhang's shop and Deyue Building are in the county, where did you go to buy it?"

The little carpenter hurriedly got up to stop him, but was grabbed by Dayong at the chest, shouting, "What are you doing?"

The carpenter nodded and said it was instructed by my master

The bystanders immediately released the young carpenter, allowing him to walk past.

Upon arriving at the construction shed, Lin Yimin immediately led the team in a search. There was actually not much to investigate here, and soon the focus shifted to the enormous wooden crate.

There are two types within this context. One is due to congenital nutritional deficiency, where the mother is unwell and unable to undergo an abortion. The other type is more terrifying, as it involves the deliberate deprivation of the right to live for the sake of this arrangement.

The little carpenter closed his eyes, and a sharp pain struck the corner of his right eye again

He could not sit still and wanted to go out to the construction site to investigate the matter. However, he found two members of the Liu family blocking the door, preventing him from leaving

The little carpenter asked, "What does it mean?"

The person listened, smiled noncommittally, and then said: "This matter is rather complex. You should refrain from wandering around these days. If there is any situation, you should seek to understand it at any time."

The little carpenter, feeling helpless, returned to his room and waited. Unknowingly, he fell asleep.

Is it possible that the person behind the scenes did not continue to meddle with the house, but instead directly tore away the veil of tenderness and took action against those who were mediating for them

Dayong said: "Your master harbors malicious intentions. Before the work was even finished, he sent the workers away. Not long after, he killed Old Ma and knocked out Er Niu. Doctor Qi from the town came to take a look and said he might not wake up. Now, it turns out well; he committed the crime and ran away, leaving behind this huge mess... Just think about it, Old Ma has both elderly and young dependents, with two children at home who haven't grown up yet. Although Er Niu has no relatives, his mother is over fifty and has a hunchback. What will happen to these two families in the future?"