Li Gongfu frowned and looked around. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a window, which was wide open. Li Gongfu asked Liu Er, "Liu Er, tell me, did you open this window or...?"
Liu Er hurriedly replied, "Reporting to the head constable, we didn't touch the window. I closed all the doors and windows when we rested at night, but when we got up this morning, we found the window open and the child was gone."
Upon hearing this, Li Gongfu stepped forward and stared at the window, examining it carefully. He thought to himself, "It seems unlikely that a wild animal would be the culprit. If a wild animal knew how to open a window and not harm anyone else, only taking away children, then it must be some kind of supernatural being."
"Wait... Could it really be a wild beast that has become a spirit, or perhaps it's the work of an evil sorcerer? How am I supposed to investigate then?"
"Could it be... that we really need to ask Hanwen for help?!?!"
After searching for half a day without finding any clues, Li Gongfu could only comfort the victims, Liu Er and his wife, and promise to find the suspect and recover the lost child as soon as possible before leading his team away from Liujia Village.
After leaving Liujia Village, Li Gongfu looked at his subordinates with a solemn expression and said, "So many days have passed since the case started. I think everyone should have some guesses and judgments about this case by now. We don't have any clues at all. Why don't you all share your thoughts?"
The constables exchanged glances and lowered their heads.
They are government officials, and their sources of information are the best. It would be strange if they had no opinion on this case.
They had worked with Li Gongfu for many years and were quite familiar with him. After hearing Li Gongfu's words, one of the constables said, "Sir, I think this is very likely the work of a gangster. Otherwise, the scene wouldn't have been so clean and tidy, leaving not a single clue."
Li Gongfu nodded slightly. What the constable said was a possibility. At least, Li Gongfu believed that if he were asked to secretly arrest these children, he would not be able to do so without making a sound or leaving a trace.
At this moment, another constable hesitated for a moment and said, "Sir, I suspect that the perpetrator may not be human."
The people present were immediately taken aback upon hearing this!
Not human?
What is that?
Ghosts, spirits, or monsters?
Thinking of this, everyone couldn't help but shudder. After all, anyone would feel afraid of evil things like demons and monsters.
Upon hearing this, the others fell silent, deeply agreeing with what the constable had said earlier.
If the perpetrator of this crime was not human, but some kind of demon or monster, then everything makes sense.
Why are those children's disappearances so bizarre, without a single clue? Even a master criminal, after committing so many crimes, should have some clues by now.
There's no other explanation besides demons and monsters.
Seeing that the crowd's morale was low, clearly influenced by demons and monsters, Li Gongfu coughed lightly and said, "Gentlemen, in this world, the world is at peace and the country is prosperous. It's fine if those demons and monsters don't show their faces, but if any of them dare to come out and stir up trouble, we will definitely make them vanish into thin air."
One of the constables' eyes lit up and he asked, "Does Your Excellency mean the immortal master on Mount Qianyuan?"
Upon hearing his words, the others also realized what he meant.
Yes, we're not afraid of demons and monsters.
Isn't my own brother-in-law cultivating with a celestial master on Mount Qianyuan?
Last time, when Xu Xian made his move, they all witnessed it and remembered his power vividly.
"Alright, you all go back first, I'm going to Qianyuan Mountain!"
Li Gongfu thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, and instructed the yamen runners to return to the county office first, while he went to find Xu Xian.
Liujia Village is in the southern suburbs, while Qingxu Temple is in the eastern suburbs.
Half an hour later, we finally arrived at the nameless hill where Qingxu Temple was located. No, it can no longer be called a nameless hill. With the arrival of Qingxu Temple, the villagers have named the hill Qianyuan, meaning a dragon hiding in the abyss.
Upon reaching the mountaintop, they saw Xu Xian sitting cross-legged, facing the rising sun, exhaling mist and clouds, radiating an ethereal aura, like a celestial being.
Li Gongfu slowed his pace, afraid of disturbing the scene.
Little did he know that Xu Xian had already noticed his arrival. After a while, Xu Xian exhaled a breath of stale air and stood up.
"Brother-in-law, what brings you here? Is something wrong at home?"
Xu Xian went to greet him.
"Hanwen... Hmm? I've noticed you've changed a lot! Your demeanor seems quite different!"
Li Gongfu stepped forward, about to speak, but then frowned, looked at him carefully, and was filled with doubt.
"Haha, my cultivation has made a breakthrough, just a little bit!"
Xu Xian waved his hand calmly, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his eyes.
"By the way, brother-in-law, what brings you here?"
He changed the subject and asked about Li Gongfu's purpose in coming.
"Well... Hanwen, it's like this, a thief has appeared in the county recently, specializing in stealing young boys and girls. He's very skilled and leaves no clues. Currently, more than a dozen children have gone missing!"
After thinking for a moment, Li Gongfu, disregarding the loss of face, revealed the purpose of his trip.
"This incident caused widespread panic in the county. The county magistrate was very concerned about it. Moreover, the local gentry raised five thousand taels of silver and donated it to the county, demanding that the case be resolved and that the people of Qiantang County be restored to peace!"
Upon hearing this, Xu Xian frowned, vaguely realizing the seriousness of the matter.
Is someone stealing children?
What would you do with it?
At this moment, Xu Xian couldn't help but recall what the abbot had once said about evil people using children to refine elixirs and other wicked methods, and a murderous intent arose in his heart.
"Okay, brother-in-law, I'll go down the mountain with you!"