Chapter 32

Xu Mo said, "You mentioned a deep mountain. So the place you're going to is in the deep mountains."

Luo Shi's face turned grim, thinking: You're trying to trick me again. I won't answer, and that should be enough. It was really dangerous just now; I almost revealed the specifics. Fortunately, I held back in time. Lord Qingqiu said that if I told others, it wouldn't work anymore.

Xu Mo continued, "You also said that no one else was involved besides you. They tricked you to that place and took the opportunity to act."

Luo Shi thought for a moment, her mood gradually calming down. She said softly, "Big Brother Xu, I know you're doing this for my own good, so I don't blame you."

Xu Mo nodded and continued to advise, "You need to think carefully. In such a place, accidents are very likely to happen. Once something goes wrong, no one can help you. By then, it will be too late to regret it."

Luo Shi said dismissively, "I know what you're worried about, but that's under normal circumstances. Think about it, Lord Qingqiu is a fox spirit. Why would he go to such great lengths to deceive me? There's no need for him to do that."

Xu Mo replied, "I'm afraid they have read your mind and created the fox spirit story to make you fall for it..."

Luo Shi, who was very protective of Lord Qingqiu, became impatient with his constant questioning. Her face darkened, and she interrupted Xu Mo, "Big Brother Xu, I believe Lord Qingqiu. He wouldn't deceive me. Please don't say anything more."

Seeing that she seemed upset, Xu Mo immediately stopped, thinking: We met by chance. I only reminded you out of a sense of duty. If you get angry, why should I bother? If you insist on courting death, it's none of my business. When you suffer the consequences, you'll regret it.

He was usually a quiet person and didn't like to talk much. The reason he said so much to Luo Shi was partly because she was quite talkative and partly because her situation was so bizarre and clearly a case of being deceived. Xu Mo couldn't bear to see her in such a predicament, so he repeatedly warned her.

Luo Shi, preoccupied with her thoughts, didn't speak either. The two of them became silent on the way.

When Luo Shi got off the bus, she broke the silence by asking for his contact information, "Big Brother Xu, when I return after resolving my troubles, I'll call you first. Then you'll know that Lord Qingqiu didn't deceive me."

Xu Mo wanted to persuade her again but stopped himself, thinking: Even if I say more, she won't listen. It would be a waste of words and might even make her dislike me. Why bother?

He gave her his number, which she noted on her phone and dialed immediately before hanging up. She smiled, "This is my number, Big Brother Xu. I'll contact you as soon as I return."

She waved to him and got off the bus.

Xu Mo, still upset, saved her number, thinking: Who knows if you'll ever call me again. I hope my suspicions are wrong.

Not long after getting off the bus, he received a call from Liu Jian. Before Xu Mo could speak, Liu Jian chuckled, "Little Brother Xu, it seems we made a mistake. There was no one in the truck's cargo area."

Xu Mo was surprised and quickly asked, "Did the police search it?"

Liu Jian replied, "They searched the entire truck, inside and out, thoroughly."

Xu Mo detected a problem, "What do you mean, they only searched the truck? Could the person in the truck have been moved before the police arrived?"

Liu Jian said, "That's unlikely. After the police arrived and heard my account, they immediately went to No. 13 Qiuxia Road. The truck was parked outside the yard, and the cargo area hadn't been opened yet. The police checked the driver's license and had her open the cargo area. Guess what was inside?"

Xu Mo said, "There was a dog barking from inside. If there was no one, there must have been a dog. I don't know what else was in there."

Liu Jian laughed, "You guessed right. There was indeed a dog. Besides the dog, there were two sheep. However, the dog was rabid and was shot by the police."

Xu Mo was puzzled, "Shot by the police? Why would they shoot a rabid dog? When did they become so proactive?"

Liu Jian said, "It wasn't that they were proactive. The rabid dog attacked them."

Xu Mo said, "Oh, what exactly happened? Tell me in detail, Brother Liu."

Liu Jian said, "At first, the police asked the female driver to open the cargo area. She was very reluctant, saying there was a rabid dog inside that would bite anyone. If someone got bitten, she would be held responsible."

Xu Mo laughed, "By saying that, she only made the police more suspicious."

Liu Jian said, "Exactly! I was there, and I thought the same thing. Her reluctance to open the door was a sign of guilt."

"So what happened?" Xu Mo asked.

Liu Jian said, "The police said, 'It's fine, open the door. If the rabid dog bites someone, it's not your responsibility.' Only then did the female driver open the door."

Xu Mo asked, "After the door was opened, you only saw a dog and two sheep?"

Liu Jian, still shaken, said, "Yes, the two sheep were fine, but the dog was indeed rabid. As soon as the door opened, it started barking wildly. Its legs were tied, but it still struggled to jump out of the truck and lunged at the nearest police officer, trying to bite him."

Xu Mo asked, concerned, "Did the police get bitten?"

Liu Jian said, "No, as soon as the rabid dog moved, the female driver screamed, 'Be careful, the dog is very rabid. If you get bitten, you'll be infected.' One of the police officers immediately shot the dog dead."

Xu Mo was puzzled, "That's strange. If there was no one in the truck, what about the note?"

Liu Jian laughed, "I haven't told you yet. The note had nothing to do with a person. The character wasn't '求' (plea) or '救' (rescue). It was just a coincidence, and the blood on the note wasn't human blood."

Xu Mo said, "Oh, go on."

Liu Jian continued, "Do you remember the bump after the dog barked?"

Xu Mo said, "Yes, could the note be related to that bump?"

Liu Jian praised, "Clever! That bump was actually caused by the rabid dog. It hit the cargo area, breaking its head and bleeding. The blood happened to drip onto the note, creating that appearance."

Xu Mo was stunned. If that was true, it was too much of a coincidence. Recalling the response he heard when he knocked on the cargo area, he frowned. How could a rabid dog do that?

After careful consideration, he still found it suspicious. Combining this with Luo Shi's situation, his doubts only deepened. He thought: They must have moved the person from the truck before the police arrived. There was plenty of time between the truck's arrival at No. 13 Qiuxia Road and the police's arrival to move the person.

No. 13 Qiuxia Road was in a remote area with no other houses nearby. The person must have been taken to No. 13 Qiuxia Road. The rabid dog and the two sheep were just a cover.

He asked again, "Did the police search No. 13 Qiuxia Road?"

Liu Jian said, "Of course not. Why would the police search someone's house without a reason? Besides, No. 13 Qiuxia Road had nothing to do with the people in the truck. It wasn't their home."

Xu Mo said, "Oh," his voice tinged with disappointment.

"But," Liu Jian's tone changed, "the owner of No. 13 Qiuxia Road was very cooperative and invited the police to his house to look around."

Xu Mo was surprised, "You met the owner of No. 13 Qiuxia Road?"

Liu Jian, surprised by his reaction, said, "What's the big deal?"

Xu Mo asked, "Was it Lord Qingqiu? Did you see a fox?"

Liu Jian was confused, "What fox? What do you mean, Little Brother Xu?"

Xu Mo immediately realized his mistake. Even if the owner of No. 13 Qiuxia Road was Lord Qingqiu, he wouldn't come out to meet people. He asked, "What did the owner of No. 13 Qiuxia Road look like?"

Liu Jian said casually, "Just an old man, nothing special."

Xu Mo asked, "Did you see a fox?"

Liu Jian laughed, "A fox? You mean there was a fox in the yard? The yard is so big with so many plants and trees. Having a fox isn't a big deal. But you mentioned Lord Qingqiu. Is that the old man's nickname? Is the fox his pet?"

Xu Mo, seeing his misunderstanding, didn't explain, "So you didn't see a fox?"

Liu Jian said honestly, "No."

Xu Mo asked, "What about an eagle? Did you see an eagle?"

Liu Jian suddenly remembered something and asked, "You mean the eagle flying in the sky when we asked for directions?"

"Yes," Xu Mo said, "Did you see it?"

Liu Jian said, "No, was the eagle also the old man's pet? That's interesting. He keeps both eagles and foxes. Oh, I get it. The truck bringing a rabid dog and two sheep to No. 13 Qiuxia Road must have been at the old man's request. It makes sense to have two sheep for the grass, but why a rabid dog? Is he a veterinarian trying to cure the dog?"

Xu Mo, hearing his wild guesses, found them somewhat reasonable and smiled but didn't respond.

Liu Jian continued, "It's a pity. If the rabid dog hadn't been shot by the police, the old man might have been able to cure it. He must have been confident."

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