"Officer, now that you ask, it's only now I remember that something similar happened a while ago."
The old village chief, being asked this, seemed to recall something immediately and quickly said to Liang Cheng.
"A while ago? Please tell us in detail, old village chief."
Liang Cheng's face lit up with joy, unexpectedly, the old village chief had other clues.
The old village chief then began to recount: "A while ago, there was a place called the Lu Family Pharmacy that once purchased medicinal herbs in our village and stayed for a night."
"And then, early the next day, they hurriedly left, I once saw them tying a few people onto planks with ropes."
"Their physician in charge said that these people were ill and needed to return to the county immediately."
"However, looking at those people, they seemed to have gone mad, and before I could inquire further, they rushed to leave the village."
Bang!
The sound of a forceful slap on a wooden table.
"Lu Family Pharmacy!"
Liang Cheng suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone in the room to focus their attention on him,
especially Lu Xuan, who gave Liang Cheng a deep look and then nodded slightly.
"What's wrong, officer? Do you also know this Lu Family Pharmacy?"
Liang Cheng's unusual reaction made the old village chief feel a bit puzzled.
"Know it, how could I not? The Lu Family Pharmacy is the best and largest pharmacy in the county, the old owner is a highly respected doctor!"
At Lu Xuan's signal, Liang Cheng instantly understood and quickly gave a perfunctory response to the old village chief.
The next moment, a strong and loud voice was heard coming from outside the hall.
"Village chief, the wives of Tie Zhu and Da Long have arrived."
Everyone looked over to see two plainly dressed, seemingly ordinary women walking in from outside.
However, it was obvious to anyone with discerning eyes that these two women appeared exhausted, with worry on their faces and traces of redness and swelling around their eyes.
Clearly, it was due to excessive grief.
"Village chief, you called us here, have you found out the cause of Tie Zhu and Da Long's deaths?"
One of the women stepped forward and asked the old village chief.
The woman's inquiry made the old face of Liugou Village's chief show some shame: "No, but this time calling you here is to ask, what did your husbands do the night before they fell ill?"
The woman, not receiving an answer, reddened her eyes once again and shook her head: "I don't know, that day I happened to be tired from work and slept through the night until the next day without noticing Da Long's movements."
The other woman also spoke at this point, speaking in a low tone.
"Village chief, my Tie Zhu did get up once at night, but at that time I was half-asleep and didn't pay much attention."
The things both women recounted seemed very normal, suggesting nothing out of the ordinary happened at night, just their usual daily lives.
Having listened, Liang Cheng noticed Lu Xuan across from him inadvertently nodding, immediately understanding his meaning, and gestured to the two women.
"Oh, I see, then you both should go back first. Once I find out, I'll send someone to inform you."
The old village chief watched as the two women left, then asked Liang Cheng: "Officer, you must find out the truth behind this incident so Da Long and Tie Zhu can rest in peace."
"Of course, also the local braves sent by the neighborhood head, please also uncover the truth, and give our Liugou Village an explanation."
Liang Cheng stood up, filled with questions, and no longer had the inclination to continue asking inquiries, since the old village chief had already said everything he needed to.
"Alright, alright, old village chief, we'll call it a day, for now, I know what to do."
"I will do my utmost to give your Liugou Village an explanation."
Because, as it happened, this implicated the Lu Family Pharmacy, Liang Cheng now only wished to ask his cousin Lu Xuan if the Lu Family Pharmacy story was true.
"Then I represent Liugou Village in thanking you, officer."
Half an hour later.
In Liugou Village, a property occupying six to seven mu of land, surrounded by walls made from piled-up earth, with the house further divided into four courtyards.
This was specially built by Liugou Village for outsiders,
whether it was passersby stopping to rest, or distinguished guests coming to purchase medicinal herbs, they were all arranged to rest in this place.
The East Courtyard!
After bidding farewell to the old village chief and the villagers of Liugou Village, Lu Xuan looked at the people around, Liang Cheng, and other government officials.
Of course, there were also Li San and Tie Niu, whom Lu Xuan had brought along.
Among them, Li San looked at this familiar place, his body trembling a bit, as the place that gave him nightmares he had returned to.
Li San pointed to a room in the East Courtyard: "Young Master, it's here, where Young Master Yun Feng and the others had their accident."
Lu Xuan looked to where Li San was pointing, the room where his cousin Yun Feng and several pharmacy employees once stayed.
A seemingly ordinary room, with nothing unusual.
"What, cousin Yun Feng was in an accident? Xuan, when did this happen, why didn't I know?"
When Liang Cheng heard what Li San said, his face changed dramatically, and he hurriedly looked at Lu Xuan.
"Yun Feng indeed got into an accident, similar to the trouble that befell Liugou Village."
Having obtained Lu Xuan's confirmation, Liang Cheng's face turned pale, clearly finding it hard to believe Yun Feng's incident.
At the same time, Liang Cheng also realized the reason his cousin Lu Xuan appeared suddenly in Liugou Village.
It turns out a similar bizarre incident occurred recently involving the Lu Family Pharmacy, which explained why Lu Xuan, who had been diligently practicing since childhood, suddenly came here.
Faced with such a bizarre incident, the Lu Family Pharmacy opted for a low-key handling of Lu Yunfeng's funeral affairs.
All those from the Lu Family who first witnessed the uncanny event were given strict orders by the family head to keep silent, forbidden to speak of it to anyone.
Lu Xuan: "Li San, did you see where Yun Feng and the others went that day?"
"The West Courtyard!" Li San responded immediately, pointing towards the west.
Lu Xuan glanced in the direction Li San indicated, silently committing it to memory, then spoke to Li San again.
"Li San, go find a room and put your things away first."
At this point, Liang Cheng, noticing a few vacant rooms in the East Courtyard, felt a sense of relief.
Great, Xuan's East Courtyard still has a few room openings, just enough space for myself and my team.
Liang Cheng and his group had been staying in the North Courtyard, but Liugou Village seemed too ominous.
He felt uneasy, so it was more reassuring to stay close to his cousin Xuan, maybe squeezing together in the East Courtyard would be better.
"Xuan, we had been staying in the North Courtyard."
"I see you have a few empty rooms here in the East Courtyard. Why don't we move to the East Courtyard too?"
After tonight, Liang Cheng had decided to leave this ominous place at first light.
"You guys, quickly come with me and move all our stuff over," Liang Cheng instructed the accompanying officials.
"Yes, sir."
Shortly after, Lu Xuan found himself strolling alone through the North and South Courtyards, finding nothing out of the ordinary.
Until he arrived at the West Courtyard, where Lu Xuan's brows furrowed at the sight of the West Courtyard.
Rather than calling it a courtyard, it was more of a heap of desolate ruins, looking desolate with the yellow mud wall collapsed, exposed outdoors.
Not too far was also a simple thatched hut, likely the latrine here.
Yun Feng and others had come to relieve themselves here and then went mad the next day.
After a stick of incense time, Lu Xuan cautiously searched all around, discovering no problems inside or out of the West Courtyard.
"Nothing unusual?"
Given Lu Xuan's Blood Refining Realm Perfection level, his senses far exceeded ordinary people, and unable to detect anything amiss suggested there was indeed nothing unusual here.