There is a god in the sky

Chapter 137 The Mystery of the Dock 4

Kong Xiang carried the rope home.

He was accompanied by two thin, bony young men.

"Brother Kong, when are we going again..."

"Shut up!" Kong Xiang looked around warily, then slapped the man. "How many times have I told you not to mention that when we're out!"

"Yes, yes, I... I haven't made much money lately... The New Year is almost here, and I don't know how to explain it to my wife."

Kong Xiang spent half a day at the dock today but came up empty-handed.

Ships don't dock at this pier every day, and with the bad weather, there's probably even less work to be done in the near future.

“I went to check last night. It’s been rented out to passing travelers. We’ll see what happens after they leave.”

"They seem to be people from that official ship."

"I know they outnumber us, so let's not rush into a fight."

When they reached the intersection, the two went home separately, while Kong Xiang continued walking home.

Pushing open the broken door to his small courtyard, Kong Xiang subconsciously glanced at the location of the chicken coop.

It took him half a year to dig through this secret passage. He was just waiting for the right opportunity to make a big splash, and then he would be set for life.

He scooped a ladle of water from the water tank and drank until he was half full, then went into the kitchen and ate the leftover food from breakfast.

"This life is not a life for human beings!"

He turned around, went into the yard, and carried a bundle of firewood into the house.

In this kind of weather, he couldn't survive in his dilapidated house, which was drafty on all sides, without a fire for heating.

That warehouse was much more comfortable, but unfortunately it was occupied.

Upon opening the door, Kong Xiang saw a person sitting inside, surrounded by many soldiers with swords. He was so frightened that he turned and ran away.

A man outside the door drew his knife and blocked his way, forcing him back into the house step by step.

He dropped the firewood, turned around, knelt down, and kowtowed: "My lord, spare my life! I did nothing!"

"What's your name?" Xiao Ji asked.

"My name is Kong Xiang."

"Did you dig the secret passage leading to the warehouse?"

Kong Xiang was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. They actually found out?

How would they know?

How could such a hidden location be discovered?

Should I admit it? Will I die if I do?

"Speak!" A sword was drawn and held to his neck.

"I'll talk, I'll talk... I dug it... I dug that secret passage!"

"Did one person dig it?"

"There are two more helpers."

Kong Xiang originally didn't want to involve others; the fewer people who knew about this, the better.

Digging tunnels is hard work, it's too tiring.

Moreover, he thought he would need someone to keep watch when he went to retrieve the items, so he found two reliable people to dig together.

What were you doing at the warehouse last night?

Kong Xiang lowered his head, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

How do they know everything?

"I...I just went over to take a look."

Chen Shi kicked him in the back and shouted angrily, "Liar! What's so interesting about the warehouse? You killed my brother, I'll make you pay with your life!"

Kong Xiang looked up in alarm.

"Your Honor, I'm innocent! I...I didn't kill anyone!"

Xiao Ji had been observing his expression, and coldly ordered, "Tell me everything you did last night."

Kong Xiang was too cold to sleep last night.

It was snowing outside, and he was hungry and cold in the middle of the night. He had to go out to get more firewood when he ran out.

When they got to the courtyard, they were still unwilling to give up, so they went to the warehouse through the secret passage.

He knew that the place had a lot of grain and quilts stored there, and he would be happy to bring back even just one quilt.

But when he got there, he found that there were people inside.

He knew the quilt was on the second floor, so he quietly crept up, only to find someone guarding the stairwell, so he had to retreat.

He could tell from the sound of breathing that there were many people above, so he quickly slipped into the secret passage and ran home.

Shen Lan asked him carefully, "You said you went up the stairs and then came back down?"

"Yes Yes."

"How many floors have we gone up? Are we almost on the second floor?"

"It's only two or three floors, I didn't go up to the second floor."

Xiao Yi died at the bottom of the stairs on the second floor. If he hadn't gone up to the second floor, he definitely didn't kill the person.

Of course, this is on the premise that he wasn't lying.

Did you notice anyone following you when you left?

"No, there isn't." Kong Xiang was puzzled. How could anyone be following him at that time?

"If it wasn't him, it could only be that woman who ran away!" Chen Shi roared in anger.

Xiao Ji waved his hand, signaling him to calm down.

He continued to ask Kong Xiang, "Approximately what time will you arrive home?"

"It should be the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), I heard the night watchman's drum."

"Did you go inside as soon as you got home? Did you hear any noise outside?"

Kong Xiang thought back carefully. He was already furious when he came back empty-handed, and the house was so cold that he felt extremely uncomfortable.

Lying in bed wrapped in a tattered quilt, his teeth chattering from the cold, he was still complaining about why these people hadn't come earlier or later, but just when he wanted to take action, they arrived.

He doesn't remember when he fell asleep after that.

As for whether there was any noise outside, he really didn't pay attention.

"It was snowing outside last night, and the wind was so strong that any sound was drowned out by the wind."

Xiao Ji thought that made sense. If Miao Niang had come out through the secret passage, then she probably wouldn't have alerted Kong Xiang.

Chen showed him a portrait of Miao Niang and asked, "Did you see this woman at the dock today?"

Kong Xiang thought the girl looked familiar at first glance, but upon closer inspection, he couldn't recall when he had seen her before.

Fearing trouble, he shook his head and said, "I've never seen it before."

Do you know many people at the dock?

"It's alright, we all work here, so I know a few of them."

Chen Shi took out a bag of copper coins and gave it to him. "Here's some money for you. Starting today, find more people at the dock to help us find people. If you can find them, there will be a reward."

Kong Xiang was surprised by this unexpected joy.

He accepted it with both hands and said happily, "Don't worry, sir, I will do as you say! I've been here for several years, and if the person is still alive, I will definitely find him for you!"

Xiao Ji led his men back through the secret passage.

Before leaving, he said meaningfully, "Theft is no small crime, especially theft of a huge amount of wealth, which can land you in jail for life."

Kong Xiang quickly assured him, "Don't worry, sir, I certainly wouldn't dare to do anything wrong! I'll fill in the secret passage afterwards!"

He thought to himself: I'll just fool them for now, and then I'll dig through it again after they leave.

As long as they don't tell Steward Jiang, I still have a chance.

Xiao Ji and the others returned to the warehouse and restored the entrance to its original state.

The reason this secret passage wasn't destroyed was for ease of access.

And if Miao Niang knew about this secret passage, would she still come back from here?

"Do you believe what he says?" Xiao Ji asked Shen Lan and the others.

Sui Feng pondered and said, "He shouldn't be lying. If he had come up, Xiao Yi should have noticed him immediately. There's no way he would have gotten around to his back."

Shen Lan walked to the stairs and stood on the third floor. From this position, tall people could indeed see the top of the stairs.

"Xiao Yi should be sitting with his back against the railing while keeping watch, so it's understandable that he didn't see Kong Xiang."

Moreover, Xiao Yi must have been sleepy at that time, and his five senses were not as sharp.

But here's the problem: assuming he was leaning against the railing with his back to it, then he wasn't having his neck snapped from behind, but rather face-to-face.

This speculation is frightening.

Imagine someone walking up to you and snapping your neck without saying a word—that's terrifying.