There is a god in the sky

Chapter 64 Leaving Jianzhou City 2

Passing by Piaoxiang Tower, Shen Lan stopped and looked up at the second floor.

There was a gaze that had been fixed on her for a moment; it was definitely not just a simple matter of seeing a passerby.

The window seat was completely empty; they hid really fast.

who can that be?

She had only been in Jianzhou City for a few days and hadn't met many people, so she shouldn't have attracted attention.

Seeing that Lan Xuan'er had already run far away, Shen Lan put aside her suspicions and chased after her.

After she left, a man wearing a straw hat came out of Piaoxiang Tower and turned into a side alley.

After turning several corners, the man slipped into an inconspicuous old house.

There were three people waiting for him inside. One of them whispered, "I've found out that Xiao Ji and his party will depart at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow, and the government will send ten soldiers to escort them."

After they finished listening, they all looked at the young monk sitting cross-legged.

“Little Master, you heard it too. The person you care about will also be heading north. If they don’t set off soon, they won’t be able to arrive in Jiangzhou by the agreed time.”

Another person chimed in, "Yes, you know the consequences if we don't finish what the master asked us to do before Xiao Ji does."

Liao Chen focused intently on polishing the beads in his hand, and then strung them together with his Buddhist prayer beads.

He lost one of his prayer beads and had to use a new one instead.

After putting the prayer beads around his neck, he stood up and said, "Amitabha, this humble monk will be on his way first. Please make yourselves at home."

He walked out alone, leaving the three of them looking at each other in bewilderment.

"That little monk...sometimes I really want to punch him!"

"Pah, you talk like you can beat him."

"Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and pack your things and get going, lest you miss the opportunity."

"I don't know what the master was thinking, making us cooperate fully with a monk."

"How dare you question the Lord's orders?"

"Yes, yes, I was just saying it offhand..."

In the evening, after Shen Lan finished eating, Xuan'er insisted on washing the dishes.

She picked out a few pastries, wrapped them up, and said to Xuan'er, "I'm going out for a bit. Lock the door."

She said a few words at Wu's grave, and then went to Fayin Temple.

This time, she successfully met the abbot.

Perhaps she had been keeping things buried in her heart for too long, and she needed to find someone to confide in.

The abbot was a good listener; he neither asked questions nor offered opinions, but listened quietly, leading Shen Lan to believe that he had already fallen asleep.

"Does the master believe in reincarnation?"

The abbot opened his eyes, his eyes filled with compassion.

“Donor, there is no need to be so attached. Life is short, only a few decades. Only by living freely can one be truly happy.”

"Even if it's indiscriminate killing?"

“Amitabha Buddha, if killing brings pleasure to the benefactor, then kill him.”

This was the first time Shen Lan had heard a monk say such a thing, and she asked in confusion, "Did the master also teach Chen in this way?"

The abbot shook his head: "He doesn't need to be taught; he has his own path in his heart."

"What if that path is wrong?"

"The Way has no right or wrong, only the laws that judge this Way. Violating the laws will have consequences."

"I understand now, the master sees things clearly."

"No, it's just that this old monk is not involved."

The abbot took a peace charm from the side and handed it to Shen Lan, saying, "This peace charm has been blessed in front of the Buddha. Please take it."

Shen Lan accepted the gift with both hands. "Thank you, Master. I'll take my leave now."

Before she left the meditation room, the abbot couldn't help but say, "If you see Chen in the future, please pass on a message for me."

"it is good."

“Just say... your teacher will wait for him to come back.”

Shen Lan thought of Old Taoist Wei waiting for her to return at Lingxi Temple, and her nose tingled, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

How lucky they were to encounter a kind God during their time of hardship.

Xiao Ji put away some unimportant documents in the study and handed them to the magistrate for filing.

During his three years in Jianzhou, he handled over a hundred cases. In his spare time, he would compile his past cases into a book.

"Sir, the analysis of the ingredients in that aphrodisiac has been completed." Sui Feng came in with the prescription given by the doctor.

Xiao Ji didn't pay much attention. "Okay, put it on the table. I'll look at it in a bit."

There was nothing unusual about Liu Zhuangtou's death. The reason for checking the ingredients of the medicine was simply out of habit, and also because it was necessary to record the cause of death in the case file.

As Sui Feng helped tidy up, he kept saying, "The doctor said this medicine is mild, has excellent effects, and has few side effects on the body."

Xiao Ji looked up, a thoughtful expression on his face.

What if it's taken in large quantities?

"My subordinate also asked. All medicines have some toxicity, and an overdose is definitely not good. However, he said that Liu Zhuangtou has not yet reached the point where he needs to take a large amount of medicine."

"Do you think Liu Zhuangtou's death is suspicious?"

"No, that's not true. I learned from the servants in his courtyard that the older Liu Zhuangtou gets, the younger the girls he likes. Recently, for some reason, he has taken a fancy to several young girls. He also has a habit of taking medicine regularly."

Sui Feng expressed his disgust, saying, "He was already indulging in excessive sexual activity, and with the added medication, it's not surprising that he would die in bed."

Xiao Ji held the case file of the Wu family's massacre in his hand and asked him, "I asked you to investigate the cause of Wu's death. Did you find anything?"

"That Wu was mentally unstable and was usually cared for by an old woman. On the day of the incident, she ran out for some reason and fell into the pond and drowned."

My subordinates originally intended to bring her body back, but the people on the estate said that both of the servants who escorted Wu to her burial that day had died on the mountain, and Wu's body was nowhere to be found.

"What?" Xiao Ji hadn't expected such a thing to happen.

"The two men were certain that they were killed by wild animals, so they suspected that Wu's body might have been carried into the deep mountains by a wild beast."

"Are there often ferocious beasts roaming the back mountains of Liujiazhuang?"

"As you know, Liujiazhuang occupies an entire mountain range. What doesn't it have in those deep forests? Last early winter, there was even an incident where a pack of wolves came down the mountain and ate people."

"Do you believe in such a coincidence? Even wild beasts don't eat two people at once, so why couldn't the other person escape in time?"

"This... perhaps there's more than one beast?"

"They took the body to the mountains for burial. Is it possible that it was buried deep in the mountains?"

"No way!" Who would knowingly walk into a tiger's den?

After thinking it over carefully, Sui Feng couldn't find anyone who would avenge the Wu family.

"Could it be that someone from the Wu family is still alive?"

Xiao Ji shook his head, "It shouldn't be. When Wu was alive, no one cared for her. Why would anyone try to take her body after she died?"

"So you mean..."

"We have no clue at the moment, but we can't rule out the possibility that it was done by a wild animal."

Xiao Ji couldn't figure it out.

He's leaving soon. The case has already been decided, and further investigation might not yield any different results.

After tidying up the study, Xiao Ji still had some doubts, so he took Sui Feng to the prison.

The jailer was drowsy, but when he saw Lord Xiao coming late at night, he was so frightened that he lost all his sleepiness.

Xiao Ji ordered, "Open Lu Yaxuan's cell door. I have a few more questions to ask."

"Yes, you come with me."

Lu Yaxuan is a major criminal and is imprisoned in the deepest part of the prison.

The three branches of the Lu family were all arrested, and Lu Yaxuan had to face the anger and curses of his clansmen every day.