The people were easy to handle and this time, Fanjia entered without any hindrance, silently thinking, ‘Quite straightforward.’
The feeling of entering through the gate felt oddly satisfying.
On entering, they immediately felt the lingering resentment.
And as they entered the courtyard, the resentment grew even stronger.
Fanjia was puzzled. He had cleansed the girl’s aura thoroughly that night. Why was there so much resentment enveloping the Song family’s residence after just a few days?
The entire courtyard was thick with lingering resentment, with the most concentrated area being a bedroom.
Bai Lixin was equally puzzled. He couldn’t see these resentful qi before, whether in fox or human form. Even if he could, it was just a faint glimpse. Today, he could clearly perceive the resentment.
Could it be because Fanjia’s staff was on him?
Bai Lixin narrowed his eyes and looked at the room where the resentment was particularly strong. The qi was so intense that it stung his eyes.
His eyes even hurt.
Just as he was about to rub his eyes, two flower petals suddenly appeared before him.
The fingers holding the flowers were distinct, with deep creases between the joints of the fingers.
Bai Lixin blinked, and the fingers in front of him naturally moved—one on the left and one on the right—and gently pressed down on his eyelids.
Fanjia’s voice echoed in his ears, “The staff has some magical power on it. Because you’re wearing the staff, you should be able to see what I see. Resentment can harm your eyes. This might provide some comfort.”
While speaking, Fanjia pressed the flowers lightly against the young man’s eyelids.
Bai Lixin felt a cool sensation spreading to his eyes through the flowers, instantly relieving the burning sensation.
Fanjia’s movements were gentle, even through the flowers, he could sense the warmth from the young man. The flowers were quickly pressed into his eyelids, and Fanjia reluctantly removed his hands. “That’s it. Open your eyes and test your vision.”
Bai Lixin finally opened his eyes, and the intense pain had indeed disappeared.
The thin maid stood by the side, frowning.
An Immortal Master.
An eminent monk.
She knew her thoughts were inappropriate.
But… ahem, ahem, the two of them standing together looked really good.
The thin maid slapped her cheeks hard and shook off the strange thoughts that had come over her.
“Momo,” just as the thin maid was repenting in her heart, Bai Lixin’s voice rang out. She raised her head and heard Bai Lixin say gently, “You stay back a bit. We’ll go in ourselves.”
The thin maid responded with an “Oh” and quickly retreated several steps. She only dared to stand at the entrance of the courtyard.
She couldn’t see the resentful qi, but she respected the Immortal Lady. No, it’s the Immortal Master now.
Once the thin maid had retreated to the outer courtyard, Fanjia and Bai Lixin exchanged a glance, then Fanjia walked ahead, and Bai Lixin followed from behind.
The moment they opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed toward them.
Inside the room was pitch black. There should have been a person on the bed, but to them, it hardly looked human. They could only make out a black mass in that spot.
“Crunch.”
“Crunch.”
“Crunch.”
Bai Lixin heard the sound of chewing. The black shadow gathered around Master Song, seemingly devouring something.
Probably alerted by the sound of the door opening, the thing chewing suddenly paused. The shadow moved slightly, as if turning to look at them.
The two of them stood on either side of the shadow, silently observing the scene.
In the tranquil room, apart from the sound of the shadow in black chewing and swallowing, there was no other noise.
The black shadow stared at them for a while, then turned back to Master Song, continuing its meal.
“Amitabha,” Fanjia chanted a Buddhist mantra. The next moment, Bai Lixin saw specks of golden light emanating from Fanjia and countless Sanskrit characters formed a vast net in front of him. The spider-web-like net of Sanskrit characters extended from Fanjia to all directions of the room.
The shadow finally stopped moving once again.
The black shadow turned its head, and although Bai Lixin couldn’t see its facial features, but he was certain it was looking at them.
The golden Sanskrit characters quickly enveloped the whole room. The bright Sanskrit characters gradually dispelled the darkness, significantly brightening the room previously shrouded in black qi.
In a typical scenario, attacking the shadow would provoke a counterattack.
But now, the shadow still lay motionless on the bed, showing no intention to retaliate.
Facing the disappearance of the black qi, it even tilted its head curiously, seemingly sizing up the two of them.
Seeing this black creature, Bai Lixin suddenly recalled an unpleasant memory.
It was probably in the Fairytale Copy, where he had a near-death experience.
If he remembered correctly, the monster that fell from the sky was called the ‘God of Plague and Death.’ It tore through the sky, squeezing its enormous body into a dimension that didn’t belong to it and started devouring everything it could.
It even swallowed the antivirus software of the horror game itself, leaving nothing behind.
Honestly, the black thing in front of him reminded him of the God of Plague and Death.
However, the God of Plague and Death he saw back then blocked the sky, while this one in front of him was much smaller.
It must be just an illusion, right? How could it be the kind of monster that devoured everything? Impossible, impossible.
Bai Lixin silently reassured himself in his heart.
“Burp,” as the room grew brighter, the black mass on the bed suddenly burped, and a ball of black gas rushed out from its “mouth.” Bai Lixin then saw a thin black thread extending from the shadow. The shadow casually grabbed Fanjia’s Sanskrit characters, pulling them like a rope and stuffed them into its mouth.
“Ah!”
“Crunch!”
The black shadow should have been afraid of Fanjia’s Sanskrit characters, but now it swallowed them casually.
Fanjia was also stunned.
Not long after swallowing Fanjia’s Sanskrit characters, the shadow burped again. Then, a ball of light emerged from its mouth.
The golden light spread in the air and quickly disappeared.
The next moment, the shadow made a whimpering sound and suddenly fell from the bed to the ground, wriggling vividly while holding its stomach and rolling around.
Bai Lixin: “Uh.”
‘Did it eat something bad?
Why does this creature seem not very intelligent?’
Bai Lixin rubbed his temples. Why does it look like the God of Plague and Death the more he looked at it?
Fanjia didn’t care whether the creature was rolling around or not. He clasped his hands together, and with the chanting of a sutra, numerous flower petals flew out from his wide sleeves.
The petals gathered in mid-air, quickly forming a checkered red grid and falling onto the black shadow. The shadow that was still writhing on the ground was completely enveloped, resembling a rice dumpling.
The dumpling wriggled for a while before finally coming to a stop.
Then, Fanjia approached the bedside and Bai Lixin followed. Master Song, who was lying on the bed, was now completely black, lacking the vigor he had a few days ago.
Fanjia took a Buddhist bead from his prayer beads, gently crushed it, and sprinkled the dust on Master Song’s mouth.
In just a few breaths, Master Song sucked in all the powder.
After a few breaths, Master Song, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes.
He looked around in confusion. When he saw Bai Lixin and Fanjia, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. He tried to open his mouth, his voice trembling as he said, ”Thank you, Immortal Masters, for saving my life!”
Seeing Master Song awake, Bai Lixin walked out of the room and called the thin maid waiting outside.
The thin maid was hiding outside the courtyard and hadn’t heard any movement until now. Upon hearing the sound, she rushed in, and saw that the previously critically ill master had now fully recovered.
Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and she directly knelt down in front of the two of them, “Thank you, Immortal Masters, for saving him!”
In just a few days, the Immortal Master had saved the Song family twice.
Bai Lixin helped the maid up. “He’s been rescued, but he hasn’t eaten anything for days. You need to prepare something nutritious for him, like rice porridge and eggs.”
The thin maid agreed immediately and hurried off to prepare.
After the thin maid left, Bai Lixin looked at Master Song lying on the bed. “Master Song, did you go anywhere specific these past few days?”
Master Song was staring blankly at the bed frame above him. When he heard Bai Lixin’s voice, he slowly turned his head to look at Bai Lixin. “I went to bury my daughter.”
Bai Lixin and Fanjia exchanged a glance. “Where did you bury her?”
Master Song: “Just outside the village, near the back mountain. I remember there was an abandoned house next to the back mountain.”
Bai Lixin was momentarily stunned. “Why did you bury your daughter in such a place? Doesn’t your family have a dedicated burial site?”
“I was afraid,” Master Song wiped away his tears. “I was afraid the situation would be exposed. So, at the break of dawn, I took her out in a cart and into the mountains with the help of two subordinates. I didn’t just bury her anywhere; I deliberately looked for a place with mountains and water before burying her.”
“After returning, I fell seriously ill and couldn’t get up. I had nightmares every night. I couldn’t open my eyes, but I always felt someone manipulating my body. I even saw my daughter waving at me.”
“Wuuu, it must be my daughter. It’s my daughter blaming me for abandoning her there, so she wanted to take me with her. Daughter, why can’t you understand your father’s intentions? You’re dead, but living people still have to live on.”
“It’s not your daughter,” Fanjia, who had been silent all along, said calmly. “Your daughter’s corpse underwent a transformation once before but I conducted a ritual to help her soul ascend at that time. When you buried her body, her soul wouldn’t have felt a thing.”
Master Song was deeply puzzled. “But if it’s not my daughter, why would this thing target me?”
Bai Lixin recalled the rumors he had heard in the brothel earlier. “You mentioned that there was a house near the place where you buried your daughter?”
Master Song nodded quickly. “Yes, it’s a dilapidated mansion. It’s quite large, and I took a good look at it back then. I don’t know who built a mansion in such a place halfway up the mountain. It’s inconvenient to go out and buy things.”
“Oh, Immortal Master,” Master Song looked up at Bai Lixin, “thank you for helping our family resolve the crisis that day. I haven’t properly thanked you yet. Today, I am grateful for your help.”
“I am indebted to you for your kindness, and there is nothing I can do to repay it. If you have any requests or need my assistance, I will do my best.”
“Not for now,” Bai Lixin shook his head. “Just take care of your health.”
He patted Fanjia shoulder, hinting for him to leave.
Fanjia immediately understood Bai Lixin’s thoughts, picked up the “rice dumpling” on the ground, and left without looking back, ignoring Master Song’s attempts to persuade them to stay.
As they walked out of the house, Bai Lixin looked at the thing in Fanjia’s hand. “Do you know what this thing is?”
Fanjia shook his head. “I’ve never seen something like this before. But it’s not surprising. Evil creatures come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and most of them don’t consult others when they grow. They grow as they please, so many evil phenomena are encountered for the first time and can also be seen for the last time.”
Bai Lixin imagined the scene and had to admit it was quite understandable.
“However, this evil spirit is a bit peculiar,” Fanjia looked at Bai Lixin and said frankly. “Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve seen an evil creature that’s not afraid of Sanskrit. Most evil spirits, even if they can resist Sanskrit to some extent, wouldn’t dare to stretch out and grab them like this one. What’s more, it swallowed the Sanskrit, which is the nemesis of this kind of sinister being, but it only had a stomachache?”
When he said the last sentence, Fanjia himself found it unbelievable.
“It’s still young and ignorant. Now it’s just eating, but if we let it continue like this, it will definitely become a major disaster.”
Bai Lixin recalled the “disaster” that even covered the sky and nodded silently.
Agreed, fully agreed.
It could be said that he agreed so much that he couldn’t agree more.
Disasters truly live up to their name.
“What do you plan to do with this thing?” Bai Lixin asked.
Fanjia: “I will take it back to the temple, place it in the meditation room, and recite the Great Sun Golden Light Mantra for ninety-nine days.”
“What?” Bai Lixin exclaimed. “Then won’t we not see each other for several days?”
Fanjia originally wanted to say something like “If we are destined, we will meet again,” but seeing the regret in the young man’s eyes, he instinctively said, “You know where my temple is. If you want to come, feel free to visit.”
After saying that, Fanjia himself was stunned.
How could he say such words?
“By the way,” the two of them talked while walking, and unconsciously, they arrived at the alley where the monk’s temple was located. Bai Lixin remembered something and said to Fanjia, who was about to part ways, “Master, thank you for helping me find clues yesterday evening. I fell asleep later on, I didn’t even know when you left.”
“I left when I saw you were asleep,” Fanjia took out a bottle of elixir from his sleeve, “This is something I developed over the past few days. It should have some effect on your transformation.”
“Amitabha, benefactor, please accept it. This elixir is for you.”
After handing the elixir to Bai Lixin, Fanjia gently waved his sleeve, lifted his robes, and silently walked into the narrow alley.
Only when Fanjia disappeared at the end of the alley did Bai Lixin turn and walk towards the yamen.
As he passed the snack street, he casually found a small vendor, sat down, ate something, and rested for a while. When he had rested enough, he continued walking towards the yamen.
As soon as he entered the yamen, he sensed that something was amiss with the atmosphere inside. The constables who had nothing to do had lowered heads and slumped shoulders, looking like eggplants beaten by frost.
Seeing their expressions, Bai Lixin probably understood what had happened. “Where is Head Constable Zhang Biao now?” he asked.
The constables looked somewhat guilty as they glanced towards Bai Lixin. One of them replied cautiously, “Sir, Head Constable Zhang is interrogating the suspect in the prison.”
Bai Lixin nodded and turned to walk towards the prison. Just as he took a step, he heard a faint call from behind, “Sir, did you already know?”
Bai Lixin turned back, “Know what?”
The constable looked embarrassed, “Sir, I apologize for disrespecting you that day. Did you already know that Zhang Lin was the murderer of our scribe, so you became furious only when we stood up to him?”
The people were easy to handle and this time, Fanjia entered without any hindrance, silently thinking, ‘Quite straightforward.’
The feeling of entering through the gate felt oddly satisfying.
On entering, they immediately felt the lingering resentment.
And as they entered the courtyard, the resentment grew even stronger.
Fanjia was puzzled. He had cleansed the girl’s aura thoroughly that night. Why was there so much resentment enveloping the Song family’s residence after just a few days?
The entire courtyard was thick with lingering resentment, with the most concentrated area being a bedroom.
Bai Lixin was equally puzzled. He couldn’t see these resentful qi before, whether in fox or human form. Even if he could, it was just a faint glimpse. Today, he could clearly perceive the resentment.
Could it be because Fanjia’s staff was on him?
Bai Lixin narrowed his eyes and looked at the room where the resentment was particularly strong. The qi was so intense that it stung his eyes.
His eyes even hurt.
Just as he was about to rub his eyes, two flower petals suddenly appeared before him.
The fingers holding the flowers were distinct, with deep creases between the joints of the fingers.
Bai Lixin blinked, and the fingers in front of him naturally moved—one on the left and one on the right—and gently pressed down on his eyelids.
Fanjia’s voice echoed in his ears, “The staff has some magical power on it. Because you’re wearing the staff, you should be able to see what I see. Resentment can harm your eyes. This might provide some comfort.”
While speaking, Fanjia pressed the flowers lightly against the young man’s eyelids.
Bai Lixin felt a cool sensation spreading to his eyes through the flowers, instantly relieving the burning sensation.
Fanjia’s movements were gentle, even through the flowers, he could sense the warmth from the young man. The flowers were quickly pressed into his eyelids, and Fanjia reluctantly removed his hands. “That’s it. Open your eyes and test your vision.”
Bai Lixin finally opened his eyes, and the intense pain had indeed disappeared.
The thin maid stood by the side, frowning.
An Immortal Master.
An eminent monk.
She knew her thoughts were inappropriate.
But… ahem, ahem, the two of them standing together looked really good.
The thin maid slapped her cheeks hard and shook off the strange thoughts that had come over her.
“Momo,” just as the thin maid was repenting in her heart, Bai Lixin’s voice rang out. She raised her head and heard Bai Lixin say gently, “You stay back a bit. We’ll go in ourselves.”
The thin maid responded with an “Oh” and quickly retreated several steps. She only dared to stand at the entrance of the courtyard.
She couldn’t see the resentful qi, but she respected the Immortal Lady. No, it’s the Immortal Master now.
Once the thin maid had retreated to the outer courtyard, Fanjia and Bai Lixin exchanged a glance, then Fanjia walked ahead, and Bai Lixin followed from behind.
The moment they opened the door, a gust of cold wind rushed toward them.
Inside the room was pitch black. There should have been a person on the bed, but to them, it hardly looked human. They could only make out a black mass in that spot.
“Crunch.”
“Crunch.”
“Crunch.”
Bai Lixin heard the sound of chewing. The black shadow gathered around Master Song, seemingly devouring something.
Probably alerted by the sound of the door opening, the thing chewing suddenly paused. The shadow moved slightly, as if turning to look at them.
The two of them stood on either side of the shadow, silently observing the scene.
In the tranquil room, apart from the sound of the shadow in black chewing and swallowing, there was no other noise.
The black shadow stared at them for a while, then turned back to Master Song, continuing its meal.
“Amitabha,” Fanjia chanted a Buddhist mantra. The next moment, Bai Lixin saw specks of golden light emanating from Fanjia and countless Sanskrit characters formed a vast net in front of him. The spider-web-like net of Sanskrit characters extended from Fanjia to all directions of the room.
The shadow finally stopped moving once again.
The black shadow turned its head, and although Bai Lixin couldn’t see its facial features, but he was certain it was looking at them.
The golden Sanskrit characters quickly enveloped the whole room. The bright Sanskrit characters gradually dispelled the darkness, significantly brightening the room previously shrouded in black qi.
In a typical scenario, attacking the shadow would provoke a counterattack.
But now, the shadow still lay motionless on the bed, showing no intention to retaliate.
Facing the disappearance of the black qi, it even tilted its head curiously, seemingly sizing up the two of them.
Seeing this black creature, Bai Lixin suddenly recalled an unpleasant memory.
It was probably in the Fairytale Copy, where he had a near-death experience.
If he remembered correctly, the monster that fell from the sky was called the ‘God of Plague and Death.’ It tore through the sky, squeezing its enormous body into a dimension that didn’t belong to it and started devouring everything it could.
It even swallowed the antivirus software of the horror game itself, leaving nothing behind.
Honestly, the black thing in front of him reminded him of the God of Plague and Death.
However, the God of Plague and Death he saw back then blocked the sky, while this one in front of him was much smaller.
It must be just an illusion, right? How could it be the kind of monster that devoured everything? Impossible, impossible.
Bai Lixin silently reassured himself in his heart.
“Burp,” as the room grew brighter, the black mass on the bed suddenly burped, and a ball of black gas rushed out from its “mouth.” Bai Lixin then saw a thin black thread extending from the shadow. The shadow casually grabbed Fanjia’s Sanskrit characters, pulling them like a rope and stuffed them into its mouth.
“Ah!”
“Crunch!”
The black shadow should have been afraid of Fanjia’s Sanskrit characters, but now it swallowed them casually.
Fanjia was also stunned.
Not long after swallowing Fanjia’s Sanskrit characters, the shadow burped again. Then, a ball of light emerged from its mouth.
The golden light spread in the air and quickly disappeared.
The next moment, the shadow made a whimpering sound and suddenly fell from the bed to the ground, wriggling vividly while holding its stomach and rolling around.
Bai Lixin: “Uh.”
‘Did it eat something bad?
Why does this creature seem not very intelligent?’
Bai Lixin rubbed his temples. Why does it look like the God of Plague and Death the more he looked at it?
Fanjia didn’t care whether the creature was rolling around or not. He clasped his hands together, and with the chanting of a sutra, numerous flower petals flew out from his wide sleeves.
The petals gathered in mid-air, quickly forming a checkered red grid and falling onto the black shadow. The shadow that was still writhing on the ground was completely enveloped, resembling a rice dumpling.
The dumpling wriggled for a while before finally coming to a stop.
Then, Fanjia approached the bedside and Bai Lixin followed. Master Song, who was lying on the bed, was now completely black, lacking the vigor he had a few days ago.
Fanjia took a Buddhist bead from his prayer beads, gently crushed it, and sprinkled the dust on Master Song’s mouth.
In just a few breaths, Master Song sucked in all the powder.
After a few breaths, Master Song, who had been unconscious, slowly opened his eyes.
He looked around in confusion. When he saw Bai Lixin and Fanjia, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes. He tried to open his mouth, his voice trembling as he said, ”Thank you, Immortal Masters, for saving my life!”
Seeing Master Song awake, Bai Lixin walked out of the room and called the thin maid waiting outside.
The thin maid was hiding outside the courtyard and hadn’t heard any movement until now. Upon hearing the sound, she rushed in, and saw that the previously critically ill master had now fully recovered.
Tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and she directly knelt down in front of the two of them, “Thank you, Immortal Masters, for saving him!”
In just a few days, the Immortal Master had saved the Song family twice.
Bai Lixin helped the maid up. “He’s been rescued, but he hasn’t eaten anything for days. You need to prepare something nutritious for him, like rice porridge and eggs.”
The thin maid agreed immediately and hurried off to prepare.
After the thin maid left, Bai Lixin looked at Master Song lying on the bed. “Master Song, did you go anywhere specific these past few days?”
Master Song was staring blankly at the bed frame above him. When he heard Bai Lixin’s voice, he slowly turned his head to look at Bai Lixin. “I went to bury my daughter.”
Bai Lixin and Fanjia exchanged a glance. “Where did you bury her?”
Master Song: “Just outside the village, near the back mountain. I remember there was an abandoned house next to the back mountain.”
Bai Lixin was momentarily stunned. “Why did you bury your daughter in such a place? Doesn’t your family have a dedicated burial site?”
“I was afraid,” Master Song wiped away his tears. “I was afraid the situation would be exposed. So, at the break of dawn, I took her out in a cart and into the mountains with the help of two subordinates. I didn’t just bury her anywhere; I deliberately looked for a place with mountains and water before burying her.”
“After returning, I fell seriously ill and couldn’t get up. I had nightmares every night. I couldn’t open my eyes, but I always felt someone manipulating my body. I even saw my daughter waving at me.”
“Wuuu, it must be my daughter. It’s my daughter blaming me for abandoning her there, so she wanted to take me with her. Daughter, why can’t you understand your father’s intentions? You’re dead, but living people still have to live on.”
“It’s not your daughter,” Fanjia, who had been silent all along, said calmly. “Your daughter’s corpse underwent a transformation once before but I conducted a ritual to help her soul ascend at that time. When you buried her body, her soul wouldn’t have felt a thing.”
Master Song was deeply puzzled. “But if it’s not my daughter, why would this thing target me?”
Bai Lixin recalled the rumors he had heard in the brothel earlier. “You mentioned that there was a house near the place where you buried your daughter?”
Master Song nodded quickly. “Yes, it’s a dilapidated mansion. It’s quite large, and I took a good look at it back then. I don’t know who built a mansion in such a place halfway up the mountain. It’s inconvenient to go out and buy things.”
“Oh, Immortal Master,” Master Song looked up at Bai Lixin, “thank you for helping our family resolve the crisis that day. I haven’t properly thanked you yet. Today, I am grateful for your help.”
“I am indebted to you for your kindness, and there is nothing I can do to repay it. If you have any requests or need my assistance, I will do my best.”
“Not for now,” Bai Lixin shook his head. “Just take care of your health.”
He patted Fanjia shoulder, hinting for him to leave.
Fanjia immediately understood Bai Lixin’s thoughts, picked up the “rice dumpling” on the ground, and left without looking back, ignoring Master Song’s attempts to persuade them to stay.
As they walked out of the house, Bai Lixin looked at the thing in Fanjia’s hand. “Do you know what this thing is?”
Fanjia shook his head. “I’ve never seen something like this before. But it’s not surprising. Evil creatures come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, and most of them don’t consult others when they grow. They grow as they please, so many evil phenomena are encountered for the first time and can also be seen for the last time.”
Bai Lixin imagined the scene and had to admit it was quite understandable.
“However, this evil spirit is a bit peculiar,” Fanjia looked at Bai Lixin and said frankly. “Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve seen an evil creature that’s not afraid of Sanskrit. Most evil spirits, even if they can resist Sanskrit to some extent, wouldn’t dare to stretch out and grab them like this one. What’s more, it swallowed the Sanskrit, which is the nemesis of this kind of sinister being, but it only had a stomachache?”
When he said the last sentence, Fanjia himself found it unbelievable.
“It’s still young and ignorant. Now it’s just eating, but if we let it continue like this, it will definitely become a major disaster.”
Bai Lixin recalled the “disaster” that even covered the sky and nodded silently.
Agreed, fully agreed.
It could be said that he agreed so much that he couldn’t agree more.
Disasters truly live up to their name.
“What do you plan to do with this thing?” Bai Lixin asked.
Fanjia: “I will take it back to the temple, place it in the meditation room, and recite the Great Sun Golden Light Mantra for ninety-nine days.”
“What?” Bai Lixin exclaimed. “Then won’t we not see each other for several days?”
Fanjia originally wanted to say something like “If we are destined, we will meet again,” but seeing the regret in the young man’s eyes, he instinctively said, “You know where my temple is. If you want to come, feel free to visit.”
After saying that, Fanjia himself was stunned.
How could he say such words?
“By the way,” the two of them talked while walking, and unconsciously, they arrived at the alley where the monk’s temple was located. Bai Lixin remembered something and said to Fanjia, who was about to part ways, “Master, thank you for helping me find clues yesterday evening. I fell asleep later on, I didn’t even know when you left.”
“I left when I saw you were asleep,” Fanjia took out a bottle of elixir from his sleeve, “This is something I developed over the past few days. It should have some effect on your transformation.”
“Amitabha, benefactor, please accept it. This elixir is for you.”
After handing the elixir to Bai Lixin, Fanjia gently waved his sleeve, lifted his robes, and silently walked into the narrow alley.
Only when Fanjia disappeared at the end of the alley did Bai Lixin turn and walk towards the yamen.
As he passed the snack street, he casually found a small vendor, sat down, ate something, and rested for a while. When he had rested enough, he continued walking towards the yamen.
As soon as he entered the yamen, he sensed that something was amiss with the atmosphere inside. The constables who had nothing to do had lowered heads and slumped shoulders, looking like eggplants beaten by frost.
Seeing their expressions, Bai Lixin probably understood what had happened. “Where is Head Constable Zhang Biao now?” he asked.
The constables looked somewhat guilty as they glanced towards Bai Lixin. One of them replied cautiously, “Sir, Head Constable Zhang is interrogating the suspect in the prison.”
Bai Lixin nodded and turned to walk towards the prison. Just as he took a step, he heard a faint call from behind, “Sir, did you already know?”
Bai Lixin turned back, “Know what?”
The constable looked embarrassed, “Sir, I apologize for disrespecting you that day. Did you already know that Zhang Lin was the murderer of our scribe, so you became furious only when we stood up to him?”
