The little monk spoke without reservation, but both adults were simultaneously stunned.

Qiao Zhao thought to herself: If only she hadn’t deceived the little monk like this in the first place.

“Ahem.” Shao Mingyuan cleared his throat lightly, “Little master, I am a man and cannot casually embrace a female benefactor.”

The little monk glanced at Qiao Zhao, his face full of confusion: “Didn’t the benefactor carry the female benefactor to Dafu Temple?”

Shao Mingyuan: “…” Having his lie exposed by a child to his face was quite embarrassing, but why would Miss Li say such things to the little monk?

Qiao Zhao silently shifted her gaze elsewhere.

She confirmed once again: she would never randomly deceive children again.

Shao Mingyuan simply picked up the little monk directly.

“Eh?” The little monk was somewhat bewildered.

Shao Mingyuan smiled and explained: “Little master is relatively light—”

Before he could finish speaking, he felt a cold stare from beside him.

The little monk is relatively light? Was he saying she was too heavy? So this is what he thought every time he carried her!

Miss Qiao tightened her lips.

The young general was completely puzzled: it seemed he had said something wrong again!

Unable to figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it and turned to Qiao Zhao: “Miss Li, stay close to me.”

Qiao Zhao replied irritably: “I know. What else can I do if I don’t stay close? I’m so heavy you can’t even carry me!”

Shao Mingyuan looked at her deeply.

He had carried her so many times – why would Miss Li say such a thing?

Qiao Zhao felt her face inexplicably grow warm under his gaze and said with feigned composure: “Let’s go quickly.”

Under Xuanjing’s guidance, the two arrived at the broken bridge.

Shao Mingyuan set Xuanjing down and instructed: “Miss Li, watch over the little master. I’ll go take a look.”

Qiao Zhao nodded and silently took hold of Xuanjing’s hand.

Shao Mingyuan walked to the broken bridge, crouched down to examine it, and said to Qiao Zhao: “The break is very fresh. It should have been reconnected and then cut again, not long after.”

“So the culprit returned to Dafu Temple via this path?”

“Where the culprit went currently cannot be determined, but they passed through here.” Shao Mingyuan straightened up, looked around, then suddenly leaped up, jumping toward the center of the broken bridge.

“Ah!” The little monk was so frightened that he covered his eyes.

At that moment, Qiao Zhao’s heart rose with him, but her face showed no sign of it as she calmly watched that figure.

Shao Mingyuan landed at the break in the bridge, lightly touched down with his toes, then turned and returned like an eagle soaring with spread wings.

When he landed on the ground, Xuanjing looked up at him with admiration: “Benefactor, you can fly!”

Shao Mingyuan smiled and pinched the little monk’s chubby cheeks, then opened his palm: “Miss Li, do you think this string of prayer beads might have been dropped by Master Wumei?”

Qiao Zhao had a good memory. She took the prayer beads and examined them carefully, then nodded: “Master Wumei indeed had such a string of agarwood prayer beads.”

After speaking, she placed the prayer beads on Shao Mingyuan’s wrist. Under his puzzled gaze, she moved a small distance away from him, then sniffed and said with certainty: “This string of agarwood prayer beads undoubtedly belongs to Master Wumei.”

“Miss Li is certain?”

“Yes. Master Wumei always wore this string of prayer beads. When I interacted with the master, most of the time we were at our current distance, and it smelled exactly like this.”

Every string of agarwood prayer beads develops its unique scent depending on how long it has been worn, but distinguishing such subtle differences requires sufficient familiarity or attentiveness.

Miss Li only came to Shuying Nunnery once every seven days, so familiarity was certainly out of the question. She must have relied on extraordinary memory and attention to detail.

Shao Mingyuan couldn’t help thinking: This was the girl who made his heart flutter. The more time he spent with her, the more likable qualities he discovered in her.

Perhaps his wife Qiao Zhao was also such a clever girl. If he had had the chance to know and cherish her, to keep her in his heart from early on, he wouldn’t have the current pain and regrets.

“Let’s go back.”

The three returned directly to Dafu Temple.

The usually peaceful and prosperous temple now had a depressed atmosphere, as if dark clouds were hanging overhead.

“Abbot, these are the prayer beads we found at the broken bridge. They should belong to Master Wumei.” Shao Mingyuan handed the agarwood prayer beads to the abbot.

After all, they were outsiders, while Dafu Temple and Shuying Nunnery were connected like branches of the same tree. What should be told to the abbot of Dafu Temple naturally need not be hidden, except for that poisoned tooth.

Present besides the abbot were several elders.

The abbot took the prayer beads, examined them carefully, and nodded: “Amitabha, these are indeed Master Wumei’s prayer beads.”

“This means the culprit who abducted Master Wumei took this route.” An elder said.

Another elder continued: “This poor monk remembers that path leads to two places – one is Dafu Temple, the other leads to deep mountains and old forests. In those deep mountains and forests, there are scattered hunter families, and occasionally hunters come to Dafu Temple to exchange herbs for salt and such.”

The monks exchanged glances.

The abbot spoke: “Then we’ll send a group to investigate that area.”

“Abbot, it would be best to arrange more people for the investigation. The terrain there is complex, and safety must be ensured.”

“Naturally.”

Neither Shao Mingyuan nor Qiao Zhao interjected. When the abbot was arranging specific matters, they tactfully withdrew.

The two stood in an open area to talk.

“General Shao, do you think the monks of Dafu Temple will search Dafu Temple itself?”

“Hard to say. Even if they do search, they won’t make a big show of it.”

Qiao Zhao nodded: “Yes, if Master Wumei is hidden within the temple, then the culprit’s open identity would be a monk of Dafu Temple. Once a major search is conducted, the culprit might become desperate and quietly eliminate the master—”

“Miss Li, don’t worry too much.” Shao Mingyuan comforted her. “Do you remember the culprit I shot and killed?”

Qiao Zhao reflexively shuddered and smiled bitterly: “How could I not remember?”

“When I examined his body, I discovered that the calluses on his fingertips were formed from years of archery. This shows he had been disguised as a hunter for many years. Since Master Wumei has something they need, something that allowed them to remain hidden for so many years, as long as they haven’t obtained that item, they won’t eliminate her.”

“I hope the master can hold on.” Qiao Zhao said this, but felt somewhat worried in her heart.

With Master Wumei’s proud and transcendent temperament, if she couldn’t bear the humiliation, she might choose to end her own life…

“Miss Li, let’s go back. We’ve investigated what we could. The rest depends on the abbot’s arrangements.”

“Alright.” Qiao Zhao nodded.

Returning to the bamboo house, she could try to identify the poison in that tooth – there might be other discoveries.

Walking on the road, Qiao Zhao said quietly to Shao Mingyuan: “General Shao, I still think the culprit is most likely hidden within Dafu Temple. When I returned to Shuying Nunnery earlier, it wasn’t bad luck that I encountered that culprit – he had been waiting for me all along. This shows he knew when I went to Dafu Temple each day to administer your acupuncture. He wouldn’t choose to act before I went to Dafu Temple, as that would arouse your suspicion. Only by waiting until I finished treating you and was returning to eliminate me could he delay discovery until the next day. If the culprit were an outsider, how would he know all this so clearly?”