Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the monk pointed at one person – it was Jiang Zhan, who had not yet managed to leave.
Jiang Zhan was momentarily stunned.
What was going on? What did this have to do with him?
If it had been a female corpse, he might have felt guilty about the female ghost appearing in his dream, as if there was some connection. But now it was a male corpse, completely unrelated to him.
“Master-uncle, this disciple saw this person sneaking to the back mountain at noon today!” the monk who identified Jiang Zhan reported to the middle-aged monk.
The middle-aged monk’s Dharma name was Xuan Ci. As the abbot of Lingwu Temple was quite elderly, Xuan Ci was acting as the temporary abbot.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Ci immediately demanded: “The back mountain is not open to the public. If you discovered a pilgrim sneaking in at that time, why didn’t you stop them immediately?”
The admonished monk looked ashamed: “This disciple saw this patron eagerly helping Fourth Kong Brother fetch water, so I didn’t intervene to drive him away. Later, when Fourth Kong Brother was found dead, we only thought it was an accident. Who would have thought that now we’d pull a corpse tied with stones from the well—”
The monk looked at Jiang Zhan with fury in his eyes: “As soon as I saw this person, I remembered the incident at noon. Master-uncle, this disciple believes that he is undoubtedly the murderer. He first killed this young patron, then feared that Fourth Kong Brother might discover something while fetching water, so he pretended to be helpful and assisted Fourth Kong Brother in the water, taking the opportunity to kill Fourth Kong Brother and disguise it as an accident!”
Following the monk’s accusation, the other monks silently surrounded Jiang Si and her group.
Through the wall of monks, heated discussions could be heard.
“The murderer was caught so quickly, where is he from?”
“He doesn’t look like he’s from around here. If such a handsome young man were from nearby, who wouldn’t know him?” a woman said rather regretfully.
People around nodded in agreement. This made sense.
“But why would such a handsome young man kill someone?” More young women and wives in the crowd were puzzled, causing the men around them to roll their eyes.
Does this make sense? Just because someone is good-looking means they have no reason to kill. Are only ugly people capable of seeking revenge on their neighbors?
“Sir, these people checked in as pilgrims this morning. The murderer is almost certainly among them!” After reporting to Xuan Ci, the admonished monk, fearing that Jiang Si and the others might escape, immediately addressed the County Magistrate.
Jiang Zhan scoffed: “This is nonsense. If I were the murderer, upon hearing that a group of people came to retrieve a body from Lingwu Temple’s well, wouldn’t I have run away instead of coming to watch?”
Hearing this, the crowd’s discussions paused.
This handsome young man seemed to have a point.
At this moment, someone standing beside the County Magistrate suddenly spoke up: “That’s not necessarily true. It’s said that many murderers like to return to the scene of the crime to watch the commotion.”
The County Magistrate looked Jiang Zhan over, his face revealing nothing: “Let’s do this. Since this young man is a suspect, he should stay at Lingwu Temple tonight. Also, regarding the pilgrims who have checked in these past two days, I hope the temple can provide a list. If these pilgrims are in the crowd, please come forward. Everyone, rest assured, it’s just for questioning. I can guarantee that no innocent person will be wrongly accused.”
After the County Magistrate spoke, the crowd fell silent, and no one stepped forward.
The County Magistrate stroked his beard with a serious expression: “It’s fine if the pilgrims who stayed at Lingwu Temple have already left. We have the registry, so tomorrow when the yamen officers arrive, we can still summon people.”
This immediately deflated the pilgrims hiding in the crowd who had planned to stay out of it. Several people stepped forward.
“Is the village head of Qingniu Town present?”
Soon, an elderly man with graying hair stepped out and bowed deeply to the County Magistrate: “Greetings, Your Honor. This old man is here.”
The County Magistrate’s mouth twitched slightly.
Sure enough, people’s love for watching excitement was universal. Probably everyone in town who could walk was here.
This was good, as it would make the investigation easier.
“Village head, please stay as well. Also, two quick-witted young men should remain,” the County Magistrate said casually.
There was no need for excessive courtesy towards those already serving the county yamen, such as the village head and the local constable.
“Alright, fellow villagers, please return home for now. This official will investigate through the night, and if needed, will call upon you at any time for guidance.”
After the County Magistrate spoke, the spectators reluctantly dispersed, leaving the back mountain of Lingwu Temple suddenly empty.
By now, the sun had set, and even the lingering glow of twilight had disappeared, leaving the entire sky a grayish-yellow color.
The County Magistrate’s gaze swept across the faces of those who remained, finally landing on Xuan Ci.
Xuan Ci chanted Buddha’s name once: “Your Honor, please move to the guest hall.”
The County Magistrate didn’t refuse and pointed to several people: “You all, please come with me as well.”
Among these people were Jiang Si’s group, the Li siblings from Da Yang Town, the staying pilgrims, and the village head of Qingniu Town. Of course, the monks from Lingwu Temple were included, while the male corpse was placed under strict guard by the County Magistrate’s order, waiting for the coroner to examine it.
Returning from the open, dark back mountain to the brightly lit hall, the atmosphere became somewhat peculiar.
The County Magistrate was the first to break the silence: “May I ask how this monk is addressed?”
The admonished monk quickly replied: “This humble monk is Si Hai.”
“And this young man?”
Jiang Zhan glanced at Jiang Si, feeling dejected: “Your Honor can call me Jiang Er.”
He deliberately changed the tone of “Jiang,” so it sounded like “Jiang” to others.
The County Magistrate nodded and asked Si Hai: “Monk Si Hai, when did you discover Jiang Er going to the back mountain, and when did you see him leave?”
Si Hai thought for a moment and said: “The temple’s lunch is served at fixed times. I remember it was shortly after lunch, around noon. As for when he left… I saw Jiang Er help Fourth Kong Brother fetch water a few times, then I went to do my chores. I didn’t pay attention to when he left.”
At this point, he glared fiercely at Jiang Zhan: “But he is the only outsider who entered the back mountain. Fourth Kong Brother must have been silenced by him! He is the murderer who killed the man in the well!”
Jiang Zhan jumped up in anger: “Nonsense! Which eye of yours saw me killing anyone, you bald donkey?”
Yu Jin gently patted Jiang Zhan’s shoulder, signaling him to calm down. After Jiang Zhan settled, Yu Jin chuckled lightly: “Monk Si Hai’s words are unjust. Does the only outsider who entered the back mountain have to be the murderer? Comparatively, wouldn’t it be easier for someone from the temple who can roam the mountain freely to commit murder? County Magistrate, don’t you agree?”
“Amitabha, patron, please do not insult us Buddhist disciples. We believe in the equality of all living beings and wouldn’t harm even animals or insects, let alone kill a person,” Si Hai said indignantly.
Jiang Si spoke up at the right moment: “Actually, whether my elder brother appeared in the back mountain of Lingwu Temple or not is irrelevant.”
Everyone immediately looked at Jiang Si with various expressions.
Although Si Hai was a monk, he had a fiery temper. Hearing Jiang Si’s casual tone, he immediately said dissatisfied: “We are discussing a murder case. Female patron, please mind your words!”
Jiang Si raised an eyebrow: “Is the monk suggesting that I should keep quiet?”
Si Hai remained silent, apparently agreeing with Jiang Si’s rhetorical question.
Jiang Si smiled lightly: “This is interesting. Just now, the monk was talking about the equality of all living beings, but now he’s asking me to be quiet because I’m a woman. It seems the monk doesn’t understand his own heart well enough.”