The person’s clothes were unremarkable, but his bald head seemed to glow, instantly stunning everyone.
Si-hai exclaimed in shock: “Senior Brother Si-jie!”
The person the constable brought was a monk!
The atmosphere suddenly turned strange.
Si-hai quickly walked over to help the man up: “Senior Brother Si-jie, how can it be you? What’s going on?”
The monk called “Si-jie” allowed himself to be dragged into a sitting position on the ground, saying nothing.
“Release him quickly, this must be a misunderstanding!” Si-hai shouted.
The constable ignored Si-hai and reported to the County Magistrate: “Sir, when we arrived at Liu Sheng’s home, there were signs of a minor struggle and traces of blood.”
“Was there no one else besides this man?”
“No, sir.”
A young man who had stayed behind with the village head couldn’t help but interject: “There should have been a servant girl at Liu Sheng’s house.”
In their small town, having a servant girl was quite remarkable, so the young man remembered clearly.
“We didn’t find any servant girl, but I left two brothers to search for Liu Sheng’s mother in town. I brought this man back first to report,” the constable explained.
The County Magistrate turned to the monk: “Why was Master Si-jie at the deceased’s home?”
“Amitabha.” Before Si-jie could speak, Xuan-ci chanted the Buddha’s name, drawing everyone’s attention. “Si-jie was sent by this humble monk.”
“Uncle Master—” The other monks’ expressions changed.
Xuan-ci remained impassive: “This humble monk saw Patron Liu die tragically in our temple and worried that his mother might be harmed by evil-doers. So I sent Si-jie to bring her here. Amitabha, it seems something indeed happened. If the officers hadn’t arrived in time, even Si-jie might have fallen victim.”
Si-hai, the most hot-tempered, visibly relaxed.
Everyone in the temple knew Si-jie was Uncle Master Xuan-ci’s closest disciple. He had been truly frightened earlier.
“Is that so?” After hearing Xuan-ci’s words, the County Magistrate asked Si-jie calmly.
Si-jie finally raised his head, tears streaming down his face: “Master, I have failed your mission—”
Jiang Si watched all this silently, her brows slightly furrowed.
The County Magistrate, clearly troubled by Liu Sheng’s mother’s absence, stood with his hands behind his back, saying nothing.
The scene suddenly fell quiet.
“Constable Zhao, take all the officers and find someone. Whether it’s Liu Sheng’s mother or the servant girl, bring whoever you find back immediately.”
“Yes, sir.” Constable Zhao left immediately with several men, but returned shortly after, shouting excitedly before he even got close, “Sir, we found someone!”
The County Magistrate couldn’t help but take a few steps forward, his voice barely concealing his excitement: “Bring them here quickly!”
Constable Zhao walked in front, followed by two officers carrying a stretcher. On it lay a gray-haired woman, with a terrified-looking young maid beside her.
“Is she injured?” The County Magistrate hurried to the woman’s side.
The woman’s eyes were tightly shut, her face ashen, barely breathing.
Si-jie stared at the woman without blinking, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.
“Where is she injured? How did you find her so quickly?” the County Magistrate asked.
Constable Zhao replied: “The wound is just under an inch to the left of her heart. As soon as we left the temple gates, we saw some townspeople carrying this lady this way. They said she was taken to a clinic by a stranger, who left a considerable amount of silver and instructed them to bring her here.”
The County Magistrate examined the woman closely.
It was clear that with such an injury, the woman wouldn’t survive long, even if she had been left at the town clinic.
But with the key person unable to speak, what could be done next?
Yu Jin suddenly stepped forward. Constable Zhao moved to block him.
He stopped and handed a white porcelain bottle to the County Magistrate.
“What is this—”
Yu Jin and his companions were extraordinary individuals. Though the County Magistrate had his suspicions, he didn’t ask many questions due to the urgency of the case.
Moreover, at the County Magistrate’s age and position as a law enforcement official, he had seen too much. He understood that in such situations, inquiring about their backgrounds might hinder the investigation, so he simply played dumb.
But this didn’t mean he disregarded what Yu Jin and the others said.
“It’s a life-sustaining medicine that can keep a severely injured person conscious for a while.”
“And after that—”
“There are no side effects. If the injured person was already close to death, they will still die when their time comes.”
County Magistrate: “…” Whose child is this, speaking so bluntly without fear of punishment?
Facing the dying woman, Yu Jin showed little emotion, merely playing with the porcelain bottle in his hand as he asked the County Magistrate: “Does Your Honor need it? If not, I’ll put it away.”
Since this case initially involved Jiang Zhan, it would be good if the truth came to light. But if it were to pass by in confusion, it wouldn’t affect them much either.
Yu Jin was open-minded, so his attitude became increasingly casual.
The County Magistrate, on the other hand, struggled with the decision for a long time before finally steeling himself: “Alright, let’s give it to her.”
“Your Honor, administering medicine of unknown origin could be a grave mistake if something were to happen,” Xuan-ci reminded palms pressed together.
Yu Jin swiftly pulled the bottle back: “Your Honor should think carefully. This is a matter unrelated to me, and I won’t bear any responsibility.”
The County Magistrate frowned in thought, then finally nodded resolutely: “Give her the medicine! With such an injury, she’s beyond saving anyway. I can’t save her life, but at least I can’t let her die without knowing who killed her son.”
An officer took the bottle and administered the pill to the woman.
The County Magistrate took the opportunity to question the maid who had come along: “How did your mistress get injured?”
The little maid, still in shock, replied: “I was in the back room boiling water when suddenly someone broke in and stabbed the madam. Then another person appeared, knocked down the attacker, and tied him to a chair. I was hiding inside, not daring to make a sound. The second person discovered me and had me lead the way to take Madam to the clinic…”
All eyes immediately turned to Si-jie.
Si-jie’s face turned very unpleasant.
After being knocked out, he had been unconscious for a while and didn’t realize that everything had been witnessed by a little maid.
“The madam is awake!”
The County Magistrate stepped forward and called out: “Madam, wake up.”
The woman slowly opened her eyes.
She didn’t speak, but her eyes moved slightly, looking around in confusion at her surroundings.
The County Magistrate considered for a moment, fearing the woman might soon succumb to her injuries. He decided to be straightforward: “Madam, I am the County Magistrate of Fu Xing County. This is Lingwu Temple—”
The woman suddenly became agitated: “Did Sheng’er cause trouble?”
The fact that she immediately thought her son had caused trouble at the mention of Lingwu Temple further confirmed one of the County Magistrate’s theories.
“Liu Sheng, he… was found in the well behind Lingwu Temple today. He was murdered!” The County Magistrate spoke quickly, fearing the woman might faint before hearing everything. “Madam, you must hold on. Only you can identify your son’s killer now!”
Upon hearing the County Magistrate’s words, the woman was thunderstruck. Her eyes darted around rapidly, pausing briefly in one direction before moving away. Confusion, shock, and pain flashed across her face in quick succession, before finally settling on one spot.
Everyone followed her gaze.
Xuan-ci stood there, his face expressionless.