Melodious bell tolls echoed through Lingwu Temple, startling birds into flight from the trees.
The worshippers were unsettled, unsure of what had happened.
Fortunately, there weren’t many visitors in the afternoon, and soon monks came to arrange for everyone to leave.
Yu Jin opened his door immediately.
Morning bells and evening drums – bells ringing at this hour usually meant an emergency.
Soon, Jiang Si and Jiang Zhan emerged from their respective rooms.
The three stood under the corridor, looking outward.
A monk hurried over, bowing with clasped hands before the trio: “Amitabha. There’s been an incident at the temple. Please don’t wander around, for now, patrons.”
Yu Jin raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Master, that’s a bit unreasonable. We’re visitors, not prisoners here. Why should our freedom be restricted?”
The monk was taken aback.
Something had happened at the temple, and he was ordered to inform the staying guests. How could someone be so difficult?
Though small, Lingwu Temple was renowned far and wide with prosperous incense offerings. The monks naturally wouldn’t damage the temple’s reputation by being fierce or evil. After the initial shock, he patiently explained, “Patron, you misunderstand. I’m informing you because the temple is in some disorder now. We fear you might be inconvenienced.”
“Oh, I see,” Jiang Zhan seized the opportunity to ask, “May I ask what happened at your esteemed temple?”
The monk paused again, then realized the trio’s age.
Teenagers in their mid-teens are naturally curious, so such a question wasn’t surprising.
As the monk hesitated, Jiang Zhan exclaimed in surprise, “Could it be something that can’t be told to outsiders?”
The monk thought, “…You know that, yet you still ask!”
But since he had been asked directly, not answering might lead to wild speculation. For temples like theirs that received many female worshippers, this was taboo. So the monk said, “One of our junior brothers has entered nirvana.”
Jiang Si and Yu Jin exchanged a glance.
Catching his gaze, she hurriedly looked away, inevitably feeling annoyed: Could it be that her brother was so unreliable that she instinctively wanted to see his reaction when something happened?
Jiang Zhan made a surprised sound, “Nirvana? Master, you look so young. Your junior brother must be even younger, right? How could someone so young have achieved perfect virtue already?”
The monk’s mouth twitched. He silently chanted “Amitabha” to suppress the urge to transform into the Monkey King, and explained, “My junior brother passed away due to an accident—”
“An accident? What kind of accident?” Jiang Zhan looked frightened, “Your temple seems so peaceful. Could there be some danger? Shouldn’t you have warned us visitors earlier?”
“Amitabha, patron, you worry too much. There’s no danger in the temple. My junior brother had an accident while fetching water—”
Jiang Zhan dropped his exaggerated expression and asked after a moment of silence, “May I ask what the master’s Dharma name was?”
Though puzzled, the monk still answered Jiang Zhan’s question: “My junior brother’s Dharma name was Si Kong.”
Jiang Zhan took half a step back.
The monk finally got a chance to leave. Chanting “Amitabha” once more, he hurried towards another row of guest rooms.
Jiang Zhan stood dazed. Yu Jin patted him on the shoulder.
Startled back to his senses, Jiang Zhan glanced at the departing monk and lowered his voice, “Fourth Sister, Seventh Brother Yu, do you know? The monk watering the garden in the back mountain at noon was called Si Kong!”
“Second Brother suspects that monk didn’t die by accident?”
“Of course! How could it be such a coincidence!” At this point, Jiang Zhan frowned, “But there was nothing unusual at noon. How could he have died?”
“It’s not hard to guess. It means there was indeed something in that well, and after Second Brother Jiang left, that monk discovered it, so—” Yu Jin smiled faintly, “He was silenced.”
Jiang Zhan slapped his forehead in frustration, “If I had known, I would have persisted to the end.”
Yu Jin smiled, “If that were the case, there might have been one more accident.”
Jiang Zhan was stunned, then said dissatisfied, “Seventh Brother Yu, are you cursing me? If I had stayed there, nothing would have happened to me.”
“Why?”
“Seventh Brother Yu would save me,” Jiang Zhan said matter-of-factly.
Even the thick-skinned Yu Jin couldn’t help but twist his expression for a moment.
Looking at the sky, Yu Jin asked Jiang Si in a questioning tone, “It’s getting late. Shall we leave?”
“Wait—” Jiang Zhan grabbed Yu Jin’s arm, “We can’t just leave like this!”
“Hm?” Yu Jin stared at the hand on his arm, quite displeased.
How improper to be so handsy in front of A-Si!
“Someone died, and possibly more than one person!”
“So?”
“So shouldn’t we catch the murderer?” Jiang Zhan looked bewildered seeing that both seemed uninterested.
Yu Jin said flatly, “We didn’t kill anyone, and they’re not related to us.”
Trying to catch a murderer on someone else’s territory, if the killer was one of the monks, with a little instigation, facing a temple full of monks, let alone finding the culprit, even escaping would take some effort.
With Jiang Si present, Yu Jin didn’t want to do such a thankless task that would get the three of them into trouble.
“But can our consciences bear to ignore such a thing?” Jiang Zhan persisted.
Another person had died. What if he closed his eyes and two ghosts came to chat with him?
Yu Jin looked at Jiang Zhan amusedly, “Conscience? I don’t have one.”
“Seventh Brother Yu, I can’t believe you’re this kind of person!” Jiang Zhan clutched his chest in exaggerated dismay.
He thought this was Yu Jin’s joke, so he responded with an exaggerated joking tone.
Seventh Brother Yu was very kind-hearted. Despite being strangers, hadn’t he saved him before?
Having a sense of justice but not showing it, Seventh Brother Yu was truly a rare good person.
“I don’t have one. My heart—” Yu Jin glanced lightly at Jiang Si and said nonchalantly, “I’ve lost it.”
Jiang Si lowered her gaze.
Still flirting with her at a time like this, he was too much!
“Second Brother, let’s go. I’m a bit scared,” Jiang Si said softly as she saw other guests emerging from their rooms.
Jiang Zhan held his head, “I’m so confused. How could I forget that Fourth Sister is a young lady? Of course, you’d be scared in this situation. Fourth Sister, it’s all Second Brother’s fault. Let’s go now.”
Fine, if ghosts wanted to chat with him, let them chat. Maybe if the two ghosts hit it off, they’d leave him alone.
A-Man, the little maid who had been standing like a wooden stake, gave Jiang Zhan a sympathetic look.
Second Young Master was truly naive. Their young miss, scared? Heh.
Hearing that they wanted to leave, the monks were more than happy to see them off.
The group hurried back to the inn. Under the big tree outside, many people were already gathered, discussing the incident at Lingwu Temple as they enjoyed the cool air.
“I heard that monk slipped while fetching water and hit his head on the edge of the well. His head was bloody and broken on the spot. How pitiful.”
“That’s why they say fate is predetermined…”
As the sun was about to set, A-Man found an opportunity to quietly report, “Young Miss, A-Fei sent a message through Old Qin. He said the first place you asked him to inquire about, was the Li family’s house in Dayang Town, their young miss came to Lingwu Temple to offer incense today and hasn’t returned yet…”