Investigation

The Grand Patriarch had died at the worst possible time.

Master Changxin had only just taken office when the Grand Patriarch was assassinated by the Jade-Faced Killing God, Chen Wu, inside Mahavira Hall. The news stirred up a storm of discussion. People said the feng shui at Lingshan Temple must have gone bad.

It wasn't just the worshippers who were saying such things. Chen Wu even heard the same outrageous talk from a few young novice monks, showing just how deeply the rumors had taken root.

Chen Wu had no interest in looking into it. He left Lingshan Temple early that morning and went to Jinheng Watch Shop.

When Old Liu saw Chen Wu come in, he hurried over and grabbed his hand.

"Your watch is fixed. Come with me."

He led Chen Wu up to the third floor, then took out a copy of Yanhe Daily.

"Take a look!"

Chen Wu glanced at it. Once again, the front page featured his wanted notice. Yan'an Prefecture was indeed the capital of Great Shun. With so many high-ranking officials coming and going, it seemed the artist had improved this time. The drawing wasn't nearly as abstract, though the man in it looked rather like the one from yesterday.

Besides the portrait, the reward on Chen Wu's head had gone up, reaching fifteen hundred silver dollars.

Chen Wu was speechless.

"Thanks to that man, you can walk around in broad daylight now." Old Liu laughed, too.

Chen Wu didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Do you have any leads on that man?"

"He was meticulous and didn't leave many clues," Old Liu said. "There's just one. The sword he carried was also a fine blade that could ring out with a sword cry. I asked some craftsmen I know, and it turns out someone recently bought a similar sword. It was made in Yan'an Prefecture."

"You could start there."

Chen Wu nodded. "Which master made the sword?"

"Go outside the South Gate, to the banks of the Yan River, and find Blacksmith Li."

"All right—"

"Fine sword!"

Blacksmith Li of Li's Workshop ran his hand over Chen Wu's sword.

"My sword's gotten a little dull. Could you sharpen it for me, Master?"

Chen Wu's sword had taken some damage to its edge after clashing with Li Changgeng's Golden Melon Hammer. He might as well have it sharpened while he was here and restore it to its former condition.

"Of course!"

Master Li called over an apprentice and had him sharpen the sword.

Somewhere in the workshop, a loud clanking and chugging filled the air. The apprentice didn't hear him at first, and Master Li angrily kicked him.

The apprentice hurriedly took the sword and set to work, grinding away with all his might.

Just then, the clanking stopped, and the workshop fell quiet. Master Li grew even angrier and began to curse.

"Those swindling merchants down south! Their ancestors for eighteen generations must've been eaten by dogs! One day, they'll smash their own heads against their fathers' graves. I knew I couldn't trust them!"

"What happened?" Chen Wu asked curiously.

"Damn it!" Master Li was still fuming. "Some swindler came by earlier to pitch me what he called the latest steam engine. Said if I bought it, it'd save me time, effort, and money."

"I swallowed his sweet talk and really did buy one. Turns out it breaks down every other day. It spends more time broken than running. I went looking for him to demand an explanation, but the man had vanished!"

Chen Wu sympathized, but continued with his question. "Master Li, besides having my sword sharpened, there's something else I'd like to ask. You sold a sword that could ring out with a sword cry. When was that?"

"Ten days ago."

Ten days? His wanted notice had only appeared in Yanhe Daily six days ago. This man had prepared his sword ten days earlier, which meant he had come from farther west and had traveled faster than the news in the paper.

Chen Wu had taken a long detour to reach Yan'an Prefecture, coming from the north. This man had probably ridden straight down the main road from the west at a gallop.

That narrowed the search.

But Chen Wu wasn't an official. He had no way to investigate a large number of suspects.

What should he do?

The apprentice had finished sharpening the sword. Chen Wu thanked him, took the blade, and asked one more question. "Who bought it?"

"A monk."

???

Chen Wu realized his thinking had gone astray. He had always assumed the assassin had disguised himself as a novice monk to throw people off. It had never occurred to him that the man might actually be a monk.

That made sense! To get into the hall, even someone in disguise would need to understand Buddhist affairs well enough not to give himself away.

A wandering monk from the west! That was the man's true identity.

The man might have blended into Lingshan Temple to scout the place. Chen Wu should ask around there.

"Benefactor, why do you say that?" Monk Mingcheng asked, puzzled.

"I think that since Chen Wu got into the hall so easily, he may have come here beforehand disguised as a monk to scout the place," Chen Wu said, making things up with a perfectly straight face. "So I'd like you to help me ask around. In the first ten days of this month, did any unfamiliar monks lodge here and then suddenly leave in the past few days?"

"I understand!" Monk Mingcheng said, suddenly enlightened. "I'll look into it right away."

Monk Mingcheng hurried off and soon hurried back.

"The guest monk said there were three visiting monks in the first ten days of this month who fit your description," Monk Mingcheng said. "But two were the wrong age. The third was the right age, but everyone who saw him said he didn't look like Chen Wu."

"And that man knew Master Changxin—no, Abbot Changxin. Someone saw the abbot talking with him."

That man was the most suspicious! Chen Wu immediately reached his conclusion.

His appearance not matching could mean he had disguised himself. But the fact that he had talked with Abbot Changxin made him even more suspicious. With Changxin's help, it would have been easier for him to get into the hall.

What role had Abbot Changxin played in all this?

Chen Wu didn't go straight to Abbot Changxin. Instead, he asked Old Liu to find someone else.

Lu Yuantu, an editor at Yanhe Daily.

Lu Yuantu had a round face and wore glasses. Holding a cup of clear tea, he spoke with a bobbing head. "What can I do for you?"

"Please get to the point. I have a deadline to meet and not much time."

Smack—

Chen Wu said nothing. He simply slapped down a banknote.

Lu Yuantu's hand trembled, and he nearly spilled his tea. "I never do anything illegal."

Smack—

Chen Wu slapped down another banknote.

"Even I can't help with anything too difficult."

Smack—

Another one.

"Go on, what do you need?"

Just as Chen Wu had expected, he immediately began asking questions.

Lu Yuantu poured it all out, telling Chen Wu every last detail.

Deep in the night.

The abbot's chamber was still lit.

Ever since becoming abbot, Master Changxin had eagerly moved in.

A figure dropped from above and barged through the door without a care.

"Who's there?" Abbot Changxin asked in alarm.

"Don't panic, Abbot! And don't call anyone over, or your secret will be exposed."

Chen Wu wore a mask, his voice muffled and deep.

"What secret?" Abbot Changxin calmed down.

Seeing the man still playing dumb, Chen Wu dropped a bombshell.

"Abbot Changxin, do you think you covered your tracks perfectly when you leaked the news about Master Yongyan's illegitimate son to Yanhe Daily?"