Hidden secrets

"Sigh, it seems this is destined to be a fruitless journey." Xu Qi'an finally drank his first sip of tea since entering the temple and sighed.

"Master, are you aware of the Sangbo case that's been making headlines in the capital lately?"

Master Hengqing remained silent.

Xu Qi'an gestured to his colleagues to calm down and continued, "The official in charge of this case was appointed by His Majesty. This is not because I am favored by the Emperor or appreciated by him."

Xu Qi'an sighed deeply, wanting to say something but holding back.

Master Hengqing couldn't help but glance at him.

"Perfect timing. This matter has been weighing on my mind for a long time. Now that we're at the temple, I'll have a proper talk with the master." Xu Qi'an paused for a moment before saying:

"A few days ago, I was ordered to search the home of a convicted official. His Majesty was merciful and did not implicate the family members. However, during the search, several colleagues saw that the women in the house were beautiful and had evil intentions. They wanted to forcibly humiliate one of the girls, who was only twelve or thirteen years old."

"I could not tolerate such a thing, so I immediately stopped them, which led to a conflict with my superiors, and I nearly killed one of them. As a result, I was sentenced to be cut in half at the waist. Therefore, His Majesty entrusted the Sangbo case to me, allowing me to atone for my crime through meritorious service."

"My friend said I was too impulsive. The right thing to do was to hold back and report it to the authorities later, but by then, the girl would have already been harmed."

Xu Qi'an looked pained and conflicted. "Everyone says that Buddhism is boundless and can save all sentient beings. Master, may I ask you, was what I did right or wrong?"

Lu Qing was taken aback, her expression showing surprise. She hadn't expected that there was such a thing behind Xu Qi'an's death sentence.

He was indeed different from other men. A gentle light shone in the female constable's eyes.

Master Hengqing was slightly moved, not expecting this henchman of the imperial court to be such a warm-hearted person. He chanted a Buddhist prayer and said:

"As long as you have a clear conscience, you will be free from karmic consequences."

"Even the master thinks I made a mistake," Xu Qi'an said dejectedly.

Heng Qing hesitated for a moment, then said, "Your kindness and compassion in saving people is nothing wrong."

Xu Qi'an pressed on, "But why did the court sentence me to death?"

Master Hengqing comforted him, saying, "The world is like a sea of suffering. Being in it means being unable to control one's own the Unseen. Many times, good intentions do not necessarily yield good results. However, though they may be delayed, they will not be absent. The Sangbo case is a matter of fate, and also a turning point for you."

"Master, I understand!" Xu Qi'an exclaimed in sudden realization, turning to the crowd and saying:

"Everyone heard that, Master Hengqing said that the Great Feng is a sea of suffering, and the Sangbo case is retribution for the royal family. What are you all standing there for? Arrest them!"

Clang, clang, clang. Everyone immediately stood up, the sound of drawing swords echoing throughout the quiet room.

Zen room.

Master Panshu, the abbot of Qinglong Temple, is 62 years old. His bald head is no longer as shiny as it was in his youth, and his white beard has grown to his chest.

As a fifth-rank law enforcer, he had been stuck at this level for over twenty years.

The Buddhist School system emphasizes enlightenment; some eminent monks practice meditation for decades, yet they cannot advance any further until their death.

Some monks, however, suddenly experience a spring breeze and instantly realize that all dharmas are the same, thus skipping decades of arduous practice.

Master Panshu could be either the former or the latter; before enlightenment, no one can be sure whether they can achieve it.

This is called Schrödinger's epiphany, or quantum Buddhism.

"Abbot, Abbot!" A steward came to the courtyard and called anxiously across the yard, "A group of Nightwatchers have come to the temple and tied up Abbot Hengqing, saying that he has slandered the court and disrespected the royal family, and that he is going to be imprisoned."

Abbot Panshu opened his eyes and said gently, "Understood."

The door to the meditation room opened automatically, and Abbot Panshu disappeared inside.

The Nightwatchers watchman escorted Abbot Hengqing out of the temple. More and more monks gathered along the way, their eyes filled with hostility, forming a swarm that seemed poised to encircle the group of imperial henchmen. If anyone dared to step forward, they would immediately surround the group of imperial lackeys.

But the Nightwatchers's power was too great. If they surrounded the smaller group, who knows, a larger group might come tomorrow and raze Qinglong Temple to the ground.

Therefore, no one acted rashly.

"Master, don't be afraid. Once you get to the Nightwatchers's office, as long as you cooperate obediently, they will release you soon," Xu Qi'an comforted him.

At this moment, Xu Qi'an's smile appeared to Master Hengqing like the smile of a demon, offering absolutely no comfort.

"Amitabha!"

A magnificent and benevolent voice rang out, subtly calming the monks' hostility and anger.

Xu Qi'an saw an old monk wearing a red and yellow kasaya appear out of thin air three zhang in front of him, blocking the way of the Nightwatchers.

"This humble monk climbs the tree."

"Abbot Panshu!" Xu Qi'an bowed respectfully, clasped his hands together, and said, "I have something to ask the abbot."

"Come with me," Abbot Panshu sighed.

Upon returning to the quiet room, this time, apart from Xu Qi'an, all the other Nightwatchers, including the three silver gongs, were kept out.

Xu Qi'an's attitude towards a fifth-rank master became much more serious. A fifth-rank Lawyer corresponds to the fifth-rank Transformation Realm in the martial arts system.

This is a master who has surpassed the Bronze Skin and Iron Bones Realm.

"Abbot, I was ordered by the Emperor to investigate the Sangbo case. I happened to discover that a centurion of the Golden Guard could deceive the Warlock of the Bureau of Astronomy. After inquiring from various sources, I learned that Qinglong Temple possesses similar Law Artifact," Xu Qi'an reminded him.

"This case is of great importance. For the sake of Qinglong Temple, the abbot must tell the truth. I am not threatening you, and I hope you understand."

"Our temple does indeed possess a Law Artifact capable of concealing one's aura and evading any method of detection," Abbot Panshu said gently.

Is this item still in the temple?

"Not here!" The abbot shook his head.

Xu Qi'an remained silent, waiting for an explanation.

Abbot Panshu paused for a few seconds, then sighed, "The reason Hengqing deceived you, sir, is because this matter involves a scandal within our temple. If it gets out, it could bring great disaster upon our temple."

"I had a disciple named Henghui, who was exceptionally intelligent. I had high hopes for him, but alas, he was not yet free from worldly desires and had an affair with a female pilgrim who came to the mountain. He stole the Law Artifact and eloped with her, fleeing the capital."

Xu Qi'an squinted, scrutinizing the abbot, and casually asked, "Who is that female pilgrim?"

Abbot Panshu clasped his hands together, chanted Buddhist mantras softly, and replied helplessly, "Princess Pingyang."

"!!!"

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck Xu Qi'an's mind.

In the Great Feng Dynasty, women with the title of "princess" were categorized as follows: daughters of the emperor's concubines, daughters of the crown prince, daughters of princes, and princesses.

Strictly speaking, apart from the eldest princess born to the empress, the other three princesses were all born out of wedlock. However, Emperor Yuanjing only had four daughters in his lifetime, and because of their rarity, each princess had a title, so when referring to them, the word "prefecture" was not used before their names.

Although the current crown prince has a daughter, she is still young and it is impossible for her to be involved in such an elopement.

Therefore, Xu Qi'an deduced that this Princess Pingyang was a princess of the royal family.

The case is getting more and more complicated. What role does the monk who eloped with the princess play in this case? Xu Qi'an asked, "When did this happen?"

"More than a year ago," Abbot Panshu replied.

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I have another question to ask."

"Please speak, benefactor."

"Qinglong Temple is the successor to the pagoda temple originally built by a monk from the Western Regions, is that right?"

The abbot of Panshu remained silent, tacitly agreeing.

"After the Yongzhen Mountain and River Temple was destroyed, I discovered a large array at the bottom of the lake, inscribed with Buddhist script. That array was set up five hundred years ago, and the Pagoda Temple also appeared five hundred years ago. What's even more interesting is that Emperor Wuzong also lived five hundred years ago," Xu Qi'an stared at the abbot.

"Does the Buddhist School in the Western Regions have any records of that incident?"

After he finished speaking, Xu Qi'an saw that the monk Pan Shu's face was extremely ugly, and he had lost the composure of an enlightened monk.

"My lord, this humble monk has only one question," Abbot Panshu stared intently at him, wanting to speak but not daring to, he hesitated for a long time before finally speaking:

"The thing beneath Sangbo Lake... really... escaped?"

"Absolutely true!" Xu Qi'an replied affirmatively.

Abbot Panshu seemed to have suffered a great blow; the fear in his eyes was hard to calm. His hands trembled slightly as he clasped his hands together and chanted Buddhist mantras to cover up his loss of control.

This reaction surprised Xu Qi'an somewhat; the old monk's reaction was a bit excessive. He cut to the chase and asked, "Was the one sealed beneath Sangbo the first supervisor?"

The old monk was completely unaware, only focusing on chanting Buddhist mantras with his head bowed, his white eyebrows trembling.

After a very long time, Abbot Panshu finally calmed down and said in a deep voice, "This humble monk does not know what is sealed beneath Sangbo. But there is a saying that has been passed down since the time of Baota Temple: When the Devil Creature of Sangbo emerge, the world will be in chaos."

"The Pagoda Temple was built to guard the seal of Sangbo. Later, the court feared the rise of Buddhist School and carried out a campaign to suppress Buddhism. The eminent monks of Buddhist School retreated to the Western Regions, leaving only the Qinglong Temple lineage."

"Before leaving, the high monks repeatedly instructed us to keep a close watch on the situation at Sangbo and to report any unusual activity immediately."

This sounds like the Buddhist School cares more about the Sangbo Seal than the Great Feng imperial family?

Well, the first Imperial Censor was a first-rank official, so the idea of chaos throughout the land isn't an exaggeration. After all, a first-rank official is the pinnacle of power.

"This is all I know. Is there anything else you wish to ask, sir?"

"That's all."

Abbot Panshu nodded, then his body abruptly disappeared, as if it had been forcibly edited out.

Xu Qi'an's eyes widened, thinking enviously: That flash move was pretty impressive.

After the conversation ended, the sun was high in the sky, and it was almost noon. Xu Qi'an and the others stayed at Qinglong Temple to enjoy a vegetarian meal.

"The vegetarian food at Qinglong Temple is delicious." Chu Caiwei ate two bowls in one go, and holding the third bowl, she praised it with great satisfaction.

The vegetarian meal at Qinglong Temple is a mixture of black rice, millet, and corn. It is drizzled with sesame oil before steaming, and the rice grains are plump, translucent, and fragrant.

The vegetarian dishes were also prepared with great care, and were delicious and visually appealing.

Xu Qi'an sat down beside her, watching her eat so happily, and smiled, "Female benefactor, don't just eat by yourself, this humble monk has come to collect alms."

Chu Caiwei protected her bowl, rolled her eyes, and said irritably, "Isn't what you eat the same as mine?"

Xu Qi'an shook his head. "This humble monk does not beg for alms."

"Then what should I do?"

"Little monk, it's broad daylight."

Everyone was quite satisfied with the vegetarian food at Qinglong Temple, the only regret being the lack of white phoenix meat for nourishment.

Abbot Hengqing escorted everyone to the temple gate. City people are too cunning, and Abbot Hengqing was angry, so he didn't say a word the whole way.

Xu Qi'an suddenly remembered something and asked, "Master, do you know a monk named Hengyuan?"

Supervisor Hengqing's expression changed.