Interrogating Hengyuan

The next day, Xu Qi'an squatted under the eaves brushing his teeth and washing his face, calling out in his mind, "Master Shenshu?"

No one responded.

"Master? You said last night that we were the same kind of people. I just wanted to ask, do you also find silver lying around every day?"

No one responded.

He's usually dormant, after all, he's a sealed artifact. If I try to summon him again and there's still no response, then I can barely accept warming his cold body with my hot, soft body. Xu Qi'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Donning his smart police uniform and tying up his long hair, Xu Qi'an hung his black and gold longsword on his back, climbed over the ten-foot-high wall, and went to the main house for breakfast.

His hand rested on the hilt of the sword, and he suddenly remembered when the supervisor had given him this sword—could it have been a gesture of goodwill?

"I was too arrogant. How could a top-tier master possibly show me any favor? However, this sword is a perfect match for my 'Heaven and Earth One-Sword Slash.' Thank you for your supervision."

Um?

Xu Qi'an suddenly stopped and stood there, stunned.

The black-gold longsword was given by the Supervisor, and the "Heaven and Earth One-Slash Cleave" was sent by the Bureau of Astronomy. The black-gold longsword and the "Heaven and Earth One-Slash Cleave" were a perfect match, and the Supervisor knew that I possessed a strange fortune. In the cold morning wind, Xu Qi'an slowly shivered.

At this moment, he felt a sense of urgency, thinking, "This other world is full of tricks; I need to go back to Earth."

"Let's take it one step at a time. First, let's improve our strength and status. We can worry about the future later."

Composing himself, Xu Qi'an went to the front hall. It was just getting light. His aunt and second uncle were eating at the dining table, and Lü'e was also sitting at the table with a little bean on her lap.

"Big brother!" Xu Lingyin greeted him warmly, quietly moving the meat buns and fried dough sticks closer to her chest.

What a fake sibling relationship! Xu Qi'an sat down, served himself a bowl of porridge, and glanced at the beautiful woman:

"Auntie, you're up so early?"

The aunt, who woke up early, was in a bad mood and didn't pay much attention to her nephew. Her slender, fair fingers held a porcelain spoon, stirring the rice porridge, and she said indifferently:

"Lingyue wasn't feeling well, I just went to visit her."

"What's wrong?" Xu Qi'an frowned; he was still quite fond of the beautiful and refined girl.

"It's a matter concerning my daughter," the aunt muttered under her breath, unwilling to explain.

Oh, my period started. But if it's my period, my aunt wouldn't come to visit. So, is it menstrual cramps?

Detective Xu Qi'an draws a conclusion.

After finishing breakfast, Xu Qi'an said, "I'm going to visit Lingyue."

My second uncle and aunt had no objections. The advantage of being from a military Aristocratic Clan is that you don't have the cumbersome rules of a scholarly family.

For example, siblings should maintain a certain distance when speaking, always greet each other upon meeting, and not spend too much time together in private, unless several siblings are having a meal together.

And so on.

Otherwise, Xu Lingyue would be in an awkward position at this moment, as the elder should refuse.

"Big brother, big brother, I want to see my sister too!" Xu Lingyin jumped off Lü'e's lap and grabbed Xu Qi'an's clothes.

Xu Qi'an, annoyed by her slow pace, tucked her under his armpits and quickly arrived at Xu Lingyue's bedroom door. He knocked and said:

"Little sister? Your aunt said you're not feeling well?"

Xu Lingyue voice came from inside the house. "I... I'm fine."

"Can I come in, brother?" Xu Qi'an asked anxiously. "Should we tidy up the cloth we used to wipe the wound?"

"Creak." The maid opened the door and welcomed Xu Qi'an and the little boy into the room.

Xu Lingyue lay on her side in bed, clutching her stomach, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, her pretty face somewhat pale.

This looks a bit serious. Does it really hurt that much? Xu Qi'an reassured him, "You've started your period, haven't you taken your medicine?"

Xu Lingyue paused, a blush rising to her pale face, and shook her head. "Mother said I should just tough it out."

There was a hint of grievance in her voice.

She was just a young girl after all, lying in bed enduring the pain, all alone, with only her maidservant by her side.

Menstrual cramps are something most people endure in this era, since it's not considered an illness and will usually resolve itself over time. For most lower- and middle-class people, there's no need to see a doctor unless someone dies.

I remember brown sugar ginger tea can cure menstrual cramps, right? Never mind, I'll ask Chu Caiwei to come and take a look later.

Xu Lingyin walked to the bedside, stretched out her short, stubby fingers, and smoothed the furrowed brows of her older sister, then looked pitifully at her older brother:

"Is my sister going to die?"

Xu Lingyue: "."

"Sister won't die," Xu Qi'an comforted her.

"What happened to my sister?" Xu Lingyin asked fearfully.

"You don't understand menstrual cramps, and you don't understand menstrual flow either. "Xu Qi'an pondered for a moment, then had an idea. He stroked Xu Lingyin's head and explained in simple language:

"My sister is too well-behaved and doesn't know how to cause trouble, so she's feeling unwell. When she becomes a mischievous little devil in the future, her tummy won't hurt anymore."

Menstrual cramps will lessen or even disappear after marriage. Therefore, Xu Qi'an's explanation is so precise and easy to understand that it is rare in the world.

Xu Lingyin understood, nodding in sudden realization, her little face very serious. "I want to be a naughty child too, so my tummy won't hurt anymore."

"Big brother, what are you saying to her?" Xu Lingyue couldn't understand, but she felt that what Xu Qi'an was saying was strange.

"You should get some rest." Xu Qi'an gently pinched the girl's cheek and left with the little one.

On his way back to the front hall, he saw the little boy run into the garden, grab a handful of soil, and sneakily hide it in his little hand.

What was she planning to do? Xu Qi'an was taken aback.

Back in the front hall, my second uncle and aunt were still eating. My uncle asked, "Is Lingyue feeling better?"

"It hurts right now." As Xu Qi'an spoke, he saw Xu Lingyin climb onto a stool, her small body holding onto the edge of the table, and throw black mud into a large pot of porridge in front of her parents.

Then, she stood on the stool and breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that her stomachache was gone.

The aunt and uncle's faces stiffened as they slowly turned their heads to look at the young girl. "What are you doing?"

"I'm being naughty!" Xu Lingyin said proudly. "I'll definitely be naughty in a better way from now on, unlike my sister who always causes trouble for Mom and Dad."

After saying that, she put her hands on her hips, waiting for her parents' praise.

The aunt remembered the cockroach incident, and a surge of old and new grudges welled up in her heart. She grabbed the girl by the neck, placed her on her thigh, and spanked her bottom repeatedly.

The little boy was Qi Ingestion and cried as he protested, "Mommy, why did you hit me?"

My aunt kept slapping me. "You threw mud into the porridge and you still have the nerve to do that?"

"My older brother taught me this. He said if I misbehave, my stomach won't hurt. Ouch!"

The aunt was furious, her eyebrows furrowed. "Xu Ningyan, what nonsense have you been teaching her again?"

"The weather is so nice today, Uncle, I'm going to the yamen now." Xu Qi'an skipped away happily.

The Nightwatchers's office, the dungeon.

As a temporary prisoner, Hengyuan was fortunate enough not to be subjected to severe torture. He was only whipped twice by the jailer when he first arrived, on the grounds that even the stingiest man wasn't as clean as him.

A stinky monk who gets nothing out of his name.

"Bang!" The cell door opened, and the jailer shouted at the burly monk in shackles, "An official has questions for you. Come out."

Hengyuan opened his eyes, got up, and followed the jailer to the interrogation room.

In the dimly lit interrogation room, a handsome and masculine man sat imposingly in a large chair, his sharp gaze fixed on him.

Hengyuan recognized the gong. He had seen it when the kind-hearted Number Three helped him go undercover and evade capture. At that time, Number Three was standing on the roof ridge, one hand on his knife, his back straight, with an extraordinary demeanor. He was clearly a dragon among men.

"Please sit down, Master. I have a few questions for you," Xu Qi'an said, scrutinizing the square-faced, rugged-featured monk.

At first glance, he may seem like a rough and brute, but upon closer inspection, one will find that he has bright and calm eyes and a deep and reserved demeanor.

Hengyuan clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, then sat down.

"Name." Xu Qi'an lowered his head and drank his tea.

"A monk does not speak of his name; this poor monk will remain forever."

"Age."

"Thirty."

Xu Qi'an looked up in surprise and glanced at him. He remembered a joke, "Grandpa, how do you stay so young?"

stay up.

How old are you this year?

Twenty years old.

"Hengyuan looks to be in his forties, almost fifty. Do you also stay up all night every day? "Xu Qi'an thought to himself.

"Origin."

"The warrior monks of Qinglong Temple."

"What level of cultivation?"

"An eighth-rank martial monk."

Xu Qi'an frowned and tapped his finger on the table. "Don't try to play tricks on me."

How could an eighth-rank martial monk break into the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion at night, kill people, easily and severely injure two Qi Refining Realm bronze gongs, and then leave unscathed?

Hengyuan said in a deep voice, "This humble monk is indeed an eighth-rank martial monk."

I remember there's something strange about the Buddhist School cultivation system: the next rank after the ninth-rank novice monk is the seventh-rank Dharma Master, skipping directly to the eighth-rank novice monk.

Does Buddhist School have two systems? If so, why merge them? Also, what is the next rank for a martial monk?

Xu Qi'an voiced his doubts, and Hengyuan shook his head. "Qinglong Temple doesn't have the corresponding secret techniques; only a journey to the West will reveal them."

"Only by traveling west can we find out? Then the archives of the government office probably won't have any relevant records either. These are all trivial matters, "Xu Qi'an said.

"Heng Hui has passed away, and the remains of Princess Pingyang have been found. His Majesty issued a proclamation today, declaring that the Earl of Pingyuan, Minister of War Zhang Feng, and Supervising Ministry of Revenue of the Ministry of Revenue Sun Zhongming conspired to murder a member of the imperial clan and will have their entire families exterminated. You can rest assured now."

"Amitabha Buddha." Hengyuan closed his eyes and softly chanted the Buddha's name.

"You only stumbled into this case by chance, Nightwatchers won't hold you responsible. But shouldn't you explain to me what this thing is?"

Xu Qi'an took out a small jade mirror from his pocket and slammed it onto the table.

This small jade mirror was found at the bottom of the well; it is fragment number six belonging to Hengyuan.

P. S.: My cervical spondylosis has flared up, and it hurts terribly. I can only type for half an hour, then lie down in bed for a while, then type for half an hour, then lie down in bed for a while. I really can't sit still, it's so sore.

There should be an extra chapter for the Alliance Leader in the next chapter. Yes, I should continue writing, but I can't guarantee how late I'll finish. Please check back tomorrow morning. If I can't update, then there will be four chapters tomorrow, so please don't stay up late waiting. I can't guarantee that I will definitely update at night.

My neck hurts so much, I'm going to lie down for a while.