Chapter 62: Stop This At Once

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Stop This At Once

Moonlight hung over Xuanshuang City, casting a pale glow over the ancient temple.

The temple had been more crowded than usual tonight.

Rows of lanterns hung beneath the eaves, their flames swaying gently in the night breeze. The faint scent of incense drifted through the courtyard, mixing with the heavier smell of oil and smoke. At the center of the temple grounds stood a large coffin surrounded by white mourning cloth.

Several monks sat beside it, chanting prayers in low, solemn voices.

The deceased’s family stood nearby, their expressions heavy with grief. Some had their heads lowered in silence, while others could no longer hold back their tears.

It looked like an ordinary funeral.

At least, that was what anyone looking from the outside would have thought.

Yet hidden among the surrounding buildings and beneath the shadows of the temple’s eaves were several cultivators from the Wenjian Sect.

Lin Fan stood among them, his gaze fixed on the funeral below.

"Senior Brother, should we go out now?" one of the disciples asked quietly.

Lin Fan glanced toward the funeral before shaking his head. "Not yet."

"But the ritual is almost finished."

"I know." Lin Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

He had already pieced together enough evidence to determine that the temple was involved in something suspicious, largely because he knew how this part of the novel was supposed to unfold.

In the original story, the revelation would happen just before the corpse was cremated. Lin Fan, having just completed his own investigation, would rush arrive at the temple just in time to expose the corpse as a fake.

His revelation would immediately shock everyone present. In front of the gathered crowd, he would then cast a spell to dispel the disguise, proving that the corpse was nothing more than a wooden carving.

The temple would naturally deny the accusation, insisting that Lin Fan was merely trying to frame them.

However, the authorities from the City Lord’s Mansion would soon arrive, and Lin Fan would take the lead in the investigation.

His investigation would eventually lead them to a secret underground chamber, where they would discover the corpses of people who had supposedly already been cremated.

With such damning evidence before them, the authorities would immediately seize the monks.

Realizing that they could no longer escape, the abbot would reveal his true identity as a demon and attempt to flee. A fierce battle would then break out between the two sides, but as expected, Lin Fan and the authorities would emerge victorious and take the culprits into custody.

During the interrogation, the monks would eventually confess that they had indeed been responsible for killing people and that they had been colluding with the demon clan to sell the corpses.

Not long afterward, however, the monks would die inexplicably while in custody. By then though it hardly mattered since they had already confessed, and the evidence was more than enough to conclude the case.

Naturally, Lin Fan, as the person in charge and having the most contribution, would be regarded as the person who had gained the most from the entire incident.

The Lin Fan of this world, the transmigrator, had been following the same path as the protagonist from the novel. However, unlike the original Lin Fan, who had to investigate the case step by step, he already knew exactly where the trail would lead. There was no need for him to waste time on unnecessary investigations. Instead, he had gone straight to the crucial point of the investigation.

That was why Lin Fan and his fellow disciples were already at the temple, waiting for the right moment to expose the truth instead of the case in the novel where they almost missed the important moments.

"Don’t worry. Just wait a little longer. We need to choose the right moment. It could be dangerous if we act too early," Lin Fan said.

In truth, however, he was not worried about the danger. He was waiting for the moment when he could make the greatest impression. He already knew that Luo Qingya and her sister were somewhere nearby, although he had yet to figure out exactly where they were. Since he was going to put on a show, naturally, he had to choose the timing that would benefit him the most.

The disciples exchanged glances, their admiration for Lin Fan growing as they thought about how quickly he had led them to this point.

"Senior Brother is really amazing. We were able to piece together the evidence so quickly in just a few days, all thanks to you," one of them praised.

Another disciple immediately nodded, his eyes filled with excitement. "Exactly! I’m already looking forward to what happens later. Once everyone sees what we’ve uncovered, they’ll definitely look at us differently. This is a great contribution to the sect!"

"Exactly, exactly! Our Senior Brother is really impressive. Unlike certain people who pretend to be good but aren’t at all."

The others immediately burst into laughter, clearly directing the last remark at Sui Sui and Yizhou.

Lin Fan waved his hand, pretending not to care about such petty remarks. "Alright, alright. Don’t let such small things bother you," he said, putting on the appearance of a magnanimous senior brother who was above such trivial matters.

The monks’ prayers finally came to an end. The solemn chanting gradually faded, leaving behind a heavy silence that settled over the funeral grounds.

The abbot stepped forward and stood before the coffin. He lowered his gaze and spoke in a solemn voice.

"May the soul be freed from its earthly ties, enter reincarnation, and find a peaceful rebirth. Prepare the lamps and light the coffin."

"Yes, understood."

The monks standing on either side immediately saluted before each taking an oil lamp from the attendants.

Seeing this, Lin Fan’s eyes narrowed slightly.

This was the moment.

He had been waiting patiently for this exact scene. The funeral had reached the point he remembered from the novel, and soon, he would expose the fake corpse before everyone present.

Lin Fan rose from his seat, preparing to step forward.

Below, the atmosphere remained solemn. The family members stood around the coffin, their faces filled with grief as they prepared to watch their loved one be cremated. Some could no longer hold back their tears, their quiet sobs gradually growing louder.

Just as the monks were about to proceed, however—

"Stop this at once!"

The sudden shout cut through the funeral like thunder.

Everyone froze. The mournful cries of the grieving family abruptly fell silent as countless gazes turned toward the source of the interruption.

Standing among the crowd was a young man dressed in pristine white robes, his fair skin appearing almost ethereal beneath the pale moonlight. His long black hair swayed gently in the night breeze, a few strands brushing against his shoulders as he stood firmly before the gathered crowd. Bathed in moonlight, his figure seemed strangely striking against the solemn atmosphere of the funeral, his presence commanding attention despite his youthful appearance.

Seeing this person appear, Lin Fan, who had just been about to step forward, stopped in his tracks and his expression stiffened. For some reason, an inexplicable sense of unease suddenly rose in his heart.