Chapter 351 - 349: Provocation in Her Eyes (First Update)

Chapter 351: Chapter 349: Provocation in Her Eyes (First Update)

In the instant Master Xuan Yin’s gaze met Xu Jing’s, Xu Jing felt as if an invisible hand gripped her heart tightly, and it seemed like a chilling wind swept past her back. She felt absurdly exposed, as if all her thoughts were laid bare before this person.

Her heart involuntarily tensed up, and just as she was scrutinizing Master Xuan Yin, Mr. Yao approached, lightly clearing his throat and saying, "Previously, when my wife and my daughter-in-law came here to worship, I once came to fetch them and met Master Xuan Yin. Who would have thought Master Xuan Yin would remember me till this day? It’s almost two years ago. Master Xuan Yin truly deserves her reputation for an excellent memory.

Therefore, I straightforwardly told her that I was here to investigate a case."

The implication of his words was that he thought he had only met Master Xuan Yin once, and that was a long time ago, so she certainly wouldn’t remember him.

Who would have thought she remembered clearly? He probably got recognized by Master Xuan Yin not long after he entered Jingyuan Temple.

Since his identity was already exposed, there was no point in hiding anymore, so he candidly revealed their purpose for coming. Master Xuan Yin was able to recognize Xu Jing as the recently renowned Miss Xu in the Western Capital, probably because Mr. Yao had mentioned it to her.

Mr. Yao had even gone to the trouble of changing into plain clothes to avoid exposing his identity.

Xu Jing’s eyes flickered slightly, and she smiled, saying, "So that’s how it is. Mr. Yao and I thought of coming in to have a look at the situation first. After all, this is a place for monastic seclusion. Causing a commotion might be disrespectful to the Buddha."

Master Xuan Yin followed behind Mr. Yao, walked over, and with a faint smile said, "Mr. Yao carries himself with such poise; naturally, I wouldn’t forget him. Mr. Yao just mentioned that he came to our Jingyuan Temple to investigate the case of Jiang San and Sister-in-law Wu. Jiang San and Sister-in-law Wu... They also came to our temple to worship before. Knowing they met with misfortune, I also feel deeply uneasy."

Upon saying this, she performed a Buddhist ritual and chanted "Amitabha Buddha."

Xu Jing, however, looked at her coldly.

Master Xuan Yin was tall and thin, with slightly sunken cheeks. If not for her spry movements and remarkably healthy complexion, Xu Jing might have suspected she was ill.

Her complexion wasn’t just good; for someone of her age, she seemed particularly spirited, with eyes clearer and sharper than many young women.

This Jingyuan Temple wasn’t just any small temple. Other than Famen Temple, it was the most famous temple around the Western Capital. It could be said that all sorts of dignitaries visited here. For Master Xuan Yin to remember Mr. Yao, who was nothing more than an acquaintance, might indeed be due to her good memory. But her eagerness to greet him once she saw him was somewhat peculiar.

If Master Xuan Yin had to greet and chat with every dignitary who came here, there would certainly be no end to it.

Besides, having only met Mr. Yao once, not familiar at all, her act of striking up a conversation seemed even more intriguing.

After Master Xuan Yin finished chanting "Amitabha Buddha," Xu Jing spoke in a flat voice, "Jiang San visited Jingyuan Temple three days before her death and had a private meeting with Master Xuan Yin. Now that Jiang San is gone, Master Xuan Yin seems quite composed."

Mr. Yao was taken aback and looked at Xu Jing in surprise.

He had only just arrived and encountered Master Xuan Yin, and hadn’t had time to investigate anything yet!

Master Xuan Yin, unexpectedly, had previously met Jiang San alone?!

And Xu Jing’s sudden confrontation with Master Xuan Yin, could it be that she suspected Master Xuan Yin of involvement in the crime?

Master Xuan Yin looked calmly at Xu Jing, sighed softly, and spoke as if tolerating a willful child, "I’ve seen too many partings of life and death, human tragedies, growing up. Moreover, to a monk like me, someone’s passing is merely them experiencing the cycle of life and death, returning to where they should be."

"Merely experiencing the cycle of life and death?"

Xu Jing couldn’t help but laugh coldly, saying, "Then, may I ask Master, if someone dies with unresolved grievances, how could they enter their next cycle without any attachments? In the face of a murder case involving human lives, Master’s words are rather heartless. Or is it that, in Master’s view, Sister-in-law Wu and Jiang San deserved to be murdered?"

Xu Jing rarely spoke so pointedly; Mr. Yao couldn’t help but look at Xu Jing quite bewildered, and even Jiang Erlang’s gaze towards Xu Jing deepened a shade.

Only Master Xuan Yin continued to look at Xu Jing calmly and suddenly, her lips curled into a smile. However, that smile inexplicably carried a hint of cold indifference, "Miss Xu has shown quite a bit of hostility towards me from the start. May I ask if I have offended Miss Xu in some way?"

Xu Jing couldn’t help but snicker inwardly.

This person pretends to be confused when she clearly understands!

Since she and Mr. Yao walked out of the main hall together, she had felt a hint of challenge in her gaze.

She was right; she deliberately approached Mr. Yao and intentionally revealed that he was here to investigate a case!

Moreover, she clearly knew what case they were investigating!

Yet she still acted so calm and composed, as if saying ’Go ahead and investigate, let’s see what you can find’.

Xu Jing had seen plenty of criminals, but those with such a strong psychological disposition were rare.

She simply asked directly, "Sister-in-law Wu fell to her death around 1 a.m. on December 20th at Xinyi Inn east of the Capital City. May I ask where Master Xuan Yin was at that time?"

Master Xuan Yin slightly raised her eyebrows, still calmly replying, "Is Miss Xu suspecting me? Before then, I was translating a scripture. Scriptures are profound and complex. To translate them, I need to understand the mysteries within first, and only then choose the most suitable words. These days, I often read late into the night to comprehend them, frequently till dawn.

If I remember correctly, I spent the entire night of December 20th interpreting the scriptures, and Jinglian, who was standing guard outside the door can vouch for this."

The past of Master Xuan Yin is quite inspirational; she renounced the world at a young age, extensively read scriptures, and taught herself Sanskrit, making her one of the few in Great Chu capable of translating scriptures.

It is precisely because of this qualification that she became the abbess of Jingyuan Temple.

After hearing her words, Xu Jing’s brows furrowed slightly.

The night Sister-in-law Wu had her accident, she happened to be translating scriptures all night? Such a coincidence!

She continued to stare intently at Master Xuan Yin before her, saying, "And where was Master Xuan Yin in the early hours of December 28th?"

Seeing her still composed, seemingly unperturbed by the alibi she presented, Master Xuan Yin’s eyes revealed a trace of amusement, speaking meaningfully, "Quite coincidentally, that day too I spent the whole night interpreting scriptures, and Miao Lian, my other young disciple, was on guard outside my door that day.

If Miss Xu doesn’t believe me, I can call Jinglian and Miao Lian over to let Miss Xu and Mr. Yao question them."