Chapter 353 - 351: No Anomaly Is the Norm (First Update)

Chapter 353: Chapter 351: No Anomaly Is the Norm (First Update)

Mr. Yao was taken aback and looked toward Xu Jing, saying, "Miss Xu, why do you say that?"

"You all saw Master Xuan Yin’s attitude just now; she wasn’t afraid at all of us investigating her."

Xu Jing spoke each word deliberately: "In such a scenario, there are only two possibilities.

One, she is not the murderer, so a clear conscience fears no accusation.

Two, she is very confident that even if we investigate her, we won’t find anything."

After hearing what Jinglian and Miao Lian said, and knowing her connections with those two victims, who would believe she has nothing to do with this case!

Not to mention her deliberately provocative expressions and tone!

Mr. Yao quickly said, "Miss Xu, do you think she knew we would investigate all along, so she cleared all the evidence in advance?"

Whenever someone commits a crime, they always leave traces behind.

If the investigators can’t find these traces, it only indicates that they haven’t looked in the right places, or that the criminal is extremely clever and has managed to erase all evidence before them.

However, the second scenario can actually be included in the first scenario. Even if that criminal is very clever, the things he’s done will certainly leave traces, even if he has tried hard to clean them up. If investigators can’t solve the case, it only shows that their methods are not as skillful; simply put, they didn’t search in the right places during the investigation.

There can’t be a perfect crime in this world.

This is a point Xu Jing insists on from the beginning to the end.

Moreover, although Master Xuan Yin is smart, she’s far from competent enough to play the authorities for fools.

She shook her head, speaking coldly, "I previously mentioned that the criminal’s counter-investigation... ahem, understanding of government investigations isn’t deep. A criminal who doesn’t even realize that the footprints they left contain lethal flaws—how could such a person anticipate that the authorities would quickly investigate here and even clean up all their evidence in advance?

Furthermore, considering the previous cases that happened at Jingyuan Temple, the criminal has already used the same method to kill three people, indicating her high confidence in this method. If we hadn’t investigated, she would have used the same method to kill more people.

Moreover, prior to Jiang San’s case turning up yesterday morning, neither outside rumors nor the official judgement directed blame toward foul play in previous deaths. This misunderstanding continued until then. Even regarding Jiang San’s case, it’s mostly the government officials who noticed something odd. Ordinary people and even well-informed noble families still believe that Jiang San committed suicide.

Under such circumstances, unless the criminal has an insider in the government—how could she possibly know that we’ve detected something wrong?"

Jiang Yu, who had been leaning against a tree trunk beside them, glanced at Xu Jing. With a slightly serious demeanor, he said, "So, Miss Xu thinks the tools and evidence of Master Xuan Yin’s crime are still here. She feels so secure in the belief that we can never find those things?"

Xu Jing paused, then stood up and said, "I can’t make a judgment now; I must first go and have a look at Master Xuan Yin’s room."

Master Xuan Yin’s room is the place where Sister-in-law Wu and Jiang San both died during the night when Master Xuan Yin was up all night studying scriptures.

All her little schemes must have been completed in that room.

When Mr. Yao’s identity was exposed earlier, he had already called in the government officials waiting outside to guard various parts of Jingyuan Temple, especially keeping a close watch on Master Xuan Yin and the little nuns, so they weren’t worried about Master Xuan Yin pulling off any tricks during that time.

Master Xuan Yin’s Lotus Room was at the very back of the courtyard, in a separate yard composed of the main house at the front, east and west wing rooms, and a rear house. The courtyard layout was straightforward, with each corner having a lawn. In the upper left corner, there was a persimmon tree, which looked quite old, taller than the nearby rooftops. Its leaves had all fallen, leaving only a bare trunk and interwoven branches.

Master Xuan Yin followed behind them, gave them a faint glance, and chanted a Buddhist mantra, saying, "This is the humble abode where I reside. If Mr. Yao and Miss Xu have any questions, they can ask me at any time."

Xu Jing gave her a cold look, while Mr. Yao gestured to the officials who had come in, "Spread out and search thoroughly; don’t overlook any unusual signs!"

With that, Mr. Yao and Xu Jing went straight to the front main house and opened the sliding door.

The rooms where monks live are mostly simple and unadorned, and Master Xuan Yin’s room was no exception. The main room’s floor was covered with a mat, and in the upper right corner, there were three chests lined up side by side. In front of the chests was a folded, thick mat, alongside which was a neatly folded plain quilt with a wooden pillow placed on top.

Across from the chests stood a writing desk, with a three-tiered bookshelf next to it. Both the first and second tiers were filled with scriptures, while the third held some small Zen objects. On the desk were neatly arranged the Four Treasures of the Study.

Besides these, there was nothing else in the room.

It was so simple one could quickly take in everything inside at one glance.

Xu Jing couldn’t help but slightly furrow her brows.

At this moment, Master Xuan Yin also came over and, pointing at the desk, gave a faint smile, saying, "On those two nights, I sat behind that desk studying the scriptures."

Mr. Yao deliberately called Jinglian and Miao Lian over, and upon seeing this, they nodded and said, "Yes, Master was sitting there at that time."

Mr. Yao looked toward Master Xuan Yin and said, "Next, we will search Master Xuan Yin’s room. I hope she doesn’t mind."

Even if she minded, they would still have to search it.

He said this as a mere courtesy.

Master Xuan Yin smiled very calmly and said, "As long as it assists in the investigation, Mr. Yao may even dismantle this room if necessary."

Her attitude was so calm that it was perplexing.

Seeing her demeanor, Xu Jing and Mr. Yao both felt a slight unease, with a sense of foreboding.

Sure enough, after searching every corner of the room, the two exchanged a deep glance.

In this room, let alone mannequins, there was not even a place that seemed capable of hiding one!

They had considered the possibility of a secret room, but Mr. Yao had already crawled on the floor, tapping every inch without finding any trace of a secret chamber!

Moreover, the edges of the room’s walls were very clear, and none appeared thick enough to house a secret room!

Even the three chests were emptied out with the help of the little nuns, revealing only some of Master Xuan Yin’s clothing—nothing unusual within.

Finally, Mr. Yao walked over to Xu Jing, saying helplessly, "Miss Xu, it seems there’s nothing unusual about this room."

"It’s normal for there to be no abnormalities."

Xu Jing gave a subtle look towards Master Xuan Yin, not far away, and said, "If her evidence was that easy for us to find, she wouldn’t be this calm. But those items must be nearby, very likely within this courtyard."