Chapter 65: Suspect Xiao Ping
February 16th, 3:30 pm
Seeing that Shen Kuo was in a daze for a while, the monk continued talking to himself.
"Look, there is a method of judging a case by water and fire in it. Unfortunately, there seems to be a picture at the back, but it is stained and cannot be seen."
The monk's words triggered Shen Kuo's thoughts, and he leaned over to take a look. Sure enough, he saw an article titled "Water and Fire Judgment", and the picture behind it was covered by a stain.
"Water and Fire Judgment?" He repeated it to himself twice. This word sounded familiar. It was definitely not the first time he had heard it. He read on and saw the following words: To distinguish the true from the false, you can use the Water and Fire method to judge. Before using this method, you must not drink alcohol, eat non-vegetarian food, shave your hair, or have sex.
"No drinking?"
He suddenly remembered that day when Xiao Ping was kidnapped by her deceased husband's family in the countryside of Jingdong Road and hidden in a dilapidated temple on the mountain. When he approached from behind the dilapidated temple to save her, he heard a conversation inside. At that time, Xiao Ping asked for wine, but the old man called Jiu Gong had said that no alcohol was allowed before the verdict.
"Jiu Gong?" He recalled that when he tracked the demon clan into the woods a few days ago, the thieves seemed to have mentioned this name.
Shen Kuo tried to recall the scene when he first met Jiu Gong. He was on a boat at that time and saw Jiu Gong chasing down the boat with a group of young men. After being tricked by him, he left with a dog. A few days later, he ran into him in the Yue Lao Temple in Songzhou. At that time, he also brought a group of people to tie Xiao Ping from under the Yue Lao tree and took her to the dilapidated temple on the hill.
He had never doubted anything Xiao Ping said, including that Jiu Gong was the father of her late husband. However, in their conversation in the dilapidated temple, they did not mention the terms daughter-in-law and father-in-law. The relationship between them was more like that of a servant and a prisoner.
What does "judgment" mean? He asked himself again and again. Then he thought, since there is a painting behind, maybe he can see something.
"Master, the dirt on this silk is blocking some painting inside. Can you clean this stain?"
"Well, paper won't work, but silk might be okay. Do you have any wine?" said the monk, who knew everything.
"I'll get it."
"Bring up another basin."
Shen Kuo went downstairs in two steps and got a bottle of wine and a copper basin from the kitchen.
The monk had already spread out the scroll on the table, poured some water from the pitcher into the copper basin, put a towel in it, took a sip of wine, held it in his mouth, and sprayed it onto the silk.
Then wipe up the mess with a damp towel.
Something strange happened, the dirt was gradually washed away, and a painting was revealed underneath. The text on it read: Water Judgment Method. In the painting, a wooden cage with a person in it was hung by an iron chain and slowly slid like water. The person in the cage was looking at Shen Kuo outside the picture with a smile on his face. Shen Kuo felt a chill on his neck when he saw him like this. He looked at the text on the side again: "If there are any suspected infiltrators of our religion, or suspected apostates, they will be ordered to enter the wooden cage and immerse in water. If they are not dead for a moment, the oracle will make it clear: they are the good followers of our religion and are not hiding evil and false followers. The rest of you should not be suspicious anymore."
Shen Kuo had never seen this part of the stained painting before, so he never understood what this evil book was about. There were many spell books like this in Maitreya, most of which were nonsense and not worth exploring, but he didn't expect that this stained painting would contain such a secret.
He then looked behind.
The monk was so quick that he washed away the dirt at the back and drank up the rest of the wine.
The back of the painting shows a smiling man sitting in a fire. There is also a line of words written on the side: "If anyone is suspected of sneaking into my religion or apostasy, I order him to take off his clothes and throw himself into the fire. If his skin is not injured, his hair is not damaged, and he does not shed tears from the smoke, the gods will tell him to be my good followers. He is not a disguised evil, and everyone should stop suspecting him. "
It seems that this is the so-called "water and fire judgment" method.
His mind was racing, and all the past events flashed through his mind. He suddenly remembered that he and Xiaoping had come out of the mountains together, and were stopped by a group of policemen. He was about to report Xiaoping's parents-in-law for murdering his daughter-in-law, but was stopped by Xiaoping, the victim. She said that although her husband's family was unkind, she could not be unjust. If her father-in-law was sentenced to exile, he might die on the road and not be able to return to the ancestral grave, and she would also be wronging her late husband.
These words sounded reasonable at the time, but now they are clearly a cover-up. Is there any husband in the world who is so cruel that he wants to take his daughter-in-law back and drown her? How could someone who suffered such an injustice refuse to report it to the authorities and even defend her?
"Master, I want to go downstairs and identify the body. I suddenly feel that the elder looks familiar. Maybe I can recognize him."
"Oh. Please do as you please. I'll just rest here for a while." The monk did not show too much curiosity, nor did he ask the reason.
Shen Kuo walked down the stairs slowly and came to the coffins in the backyard. The lids of the coffins were still open. He walked to the last coffin and examined it carefully for a moment.
The hunchbacked old man had a charred face like the Jiugong he had met that day, but judging from his figure and facial features, he actually looked 80% similar. He suddenly understood a lot of things. Maybe when he met Xiaoping at Suzhou Ferry on the night of the 28th day of the first lunar month, she was not being hunted by her husband's family, but by the Maitreya sect hiding in this area.
As for their past, it was hard to speculate, but Maitreya wanted to arrest her to investigate something. According to the book above, once someone's loyalty to Maitreya was suspected, they could use the water and fire method to determine whether they were guilty.
In fact, it is impossible for anyone to hold their breath underwater for a moment. This method is nothing more than drowning the suspect. But even so, the monk's accusation that Xiao Ping used ventriloquism to pretend to be a puppet is still somewhat unreasonable. She has already escaped from the wooden cage, which is equivalent to breaking off all ties with the Maitreya Sect. Why would she help them with that show?
However, she thought again. When she escaped from the wooden cage, she thought that the Maitreya Church on the mountain would chase her. At that time, she was worried that her lame leg would hinder her escape, but no one chased her. Maybe the Maitreya Church did not chase her because they regarded her escape from the wooden cage as a clear verdict?
If that's the case, then it makes sense.
He stood in front of the corpse alone, thinking carefully about all these things, while Xu Chong led the horse to the back. Xu Chong also looked anxious, and wanted to put the horse in the stable in the backyard before going upstairs to tell Shen Kuo about the amazing discovery today, but he didn't expect Shen Kuo to stand beside the coffin in a daze, which scared him.
"Brother Shen, why are you watching the dead here?"
Shen Kuo finally came to his senses from his shock. Seeing that it was Xu Chong, he quickly asked, "Have you found the villa on Gu Liugang? Have you found Xiao Ping?"
"We found the villa, but it was deserted. The nearby courtyards were also empty, and Xiaoping and Jin'er were nowhere to be seen."
"The manor is completely empty ? Are all those singing girls, actors, farmhands, and servants gone too?"
"Yes, there really is not even a ghost left. The house is still neat and clean, and there is still some firewood and rice in the kitchen of the mansion, but there is no one. I asked the nearby mountain people, and they all said that dozens of carriages and horses suddenly came yesterday, and no one knew why. At night, there were no lights or singing and dancing in the villa. In the morning, when someone went into the mountain, he saw that there was no one inside. Don't you think it's strange?"
"Xu Jieji, I have one more thing to trouble you with."
"I will obey your orders."
"I saw Jin'er in the palace the day before yesterday. I think the master and servant have already returned to the city. Please find out where she and Xiaoping are."
While he was speaking, he saw the monk standing aside. He didn't know when he went downstairs. He didn't say anything either, and his indifference seemed a little deliberate.
"Brother Shen, is there any reason why you are so anxious to find them?" Xu Chong asked vigilantly.
"Xu Jieji, this is a long story. The deceased seems to be the late husband of Xiaoping whom I met in Suzhou before going to Beijing."
"But you clearly said the other day that these five people are all followers of the Maitreya Sect?"
"Well, maybe we have all been deceived by Xiao Ping. I can't explain this matter clearly at the moment. If Xiao Ping has some connection with Maitreya, she probably wouldn't dare to return to the city at this moment. Why don't you secretly investigate Jin Er's whereabouts and see if Xiao Ping is still there. If she is... I have something to ask her."
"Okay, I'll go visit right away." Xu Chong was confused after hearing this and went out again with his horse.
At this time, the monk walked forward, also with a confused look on his face.
"Could it be that Xiao Ping is also a suspect?"
Shen Kuo felt that the monk was overacting. A few days ago, he swore that Xiaoping was using ventriloquism to pretend to be a puppet, but now he looked confused.
"Master, I don't want to do this either, but...but..."
"However, you feel that she has a close connection with the Maitreya religion?"
"Yes, if I can find her, I would like to ask her first."
"Now the country is on the verge of chaos, and the safety of the people is hanging by a thread. The affairs of the country and family depend entirely on you. Whether you care about the world or are concerned about personal feelings, it all depends on your thoughts." said the monk.
"Master, you mean..."
"Amitabha, I once wanted to save the world, but what I got in return was a skeleton temple. You can decide the twists and turns and pros and cons yourself. I have something else to do, so I'll take my leave now." The monk said and turned to leave.
"Master, I still have something for you to teach me."
"Cun Zhong, this is your origin, your karma, and your destiny. How to decide it is up to you in your heart. You don't need to ask others... All appearances are false. If you see all appearances as non-appearances, then you see the Tathagata." The monk walked away without looking back. He seemed not to want to bear this responsibility. He just let Shen Kuo stand beside the corpses and let the mountain of problems hit this 24-year-old young man.
Shen Kuo returned to the upper floor as if his soul had been taken away. He had been resisting any thoughts about Xiao Ping and Maitreya in his heart, but somehow, this thing was about to come true. But perhaps, he changed his mind: "Maybe she has her own story? It's just that I am obsessed with the external appearance and don't know the falsehood? Maybe, the master's last sentence is to wake me up?"
When he looked up, it was already dark outside. It was already the 11am, but Xu Chong hadn't come back yet. It seemed that he couldn't find Xiao Ping's whereabouts. That meant she was no longer in the city. He remembered the last time he saw Xiao Ping in the courtyard of the mountain villa. She said, "Maybe we are destined to clash. For our own good... maybe we won't meet again."
It seems that what she said was for our own good was meaningful, because she foresaw that meeting again would definitely not be good. However, this meeting still had to happen.
Just as I was daydreaming, I saw Xu Chong coming in downstairs leading his horse again. This time he got off the horse and threw the reins to a policeman, then rushed into the small building. I could hear the sound of footsteps on the stairs. He came up so anxiously, so something must have happened.
Shen Kuo was shocked. If he hadn't found it, he shouldn't be so anxious.
Xu Chong came in in a flash, grabbed a cup of cold tea on the table and drank it. Shen Kuo was waiting anxiously at the side.
"Can you find them?"
"Found her. I went to Xiaoping's aunt's house, but it was empty. Then I found her cousin in the gambling house and asked him where Xiaoping was. But her drunk cousin refused to tell me and only said that Xiaoping didn't want to see her mortal enemy. So I beat him up so much that his nose was crooked. Hahaha..."
"We have become enemies. I'm afraid she won't want to see me again." Shen Kuo sighed.
"I beat that guy and then secretly followed him, but I saw him go to another house across the Dongjier Street to complain to his mother. After a while, I saw his aunt dressed in a coarse linen dress and disguised as an old beggar woman."
"So this is your intention?" Shen Kuo suddenly realized that although Xu Chong was rough, he actually had a clever idea. He wanted to let the aunt tip off so that he could track her down. It was a pity that the cousin got beaten for no reason.
"That old woman was looking around furtively, but she didn't know that I have some tracking skills," Xu Chong said proudly, completely forgetting that he had lost the Maitreya sect believers near Kaibao Temple a few days ago when he was following them on horseback. "I followed them for several streets, all the way to the east wall of the Vermillion Bird Gate, Maili Lane, and found that the old woman entered a courtyard. The gate is not grand, but it has an ancient style and is very unique."
"Is this where Xiao Ping settled?"
"I secretly leaned over the wall and looked inside. I saw a red dress drying in the yard. It was Jin'er's. I had a rough idea of what was going on. Then I saw the old woman talking cautiously at the door for a long time. I waited patiently. When the old woman returned, the woman came out to say goodbye and gave a few more instructions. I could see clearly that it was Xiaoping."
"Sure enough, she actually went back to Bian Jing." Shen Kuo said in panic. He was very afraid of meeting her again as destined.
"Can you tell me how long it will take for the master and servant to return?"
"I have asked the gossipy neighbors about this. They said they have been living here since they became widows. They often go out at night and come back during the day. The neighbors all know about their business in the brothel. They also ran away with the riot in the capital a few days . I thought they went to marry into a wealthy family and would not come back within a month. But they came back in two sedan chairs at midnight yesterday."
This gossipy and wicked neighbor knows quite a lot.
"What's the situation on the street outside Zhuque Gate where their house is located? Are there many pedestrians?"
"Although it is the outer city, it is also a wide street. There are many wine shops along the banks of Cai River. But now there are no pedestrians. Most of the shops are closed."
