Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 107: Detectives Emerge from the Great Xiangguo Temple?

"The Five Immortals Sect is skilled in poison techniques and Gu arts, as well as various strange methods. They also have the Five Spirits Sword Technique."

"As for lightness skills, most people learn 'Spirit Serpent's Hundred Sheddings Body' and 'Thousand Spider Shadow Step'."

"With these two movement techniques, disciples of the Five Immortals Sect will be able to venture into deep mountains and great rivers to collect medicinal herbs."

"As for the Five Spirit Envoys, the Holy Maiden, and the Sect Leader, who have profound cultivation, they practice the 'Five Spirit Transformation Step' which is paired with the 'Five Spirit Heart Sutra'. It ranks seventeenth on the Baiyulou Lightness Skill Ranking. It is said that its key is 'Five Spirits are not spirits, transforming and forgetting form'."

Jie Xian first answered the first question.

His martial arts skills were not particularly high, but he traveled extensively and was knowledgeable in various fields, having a broad understanding of different schools of thought.

At this moment, he spoke eloquently, which broadened Zhan Zhao's horizons.

"The Five Spirits Transformation Step... The Five Spirits are not spirits... Transformation and forgetting form?"

The aura of that figure disappearing appeared in Zhan Zhao's mind, and he slowly shook his head: "That person's technique should not be the Five Elements Transformation Step, it doesn't seem to match these characteristics."

"As for the matter of lightness skill, it all depends on Junior Brother's discerning judgment. As for Junior Brother Jieshu's temperament..."

Jie Xian said slowly, "His nature is calm and collected. Even if Ding Chen steals his poisonous flower, he will not suddenly have murderous intent."

Zhan Zhao listened.

Dingchen's theft of the flower was certainly despicable, but not a capital offense. If Jieshu had been so ruthless, there would have been many more opportunities to commit murder.

It is even more terrifying for someone who has the ability to use poison.

Putting aside other things, how can one pass the annual test of abstaining from killing?
If the person was not a killer, then there are two clues to tracing the murderer.

First, it possesses the Xiyan Flower;

Secondly, the method of murder through flower arranging;
"The origin of the Xiyan Flower is not difficult to find. Luo Shijun promoted this flower at his birthday banquet, so it's impossible that there was only one. There must be more in his mansion, perhaps hidden in the Tianxiang Tower."

"As for the method of murder involving flower arranging..."

Zhan Zhao stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence and turned to look outside.

A moment later, a head popped in, revealing a bright smile; it was Pang Xu.

He was carrying a food box in his hand, and he trotted in, saying warmly, "Master! Master Jiexian! Please have some tonight!"

Zhan Zhao: "..."

It's not surprising to use the respectful term "master" for a monk, but this person clearly didn't mean it that way.

"It's all vegetarian food, absolutely no meat, I guarantee you'll both be satisfied!"

Pang Xu placed the food box on the table and began to put out stacks of dishes, calling out to the customers.

Having just been hinted to by his father to keep an eye on this powerful master of abstinence, and having witnessed the other man's martial arts skills, Pang Xu was truly filled with longing.

Compared to this, what martial arts instructors taught before were all just tricks and schemes.
Most importantly, the person in front of me is so young, yet he is so skilled in Buddhism and martial arts. Could he also become just as skilled?
You're overthinking it.

Zhan Zhao didn't even need to use the Six Hearts Clarity Technique; he could tell what the kid was thinking just by looking at his face, so he didn't say anything more.

Who didn't dream of becoming a martial arts master when they were young?
Jie Xian did not refuse. After enjoying the late-night snack, he nodded and praised, "Thank you for your kindness, Second Young Master."

Pang Xu quickly replied, "What are you saying? If it weren't for the presence of the two masters tonight, my Pang residence would be in a state of panic, and we would certainly have disturbed our distinguished guests!"

When the topic of distinguished guests came up, Zhan Zhao asked, "Dingchen of our temple had met several maids before his death. They led him to another courtyard. Were you able to ask him about the details of what happened?"

"This……"

Pang Xu did not lie: "To be honest with you two masters, it is already late, and after all the trouble, those guests came to my residence to attend my mother's birthday banquet. They are also close friends with my sister, so they stayed overnight at the other courtyard. How could we disturb them any further?"

"This is not an intrusion."

Zhan Zhao shook his head: "The most important thing is the whereabouts of the deceased before death. Clues to the murderer are often hidden in these conversations. If we deliberately avoid them, it may lead to disaster."

Pang Xu asked curiously, "What trouble?"

Zhan Zhao said, "What if the murderer intends to kill more than one person?"

Pang Xu was startled: "How do you know?"

"Because of the unusual method of killing."

Zhan Zhao said.

Serial killers in later generations often use specific behavioral patterns to satisfy their psychological needs.

In actual cases, this refers to the ritualistic aspects that are imbued into the act of violence.

This way, onlookers and investigators would immediately know that the deceased was killed by a certain serial killer.

Placing flowers on the heart is precisely a ritual with a clear purpose.

Of course, this could also be a specific ritual performed only for Dingchen.

But if not, it might be the beginning of a massacre!
Zhan Zhao explained it very simply, and Pang Xu understood. The murderer might kill again. In his shock and anger, he said with difficulty, "But those are women, it's not easy to get close to them!"

Zhan Zhao naturally couldn't say, "You have such a big sister, go find your sister!" He simply said calmly, "With a calm mind, all obstacles can be overcome. This depends on the Second Young Master's quick wit."

Pang Xu's eyes darted around: "Is this a test for me?"

Zhan Zhao said, "How can a person who has renounced worldly life take the safety of others as a test?"

Pang Xu, somewhat embarrassed, clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute: "I understand your meaning, Master. Please await good news!"

After saying that, he left in a hurry.

……

The inner quarters of the Pang family mansion.

Pang Lingyi came out of her mother's room.
Luo was clearly startled.

Anyone celebrating their birthday would find it hard to remain calm if they heard that someone in their family had died.

Moreover, someone like Luo, who is a Buddhist, would think that this was a punishment and warning from the Bodhisattva because he had done something wrong in his daily life.

Fortunately, with Pang Lingyi's comforting words, Luo finally fell asleep.

Pang Lingyi couldn't sleep.

She never expected that a murder would happen in the Pang family mansion.

The world is indeed dangerous; even staying at home cannot save you from danger.

"Little sister, is Mother asleep?"

She had just asked her maid to brew a bowl of calming soup and was sipping it slowly when she saw her second brother, Pang Xu, stride over.

"Mother has gone to sleep."

Seeing that he looked a little tired, Pang Lingyi had a maid serve him the soup that had been prepared as well: "Brother, drink it and get some rest too."

"No! I can't sleep yet!"

Pang Xu sat down and said very directly, "I also want to become a disciple of Master Jiese!"

"Ugh!" Pang Lingyi, unaware of what had happened in the front yard, nearly spat out a mouthful of soup upon hearing this, and instinctively exclaimed, "No!"

"Why not?"

Pang Xu frowned: "Don't you also practice martial arts? Don't think I don't know. Every time you kick the maid out, you're secretly practicing. Are you going to catch up with me in a few years?"

"Yes, yes~"

Pang Lingyi chimed in irritably, then changed the subject: "What I mean is, Second Brother is already one of the best among the younger generation. At only nineteen, how many of your peers can rival you? You've already mastered enough martial arts; you should focus more on your career!"

"My sister has a keen eye."

Pang Xu was quite pleased with himself, but he was not complacent: "I used to think that my martial arts were not bad, but compared with Master Jie Se, the difference is obvious. It is not easy to meet such a master. If I can become his disciple, it will be of great help in the future and will not conflict with my career."

Pang Lingyi laughed: "Second Brother has good taste."

"of course!"

Pang Xu said smugly, "I think in a few years, this master of abstinence will have to change his title."

Pang Lingyi asked curiously, "What's your name?"

Pang Xu said in a deep voice: "The abstinent monk!"

"Abstaining from lust...abstaining from lust, the divine monk...pfft!"

Pang Lingyi tried to hold back, but she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"what's so funny?"

Pang Xu said solemnly, "Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. Father was right. This is a Dharma name that only eminent Buddhist monks have. Simply put, one can only become a divine monk by abstaining from lust!"

Pang Lingyi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly flew into a rage: "You even know about Buddhism now? Go back and practice your kung fu!"

Pang Xu was puzzled when he saw his sister suddenly get angry, but he didn't dare to say anything.

At times like these, few people in the family dare to utter a sound, only muttering, "What's wrong? You were talking so well..."

Pang Lingyi wasn't really angry. She snorted and asked again, "Since you wanted to become an apprentice, why did you suddenly return to the inner quarters?"

"Oh right! I came back to look for clues!"

Pang Xuguang was so preoccupied with learning unparalleled martial arts from the divine monk that he almost forgot his main task and ended up explaining the possibility of a serial killing.

"The murderer can also kill people?"

Pang Lingyi's expression changed.

The death of one person at the Pang family's birthday banquet is already disheartening enough.

I thought he was just a follower, but he turned out to be a monk from the Daxiangguo Temple, and his involvement was quite significant.

But it was eventually suppressed.

But if there is a second or even a third victim, the case will be completely different!

Why didn't you say so sooner?

Pang Lingyi grumbled, then stood up abruptly: "I'll investigate the clues from the women's side. You go back and tell... that master to make sure he pays attention to the safety of the outer residence and protects the Pang family."

Pang Xu said, "My father asked me to do this before, and I was thinking that it would be a good opportunity to find a master like this and have more contact with him!"

Pang Lingyi's eyes flickered: "We'll talk about this later. Let's solve the case first."

She paused, then added a layer of clarification regarding her senior brother's identity: "If the master has any instructions later, just listen to him. I heard from the elder sister from the Beppu residence that this master is very skilled at solving cases!"

"Huh? The Great Xiangguo Temple is full of detectives?"

Pang Xu was a little puzzled: "I remember Zhan Zhao, who temporarily served as the Six Doors' Divine Constable, was from the Great Xiangguo Temple, right? Father even wanted me to recruit him, but unfortunately, he returned to the temple before I could..."

"Now even a master of abstinence is proficient in investigating cases. How come the Great Xiangguo Temple is better at training investigative talents than the Six Doors?"

Pang Lingyi twitched the corner of her mouth: "Daxiangguo Temple is the number one ancient temple in the world, full of talented people, so it's not surprising."

"Oh! That Great Xiangguo Temple is truly amazing, I'm going!"

Pang Xu didn't think much of it and got up to leave.

Pang Lingyi was not in a hurry. Instead, she sat down and pondered carefully. Suddenly, a question came to mind: "Before the deceased Ding Chen was murdered, he was invited by four groups of people to go out four times... Why were there four groups of people?"

After the birthday banquet, she left three of her closest girlfriends at the Pang family's villa—

Hu Yanzhuohua, the young lady of the Hu Yan family; Wang Youning, the young lady of the Wang family; and Lü Fengzhen, the young lady of the Lü family.

Having heard that the Xiyan flower could preserve youth, all three of them were clearly interested.

Who doesn’t want to stay young forever?

A maid was sent to inquire about the effects of the Xiyan flower, and the results were perfectly normal.

But why were they sent three times?
You could easily call someone over, and the three of you could ask them together to find out the truth.

Were they called in batches so that they could be questioned separately from the other two?
Did the other two think the same way?

'Huyan Zhuohua is the most straightforward. She was probably instigated by Wang Youning and Lü Fengzhen, and directly sent her maid to fetch the person.'

'But the uncle didn't show up; only an attendant went. Wang Youning was unwilling to give up, so he sent his maid to fetch someone again, but the attendant again showed up.'

'Lu Fengzhen was always suspicious, so she must have felt that the first two people were keeping it from her. She then sent her maid over for a third invitation, which is why the three of them invited her separately.'

Pang Lingyi was incredibly intelligent, and by combining the personalities of her close girlfriends, she had already guessed the situation of the previous three times with a high degree of accuracy.

Even if there are some initial mistakes in the details, you can basically get the basics right by asking some questions.

The key moment was the fourth contact.

Whom did the attendant go with on his last trip out?

Of the three people, including Huyan Zhuohua, was someone asked twice?

wrong.

Even though the maid went to the guest room twice, she still only found the attendants there. Since Luo Shijun didn't go with her, there was no need to repeat the same process.

'They must be women, otherwise they wouldn't need to go through the maid; they could just visit the guest room directly.'

Who else is in the manor?

'Mother?'

Pang Lingyi slowly shook her head.

My senior brother had previously comforted my mother, and she had already let go of her obsession with the Xi Yan Flower, so she wouldn't dwell on it tonight.

But if it weren't for her mother, and the fact that the women in the household needed to communicate through servants and couldn't directly appear in the outer quarters...

Pang Lingyi's expression suddenly changed, and she said to the maidservant standing beside her, "Go and summon everyone from my room!"

(End of this chapter)