The Phantom Thief of Heart! But Conan.

"They have no intention of coming down the mountain. Should we still chase them, Master?"

The three people in front suddenly burst into speed and rose very quickly, soon widening the gap between them and running farther and farther away.

Nishijo Taiga, who was wondering what they were going to do, turned around and glared at the disciple who asked the question.

The end of the road is their base camp, Yulong Temple. Don't chase them? If you don't chase them, will you give the place to them?

"Catch them as soon as possible." Saijo Taiga adjusted the mask on his face and said in a muffled voice, "They look like they might have found a clue to the Buddha statue."

Even though they had been attacked and chased by so many people, they chose to go up the mountain without hesitation... He had a bad feeling.

The purpose is to lure out the three murderers, so of course they have to go up the mountain.

After all, the answer to the mystery currently points to Yulong Temple. It would be really dangerous if we rush in without luring out the people hiding inside.

"This doesn't make sense," Hattori Heiji said as he ran quickly. "If it's hidden in Yulong Temple, why hasn't he found it?"

Since this temple has been under their control for a long time, has he not considered conducting a thorough search here?

This picture puzzle is a little difficult, after all, there are several symbols in it, such as loach, which are indeed a bit abstract and require some thinking. But if you look into it more deeply, it is not that difficult.

The detectives had decent IQs, but not Einstein's. The puzzle they could solve in two days could probably be solved by someone else if they were given more time to think about it - not to mention the length of time and the fact that they were not from Kyoto and were not as sensitive to place names.

Even if Saijo Taiga was really that stupid that he didn't follow the clues to find the site of Gyoryuuji Temple, then he should have considered from a logical point of view where Yoshitsune could have hidden the things?

"Maybe it's not his fault." Tang Ze took a moment to reply while running. "The Buddha statue might be placed in a very hidden place, a secret compartment, a secret room, or an attic, where even the owner himself can't find it."

There is another possibility. Tang Ze had a vague idea when he saw the photos sent by Xingchuan Teru, but he was not in a position to discuss this with the detectives.

It may be a bit of an exaggeration to say that a Buddha statue, which already possesses certain cognitive attributes, is spiritual, but considering its slight influence on human cognition, it is almost the same thing.

Some slight cognitive distortion effects can achieve a state similar to psychological invisibility. Tang Ze himself has played this way, so it is not surprising that the special Buddha statues have this effect.

But forget it, this kind of thing is not suitable to be discussed with Muggle detectives, as they may easily become confused and go astray, so Tang Ze chose to remain silent.

I can only let you be a fool. I'm sorry, Mr. Saijo.

"That's Gyokuryuji Temple, right?" Hattori Heiji looked up. "We'll know what it is like when we go in."

After turning the corner, the main gate of the temple hidden by layers of trees appeared in their sight.

If we only talk about the scenery, the scenery here is still very beautiful. The surrounding cherry trees make the main entrance of the temple look dreamy and magnificent, giving people the feeling of stepping into a fantasy world.

"It's a shame that a temple like this was abandoned and taken over by evildoers." Looking at this scene, Hattori Heiji felt sad. "Why was the temple demolished?"

"There must be some deliberate intention involved." Tang Ze also looked at the temple. "A temple is very special. Its legal status cannot be transferred. So as long as they can prove that they can't maintain the operating costs and there are no monks to inherit the temple, it is natural for it to be closed down."

"You mean, you suspect that the original abbot of Gyokuryuji Temple was in collusion with Genji Hotaru?" Hattori Heiji said with a frown, as he put Conan down, picked up a sturdy branch from the ground, and carefully controlled his steps as he approached.

This is the enemy's base. It is unlikely that they would come out in full force just to capture three people. There must be people staying behind to look after the house.

Be prepared to be attacked at any moment the moment you walk through the door.

"What I mean is that the original abbot of Gyoryuji Temple might have been Yoshitsune." Tang Ze said bluntly, "After all, this place is really useful."

Temples are a very special economic system, which has existed since ancient times.

If we discuss this in the context of Japan, the most direct issue is that as religious sites, most temples are tax-exempt.

This is simply a very convenient channel for money laundering and tax evasion. They can sell the stolen goods so secretly, and this must be one of the reasons.

After the temple was closed, since the legal person status could not be transferred and there was no new commercial use for the time being, this land would indeed not be noticed until the death of the former abbot.

Such a ghost temple became the breeding ground of Genji Hotaru.

"...No wonder Saijo Taiga is so crazy." Conan curled his lips after figuring out the whole thing. "With the death of the headmaster, Yoshitsune, not only is the group falling apart, but they're also about to lose their safest habitat."

The foundation built over many years is about to be destroyed. The only chance to turn things around may be to find the statue of Medicine Buddha, sell it, and use the funds to make a comeback.

This requires even more caution, because their current actions are not only exposing Nishijo Daikawa's identity, but also digging up their roots, which is bound to trigger strong backlash and resistance.

"I've analyzed it so clearly, and you still dare to stand at the door like this? Should I praise you for your courage?"

Just after Conan finished saying this, a gloomy voice sounded from the side.

Nishijo Daihe, who knew the terrain here very well and took a shortcut to catch up with them, took off the mask on his face and looked at them with a gloomy expression.

He knew that this group of people must have discovered something, which was why they still chose to go up the mountain after facing an ambush with such a huge disparity in numbers.

"Are you here to steal my Buddha statue?"

Nishijo Taiga, whose identity had been exposed, simply stopped pretending. The face under the mask was shrouded in the mottled shadows of the leaves, making it look particularly eerie.

No longer pretending to be a weak shop owner, his glasses and smile were gone, and the murderous aura of a bandit was revealed.

"That's something from Sannoji Temple, how did it become your Buddha statue?" Hattori Heiji said first, but he still took a step forward, raised the relatively strong branch in his hand, and blocked Conan and Karasawa behind him, "You attacked me before, actually, because of this thing, right?"

He pulled the small bag out of his pocket and shook it.

"Hmph." Nishijo Taiga snorted coldly, "I should have gotten rid of you back then."

To be more precise, if Hattori Heiji had not been so boyish that he eagerly ran out of the house and went to the busy streets to find the girl he saw, the current high school detective Hattori Heiji would probably not have survived high school.

"Don't say such harsh words at a time like this. If you really do that, you'll be in big trouble." Tang Ze noticed the people surrounding him from the corner of his eye. He didn't panic, but instead teased, "He's the son of a high-ranking police officer. You'll never get away with killing him."

It's just a case of theft and robbery. No matter how large the amount is, the attention it will attract will not be as great as a murder case, not to mention that the identity of the deceased is so special.

There was really no way for Nishijo Taiga to refute it: "..."

"Your method of hiding the murder weapon is quite creative," Conan commented. "It's a good idea to use a locator to place the murder weapon on a floating object and carry it away with the water, and then promptly retrieve it following the signal. But don't forget, the price of technological convenience is that all traces will be obvious."

"The police are already checking all the records of you suspects over the past two days. It's only a matter of time before they find you," Hattori Heiji added. "You couldn't have made the transmitter yourself. Once they find your purchase records or use other tracking methods, you won't be able to argue."

There's a bit of a bluff in this statement, as the police haven't yet applied for a search warrant, but it's mostly true.

Nishijo Daikawa is indeed a good fighter, but his position in the team is simply a thug. He probably hasn't been exposed to much business related to selling stolen goods and laundering money, so his work is rather rough.

When Noah told him that the channel this guy used to find the seller was online transactions, Tang Ze almost laughed out loud.

Even formal online transactions require caution against fraud, let alone informal ones. You are so bold as to believe it and kill the accomplice who sold the stolen goods with just a wave of your hand.

Nishijo Taiga narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath.

What they said was absolutely right, and therefore, Nishijo Taikawa, realizing that he did have some loopholes, couldn't help but feel a little broken.

The defense was broken, and I became anxious.

"Don't waste time here. Hand over the beads and tell me honestly where the Buddha statue is, otherwise..." Saijo Taiga raised his knife and swung the sharp blade towards them twice. "I've already killed so many, I don't mind three more."

Hattori Heiji, who was facing him, grinned at this time.

"You know, we are just stalling for time." Hattori Heiji laughed, "Look back!"

Nishijo Taiga frowned, feeling that something was wrong, but the overly quiet temple behind him had already made him aware of something unusual.

They have been standing in front of the door chatting for such a long time, there is no reason for the people guarding the yard not to come out to check.

What about people...

He carefully changed his standing position, glanced at the temple with his peripheral vision, and his face immediately turned ugly.

There were indeed quite a few people in the yard, but none of them were standing.

Figures wearing ghost masks and kendo uniforms were lying all over the ground. They were attacked!

The moment he realized this, a sound of wind was heard above his head.

With alarm bells ringing in his heart, Nishijo Daihe immediately lowered his center of gravity, rolled on the ground to avoid, and left his standing position.

The snow-white blade stabbed straight down and struck the place where he had just stood, cutting a crack in the rock layer on the ground.

Realizing that something was wrong, Nishijo Taiga immediately changed his posture, crossed the hilt of the sword, and looked at the attacker vigilantly.

Okita Souji stood up from the ground with a smile on his face and flicked his wrist: "You react quite quickly, you are indeed a master."

Everyone knew that the other party was going to attack him, and the detective was not really going to deliver food, so there was no reason for him to go in without preparation.

But since they had chosen not to call the police, the reinforcements they could choose were very limited. Among them, the strongest and most powerful one was of course Okita Souji, whose kendo skills were even better than Saijo's.

Since Tang Ze had asked him to help, there was no reason for him not to help. The moment he received the news, he hurriedly followed the route they took last time to Mount Kurama and went up the mountain much faster than by train.

Having said this, Okita Souji threw the roll of cloth in his hand towards Hattori Heiji.

The latter caught what he threw and opened it to see that it was another samurai sword.

"They're all sharpened." Hattori Heiji pulled out his knife, his mouth twitching. "Where did you find such a dangerous thing? Aren't you afraid of being stopped by the police?"

Not only is the blade sharpened, but you can tell at first glance that it is a high-quality knife that is worth a lot of money.

Once a knife of this strength is sharpened, it will definitely become a controlled knife and is absolutely dangerous.

"These aren't mine. They're the weapons they hid in the yard." Okita Souji shrugged innocently. "I just knocked down a few people and asked about the situation."

He would not rely on his own skills to think that he could defeat the whole yard of people single-handedly. He still needed some strategy.

For example, first determine the degree of armament and disarm first.

"These are all yours." He looked at Xijo Taiga and raised the tip of the blade. "So if any damage occurs... you will have to blame yourselves for having such a hurtful heart. Drink—"

----

"His mask is broken!"

Shimabukuro Kimie, who was fighting with the shadow version of Nishijo Taiga, or the demonized Musashibo Benkei, noticed the enemy's changes at the first moment and shouted a warning.

"I guess the leader succeeded." After making a judgment, Asai Narumi immediately jumped back, bent his bow and arrow, aimed at the gap and shot an arrow.

Xingchuan Hui's accomplice arrived immediately, and stabbed the dagger in his hand into the crack of the mask. With a slight flash of light in his eyes, he split the crack and completely shattered it.

Nishijo Taiga's pale face hidden under the mask was soon exposed.

"I want to be Yoshitsune. I, I am the successor of Yoshitsune's school. I will become the master. I will..." He waved away the approaching people and kept muttering, "No one can stop me, except you annoying people!"

"Tsk, why don't you find a better symbol? Yoshitsune died in the ruthless political struggle in the end." Matsuda Jinpei said with a strange expression, "You can be considered to have gotten what you wanted, right?"

Shadow Nishijo Taiga seemed to be irritated by his ridicule and let out a sharp roar.

Although he complained, Matsuda Jinpei did not relax at all. He raised his right hand as if it was a gun, aiming at the opponent's exposed weakness. A bright flame shot up and ignited the body exposed under the mask.

"Attack the location I marked! He has no way to recover anymore, don't worry about endurance, everyone, general attack!"