Records of the Cattle and Horses of Chang'an

"So, my dear, you are the superior of the Dali Temple~"

Qu Chen was holding a pot of herbal drink in his hand, and he threw away his whisk, blocking the gate of the courtyard. His gloomy face suddenly changed when he saw Cui Bianxu in the middle.

Holding the flower whisk at her elbow, she raised the corner of her lips and swayed her waist as she walked forward. "Shangguan, this is where we live. If you're looking for a marriage partner, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."

Cong Jinghai blocked her way with his sword, not wanting her to get any closer. "The Dali Temple is handling a case, outsiders must stay away."

Quchen obviously looked down on Cong Jinghai. She glanced at him and rolled her eyes casually. Cong Jinghai was just an official of the sixth rank, so she was too lazy to argue with him.

Her eyes fell on Cui Bianxu's ascetic face, and her heart felt itchy. She wondered if this man would still be like this in bed.

As for men, whether it is good or not, you still have to use it to know, but based on her experience, this nose...

Her eyes unconsciously moved down from his strong chest to his lower abdomen, then glanced to the right and landed on the thumb.

Cui Bianxu didn't know why, but he felt uncomfortable under her gaze, and even got goose bumps. He turned sideways without leaving any trace and said, "Call the abbot here."

"Reporting to your superior, I am the abbot of Yue Lao Temple. I wonder what case is related to this place of retreat?" Nun Quchen noticed his uneasiness, raised her eyebrows, and moved away.

"How dare you!" Cui Bianxu finally realized this time that this Taoist nun was trying to seduce him!

He was born into the prestigious Qinghe Cui family and had seen many women since he was a child. But the one in front of him, who was almost as old as his mother and was a Taoist nun, actually dared to seduce him in public.

What is this? Is this seduction? This is looking down on him! This is deliberately embarrassing him! This is embarrassing him in front of his subordinates!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. His face darkened, and his words became extremely harsh: "How dare you call yourself a pure cultivator? Seeing how hungry you are, I would have thought you were a brothel owner from Pingkangfang."

Quchen was so angry that he fell backwards. His soft waist instantly became stiff. His face flushed red and he wanted to rush forward and fight. He gritted his teeth and said, "Officials from the Dali Temple, good, very good!"

She likes good-looking men, and even more so men who bend under her skirt. Today, Cui Bianxu had a cold face and an impolite look that kept strangers away, but she still liked him.

But right now, she was really furious!

No matter how good-looking Cui Bianxu was or how attractive his figure was, he was only a Shaoqing of the Dali Temple, a fourth-rank official.

"You weren't the original abbot of Yue Lao Temple. When did you come?"

The person who was speaking was not very tall, and he had a bookish air about him, or to be more precise, a sour Confucian air. Perhaps because he overused his eyes, he always had to squint when looking at things.

He was like this at the moment, squinting his eyes, stretching his neck forward, standing beside Cui Bianxu and staring at Quchen.

Cong Jinghai clapped his hands and suddenly realized, "Right, it's not her, right? I went back yesterday and thought about it again and again. When my wife and I came here that year, it seemed like an older Taoist nun! I thought she had taken too many elixirs and regained her youth! Oh my, you still have a good memory, Master Lu!"

"Master Cui." Lu Xingzhou straightened up after confirming his identity, and opened his eyes. "I came here at the beginning of last year. The abbot at that time was an old Taoist nun over fifty years old."

The two of them kept calling her a Taoist nun, and they were so angry that their teeth were almost worn flat. "My poor Taoist master has gone out to travel."

"Search!"

Cui Bianxu didn't even look at her. He made a gesture with an arrogant look and directly pulled Quchen away from the Mirror Sea. Everyone from the Dali Temple rushed in.

No matter how well she took care of herself, Quchen was already over thirty years old and had fine lines on her face. However, she usually covered them up with makeup. After being treated like this, her charming face was twisted with anger, and her ferocious look was revealed.

Lu Xingzhou was a civilian, so he was walking at the back, closer to her. Seeing her like this, he jumped away in fright, then quickly caught up, patting his chest and muttering to himself, "That scared me to death."

When Quchen heard this, she was so angry that she threw the teapot to the ground. A young nun came over and saw her like this. She stepped forward timidly and wanted to help her: "Master."

"Why don't you go in and take a look, you idiot!" Qu Chen pushed her away and followed her in.

In the small courtyard, Jiang's mother and daughter heard the noise and wanted to go out to take a look, but they saw Yan Yin sitting there motionless, so Jiang's mother hesitated.

She could clearly hear the shouting outside just now. The Dali Temple was investigating a case.

Ordinary people have always avoided officials. Who would want to deal with the government? As long as they do, nothing good will happen.

For a moment, although the mother and daughter sat there without moving, they couldn't help feeling a little uncomfortable.

Jiang Shangxian couldn't understand what the relationship was between the Yue Lao Temple and the Dali Temple. The Dali Temple was not the main institution for investigating cases. Shouldn't people from the Ministry of Justice or the Wannian County Government come to investigate the case?

She lowered her head, her mind working very quickly, and soon thought of the most recent unsolved case in Chang'an City - the disappearance of Xiongyue.

Thinking of this, she couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. She suddenly looked up and stared at the two empty bowls in front of her, and grabbed Jiang's mother's arm with her left hand.

Jiang's mother was startled by her and for a moment forgot about whether to go out to watch the fun. She quickly hugged her and said, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable somewhere? Are you scared by what this thief Taoist said? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, Nian Nu, don't be afraid. Mother is here. These thieves are all liars, and they are just talking nonsense."

While she was speaking, she didn't forget to glare at Yan Yin fiercely several times, but unfortunately it was destined to be like throwing a wink to a blind man - it was useless.

Yan Yin has been as steady as an old dog, with his eyes closed, and no one knows what he is doing.

"Mother." Jiang Shangxian's tone was inevitably a little anxious as he checked Jiang's mother up and down: "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"

"what?"

Mother Jiang was stunned for a moment, then looked down at herself and said curiously, "No."

She leaned closer and whispered, "I just drank too much of this herbal drink and I feel a little urgent."

Yan Yin, who was sitting opposite, suddenly laughed: "Young lady, you are overthinking. This place is a place for Taoists to practice meditation."

Jiang Shangxian paused, pulled the corners of his mouth, and smiled reluctantly: "Master, what do you mean? I am just worried about my mother."

Yan Yin shook his head and didn't say anything else.

Jiang's mother was completely confused. She had no idea what they were talking about. Just as she was about to ask, the door was kicked open: "There's someone here!"

The kick was so powerful that the door was kicked askew and hung pitifully on the door frame. Jiang's mother was startled and immediately hugged her daughter in her arms, looking outside the door vigilantly.

"What are you still standing there for? Are you waiting for someone to invite you out? Come out on your own!" The man was extremely rude and spoke in a loud voice, which made Jiang Shangxian's ears buzz.

When Jiang's mother saw that he was wearing official uniform, she immediately pulled Jiang Shangxian up and asked with a smile, "Sir, what happened?"

"Stop asking questions and just stand outside!"

There is no smiling service at this time. If you are treated harshly, you are treated harshly. There is no place to complain.

The mother and daughter of the Jiang family walked outside and stood there obediently. The yard was full of people from the Dali Temple looking around.

Yan Yin was naturally driven out as well, standing aside with his hands clasped. Jiang Shangxian turned his head to look at him, but saw that he was not at all panicked. He stood there calmly with his hands clasped and holding a whisk.

He met Jiang Shangxian's gaze and smiled slightly. Jiang Shangxian felt uncomfortable with his smile. Thinking of the fortune he had just told him, he couldn't help but frown.

She wasn't worried about anything else, she just felt that this guy didn't seem to be a scam, and what he said seemed to be accurate.

She has lived two lives as a human being, and it is still unknown whether she can successfully return to the modern era. Doesn't that mean her future is uncertain?

As for her life force, could it be that her modern body has become a vegetable or something, just like what is described in the novel?

Alas, Jiang's mother was so eager to protect her daughter that she got angry when she heard something bad. If this guy really broke the law, she might not have the chance to know what would happen next.

Thinking of this, she looked up and around, then cautiously moved her feet to try to ask for clarification. Just as she took half a step, Jiang's mother grabbed her and scolded her in a low voice: "What are you doing! Be careful not to anger the superiors of the Dali Temple, or they will arrest you!"

Jiang Shangxian was confused. She hadn't committed any crime, so why did the Dali Temple arrest her? Did they think the Dali Temple prison was too empty and wanted to join them?

"Shaoqing, there are only three of them here."

Quchen followed behind and couldn't help but sneer when he heard this: "I didn't expect the Dali Temple to be so careless in investigating a case. I'd like to ask you, sir, what case could be related to Yue Lao Temple?"

Cui Bianxu turned around and stared at her for a long time, until she felt uneasy. Then he slowly withdrew his gaze and said, "Look at her."

"Yes!"

Cui Bianxu walked up to the Jiang family mother and daughter. As he approached, he couldn't help but frown. Following the smell of food in his nose, he looked at Jiang Shangxian and asked, "Are you the chef in this temple?"

"No, no, Shangguan, I'm the cook at Lexian Tower. Today I came to Yue Lao Temple to seek divination from Yan Yin Dou Chang. I heard that Yan Yin Dou Chang's divination is very effective..." Jiang's mother stepped forward and stood in front of Jiang Shangxian, answering with a bent waist.

Although Cui Bianxu was young, he had an air of nobility that came from an aristocratic family. In addition, his height and figure were extremely intimidating, and with the official uniform he wore, he was indeed very intimidating. Mother Jiang was afraid of scaring her timid daughter, so even though she was afraid, she still stood in front.

"The chef at Lexianlou?" Cui Bianxu repeated. He looked at Jiang Shangxian, who looked no more than fourteen or fifteen years old, and a chill ran down his spine. "For now... forget it, you two can go."

"Yes, yes, thank you Shangguan." Jiang's mother quickly pulled Jiang Shangxian to express her gratitude.

Cui Bianxu said nothing more, waved his hand, and walked straight towards Yanyin: "Are you Yanyin?"

"It is I, the poor Taoist priest, honored to meet Cui Shaoqing."

"How do you know my last name is Cui?"

"I've heard from Xinshan that the newly appointed Shaoqing of the Dali Temple is a young and promising young man from the Cui family of Qinghe. Seeing him today, I'm sure he's a truly handsome and elegant man..."

Before Yan Yin could finish his words of praise, Cui Bianxu interrupted him rudely: "I have found that the women who have disappeared in Chang'an City recently have all visited this Yue Lao Temple before their disappearance."

"Oh?" Yan Yin first showed an expression of extreme surprise, and then blamed himself: "How could this happen?! Blessings and Infinite Heavenly Venerable, I am not very powerful and didn't predict this disaster for them..."

"Master, please tell me in detail what these women talked to you about when they came here, and what fortunes they had?" The words were polite, but could not be refused. Lu Xingzhou on the side took out a booklet at the right time.

"The Dali Temple is handling the case, and I dare not disobey, but..."

Yan Yin was a little embarrassed: "Master Cui, you don't know, I am a little famous in Chang'an City. I don't know how many young ladies come to me for fortune-telling every day. It's been a long time now, and I can't remember clearly. I hope Master Cui will forgive me."

"Just say what I tell you to say! If you don't accept my invitation, then go to the Dali Temple prison and tell it!" Cong Jinghai and his men searched around but couldn't find any clues. He got angry now and when he heard that he was trying to shirk responsibility, he started to speak rudely.

"Hey, Sizhi, please don't be rude. The head of Yanyin Sect is a person with supernatural powers. How could he not remember it? I was just being modest."

Cui Bianxu didn't know what he was thinking about. He smiled and said to Lu Xingzhou beside him, "Lu Zhubu, come and talk to Yan Yinchang."

"Yes! Director Yan Yin, please come this way."

Watching Lu Xingzhou lead the person into the house, Cong Jinghai whispered, "Shaoqing, every room here is very clean. I have searched everywhere that someone could hide. I even opened the lid of the alchemy furnace myself. Could this... be a mistake?"

Even though he was rude to Yan Yin just now, he now felt that Cui Bianxu might have really made a mistake. The Yue Lao Temple was not very big, and there were only four Taoist priests in the temple: Yan Yin, Qu Chen, and Qu Chen's two disciples.

The two disciples were only seventeen or eighteen years old, and looked very timid. They were currently huddled not far away, shivering in fear.

What can these two guys do?

"You follow me, and the rest of you stay here. Keep an eye on them and keep an eye on them tonight."

"Huh?" Cong Jinghai was puzzled. "We still have to watch here at night? Why?"

Cui Bianxu glanced at Quchen who was not far away, then turned his back to her and said in a low voice, "Keep a close watch on these four people. If no woman has gone missing today, then this matter must be related to them."

Cong Jinghai gave a thumbs up: "Young Master, that's very wise. But what if there is one?"

"As long as we keep a close eye on the people, there will be no such thing!" Cui Bian said firmly.