NFBE Chapter 1926 Cause and Effect are Intricately Interwoven, and There is No Escape from the Net of Dus
Chapter 1926 Cause and Effect are Intricately Interwoven, and There is No Escape from the Net of Dus
The morning bell of Pudu Temple had rung for the third time, and its lingering melody had not yet dissipated among the ancient cypress trees when Gan Qianjin and Liu Jianshe had already gotten up from their guest rooms in the temple.
"Gan'er, the third day should be the last day, right?" Liu Jianshe rubbed his hands together, his face full of excitement.
Gan Qianjin shook his head: "No rush. With Brother Liu relaying the message, once Advisor Li is ready, we can coordinate from within the temple! Let's go, keep up our posts for today!"
The two quickly entered the document room.
Unlike their reactions the previous two days, today the young monk Jueming, who was accompanying them, showed a hint of anxiety beneath his timidity, far less obedient than usual.
“Esteemed esteemed guests,” he said, standing at the doorway without entering, “Uncle-Master Yuanhui is unwell today and may not be able to stay long! These old papers smell musty, so he cannot linger here! Master said that if you wish to see them, you may take them here, but please do not mix up the order!”
Jueming pointed to an open wooden box in the corner, which contained the scrolls the two of them had found yesterday.
This obvious cold reception and perfunctory attitude made Liu Jianshe frown. He was about to speak when Gan Qianjin calmly pressed down on his arm.
"Thank you for your trouble, young master! You've worked hard for us for two days. We'll manage on our own!" Gan Qianjin replied with a smile, his face still expressionless, as if he hadn't heard any of the disrespect in his words.
Liu Jianshe saw this and, in order to investigate the case, temporarily held back.
Gan Qianjin squatted down, not rushing to search through the books, but instead extending his calloused hand to brush the edge of the top layer of drawings.
Dust settled down, but his eyes instantly sharpened.
The dust here is unevenly distributed, and there are several fresh scratches on the edges, indicating that someone had moved things here before they arrived!
Gan Qianjin sneered inwardly, but his face remained perfectly calm. He then carefully took out the entire box of scrolls and spread them out on the table near the window.
His movements were cautious, but to Jueming they appeared clumsy, and a hint of contempt crept into his eyes, as if he believed that the two policemen were merely putting on an act in the temple.
"Liu'er, please write this down for me!"
Soon, Gan Qianjin reminded him: "Help me take out the 'Reconstruction of the Eaves and Corridor of the Garan Hall' from the box, starting from left to right: the 'Jia Chen Year'; the 'Two Draft Drawings of the Rear Courtyard Wall Repair' from the 'Bing Shen Year'; and the 'Overall Rendering of the Dredging of the Temple' from the 11th Year of the Republic of China'..."
At this point, he thought for a moment, "Right, this piece of paper doesn't have a clear date, but it's a modified Xuan paper that only became popular in Yenching in the late Republican era. The ink line style is completely different from before, and the artist seems to have a background in Western drafting. The annotations also started using Arabic numerals. I must write it down in detail!"
Gan Qianjin recited the entire document in one breath, not only in the correct order, but also pointing out the most crucial characteristics of the era, the drawing techniques, and the points of doubt in the document.
He wasn't showing off; he was simply stating the facts. Yet, Jueming, who was standing next to him, was stunned, and the slight contempt on his face instantly froze.
Liu Jianshe suppressed a smile and scribbled notes in his notebook, then chimed in, "Brother Gan, isn't this last drawing of yours the backyard we visited yesterday?"
"Yes!" Gan Qianjin took the blueprints and unfolded them, his eyes lighting up with delight.
The location of the backyard warehouse was clearly marked on the blueprint, with the words "In the autumn of 1940, based on the old foundation of the Lotus Terrace, three rooms of the Jixiang Warehouse were added to solidify the earth's veins and suppress evil spirits..." in tiny characters.
The writing behind it has been erased and is now blurry and difficult to decipher!
"Lotus platform?"
"Jixiangku?"
Gan Qianjin muttered to himself, pointing his finger at the location of the warehouse on the map, "Strengthen the earth's veins? What is that meant to suppress? Feng shui or something else?"
He seemed to be talking to himself, but suddenly raised his head and shot his gaze at Jueming with lightning speed: "Little Master, are there any records of the Lotus Platform and the Incense Storage in the temple? I have walked through many places in the temple in the past three days, and as far as I remember, our Pudu Temple does not seem to have a Lotus Platform and an Incense Storage, right? Where were they before? Where were they located?"
Jueming was startled by his gaze and subconsciously took a half step back.
"I...I don't know...I've only been here for five years...I don't know the history of the temple..."
Squeak!
Just then, the door to the document room was suddenly pushed open.
The welcoming monk, Yuan Da, peeked in with a round, smiling face, still carrying tea in his hand, but his eyes quickly fell on the blueprints, especially the place where Xiao Gan's finger was pointing.
"You two comrades are truly diligent! This old monk admires you!" He entered with a smile, setting down the tea. His tone was even more enthusiastic than yesterday, with a hint of ingratiation: "These junk pieces are quite something, you two! You've managed to discern some value in them! Alas, these things shouldn't be taken too seriously. Our temple has a long history, and we've suffered many wars and famines. Some things have been lost or destroyed. Many records were added later by the monks in the temple, so they shouldn't be taken too seriously!"
He waved his hand as if to emphasize it.
His words, seemingly an explanation, were actually a clever denial and misdirection, leading Xiao Gan and his companion's discovery in the wrong direction.
Gan Qianjin put down the blueprints, picked up his teacup, took a sip, looked up at Yuan Da, and suddenly asked a completely unrelated question: "Master Yuan Da, is that cinnabar or rust on your cuff?"
Yuan Da's smile froze, and he subconsciously pulled his hand back to hide it in his sleeve. "Oh, this? I helped move some incense burners yesterday, and it got dirty! My monk's robe is stained, my apologies!"
But Gan Qianjin clearly discovered this trace the day before yesterday; he's lying!
"Incense burner?" Gan Qianjin pretended to think, then changed the subject, pointing to the scratches on the blueprint: "This blueprint has been tampered with. The scratches are very fresh, and it must have been made of a hard metal with very sharp edges! Master Yuanda is very knowledgeable. Do you think this is wear and tear from improper storage... or is someone trying to prevent us from seeing the words that follow and tracing the clues?"
Yuan Da's expression finally changed, and cracks appeared in his ever-smiling mask.
He suddenly chuckled twice: "Officer, you're joking! Our library has been infested with rats for more than just a day or two. They might even be the ones that caused the damage! Why don't you two take a break and rest your eyes? I think you're both exhausted!"
“No need!” Gan Qianjin interrupted him calmly, “Let’s go to the backyard to verify the annotations on the map! Also, this map…”
He picked up the blueprints. "The era is special, and the markings are crucial. We need to take them back to the bureau and have them authenticated by professional experts in cultural relics and handwriting! According to procedure, we will issue an official list of evidence to be collected!"
"This...this is probably inappropriate, isn't it?" Yuan Da's face darkened. "Nothing in the temple is to be lent out! That's the rule, and these useless pieces of trash..."
"Whether it's useful or not, we, the police, will judge for ourselves!" Liu Jianshe stepped forward at the opportune moment and said in a serious tone, "Master Yuanda, we are investigating a criminal case. We have the right to investigate and collect evidence from any suspicious items in accordance with the law! Obstructing official duties will result in legal consequences!"
The atmosphere became tense instantly.
Jueming, who had been standing nearby, dared not breathe, his face already deathly pale.
Yuan Da's smile vanished completely, his eyes shifting between light and shadow as he clearly pondered a solution.
"Cough cough!"
Just as the stalemate was at hand, a soft cough suddenly came from outside the door.
Everyone turned around and saw that Yuan Neng, who had a cold expression and had clashed with Liu Yiming the day before yesterday, was now standing silently at the door.
His gaze swept across Gan Qianjin and Liu Jianshe's faces like a knife, finally settling on Yuan Da's face.
"Senior brother, the abbot requests your presence!" Yuan Neng's voice was dry and devoid of emotion.
Yuan Da, as if he had found a way out, quickly responded and gave the two of them an awkward smile.
"Please have a seat, I'll be right back. Everything can be discussed!"
"Speak," he said, and then hurriedly left with Yuan Neng.
Jueming's eyes flickered, as if he had thought of something, and he suddenly said, "The tea for the two benefactors has gone cold, I'll go and get a fresh pot!"
After saying that, he left in a hurry, without waiting for their response, carrying the teapot.
The office returned to calm, but the tension in the air only intensified.
Xiao Liu leaned closer and whispered, "They're panicking. That Yuan Neng guy's eyes are looking at us strangely!"
Gan Qianjin carefully put away the crucial blueprint and whispered, "The more panicked he is, the closer we are to the truth! It seems there's something wrong with the Lotus Platform and the Incense Chamber, most likely related to the secret passage. The scraped-off content... and the marks on Yuan Da's sleeve, they're all suspicious! It seems there's more than just a secret passage in this temple!"
He walked to the window and looked out at the quiet backyard not far away.
"Let's go! While they've been summoned away by the abbot, let's take another look at the backyard! I have a feeling that besides the secret passage leading out of the mountain, there's something else around that warehouse that we haven't discovered yet!"
The two quickly packed their things and hurried to the backyard.
now.
From the second-floor window of a distant attic, a pair of aged yet clear eyes are taking in everything.
Abbot Yuantong, holding his prayer beads, watched the two figures as they walked away and murmured a Buddhist chant.
"Well said, well said! Cause and effect are woven together, and one cannot escape the net of worldly affairs! So be it, so be it..."