Chapter 36: No False Speech

The twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Early in the morning, Ding Suian sat in the Halberd Hall quietly waiting for the Jiang siblings to arrive.

Yesterday, during Inspector Sun’s interrogation, the sudden sharp pain in his Divine Court was identical to the one he felt back at Jintai Temple, leading him to suspect it might be related to a mind-control Divine Ability.

He wanted to subtly ask Jiang Yuan whether this situation was due to his Physique or an isolated incident.

If it was the former, it would be fine; but if it was the latter, Ding Suian would have to hide it well. A rule that applies to everyone, once it fails to work on a specific individual, that person is either eliminated as an anomaly or locked up for dissection and study.

This was precisely the reason why, on the night at Jintai Temple, Ding Suian had lied to Ruan Guofan, claiming he had also been affected by the Scholar in Long Robes’ ‘Indoctrination’ Divine Ability.

At the start of the Chen hour (7:00 AM), Jiang Xuan arrived right on time, alone.

“Where is your sister?”

“Elder Brother, ah—”

Jiang Xuan plopped his Buttocks down in a chair, glancing slyly at Ding Suian with a hint of regret, “Although Elder Brother is handsome and dashing, refreshing like autumn air, and charming like spring—”

“Stop the nonsense. Just start from ‘but’!”

“But… I advise Elder Brother not to waste your efforts.”

“What efforts have I wasted?”

“Elder Brother can deceive others, but you can’t deceive me! My mother takes my elder sister’s marriage extremely seriously. Elder Brother is good in every way, except for your family background. It’s not that I look down on Elder Brother—after all, Elder Brother is exceptionally heroic and magnificent.”

“Are you trying to say that I admire your sister?”

“Isn’t it? My elder sister is exceptionally talented, and the people in Central Heaven City who admire her are as numerous as maggots wriggling in shit. It’s not embarrassing to want to be my brother-in-law.”

…

Ugh. What a great analogy!

But if Big Brother were to do anything, he’d be your uncle-in-law.

It was the middle of the Si hour (10:00 AM).

Wang Xigui, who was guarding the manor gate, suddenly came in to report that there were State Religion devotees outside soliciting donations. This summer, the State Religion’s Tiandao Palace in the south of the City was undergoing renovation, and they had already conducted three rounds of fundraising in Lanyang Prefecture.

Ding Suian informed Lin Hansu of the matter. Although she was displeased, in order not to offend them, she gave Ding Suian three hundred taels of silver to handle the situation.

The people who arrived were not Cultivators of the State Religion, but the most devout batch of followers. The pointed green ceremonial crown, standing a foot high on their heads, was specially bestowed by the State Religion.

Those who weren’t devout weren’t even qualified to wear it.

Upon learning that Prince Lanyangs Estate had only donated three hundred taels, the group left disgruntled and very dissatisfied.

They’re begging, yet they still manage to act superior.

After sending off the State Religion devotees, Ding Suian returned to Diying Garden. Before his Buttocks were even settled, Wang Xigui ran over again, “There is a monk outside the manor requesting an audience.”

“Damn it, are they taking turns trying to fleece me?”

Wang Xigui, however, said cautiously, “The monk claims his visit is related to the incident at Jintai Temple.”

“Oh?” Ding Suian thought for a moment, then stood up and walked out.

Outside the manor gate.

A young monk stood quietly below the steps. His sea-green robes were slightly worn. He held a Nine-Ringed Zen Staff in his left hand and a string of prayer beads of unknown material in his right.

Aside from the characteristic bald head, the monk’s appearance was also quite distinctive: small eyes, high cheekbones, and particularly prominent malar fat pads on his cheeks.

From a distance, it looked exactly like he had a pair of breasts growing on his face.

“Great Master, what brings you here?”

“Amitabha~” The Breasts Great Master raised his right palm in greeting and introduced himself, “This poor monk is Zhisheng, a monk from Shangling Temple. I have been ordered by my Monastic Sect to inquire about the tragedy at Jintai Temple on the night of the nineteenth of the twelfth lunar month.”

Shang what Temple?

Shang Ling?

How scary. Is your place all ‘1’s?

“Interrogating the case?”

Ding Suian was a little displeased.

It is the West Yamen’s job to interrogate cases, but why is a monk also here to interrogate?

Based on what? Based on the breasts growing on your face?

Sensing Ding Suian’s mood, Zhisheng chanted a Buddhist name and bowed again, explaining, “The four monks of Jintai Temple have passed on to the Buddha Land. As fellow disciples, our temple must find out who harmed them.”

The deaths of the four monks at Jintai Temple had nothing whatsoever to do with Ding Suian.

“The West Yamen has already taken over this matter. If Great Master Zhisheng wishes to know the details, you can inquire at the West Yamen.”

“Amitabha, This poor monk dares not go to the West Yamen.”

“…” Ding Suian telling Zhisheng to go to the West Yamen was merely an evasion, but he hadn’t expected the monk to be so candid, causing him to laugh involuntarily, “The chief culprit, The Third Place Scholar Li, possesses a State Religion Divine Ability. Great Master can also go to the State Religion’s Three Sages Palace to inquire.”

“Patron, please don’t make things difficult for This poor monk. This poor monk cannot afford to provoke the State Religion either.”

“The way you put that, does it mean our Prince Lanyangs Estate is a soft persimmon (easy target)?”

“Patron, you misunderstand. This poor monk is not here to interrogate, but to help Prince Lanyangs Estate resolve this mystery. Presumably, the Princess Consort also wishes to know the mastermind behind the scenes?”

“You have a way to find out?” Ding Suian grew interested.

“This poor monk needs to see someone close to the Old Side Consort. I have a fifty percent chance of success.”

“Oh?”

Ding Suian paced back and forth on the steps. Judging by the West Yamen’s current intentions, they would likely rush to close the case and push all the blame onto The Third Place Scholar Li.

But based on his and Lin Hansu’s conjecture, there must be a middleman who connected the Prince Lanyangs Estate with the bandits.

Failing to dig out this person has indeed been a hidden danger.

The Three Religions each have their own Divine Abilities. This monk might genuinely possess some methods to elicit information from Granny Liu.

After several breaths of thought, Ding Suian said, “Alright. Great Master, please temporarily store your Zen Staff with the gatekeeper and follow me into the manor.”

Two quarters past the middle of the Si hour (10:30 AM).

The six-courtyard deep mansion.

Prince Lanyangs Estate had been completed for over forty years. Within the six courtyards, towering trees were everywhere. In the dead of winter, having shed all their leaves, the withered, gnarled branches poked toward the lead-gray sky, resembling massive, menacing demons.

Since moving into Huguai Garden, Lin Hansu was stepping into this area for the first time.

Outside an annex room in the courtyard, Granny Zhang personally unlocked the door.

Ding Suian and Zhisheng entered one after the other. Lin Hansu stood outside the door, covering her nose with a handkerchief.

Granny Liu had been locked up here since being slapped by Granny Zhang on the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month. However, she had not suffered any private torture these past few days, so although her hair was messy and her clothes were dirty, her overall condition was still decent.

Perhaps because she had followed Madam Wu and chanted Buddhist scriptures for many years, seeing a monk suddenly in her current predicament felt like meeting a relative.

Granny Liu, whose hands and feet were bound and mouth gagged, crawled a few steps using her knees and limbs, tightly grasping Zhisheng’s monk robes and sobbing.

“Amitabha~”

Zhisheng seemed unable to bear the sight. He turned to Ding Suian, “Patron, please remove the gag and allow This poor monk to ask this devout believer a few questions.”

Ding Suian complied and removed the cloth gag from Granny Liu’s mouth. The latter let out a wail and burst into tears, kneeling on the ground, her bound hands pressed together above her head. She wept, “May the Buddha protect me, may the Buddha protect me.”

“Amitabha~”

Zhisheng crouched down, twirling the Prayer Beads with his right hand. His lips moved, and his voice was deep and resonant, “All composite things are impermanent, they are the law of birth and death; when birth and death are extinguished, bliss is attained in Nirvana.”

The Sanskrit chants echoed softly.

After reciting this several times, Granny Liu, whose emotions had been fluctuating wildly, actually calmed down gradually.

Only then did Zhisheng begin his questioning, “Devout believer, This poor monk asks you: before the Old Side Consort was murdered, was there anything unusual within the manor?”

Granny Liu, sitting against the wall on the ground, subconsciously started to open her mouth, but then her body suddenly shook. She seemed to remember that Ding Suian and Lin Hansu were nearby. She quickly lowered her eyes and whispered, “There was nothing unusual.”

Even a three-year-old child could tell she was being insincere.

But things in the world are often like this: even if you know perfectly well that the other party is hiding something, if they don’t say it, it doesn’t count.

Zhisheng saw it too. He slowly extended his right hand, bending his middle and ring fingers into his palm, pressing his thumb over them, and keeping his index and little fingers straight. He performed the Buddhist ‘Kikara Mudra’ and lightly touched Granny Liu’s Yintang Acupoint, letting out a deep, explosive roar from his throat, “Speak no falsehood!”

The sound was like a lion’s roar, causing people’s eardrums to buzz.

Granny Liu suddenly widened her eyes, biting her lip tightly until it bled, seemingly trying to prevent herself from speaking.

After a few breaths, Granny Liu’s jaw relaxed. The look of struggle was still on her face, but two streams of cloudy tears rolled out of her old eyes first, “Ever since Madam Lin was saved by that little grunt, the Old Ancestor made a desperate plan. On the second day of the twelfth lunar month, this old woman went to Huocang Street to contact Shopkeeper Wu of the North-South Goods Store—”

Ding Suian subconsciously looked toward the door, and coincidentally, Lin Hansu was looking at him too.

There was horror in both their eyes. If Monk Zhisheng’s ability to force people to speak the truth were used on them, wouldn’t the matter of killing Madam Wu be exposed?

Ding Suian’s gaze couldn’t help but linger on Zhisheng’s throat.

Finally, he changed his mind.