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Kapitel 21

Youfu put the pistol back into his belt and said, panting, "Master Fei knocked me unconscious with an acupressure point. When I woke up, I saw that Master Yidu had been shot and died. Master Fei and Nizi were also gone. I smelled the barrel of the gun and found that this Type 51 pistol had already been fired."

“Nizi never came back,” Secretary Qin said solemnly, then turned to Fei, “Old Fei, please tell us about what happened back then.”

Master Fei then recounted in detail how he followed Youfu to Fengling Temple, discovered that Nizi was hiding in the temple, how Youfu tried to stop him from taking Nizi away with a gun, and how he had no choice but to knock him down. He then described how he fought with Master Yidu, fired a shot in the chest during the crisis, and how he himself had his arm broken by the old monk's hidden weapon.

"So, Master Yidu is dead. This is a matter of life and death, and we must handle it properly as soon as possible. Youfu, you said that Nizi is missing. Is she hiding in the temple? She's still just a little kid, and she doesn't know anyone here. Besides, it's the middle of the night and it's dark. Where could she have gone?" Secretary Qin said objectively.

“I’ve searched the entire Fengling Temple, but I haven’t found Nizi,” Youfu said.

“Take me to Fengling Temple,” Song Diweng said calmly.

“Alright, I’ll accompany Chairman Song personally,” Secretary Qin nodded and instructed. “Youfu, you must be tired, so stay home and write a report for me tonight. Youcai, let’s drive to Fengling Temple.”

“There’s a section of the road that’s impassable; you have to walk,” Mayor Guo said.

“No problem.” Song Diweng stood up.

“Master, I…” Master Fei said with difficulty.

"You stay," Song Diweng said coldly, and walked out the door first.

Secretary Qin personally drove the jeep, taking Youcai and Chairman Song along the bumpy dirt road, heading towards Fengling Temple overnight.

Several miles from Fengling Temple, the road ended, so everyone abandoned their car and walked.

Although Song Diweng was short, less than a meter tall, he walked with incredible speed, and Secretary Qin and Mayor Guo had to jog to keep up with him.

The moonlight was dappled, and Fengling Temple stood alone in the night, quiet and still.

The mountain gate opened wide, and the group filed in quietly, a faint smell of blood permeating the air.

Inside the main hall, candlelight flickered and incense smoke curled upwards. An old monk sat slumped on a prayer mat, wearing a monk's hat and his tattered robe stained with blood. He was facing away from the hall's entrance, his hands clasped together in front of his chest, one yin and one yang, as he practiced internal energy to heal his wounds...

Chapter 28, Part 3

"Master Yidu isn't dead?" Secretary Qin whispered, finally able to relax. Although Master Fei had come from the capital with a secret mission, killing someone was still a troublesome matter. As the official in charge of the entire county, he had to provide an explanation for the death within his jurisdiction.

Song Diweng stepped into the main hall and, facing the old monk's back, humbly said, "Master Yidu, I am Song Diweng from Yongcheng. I heard that you were seriously injured, so I came to visit you. I have some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine; may I heal you?"

The old monk trembled upon hearing this, coughed twice, and said indifferently, "I've heard that Song Diweng is a great recluse in the capital. Could it be that he has come to this humble temple in the dead of night also for the 'Feng Hou Mausoleum'?" His accent sounded like that of Hedong, but it was quite stiff.

Song Diweng smiled slightly and said, "Master, your vital energy is not injured, so you should be fine. It is I who have overstepped my bounds... I did not expect that the monks of Fengling Temple in Hedong would also know me. Since you mentioned 'Feng Hou Mausoleum,' you must know that I am an archaeologist. The older the tomb, the more interested I am. I hope you can give me some pointers."

The old monk pondered for a moment and said, "This old monk would like to hear Chairman Song's insightful opinion first."

"Haha, Old Man Di wanted to exchange insights with the Master, but the Master has been shot in the heart, yet he can still chat and laugh so amiably, and his accent is strange, as if he's faking it. This can't help but arouse Old Man Di's suspicion. Alright, who exactly are you, playing tricks here?" Old Man Di's expression suddenly changed, and he shouted sharply. At the same time, he leaped more than a meter into the air, extending a chubby little hand, silently reaching out to grab the back of the old monk's head...

The old monk's robe suddenly billowed out, and an invisible aura enveloped his entire body.

"The Quanzhen Sect's Innate Qi Gong!" Song Diweng was greatly surprised. He quickly withdrew his small hand, his body suddenly stopped in mid-air, and he quickly flew back to the original spot and landed. He said, "So it is Master Jin, the abbot of Baiyun Temple who has been missing for many years. My apologies, my apologies."

The old monk slowly turned around from the straw cushion beneath his buttocks. A pair of sunglasses sat on his expressionless face, and his tattered monk's robe was stained with a patch of bright red blood on the chest, with a bullet hole in the middle.

"This humble Taoist is Jia Shiming," the old monk chuckled.

Who is this person? Secretary Qin and Mayor Guo looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Master Jia, I never expected this! I thought you had already..." Song Diweng said in surprise.

"I died six years ago, didn't I?" Master Jia shook his head, threw off his monk's hat, tore his robe in two, and threw it aside. Then he slowly stood up.

“That’s what the leader said,” Song Diweng replied.

"Hmph, so you mean Chairman Song of the Great Hermitage in the capital is one of the leader's men, and so is Fei Ziyun of the Great Luo Palace..." Master Jia snorted and said.

“Fei Ziyun is an incompetent and worthless apprentice of Song Diweng,” Song Diweng said.

"His martial arts skills are low, and his character is so despicable. He couldn't beat the old monk, so he resorted to firearms. He's simply a disgrace to Taoism. Chairman Song is truly a master teacher." Master Jia mocked.

Song Diweng, with his nostrils flared, acted as if he hadn't heard, and asked, "Where is Master Yidu?"

With a wave of his hand, Master Jia sent a burst of energy through the curtain covering the altar in front of the Buddhist shrine, revealing the corpse of Master Yidu, dressed in his underwear, beneath the table...

"Who does Master Jia work for now?" Old Man Song glanced at the monk's corpse and asked solemnly.

"I have seen through the illusions of the world and live a solitary life," Master Jia replied.

Song Diweng chuckled and said, "I don't understand. Why doesn't Master Jia find a peaceful place to spend his old age? Why is he stirring up this mess?"

"To help those in need is the fundamental principle of my conduct," said Master Jia.

"Hmph," Song Diweng said impatiently, "Where is that little girl named Nizi?"

"That's exactly what I was going to ask you," Master Jia retorted.

Song Diweng was taken aback: "So, the child isn't in Master Jia's hands?"

"Not here," Master Jia replied curtly.

"This means that someone else has been secretly involved..." Song Diweng muttered to himself, feeling uneasy.

Chapter 29, Part 1

After pondering for a moment, Song Diweng considered that Jia Shiming was extremely intelligent and skilled in martial arts. If they joined forces, they could achieve twice the result with half the effort. So he said, "Master Jia, would you be willing to cooperate with me and work together to find the 'Feng Hou Tomb'?"

Master Jia chuckled and said, "So what if we found it?"

"The benefits will be distributed according to the amount of effort each person puts in," Song Diweng replied cautiously. He didn't know how much of the secrets of 'Feng Houling' this mysterious Taoist priest Jia Shiming knew, so he could only give a vague answer.

Master Jia nodded and said, "Very well, I agree."

“That’s wonderful. From now on, we’ll be one family. Our top priority right now is to find a girl named Guo Ni. Guo Zichang, a descendant of Guo Pu, has no heirs, and this adopted daughter is the only heir of the Guo family. For 1,500 years, the Guo family has kept the secret of the ‘Feng Hou Mausoleum’ for generations, and the key to unlocking this mystery lies with Guo Ni,” said Song Diweng.

"What key?" Master Jia asked casually, thinking to himself, "So Guo Pu is also connected with 'Feng Hou Mausoleum', but I didn't know that."

Song Diweng thought to himself, "This Jia Shiming is cunning and shrewd. His appearance at Fengling Temple at midnight is no accident. If I want to get the information he has, it seems I have to throw out a brick to attract jade first."

"It's the 'Hidden Wind Map.' To find the 'Feng Hou Tomb,' you first need to obtain this map that hides the exact location of the Feng Hou Tomb," Song Diweng explained.

"What does this Guo Ni look like?" Master Jia asked.

Mayor Guo continued, "The girl is about six or seven years old, fair-skinned, with a long braid, wearing a blue jacket and trousers with white floral patterns. Oh, and she has a few freckles scattered on her face..."

"Where is her ancestral home?" Master Jia asked again.

“Nizi was abandoned at Old Guo’s doorstep six years ago. As for where she was from or what her original name was, we don’t know,” Mayor Guo replied.

“This Guo Ni was in this Wind Chime Temple last night, didn’t you see her, Daoist?” Song Diweng said with a smile to Jia Shiming.

Master Jia shook his head: "I heard gunshots at Fengling Temple. When I arrived at the temple, the old monk Yidu was already on the verge of death. I didn't see anyone else."

"So, what did Master Yidu say before he died?" Song Diweng asked, as this was a crucial point.

"Alas... This old monk only said that Fei Ziyun from Jiexiu Daluo Palace shot him, and then he breathed his last." Master Jia sighed and said. It seems that Song Diweng and the others do not know that Master Yidu of Fengling Temple is the true guardian of 'Feng Houling'. It is better for him not to reveal it. Keeping the secret known only to himself is the best way to gain the upper hand, he thought.

"This Jia Shiming is very cunning," Song Diweng thought to himself, but chuckled and said, "What else does the Daoist know about 'Feng Hou's Tomb'? Let's summarize and analyze it together before we split up and take action, shall we?"

"To be honest, Chairman Song, I've heard that the 'Feng Hou Mausoleum' contains rare treasures. I'm not a greedy person, but I'm very curious and just want to see it for myself. I hope you'll forgive my rudeness, Chairman Song," Master Jia replied shyly.

"Nonsense..." Song Diweng was furious, but he couldn't show it. He just smiled faintly and said, "Master Jia is truly a man of character."

These two seasoned veterans of the martial arts world, each with their own ulterior motives, exchanged a knowing smile...

Chapter 29, Part 2

"These are Nizi's things!" Inside the side hall's guest room, Mayor Guo exclaimed, pointing to a large bundle.

The bundle was untied, revealing a dirty, old sheepskin coat.

"Check if anything is missing?" Song Diweng said, frowning as he touched his sheepskin coat.

“A yellow silk scarf is missing… I remember it was originally kept with that glass bottle,” Mayor Guo said, pulling a few shards of glass from his pocket. He had put them in Nizi’s room in the old house.

"Let me take a look." Master Jia took the glass shards and examined them repeatedly in his palm.

"Could the picture depicted here be the 'Hidden Wind Map'?" Secretary Qin suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said.

“This castle and the blue sea are not the scenery of the Central Plains. The golden-roofed buildings are similar to Theravada Buddhist temples. I think it looks like a place in Southeast Asia. And ‘Feng Hou’s Tomb’ is definitely in Hedong.” Song Diweng shook his head and said.

Master Jia nodded and said, "President Song is absolutely right, but I might as well investigate this lead myself." Then he smiled and put the glass shard into his pocket.

Old Man Song glanced at Master Jia but said nothing.

Master Jia concealed a hint of excitement in his heart. He recognized it at first glance: on one of the glass shards, the barefoot, turbaned, bearded foreign old man meditating under the Bodhi tree was none other than Mongrachaong Bing…

There were two monks' quarters in the corner of the side hall. One of them belonged to Abbot Yidu. After searching the room, they found nothing but some ordinary old scriptures and a few monks' robes.

“There’s a young novice monk living here…” Song Diweng said, pointing to a few small-sized monk robes and shoes in the monk’s room next door.

"Yes, I heard there's a young monk in the temple..." Mayor Guo nodded and said.

"He and Guo Ni disappeared together?" Song Diweng immediately became alert and pondered, "It seems that the young novice monk took Nizi away."

"Yes, very likely." Secretary Qin nodded in agreement.

"Secretary Qin, this young novice monk is a very important clue. We must follow the trail immediately."

“Yes,” Secretary Qin replied, and then instructed Mayor Guo, “Youcai, immediately arrange for Youfu to investigate the background of this little monk and all his social connections. If the county public security bureau’s assistance is needed, please let me know as soon as possible.”

The group returned to the main hall. Regarding the disposal of Master Yidu's body, Secretary Qin decided to bury it on the spot within the temple and then report it as a missing person. Fengling Temple would be temporarily closed, and the matter would be reported to the Provincial Religious Affairs Bureau and the Buddhist Association, requesting them to send another monk.

“I will stay at Fenglingdu for a few days to wait for clues about that young novice monk,” Song Diweng said to Secretary Qin. He then turned to Master Jia and asked, “Master Jia, what are you planning to do?”

"I will go and investigate the origin of that glass bottle," Master Jia replied.

"Alright, let's split up then. If anything happens, call my office at the Chinese Archaeological Association." Old Man Song extended his chubby little hand and shook hands with Master Jia.

"This humble Taoist priest will take his leave first." Master Jia laughed heartily, walked out of the main hall, and in the blink of an eye, his footsteps were already a hundred meters away.

"Such fast footwork..." Song Diweng murmured.

Master Yidu's body was buried under the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree, and the yellow soil was leveled, leaving no trace on the ground.

“Master Yidu was a highly respected Buddhist monk. If it weren’t for Fei Ziyun’s sneak attack, he wouldn’t have passed away so young. I am over ninety years old, and I have such a worthless disciple. Alas, Master Yidu, I, Song Diweng, apologize to you here…” Under the ginkgo tree, Song Diweng bowed deeply to the old monk buried in the ground.

(A minor flaw needs to be corrected: When the tomb raiders came to Fengling Temple to stay overnight, it was written that Yidu instructed the young novice monk to ask the Fire-Worker Monk to prepare a vegetarian meal... The Fire-Worker Monk has now been removed to avoid any confusion.)

Online writing inevitably has flaws, please forgive me... (ruler covering face and drifting away~~~~~~~~~)

Chapter 29, Part 3