When they found Master Wuchen, this highly respected master was sitting under a tree outside the meditation room, looking at something on the ground with great interest.
Jiang Miao was curious and went over to take a look. He found a group of small ants moving a big caterpillar on the ground. He was immediately amused. It seemed that being a monk was really boring. He could watch the ants moving food so seriously.
When Master Wuchen saw the two, he put his hands together and said "Amitabha", then said, "My two benefactors, I haven't seen you for a long time. I am honored to meet you."
Pei Che and Jiang Miao returned the greeting and said, "Master, please don't be offended by my rash visit."
"Thank you for your kindness, benefactors. Why don't you sit inside and have a cup of tea?" Master Wu Chen extended a hand and invited them to sit inside.
"Obedience is worse than respect. Thank you, Master."
After they sat down, the monk Yuanxin, who had entertained them before, came forward with a few cups of tea. When he saw Jiang Miao looking at him, he blinked deliberately. He looked smart, but he was still young and had not yet cultivated a pure heart and a mind that was free from desires and that was empty of everything.
The three of them sat together, sipping their tea slowly for a while, and then Master Wuchen spoke first. He looked at Pei Che with eyes that seemed to be able to see through the world, and asked, "No one comes to visit you for no reason. Master Pei, you came here today, but do you have anything to ask me?"
Pei Che put down the teacup and nodded, saying, "Master, you have a clear mind and I admire you very much. I came here today because I really have something to ask you, Master. I hope you can give me some advice."
Master Wuchen nodded and said, "Please tell me everything I know."
"Master, I want to ask you, where did you buy all the supplies for this temple?" Pei Che did not directly state his purpose, but started from other places first.
Master Wuchen was stunned for a moment. Many questions that Pei Che might want to ask flashed through his mind, but he didn't expect this to be the one. After a moment of silence, he said, "Of course we go down the mountain to buy. Every ten days, the monk in charge of the temple will go down the mountain to buy the necessary items, such as incense, candles, paper money, and all the utensils for offerings."
"Is the head monk specifically responsible for this?" Jiang Miao asked.
Master Wu Chen said: "Tzu Chi Temple is small, and there are not many monks in the temple, so it cannot be as adequate as those big temples. In Tzu Chi Temple, the head monk is specifically responsible for purchasing." Tzu Chi Temple is small in scale, and many monks have to take on multiple duties and their reputation does not match their actual needs.
"Master, could you introduce us to the head monk of the temple? We have a few questions to ask him." Pei Che asked. Although he was asking, his attitude was very firm.
Although Master Wuchen didn't know what they wanted to see the monk for, he readily agreed to their request and ordered Yuanxin, who was standing behind him, to go over and invite the monk. He then went to the main hall and began his daily chanting.
Yuanxin went out for a while and came back soon, followed by a young monk in his twenties who looked quite honest.
When they saw this man, Pei Che and Jiang Miao frowned. Isn't he too young? Many years have passed since that incident happened. This man was only a teenager at that time. At such a young age, would the temple let him be the head monk
Pei Che's heart was filled with questions, but his face remained calm. He bowed to the monk and said, "What is this master's name?"
When the monk saw Pei Che talking to him, he looked a little overwhelmed and said quickly, "My name is Liaokong. I am honored to meet you, benefactor."
"Master Liaokong, you are the head monk of this temple. I want to ask, which road do you take when you go shopping? Where do you buy things?"
Liaokong said, "Take the official road at the foot of the mountain, in the opposite direction of Liangjing, and walk about twenty miles. There is a place called Yangshu Village. There is a big market every ten days, with many people coming and going. You can buy anything."
"Oh? Master Liaokong, as far as I know, there is a road in the back mountain that leads to Shuibo County. The journey is closer than going to Yangshu Village. Why don't you go to that county to buy it?" Pei Che pretended to be curious.
Lekong scratched the back of his bald head and smiled sheepishly: "Things are more expensive in the county town. There are not many pilgrims in the small temple, and the daily expenses are tight. If I can spend less money to buy things, then I will naturally be happy to walk a little further."
Jiang Miao praised: "Master Liaokong is very careful with his money and knows how to live. I guess you have been the head monk for many years, right?"
Pei Che also stared at him closely to see what he would say. Although he was a little young at the time, it would be easier to bribe him if he was younger, right
Liaokong smiled sheepishly: "This is my third year as the head monk. Before me, this matter was handled by Senior Brother Liaozhi."
They both got excited when they heard a new name.
"I wonder where Master Liaozhi is now? Can you ask him to come over and see me?" Pei Che asked.
Liaokong looked a little gloomy: "Senior Brother Liaozhi... I'm afraid he can't come."
"Is Master Liaozhi ill?"
Liaokong nodded and said, "Brother Liaozhi went down the mountain to buy things three years ago. He happened to see bandits robbing passers-by, so he stepped forward to save them. Unexpectedly, he was not careful enough and was chopped off his leg by the bandits. Although the bandit was caught, he only had one leg left."
He sighed and continued, "Since Brother Liaozhi only had one leg left, he has changed completely. He used to love to laugh, but after this incident, he has almost never laughed again. He locks himself in the meditation room all day long and usually doesn't come out unless it is necessary."
Pei Che suddenly realized that it was no wonder that Yuan Xin said there were seven people in the temple, but he only saw six people at that time. It turned out that there was one person hiding in the house.
Pei Che suggested going to see Master Liaozhi. Liaokong didn't know what he was thinking, but he thought that since the guest wanted something, he would take him to see him. In his opinion, Brother Liaozhi should really talk to others more, chat with them, so that he would not be possessed by the devil.
The two followed Kong and walked towards the Zen room. Although the Tzu Chi Temple was not big, there were many corridors when the house was renovated. They followed Kong around and around, and it took a while before they arrived outside a Zen room with a locked door.
"Brother, brother, please open the door." Lekong took a few steps forward and called out while knocking on the door.
There was no movement from inside the door at first, and then there was the sound of a wooden stick knocking on the ground from behind. I guessed that it was Master Liaozhi who came over with his crutches to open the door.
"Junior brother, what do you want to talk to me about?" Liao Zhi's face was pale, the kind of paleness that comes from staying indoors all year round without seeing the sun. His face was also thin, and his eyes showed a sense of world-weariness. If you think about it, you can understand it. A healthy person suddenly became disabled. Who wouldn't have some shadow in his heart
"There are two guests who want to come and see you. They are the ones who donated a large sum of money to our Tzu Chi Temple last time. You must not mess with them." Lekong lowered his voice and whispered a few words in Lezhi's ear.
Liaozhi was not a person who could not distinguish right from wrong. Although he had no interest in meeting people, since the person had already come, he would not refuse him intentionally.
Several people sat down on the stone table outside the Zen room. Pei Che looked at Lezhi for a while, and his heart sank. It was true that Lezhi looked a few years older than Lekong, but at that time, he was just a young boy. Could it be him
Pei Che asked the same question to Le Kong again. Le Zhi's answer was similar to Le Kong's, and even the way he took over the position was similar.
It’s just that Lekong was injured and broke his leg, while he was injured because his previous uncle died, and the year he took over was the winter when Pei Che’s parents died.
Pei Che was speechless when he heard the news of the former head monk's death. This trip was originally to investigate whether this person had been bribed. Now that he was dead and there was no evidence, the incident was really going to become an unsolved case.
His hands were icy cold. Jiang Miao saw that something was wrong with him, so he reached down and held his hand, squeezing it hard, signaling him to cheer up.
Once you have done something, there will be traces left. Sometimes, even the dead can tell you the truth. Jiang Miao, with his years of experience reading all kinds of detective novels and TV dramas, felt that there must be something fishy about the monk's death.
"I wonder how Master Wuming passed away. From your description, he seemed to be in his prime. How could he suddenly die of a sudden illness?" Jiang Miao asked.
There was no need for Liaozhi to answer this, Liaokong said first: "Uncle Wuming was killed by a wild beast on the way to buy groceries."
Jiang Miao acted surprised and said, "If a wild beast killed someone on the official road, wouldn't the people passing by be in danger?"
Lekong shook his head and said, "He was not bitten on the official road, but on the small road in the back mountain. The reason I just mentioned not to go to Shuibo County to buy things is not only because the things there are more expensive, but also because of this incident. Ever since Master Wuming was dragged away by the beast, we no longer dare to cross that road alone."
Dragged away? Jiang Miao quickly grasped the key words, which meant that they did not find Wu Ming's body.
"Master Wuming was dragged away by a wild beast. He might still be alive. Why are you so sure that he is dead?"
Lekong was stunned for a moment, then said, "Uncle Wuming's monk's robe is there, all stained with blood, and there are also signs of being torn. If it wasn't killed by a wild beast, what else could it be?"
"Maybe he just bleeds a lot, and was later rescued by a kind-hearted person?"
Liaokong smiled and said, "Donor, you are joking. If Master Wuming is really still alive, why doesn't he come back to the temple to find us? Although we also hope that Master Wuming will not suffer such a misfortune, this has already happened and we can only accept it."
After returning to the room, Jiang Miao lay on his back on the bed with his hands under his head, thinking about something. Suddenly, he murmured to himself, "Something's wrong, something's really wrong."
Pei Che was also sitting nearby. After hearing what he said, he said, "Something is wrong indeed."
"You've noticed it, too, right? It's such a coincidence. How could he be dragged away by a wild beast out of nowhere? No one can find him alive, and no one can find his body. It always makes people feel that something is strange."
"Besides that, there is also the reaction of Monk Liaozhi."
Just now Jiang Miao was so busy talking to Lekong that he didn't notice Lezhi. But Pei Che saw it clearly. When Jiang Miao suggested that Wuming might not be dead yet, Lezhi's expression suddenly became complicated, and there seemed to be some panic and confusion in his eyes.
Hearing Pei Che's description, Jiang Miao immediately said, "It seems that this Liao Zhi must know something, and his broken leg is also very strange. How could there be so many bandits on the official road? Besides, since they have the ability to hurt people, why don't they just kill them?"
All doubts pointed to Master Lezhi. Pei Che and Jiang Miao decided to go and talk to him when it got dark.
(End of this chapter)