Miss Truth
Chapter 158 - 101 Huan Kong

Chapter 158: Chapter 101 Huan Kong

"Wan Lu, take the money," Ran Yan said in an even tone, sounding rigid and cold.

Sang Chen, not taking it to heart at all, happily handed a package of money to Wan Lu, reluctantly saying, "Well... I shall take my leave now."

With a light snort, Ran Yan flung her sleeves and walked away. Today, because of that rabbit, she was both physically and mentally exhausted. She wanted to vent her frustrations but felt even more stifled, as if she was masochistically seeking trouble. It wasn’t as good as calming down with tea, admiring flowers, or pondering over the case.

"Wife, what do you think it means to find the jade orchid with the hair?" Seeing Ran Yan in a gloomy mood, Wan Lu deliberately changed the subject. Although her method was not very sophisticated, it successfully led the conversation to something Ran Yan found interesting.

"It could mean that a pair of lovers met in the forest and promised themselves to each other. It could also be a signal deliberately left by the killer," Ran Yan could only think of these two possibilities for now. From the perspective of criminal psychology, 11 percent of premeditated murders saw murderers leave behind some kind of meaningful sign, and the percentage was even higher for serial killings.

"Leaving a sign on purpose? Wouldn’t that be leaving behind evidence? Are there really such foolish people?" Wan Lu was only trying to change the subject, but she became intrigued by what Ran Yan said instead.

"This involves guessing the murderer’s psyche," Ran Yan, seeing Wan Lu’s interest, did not keep her analysis to herself and explained, "If you want to know what he was thinking, you have to put yourself in the murderer’s shoes and consider the issue from that perspective. Let’s analyze the simplest situation first."

"Combining all the clues at the scene, let’s assume that I killed the man found on the slope. Why did I kill him? It’s because I saw a man and a woman having an affair in the pine forest. They expressed their love with flowers, swore their loyalty by cutting hair, and then consummated their relationship. I became extremely angry. Why was I angry? Because that woman was my wife. Watching the disgraceful scene, I was infuriated, found a thick tree branch nearby, and rushed over to kill that adulterous pair! All my rage was vented on that adulterer. In a fury, I beat him half to death, then took my wife back to give her a good lesson, but I didn’t expect the man to have been so badly injured that he actually ran so far before dying on the mountainside..."

Wan Lu was astonished and stammered, "Wi-Wife, it wasn’t you who killed the person, was it?"

Ran Yan smiled faintly and said, "Could I have a wife?"

Realizing she had asked a foolish question, Wan Lu still breathed a sigh of relief and said, "What the Wife said sounded so real, I was scared for a moment and forgot. Since the Wife knows, why not tell Inspector Liu?"

"This is just one of the hypotheses. The premise of this hypothesis is that the hair and bouquet were left by the victim. As mentioned earlier, the flowers might have been left by the murderer. If so, all previous speculation would need to be overturned. Inspector Liu and his colleagues could also come up with this, so there’s no need for me to volunteer unnecessary information," Ran Yan said.

While talking, Wan Lu and Ran Yan arrived at the entrance of Yingmei Temple. Wan Lu instinctively looked back towards Sang Chen, only to see him still standing there, staring at Ran Yan’s retreating figure and grinning foolishly. Wan Lu couldn’t help but whisper, "Wife, Mr. Sang is still there."

Ran Yan, who was quite cheerful a moment ago, felt her mood drop and said indifferently, "Don’t bother with him."

Wan Lu nodded, thinking it was for the best that the Wife didn’t like Mr. Sang. After all, since Mr. Sang "came from a humble background," even if there was affection, it would not result in a happy ending. In the end, it would only lead to heartbreak, so it was better this way.

The two had just entered when the bushes beside them rustled loudly. Wan Lu, with her sharp eyes, noticed a piece of black cloth disappearing into the bushes.

Since they were already under the eaves, Wan Lu immediately threw her umbrella and dashed forward like an arrow. Ran Yan paused, watching as Wan Lu dove into the bushes.

The dense foliage concealed any movement, and Ran Yan saw only the leaves shaking, scattering all over the ground. Glancing at the shrubs, she noticed they led to a side gate. Ran Yan quickly walked over to block it, to prevent the voyeur from escaping again.

"What are you lurking around here for!" Wan Lu’s angry rebuke came from within the bushes.

Ran Yan was slightly startled, and from Wan Lu’s tone, it seemed she knew the person, prompting her to lean forward for a better look.

Grasping the person’s collar, Wan Lu dragged her out from the bushes, spat out a mouthful of leaves, and angrily shook off the struggling nun, "Tell you, when big sister made those servants cry for their daddies and mommies, you couldn’t even walk steadily. Behave yourself!"

Seeing that the little nun continued her futile struggles, Wan Lu’s anger rose, and she gave the girl’s bald head a fierce slap.

"How can you hit people! Those bushes belong to our temple, I can crawl there if I want, what right do you have to grab me!" the little nun raised her head abruptly, defiantly staring back at Wan Lu.

This was entirely an unreasonable retort. Wan Lu was the type who would be even less reasonable if you weren’t, and she instantly retaliated, "Who told you to not crawl earlier or later, but just when my wife passes by? I just don’t like seeing you in there, it bothers my sight, what about it!"

"Ah! Wah wah wah—" Unable to argue with Wan Lu, the little nun simply lay down on the ground and cried, tears and snot creating a mess, sobbing, "I’m going to tell my master you bullied me!"

"What’s your name?" Ran Yan’s cool voice suddenly interrupted her cry. She recognized the little nun as the one who usually delivered the meals, always peering around suspiciously.

Covered in dirt and tears, the little nun’s eyes highlighted by streaks, her large teary eyes made her resemble a timid little cat. Her cry stuck in her throat, she looked up at Ran Yan, her gaze filled with fear but also with a steadfastness, her voice hoarse, "Huan Kong."

"Are you here for something or just curious?" Ran Yan looked down at her, her gaze and tone so calm it was haunting, "Think carefully before answering, otherwise don’t come to me for help later; I’m resolute in that. I never joke."

This was merely a probe by Ran Yan. If Huan Kong still wouldn’t speak, there must be another reason.

Huan Kong blinked uneasily, her head hanging low, and said softly, "I, I’d like your help but you always look so cold; it’s quite frightening..."

Wan Lu raised her hand and slapped her bald head again, "My wife isn’t scary at all, not scary at all!"

"First you thought it was scary, now you think you’re scarier! My master says I have a gift for wisdom - can you afford to damage it? If I become even a little stupid, my master won’t let you off!" Huan Kong accused Wan Lu seriously.

This description, combined with what she was saying, made Wan Lu laugh so hard, she flicked Huan Kong’s head, "I won’t slap you, I’ll flick you!"

"Wan Lu." Ran Yan glared at Wan Lu, both amused and annoyed; her own appearance with leaves in her hair wasn’t any better. Trying not to laugh, she said, "Get up, all of you."

"What do you want from me?" Ran Yan felt that this little nun wasn’t particularly cunning. Someone truly cunning wouldn’t continuously leave traces behind them, but if it was intentional... that would be quite frightening.

Huan Kong rubbed her head vigorously, gazing at Ran Yan with awe, "I heard from my senior sisters that once you touch a corpse, you know whether it died unjustly, even how it was wronged."

Ran Yan frowned; these nuns really had nothing better to do. They were supposed to renounce worldly attachments and engage in pure cultivation, yet they spread such irresponsible gossip.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to give recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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