Miss Truth
Chapter 177 - 113: Ran Yan’s Worries

Chapter 177: Chapter 113: Ran Yan’s Worries

"Temples and Yingmei Temple both have plenty of incense ashes," Yu Bohao said with a sudden look of realization. "Since the other two victims were poisoned, the killer might be knowledgeable about medicine. The suspects now are Jing Yuan, Jing Hui, Huan Wu, Huan Kong, and that missing widow."

Liu Pinrang nodded and immediately called out, "Summon the men! Thoroughly search the rooms of Abbess Jing Yuan and Abbess Jing Hui, and also carefully search the personal belongings of Huan Wu and Huan Kong, focusing on items tainted with incense ashes, fresh blood, poison, and the like, and let nothing suspicious go unnoticed."

"Yes!" the five government soldiers, all team leaders, responded in unison.

After they left with their men, another government soldier said, "Inspector, Inspector, the young nun Huan Kong has been brought in, what should be done with her?"

They’d had the young nun in the monastery for over an hour; they needed to provide some explanation quickly. They certainly couldn’t keep her in the monastery overnight.

"Bring her here," Xiao Song said, leaning against the backrest of a round-backed wooden armchair. His demeanor seemed languid, but his imposing air did not diminish in the slightest.

Huan Kong was escorted in by two government soldiers, looking terrified, her large eyes filled with fear as she looked at the people sitting under a tree in the courtyard. Her gaze swept over them one by one; Xiao Song’s presence was dominating, giving a sense of absolute oppression, Ran Yan’s expression remained solemn from just finishing an autopsy, Yu Bohao was frowning in contemplation of the case, and only Liu Pinrang looked amiable and approachable. Huan Kong tentatively looked at Liu Pinrang, "I’ve done nothing wrong."

Once the government arrests someone, it’s no longer simply a matter of right or wrong, thought Liu Pinrang, finding the young nun quite interesting. He beckoned with a warm smile, "Come over and sit."

Huan Kong, seeing that Liu Pinrang really was kind, relaxed considerably and, following his gesture, sat down on a cushion five feet away.

After listening to a few whispers from a government soldier, Liu Pinrang stroked his beard and asked Huan Kong cheerfully, "Little master, I’ve heard you performed an autopsy for Seventeen. May I ask on whom did you perform this autopsy?"

As soon as Huan Kong heard this, she immediately looked at Ran Yan with the eyes one reserves for a "traitor."

"An autopsy is a serious matter; the dead deserve respect. Even when the government is investigating a case, we should be cautious about not disturbing the body unless it’s absolutely necessary," Liu Pinrang said in a voice filled with earnest concern.

Ran Yan grimaced inwardly, thinking that he was indeed a sly old fox. She glanced at Xiao Song, only to meet his eyes, which held a hint of a smile. Without hesitation, she whispered two words, "Fox."

Xiao Song’s eyes immediately curved into crescent moons as if to confirm her assessment. At that moment, Ran Yan thought that Xiao Song was not just a fox but also a mesmerizing male fox spirit, every move designed to enchant and captivate.

Ran Yan pulled out her handkerchief and meticulously cleaned her fingers, but her heart was filled with worry. She recalled hearing from her seniors that forensic doctors, after seeing too many bodies, might become cold and apathetic, to the point where no stimulation could arouse their desires. She’d always been absorbed in her work and never paid attention to this issue, but now, faced with a man like Xiao Song and still feeling nothing at all, could there be something wrong with her... really?

Thinking this, Ran Yan took another careful look at Xiao Song and judged with her conscience -- perfect body, perfect looks, perfect demeanor, and more enchanting than the average man. Yet, why didn’t she feel anything?

It seemed things were indeed bad! Ran Yan closed her eyes, her heart heavy with dismay.

The other three saw a sudden emotion flit across her indifferent face and were taken aback. Yu Bohao quickly asked, "Seventeen, have you thought of something?"

"No," Ran Yan immediately regained her composure and calmly said, "Sorry, I was thinking about some personal issues."

Xiao Song glanced at Ran Yan with some confusion. No matter how astute he was, he could never guess what she had been thinking about just then.

Seeing that she truly had no intention to speak, the crowd did not press further and continued to inquire about Huan Kong’s experience with the autopsy.

"What person is it that needs to be examined?" Liu Pinrang continued with an expression as if he were coaxing, "Come with Grandpa to look at the fish."

The little nun Huan Kong really fell for that approach, and her expression noticeably relaxed. "It’s my mother. She passed away six years ago. While we were living in Jiangning, my mother was always bedridden with illness. One day, when I returned home from playing outside, she was already gone. She lay on the ground with blood in her mouth... She must have been killed by someone..."

Fear filled Huan Kong’s eyes, like a startled fawn, clearly showing that the manner of her mother’s death had caused her enormous psychological trauma.

Ran Yan glanced at Huan Kong. She appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old now, so six years ago she would have been around six or seven, old enough to understand some things.

Nevertheless, why do children raised in temples seem to have simpler thoughts? Huan Kong seemed more normal compared to Sang Chen. Ran Yan figured that it might be because her master was more normal than Sang Chen’s.

"So, if you lived in Jiangning, how come you are in the Yingmei Temple in Suzhou? Do you have other relatives?" Xiao Song, as always, would not overlook any details surrounding a case. He was accustomed to gathering a plethora of clues, and then connecting them through various pieces of evidence.

Huan Kong shrank behind Liu Pinrang and said softly, "After my mother passed away, I used all our money for her funeral. Later, I ended up on the streets and it was my master who found me begging on the street corner and took me back with her."

"So you only suspect that your mother died a wrongful death, but you have no suspect in mind," Xiao Song said lazily, resting his head on his hand. His star-like eyes were slightly narrowed, looking as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

Huan Kong replied with both fear and defiance, "Aunt Liu next door is always gossiping, and every time she mentioned my mother, she looked so full of hate... and there’s Zhang Shun from the marketplace, he always had lecherous eyes for my mother..."

From Huan Kong’s words, it could be inferred that she and her mother were reliant on each other, and that her mother might have been a widow or got pregnant out of wedlock, which led to other people’s disdain.

However, Xiao Song and the others clearly had no interest in this commonplace and outdated case. Since Liu Pinrang was the Inspector of Suzhou, he had no jurisdiction over Jiangning City in Huainan State, so he did not continue to inquire further.

Xiao Song was the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Justice. Although all of Great Tang’s cases fell under his purview, if he involved himself in every case, he would most likely work himself to death. Thus, he rested with his eyes closed and spoke in a low, lazy, and slightly hoarse voice, "Tomorrow I will write a letter for you, which you may use to seek out the County Magistrate of Jiangning. He will surely investigate thoroughly on your behalf."

Huan Kong’s expression brightened, but she cast a covert glance at Ran Yan. In her sister’s gossip, Ran Yan had been deified—or perhaps demonized—which led Huan Kong to believe there was no forensic doctor more formidable than her in this world. She still wanted to ask Ran Yan for help with the autopsy, but seeing her indifferent face, she dared not speak and instead, blushing, gave a Buddhist salute to Xiao Song, "Thank you, Inspector."

This was the typical reaction of women who met Xiao Song—both scared and fascinated. Ran Yan, catching sight of Huan Kong out of the corner of her eye, felt a new uneasiness arise. Could she truly be so cold by nature? Purely platonic love was as rare in this world as time travelers, which meant that she might never find a man in her lifetime. Ran Yan thought with a troubled mind.

After busying themselves for several hours, the Temple was sending over dinner for the third time.

Everyone was famished, but the moment the meals were served, they all lost their appetites. Each of them—an Inspector and two officials from the criminal justice department—had weathered storms and seen their fair share of dead bodies. They had some resistance to the meticulous dissections performed by Ran Yan, but that didn’t mean they could remain unaffected after the fact.

Yu Bohao rushed to the latrine and vomited... the rice... small and elongated, white and plump...

The sound of his retching traveled from the backyard, making Xiao Song and Liu Pinrang’s stomachs churn with acid. Looking at the food before them, they found it quite impossible to eat. Fortunately, they were in a Temple, where there weren’t dishes like braised pork knuckle; otherwise, it would have been even more unpleasant. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket, your support is my greatest motivation.)