Red blood dripped from the chopsticks, and Pei Tan rotated his wrist, looking at it from different angles.

  At this time, Jing Wanyu discovered that the chopsticks touching one end of the "pearl" actually started to turn black slowly. She exclaimed: "Your Excellency!"

  Pei Tan quickly saw it and saw Pei's guard suddenly take a step forward, "Young master be careful!"

  Pei Tansong loosened his grip on the chopsticks and they fell onto the table together with something else.

  "Sir, your hand?" Jing Wanyu looked over with a lingering fear.

  Just then, Pei Tan flipped over his palm. He had been holding the chopsticks with his right hand earlier, and now his palm was spotlessly clean, without any signs of poison.

  Jing Waner and the other person finally felt a little relieved, but they still looked at "that thing" with lingering fear. This object was so highly toxic, beyond their expectations.

  "Should we inform Master Hsuan Lien?"

  Jing Wan'er looked at Pei Tan again, and the extremely toxic substance found in his disciple's throat would probably shock the entire Qinglong Temple.

  And now that this poison has been discovered, how can the severe injury to the back of the brain suddenly make people think clearly again?

  Pei Tan was speechless for a moment, and anyone else would have been unable to make any decision at this time.

  "How could such a thing happen?"

  Pei Tuan looked at the table: "We have to know first, what is this."

  Everyone in the house was silent, and the toxicity of this thing was even more terrifying than arsenic. Its rarity was also unexpected.

  Everyone was thinking about the possibilities, and Bae Su-weon said in a low voice at this time: "If we spread this matter out, our suspicion will only be greater."

  As soon as he said this, Jing Yuanyu and Pei Tan were both taken aback, but immediately changed their expressions.

  The reason is that this is the Qinglong Temple, and nothing in the temple can be contaminated with poison.

  The only possibility is an external toxin.

  Foreigners... still only them.

  Pei Tan said slowly: "The king arrived at the temple half a month ago, and before he closed his door, he would thoroughly purify himself, so the king's suspicion can be ruled out."

  。”

  That was the three of them inside the house at this moment, and the ten constables brought by the Dalisi Temple from outside.

  Is this getting closer and closer to home?

  Jing Wan'er felt a cold gaze staring at her face.

  She raised her head and met Pei Shuaiwei's gaze, but there was no trust in his eyes.

  Jing Wan'er's lips moved slightly: "You suspect me?"

  Pei Shuaiwei said coldly: "I only know that among all the people in Dalisi Temple, you are the only one who is not from Dalisi Temple."

  Jing Wan'er was speechless, and she indeed didn't count as a person from the Dalisi Temple, especially since before coming, those ten bailiffs were personally selected by Pei Tan, so they could also be considered trusted followers.

  "Don't suspect arbitrarily before there is evidence."

  Jing Wan'er didn't make a sound, she knew that being suspected was normal, and whenever something went wrong, it was usually her fault.

  A monk's voice at the door interrupted the dullness inside the house, "Temple Master Pei, one of your subordinates is asking to see you."

  Who is it? It's the bailiff of Dalit Temple living in the front yard at this moment.

  "Let him in."

  Before long, a yamen runner pushed open the door and hastily made his bow. "Your Honor," he said.

  "What's wrong?" Pei Tan asked.

  The yamen runner lowered his head: "Reporting back to Your Excellency, Prince Chang Le is unwilling to return to the capital with us."

  Pei Tan looked at him, previously he ordered the attendants to get ready, according to the previous imperial edict, to escort Li Xiuzhi back.

  "Alright. Since the prince doesn't want to go back, you can settle down in the front yard for now."

  The official then retreated. Jing Yu'er saw that Pei Tan's face did not show any surprise, and she couldn't help but ask: "Did the master anticipate this earlier?"

  Pei Tan took the initiative to let ten yamen runners escort Li Xiuzhi, who would have known that it was a retreat at that time. Now, as expected, Li Xiuzhi is not willing to leave like this now.

  It was only after a moment that Pei said: "The Prince of Chang Le's branch of the imperial family has never been deeply involved with the Li Tang royal house, precisely because they were basically not involved in court politics.

  That's why he was known as the "Idle King". However, among the people, the name of Teng Wang Gong had long been deeply rooted in their hearts. Even famous figures such as Tang Dynasty's Wang Zi'an, Lu Zhao Lin, and Emperor Capital's Cai Zi Rong Bin Wang were once honored guests at Teng Wang Fu.

  Yu Zhang's old county, Hongdu's new prefecture, high friends fill the seats, thousands of miles to welcome.

  Pei Tan's words can be understood as such: this is how the great Tang dynasty's imperial relatives should behave, unwilling to bear the guilt of being suspected of murder.

  "If this matter has nothing to do with Prince Chang Le," Jing Yu'er's eyes flickered, "then you must want to clear the prince's name even more."

  Due to befriending talented scholars and famous gentlemen, the descendants of Teng Wang have long been distinct from the current imperial family, because the present-day Ming Palace is so cold and high above.

  Jing Wan'er fell silent for a moment before looking at Pei Tan and saying, "Sir, may I have a word with you in private?"

  Jing Wan'er may not necessarily trust everyone here, or she may have her own concerns.

  Pei Tan did not immediately respond to Jing Yu'er. Standing beside him was his most trusted guard, and even if he wanted to avoid her, he shouldn't have avoided him.

  He looked at the girl: "What were you thinking of?"

  Jing Wan'er could only say: "Wan'er just thought of it, maybe there are outsiders who aren't just us."

  Pei Tan's expression changed slightly, and after a moment, he nodded to Pei Shuaiwei. Pei Shuaiwei gave Jing Yuane a cold glance before turning around and walking out the door.

  "What does it mean?" Pei Tan asked.

  Jing Wan'er's eyes flickered with a faint light: "Besides the yamen runners brought by the adults, outsiders should naturally also include that person in the horse carriage... shouldn't they?"

  Pei Tan's expression changed slightly.

  He looked at Jing Wanyan: "I know what you want to say, but that's impossible."

  "Isn't it even more impossible that in the Temple of Protecting the Country, a young high-ranking monk was killed?"

  If they hadn't come to the Temple of the Guardian God, hadn't witnessed the murder with their own eyes, and even personally examined Hui Gen's corpse. If any citizen of the Tang Dynasty knew about this matter, they would find it unbelievable.

  "The monks of Qinglong Temple have already provided testimony that Huigen has been following Xuanyan to practice since he was a child, and his martial skills should not be inferior to any monk."

  But Hui Gen died somewhat easily, and when Jing Wanyu said these words one by one, she had already included all the unthinkable things.

  "Are you aware of the status of the Temple of Protecting the Country? It is not inferior to any official institution in the Great Tang. His Majesty will not allow anyone to desecrate the temple, let alone someone he personally decreed to be sent here."

  When the imperial carriage came into contact with the temple, even the outer doors were sealed tightly. How could she possibly be allowed to bring anything out of the Great Ming Palace?

  Jing Wan'er said slowly: "Wan'er is just saying any possibility, even if we want to rule out outsiders, at least we shouldn't focus our attention only on the adults and the Da Li Temple."

  Pei Tan didn't say anything else, and Jing Yuanyu's words were indeed reasonable. So many seemingly bizarre cases couldn't be inferred with ordinary thinking.

  Jing Wanner's mind suddenly flashed an idea, her eyes sparkling as she looked at the "pearl" on the table: "Who says we can't ask Master Xuanlian directly about its origin?"

  Pei Tan found Bai Wei Er's sudden thoughtful expression somewhat familiar, "Directly ask Xuan Lian, if you can't get the answer, it may increase the risk of hidden dangers."

  Jing Wan'er and Pei Tan locked eyes: "But except for me and Master, no one knows that this thing was taken from the throat of Hui Gen." Especially those monks guarding outside the ice cellar, they must not have thought to check if there's anything unusual about Hui Gen's corpse, let alone see what Jing Wan'er and Pei Tan brought out from inside.

  Jing Wan'er used her handkerchief again to pick up the "thing" and looked at Pei Tan, saying: "We only need to take this thing to ask Xuan Lian, ask him what it is or whether it's something from Qinglong Temple, then everything will be clear."

  People are most likely to produce fixed thinking when they are thinking. Jing Yuanyu just rescued them from this pattern.

  Pei Tan's eyes did not show any more doubt.

  But it's not easy to see the abbot at any time. When they asked the little monk, he said that the abbot might retreat again after presiding over the purification ceremony.

  But to be honest, the abbot of this temple is really getting on in years.

  The previous abbot was in office for only five years, coinciding with the turbulent years of the Tang Dynasty, when Empress Wu Zetian took power. He passed away at the age of 50 in his meditation chamber. Now, Master Xuánlián is over 60 years old; even if he were a saintly monk who had attained enlightenment, he could not escape the great limitations of human life.

  As a wise and capable abbot, after Master Hsuan Lien's passing, he would have become the youngest abbot in the history of Ching Lung Temple.

  "If you go directly to ask Fang Zhang, it's too serious." Even if Jing Wanyan doesn't mention the origin of things, she can't help but give people a deliberate impression.

  Pei Tan's words were dense and cautious, making Jing Wanyu think twice.

  If there's any benefit to being left at Qinglong Temple, it's that Jing Wanyi has a second chance to go to the Mahavira Hall.

  Unlike before, this time there were no monks chasing after her shouting "witch", she arrived outside the treasure hall and looked at the two monks: "The abbot has given permission, people from Dalisi Temple can move freely in the inner courtyard for three days."

  Those two monks still had no expression on their faces, but they clearly didn't intend to stop Jing Wanyan's actions anymore.

  Jing Wan'er swaggered in.

  Indeed, there is still incense in the censer that has not been lit yet.

  Jing Wan'er took a few steps forward and stopped in front of the incense table, looking up at the solemn Shakyamuni Buddha.

  "They say you save all living beings, why can't you even protect your own disciples in the temple?"

  The Buddha statue would not respond to Jing Wanyan, but she had already taken out a stick of incense from the side tube and lit it on the censer.

  Closing her eyes, Jing Wanyu's mind was a complete blank.

  After standing there in silence for a moment, she opened her eyes and inserted the incense into the incense burner.

  She looked again at the empty hall, and the sentence "falling hair for nun" that Xuanlian said brought out the memories she had buried. Even if she lit this incense stick, her heart was still not calm.

  If she had really chosen to take refuge in Buddhism at that time, perhaps the peace of mind would not have come as expected.

  Even in the Buddhist temple, his heart is still in the mundane world of red dust.