Early in the morning, the sun rose from the east.
In the courtyard, the willows swayed with the wind. Two white figures sat under the willow tree, talking and laughing. The man was handsome, and the woman was elegant and virtuous.
At this moment, Xiaoqing slowly woke up in the side room. Thinking about the ridiculous things last night, she felt like she was dreaming.
However, the pool of red on the bed told her that it was not a dream.
Hearing the laughter in the courtyard, Xiaoqing was nervous. She knew that it was impossible to escape, so she lazily put on her clothes and opened the door to see the two most important people to her in the courtyard.
Seeing Bai Suzhen's gentle smile, Xiaoqing became even more nervous. She did not dare to look at Mu Qingxiao. Her pink lips parted slightly. "Sister, I …"
"Xiaoqing, it's our fortune to be able to stay by our husband's side."
Hearing this, Xiaoqing pursed her lips. Her eyes reddened, and she threw herself into Bai Suzhen's arms.
Seeing this, Mu Qingxiao's eyes were filled with gratification.
Bai Suzhen hugged Xiaoqing and said helplessly, "You little girl, you screamed so loudly last night. Go back to your room and rest more."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaoqing's beautiful face flushed red. She pouted her pink lips and glared fiercely at Mu Qingxiao.
Mu Qingxiao snickered and said, "Su 'er, your voice is not lower than Xiaoqing's."
Hearing his words, Bai Suzhen was stunned. Her beautiful face immediately blushed. She could not help but pinch Mu Qingxiao's waist a few times.
…
…
As time passed, a month quietly slipped away.
A month ago, the residence of the newly appointed fifth-rank official, Hanlin Academy Scholar Xu Hanwen, was turned into a pile of ruins, causing an earthquake in Hangzhou.
The citizens of Hangzhou discussed this inexplicable matter. They guessed that Xu Xian had done something that angered the heavens and caused justice to fall.
Xu Jiaorong was heartbroken.
There was nothing Li Gongfu could do. He was just a lowly constable and had no right to interfere with the affairs of the imperial court, much less investigate on his own.
Helplessly, Li Gongfu brought Xu Jiaorong to Jinshan Temple to burn incense to ensure the safety of their loved ones.
A month had passed. Xu Xian's story had become the topic of conversation for the people in Hangzhou to pass the time.
After all, Xu Xian's deeds were too strange.
Originally, he was just an apprentice of a pharmacy. Suddenly, he became rich and had a high official's salary and received the favor of the Emperor. However, he only enjoyed it for a week before he turned into ashes. Not even his corpse was left behind.
Initially, they all thought that the imperial court would investigate this matter thoroughly …
As time passed, what surprised them was that the Imperial Court did not seem to care about this matter at all. There was also no movement from the capital.
As for the county magistrate of Hangzhou City, he did not dare to interfere in this matter. Without orders from above, he did not dare to act smart.
At this moment, in the center of Hangzhou City, in front of the ruined Xu Mansion, three figures stood there.
The graceful lady was Xu Xian's elder sister, Xu Jiaorong, and the man was her husband, Li Gongfu.
In front of the two was an old monk wearing a red kasaya. He held a monk's staff in his left hand, a basin in his right hand, and a string of Buddhist beads around his neck.
The old monk's name was Fahai. He was the abbot of Jinshan Temple. After hearing about Xu Xian's story from Xu Jiaorong, he faintly guessed that there was an evil spirit causing mischief. He came from Jinshan Temple to subdue the evil spirit.
Looking at the ruins in front of him, Fahai frowned. Although a month had passed and the ruins had been battered by wind and rain, there was still some remnant demonic Qi.
"What kind of deep hatred would cause such a vicious attack on a mortal?!"
With his eyesight, he could see at a glance that a cultivator had destroyed the entire mansion with a palm strike. Inferring from the remnant demonic Qi, it was definitely a demonic cultivator.
Hearing this, Xu Jiaorong's beautiful face turned pale. If it were not for Li Gongfu supporting her, she would have collapsed to the ground.
"Abbot, you must uphold justice for Hanwen!"
Fahai sighed. An evil spirit causing mischief could not be tolerated. He dared to kill an official of the imperial court. His actions were too vile, completely interfering with the lives of the common people.
Although he knew that there was something fishy about Xu Xian becoming an official.
Then, Fahai asked Xu Jiaorong and her husband whether Xu Xian had offended anyone a month ago. He also asked about their habits and footprints.
"After Master took office, he almost never left the mansion except for the daily social engagements. However …"
The one who spoke was a manservant in Xu Mansion. That day, his old mother was bedridden, so he rushed back to see her. Who knew that he was lucky enough to escape? Until now, he still felt endless fear.
The entire Xu Residence, including Xu Xian, had evaporated overnight, which made him feel terrified and uneasy.
"However what?"
Seeing that the manservant wanted to speak but stopped, Fahai asked with a serious expression.
The manservant shrunk his head and said, "However, a Daoist priest came to the mansion. After that, Master ordered me to find a woman's residence."
Fahai frowned. Now, apart from the demonic Qi in the ruins, he could not find any clues. Perhaps the Daoist priest and woman mentioned by the manservant were clues.
"Daoist priest? Why is Xu Xian looking for that woman? "
Hearing this, the manservant glanced at Xu Jiaorong and her husband and whispered, "Master seems to have taken a fancy to that woman and gave me a lot of benefits to keep it a secret."
Fahai looked at Xu Jiaorong and her husband and clearly felt the change in them. He said, "Do you know the origin of that Daoist priest?"
Li Gongfu took a step forward and said, "Master, that Taoist priest called himself Wang Daoling from Maoshan Taoist. I saw that he was quite capable, so I invited him to my residence to treat Hanwen. I didn't expect something like this to happen …"
"Where is that Daoist priest now?"
Li Gongfu shook his head slightly. He once led people to look for that Daoist priest, but they almost searched the entire Hangzhou City and did not find him.
Fahai sighed. Such an important clue was broken. It seemed that he could only find the woman mentioned by the manservant first.
Moreover, he faintly had a premonition that Xu Xian's death might be related to that woman. Even he felt that this feeling was inexplicable.
"Do you know where that woman is?"
"I know. If they have not left, they are living in the restaurant closest to West Lake in Hangzhou City." Because Xu Xian once asked him to investigate, the manservant also paid attention to their news from time to time.
After knowing the woman's residence, Fahai nodded slightly and let the manservant lead the way. He said to Xu Jiaorong and her husband, "You two go back first. If it is really an evil spirit, it might be dangerous. I can go alone."
As soon as he finished speaking, the manservant walking in front of him stiffened and was somewhat hesitant.
Fahai said with a serious face, "You can leave after you take me there."
"Okay, okay."
Not long after, under the manservant's lead, Fahai arrived at the courtyard where Mu Qingxiao, Bai Suzhen, and Xiaoqing lived.
…
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