flstandardbreds Chapter 1963 Sophistry
Chapter 1963 Sophistry
Li Xiangnan's words were like a red-hot iron thrown into a calm lake, instantly steaming up scorching white vapor and causing a huge uproar in everyone's hearts!
The air in the main room seemed to be sucked out in an instant, so stagnant that you could hear the slight crackling of the coal stove and the distant, indistinct sounds of the bustling city outside the courtyard gate.
Zhang Long and Zhao Hu froze in their pounding of medicine, their eyes piercingly fixed on Yuan Tong.
Zhu Qiuju's hand, holding the tea tray, froze in mid-air, her face filled with astonishment.
Even Song Ziming's foot, which had just stepped across the threshold, stopped abruptly.
All eyes were involuntarily drawn to the gaunt old monk inside the room.
Abbot Yuantong, the old monk holding the teacup, had his fingers tremble slightly and almost imperceptibly. The tea in the cup rippled, reflecting the firelight from the coal stove and shimmering with fragmented golden light.
His originally dull and tired face seemed to lose its color in that instant, turning as pale as the gray wall behind him.
He suddenly raised his head, his eyes, which were always half-open, filled with pity or weariness, suddenly snapped open. His pupils contracted sharply in the dim light, as if he had been stabbed by those words, revealing a deep-seated, indescribable horror and... a hint of sharpness?
That sharp look flashed by so quickly it seemed like an illusion!
But Li Xiangnan still managed to catch it!
That wouldn't be the bewilderment or anger a compassionate and unburdened high monk should feel upon hearing unfounded accusations. Rather, it would be a sharp, instinctive defensive reaction arising from having one's vitals instantly exposed.
however!
This reaction lasted only one second!
Under Li Xiangnan's watchful gaze, the color in Yuan Tong's face returned rapidly, but it was not a rosy hue; rather, it was a deeper, ashen gray.
This gave Li Xiangnan a certain feeling.
This old monk Yuantong has extraordinary control over his body. He can mobilize all the organs and cells in his body in an instant to complete the disguise he wants!
What Li Xiangnan noticed even more was that the sharp look in the old monk's eyes quickly faded, replaced by extreme confusion and bewilderment, even with a hint of offended anger and deep sorrow!
Did you see it wrong?
Li Xiangnan narrowed his eyes, calculating in his mind.
The old monk Yuantong put down his teacup, clasped his hands together, and his voice strangely returned to its previous hoarseness.
“Amitabha, Benefactor Li, what makes you say such a thing? Little Buddha? Where did this title come from? I am a monk, ordained at Pudu Temple since childhood, spending decades with only the dim light of the lamp and the ancient Buddha, single-mindedly devoted to chanting scriptures, worshipping the Buddha, and serving the Buddha. I have not yet become a Buddha, so how dare I call myself a Buddha?”
He paused here, looking at Li Xiangnan with a calm gaze: "Besides, how could I, an ordinary monk, possibly have any connection with those cowardly and treacherous villains?"
Yuan Tong's denial was swift and direct, and the confusion and slight anger in his tone sounded incredibly genuine.
But Li Xiangnan's heart sank even deeper.
The old monk Yuantong's reaction was incredibly fast, much faster than one would expect from a monk in his sixties or seventies.
People of this age are supposed to be slow-witted, but their minds don't work as quickly as those of young people!
And his denial was so complete!
When a monk who is hearing the title "Little Buddha" for the first time and has no connection to it is suddenly accused, shouldn't his first reaction be to ask in bewilderment who "Little Buddha" is?
Or perhaps Li Xiangnan's words made the other party laugh and feel confused!
But Yuan Tong directly denied any connection, and even accurately described the character's secretive and cunning behavior. Doesn't this mean that Yuan Tong knows Little Buddha?
This doesn't mean they don't recognize each other; rather, it sounds like a subconscious excuse!
Or rather, Yuan Tong knew about the existence of Little Buddha from the very beginning!
Li Xiangnan did not respond immediately. Instead, he stared at Yuan Tong with his deep, ancient eyes, calm yet extremely oppressive, as if trying to see through his withered body and into the secrets of his soul!
He was a doctor, and while putting pressure on Yuan Tong, he was also observing the other party's subtle physiological reactions.
Observe Yuan Tong's facial micro-expressions, his breathing rate, whether his carotid artery pulsation is abnormal, and whether there are any different reactions in his pupils...
Under such undisguised scrutiny, Yuan Tong's breathing quickened slightly for a moment, but he immediately lowered his eyelids to avoid the gaze that seemed to see into his heart, and picked up the prayer beads in his hand again.
But Li Xiangnan sensed that his movements were not as calm and composed as usual.
Yuan Tong chanted a Buddhist prayer in a low voice, and when he spoke again, the anger in his voice had faded, replaced by a heavy sense of helplessness.
“Benefactor Li, I don’t know why you have said such startling things today! Is it because the temple has recently suffered a series of misfortunes that have made you suspicious of me? Or is it because someone… deliberately said something they shouldn’t have in front of you, causing you to misunderstand me?”
His words brought the issue back to the table and subtly suggested a potential instigator.
Li Xiangnan remained silent, instead continuing to exert pressure based on his earlier startling conjecture.
The other party is trying to steer the conversation; we mustn't fall into their trap.
“Abbot, there’s no need to be angry. I just have some doubts that I have to express. As far as I know, the young master is meticulous in his actions and far-sighted in his plans. He knows everything about the events of decades ago, especially the secrets related to the Mu family, and he is extremely obsessed with them!”
"And you, Abbot, have been in charge of Pudu Temple for decades. The temple is only one alley away from the former site of the Mu family. You must know something about the old events from back then, right?"
Li Xiangnan looked into the other person's eyes and said, "Putting aside everything else, just look at the clay sculptures found under the fire ruins that day. According to the police, those people are almost identical to the main core members of the Mu family who went missing in the past. Abbot, how do you explain this?"
He pressed on relentlessly, linking Little Buddha's characteristics with clues and information that Yuan Tong might possess, and using the still unclear evidence of the clay figure as bait. The logical chain seemed loose, but it all pointed to the core. Whenever Yuan Tong tried to explain, he would reveal flaws.
Yuan Tong's breathing became noticeably heavier, and his hand, which was turning the prayer beads, suddenly stopped.
He raised his head and met Li Xiangnan's gaze again. This time, there was no sharpness or anger in his eyes, only a deep, complex emotion mixed with pain, reminiscence, and a heavy burden.
The silence lasted for a long time.
So long that the fire in the stove in the main room seemed to have dimmed a bit.
Song Ziming, Zhang Long, and Zhao Hu couldn't help but stand by the door, their bodies tensing up slightly, to prevent any surprises from arising if the abbot in front of them really was the Little Buddha!
"Benefactor Li is indeed meticulous and has extraordinary imagination!" Yuan Tong's voice became hoarse, as if it had been polished on sandpaper.
Li Xiangnan put down his teacup and placed one hand on his waist and abdomen.
There, beneath the coat, a corner of the needle case was already peeking out.
He couldn't help but tense up, silently pinching a golden needle, and staring intently at the other person: "So, Abbot, you are Little Buddha, right?"