flstandardbreds Chapter 1925 Fighting Alone
Chapter 1925 Fighting Alone
Gan Qianjin's appearance was more mature than the younger people in the bureau, and his personality was calm and meticulous. He was transferred from the army and taught himself trace evidence after joining the municipal bureau. In addition, his family had a background in the construction industry, and he was trained by Guo Qian as a technician.
He doesn't talk much, but having trained as a reconnaissance soldier in the army, he has extremely strong observation skills, especially adept at extracting useful information from chaotic environments and details.
Liu Jianguo, on the other hand, is quick-witted, has a sharp tongue, and is good at dealing with people. He is the team's "know-it-all".
Moreover, he has a baby face, which often lowers people's guard.
By assigning these two individuals, one quiet and one active, to work at Pudu Temple, Guo Qian was making the best use of their talents.
Liu Yiming is the most physically imposing of the three. He used to be an elite member of the armed police combat team. He is taciturn but has a strong sense of execution and is often responsible for perimeter security and emergency support in the team.
Guo Qian had him guard outside the temple, which made full use of his strengths.
After the vegetarian meal, the two persuaded Jueming to accept some alms. Seeing that Yuan Hui, who was eating, had not yet returned, the two exchanged glances and began to try to get information out of him.
Liu Jianshe helped out, laying out blueprints and handing tools to Gan Qianjin, while casually chatting with the somewhat awkward Jueming.
“Master Jueming, you don’t look very old. We’re probably only a few years apart. How many years have you been at the temple?” Xiao Liu smiled and handed over the vegetarian snacks on the wooden plate, her tone very relaxed.
"Ah...I...I..." Jueming waved his hand in surprise, but before he could finish speaking, his hand was grabbed. When he reacted, there was a pastry in his palm. He answered awkwardly, "I've been here for five years..."
"Five years? That's quite a long time. How's the incense offering at the temple usually? It doesn't seem very crowded today!"
“Today is a day of fasting…we don’t receive outsiders…it’s the temple’s rule, and it’s usually fine…” Jueming answered cautiously.
Liu Jianshe gave an "oh" and then introduced the monk Yuanda, whom he had met before, with a smile. "Oh, there must be quite a few monks in your temple, right? I just saw a lot of monks going to eat. Your temple is quite well-organized, with people in charge of the scripture pavilion and people in charge of greeting guests... By the way, do people like Master Yuanda often have contact with outsiders?"
Upon hearing Yuan Da's name, Jue Ming's eyes flickered, and his voice lowered slightly: "Uncle Yuan Da... is the guest monk... Master let him do these external affairs because he's quite resourceful!"
"Oh, is that so? That's good. I didn't expect the temple to need someone like you!" Liu Jianshe seemed oblivious to his odd behavior and curiously sized up Jueming: "Little monk, judging from your age... are there any other monks in your temple who are your age or younger?"
This question made Jueming stiffen slightly. He quickly glanced at Xiaoliu and then lowered his head: "There are a few novice monks... but they are all studying in the meditation hall or doing cleaning work. They only have two meals a day, and they are served at different times than us..."
"Oh, the meditation hall! Where is it? I haven't seen any young monks yet. Do they receive guests like you do?" Liu Jianshe asked, his smile still harmless.
“It’s right next to the abbot’s residence!” Jueming said softly, “I’m a bit diligent, so my master often has me run errands…”
Liu Jianshe understood and stopped asking questions. Instead, he praised the temple's ancient simplicity and tranquility, changing the subject.
Sometimes, repeated questioning can be off-putting, leading to resistance in speech. It's important to know when to stop.
But his gaze remained fixed on Jueming. This young monk clearly knew something and was filled with fear. And the object of his fear was probably not just the imposing abbot.
There should be several other monks of the Yuan generation in this temple, like Yuan Tong, Yuan Hui, and Yuan Da. They are the backbone of this temple!
At this juncture, Gan Qianjin had already made initial discoveries.
When comparing the attached diagram of a repair record from 35 years ago, the direction of the drainage ditch deviates from the earlier drawings and the current situation.
Although the offset was very small and might seem like an error to a non-professional, Gan Qianjin keenly realized, combined with the vague mention of foundation reinforcement and the unusually high material consumption in the repair records, that there was a problem down there, a big problem!
"Are you two still busy? It's past noon, do you need a rest? Brother Yuanhui's place is simple and frugal, there's nothing to offer you, so I brought over a pot of hot tea!"
Just then, Yuan Da, who had come in the morning, suddenly entered the room with a teapot in hand. He placed the teapot on the corner of the table and his gaze naturally swept over the drawings on the table, especially the backyard area framed by Xiao Gan.
"Oh, are you two so interested in this backyard?" Yuan Da said casually. "That place is used as a warehouse. It's only good for storing odds and ends. What's worth studying in our temple are those main halls in the front. They're magnificent and quite old!"
Gan Qianjin took off his glasses: "Thank you, Master Yuanda. We were just making notes here. The backyard is mainly close to the Mu family's residence, so we can't leave this area out! Ah, the earlier blueprints were so much better; these craftsmen are truly skilled!"
Yuan Da's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes deepened: "Yes, our predecessors were thoughtful! But how much do these old stories have to do with our current case? The Mu family's misfortune was an unexpected one. Our temple has always been a place of seclusion and quiet cultivation, and we never get involved in trouble!"
Liu Jianshe picked up the conversation: "Master Yuanda, we're just ruling out some possibilities to prove the temple's innocence. After all, doing this will save us some trouble in the future, right?"
Yuan Da laughed heartily, agreed repeatedly, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then left.
As he left, Liu Jianshe noticed that his cuffs seemed to have some faint dark red stains, like rust or some kind of dried paint, which seemed out of place in the clean temple.
As soon as he left, Gan Qianjin suddenly stood up. "Master Jueming, could you please take me to the backyard?"
"Huh?" Jueming was taken aback and hesitated.
Liu Jianshe could tell from Gan Qianjin's expression that he had probably discovered something, so he smiled and said, "It's my duty, my duty! Thank you for your trouble, Master!"
Jueming had no choice but to lead the two to the backyard.
The courtyard remained silent.
Xiao Gan took out a tape measure and compass, pretending to measure the outer wall and perimeter of the warehouse, while his sharp eyes scanned the ground and the base of the wall.
At the base of the warehouse wall, there were a few inconspicuous broken bricks, the broken edges were very fresh, not like the result of years of wind and rain erosion.
Near the Mu family's low wall, there were signs of recent slight disturbance and rough smoothing, which differed from the surrounding old soil covered with moss.
Could it be that someone came out of the secret passage and sneaked into the temple?
Instead, they climbed over the wall and went straight into the ruins of the Mu family's residence?
Gan Qianjin had doubts, and gave Liu Jianshe a wink.
"Tsk, such a big accident happened just a wall away. Life is truly unpredictable! Young master, have you heard any noises these past few nights?"
"No, no, we went to bed early after finishing our homework at night. After turning off the lights and resting, we couldn't hear any news! The temple was generally very quiet!" Jueming's face turned pale, and he hurriedly shook his head.
His reaction was somewhat excessive, and his unease was extremely obvious on his face.
Not quite right!
Liu Jianshe and Gan Qianjin exchanged a glance.
suddenly.
A loud commotion erupted from the front yard, mixed with shouts, shoving, and even loud arguments.
Liu Yiming's voice was particularly loud!
Gan and Liu were startled.
Wasn't Liu Yiming lurking at the temple entrance? How did he manage to cause such a commotion?
Thinking to themselves that something was wrong, the two hurriedly led Jueming forward.
In the passageway of the main hall, Liu Yiming was being pushed and shoved into the temple by two burly monk servants.
"What's wrong, Uncle-Master?" Jueming's face stiffened, and he quickly stepped forward to ask.
Yuan Neng's face was full of anger: "This scoundrel has been sneaking around outside the temple for ages. I think he's a petty thief! Tell me, have you stolen anything from our temple?"
Dressed as a rickshaw driver, Liu Yiming feigned panic and backed away repeatedly: "No, sir, I'm just doing odd jobs. I'm resting here because I'm tired. I'll be on my way... I'll be on my way..."
"Take a break? Is this how you take a break? Why are you always glancing around the temple? Humph, I think you're a thief, here to scout the place..." someone nearby cursed.
Upon seeing this, Liu Jianshe immediately stepped forward with a smile and said, "Oh dear, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! This gentleman is with us and was waiting for us here! He's also a policeman; look, here's his identification!"
He quickly told Liu Yiming to take out his ID to show people.
Yuan Neng glanced at the documents, his eyes narrowed sharply, and the anger on his face quickly subsided, but he remained cold. He snorted, "Since you are the police, why didn't you explain earlier? Your loitering outside the temple caused misunderstandings!"
His words, though seemingly an explanation, actually carried a questioning tone.
"We were wrong to not think things through and have caused you trouble! We'll leave together after we're done, please forgive us!"
He gave a vague answer, pulled Liu Yiming aside, and once they were gone, he quickly asked, "Mingzi, what are you doing? You're not usually impulsive, why did you get into a fight?"
Liu Yiming snorted coldly: "Hmph, I did it on purpose!"
"Intentional?" Gan Qianjin and Liu Jianshe looked at each other, completely dumbfounded.
Liu Yiming said, "This Yuan Energy is the person we're looking for!"
"???"