There is a god in the sky

Chapter 43 The Murder of a Wealthy Family in Jianzhou (Part 6)

When the Zhang mother and daughter saw Wu Zhongjin's body, their faces were filled with pleasure.

No matter what Xiao Ji asked them, they all said that they had prayed to the Bodhisattva, and the Bodhisattva had granted their request, which is why the Wu family was wiped out.

“You don’t know, that Bodhisattva is very efficacious. It’s not just our prayers that are effective. If you don’t believe me, you can check. It’s the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva worshipped in Xiaoguo Village outside the city.”

One official rebuked him, saying, "Nonsense! You say the Bodhisattva agreed? How did he agree? Do you think the Bodhisattva has manifested his power just because you saw the Wu family members die?"

Zhang made a "shh" gesture.

"Don't talk nonsense, sir. You must be sincere when you worship the Buddha. Sincerity is the key to success."

Xiao Ji frowned and said, "Then take us to pay our respects to that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

He felt it was necessary for him to make a trip to Xiaoguo Village.

After the group left the mortuary, Xiao Ji ordered someone to escort Shen Lan back.

She hadn't slept all night, and if it weren't for the urgency, he wouldn't have wanted to bring her to the autopsy so early in the morning.

Shen Lan returned absentmindedly, her mind filled with countless guesses she wanted to verify, yet she was also somewhat afraid.

In the room, Fu Qingyan and he had nothing to say to each other, so one sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate, while the other lay on the chair reading a book.

What a harmonious scene.

The harmony was shattered the moment Shen Lan appeared at the door.

Fu Qingyan threw down his books and jumped up, "Miss Shen is back!"

Shen Lan's gaze passed over him and landed on Chen.

The latter opened his eyes, staring at her blankly, his eyes filled with endless longing.

Shen Lan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She went inside and said to Fu Qingyan, "Young Master Fu, I have something I want to say to Master Liaochen."

"Huh? You guys go ahead and talk, don't worry about me." Fu Qingyan sat back down.

Shen Lan looked at him without saying a word.

Fu Qingyan adjusted his hat and muttered, "Is there anything I can't hear? Fine, you guys chat, I'll go see what we're having for lunch."

The door closed behind her, and Shen Lan sat down at the table, poured herself a glass of water, and drank it.

"Did you take your medicine today?" she asked.

The person on the bed nodded and obediently replied, "I drank it."

Do you... know my name?

When Liao Chen heard that name from Fu Qingyan, he thought that it might just be someone with the same name.

But he knew it was impossible. The age, appearance, and name all matched. If this wasn't true, what could be true?

But he was too ashamed to face Xiao Lan'er now.

He kept his head down and didn't say anything.

Shen Lan asked to herself, "When did you go to Fayin Temple? What about the others? We got separated back then, but I remember you were together."

Shen Lan was the youngest at the time and couldn't keep up with their pace. Later, she fainted from hunger on the road. When she opened her eyes again, all she saw was Old Man Wei.

"I don't remember. I got separated from everyone later and was desperate. Fortunately, I met the abbot."

A group of teenagers witnessed the massacre of their town, but were powerless to do anything about it.

They were at a loss and disagreed about what to do next.

Li Ye said he wanted to go back to find Shen Lan, and only Shen Zhiyuan agreed. The other two wanted to go to the county town to fight the corrupt officials.

Later, Shen Zhiyuan knocked Miao Niang unconscious, and Li Ge left on his own. They never saw each other again after that.

Shen Lan got up and walked slowly to the bedside, each step taking an exceptionally slow pace.

She knelt by the bed, looked at him, and asked, "Why don't you dare look at me?"

Liao Chen's eyes were filled with panic, but he seemed to have made up his mind in the end, and looked up to meet Shen Lan's concerned eyes.

He smiled and reached out to pat Shen Lan on the head. "No, I'm just... too happy, and it feels a little unreal."

Two people who had been separated for a long time were at a loss for words.

"Little Lan'er, I'm so happy to see you're still alive."

"Yes, me too."

Shen Lan briefly recounted her experiences over the years, which were actually quite ordinary and she finished speaking in just a few words.

"I didn't expect you to have been in Qingmu County all this time. We're so close," Liao Chen said with a wry smile.

He practiced at Fayin Temple for ten years, thinking day and night about finding them and seeking revenge.

The master said that his mind was not at peace and that he had not yet severed his worldly ties, so he wanted to send him down the mountain.

He himself knew that he could never convert to Buddhism in his lifetime.

He has no Buddha in his eyes, and even less in his heart.

So this time, he didn't plan to go back after coming down the mountain.

Fortunately, fate was kind to him, and he met Xiao Lan'er as soon as he came down the mountain.

But it seems that fate played a joke on him, making Shen Lan a coroner in the yamen.

"I remember you liked medicine when you were little, and you even said you wanted to be a female doctor when you grew up. Why did you change your career?"

"The coroner is very good; at least he's a government official."

A female doctor with no connections couldn't even get through the doors of the powerful and wealthy.

Shen Lan was unsure whether she should reveal her revenge plan.

Since Li Ye has already converted to Buddhism, he may have let go of the hatred from back then. Bringing him into the secular world may not be a good thing.

"Amitabha." Liao Chen closed his eyes, trying to calm his flustered emotions.

"I've heard that the chief magistrate of the prefecture is very capable and a brilliant judge. It would be good for you to follow him; he can protect you."

Shen Lan agreed: "Xiao Ji is indeed quite capable, and his character is also upright."

But she followed Xiao Ji only because she wanted to return to the capital with him.

There was another moment of silence between the two.

Too many things are bottled up inside, and you don't know how to express them.

Shen Lan saw that Liao Chen was still wearing the same monk's robe he wore yesterday, with the sleeves torn and the hem worn white.

Liao Chen noticed her gaze, tugged at his sleeve, and said self-deprecatingly, "What a pity, I haven't saved any money over the years, I can't even afford a decent gift for our first meeting. You won't look down on me, will you?"

"No, me too."

The two penniless guys finally found a bit of the feeling they had when they were kids.

Back then, they would always sit at the doorway, sighing and lamenting over the peddler's load.

Because they had no money to buy food, the two of them would always get together and try to swindle their older brothers.

Memories are beautiful, but they can also be deadly.

Shen Lan couldn't hold back any longer.

She remained strong for ten years, pretending nothing was wrong in front of Old Master Wei, but she couldn't control her emotions when facing her former partner.

She covered her face and let out suppressed sobs.

Liao Chen did not comfort her.

His lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with sorrow.

So she still remembered.

He would rather she forget, forget everything completely.

That memory was too painful; anyone caught up in it can never find peace.

After a long while, he reached out and patted Shen Lan's head.

"Xiao Lan'er, let it go. What's past is past. People always have to look forward."

Shen Lan looked up, her eyes red, and asked, "Have you let go?"

Liao Chen put his hands together, recited a Buddhist chant, closed his eyes, and said, "I am now a person beyond this world."

He dared not open his eyes, otherwise Shen Lan would see his violent emotions and the murderous intent in his eyes.

He lived in Fayin Temple for ten years, listening to Buddhist scriptures for ten years, but his heart was never at peace. Hatred gradually eroded his reason.