CHAPTER 574: CHAPTER 573: THE MOON RETURNS, QING YAN DEPARTS

Unbeknownst to him, Lin Xiaosu’s Reverse Time skill had already spanned a whole year. He was able to trace back everything that happened within the past year.

From reversing a few days’ time to now effortlessly reversing an entire year, he had indeed made great progress in mastering the Time Law.

As impressive as the Time Law might be, he had yet to find its place on the battlefield.

It seemed there was no way to use it in combat, but his level as a detective was becoming increasingly refined.

In the first murder case, he saw the killer.

The killer entered the Three Buddha Temple.

In the second murder case, the killer still entered the Three Buddha Temple.

The third, the fourth...

On this day!

From morning till the sun set in the west.

Lin Xiaosu spent it in the air with Hua Miaoyi.

Thirty murder scenes, involving the mysterious deaths of 137 people.

"It’s getting late, how about we investigate tomorrow?" Hua Miaoyi said.

Her voice was calm, as usual.

Lin Xiaosu gently shook his head, "No need to investigate further!"

Hua Miaoyi was slightly startled.

"The urgency of time leaves me no opportunity to truly clarify the case. I only need an excuse!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Now that I’ve got the excuse, we need to prepare."

Hua Miaoyi’s heart pounded, "Are you truly determined that it’s related to the Three Buddha Temple?"

"It’s not just related! It’s them who did it!" Lin Xiaosu said, "That damn temple door should be exterminated!"

"Exterminate?" Hua Miaoyi uttered a word.

"Yes!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Among the Three Major Superior Sects, Yin Yang Temple could be split, Luanyun Heaven could be oppressed, but the Three Buddha Temple must be wiped out!"

Hua Miaoyi said, "I’ll contact Chunshui and Lu Sanqian!"

"No need!"

"No need?" Hua Miaoyi was surprised again.

"The more understated this battle appears, the greater the impact on Kun Cang, and the more influence it will have on my subsequent game." Lin Xiaosu said, "Therefore, the battle to wipe out the Three Buddha Temple should be borne by Shenghua Valley alone, which is the best strategy."

Hua Miaoyi fully understood what he was saying.

In Kun Cang, power is respected not virtue.

The subtlety of extinguishing a sect will have more deterrence on other sects than rallying the combined strength of three sects to crush one.

However, relying solely on the power of Shenghua Valley to challenge the currently strongest sect in Kun Cang, the Three Buddha Temple?

"Can it really be done?"

"Whether it can be done or not, will be revealed in three days!"

Lin Xiaosu returned with Hua Miaoyi to Shenghua Valley.

Entered into the side courtyard.

Feng Ji served as his secretary.

As soon as Lin Xiaosu shut the door, he began an activity that made Feng Ji’s heart race.

What kind of activity?

Do not misunderstand, it was absolutely proper!

He was engraving an array!

The Array Crystal Pillars on him were all present, his mastery of the Five Elements complete, his fingers were like an Array Pen, falling swiftly like the wind...

Feng Ji did not enter.

She remained outside the door.

With anticipation, with excitement.

However, on the third evening after Lin Xiaosu had completed everything, Feng Ji knocked on his door, her eyes carrying a hint of mystique as she looked at him.

"Senior sister, what’s the matter?"

"Don’t call me senior sister. Please call me... little Ye!" Feng Ji said.

Lin Xiaosu’s heart skipped a beat, and his gaze turned towards the door.

"Tonight the sky is without a moon, perhaps the moon is lying under that tree." Feng Ji pointed to a tree on the hillside: "How about admiring the moon?"

Under that tree stood a bashful maiden.

Indeed, beneath the starlight, she was bashful.

From any angle, she was an ideal image of a naïve and pure girl.

Dawa, she had arrived.

"Brother!" Dawa watched Lin Xiaosu approach from under the starlight, her face full of pure joy, really resembling the moon in the sky, quietly landing beneath the tree.

"Why have you come?" Lin Xiaosu greeted with a smile.

Dawa said, "You told me to come, you said... you wanted to leave Kun Cang with me."

This statement, Lin did indeed say.

However...

Lin Xiaosu mused slightly, "The task at hand isn’t finished yet; I planned to invite you in a few days."

A hint of grievance flashed in Dawa’s eyes, "Brother, in your eyes, is Dawa meant only to accompany you in peaceful times at the border, unable to entrust a genuine care during life and death battles?"

"No, really not..." Lin Xiaosu said, "With you taking this step, does your master agree?"

"I don’t care if he agrees or not, I snuck away!" Dawa giggled.

"Is he asleep again?"

"Yes."

"After this affair is settled, will you return?"

Dawa gently shook her head, "I won’t go back. I’ll leave Kun Cang with you, return home to see my clan. I want to savor the prairie moonlight unshrouded by mist."

Moonlight on the prairie unshrouded by "light mist"...

It seemed just a poetic expression, yet perhaps conveyed more...

Lin Xiaosu’s gaze slowly lifted, "little Ye!"

Feng Ji stepped out from behind the tree.

Lin Xiaosu smiled slightly, "This moon wishes to light up our night sky. Can we give her a place?"

Dawa smiled, her smile still as pure.

The next day, February second.

In the morning, the wind rustled, making the Bodhi Tree rustle.

The morning bell sounded, clear and long.

The Three Buddha Temple, incense smoke curling up.

The long Buddhist hall was spacious and bright, with three hundred monks sitting on the ground for morning class. Above them were three eminent monks dressed in red robes, the three ’Kong’ senior monks of the Three Buddha Temple: Abbot Kong Wen, the Chief of the Arhat Hall, Kong Ru, and the Chief of Scripture, Master Kong Xing.

Master Kong Xing was delivering a lecture on the ’Huayan Sutra’...

"At that time, the World Honored One was seated here, having attained the utmost correct enlightenment in all things. His wisdom pervaded the three times equally. His body filled all worldly spaces, and his voice harmoniously spread to lands of the ten directions..."

Suddenly, his voice came to an abrupt halt.

His gaze lifted, shooting beyond the clouds.

Kong Wen and Kong Ru’s gaze suddenly lifted as well.

The sky rippled, clouds swayed, and two figures walked on air toward them.

With a whoosh, as the strong wind arose, the two directly landed on the high platform.

The person on the left was like a celestial fairy, the Lord of Shenghua Valley, Hua Miaoyi.

The person on the right wore an outside-world jacket and a pair of white sneakers, a sartorial anomaly in Kun Cang; it was none other than Lin Xiaosu.

"Amitabha!" Kong Wen rose to greet them, "Lord Hua’s grand arrival makes our humble temple shine with glory! Please join us in the Buddhist hall for tea."

"No need!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Let’s say a few words here instead."

The three senior monks of the Three Buddha Temple were shocked simultaneously.

Even in the Jianghu, there are etiquettes to be observed.

Hua Miaoyi, being a sect master, had already committed a breach of etiquette by descending onto the Three Buddha Temple’s lecture platform without prior notice. It was magnanimous of Abbot Kong Wen not to pursue the matter. Yet Lin Xiaosu, a junior, also landed on the lecture platform without observing the basic etiquette of bowing to show respect.

He did fine by not apologizing, but he even took the initiative to speak up.

If it were a general sect, the other party would have directly reprimanded him. Do you understand etiquette, boy? On what grounds are you speaking out of turn?

However, the Three Buddha Temple was not an ordinary sect; it was a Buddhist temple. Even if there was anger, it was as concealed as possible from the public view.

Kong Wen, with a faint smile, said, "What does Master Lin wish to say?"

"Let’s talk about the tragic deaths of Shenghua Valley disciples over the past year!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Upon investigation, among the disciples from Shenghua Valley who went out, 137 innocently met a cruel end at the hands of the Three Buddha Temple. Abbot Master, I ask, was this arranged by you?"

The entire audience of monks was collectively stunned.

Kong Wen’s face darkened slightly, "Amitabha! After a year apart, Master Lin’s habit of speaking nonsense seems to have worsened."

"Speaking nonsense?" Lin Xiaosu sneered, "How about I directly point out the evidence on the spot?"

"Evidence?" Kong Ru couldn’t hold back, "May I ask, benefactor, how you could conjure evidence out of thin air?"

"Like this!" Lin Xiaosu extended his right hand, spinning it close to the ground.

Thirteen leaves rose into the air and fell into his palm.

With a wave of his hand!

The entire Buddhist hall seemed to take a step into Misty Rain Jiangnan.

In Misty Rain Jiangnan, thirteen Bodhi Leaves floated up.

The monks below were shocked all at once.

They were not ordinary monks.

Those qualified to sit in the Buddhist hall and listen to the giants of the enlightenment realm at close range were at least at the pinnacle of the Observing Earth level.

Yet, under Lin Xiaosu’s Li Ren Tears realm, they suddenly felt totally constrained, unable to move.

Among them, nine watched helplessly as a leaf stuck to their foreheads.

The other four were all in the Observing Heaven realm, capable of counter-attacks.

As the leaves, carrying mysterious energy, shot toward their foreheads, the four simultaneously raised their palms, energy swirling within to meet the incoming leaf.

Boom!

Four figures soared into the air, crashing into the Buddhist hall behind them.

Everyone’s eyes widened simultaneously.

Even Hua Miaoyi’s pretty eyes were filled with brilliant colors.

This move was delicate to the extreme.

Lin Xiaosu’s thirteen leaves, within his Misty Rain Jiangnan realm, flew toward thirteen individuals.

Those unable to resist had the leaves lightly stick to their foreheads, causing no harm.

But those capable of resistance, the Peeping Heaven masters, were sharply knocked away.

Just a handful of leaves, yet in his hands, manifested both hardness and softness.

Soft as light rain touching silk.

Hard as swallowing the mountains and rivers.

This was not a mere technique.

This was a display of Sword Intent!

Lin Xiaosu possessing Sword Intent in this venture to Kun Cang was already no secret after several displays.

Now, witnessing this effortless display in person, the major figures still felt they had underestimated him.

His Sword Intent was extraordinary!

Perhaps it wasn’t just Sword Intent; it was Sword Intent Green Flower!

Only they could see this!

Kong Wen raised his hand, his monk’s robe flapped, and with a gust of wind, the Misty Rain Jiangnan realm was suddenly swept away. He held one palm in front of his chest, "Master Lin’s Sword Intent is truly exquisite. Was entering my Three Buddha Temple this time just to show off some skills?"

"Not at all!" Lin Xiaosu said, "I mentioned earlier, this is merely to indicate the murderer of the innocents by the Three Buddha Temple."

As soon as the voice fell, his hand suddenly grasped!

With a whoosh, a monk who had just been slammed into the corner was dragged in front of him out of thin air.

"Speak!" Lin Xiaosu said, "Was it you who killed the seven Shenghua Valley disciples by the Chaotic Wind Riverbank?"

"Yes!"

A loud "Yes" answered.

Everyone present was petrified.

The monks below almost couldn’t believe their ears.

The four giants on the high platform also couldn’t believe it.

Admitted just like that?

How could it be possible?

Kong Wen’s face turned ash-grey, "Huiqun, you..."

The next word was emphasized suddenly, like a raging torrent, surging toward the monk under Lin Xiaosu’s hand.

Suddenly, Hua Miaoyi took a step forward, blocking in front of Huiqun.

Her hair fluttered abruptly, sending Kong Wen’s sonic wave back.

Hua Miaoyi’s voice was icy, "Master Kong Wen, you even used the Thunderous Buddha Sound, is it because you don’t want him to speak?"

The Thunderous Buddha Sound from Kong Wen failed to affect Huiqun.

Lin Xiaosu’s voice pierced straight through, "Speak, who ordered you?"