Mingzhuo knew that monks had to follow many precepts and rules, so he definitely didn't approve of her behavior, but Wunian didn't say much.

After confirming that the man was alright, he prepared to take his leave.

Mingzhuo: "Wait a minute, Master, are you giving a lecture today? May I go and listen?"

Wu Nian paused for a moment, then said, "Of course."

He looked puzzled. Mingzhuo was clearly a Xuan Master. Logically speaking, given their different beliefs, it was quite unexpected that he would come to listen to a sermon.

However, since education should be provided to all without discrimination, he naturally couldn't refuse anyone who wanted to come.

Wu Nian preached in the back hall. When Ming Zhuo walked in, the hall was already full of people. She also saw Ruan Mulan and Ruan Mingying.

The two were quite surprised by her arrival, but they still offered her the prayer mat to sit on, and listened to the sutra together.

Despite his young age, Wu Nian is clearly used to such occasions and speaks of scriptures with great poise.

Mingzhuo casually observed the monks behind him, and then observed the audience, and found that quite a few people were listening attentively to the sutra.

Surprisingly, it wasn't entirely because of Wu Nian's good looks.

After it was over, Mingzhuo stepped forward and said with a smile, "Master, your sermon was excellent; it was truly enlightening. May I attend a sermon at your Qingmen Temple next time?"

Wu Nian: "..."

Although he was giving a sermon, the reactions of the people below were crystal clear; Mingzhuo was obviously not listening attentively.

He couldn't help but wonder what the woman's true purpose was.

Surely they couldn't possibly really want to hear the sutras, could they?

Without waiting for his reply, Mingzhuo said with a smile, "Then it's settled. Goodbye, Master."

I didn't pay attention to the time while listening to the sutra. It wasn't until everyone left the main hall that I realized the sun had already set outside.

The sound of bells rang out from the direction of the back mountain of Yunling Temple, startling birds into flight among the trees.

As dusk fell, the ancient temple, a thousand years old, exuded a sense of desolation.

Mingzhuo's phone rang. She answered the call and calmly put it down a moment later.

"Liu Manling is dead."

"What?" Everyone else was taken aback.

——

Liu Manling's funeral was held three days later.

Ruan Mulan and Ruan Mingying suggested that their family should attend the funeral to bid farewell to Liu Manling.

Liu Manling was Mingzhuo's adoptive mother, and her kindness in raising him should not be forgotten. If she doesn't go to pay her respects, she will inevitably be gossiped about and criticized.

In traditional thinking, death is the greatest tragedy, and any past grievances should be wiped clean.

Mingzhuo had no objection; she was willing to go. She was also curious about why Liu Manling had died so suddenly.

She didn't realize that Liu Manling was destined for a short life.

He Wangyao couldn't help but sigh when she heard this, "It probably happened when Cheng Jingru was trapped in Hongguang Building that day, otherwise this kind of thing would not have happened."

Although he didn't have much interaction with Cheng Jingru, they were from the same school, and since most people went, he also planned to go to pay his respects.

Gu Xu handed a stack of documents to Ming Zhuo: "On the morning of the accident, the property management found the dead sparrows on the second-floor atrium platform."

He added, "The blood was splattered all around, as if it had fallen to its death. But the sparrow's wings were not injured."

The probability of a bird falling to its death is as low as the probability of a fish drowning.

This matter seems unusual no matter how you look at it.

The first person to discover the sparrow's body was a cleaning lady in her fifties. Before being asked to clean up the traces, she secretly took a picture.

Gu Xu bought the photo and wanted Ming Zhuo to see if he could find any clues.

Mingzhuo looked at the photo and said, "This thing is pretty vicious. This bird must have been crushed to death before it fell to the second floor."

He Wangyao: "Was it really the work of an evil spirit?"

Mingzhuo: "Who knows? It's also possible that Master Xuan was behind it."

Li Wenhe frowned. "Don't joke around. If it was a Xuan Master who did it, the Cheng family will probably suspect you first."

He never overestimated human nature, especially the humanity of the Cheng family.

Having been classmates with Mingzhuo for many years, he knew that family's character all too well.

Mingzhuo chuckled: "Do you think the Cheng family doesn't suspect me? Speaking of which, I also want to see what the Cheng family is up to."

There were some things she needed to confirm.

When Gu Xu heard Ming Zhuo say this, he knew that she was aware of the situation.

He always felt that there was something fishy about Liu Manling's death, as if it was aimed at Mingzhuo.

——

The Cheng family moved to a new house six months ago. The house they bought was in a very upscale neighborhood, and that's where Liu Manling died.

But this time the body was laid to rest in an old house, a ground-floor house with a small garden. A tent had been set up at the entrance, and the sound of funeral music could be heard from a great distance.

Mingzhuo followed Ruan Mulan and Ruan Mingying inside and saw Cheng Jingru dressed in mourning clothes, kneeling beside the coffin, bowing to each person who came to pay their respects.

Cheng Jiangkai held the portrait with a sorrowful expression, but Cheng Jinghao was nowhere to be seen.

Even though the mother and her two daughters were dressed simply, their overall demeanor was outstanding.

The guests present all looked over, some curious about who these people were.

After the mother and her two daughters finished offering incense, Ruan Mulan saw that Cheng Jingru was young and looked pitiful, so she couldn't help but whisper, "Please accept my condolences."

Cheng Jingru bowed silently to express her gratitude, then quickly glanced at Ming Zhuo.

That look in his eyes conveyed hatred, resentment, pain, humiliation, and forbearance, before finally settling into silence and numbness.

However, one of Cheng's relatives stood up and said maliciously, "Cheng Zhuo, your mother is dead, why aren't you staying to keep vigil?"

The crowd erupted in uproar. This was actually... Cheng Zhuo? The Cheng Zhuo who was ignorant, of low birth, and utterly useless, the one everyone used as a negative example to urge their children to study harder?

Many people thought that Mingzhuo would suffer a lot after being returned and abandoned, and would never be able to return to their social circle.

Only a few people know that Mingzhuo is not only living a good life, but has also become the sister of a big star and a descendant of a prominent Xuanmen family!

Mingzhuo will indeed not return to their social circle, but that's because he has improved several levels, not because he has fallen to the bottom as they thought.

The relative speaking was Liu Manling's older sister, who was also Cheng Jingru's aunt.

She usually sympathizes with Liu Manling and has often given young Mingzhuo a hard time.

They always say that this child is ungrateful and a heartless wretch. Girls need to be toughened up and beaten a few times, and they'll become sensible once they're scared.

His harshness was unmatched among all of Cheng's relatives, so it's no wonder he could say such things.

Mingzhuo said calmly, "My own mother is standing right here. If you want to curse her, you should ask the Bai family if they will allow it."

The middle-aged woman had previously been a key member of Ruan Mulan's gang, but she had been severely warned by the Xuanmen sect last time, so she felt a little embarrassed.

Mingzhuo paused for a moment and continued, "I was also thinking of keeping vigil. I'd like to see the spirit return on the seventh day after death."

Cheng Jingru's eyelids twitched suddenly, and she clenched her fists and looked up to ask, "What exactly do you want?"