Chapter 44 The statue of the deity stood in the temple, ...

The statue of the deity stands atop the temple, its stone-carved eyes calmly gazing down at the group of people outside the hall.

Lu Anzhi glanced at Cao Zhuangling with amusement: "Manager Cao has a good eye; he can recognize us as people from the Anti-Evil Division at a glance."

"In my younger days, I traveled all over the country and met many people. I have also seen the scene of the Anti-Evil Division investigating cases," Cao Zhuangling replied calmly.

"Then Steward Cao will surely be able to guess why we have come here."

"How could I, a mere steward, possibly fathom your intentions, sir?" Cao Zhuangling politely deflected the question.

The air grew quiet. Lu Anzhi didn't speak immediately, but stared intently at Cao Zhuangling with a stern face, creating pressure to make the following conversation go more smoothly.

Although he and Rong Feng came today to gather information and explore the surrounding terrain, it would be best if they could trick them out of something.

But after two conversations, he realized that Cao Zhuangling was not someone to be trifled with.

Looking at Cao Zhuangling, who exuded an odd aura, Lu Anzhi asked as planned:

"Manager Cao, the current laws state that temples cannot be built arbitrarily within the territory of Dasheng. The fox spirit in this fox spirit temple is not on the list of temples that are allowed to be built."

A slight crack appeared on Cao Zhuangling's usually calm face, but he quickly concealed it.

Rong Feng, who was among the worshippers, caught a glimpse of a smile on Cao Zhuangling's lips. He raised his eyes and looked at the expressionless statue, feeling a sense of unease.

The statue wore a golden crown, had a solemn face, and held a long sword in its hand. The carved lines of its robes fluttered in the wind. Upon closer inspection, there was nothing unusual about it, except that it looked too human...

Turning back, Cao Zhuangling's smile widened: "My lord, you misunderstand. The one enshrined in this small temple is not the fox spirit that the people are talking about."

He turned around and guided Lu Anzhi and his entourage to look at the statues inside the hall:

"Please look, everyone. This statue was sculpted based on the human cultivators from a thousand years ago. Although their specific names have not been passed down, you should have heard the legend of how our sorcerer ancestors fought for a chance to survive for us ordinary people a thousand years ago."

The sorcerer's ancestor was the founder of the Bureau of Extermination of Evil, which Lu Anzhi and his group naturally knew: "Oh? Could it be that the person sculpted in the statue is related to the sorcerer's ancestor?"

Cao Zhuangling nodded and said, "Gentlemen, please allow me to explain slowly."

"To pick up empty guests."

Cao Zhuangling feigned respect and asked, "May I ask, sir, is it permissible to establish a temple dedicated to the Immortal of the Void within the territory of Dasheng?"

Someone stepped forward from behind and whispered, "Lord Lu, there are indeed records of this person, Xie Xuke, in ancient books. Although few people have built temples for him, there was one in my hometown."

“There’s no problem with worshipping the Immortal Xiexu,” Lu Anzhi replied, then changed the subject: “But the fox spirit isn’t just a rumor.”

Cao Zhuangling explained with a smile: "This is a newly built temple. A few months ago, there was no incense burning. One day, a fox suddenly ran in and jumped onto the offering table. A believer who was sick below suddenly recovered. Since that day, the temple has been known to receive blessings from the fox spirit."

The name "Fox Fairy Temple" is merely a name given to it by the local people.

—

Before leaving, Xie Zhuo told Butcher Wang that if he remembered any new clues, he should inform the yamen (government office) before turning to leave.

After walking three zhang forward, Xie Zhuo casually glanced to the right.

At the entrance of the alley, a figure crouched low and furtively peeked half its head out, looking in the direction of the Wang family's house.

Xie Zhuo glanced at it, then walked forward as if nothing had happened, navigating the streets and alleys by relying on his memory.

After the person walked away, Li Yi secretly glanced at Xie Zhuo's back.

He carefully lifted a corner of the cloth covering the basket on his back, revealing a child he had brought from the dilapidated temple, eyes closed and still unconscious.

He weighed the basket on his back and decided to go back first today.

Turning around, a pair of satin boots came into view.

His gaze shifted upwards, and a sword came into view. He silently swallowed.

Moving his gaze upwards, Xie Zhuo, who had left not long ago, came into his view.

His mind went blank, and without thinking, he turned around and ran out of the alley.

Xie Zhuo moved even faster, reaching out to press down on Li Yi's shoulder as Li Yi took a step outside.

Li Yi felt the force on his shoulder and turned around without hesitation, kneeling down neatly: "My lord, please understand, I am not a kidnapper."

Xie Zhuo's eyelids twitched in fright at Li Yi's commotion. His gaze swept over the person kneeling in front of him, whose head was buried tightly, but judging from his build, he was no more than a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy.

"When did I say you were a kidnapper?"

Li Yi raised his head slightly, but still didn't look up at him: "Then why did you arrest me, sir...?"

"Why did you run away as soon as you saw me?" Xie Zhuo looked at the figure in front of him and turned his head slightly, his fingers gripping the gap in the basket on his back.

Li Yi hesitated for a moment: "If I tell the truth, will the magistrate lock me up in jail?"

Xie Zhuo raised an eyebrow: "I'm not a government official, why would I lock you up in jail?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yi raised his head, revealing that he was indeed about the same age as Xie Rongjing.

His dark eyes glared at him angrily. He was about to get up while holding the basket, but when his gaze fell on the sword at his waist, he knelt back down, though his movements were much more relaxed than before.

Worried that the person might run away if they weren't careful, Xie Zhuo didn't tell anyone to get up, since Li Yiyi had already sat down.

"Hiss..." Li paused for a moment, and seeing that Xie Zhuo did not delve into the matter of the kidnapper, he breathed a sigh of relief, and his form of address changed accordingly: "Esteemed sir, since you are not from the government, why are you stopping me?"

"What are you doing here, acting so suspiciously?" Xie Zhuo asked.

Li's eyes darted around, then he hugged his basket tighter: "Don't worry, sir, I'm not a thief. I just happened to be passing by and found the basket too heavy, so I'm just resting against the wall for a while."

Xie Zhuo, who has two children at home, could tell at a glance that Li Yi didn't tell the truth. After all, he was still young, and his unintentional actions could reveal his true feelings.

"My lord, may I leave now?"

Xie Zhu remained silent for a long time, and Li Yi's legs were getting numb from sitting.

Xie Zhuo took a step forward and reached for the basket on his back: "Since the basket is so heavy, why not carry it on your back instead of holding it in your arms?"

Li hurriedly straightened up and covered the basket on his back, and the lie came out of his mouth: "These are wild fruits I picked from the mountain. I originally wanted to buy them in town, but I didn't expect that the people in town wouldn't like them. They would easily get damaged if I carried them on my back, so I carried them down the mountain."

Xie Zhuo remained calm despite having his hand blocked, and followed Li Yi's words, saying, "My youngest son likes these things, so why don't you sell all the fruit to me?"

Li Yi froze, staring at Xie Zhuo who remained calm in front of him. Where did he get wild fruit to sell to the other party?

But his years of experience wandering alone made him grit his teeth and accept Xie Zhuo's words:

"Thank you so much, sir. Where do you live? I'll take the fruit back for you later."

Just as Li Yi thought he had come up with a good idea, he saw Xie Zhuo straighten up, nod and say, "Come back with me, and I'll settle the money with you."

Li Yi stared blankly at Xie Zhuo, who was smiling, for two seconds, and finally decided to take it one step at a time and slip away when they reached a crowded place.

"Let's go." Xie Zhuo's voice rang out above him, and Li Yi stood up, hugged his basket, and followed.

He originally wanted to walk behind Xie Zhuo so he could slip away easily, but since Xie Zhuo had spoken, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk beside Xie Zhuo.

Following Xie Zhuo through the winding streets, Li Yi, who had been in Lian'an Town for almost half a year, was surprised to learn that the town had so many alleys.

The two remained silent throughout the journey.

Li Yi glanced at the nearly deserted alley and stole a look at Xie Zhuo. He felt a pang of regret that the basket contained wild fruit, otherwise, judging from Xie Zhuo's attire, he might have been able to sell it for a higher price.

Xie Zhuo turned his head and keenly caught Li Yi's gaze, his eyes falling on the basket on his chest: "Is it too heavy? Do you want me to carry it?"

Li Yi looked at him in surprise, then looked away somewhat awkwardly and shook her head: "No need, I can carry you."

As they walked further and further away, navigating almost entirely through different alleys, Li Yi couldn't help but feel anxious.

Just then, Xie Zhuo finally led him out of the alley.

Li Yi quickly looked up, searching around for a chance to escape.

"We've arrived." The two words exploded in my ears like a thunderclap.

Li Yi instinctively wanted to run away.

But when he looked up, the government office in Lian'an Town came into view.

Another figure emerged from behind the gate, bowing to the person beside him: "Lord Xie, you're back." Then, as if only then noticing him, asked, "And this is?"

"Take him inside," Xie Zhuo said succinctly.

Li Yi realized what was happening and turned to run in another direction, but then felt a suffocating sensation in his neck.

Lu Anzhi, who had returned from not far away, grabbed Li Yi by the collar and dragged him back.

He noticed that Li Yi was holding the basket tightly in his hands, and worried that something was hidden inside, so he reached out to take it away.

Li Yi held on very tightly, and he couldn't pull away for a moment.

"Let him hold him." Xie Zhuo's voice stopped the two from struggling. Lu Anzhi withdrew his hand and controlled Li Yi's movements.

"My lords, the venue has been prepared."

Last night, the red line on the compass started to spin, which meant that the person was nearby. Rong Feng then ordered the borrowing of office space from the government office.

"Okay, take him inside first, don't let him escape," Xie Zhuo instructed.

The officials took Li Yi from Lu Anzhi's hands.

When one of them recognized Li Yi, he exclaimed, "It's you again!"

Li Yi hurriedly lowered his head: "Big brother, you've mistaken me for someone else."

“I just released you last month, how could I not remember?” the constable retorted.

Xie Zhuo paused as he walked inside: "What did he do wrong earlier?"

"Reporting to your Excellency, this boy is a habitual swindler. He pretends to be a fortune teller to fool people, which is one thing, but last time he told a fortune and someone died," the constable replied.

Xie Zhuo's eyebrows gradually furrowed, and his gaze on Li Yi gradually became serious.

"Hey, I clearly predicted that person would suffer from a drowning accident recently, but he insisted on going to the river. My divination was accurate, and now it's my fault?"

Li Yi turned his face away to avoid the gaze from above, and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"Shut up! Everyone knows you're a fraud. You managed to get one divination right, and that person died. You might be the one who did it. If we had evidence..." the constable shouted angrily.

Xie Zhuo hadn't expected that the boy being held down at the bottom of the steps had this kind of story. He then turned to the constables and said, "Send him to the newly prepared area. Lord Rong and I will interrogate him ourselves."

...