Chapter 37: When Mother Lin finished her morning chanting ritual and walked into...
When Lin's mother finished her morning chanting ceremony and walked into the meditation room, what caught her eye was her daughter Lin Xiangli sitting upright on the edge of the bed, with a packed bundle lying quietly beside her.
Noticing her mother's return, Lin Xiangli stood up and went forward to greet her: "Mother, I've made up my mind. I can't keep running away. I've decided to go back and face reality."
Lin's mother also knew that after Lin Bowen's death, there would be many things that needed to be dealt with. Therefore, although she was reluctant to let her daughter go, there was nothing she could do. She had already left the secular world and could only silently support her daughter.
So she walked to Lin Xiangli's side and gently held her daughter's hand.
"Good boy, no matter what decision you make, your mother will always support you."
Lin Xiangli picked up her bag and looked at her mother reluctantly, "Mom, I'm leaving now."
"Wait," Lin's mother called out to her, then turned and pulled out a delicate sachet from the bedside cabinet. She handed it to Lin Xiangli, "Take this with you. It'll be a keepsake."
Lin Xiangli took the sachet and examined it carefully. The unique aroma of camellia and dried herbs brought a warm feeling to her heart. "Mother, every year you sew this camellia sachet for me. Whenever I smell it, it feels like you are always by my side."
Mother Lin responded with a smile and said softly, "I'll take you to the temple gate."
The mother and daughter walked out of the meditation room side by side and walked slowly towards the temple gate.
Along the way, Lin Xiangli fondly rubbed the sachet, the scent of camellia lingering in her nose. She curiously asked her mother, "Mom, are there camellias in Tanshan Temple? I've lived here for a while, but I don't seem to have seen any camellias planted anywhere..."
Mother Lin said, "There are no camellias in Tanshan Temple. I bought these dried flowers specially when I came down the mountain last time. I thought I could sew a new sachet for you next time you come."
Lin Xiangli brought the sachet close to her nose, took a deep sniff, and exclaimed, "My mother's craftsmanship has given this sachet a fragrance that is unique in the world..."
Mother Lin chuckled, reminiscing about the past. "Actually, the recipe for this sachet wasn't created by me. More than ten years ago, I ran into a grandmother and her granddaughter selling herbs on the roadside. The sachets the girl was wearing were very unique, with a captivating fragrance. So I asked her grandmother for the recipe..."
Lin's mother looked into the distance.
"That little girl might be the same age as you now..."
"I see..." Lin Xiangli sighed, "I wonder if I'll have the chance to meet the girl who has the same sachet as me in the future."
Before they knew it, the mother and daughter had reached the temple gate.
Lin Xiangli then tied the sachet around her waist, tightened the bag on her shoulders, and said goodbye to her mother: "Mother, I'm leaving first. Please take good care of yourself."
Mother Lin stepped forward, carefully tidied her daughter's clothes, gently tightened her cloak, and reminded her, "You must take care of yourself too."
After saying this, she took a step back, clasped her hands together, and bowed, "Amitabha, may the Buddha have mercy and protect my son."
Lin Xiangli also bowed deeply, then turned around and started down the mountain.
Before she could get over the feeling of parting, her eyes were fixed on the figure in the fluttering red dress at the foot of the mountain.
He tied his hair with a red ribbon, which fluttered in the wind. He stood there quietly, his eyes fixed on her, his lips moving slightly.
Despite the distance, Lin Xiangli could clearly read his lip language.
The person he called was Xiang Li.
Lin Xiangli's eyes were reddened for no apparent reason. She desperately ran towards the man, hugged him tightly, and choked out her tears, "Ling An."
Ling An also hugged Lin Xiangli tightly back. The anxiety and uneasiness he had felt over the past few days instantly disappeared after he smelled the familiar camellia scent on her.
After hugging each other, Lin Xiangli looked up at Ling An. Seeing that his face was thin and his lips were pale, she felt guilty. "I'm sorry, Ling An, for making you worry about me."
Ling An smiled and shook his head, hugged her shoulders, and said gently: "It's okay, let's go back."
*
Tang Suzi was holding a rough bamboo stick and walking towards Tanshan Temple step by step.
When I was guarding the lanterns in the past, I didn’t feel tired after traveling dozens of kilometers back and forth between Tanshan and Yunluan every day. Now that I have returned to my mortal body, I feel tired after just climbing a few steps on the mountain.
Yes, she decided to go back to Tanshan Temple to find her master.
The accounts left by Lin Xiangli have been sorted out. Fang Yazi told her two days ago that a buyer had expressed interest in purchasing the Lin Mansion that she had listed for sale at Fang Yazi's place. However, since Lin Xiangli was not there, she, as an outsider, had no right to dispose of this huge family asset without authorization, and the work of sorting out the Lin Mansion's assets had therefore come to a standstill.
Tang Suzi felt as if she was doing useless work by continuing to stay in Ling Mansion, and she became more and more worried about Ling An's safety.
Half a month had passed, and she had not seen Ling An at the foot of Yunluan Holy Mountain. She was very worried about his health.
So she decided to go back to Tanshan Temple and ask the master what to do next.
Just as she was immersed in her thoughts, a familiar voice suddenly came from the front: "Miss Tang?"
Hearing the sound, Tang Suzi raised her head. After seeing the person standing in front of her, her eyes lit up. She immediately threw away her bamboo stick and ran forward in one step. "Xiang Li, Ling An! Why are you here?"
"Why are you here?" Lin Xiangli also asked the question almost at the same time.
"I'm here to find my mother." Lin Xiangli replied.
"Is your mother also at Tanshan Temple?"
Tang Suzi couldn't help but sigh: What a coincidence!
"Yes, she became a nun here a few years ago." Lin Xiangli seemed reluctant to talk about this topic and asked, "Miss Tang, what about you? Why are you here?"
"I……"
Tang Suzi looked at Ling An, his eyes were ambiguous. He should have guessed what she was going back to Tanshan Temple for.
But in this brief eye contact, she found that Ling An's lips were pale and his face was not very good.
Tang Suzi reacted quickly, hurriedly took out the water bottle from his waist, handed it to Ling An, and said with a look that only he could understand: "Ling An, are you thirsty? I brought some water, you can have a sip first."
Due to health reasons, she could not get too close to the Yunluan Holy Mountain, so she had asked Yan'er to collect a pot of holy water for her and always carried it with her in case of emergency.
At this time, Lin Xiangli also noticed that Ling An's complexion was getting worse and worse, and quickly agreed: "Yes, Ling An, you look very bad. Are you thirsty? Drink some water first."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ling An's eyes suddenly became stern and he pushed Lin Xiangli away abruptly.
At this moment, a sharp arrow, accompanied by a biting wind, whizzed past Lin Xiangli.
Lin Xiangli's heart was still beating fast, and then he heard a few "whoosh" sounds, and several sharp arrows flew from all directions.
"Be careful! Get behind the tree!"
Ling An quickly picked up the handle of an arrow that had fallen to the ground, and waved it left and right, blocking the arrows that were aimed at Lin Xiangli and Tang Suzi one by one.
After hearing Ling An's instructions, Lin Xiangli and Tang Suzi also hurriedly ran towards the big trees on both sides.
But with this separation, Ling An was suddenly unable to cope with the situation and watched as two arrows were shot at Tang Suzi and Lin Xiangli at the same time.
Ling An's pupils suddenly shrank, and after a brief hesitation, he made a decision.
The sound of arrows breaking through the air was approaching, and Tang Suzi suddenly had a premonition and turned around abruptly.
The arrow came flying at such a speed that the handle could no longer be seen. All I could see was a black gas rushing towards my eyes, almost filling my entire field of vision.
Tang Suzi closed his eyes resignedly.
However, the expected pain did not come. She only heard a loud "bang" sound in her ears, and then she was embraced by someone.
The cloak wrapped her tightly. In the darkness, she heard a steady stream of footsteps around her and someone shouting, "Quick! Protect the Pavilion Master!"
It seems to be Guo Yan's voice! The person in front of me is...Ayu?
After a fierce fight, the sound of arrows gradually subsided.
In his arms, she could hear his rapid heartbeat from the fight, "bang bang bang" like the accelerating beating of a gong.
Tang Suzi's heart found unprecedented peace at this moment.
The cloak was lifted and she saw the familiar face.
Every time she was in danger, he saved her. Unconsciously, she seemed to owe him more and more.
"Are you okay?" She saw Fang Buyu's eyes full of worry.
"I'm fine, how about you?"
Before he could answer, a cry of surprise came from the side: "Ling An!"
Tang Suzi's attention was instantly drawn to the place, where Lin Xiangli was anxiously supporting the fallen Ling An.
She hurried forward and asked: "What's wrong? Is he hurt?"
After carefully examining Ling An's condition, Lin Xiangli replied, "He probably wasn't injured, but he suddenly fainted..."
Tang Suzi remembered something and hurriedly picked up the water bottle that he had dropped when he was dodging the arrow. He opened it hastily and squatted down, carefully feeding Ling An one mouthful at a time.
After a while, Ling An's eyes finally opened slowly. He saw Tang Suzi squatting with a kettle in hand, and was also hugged tightly by Lin Xiangli beside him.
"Ling An, you're awake! You almost scared me to death just now!"
He turned to Lin Xiangli and gave her a forced smile: "I'm fine."
Just then, someone walked up to Lin Xiangli and said, "Hello, Miss Lin. I'm Feng Wei, the judge of the Sili Court. Regarding your father's case, our Sili Court and the Tianying Pavilion have something we'd like to discuss with you. Would it be convenient for you to come with us now?"
Lin Xiangli looked at Ling An hesitantly. Tang Suzi saw her concerns and helped Ling An from her arms: "Xiangli, you go. I will take Ling An back."
Fang Buyu also walked up to them at this time. He glanced at Tang Suzi's hand holding Ling An, his eyes dark, and then he opened his thin lips slightly: "Miss Lin, please rest assured, we will send someone to escort Miss Tang and Master Ling back."
Although this sentence was said to Lin Xiangli, his eyes were always on Tang Suzi.
However, Tang Suzi didn't notice it at all until he helped Ling An to stand up slowly. The moment he looked up, he saw a small scratch on Fang Buyu's cheekbone.
Is A Yu also injured?
"Miss Lin, please follow us." Feng Wei said.
They took Lin Xiangli away, and Fang Buyu's face was as cold as frosty throughout the whole process.
Tang Suzi slowly reacted: Ayu, is he angry? ...
*
In an interrogation room at the Eagle Tower branch, the air seemed frozen, tense and oppressive.
Lin Xiangli sat on one side of the desk, and Feng Wei and Fang Buyu sat on the other.
"Since you two adults have asked me to come here, just ask whatever you want to ask." Lin Xiangli's tone was calm and indifferent. Her eyes swept across Feng Wei and Fang Buyu's faces without a trace of emotion.
Feng Wei turned to look at Fang Buyu. Seeing that Fang Buyu showed no intention of speaking, he had no choice but to speak: "Miss Lin, the main reason we came to you this time is to find out whether your father had any close contacts with certain people, especially officials, during his lifetime."
Hearing this, Lin Xiangli sneered, "What do you mean by close contact? Haven't you been to our house several times before?"
Feng Wei was so choked by her words that his face turned blue and purple. He blushed and said angrily, "You...what do you mean? I've only been to your Ling Mansion once, and it was your father who asked me to go. Don't slander me so casually!"
Lin Xiangli just smiled without saying anything, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, her eyes full of contempt.
Feng Wei was completely enraged by her attitude and slammed the table: "What kind of attitude is this!"
At this time, Fang Buyu slowly raised a hand and gently stopped Feng Wei. His voice was calm but carried unquestionable majesty: "Master Feng, please calm down. Please go out for a while and let me talk to her alone."
Although Feng Wei was unwilling, he could only nod helplessly under Fang Buyu's seemingly questioning but actually oppressive gaze. Before leaving, he did not forget to specifically remind Fang Buyu: "My Lord, you must be discerning. This woman is very cunning. You must not be fooled by her words."
Fang Buyu nodded gently: "I know."
After Feng Wei left, only Fang Buyu and Lin Xiangli were left in the interrogation room.
Lin Xiangli turned her head to the side, as if refusing to communicate.
Fang Buyu was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke: "Miss Lin, do you know Prime Minister Tuoba Xuan?"
Tuoba Xuan?
Lin Xiangli was puzzled as to why Fang Buyu suddenly mentioned the position of prime minister, but she remained calm.
Fang Buyu didn't see the situation and continued, "Based on the clues we have so far, your father is very likely being instructed by someone in the Ningxiangju case, and the person behind this is inextricably linked to the Prime Minister's Mansion."
The Prime Minister's Mansion? Could it be that those secret letters she had found in her father's study were actually written by the Prime Minister? Lin Xiangli involuntarily clenched her hands hidden under the desk, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Fang Buyu keenly caught the subtle change in Lin Xiangli's expression and continued, "However, we currently lack strong evidence to prove this. So, I would like to ask Miss Lin, do you know any relevant clues that you can provide us?"
Hearing this, Lin Xiangli looked at Fang Buyu sarcastically: "Master Fang, do you want me to denounce my own father?"
Fang Buyu shook his head and looked at Lin Xiangli seriously: "No, I hope you can clear your father's guilt. After all, if the mastermind behind this is allowed to go unpunished, then the responsibility for the whole thing will fall on your father, and that would be the real injustice."
Lin Xiangli sneered, his eyes filled with hatred. "Haha...that's a very high-sounding statement. Didn't my father die in your Sky Eagle Pavilion's prison under unclear circumstances? Injustice? Isn't that the greatest injustice?"
Fang Buyu's expression grew serious upon hearing this. "I'm deeply sorry for your father's passing. We will quickly uncover the culprit behind this, and I hope Miss Lin can provide us with the necessary assistance."
Lin Xiangli's expression relaxed a little, but she still couldn't let go of the fault of Tianying Pavilion in this whole thing.
She didn't want to continue chatting, so she stood up and said coldly: "I have nothing to offer you. If there is nothing else, I will leave first." After that, she left the interrogation room without looking back.
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