Unintended Immortality

Constable Luo walked into the county yamen[1] with hurried steps and immediately summoned his subordinates. He was about to close the case completely when he happened to encounter a beaming Magistrate Liu.

Magistrate Liu, as the county head magistrate of Yidu, was technically a senior official of the county. However, Yidu was the seat of Yizhou. Great Yan’s regional administrative system basically had three levels: prefecture, commandery, and county. Prefecture level was higher at the moment, and equivalent to province level. Thus important prefecture and commandery officials were also mostly here. Compared to them, even though Magistrate Liu's position was higher than that of ordinary county head magistrates, it was still somewhat insignificant.

That great earth-traversing burglar had really run wild recently, targeting only the treasures collected in the residences of the nobility. Country Head Magistrate Liu secretly speculated that besides gold, silver, jade, antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and rare medicinal herbs, some items stolen might be things the big wigs would not want outsiders to obtain.

He was under immense pressure.

Though the major case had been solved recently thanks to Constable Luo's efficient handling of the case, Magistrate Liu also credited himself for withstanding the pressure and providing substantial support behind the scenes. The city’s nobility also praised him repeatedly. Judging by the situation, if the matter of the stolen goods was handled appropriately, a promotion would not be difficult.

Magistrate Liu was naturally flushed with success.

Seeing Constable Luo in such a hurry, he couldn't help but ask in concern with a smile, “Mingyuan, what’s the matter now? Why are you in such a rush again?”

“Your Honor, the case of the great earth-traversing burglar is not yet fully resolved. I need to make another trip to Taian Temple.”

“Mingyuan, I know you are righteous and eager to solve the case, but since the burglar has been caught, there's no need to tire yourself out like this. Why not go home and rest for two days? Leave the loose ends for your subordinates to investigate slowly.” Magistrate Liu advised. “You’ve been working all night recently. If you still don’t rest now, even a body made of iron can’t take it.”

“Your Honor doesn’t know, but I’ve got a lead, and I’m about to fully crack the case.” Constable Luo said urgently. “You’re busy, and I will return to report the interesting details once I’ve sorted the whole case out.”

“Interesting details?”

“More interesting than you think, Your Honor.”

“Then go ahead!”

“Yes, Your Honor!”

Constable Luo immediately divided his subordinates into two groups. One group hurried to Taian Temple to clarify the situation, while he led the other group into the county yamen jail.

As soon as he entered the jail, he brought out the poor scholar who had learned the art of earth-traversing. Sure enough, he had already been beaten until he had injuries all over. However, Constable Luo courteously offered him a seat, poured him a cup of tea, and even rebuked the yamen attendants who had used torture on him. He then informed the scholar about the miraculous event that had happened at Taian Temple that day during noontime. He furthermore hinted that he already knew about his connection with Master Guanghong, and advised him to confess so that he would be treated leniently.

The scholar was shocked and confessed immediately.

A few years ago, the scholar went to Taian Temple to offer incense and ask about his academic prospects. He met Master Guanghong, who told him that he was not fated for academic success in his lifetime but was a good candidate for learning esoteric techniques.

Thus, the two got together.

The scholar indeed had talent and surpassed Master Guanghong in earth-traversing technique within two short years. He then started stealing everywhere under Guanghong’s guidance. The gold, silver and jewels he stole all went to him. Antiques, calligraphy and paintings were split between them, with Master Guanghong taking first pick. All rare medicinal herbs went to Master Guanghong, supposedly for concocting pills. ℞α𐌽ö฿Ëş

Besides this, he sometimes also stole account books and similar items for Master Guanghong.

Constable Luo was secretly alarmed as he heard this.

Taian Temple was the most successful Buddhist temple in the city. Although its position in Yizhou’s religious circles cannot be compared to that of the thousand-year-old Daoist temple outside the city, it benefited from its location. Master Guanghong was also an honored guest of many nobles in the city.

Constable Luo felt he should solve the case quickly.

So he rushed energetically to Taian Temple again.

He had sent his most capable men there earlier and they had already gathered most of the details. The witnesses were all still there. Not because his subordinates wouldn’t let them go, but they had all spontaneously gathered there due to curiosity. They were waiting to watch the show.

Once Constable Luo arrived, everyone started talking at once.

Their words all revolved around a handsome young man.

Some said they saw the young man enter the Hall of Five Observances with a cat. Finding no seat, he politely asked before sitting next to Master Guanghong. It looked very casual and seemed like a coincidence.

Some said they saw the young man and Master Guanghong walking along the long winding corridor toward the Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas. They were conversing softly and very politely, seeming both familiar and unfamiliar with each other.

Some said they heard Master Guanghong asking the young man what he wanted to do.

Some said the young man must be a demon who used demon fire to harm Master Guanghong. Others said Master Guanghong only confessed and spontaneously combusted before Buddha because he had a guilty conscience himself.

Some said the fire wasn’t hot, while others claimed it felt hot even from a distance. Some said it was yellow, others red, but the undamaged clothes that fell onto the ground couldn’t be faked.

Everyone vividly described the scene then.

Constable Luo was greatly astonished as he listened.

As a constable for many years, he had handled many cases involving ghosts and demons but had rarely dealt with ones involving deities and Buddhas like this.

Even his father probably hadn’t seen many such cases.

However, he remained calm.

He first led his men to search Master Guanghong’s residence.

Apart from this evil monk, there seemed to be no other skilled individuals in Taian Temple. Anyway, they were there in their official capacity and as long as it involved the case, the only way to stop the investigation would be through pressure from the city’s nobility even if Master Guanghong were still around.

Therefore, no one dared to block them.

As expected, they quickly found the stolen goods hidden by Master Guanghong based on their years of experience.

There was a pile of left over medicinal herbs as well as some antiques, calligraphy and paintings. As for the books, whether they were Buddhist scriptures or other things, Constable Luo did not look at them at all. He simply packed them in a box to take back to the yamen.

***

Two hours later, at Yidu’s yamen.

The sky had darkened.

A wooden box was placed in the middle of the courtroom with candles lit at the sides, casting flickering shadows of several people.

Magistrate Liu, who was short in stature, stood at the center of the courtroom and in front of the box. Behind him was an advisor, while Constable Luo and two bailiffs stood respectfully to the side.

Although it was a rotating official system, he naturally had a higher status than the minor officials at the bottom as the chief county official. However, implementing government decrees required cooperation from the minor officials. Moreover, human relations were important so Constable Luo always treated Magistrate Liu with utmost respect in their daily interactions, and Magistrate Liu was also very courteous to him. This was their mode of cooperation.

Constable Luo reported everything clearly to Magistrate Liu, from seeing Mr. Song’s damaged courtyard wall in the morning on his way to work, to finding time for visiting Mr. Song in the afternoon, and their conversation with each other. Also, the visit to Taian Temple, including his related speculations.

After hearing everything, Magistrate Liu remained silent for a long time.

After a while, the advisor softly reminded him from behind, “Your Honor, perhaps it’s best to first deal with the nobles' lost items...”

“Yes.”

Magistrate Liu came back to his senses then. He first looked at the box, then at Constable Luo. “Have you made an inventory of the items in this box?”

“Your Honor, I have not looked at them at all.”

Magistrate Liu turned to his advisor.

The advisor nodded at him.

“Mingyuan, you’ve always been particular when handling matters, so I trust you. I will invite the nobles to come and identify their items myself.” Magistrate Liu finally said. He paused but couldn’t resist asking again, “So that Daoist priest from Tianshui Alley really only said a few words to Master Guanghong and it caused him to die of spontaneous human combustion?”

“Your Honor, there were many worshippers at Taian Temple at the time, and that’s what they all said.”

“Tsk tsk...” Magistrate Liu was astonished, and felt it was like an immortal’s intervention.

“As for the damaged courtyard wall you mentioned...”

“Although I didn’t hear from Mr. Song what exactly caused it, the burglar in prison had mentioned that Master Guanghong kept three green-faced Yakshas. They were over a zhang tall with bodies as big as bulls. They could look into the second floor while standing on the ground. I assume they caused the damage.”

“But you said there were no signs of a battle in the courtyard...”

“Not only were there no signs of a battle, when I went to ask Mr. Song in the afternoon, he didn’t seem to care about it at all. I suspect these Yakshas were subdued instantly.”

Magistrate Liu was stunned upon hearing this and exchanged a glance with his advisor. Then he sighed, “Such masters usually only cultivate in the mountains. How did one come to Yidu...”

Constable Luo understood what he meant.

The County Head Magistrate had previously expressed a desire to get to know him, and now he probably wanted to visit in person.

“I heard Mr. Song is a wandering priest temporarily staying here. He also used to cultivate in the mountains. Even in the city, he lives alone with a cat. He loves tranquility, and always comes and goes alone every day. He might be observing worldly affairs.” Constable Luo subtly reminded him.

“What a pity...” Magistrate Liu shook his head.

Given this, he didn’t dare go to disturb him. However, the city’s prefect had long been fascinated by such matters. Once news of Master Guanghong’s case spread, he would likely come and inquire about it. Actually, he could tell him the details. Firstly, it would fit his fancy and expand conversational topics. Secondly, the prefect held a high-ranking official position and had an extraordinary status, so he naturally had the qualifications to pay a visit.

As for Master Guanghong...

Clearly, he had violated precepts and done shameful deeds. Thus he was burned to death by karmic fire[2] in front of the Buddha’s hall.

***

Constable Luo repaired the courtyard wall for Song You.

Song You didn’t refuse either…

He had already been paid for advising Constable Luo, so they were even. Bearing the risk of retaliation from the person behind the burglar was also counted into these twenty taels of silver. However, he had again helped Constable Luo thoroughly solve the case afterwards, so he deserved having his wall repaired by Constable Luo.

In Song You’s heart, they were even in this way.

However, Constable Luo didn’t seem to think so.

He felt he still owed Song You for his assistance and often brought some practical gifts over like meat, vegetables, and fruits.

Song You sometimes accepted, and sometimes he didn’t.

As the saying goes…Sometimes, appropriately accepting other people’s goodwill is actually a sign of generosity.

Sometimes, he accepted to let Constable Luo feel better. Sometimes, he didn’t accept to maintain a balance and avoid getting overly entangled.

Day after day like this, time also passed very quickly.

There was extraordinary delight hidden in the ordinary.

The story of Master Guanghong’s spontaneous human combustion in front of Buddha’s hall quickly spread. It became a favorite leisure time topic among Yidu’s citizens. It spread even more widely in jianghu circles, growing more exaggerated with each telling.

Rumors in society were generally like this.

Besides listening to storytelling, Song You had also become fond of listening to qin[3] music.

In the north of the city was Pine Cottage, the residence of Mr. Yang. Mr. Yang was famous for his qin-playing skills and often invited a few friends over to play the qin at his home. Many nobles in the city visited him, and he played the qin every evening. Therefore, some music enthusiasts would gather outside Pine Cottage at that time. They would order a cup of tea at a tea stall, and get drunk on the music.

Pine Cottage wasn’t far, and Song You often passed by. He would stop for a moment to listen.

The weather was obviously turning cooler.

1. Government office in feudal China. ☜

2. Buddhist concept of burning due to one’s negative karma. ☜

3. Guqin, ancient Chinese seven-stringed zither. ☜

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