CH 38

Huò Wēi Lóu was standing with his back against the light, and though his eminently handsome countenance was hidden in the shadows, his eyes were especially soul rendering. Seeing that Huò Wēi Lóu was staring at her tightly, Bó Ruò Yōu hesitated for a moment before she cautiously stretched out the back of her hand.

It was completely red, and the most serious area was slightly bruised and swelling. Bó Ruò Yōu barely had it extended for a second before she withdrew it very quickly. Half-lowering her eyelids, she stood there, not knowing what Huò Wēi Lóu was trying to do.

Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes were like an abyss, “What is your request?”

Bó Ruò Yōu stiffened slightly, raising her eyes to look at Huò Wēi Lóu. The black and white of her beautiful eyes were distinctive, her emotions simply written in the depths of her eyes. Upon realising that Huò Wēi Lóu was not joking, she hung her head down again, “The case is still unsolved. Presently, min’nü only intends on attending to the official business properly, to resolve the case earlier.”

Imperceptible sereneness emerged from the bottom of Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes, “That thought is excellent. Many people in the world are eager for instant benefit, but forget that the most fundamental thing is to successfully complete the task first. Your adamance about solving the case first before telling benhou, is it because you feel that benhou will not grant it?”

Bó Ruò Yōu nodded her head lightly, “What min’nü wishes for is out of the ordinary; min’nü is not certain if Hou’ye will grant it.”

Now that aroused some curiosity within Huò Wēi Lóu. Although Bó Ruò Yōu appeared gentle and amiable, she was extremely determined when it came to things that she firmly believed in, except what could a little girl like her possibly wish for? He scrutinised her from head to toe for a few seconds, then glanced at the hand she was hiding in her sleeve again, “Forget it.”

He turned around and left after saying that.

Bó Ruò Yōu breathed out in relief for no apparent reason. Huò Wēi Lóu’s thoughts were difficult to decipher; even if he treated her with more cordiality now, she still found it hard to hold on.

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By the time she walked out with Huò Wēi Lóu, Fu gonggong and Huò Qīng Hóng were already waiting inside the tearoom. It was currently after wu shi (1PM), but the originally clear sky had darkened as gloomy clouds gathered at the side of the sky. Fu gonggong peered outside, “It isn’t going to rain, is it? Wáng daren and Wú daren went up to the mountain peak to view the Pagoda, and one fears that they won’t be able to go.”

Bó Ruò Yōu looked outside as well. At this moment, Jìng Míng arrived with a roll of design plans, “One asks Hou’ye for forgiveness. During the sketching process last night, [I] could no longer recall the layout from that year in full detail, and a few people were questioned before the sketch became more comprehensive.”

Huò Wēi Lóu ordered Jìng Míng to come up with a sketch yesterday, and Jìng Míng originally said that he would present it by last night, but he did not expect that it would be late by one night.

Huò Wēi Lóu accepted the design plan, and instead of criticising him, he first asked: “Are all the Buddhist scriptures and records within the temple here?”

Jìng Míng nodded hurriedly, “Yes, it is all here.”

“All of the secret religious treasures enshrined within the temple have records, but this Library Pavilion doesn’t have any records pertaining to the Five-Fold Treasure Chest, why is that?” Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes sank, staring at Jìng Míng without straying away once.

Jìng Míng’s brows jumped, a glint flitting past his eyes, Unexpectedly, he stuttered, “Five, Five-Fold Treasure Chest?”

“That’s right.”

Jìng Míng tightened the grip on his Buddhist prayer beads, “The Library Pavilion contains a large quantity of texts, which this humble monk has yet to browse through. For all these years, even ordinary disciples scarcely have the fortune of coming inside, and logically speaking, there should be some records concerning that Five-Fold Treasure Chest, it’s just that this humble monk doesn’t know of its existence either…”

Huò Wēi Lóu peered at Jìng Míng, suddenly hooking up his lips coldly, “A monk should not resort to deceit, the instances where the Great Master has told lies must be far and few between, which is why he is rather unpractised.”

Jìng Míng’s eyes lowered, his back stiffening in response.

Huò Wēi Lóu was sitting on the main seat due north, and ice-cold ridicule emerged from the depths of his eyes, “Great Master is an enlightened senior monk that has a rather famous reputation, and he couldn’t possibly wish for his reputation to be thoroughly ruined right now. His Majesty believes in the Buddha, and has some respect for Great Master, but benhou isn’t really a person who worships the Buddha, and has always been strict about everything. Furthermore, this case concerns two human lives. If Great Master is concealing and covering up something, what face will he have when he inevitably meets the Buddhist patriarch?”

A layer of cold sweat seeped out Jìng Míng’s forehead. The hand that was holding the Buddhist beads trembled lightly, and his mouth opened and closed, but he could not utter a single word. Huò Wēi Lóu looked at him with scowl, but what came out of his mouth was: “Call for Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Jué—”

Upon hearing that sentence, Jìng Míng clapped his hands together as he closed his eyes weakly to start reciting Buddhist scriptures. When Huò Wēi Lóu saw murmurs coming out from his mouth, he said indifferently, “It looks like it will be hard for the Great Master to seek the Great Way.”

Jìng Míng’s shoulders shook, and his murmurs ceased instantaneously.

No one spoke inside the room, but Jìng Míng’s body seemed to be shackled in heavy chains, such that it made his head droop down, and even his figure was stooping lower by two degrees. He was a monk and possessed a well-known reputation after practicing Buddhism for so many years, but he could not be separated from the matters that happened that year in the end. Since he was hiding something, then as Jìng Kōng’s disciples, Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Jué naturally wouldn’t have any reservations saying what they knew.

Very quickly, Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Jué arrived. When they heard Huò Wēi Lóu asking about the Library Pavilion, the pair were slightly hesitant. Liǎo Fán said: “The Library Pavilion is usually looked after by specific persons. This small monk has never taken charge of the Library Pavilion, and he’s genuinely unaware of what could have happened to the Buddhist scriptures.”

Liǎo Jué concurred at his side. Huò Wēi Lóu frowned and said, “Ten years ago, at the time of your Shifu’s accident, who was looking after the Library Pavilion?”

Liǎo Fán’s eyes brightened, “It was Liǎo Qīng shixiong!”

Glancing at Jìng Míng, Liǎo Fán continued to recount: “Liǎo Qīng shixiong is Temple Head Shishu’s disciple, he was the one overseeing the Library Pavilion that year. The Library Pavilion is an important place for Buddhism, and only disciples that are regarded highly are allowed to come here.”

Having said that, Liǎo Fán seemed to remember something, “Ten years ago, not long after Shifu met with his demise and Shishu became the Temple Head, he removed Liǎo Qīng shixiong from that position.”

His disciple was overseeing the Library Pavilion during the accident, and after he became the Temple Head, he chose to remove his disciple instead. If he hadn’t done anything wrong, why would he swap out his own disciple? And when he was being questioned about the Buddhist scriptures, he lied!

The atmosphere in the room stagnated. A large gust of wind rose outside the courtyard suddenly. The season had yet to enter the second month; the winds in the mountain was bone-piercing. Fu gonggong, who was standing in front of the window, quickly closed the windows.

Huò Wēi Lóu glowered at Jìng Míng, “Call for Liǎo Qīng.”

Jìng Míng closed his eyes, wrinkles covering his face, and his attitude seemed to convey that there was nothing sadder than a withered heart.

Liǎo Qīng… A blurry visage appeared in Bó Ruò Yōu’s brain. If she didn’t remember incorrectly, the monk who was arguing with Liǎo Fán outside the courtyard yesterday was also called Liǎo Qīng. That person was sneaking around the periphery of the courtyard yesterday at first, and it was just revealed that he was the manager of the Library Pavilion ten years ago today. Could it be that he was really related to the case from that year?

Owing to the brief encounter yesterday, Bó Ruò Yōu did not have a deep impression of him, but when Liǎo Qīng was brought inside the tearoom by the embroidered emissaries as he wore a slightly nervous expression, the image of a back figure suddenly flashed past Bó Ruò Yōu’s mind. She could not resist asking: “Liǎo Qīng shifu, were you the one loitering outside the pavilion yesterday?”

Liǎo Qīng’s expression was tensed from the start, and once he heard those words, his complexion paled even further.

Fu gonggong immediately said: “You were the one spying on Yōu Yōu from outside yesterday?”

Upon hearing that line, Huò Qīng Hóng said in surprise, “You even spied on her, you must have done something reprehensible!”

Huò Wēi Lóu narrowed his phoenix eyes, “Liǎo Qīng, answer.”

His words held no violent rage, but those four simple syllables were akin to a lofty mountain pressing down. Liǎo Qīng looked at Jìng Míng like he was on the verge of tears. Jìng Míng’s withered face seemed drained of its vigour, and he slowly opened his eyes before heaving a long sigh.

“Everything has its consequence. Liǎo Qīng, speak as the truth dictates.”

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Once Liǎo Qīng heard those words, he knelt down with a loud bang, “Yes… It was this small monk yesterday.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s voice became even colder in response, “Why did you spy on her? You were looking after Library Pavilion ten years ago, was the set of Buddhist scriptures enumerating the Five-Fold Treasure Chest stolen by you?”

Anxiety and dread spread across Liǎo Qīng’s face, “It, it was because of what happened ten years ago. This small monk was worried and scared, which was why he came over to see why this Benefactor came over to the Library Pavilion. After being discovered, this small monk ran away… Ten years ago, ten years ago, the Buddhist scripture wasn’t stolen by this small monk, rather… Rather, it was this small monk who sold the Buddhist scripture to someone—”

After uttering that sentence, guilt coloured Liǎo Qīng’s face and the rims of his eyes were red as well. His body collapsed, looking like he was on the brink of sobbing out loud.

Huò Wēi Lóu leaned forward, “Sold it someone? Who was it sold to? On that Buddhist scripture, were there any records of the copper coffer’s square lock?”

Liǎo Fán’s figure quivered, “There were indeed records of the square lock, but the craftmanship is complicated and it’s highly likely that normal artisans wouldn’t even be able to understand what they are seeing. The person that bought it… This small monk doesn’t know who the buyer is either. However, those old and ancient Buddhist scriptures are barely used for the purposes of lecturing; most of them are placed in the deepest parts of the Library Pavilion, left to accumulate dust over time. At that time, this small monk had encountered some difficulties and was in need of money, and a Buddhist worshipper who was very generous in spending arrived at the temple. Gradually, he started to talk to this small monk, asking for a Buddhist scripture only for the sake of admiring the secret treasure. This small monk knew that it was a violation of the temple rules by doing this…”

Liǎo Qīng was prostrated on the ground, while Liǎo Fán glared at him angrily, “You actually dare to illicitly sell the temple’s Buddhist scriptures?! It’s no wonder why Temple Head Shishu replaced you, it looks like Temple Head Shishu already knew about this incident early on!”

Liǎo Fán scowled at Jìng Míng again. Jìng Míng, however, was standing rigidly like a sculpted statue, not refuting at all.

Liǎo Qīng raised his head to look at Jìng Míng, as if he felt extremely remorseful towards Jìng Míng too, “Shifu didn’t know about at the start. Shifu trusted this small monk, it was this small monk who betrayed Shifu’s trust.”

Huò Wēi Lóu questioned in a deep voice: “How did he learn about it later? The person who bought the Buddhist scripture from you, did he appear again afterwards?”

Liǎo Qīng shook his head, “He didn’t appear again. He appeared at the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference that year, and including the instance he took the Buddhist scripture, he came over three times in total. He seemed to be aware of xiaoren’s family conditions… Xiaoren’s family was impoverished when he was child, which was why xiaoren was sent to the Buddhist temple, but xiaoren’s worldly bonds remain unbroken, and still has to support his old mother and three younger brothers. That year, xiaoren’s younger brother hurt someone, so he had to pay the hefty fine or be imprisoned. This small monk had no other alternative, which was why he went down the skewed road.

“It was just selling a Buddhist scripture at the start. This small monk was thinking that no one has read or would read that Buddhist scripture in a hundred years, so no one would know about it, but who could have expected that during the Grand Śarīra Ceremony later, the Śarīra would be stolen. Back then, Great Master Jìng Kōng didn’t remember that Buddhist scripture at the beginning, and he investigated the case with the officials daren that stayed behind, but nothing came out of it. Then one day, he abruptly remembered that Buddhist scripture and asked this small monk if anyone had borrowed that text in the past, and even asked this small monk to take out the Buddhist scripture.”

Liǎo Qīng choked out with a sob, “This small monk couldn’t take it out and confessed this matter to Shishu. It was originally assumed that Shishu would fly into a great rage, but Shishu didn’t even punish this small monk, only saying that matter has major implications before ordering this small monk not to rush into action indiscriminately. He even said that he would discuss it with the officials, to see if they could track down the person who bought the Buddhist scripture, but one did not anticipate that…”

Liǎo Qīng’s words cut off, visibly palpitating with fear, “But one did not anticipate that Shishu would disappear without a single trace the next day.”

“Back then, this small monk was extremely afraid because it wasn’t logical for Shishu to disappear like that, and the Śarīra definitely wasn’t stolen by him. Because this small monk was absolutely wrought with fear, Shifu noticed it. Under Shifu’s repeated and insistent questioning, this small monk told Shifu about everything. When Shishu mysteriously disappeared, and the Śarīra was lost, everyone in the temple felt insecure. Shifu started investigating Shishu’s disappearance with the officials, but after he followed them for two days, he realised that among these officials, none of them mentioned the sold Buddhist scripture.”

He raised his head, fear still lingering at the bottom of his eyes, “Shifu suspected that Shishu’s disappearance was related to the Buddhist scripture incident being exposed. He became afraid as well, and first ordered this small monk to follow him daily, and even added quite a few martial monks to the vicinity of the Library Pavilion, afraid that something bad would happen to this small monk as well. The officials lingered around the temple for a month, and after the month passed, they left the temple because the search had been fruitless.”

After recounting everything, Liǎo Qīng blinked away his tears as he said: “All these years, this small monk always had the feeling that the plot would be exposed eventually, but day after day continued to pass, and it has been nearly ten long years since. [This small monk] thought that this matter would be buried forever, and there were rumours in the streets that said Shishu took away the Śarīra in order to seek the Great Way. This small monk selfishly thought that it would be great if it was true, that Shishu had taken away the Śarīra and was practicing Buddhism and attaining enlightenment elsewhere, if only to assuage the guilt at the bottom of this small monk’s heart by a smidgen.

“For the past ten years, this small monk did not become a managerial monk, painstakingly cultivating every day, only begging for the Buddhist patriarch’s forgiveness, up until… Up until a bone dropped out from the Buddha statue. It was then and there that this small monk understood that the Buddha patriarch would not be forgiving this small monk. The karmic consequences created that day, will eventually have its retribution.”

This affair had been repressed in Liǎo Qīng’s heart for ten years. Although he was laying bare all of his actions and behaviour from that day as he confessed to everything today, the heavy stone on his heart lightened a bit. His tears and mucus flowered profusely, bitter penance etched on his countenance, and while he looked despicable, he was pitiful as well.

Liǎo Fán gritted his teeth and said: “[I] didn’t expect that… didn’t expect that before Shifu’s disappearance, something like this actually happened. You did something that violated the rules, and Shifu didn’t immediately expose you in front of others simply because he was harbouring merciful intentions, but you clearly knew that there was something strange about Shifu’s disappearance, and yet you concealed this matter for ten long years, you…”

Liǎo Qīng lied on the ground and started weeping soundlessly, “Shishu was the respected Temple Head, yet he could mysteriously disappear without any rhyme or reason. I… I was just a small and insignificant managerial monk. I was afraid, I was afraid ah… Shishu said that he was going to look for the officials to discuss it, but… But against all expectations, those officials didn’t even mention the issue once afterwards, was it because they didn’t want to investigate this matter together? Or was it some other reason… This small monk couldn’t comprehend it, but he knew that there must be someone who didn’t wish for this matter to come to light. All these years, this small monk has lived with remorse and shouldered this burden, fearing that the buyer of the Buddhist scripture would come back to murder this small monk at any given time, his heart akin to boiling oil over a raging fire, which has been absolutely unbearable. Having to confess everything today is karma, whatever the punishment is, this small monk will willingly accept it…”

After listening to Liǎo Qīng’s mournful speech, Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Jué hated him for his inaction, but they did not know how they should begin scolding him. On the other hand, Huò Wēi Lóu could not care less if he was remorseful, merely picking the critical points to interrogate him: “Do you still remember the appearance of the person who looked for you to buy the Buddhist scripture?”

Liǎo Qīng raised his head, face full of tears, “Yes, this small monk remembers, this small monk will never forget it for the rest of his life.”

That person’s appearance was Liǎo Qīng’s nightmare, of which he agonised over every day, how could he possibly forget?

Huò Wēi Lóu immediately said: “Bring over a drawing paper, draw what you remember of his appearance. Apart from his appearance, does this person have any special characteristics? Clothes, personal ornaments, accent, the servants beside him, etcetera, speak of anything and everything you remember.”

Liǎo Qīng wiped his face and started drawing at the table in the tearoom. In the years he cultivated in the temple, there were other classes in the temple apart from practicing the teachings of Dharma. Liǎo Qīng’s drawing skills were ordinary, but he was still capable of roughly drawing that person’s appearance. However, once he drew the face, it was just the appearance of an exceedingly normal middle-aged man, with nothing special to identify him by.

Liǎo Qīng continued to describe, “His appearance was mediocre, but his clothes and personal ornaments were lavish, was extremely liberal with money when it came to donating sesame oil money. Every time he came to the temple, he didn’t bring any servants, and even when the Buddhist scripture was being taken, he personally made the trip. Accent… His accent seems to be from the North, but the serial number on the silver notes he gave this small monk was produced in this locality.”

Although they had no way of concluding that the illegal purchase of the Buddhist scripture was related with the Śarīra’s disappearance, the Buddhist scripture had records of the copper coffer and the square lock composition, and the most bizarre thing in this entire plot was that Great Master Jìng Kōng had met with his demise after learning about this matter. Once all the pieces were linked together, saying that the sold Buddhist scripture was unrelated to the Śarīra being stolen, was simply unreasonable.

Liǎo Qīng violated the temple rules, then remained inert when Jìng Kōng met with his demise, and Jìng Míng chose to cover it up for his disciple. Huò Wēi Lóu looked at the teacher and disciple pair, choosing to detain the pair under strict custody with any hesitation.

After the pair left, Huò Wēi Lóu glanced at Bó Ruò Yōu, “If it were not for you lingering around this place for two days, one fears that this matter would never be exposed.”

The book collection inside the Library Pavilion was vast. Who would have known that a book which hadn’t been taken out for so many years had disappeared without a trace? It was like fishing a needle from the sea, and against all odds, Bó Ruò Yōu still managed to dredge it up.

Bó Ruò Yōu did not dare to claim credit for herself, but she did not expect that there would be this unexpected discovery either. Thus, she remarked, “That year, Great Master Jìng Kōng said that he was going to discuss it with the officials, which would be Wáng, Yuè, Wú, Féng, these four Daren, but he was murdered afterwards, and none of these officials bothered to mention the sold Buddhist scripture. Consequently, why the murderer harmed Great Master Jìng Kōng becomes evident upon contemplation.”

Jìng Kōng’s death was rather strange, and the murderer used cruel methods. If they were to theorise that the Śarīra thief was looking for someone to shift the blame to, why did it absolutely have to be Jìng Kōng? Now that Liǎo Qīng had elucidated the past events, everyone immediately understood the murderer’s motivation to kill.

“Jìng Kōng went to look for the officials to discuss, but he probably didn’t look for them together. He looked for one of them first, who, in a feat of unfortunate coincidence, was related to the disappearance of the Śarīra, thereby incurring a fatal disaster. After he died, that person didn’t bring up this matter, and seeing that Liǎo Qīng would keep his silence out of fear, he decided to suppress this matter.”

After Huò Wēi Lóu gave his response, Huò Qīng Hóng said with knitted brows, “Why didn’t he conspire to harm Liǎo Qīng then?”

Huò Wēi Lóu narrowed his eyes, “This matter was Liǎo Qīng’s fault. He was terrified for one, and secondly, he also desires to conceal the fact that he secretly sold the Buddhist scripture, so why would he bring it up on his own accord? Furthermore, that person was probably cognizant of Liǎo Qīng’s temperament, was certain that he wouldn’t dare to admit it, and because he didn’t want to cause greater waves, he never acted against him.”

Fu gonggong heaved a sigh, “After Jìng Kōng was murdered, everyone else said that he fled with the Śarīra, and it happened to provide a convenient scapegoat. If another person died an unnatural death, the matter would be dredged up again instead.”

After giving a pause, Fu gonggong said: “It’s just, who did Jìng Kōng seek out first that year?”

Huò Wēi Lóu looked at Liǎo Jué and Liǎo Fán who were standing beside the door, “Do you still remember who your Shifu was on friendly terms among the four officials? In most circumstances, the first person he would look for must be someone he had a great deal of trust in.”

Liǎo Fán furrowed his brows, “Shifu was focused on religious practice, and he doesn’t have an interest in being on friendly terms with influential officials like some Temple Heads. If someone had to be named, then it would be Féng daren. As the Luozhou Prefectural Magistrate, Féng daren visited the temple the most since he also worships the Buddha, and he would ask Shifu to dispel doubts for him every time he visited. Apart from that, the Ministry of Rites’ Wú daren arrived the earliest for the Grand Śarīra Ceremony, so Shifu had a few additional days of interaction with him.”

“Féng Lún was the main official of the case at that time,” said Huò Wēi Lóu, before he frowned and added, “But Féng Lún died this time around. If the two cases have the same murderer, then the person that Jìng Kōng looked for can’t be Féng Lún, but if there are two murderers, why did Féng Lún die?”

His fingertips knocked on the armrest twice. At this moment, he heard the sound of pitter-pattering, and noticed that it actually started raining outside. It was nearing the end of the winter season, so the rain was accompanied by thunder, which was rather shocking in terms of volume.

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The thunder disrupted Huò Wēi Lóu’s train of thought, so Huò Wēi Lóu proceeded to order Liǎo Fán and Liǎo Jué to withdraw first. The precipitation was thin at first, then it gradually became dense, and the sound became more deafening. As Bó Ruò Yōu listened to the consecutive claps of thunder, she took two steps back subconsciously.

Seeing her react that way, Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows raised slightly as he waved his hand, “Come here—”

Bó Ruò Yōu was initially standing beside the window, and she walked towards him after seeing him beckon her. He was sitting in the north which was quite distant from the window. For some unknown reason, the closer she was to Huò Wēi Lóu, the safer she felt instead, as if Huò Wēi Lóu could reduce the sky’s thunder into submission as well.

“Hou’ye?”

Huò Wēi Lóu stared at her, “What do you think?”

Bó Ruò Yōu pondered, “Supposing that Féng daren was the first person the Great Master sought out, the murderer would probably inquire how many people Great Master Jìng Kōng had already informed, and at that time, it’s highly likely that even Féng daren would be conspired against. Min’nü is still inclined towards the assumption that the first person whom Great Master Jìng Kōng looked for was the murderer, and Féng daren meeting his demise, might be because there was some other clue from that year which pointed towards the murderer, and Féng daren happened to recall it after many years, which was then apprehended by the murderer, and the latter dealt with him.”

“The Buddhist Conference is the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference, which means that it was purchased on the second month, while the Grand Śarīra Ceremony was in the beginning of summer. If the Śarīra thief planned in advance, having the three months in between is more than enough to prepare the key for the square lock.” Pausing, Huò Wēi Lóu stood up and unfurled the design plan that Jìng Míng brought over, “But even if there was a key, how did they manage to steal away the Śarīra?”

It was apparent that the design plans had been drawn after some thought was expended: the set-up in front of the Hall of Great Strength was drawn in great detail, and apart from the sacrificial offering ceremonial stage, there were the standing positions of the hundred civil and military officials beneath the ceremonial stage, which was also clearly annotated. From a cursory glance, there was nothing abnormal. All of the used objects were frequently seen objects at a sacrificial offering ceremony.

Huò Wēi Lóu scanned it before instructing: “Go and call over Yuè Míng Quán and the other two.”

The embroidered emissary complied and left. Very quickly, Yuè Míng Quán and the other two arrived with umbrellas in hand. For some unknown reason, Wáng Qīng Fǔ and Wú Yú’s hair was slightly damp, and when they saw Huò Wēi Lóu looking over with a frown after they crossed the threshold, Wú Yú could only smile bitterly and explain: “When we went to the mountain peak to see the pagoda just now, it started raining on the way up. Xiaguan and Wú-xiong were drenched as a result, apologies for the discourtesy, Hou’ye.”

Huò Wēi Lóu did not express an opinion, merely pointing at the design plans, “Come over here and recount the events that happened during the Grand Ceremony while gesturing at the design plan. All matters, regardless of importance, should not be omitted.”

After the three stepped forward, they talked about the flow of events for the Grand Ceremony that day one by one, starting from Wú Yú. They each had their own additions, describing the Grand Ceremony from start to end in full detail, and by the time they were done, the rain outside had stopped as well.

“It rained that day as well, was it only for the smaller part of the double-hour?”

Wú Yú nodded, “Indeed, it was only for the smaller part of the double-hour. We and the others took shelter within the Hall of Great Strength, and no one strayed too far away.”

Huò Wēi Lóu sank into deep contemplation briefly, but the doubts and suspicions lingering at the bottom of his heart were not resolved. Seeing that the hour was getting late, he ordered the trio to withdraw first before he brought the design plan back to the meditation hall. Just as he reached the meditation hall’s entrance, he saw an embroidered coming out to say: “Hou’ye, the item that was sent from the Capital has arrived, and it has been placed in the left wing-room.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s originally heavy-set eyes relaxed. He was already through the door, but he turned his body to look towards Bó Ruò Yōu, who was about to enter her own wing-room. “You come inside.”

Bó Ruò Yōu wavered, and Fu gonggong’s gaze brightened slightly when a thought occurred to him, “Yōu Yōu, go quickly—”

Fu gonggong’s gaze conveyed that something good would happen once she went in, but his gaze only made Bó Ruò Yōu feel sceptical. She followed Huò Wēi Lóu inside the left wing-room, then saw a sandalwood case placed on the desk. Huò Wēi Lóu sat down on the chair, opening to the case to take a look before he said: “Come over here.”

Bó Ruò Yōu was standing far away, so she moved closer, but she was still five to six steps away from Huò Wēi Lóu. Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows furrowed, “Come and stand in front of benhou—”

Bó Ruò Yōu stepped even closer, coming to a standstill two paces away.

Huò Wēi Lóu opened the case, taking out the two gold-coloured embroidered protective gloves, “Rewarded to you.”

Bó Ruò Yōu stiffened before she accepted it. As she looked at the item in her hands, she was at a slight loss in the moment. The gloves were ice-cold to the touch since it was weaved with extremely fine copper wire, and a golden totem was embroidered on top, though Bó Ruò Yōu could not distinguish what kind of winged beast it was, and there was a copper clasp on top. It was not an ordinary object. 

Upon seeing her dazed appearance, Huò Wēi Lóu only assumed that she did not know how to wear it. He leaned forward impatiently, grabbing hold of Bó Ruò Yōu’s wrist to tug her forward, allowing no protests as he took the glove again to unfasten the copper button, “Hand—”

Bó Ruò Yōu was visibly lost, and she only raised her hand as per the command. Subsequently, an exceedingly strange scene nearly scared Bó Ruò Yōu into forcing the door open and fleeing— Huò Wēi Lóu actually personally put on the protective glove for her!