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墨書 Inktalez
We successfully emerged from the Time Gate and found ourselves in a narrow cave passage.
During the tedious confinement in the stone chamber, I had already handed the map to Night Phantom. After reviewing it, he mercilessly pointed out that the route I had chosen was essentially nonsense, a sure path to disaster. So now we were following the new route he had established. There was no other choice; after all, he was from Mirror Gate, and it made more sense to deal with Mirror Gate's mechanisms alongside someone from Mirror Gate.
Sure enough, after walking for a while, we encountered no traps. My heart settled a bit, but my mind began to wander into chaotic thoughts again.
"Sigh, we finally entered this secretive place, yet we haven't uncovered anything. I still don't know what Ren Pingsheng intended by wiping out the monks of White Horse Temple," I lamented, forgetting that my life was still in danger.
Night Phantom whispered, "So you’re curious about this? I should have told you earlier. It's nothing much; we've already figured it out. Although it's just speculation for now, seeing Ren Pingsheng changes that speculation into certainty. Therefore, we must get out safely."
"What? You've figured it out? What did you find out?"
In the short time since I was captured, they had managed to gather information?
"Yes. Actually, Zhenzhen, you played a significant role in this. Because you understood the method of operation, the suspect pool has narrowed down considerably. Whoever is behind this must be part of a large organization, and among these organizations, Mirror Gate is the prime suspect."
Suddenly, Night Phantom grabbed my hand and pulled me into a narrow passage on the right. Several sharp arrows shot down from above, embedding themselves in the spot where we had just stood.
I paid no attention to the arrows; with Night Phantom around, they felt practically useless. So I stared at him and urged, "Keep talking!"
He sighed, seemingly a bit helpless. "Zhenzhen, we’re not out of danger yet; don’t get too..."
He looked at my eager expression and shook his head before leading me around the arrows back onto our original path.
"It started as mere suspicion, but earlier this afternoon at White Horse Temple when we encountered Su Liche, he shared some information with us that led us to almost immediately conclude that this was the work of Mirror Gate."
"Su Liche is incredibly intelligent, but his health has always been poor due to an illness he inherited from birth. He has been weak for as long as anyone can remember. However, he has one remarkable skill: an extensive knowledge of pharmaceuticals—something people often say comes from being sick for so long." Night Phantom glanced at me and noticed my serious demeanor; his eyes even sparkled with amusement. "When he first investigated White Horse Temple, he discovered traces of unusual drugs. Thus, his investigative approach was entirely based on these substances."
Medicine! This coincided perfectly with my thoughts. I fell into deep contemplation. Yes, during the investigation process, different people would have different lines of thought. If we could combine these different perspectives and coordinate them well, the progress of the case would advance by leaps and bounds. This is the advantage of collaborative investigations.
"As a result, Su Liche actually determined from a few residual traces left at the scene that an incredible drug had been used in the White Horse Temple. He still hasn't figured out how to concoct this drug, but he has basically understood its effects, which are almost identical to your speculation."
"So Lord Su was involved with you at the White Horse Temple." I couldn't help but admire this frail young official a bit. If he had grasped the function of the drug and continued along this line of thought, it wouldn't be impossible for him to unravel this scheme.
"Exactly. If it is confirmed that the instigator of the White Horse Temple Incident used a drug, and it is a very advanced one at that, then one person's suspicion can be expanded to its utmost. I know this person very well; if it comes to concocting drugs, especially poisons, there is probably no one in this world who can match him." Night Phantom said as he led me forward while speaking in a low voice.
The person Night referred to must be Ren Pingsheng. In this era, Ren Pingsheng could easily identify the characteristics of cyanide poisoning and even extract cyanate; there was no one who could rival him. Therefore, if Ren Pingsheng was behind this scheme, everything would make perfect sense.
But why go through such elaborate means? What was the ultimate goal of the White Horse Temple case?
Seeing my confusion, Night Phantom revealed a somewhat smug expression. He continued speaking, deliberately deepening my bewilderment.
"Do you remember Inspector Bai Qianfan?"
I nodded. This gentleman was the highest-ranking official among the detective group, and Lord Bai had quite a personality; he was the only one who did not go to the White Horse Temple scene for investigation.
"Lord Bai never believed in Demon Gods, so he directly concluded that this was done by a person. Since it was done by a person, then all the monks in the temple must have been abducted by someone. Thus, he skipped over investigating the method of operation and went straight to pursuing one thing: how so many people could be taken out of the White Horse Temple and where they could be hidden or buried."
I couldn't help but applaud. Indeed, this was also a line of thought! If we found the monks from the White Horse Temple and simply asked them what happened, wouldn't everything become clear?
"So just this morning, Bai Qianfan found all the monks from the White Horse Temple—alive."
I was taken aback. Found them? Does that mean the case has been solved?
"However, these monks do not know why they were kidnapped. Their situation confirms your idea. Indeed, all laymen present were poisoned and unconscious at that time, and most of the monks also lost their ability to resist. However, to achieve their goal, this drug needed to be precisely controlled in dosage; therefore, those monks who were able to use their skills to resist retained some strength to fight back. This is why there were signs of struggle left at the scene."
"The perpetrators were a group of black-clad masked individuals, swift and skilled in martial arts. After capturing and binding the monks, they stuffed them into a large cargo cart belonging to a merchant convoy outside the temple and transported them to an unknown cave for concealment, where they were guarded and provided with food. It was only today that they were rescued by Lord Bai Qianfan."
"Then, although the monks were saved, no valuable information was obtained?" I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
"Information, of course, exists; it just depends on whether you pay attention," Ye said, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips. "Everything these monks said was almost within our expectations, except for one thing. After being captured, they were individually stripped of their monk robes by the black-clad men to inspect their bodies."
"So, they were looking for someone?" I was taken aback.
"When Lord Bai rescued the monks, Abbot noticed that three individuals were missing during the headcount." Ye looked at me with keen interest. "What do you think happened?"
It was those three individuals! Suddenly, a light bulb went off in my mind. What Li Shimin was concerned about were these three people! What Mirror Gate wanted was also these three individuals!
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