The next day, Xuanlian called Pei Tan over and said, "Hui Gen's body will be placed in the temple's ice cellar for a three-day purification ceremony."

  As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Tan, who was just about to ask Master Xuanlian a question, unconsciously stopped himself.

  Jing Wan'er immediately looked at Xuan Lian.

  After reciting scriptures all night, Xuán Lián's pale face looked even more haggard, but he clasped his hands together in respect to Péi Tán, "If the Temple Master wishes to take a look at Huì Gēn, you may go on your own."

  It's really unexpected that the willow is dark and the flower is bright. They don't understand what this purification ritual is for, but at least they understand that Hui Gen won't be buried in the ground for now, and even the ice cellar itself has the effect of keeping the corpse from rotting.

  Master Xuánlián instructed for a moment and then hastily left, with Buddhist monks following behind him, seemingly the same ones who had performed the super-degree ritual last night.

  Jing Wan'er looked at Pei Tan: "Sir, what are we doing?"

  Pei Tan looked at the man and woman beside him.

  Inside the ice cellar, Pei Shuaiwei stood guard at the door as usual. Jing Wanyu followed Pei Tan into this icy room.

  The ice in Qinglong Temple was directly transported from the imperial palace, and seeing this pale world here is like being in another dust-free space.

  Huier's body lay on a hospital bed, and Jing Wanyu had thought that after a night's rest she would feel better, but when she touched Huier's cheek again, her chest still felt like it had been tightly clenched.

  This person is really dead.

  Jing Wan'er's palm was clenched.

  Jing Wan'er stood straight beside Pei Tan, who didn't notice anything unusual about her. His mind had already been drawn to Hui Gen.

  He lifted the white cloth covering the corpse, and Hui Gen's skin had turned a purplish hue because his original complexion was extremely pale, like that of a woman. At this moment, after being invaded by something, the color presented was even more eerie.

  Jing Wan'er inexplicably felt a chill run up her spine, and her eyes couldn't move away from the corpse's cold, indifferent expression.

  But then he looked at Pei Tan, carefully examined the face of the corpse, and continued to pull the white cloth down to the feet of the corpse.

  "Sir, there are no other external injuries on the body, and the wound on the back of the head is severe enough to see bone. The cause of death seems a bit too obvious." Cases with overly obvious clues aren't necessarily bad, but for some reason, this one just doesn't feel convincing.

  Perhaps it was because the incident occurred at the Temple of the Guardian God and the one who died was a young high-ranking monk.

  Pei Tan's gaze was fixed on the corpse, inch by inch searching for any abnormalities on Hui Gen's body. Jing Wanyu also stood beside him and observed for a long time.

  If one had to say it, the chill of the forest was like a snake entering her spine, Jing Wanyan stared blankly at Hui Gen's expression.

  The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, as if he was smiling faintly.

  Jing Wan'er took a deep breath, and Pei Tan said: "Before that, Hui Gen wasn't like this."

  And for those monks who had been chanting sutras for him all night, Master Xuánlián, why didn't you see the change in his wisdom root?

  At that time in the attic, Hui Gen's body had just been turned over, and there was more pain on his face.

  This is consistent with the characteristics of pre-mortem agony and struggle.

  But Jing Wan'er soon remembered that the bed, with its neatly arranged bedding, had almost no signs of disarray on the sheets underneath. Huier had a pained expression, but seemed to have no signs of struggle.

  Jing Wan'er said: "Wan'er wants to see his tongue."

  Pei Tan glanced at her and didn't stop her, which was equivalent to tacit consent.

  Jing Yuanyu took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, gently shook it open and wrapped it around her hand. At this moment, there was no tool for autopsy, she used the two scallion fingers wrapped in the handkerchief to pinch Hui Gen's cheeks and opened his jaws.

  Just as Hui Gen's mouth opened in front of her, Jing Wanyu furrowed her brow and even tightened the handkerchief again, inserting a finger into Hui Gen's mouth to probe around.

  Then she put down her hand and said after a moment: "Cleaner than I thought."

  Hui Gen hadn't eaten anything, but as long as he had chewed on something, there would be residue in his mouth. However, now there was still nothing.

  Jing Wan'er's fearless attitude towards the corpses made Pei Tan look at her twice. At this moment, there was no professional undertaker around, but Jing Wan'er seemed to be a seasoned expert.

  Businessman.

  Pei Tan's appearance was humble and gentle, like jade, yet despite holding the position of Dalisi Temple Minister and being slandered by malicious people, he was known as a plague god in the capital city; however, Pei Tan's looks were among the most outstanding and handsome young masters in the entire capital.

  His hands were also long and slender, so it's no wonder that women envied them.

  "If the back of the head is indeed the only fatal wound, then finding the murder weapon is the key to cracking the case." Jing Wanyi began to reason.

  No matter how frightening the dead are, they are still dead. What's even more frightening is that the murderer is a living person. The monks from Qinglong Temple are outsiders, and if it's said that the sacred monks who practice Buddhism have a grudge against Hui Gen for killing people, it's even more unthinkable. Therefore, all suspicions fall on these outsiders.

  Jing Wan'er was still thinking, when Pei Tan suddenly stretched out his hand and seemed to touch Hui Gen's neck.

  His hand didn't wrap a handkerchief like Jing Wan'er, but used the tender fingertips to touch the ring of rotten flesh on Hui Gen's neck.

  This shocked Jing Wan'er into crying out: "Your Honor!"

  Even if she usually collects corpses in the palace, she knows to change into hemp cloth and cover her mouth and nose. Pei Tan actually directly used his bare palm to touch the corpse.

  Although Hui Gen's body had just died and was now stored in an ice cellar, the risk of producing corpse poison was very small. But no matter how small, directly touching a dead body was still unacceptable.

  Pei Tan pulled down the collar of the corpse's clothes, revealing its neck and chest.

  "The skin on your neck seems darker than other places?" Pei Tan spoke up.

  Jing Wan'er also saw it, to say that she wouldn't have failed to notice. "These monks attend daily morning services, rain or shine, and the skin on their necks is often exposed, so it's normal for their complexion to be darker."

  Pei Tan furrowed his brow, and after a moment, he used two fingers to press down on the corpse's throat again. He pressed down with some force, repeating the motion several times. The rotting flesh of the corpse bulged up in chunks under his pressing, causing Jing to feel a chill run down her spine.

  "What's wrong with you, sir..."

  Bai Tan's hand suddenly stopped, and he saw that the two fingers pressing down on it touched a bulge. His eyes gazed at that place, slowly withdrawing his hand.

  "What is this?" It looks like a piece of flesh has grown inside the throat.

  At first, Huiyuan's throat skin was uneven due to the position of his skull when he died, and that bulge was not obvious.

  Jing Wan'er stared at him for a long time, then she glanced at Pei Tan.

  There is only one way to find out, which is to cut open Huirong's throat and take a look. Is it just that they are too sensitive, or is there really a universe inside the corpse's throat?

  However, the corpse that destroyed the wisdom root is something that Qinglong Temple will not compromise on.

  Jing Wan'er said, "The body of Hui Gen doesn't show any signs of poisoning or suffocation. The wound at the back of his head is the only explanation. Perhaps... it was just a piece of cartilage protruding from his throat."

  The two people's eyes met each other.

  What if it's not like that? Can such an interpretation convince themselves?

  "What we mean by 'keeping the whole body intact' is that as long as the four limbs and skull are in place, and the corpse is not damaged, there will be no harm to reincarnation."

  Jing Wantong knew that this Dali Temple Master had a heart of investigating cases to the bottom.

  Cutting open the throat requires a knife.

  Pei Tan walked towards the door of the ice cellar, Jing Yuanyu saw him directly stretch out his hand and drew out the dagger from Pei's servant's waist.

  He walked back with his knife.

  From Pei Tan's grip on the knife, Jing Wanyu's eyes moved slightly, and it could be seen that Pei Tan had practiced martial arts.

  Pei Tan raised his knife and said, "Stand back a bit."

  Jing Wan'er retreated as she was told, this long knife didn't seem like the kind used for dissection, one wrong move and it would splatter blood all over the scene again.

  With a flick of Pei Tan's wrist, Jing Wanyu felt her eyes blur for a moment, and when she looked again, Pei Tan had already thrown the knife to the ground.

  On Hui Gen's throat, a thin cut was faintly visible.

  Not even a single drop of blood was shed.

  Jing Wan'er didn't even have time to be shocked, when Pei Tan already stretched out his hand and pulled something out of the corpse's throat.

  That thing looked round and shiny like a pearl, but it was emitting blackness. Jing Wanyu quickly untied the handkerchief on her hand.

  Carefully catch this thing and then quickly wrap it up.

  "Take it out first," said Pei Tan.

  This round thing was dug out of Hui Gen's throat, wrapped in blood and other soft tissues.

  Jing Wan'er turned her head to look at Hui Gen's corpse, and had to say that if she hadn't looked carefully, she wouldn't have even noticed the small wound.

  Jing Wan'er had seen Pei Shiwei's skills before, and they were absolutely top-notch in the imperial palace. But Pei Tansheng just now felt that this move was completely unlike something a weak and delicate young master would make.

  The three quickly left the ice cellar and returned to their courtyard. Seeing the little monk at the gate, Pei Tan said: "Trouble the little master, help to fetch a basin of clear water."

  That little monk would often bring a basin of clear water into the house.

  Three people closed the doors and windows, and there were still Pei's guards standing at the side of the door.

  Jing Wan'er opened her handkerchief and immediately threw the blood-stained pearl into it.

  All that was seen in the water was a layer of blackness rising from the pearl, but the color of the pearl itself grew deeper and deeper until it became bright red.

  Pei Tan picked up the chopsticks on the table and picked out the "pearl".