Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 387 Silencing
The nun returned to the house, prepared to change her clothes, and left with her belongings.

She hurried into the inner room and had just finished preparing everything when she suddenly felt a chill, followed by the flickering of the oil lamp on the table.

The nun was startled.

Just now, when she was with Master Mingzhen and they talked about that case from more than ten years ago, she felt a chill run down her spine. Now that she was alone, she was even more afraid, as if someone was watching her in the dark, ready to harm her at any moment.

The nun turned around and called out, "Who's there?"

No one answered, and the room returned to silence. Then, the creaking sound reached the nun's ears again.

The nun mustered her courage and stepped out, looking toward the source of the noise.

The window was slightly ajar, and it swayed gently in the breeze.

The nun breathed a sigh of relief and was about to go and close the window when her gaze swept over and she suddenly noticed an extra item on the table by the window.

If she hadn't been so nervous, she would have spotted it immediately, as it was far too conspicuous.

It was a tricolor reliquary.

The nun stood there, stunned. There was nothing like that in her meditation room; when she returned, the table was empty.

The reliquary appeared out of thin air.

Under the light, the reliquary shone brightly and looked solemn. The lotus lid was open in layers, and there seemed to be a Buddha statue in the heart of the lotus.

The nun subconsciously took two steps forward, wanting to confirm that everything before her was real.

The reliquary did not disappear, and the Buddha image became clearer.

The nun's expression twisted with astonishment as the things she had done at Yunqi Temple flashed through her mind.

Could it be that Buddha has appeared to punish her...?

The nun thought with horror.

Wisps of smoke rose from around the lotus petals, like auspicious clouds swirling around the reliquary. The Buddha statue within the smoke appeared even more lifelike, as if a living Buddha were truly sitting cross-legged on it.

The nun's eyes widened as she tried to call out, but found herself powerless, as if her very soul was being sucked into the reliquary.

Thinking of this, her breathing became rapid, and the sweet scent of incense filled her mouth and nose even more. The faster she breathed, the weaker her body became, and everything before her eyes gradually blurred. Her body swayed as if she were drunk, and then she staggered a few steps and fell to the ground.

The nun fainted, and the person hiding outside the window then jumped into the room. He held his breath, opened the lotus-shaped lid of the reliquary, and extinguished the burning incense inside.

Then he walked up to the nun, took out a handkerchief smeared with medicinal powder from his bosom, and covered the nun's mouth and nose to ensure she wouldn't wake up halfway through.

He then pushed the person out of the window, wrapped the reliquary in cloth and tied it to his back, and then went out through the window again. To be on the safe side, he opened the window wider so that the incense burning from the reliquary would dissipate in a moment and leave no trace.

After finishing everything, he pulled off the cloth covering his face, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. The moonlight fell directly on his face. Tang Xing cautiously looked around, put the cloth back on, and carried the nun towards the back of the temple.

Tang Xing didn't know why the eldest daughter-in-law had them keep an eye on Yunqi Temple until he overheard a conversation between two nuns tonight. He then learned that these two nuns were involved in a murder case and were not good people. He spread the news out of the temple and soon received instructions from the eldest daughter-in-law.

Next, Tang Xing discovered that the relic box and sleeping potion that the old lady had asked him to prepare in advance had come in handy.

Moreover, according to the eldest daughter-in-law's arrangement, arriving here tonight is just the beginning.

After the nun left, Master Mingzhen sat down on the prayer mat again to chant sutras, but she just couldn't calm her mind. Knowing that the nun wouldn't return to the temple so soon, she wasn't worried at first, but as time went by and the nun still hadn't returned, she became increasingly anxious.

Master Mingzhen finally couldn't resist and decided to go and take a look at the nun's meditation room.

The temple was pitch black. Abbess Mingzhen bravely continued forward. The nuns' meditation rooms were some distance from her own. Normally, she wouldn't have thought much of it, but now she realized that she couldn't reach the end of the path no matter what she did.

The reason the nuns were allowed to live here was because there was a cellar not far away where they hid the offerings to the religion.

As Master Mingzhen was pondering this, she glanced towards the cellar and saw a figure flash by in the moonlight. Startled, Master Mingzhen quickly hid to the side. Once she had calmed down, she mustered her courage and looked in that direction again.

After staring at it for a long time, she finally saw clearly that there were two people in front of the cellar, and they were working together to take the valuables out of the cellar.

Master Mingzhen's heart was about to leap out of her throat.

Only the disciples of the sect know where the valuables are kept.

Could they be members of a religious sect?

The thought of this made her feel even more terrified.

Since you're here to pick up something, why not tell her instead of acting so secretly?

Of course, it is also possible that someone betrayed the Holy Church and colluded with outsiders to obtain wealth.

But why today of all days? After she sought help from the church?
Logically, the nun should be keeping an eye on things here every night, but there's been no movement from her. Could it be... she hasn't returned yet?

Those people knew that the nun was not in the temple?
Many questions made Master Mingzhen want to go and see the nun's residence, but after much deliberation, she gave up the idea. Whoever took the valuables, if they discovered her, they would surely take her life.

You can get your belongings back if you lose them, but you only have one life.

Especially if she didn't know the other party's identity, what if the nun was colluding with them? Wouldn't she have walked right into a trap?

Thinking this, Abbess Mingzhen secretly stepped back. When she realized that no one was chasing her, she finally took off running.

Now she just wants to go back to her meditation room and quietly think about what happened.

Everything that happened tonight was no accident.

Master Mingzhen opened the door to the meditation room, went inside, and immediately closed it. In the darkness, she leaned against the door, breathing heavily, and it took her a while to gradually calm down.

With her earlier panic gone, she was finally able to think about other things.

However, she did not try to recall what she had just seen, because fear suddenly enveloped her.

When she left the meditation room, she did not blow out the oil lamp on the table, but now the area within her sight was pitch black.

Someone has visited her meditation room.

Master Mingzhen didn't know where the strength came from, but she turned around and was about to run away. However, just as her hand touched the door, she heard a noise behind her. Then she felt something cold fall on her neck.

The thing tightened, dragging her backward. The sudden attack left her no time to make a sound; she could only struggle with all her might.

As the cloth strips remained wrapped around her for longer and longer, Master Mingzhen became increasingly breathless, and just as she was gradually losing her strength...

A figure appeared before them, followed by a voice that said, "All laws are equal, without distinction of high or low. The Holy Church will remember what you have done for it."