A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 403 Ancient Dao Tomb

Just as the thunder struck, a white dragon suddenly appeared, connecting heaven and earth.

In the distance of the rain curtain, a black light flashed by like a falling meteor and went towards the city of Shenyun Mansion.

Although the Imperial Observatory was an independent institution, it did not have its own office, but was located in the southwest corner of the government office in the prefectural city.

On weekdays, there are not many people coming in and out, except for an old Taoist priest and three children.

There is a dilapidated gate and old buildings, but the seven-story observatory in the center of the courtyard stands tall and solemn. After a hundred years of wind and rain erosion, it becomes more and more ancient and profound.

This observatory was built with large stones, and after a hundred years, the gaps between the stone steps and stone railings were filled with moss. But the large platform on top was still as smooth as a mirror, not much different from when it was first built, as if a hundred years had not passed through it.

Gu Daoling's hair had turned gray, but there was not a single wrinkle on his face, and his eyes were calm and gentle. At this moment, he was wearing a coarse linen shirt, sitting in the hall drinking tea.

As he drank his tea, he would occasionally look out at the observatory that stood still in the wind and rain. His gaze was like that of an old friend.

Suddenly, a black light, as fast as lightning, came leaping over, drew a smooth arc in the wind and rain, and landed steadily in front of him.

The figure stopped and it turned out to be Zhu He.

Although Zhu He was swift, he did not bring in any wind or rain, and his clothes were not soaked with rain at all.

The strong ones in the Dongming Realm already rely on the power of laws and are detached from the world.

Zhu He glanced at Gu Daoling, a hint of joy flashed in his eyes, and with a flick of his sleeves, he sat down not far from Gu Daoling's side.

Gu Daoling didn't care about it. He took out a teacup from the wooden tray and poured a cup of tea for Zhu He.

Zhu He looked at Gu Daoling and said, "Daoling! It seems like I haven't been to Shenyun Mansion for a few years?"

Gu Daoling said: "Yeah. About twenty years."

Zhu He sighed and said, "Many things have changed since I came here. However, this observatory remains the same as before."

Gu Daoling smiled for once and said, "Brother, after twenty years, you are still the same. Still so pretentious."

Zhu He drank the cup of tea and said with a smile: "You are such a jerk. You try to ruin my show as soon as we meet."

Gu Daoling restrained his smile, looked at Zhu He and asked, "What are you here for this time?"

Zhu He said, "Zhu Shizhong died for no apparent reason. I came here to see how he died."

Gu Daoling sneered and said, "I haven't seen you for twenty years. I thought you could get rid of some worldly airs, brother. I didn't expect you to make such a trip just to see a junior showing off."

Zhu He was mocked by Gu Daoling repeatedly, but he didn't get angry at all. His junior brother had been talking like this since he was a child, and they had been living like this for hundreds of years.

Zhu He was so tolerant of Gu Daoling, not only because they had a deep relationship as brothers, but also because he admired his junior brother in his heart.

Let’s put it this way, in the current Taiyi Sect, the one who has the greatest hope of inheriting the sect after Lu Yinlin and advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage is not the current Sect Master Chu Qiushan, but his junior brother Gu Daoling!
Zhu He said, "Brother, how can I have your mentality? I have been in this Sitianjian for more than a hundred years. A few years ago, when I saw the ancestor, he asked you when you would go back to see him."

Gu Daoling said: "An old monster and a little monster, what's there to see? Don't think he is asking you, if I really go, he will definitely not give me a good face."

Zhu He said: "You are too stubborn, Junior Brother. You insist on practicing according to your own ideas. The ancestor wants you to follow the path he has figured out."

Gu Daoling suddenly stood up. The rain in the yard had stopped at some point. His eyes were somewhat deep. "His way is only suitable for him."

Zhu He shook his head and sighed, "It's better not to meet. I think you two won't get along even if you meet."

Zhu He stood up and said, "Daoling, I'm leaving. I brought you a pack of tea and put it on the table."

Gu Daoling's eyes moved, and he said, "You're leaving right after you see the flash?"

Zhu He said, "Duan Rong used that thing to draw down the thunderbolt, which means Zhu Shizhong was murdered. That's all I need to know. Now is not the time to quarrel. If I stay any longer, something bad will happen. I'd better go back to the mountain first."

Gu Daoling sighed and said, "How old are you? Are you still fighting over these things? Is it worth it?"

Zhu He said: "I am not only fighting for myself, there are a lot of people following me. Brother is different from you. I can no longer see the road to the great road. I live only for worldly fame."

Gu Daoling said: "Brother, fame and fortune have ruined your life."

Zhu He smiled and said, "It's just a matter of success or failure. There's no such thing as right or wrong."

As they talked, they couldn't help but smile at each other. They had been like this since they were young, they would start arguing after just two or three sentences, and neither could convince the other. Now that they were hundreds of years old, they were still like this when they met.

Zhu He put away his smile, looked at Gu Daoling for a while, and suddenly said, "Okay, Senior Brother is leaving."

After Zhu He finished speaking, he suddenly turned into a black light, passed through the house and yard, and rushed into the sky.

Gu Daoling's figure suddenly appeared at the door without any warning. He suddenly clasped his fists and bowed as Zhu He walked away, his eyes looking gloomy.

After a long time, Gu Daoling walked back to the table, only to see a small bag of tea on the edge of the table.

Gu Daoling picked up the tea leaves and sniffed them. The familiar fragrance brought back many memories. He had not tasted the tea leaves from Changliu Mountain for many years.

Gu Daoling weighed the bag of light tea in his hand and muttered, "You are so stingy. I came all the way here, and you only brought this little..."

At a wild lake ten miles southeast of Shenyun Mansion, the thunder dissipated and the wind and rain stopped.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng looked at Duan Rong in amazement and joy.

Wang Maochun's eyes flashed. Duan Rong used that thing to draw down the thunder, which meant that Shangshu Ling Zhu Shizhong did not die from natural disasters, but was murdered.

A dignified Shangshu Ling, a first-rank official, and the bloodline of a sect elder, how dare someone murder him! ?
The political situation in Shenyun Palace is becoming more and more chaotic!
Summer rainstorms come and go quickly. When the dark clouds dispersed, the sun came out again. But on the wild lake, there was only a white patch of fish killed by lightning floating on the surface.

Duan Rong suddenly leaped into the lake again. He reached out and scooped something in the center of the lake, then turned back to where Wang Maochun and the others were standing, not far from the shade of the tree.

Duan Rong spread out his hands, and saw a black object on his wet hands.

Wang Maochun, Chen Shanmeng and Ge Hengtai all stared. The object in Duan Rong's hand looked almost the same as the black piece of wood they saw in the hall of Ge Hengtai's mansion.

Duan Rong looked at Ge Hengtai and said, "Since this thing can draw down thunder, those craftsmen are to blame for the death of Minister Zhu Shizhong! Excuse me, Lord Ge, can the Dali Temple arrest them?"

Ge Hengtai originally wanted to hold Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng accountable for their handling of the case, which seemed like they were making arbitrary accusations and taking human life lightly. But now that things had come to this point, Duan Rong asked this question in public, as if he was deliberately obstructing the investigation.

Ge Hengtai's face became even uglier, and he said solemnly: "Of course! Since the Dali Temple is handling the case normally, I will naturally not interfere!"

After hearing this, Zhu Cheng, Zhu Peng and Duan Rong immediately rode their horses away from the crowd and returned to Shenyun Palace.

Wang Maochun watched the three men riding away on their horses, and said to Chen Shanmeng beside him, "No wonder Lord Zhu He wanted to transfer this kid here. This guy has some skills."

Chen Shanmeng said, "In the past two or three years, he has solved many strange cases in the four prefectures in the southeast, and has earned a reputation as a detective. Do you remember the biggest blood case two or three years ago? He also uncovered that!"

"Really?" Wang Maochun's eyes moved and he said, "Isn't this another Yang Sixuan?"

Chen Shanmeng laughed and said, "It's hard to say. A new emperor appoints new ministers. Once the Chu clan leader retires, will the chief of the Zongzheng Division be replaced?" Wang Maochun sighed and said, "It's just that in the elders' hall, if two tigers fight each other, we will suffer as well!"

When Wang Maochun said this, Chen Shanmeng suddenly looked at him meaningfully.

He knew he had said something wrong and immediately shut up. Ge Hengtai was not far away. He was the blood of Ge Rushong. In the elders' hall of the sect, Ge Rushong had always been at odds with Zhu He.

This time Zhu He coveted the position of the sect leader, but Ge Rusong also supported Lu Zhongtang and came out to compete with him. The death of Shangshu Ling Zhu Shizhong was, after all, strangled by the vortex behind the struggle for the sect leader.

The reason why Lu Zhongtang, Ge Rushong and others took action to get rid of Shangshu Ling Zhu Shizhong was to weaken Zhu He's control over the secular world and gain more bargaining chips for their competition for the leader of their sect.

Although they tried their best and used very secret methods, they were still dug out by Duan Rong. If they dig deeper, I'm afraid this storm will get bigger and bigger.

While Duan Rong and his men rode back to the city to arrest the people, the people who were watching by the wild lake began to catch fish from the lake. Some of the fish were so big that they weighed nearly 20 kilograms and required two people to lift them steadily.

A huge crowd of people, all carrying fish, went from the wild lake into the city!

Joyful and spectacular!
Duan Rong, Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng took the craftsmen from Ge Hengtai's house to the Dali Temple.

Zhu Cheng immediately called his deputy, the temple supervisor Zhou Wei.

This is the system of the Dali Temple: a third-rank temple chief and a fourth-rank temple supervisor are the chief and deputy. After being staffed, they become an independent unit responsible for hearing various cases assigned to them.

Zhu Cheng has been working with Zhou Wei for many years. Zhou Wei is steady and meticulous in his work. Zhu Cheng has long regarded him as his confidant and has entrusted many important matters to him.

Zhu Cheng looked at Zhou Wei and said, "Lock these craftsmen in the dungeon. You arrange it yourself. No one except the three of us is allowed to get close to them!"

"Yes!" Zhou Wei clasped his fists.

He glanced at Duan Rong. This was the first time he met Duan Rong. However, the city had been in commotion in the past few days. Since Duan Rong was standing with Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng, he guessed his identity at once.

Zhou Wei led his men to escort the craftsmen to the dungeon.

Zhu Cheng stood there, watching the craftsmen being taken away. He turned his head, looked at Duan Rong and asked, "How should we interrogate these prisoners? Brother Duan, do you have any ideas?"

Duan Rong touched his nose and said, "I don't know much about the interrogation. You are the chief of the Dali Temple, so you should know more about this than me. Now that the evidence is irrefutable, they are doomed to die. As for whether they are willing to reveal the person behind the scenes, it depends on whether they have any weaknesses that the other party has."

Zhu Cheng nodded thoughtfully.

Zhu Peng said: "Who can withstand the torture instruments in the Dali Temple? Once you go in, you will lose a lot of skin. I have never seen anyone who can endure it to the end without confessing."

About a quarter of an hour later, Zhou Wei came to report that the prisoner had been locked up in the dungeon and asked Zhu Cheng when he would go over for interrogation so that he could make arrangements.

Zhu Cheng said: "Let's go now!"

Zhou Wei's eyes moved and he immediately led the way.

Duan Rong and Zhu Peng followed him into the dungeon.

The dungeon of the Dali Temple was eerie, damp, and filled with dark shadows. Zhu Cheng followed Zhou Wei into the depths. After a while, shrill screams were heard in the darkness.

Duan Rong and Zhu Peng did not go in, but just sat at the door. After half an incense stick of time, Zhu Cheng came over from the depths of the dungeon. There were a few drops of blood and flesh on his fair face.

As soon as Zhu Cheng came over, Zhu Peng asked, "Have you confessed?"

"Not yet." Zhu Cheng's face was a little gloomy, perhaps because he had just done something to someone. "This is just an appetizer! No matter how tough someone is, they will just be gone after three times."

Zhu Peng said: "It's time for dinner, let's go eat something first."

Zhu Cheng's eyes narrowed. He had just tortured someone and had no appetite at all. However, seeing that it was already time for dinner, he asked Zhou Wei to guard the prisoners well, then walked out of the dungeon with Duan Rong, Zhu Peng and others.

They stood at the entrance of the dungeon, and Duan Rong asked, "What do you want to eat?"

Zhu Peng said: "Eat fish!"

As he spoke, he waved to a soldier, and the man came over, carrying two large white fish.

Zhu Peng took the fish from his hand and said with a smile, "This is the fish caught from the wild lake. Let's go to my house and I'll make a fish stew for you two. How about it?"

Zhu Peng's residence was not far from the Dali Temple, and the three of them rode their horses and arrived there quickly.

Zhu Peng stewed the fish, simmered it over a small charcoal fire, and placed it in the cool room.

The fish in the wild lake were already very plump, and paired with tofu and vegetables, it was even more delicious. Not only did Duan Rong eat it with relish, but even Zhu Cheng, who originally had no appetite, ate some.

The three of them drank some wine. After eating for a while, Zhu Cheng suddenly stood up and said with a fist: "You two eat first. I still have to deal with those guys in the dungeon. Bye!"

Zhu Peng said, "There's no need to rush. Let's eat first and then leave."

Zhu Cheng said, "I dare not eat any more. If I eat more and vomit while I am dealing with them, it will ruin the mood."

Zhu Peng's face suddenly changed, as if he had seen the bloody scene in the dungeon, so he did not try to keep Zhu Cheng. Zhu Cheng rode his horse back to the Dali Temple in the night.

Zhu Cheng returned to the dungeon. In the dark and damp cell, the dim lights shone on several people covered in blood, looking like evil spirits from hell.

Zhu Cheng coughed and said, "Have you thought it through? What you just said was just an appetizer. If I really go through all the torture instruments in the Dali Temple, I'm afraid even the evil ghosts would tremble!"

As Zhu Cheng spoke, he suddenly grabbed the scalp of a man beside him and pulled his face up. This man was the leader of the craftsmen. The light shone on his face, and he was seen with a dark blue face, blood oozing from the corners of his mouth, and his pupils were already dilated...

This person had died of poisoning without anyone knowing when!
Zhu Cheng felt a chill in his heart, and then he checked several people, all of whom had the same symptoms.

Who could enter the dungeon of Dali Temple and poison it?
What level of defense does Dali Temple have?

Zhu Cheng felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet and rushing up his back.

He strode out, looked at the guard at the door, and asked sternly, "Who went in just now?"

The guard could see Zhu Cheng's anger and said in a trembling voice, "Only Zhou Sijian went in for a while."

"It's Zhou Wei!" Zhu Cheng's scalp felt like it was electrified, and he suddenly remembered that he didn't see Zhou Wei when he came in just now.

"What about others?"

The guard said, "Zhou Sijian said he had something to do and would be back soon. Let us keep a close watch on him."

Zhou Wei's calm and resolute face flashed through Zhu Cheng's mind.

They have been working together for many years with this deputy, and he has been loyal to them all these years.

He had also tried to test this person several times, but never made any mistakes, so he gradually gained his trust. He never thought that this person would be a hidden stake planted by his side.

It’s hidden really deep and buried really well!

(End of this chapter)