The Daily Life of a Salted Fish Assassin in Anime Crossovers

He briefly introduced the other party's identity, then took a few steps forward and told Long Yuan the purpose of bringing Jiang Hang and his group here.

“These guys are from Tokyo and Osaka respectively. They came here specifically to investigate the thief gang that was recently reported in the news. I was thinking that you had mentioned before that you suspected the people who stole the Buddha statue were from that gang. Plus, there was that letter you received a few days ago. Doesn't this fit perfectly?”

Sakura Seizo muttered to Ryuuen, the monk still seeming somewhat hesitant: "But, the abbot said..."

Sakura Masazo waved his hand and retorted, "That's been so many years. If we don't seize this opportunity, that Buddha statue will probably never come back. This is Hattori Heiji, a famous detective in Osaka. He's not some random con artist. He's the kind of detective who's been on TV news and given interviews. If he takes action, he might be able to help you solve the mystery and find that missing Buddha statue."

His words made Long Yuan's face show a hint of interest.

Their talk about missing Buddha statues and solving mysteries left Jiang Hang and the others somewhat confused, unsure of what had actually happened.

Hattori Heiji, who had often come here to "reminisce over the objects" in the past few years, was the first to ask Ryuen: "Master Ryuen, I have been to Sanno-ji Temple a few times before, but I have never heard of any Buddha statues being stolen from the temple. And... if it was that Genji Hotaru, could it be that they stole the 'Yakushi Nyorai Buddha' statue, which was cast by a famous Buddha statue sculptor and has been passed down from the Heian period to the present day, and is only consecrated once every twelve years? If we're talking about something, that's a Buddha statue that can be considered a national treasure!"

Hattori Heiji calculated the time: "If I remember correctly, that Buddha statue should be on public display soon, right?"

Upon hearing Hattori Heiji mention the Yakushi Nyorai statue, Ryuen sighed, "Yes, that's the statue. In fact, it was stolen eight years ago."

Jiang Hang blinked when he heard what was said eight years ago.

He couldn't help but ask, "Master Longyuan, do you remember the exact date when the Buddha statues were stolen?"

Long Yuan pondered for a while. The Buddha statue, which had been passed down for nearly a thousand years, was the most important thing to their temple. It needed to be wiped clean every morning and evening. Therefore, the day the Buddha statue was stolen was extremely memorable to him: "It was early April eight years ago. The Buddha statue was still there in the morning, but in the afternoon, we found that the Buddha statue had been stolen."

The fact that someone stole the Buddha statue in broad daylight is quite audacious, but what bothers him more is that Hattori met his first love here eight years ago, and in the same year, the Buddha statue at Sannoji Temple was stolen—two seemingly unrelated events.

Furthermore, according to Heiji Hattori, he came here on a day when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom and met his first love. In early April, Kyoto was still in the cherry blossom season, so the two events are now connected in terms of time and place.

Out of a desire for drama, Jiang Hang couldn't help but make a bold guess: perhaps Hattori Heiji's first love was the daughter of a member of the thief group Genji Hotaru.

It's even possible that the other party has already become a member of Genji Hotaru.

Meanwhile, Heiji Hattori stared wide-eyed, looking somewhat incredulous. He didn't seem to have connected his first love with the case.

"But I didn't see Sanonji's name on the police list. Does the police think that Genji Hotaru wasn't the one who committed this crime?"

Long Yuan shook his head.

“I advocated calling the police directly to handle the matter, but the abbot stopped me. He told me that the Buddha statue was missing because we had temporarily lost our connection with it. As long as we still have a connection with that Buddha statue, we will definitely be able to meet it again someday in the future.”

Long Yuan clasped his hands together and explained to Jiang Hang and the others. After hearing this explanation, the eyes of Jiang Hang and the others seemed to look a little strange.

Instead of reporting the loss to the police, the abbot places his hopes on what seems like an unrealistic destiny. Is this a true Buddhist master, or is he simply being delusional?

Jiang Hang, Conan, and Hattori Heiji even exchanged glances. It was a national treasure-level antique and the temple's own prized possession. After it was lost, they never thought of actively looking for it. Instead, they told the other people in the temple not to call the police and to patiently wait for fate to come. As a result, they waited for eight years... This always gives people the feeling that the abbot is the mastermind behind it all.

However, it is obvious that such reasoning is untenable, because if the abbot was really a member of the Genji Hotaru, he would never have touched the Buddha statues in his own temple in order to avoid suspicion.

Of course, to find out the specifics, we should first check the strange letter that was sent a few days ago.

After learning Hattori Heiji's identity, Long Yuan did not hesitate for long. After inviting Jiang Hang and his group into the inner room, he took out a letter addressed to "Yaneng Temple" from a drawer.

"There's no stamp and no sender's name. It looks like that person just threw it in your mailbox," Jiang Hang glanced at it with his eagle eyes. There were no clues left on the envelope, and the criminal obviously wouldn't leave any flaws here.

Hattori Heiji opened the letter and began to read its contents.

"Once the mystery of this painting is solved, the location of the Buddha statue will be known..." The letter contained only this sentence, and a simple photocopy of the drawing was attached at the end.

The picture showed several rows of cabinets, with strange symbols drawn on the top, second, and fourth shelves from top to bottom.

Upon seeing this picture, Jiang Hang had essentially given up trying to figure it out, since deciphering codes was not something he was good at.

And to be honest, this thing has a really strong Detective Conan vibe.

As long as this isn't a prank by that gang of thieves, based on Jiang Hang's impressions from watching Detective Conan when he was a child, this thing is most likely real. It's very likely that it's a treasure map left by the leader of the gang or the person guarding the treasure. They probably studied it for several years but couldn't figure it out, so they had to find someone else to help them solve the mystery.

It's likely that the murder within the group led by Genji Hotaru is related to this coded image.

Jiang Hang glanced at Conan and Hattori Heiji, who were deep in thought about the cipher map. Hawkeye was still useless at this moment, so he might as well just slack off on the side.

Chapter 352: Chapter 350: A Special Tour Route

This seemingly simple cipher diagram not only made Conan and Heiji Hattori frown, but even Shizuka Sakaki temporarily joined the team to decipher the cipher.

"What do these patterns mean?" Hattori Heiji muttered to himself.

Conan shook his head: "I'm not sure, but since the letter says that as long as we solve the mystery on this map, we can find out the location of the Buddha statue, then I think this coded map must be related to the location."

Heiji Hattori nodded in agreement, agreeing that Conan's analysis was probably on the right track.

But he soon found himself in new doubts.

"But what exactly does the drawing on it refer to?"

It seems they all want to decipher the code directly to find out the location of the Buddha statue and what Genji Hotaru's gang of thieves is up to.

In comparison, Jiang Hang's attention only lingered on the cipher map for a short while at the beginning; he didn't think about solving the mystery at all afterward.

As a self-aware person, Jiang Hang knew very well that he should not dabble in things he was not familiar with.

It's like playing a game where you're just a bronze player but you like to use someone else's diamond or master account. The result is obvious.

When it comes to solving puzzles, Jiang Hang is probably not at the Bronze level yet; being at the Iron level would already be considered quite good.

While Conan and the others were pondering the mystery, Jiang Hang went directly to the monk named Long Yuan and inquired about the temple.

"Master Longyuan, may I ask how many people know about the theft of the Buddha statue since it disappeared eight years ago? And how many people know about this letter being sent?"

Jiang Hang is quite concerned about this matter.

After all, it's quite puzzling that the prisoner suddenly sent this inexplicable letter after eight years.

Eight years is a long time; most thieves would have already sold the stolen goods by now. But this letter indicates that the Buddha statue is still in their possession, and that if the people of Shanneng Temple can solve the riddle, they can find the location of the Buddha statue.

Coupled with this code and routine that felt particularly familiar to Jiang Hang, a picture involuntarily appeared in Jiang Hang's mind.

For some reason, the leader or manager of the Genji Hotaru gang of thieves hid all the stolen goods and money they had made over the years in a hidden place.

The result was that this person suddenly passed away some time ago, and before his death, he did not tell anyone the location of the treasure he had placed. As a result, internal strife broke out within his gang in order to monopolize the treasure.

As for this letter, it is highly likely that someone within Genji Hotaru's organization wants to use the power of others to solve the mystery, and Yamanoji Temple, which chose to let things take their course instead of reporting it to the police eight years ago, is a very good choice.

The prisoner who sent the letter probably planned to follow them as they solved the riddle, and then eliminate them after learning the answer to achieve his own goal. After considering it, Jiang Hang felt that this was quite likely.

If the prisoner's thoughts are truly as he imagines... then he will inevitably keep a close eye on the situation at Sanonji Temple to avoid missing the "helpers" they have found.

Thinking of this, Jiang Hang's gaze involuntarily fell on Sakura Seizawa, who was not far away and was preparing to drive back to his shop.

It was clear that before Sakura Seizo brought them here, Master Ryuen was still debating whether or not to find a detective. Sakura Seizo, on the other hand, was enthusiastically recommending Hattori Heiji, the famous detective from Osaka, to Ryuen. His earnest recommendation was even more earnest than when he recommended the antiques and curios in his own shop to them, which was quite intriguing.

If we're talking about suspects, then Sakura Seizo is certainly a suspect, and quite a suspect at that.

In the antique market, they asked the owners of more than ten shops. The owners either knew nothing or might know something but were unwilling to say it. Only Sakura Masazo asked Jiang Hang and the others with suspicion. After learning that Hattori Heiji was the famous detective, he showed great enthusiasm.

It might be because Jiang Hang paid for the items, but after scanning the area with his eagle eye, he found no other strange people nearby. The only one worth suspecting at the moment was Sakura Masazo.

Of course, besides the deduction Jiang Hang just made, there is another possibility: the person who sent this letter was actually the one who was killed a few days ago. Knowing that he might not be able to escape death, he deliberately gave the letter to the monks of Shanneng Temple, hoping to use their power to avenge himself.

However, if that's the case, then he can only place all his hopes on Conan and Heiji Hattori deciphering the code on the picture.

After hearing Jiang Hang's question, Long Yuan didn't quite understand what Jiang Hang meant, but after thinking for a moment, she gave a reply.

“The theft of the Buddha statue is the biggest secret of the temple. Apart from the other monks in the temple, only a few regular patrons know about it,” Long Yuan replied. “As for the letter, even fewer people know about it. Apart from Sakura Seizaki, there should only be four or five other people who know about it, and they all know each other.”

Long Yuan named several people. They all seemed to have trained in swordsmanship at a dojo over the past few years and were usually quite close to each other. Among them was naturally the antique shop owner, Sakura Seizo.

Fortunately, Long Yuan had photos of the group practicing swordsmanship together. In addition, there were photos of the stolen Buddha statue in the album. Jiang Hang took out his phone and took pictures of these photos. He also noted down the names of the suspects so that he could investigate them later.

They had trained in swordsmanship together... Jiang Hang remembered that in the cases where members of the Origin Clan Firefly were murdered, the murderer was someone who was proficient in archery and swordsmanship. It seemed that this should be a relatively important clue.

"That letter appeared in the temple mailbox a few days ago, right? Has anyone suggested to you that you go and ask a detective for help?" Jiang Hang continued to ask. If someone suggested asking a detective for help instead of calling the police, then that person would be more suspicious.

Long Yuan pondered for a moment: "Yes, after receiving the letter, they asked me to find detectives to help with the investigation. Sakura Seizo also suggested this, and another benefactor recommended a famous detective in Tokyo. I contacted him a few days ago, but unfortunately, the detective's assistant said that he was busy recently and could not go out to handle the case."

"Because that famous detective couldn't spare the time, I didn't contact any other detectives. I never expected that the young man who occasionally came to the temple to pray was actually a famous detective from Osaka. Perhaps this is what the abbot meant by fate," Long Yuan sighed.

Hearing what Long Yuan said, Jiang Hang's lips twitched slightly.

There are quite a few famous detectives in Tokyo, but the words "assistant" and "has been busy recently" make him wonder if the famous detective that Master Longyuan had contacted before was himself. Because he was going on a trip, Jiang Hang did ask Yoshino Kiharu and Shizuka Sakaki to turn down the calls to the agency for the next few days.

He coughed lightly, then asked softly, "Master Longyuan, if I may ask, who was the famous detective from Tokyo that you were originally looking for?"

"It's that Hawkeye Detective from Tokyo. I heard he's a famous detective who has helped the police solve many mysteries, and he's been on TV and in newspapers more than once. Since you're from Tokyo, you should know this famous detective, right?" Long Yuan seemed a little regretful as he said this, as if he felt that if Hawkeye Detective were here, he would definitely be able to find the Buddha statue that had been missing for eight years.

Seeing the regretful look on the other person's face, Jiang Hang wiped his forehead. Perhaps this was what they called fate.

He declined the offer over the phone, but eventually, he couldn't avoid the offer.

However, it seems that the call was answered by Yuno Kiharu. If Shizuka Sakaki had answered the phone, she should have some recollection of this matter.

Jiang Hang was thinking that he would ask Mu Chun Yuno if she remembered this matter later. At this moment, Long Yuan seemed to have thought of something and suddenly asked Jiang Hang, "Esteemed benefactor, I do not know your name yet. I am very sorry."

Jiang Hang observed the expression on Long Yuan's face and knew that the other party probably didn't mean anything by it, but simply wanted to ask his name.

But he was too embarrassed to reveal his real name, so he directly used his old pseudonym "Jiang Xiaobai," which he hadn't used in a long time.

Upon hearing this name, Long Yuan seemed somewhat puzzled, wondering what connection Jiang Hang had with this Jiang Xiaobai.

However, after giving his name, Jiang Hang returned to Conan and asked the two famous detectives if they had made any discoveries.

Heiji Hattori shook his head: "I don't have any clues. I think we still need to go out and investigate."

Conan chimed in, "Since the members of the Genji Firefly are all named after Minamoto no Yoshitsune and his retainers, besides the leader Minamoto no Yoshitsune, there should also be someone with the name Musashibo Benkei, Minamoto no Yoshitsune's number one retainer."

"Since none of the members killed in the Genji Firefly incident have implicated these two people, this cipher map is very likely something left behind by Mu Kei or Minamoto no Yoshitsune. Perhaps a trip to Kyoto to a place related to Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Mu Kei will yield some results."

Conan's idea was not wrong. The group did not stay at the temple any longer. After exchanging phone numbers, they set off again.

After escorting them to Sanonji Temple and saying goodbye to Ryuen, Sakura Masazo returned to his shop. Therefore, the group could only walk to the places in Kyoto related to Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Mukei.

Neither Conan nor Jiang Hang were familiar with Kyoto, but Kyoto and Osaka are adjacent, and it doesn't take long to travel between the two cities by train. Therefore, Heiji Hattori had been wandering around Kyoto since he was a child. In addition, as a detective, he would always pay attention to the things around him, so it wouldn't be wrong to say that Kyoto was Heiji Hattori's second home.

Now that we're heading to those locations, Hattori Heiji will naturally lead the way.

Conan and Heiji Hattori discussed the case along the way, while Jiang Hang saw that Shizuka Sakaki was still frowning and thinking about the code, so he patted her on the shoulder.

"If you don't have any inspiration, don't force yourself to think about it. Just stay on the sidelines and learn from experience," Jiang Hang wanted Sakaki Shizuka to learn from him. Knowing that he couldn't solve the code, he simply stopped thinking about these things. However, he naturally couldn't say this to Sakaki Shizuka.

Upon hearing Jiang Hang's words, Shizuka Sakaki also sighed slightly. She knew very well that even after thinking about it for so long, she still didn't know how to proceed with that code.

She knew that her detective skills were not as good as Kiharu Yuno's, so after hearing Jiang Hang's words, she hesitated for a while and decided to temporarily give up thinking about it.

Her little assistant shouldn't try to be a hero; she should just stay on the sidelines and watch Jiang Hang and the other real detectives solve the mystery.

Thinking of this, she curiously turned her gaze to Conan and Hattori Heiji, who were walking ahead and discussing the case.

"But Conan is too amazing. He's just a kid, yet he knows so much. I feel like I, an adult, don't even know as much as Conan, who's only in first grade," Shizuka Sakaki muttered to Jiang Hang.