One divination a day, a trainee celestial master

Jiang Shou was so impressed by the beautiful policewoman that he swallowed hard.

"Thank God, this is a violent machine!" Although he was panicking, Jiang Shou managed to keep his trembling legs straight thanks to the excellent skills he had honed over the past two weeks. He maintained a calm and even aloof demeanor on his face.

He held the compass in his left hand, and with his right hand, he slowly and deliberately performed a perfectly standard bow:

"Amitabha! This humble Taoist comes from Shouyi Temple on Cuiwei Mountain. I have come down the mountain today specifically to find Chen Sancan's wife."

Upon hearing Jiang Shou accurately state her husband's name, the limping woman paused, her eyes filled with doubt: "You...you know my Sancan?"

Xia Qiu frowned, her eyes filled with even more wariness, and she was about to step forward to continue questioning.

"Officer, and this lady," Jiang Shou interrupted them firmly. He glanced at the two children in the yard who were staring at them expectantly, and bowed slightly. "There are many people around outside, and children are nearby. This concerns the life and death of Layman Chen Sancan. May we come inside to talk?"

The limping woman's face turned pale the moment she heard the words "life and death." She turned helplessly to look at Xia Qiu beside her. Xia Qiu was a kind policewoman who had frequently visited them at the hospital over the past two weeks, and today she had even brought rice and oil to see this woman in need. The woman subconsciously regarded her as her pillar of support.

Xia Qiu stared at Jiang Shou for a few seconds, then sneered, "Fine, let's see what tricks you can pull. Come inside!"

The lame woman nodded, opened the iron gate, and let her son and daughter stay in the living room to continue doing their homework. She then led Xia Qiu and Jiang Shou into an inner room on the side.

The interior was even more dilapidated. Large patches of plaster had peeled off the walls, revealing the red bricks underneath. An old almanac hung on the wall, and there was a faint smell of cheap plaster in the air. But at least the room was clean and tidy, and even the bed sheets were washed until they were almost white.

Before the two could ask any questions, Jiang Shou stopped and solemnly bowed once again.

"I am Jiang Shou, the keeper of Shouyi Temple!"

Jiang Shou slightly raised his chin, his eyes revealing a compassionate look, and said according to the prepared lines: "Last night, I was meditating in the temple, and my mind was moved, so I cast a divination."

"The divination indicates that your husband, Chen Sancan, suffered from a rare condition called 'Soul Separation Syndrome' due to the shock and fright that caused his three souls and seven spirits to leave his body. Without external intervention, he will be trapped in chaos forever until his physical body withers away. I have come to the eastern suburbs today specifically to help him guide his soul back to its rightful place!"

"What?!" Upon hearing this, the limping woman dropped the plastic bag in her hand with a "thud." She stared in shock, her mouth agape, her whole body trembling.

Xia Qiu, standing to the side, was both shocked and furious.

She truly hadn't expected that scammers these days would be so audacious! Right in front of her, a legitimate criminal investigation team leader in police uniform and rank, this guy dared to spout nonsense and use such clumsy feudal superstition as an excuse to swindle people!

"How dare you!" Xia Qiu laughed angrily, shouting, "You still dare to scam people after seeing my uniform? Do you think the police don't exist?!"

"Show me your ID!" Xia Qiu gave Jiang Shou no chance to argue. Her movements were clean and efficient, and with a "whoosh," she pulled out a pair of gleaming silver handcuffs from her waist.

With a "click," the handcuffs made a crisp metallic clanging sound in the dimly lit room.

Xia Qiu strode forward, making a move to handcuff him first.

He watched as the "silver bracelet," gleaming with a cold, icy light and representing the iron fist of materialism, drew ever closer to his wrist.

Jiang Shou's carefully cultivated image of an ethereal and otherworldly master crumbled instantly, shattering into pieces.

"No, no, no! Officer Xia! Captain Xia! Please have mercy!"

Jiang Shou was so frightened that he jumped back a large step, waving his arms frantically in front of his chest. His voice cracked with anxiety, and he almost blurted out his hometown dialect: "I'm really not a liar! What liar in this world would be stupid enough to commit crimes in front of the head of the criminal investigation team? That would be suicide!"

Jiang Shou was sweating profusely and stammering, "I'm a Taoist priest! I'm a legitimate Taoist priest! I... I have connections! No, I... I have an ordination certificate! I have a formal certificate issued by the State Religious Affairs Bureau!"

Hearing this extremely abrupt, even somewhat comical, plea for mercy, especially the phrase "Officer Xia," was quite unexpected.

Xia Qiu's hand holding the handcuffs froze in mid-air. She frowned, staring at Jiang Shou, and said coldly, "You know me?"

"We met yesterday afternoon at the stairwell of the county hospital, didn't we? I heard that male police officer call you Captain Xia!" Jiang Shou saw that the handcuffs had stopped, and quickly grasped this lifeline. With the speed of someone who had been single for 25 years, he swiftly pulled his ID card out of his jeans pocket and presented it with both hands.

"Look, look closely! I'm a local. My home is on Yuhe West Road, near the west gate of the county town. My Shouyi Temple is registered with the Forestry Bureau. I can't just run away! I'm really not the kind of swindler who travels around committing crimes!"

Xia Qiu suspiciously took the ID card and looked down to check Jiang Shou's face against the light.

She then cautiously took a half step back, her left hand still gripping the handcuffs, and took out her phone with her right hand, directly dialing the number of the bureau's internal affairs officer.

"Hey, Xiao Liu, check my ID number. Yes, it's Jiang Shou. ... Hmm, check if he has any criminal record. Also, check if there's a place called Shouyi Temple in Cuiwei Mountain in the western suburbs."

A heavy, oppressive silence fell over the room. The limping woman nervously twisted the hem of her clothes, while Jiang Shou, like a prisoner awaiting judgment, dared not even breathe.

After a while, Xia Qiu hung up the phone. She threw her ID card back to Jiang Shou, her eyes still cold, but the murderous aura around her had subsided slightly.

"The Shouyi Temple on Cuiwei Mountain is indeed listed in the bureau's files, and you have no criminal record there." Xia Qiu stared at Jiang Shou, her tone stern as she warned, "But that's absolutely no excuse for you to come here and commit fraud! What exactly are you trying to do?"

Xia Qiu pointed at the dilapidated house, her voice filled with intense anger and disappointment: "Since you've found out so much about Chen Sancan's situation, you should know what their family's current predicament is! An orphan and a widow, destitute, struggling even to eat! You people who follow feudal superstitions, are you heartless? How could you possibly swindle their life-saving money from a family struggling in such dire straits?!"

"I didn't!" Jiang Shou was so scolded that he wanted to cry but had no tears. He felt even more wronged than Dou E.

"Captain Xia! I know their family situation! I also know Chen Sancan is the breadwinner!" Jiang Shou pointed to his chest, jumping up and down anxiously. "I came all this way today, not to scam money! I won't take a single penny! I genuinely saw that her husband was so traumatized that his soul left his body, and the hospital's equipment couldn't treat him! I have a talisman; I really came to help him!"

Jiang Shou abruptly turned to the limping woman beside him, who was in a state of extreme shock and bewilderment, and said urgently, "Sister-in-law, believe me! Your husband's condition is such that no matter how long he lies in the intensive care unit, he can't be saved! This is not a problem that medicine can solve!"

"Shut up!"

Xia Qiu slammed his hand on the rickety cabinet next to him, making a loud "bang" that completely interrupted Jiang Shou's words.

"Get out of here right now!" Xia Qiu pointed towards the door, her eyes like knives. "I see you're young and haven't had a criminal record yet, so I won't arrest you today. But even if you really are a legitimate Taoist priest from that shabby temple, if you dare to spread another word of feudal superstition in this house, or dare to use such nonsense to provoke the victim's family, I'll immediately charge you with attempted fraud and throw you in jail for fifteen days!"

"Get out of my sight immediately!"

Faced with this utterly uncompromising order to leave, and the handcuffs that were ready to smash into his wrists at any moment, Jiang Shou was completely helpless.

When a scholar encounters a soldier, reason is useless. Especially when he encounters an upright female detective who despises superstition.

He looked at the limping woman. She clutched her clothes tightly, staring at Jiang Shou's anxious face. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something. But having lived her entire life with extreme timidity, she ultimately lowered her head in fear, daring not to utter a word, in the face of Officer Xia's thunderous rage, despite his kindness in helping her.

"well……"

Jiang Shou sighed heavily. He shoved his ID card back into his pocket with a look of utter defeat, gave Xia Qiu a deep look, said nothing more, and turned to slink away from the inner room.

Inside the room.

Watching Jiang Shou leave, Xia Qiu finally put away the handcuffs.

She turned around and looked at the limping woman who was still somewhat lost and whose eyes still held a trace of hesitation and desire.

Xia Qiu sighed, stepped forward, and took her rough hand, earnestly advising, "Sister-in-law Li, I know you're worried about Brother Chen being unconscious. But we have to trust science and the doctors at the hospital."

Xia Qiu pointed outside the door: "Those things like soul leaving the body and summoning spirits with talismans are all feudal dregs, just a bunch of deceitful tricks! There are no such things as ghosts or gods in this world. Your family is already struggling financially, so don't be so desperate as to try anything and get scammed by these unscrupulous people, understand?"