Holy Bone

Chapter 1989 The Celestial Master's Mansion: Mysterious Disappearances Continue

Five Internal Organs Taoist Temple.

Jin'an side room.

Jin An suddenly opened the door to the side room and came out.

The old Taoist priest, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, saw Jin An come out at this time, holding a ladle in one hand and a gourd in the other. He asked Jin An curiously why he came out so early today, since dinner would be ready in a while.

So Jin An briefly explained why the Celestial Master's Mansion had come to see him that day, and then said that he had always been very curious about the internal environment of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Since the other party had taken the initiative to come to his door, he could take this opportunity to observe the Celestial Master's Mansion properly.

Given the strained relationship between the Five Organs Taoist Temple and the Celestial Master's Mansion, the opportunity to investigate the situation at the Celestial Master's Mansion was one they couldn't afford to miss.

Moreover, he was also curious about what could have happened that could cause even a third-level expert to mysteriously disappear, and why the Celestial Master's Mansion had not been able to find a single clue.

Furthermore, Jin An had practiced the Six Extremes Xingyi Quan and the Qi and Blood Seal, and he had always wanted to find an opportunity to test the power of these two mental techniques.

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest asked curiously, "Young brother, as the commander of the Criminal Investigation Department, shouldn't you have your Lead and Mercury Sacred Embryo? Why don't you send the Lead and Mercury Sacred Embryo to investigate the case first?"

"If you encounter a truly difficult case, it's not too late for you to go there in person."

Jin An smiled and said, "Because three experts at the third realm have mysteriously disappeared this time, I want to be on the safe side."

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest immediately adopted a serious expression: "In that case, I, this old Taoist priest, must accompany you, young brother, to the Celestial Master's Mansion to investigate the case."

"This is called 'father and son fighting side by side, showing their responsibility in the fight against the epidemic.' Only by going to the Celestial Master's Mansion together to investigate the case can we fight side by side and be fearless in killing the enemy."

Jin An rolled his eyes after hearing this: "Old Taoist, if you also want to see the Celestial Master's Mansion and broaden your horizons, just say so. What does it mean to fight as a father and son? You can't stop talking about taking advantage, can you?"

The old Taoist priest chuckled and said, "This is called a metaphor, a metaphor. Oh, young brother, you take everything too seriously, that's not good."

"hey-hey."

Jin An was too lazy to pay attention to the old Taoist priest's words, and then went to various shrines of the Five Organs Taoist Temple to offer incense and personally make offerings.

This is what is meant by "the incense must not be extinguished, so that we can seek help from others in the future."

It was already late, and the Wuzang Taoist Temple was closed for business. So, Jin An walked around the temple alone for the rest of the time.

Only when he was alone could he offer incense to the statues of gods enshrined in the various temples.

……

An hour later.

After finishing the meal and washing the dishes, Jin An instructed Xiao Jian, who was brushing sheep's wool, "Xiao Jian, I'm going to the Celestial Master's Mansion with the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li to take care of some things. You stay in the Taoist temple and take good care of the place."

The swordsman didn't respond, but simply nodded, which was considered an agreement.

Afterwards, Jin An led the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li out of the Wuzang Taoist Temple.

Li Pangzi is thick-skinned and lives at the Wuzang Taoist Temple every day, so it's quite normal for Jin An to take Li Pangzi with him to the Celestial Master's Mansion.

The old Taoist priest picked up his Tai Chi Bagua satchel, and Fatty Li took his waist knife. As soon as the three of them pushed open the door and stepped out of the Wuzang Taoist Temple, there were already people waiting for them outside.

They were from the Celestial Master's Mansion.

The Celestial Master's Mansion dispatched several luxurious carriages to specially pick up Jin An and take him to the mansion, demonstrating its refined etiquette.

Afterwards, Jin'an and the other two boarded a carriage and headed to the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Jin An did not bring any people from the Criminal Investigation Department this time because, according to the Celestial Master's Mansion, there might be some unforeseen circumstances on this trip, so it was inconvenient to bring too many people to avoid being unable to take care of them.

He only brought the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li with him, just in case of any unexpected situation.

The Celestial Master's Mansion was not located elsewhere, but right outside the Imperial Palace. When the carriage stopped, the three of them got off and could see the magnificent, towering palace walls standing in front of them, like a towering giant, stretching to the horizon on both sides, with no end in sight.

The palace walls were brightly lit, and the Celestial Master's Mansion was also illuminated by torches, remaining brightly lit even after nightfall.

"Master Jin'an!"

"Lord Commander!"

Several elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion were waiting at the entrance early in the morning. As soon as Jin An arrived, they immediately greeted him warmly as if he were a close friend or relative.

They were all afraid that Jin'an would change his mind, so after a brief introduction of the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li, they hurriedly led the three of them into the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Jin An also wanted to resolve the matter of the Celestial Master's Mansion as soon as possible. He was happy to be relaxed and didn't engage in much socializing before entering the Celestial Master's Mansion.

The people of the Celestial Master's Mansion all assumed that Jin An had a good relationship with Elder Luo Tian, ​​so these elders also felt very familiar and affectionate towards Jin An, constantly introducing various aspects of the Celestial Master's Mansion along the way.

The Celestial Master's Mansion truly lives up to its reputation as one of the three holy sites, especially renowned for its expertise in feng shui and geomancy. The mansion possesses countless treasures. Along the way in Jin'an, one sees nothing but magnificent palaces and pavilions, as well as countless exotic flowers, rare herbs, and precious stones, leaving one dazzled and overwhelmed by the sights.

Whether it was a coincidence or not, all that Jin'an saw along the way were magnificent palaces and exotic flowers and plants; he rarely saw anything special.

Jin An originally thought that the elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion would take him to the depths of the mansion, and that once he reached the depths, he might be able to see the extraordinary things about the mansion. However, the environment along the way was pretty much the same. The scenery was beautiful, but there were no scenes that Jin An had hoped to see.

Finally, the group arrived at the back courtyard of the Celestial Master's Mansion. The scenery there was much simpler, clearly not an important part of the mansion.

After being introduced by several elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion, Jin An finally realized that this back courtyard was the residence and cultivation ground of ordinary disciples, which explained why the scenery was not as beautiful as other places.

The back courtyard of the Celestial Master's Mansion is filled with courtyards.

"Master Jin'an, these courtyards are for disciples to live in. Each courtyard can generally accommodate seven disciples," an elder from the Celestial Master's Mansion explained.

These courtyards all looked roughly the same, and it was impossible to tell anything from their appearance alone. The elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion led Jin An and the other two to a pitch-black courtyard.

"Master Jin'an, this courtyard is the residence of Han Yichuan, the first disciple to mysteriously disappear."

"Of the people who lived in the same courtyard as that disciple, only one was out on a mission and escaped the disaster. The others all mysteriously disappeared later, and their fate remains unknown to this day."

The elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion sighed and introduced the situation.

Jin An looked at the pitch-black courtyard and then spoke up, wanting to light the lamps inside to make the environment more luminous.

Upon hearing this, the elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion exchanged troubled glances, and then said with a bitter expression, "To be honest, Master Jin'an, no one dares to enter this courtyard now, for fear of getting tainted by bad karma and mysteriously disappearing."

Jin An nodded, but didn't make things too difficult for others in this matter.

Next, only Jin An entered the courtyard; the elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion did not.

They were all afraid that once they entered the courtyard, they would be the next to mysteriously disappear. This was absurd, as it was astonishing that a dignified elder of the third realm would be so afraid of things.

But that's the reality. Three elders of the third realm have already mysteriously disappeared, and no one else dares to take the risk.

In the end, they could only entrust Jin An to enter the courtyard to help them investigate the case. "Master Jin An, regardless of whether the truth is found out or not, we will remember the kindness of the Criminal Investigation Department and the Five Organs Taoist Temple to our Celestial Master Mansion for the rest of our lives. We will never forget it. In the future, whenever our Celestial Master Mansion needs us, we will certainly not refuse!" Several elders of the Celestial Master Mansion expressed their gratitude to Jin An, indicating that they would repay the kindness.

Jin An smiled and let it go, not saying much more about the topic.

The old Taoist priest and Fatty Li were completely unconcerned about the strangeness of the courtyard. In their eyes, wherever Jin An was, it was absolutely safe. They then ignored the advice of the elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion and followed Jin An into the courtyard.

However, just as Fatty Li was about to enter the courtyard, he suddenly stopped, looked around a few times, and asked the elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion, "Where is Elder Luo Tian?"

Then, an elder from the Celestial Master's Mansion said, "Elder Luo Tian said he is not feeling well and needs to recuperate for a while."

Fatty Li sighed, "What a pity, we didn't get to meet Elder Luo Tian this time."

An elder from the Celestial Master's Mansion asked curiously, "Captain Li, are you in such a hurry to see Elder Luo Tian? Is there something urgent? You can tell me, and I will pass on the message for you in a moment."

At this moment, Fatty Li handed the roll of hemp rope he had been holding to the elder of the Celestial Master's Mansion, and said with a concerned expression, "Didn't Elder Luo Tian say his neck was uncomfortable when he came to the Criminal Investigation Department this day?"

"I brought a roll of hemp rope with me. Tell Elder Luo Tian to use the rope to protect his neck. Health is the most important thing, so don't hurt yourself."

After saying that, Fatty Li chased after Jin An and hurriedly entered the courtyard, leaving the elders of the Celestial Master's Mansion staring blankly at the rope, speechless for a long time.

The first thing Jin An did upon entering the courtyard was to light the candles. He asked the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li to light the candles while he first surveyed the courtyard.

After a cup of tea, the courtyard was brightly lit with lights and candles.

"Young man, how is it? Have you noticed anything unusual?" After the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li met up with Jin An, the old Taoist priest couldn't wait to ask.

Jin An shook his head and said not yet.

"Huh?" the old Taoist priest exclaimed in surprise.

Unconvinced, he dragged Fatty Li to search the courtyard again, only to find nothing.

Even the old Taoist priest was puzzled this time, and he went to Jin An and said, "Young brother, could it be that the Celestial Master's Mansion is trying to deceive us?"

"Since we didn't see Elder Luo Tian this time, I think it's highly likely that the Celestial Master's Mansion tricked us, intending to..."

The old Taoist priest lowered his voice and made a gesture of swiping his neck with his palm.

Jin An shook his head and said, "It's not that bad."

The old Taoist priest stared at him, wide-eyed, and asked, "Young man, why are you so sure?"

Jin An: "Because the three remaining elders of the Eight Scenery Sect have all died in the underworld, the Celestial Master's Mansion no longer has any experts at the fourth realm."

Upon hearing Jin An's words, the old Taoist priest nodded thoughtfully and then stopped discussing the Celestial Master's Mansion.

Next, Jin An roused himself and checked the entire courtyard again, inside and out. An hour passed, but he still couldn't find anything suspicious or useful.

Before we knew it, it was already midnight.

Since he couldn't find any clues, Jin An chose to sit cross-legged in Han Yichuan's room, carefully sensing the various changes in the room, hoping to find other clues.

Jin'an, who was sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, suddenly looked up at the door of the room and saw the old Taoist priest passing by alone.

"Old Taoist, what's wrong?" Jin An asked.

The old Taoist priest said hesitantly, "Young man, I need to use the restroom..."

Jin An: "Old Taoist, tell Fatty Li to come with you. The situation here is uncertain, so try not to be alone."

The old Taoist priest had no choice but to go find Fatty Li.

Not long after, the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li walked past Han Yichuan's door.

Jin An closed his eyes again and carefully examined the surrounding environment of the courtyard, hoping to find any clues.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the candlelight outside the courtyard suddenly went out.

Jin An opened his eyes and called out, "Old Taoist priest?"

"Fatty Li?"

The Celestial Master's Mansion is protected by a restriction that prohibits the use of divine sense to scan the area. Jin An did not want to clash with the Celestial Master's Mansion for the time being, so he did not forcefully break through the restriction. He could only call out to confirm whether it was the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li outside the door.

However, no one answered.

Jin An then stood up, went to the door and looked outside. As soon as he looked out the door, more candles went out, plunging the room into complete darkness.

However, this dark and dimly lit environment did not pose a challenge to Jin'an.

Jin An is a martial arts immortal with amazing eyesight, able to see darkness as day.

He scanned the area outside the door but couldn't find the old Taoist priest or Fatty Li.

"Hmph, is midnight the time you're supposed to appear?" Jin An snorted coldly, not bothered by the scene before him, and headed straight for the outhouse to find the old Taoist priest and Fatty Li himself.

As Jin An walked out, candlelight kept going out in the courtyard. Eventually, all the candlelight in the courtyard went out, leaving it pitch black and completely dark. There wasn't a sound to be heard, and the courtyard seemed to have become eerie, where no sound could come in from the outside and no sound could come out from the inside.

Jin An needed no lamps or candles; he went directly to the outhouse in the dark, which was not a problem for him.

The outhouse was in the backyard. He walked out of the corridor, into the yard, went around to the side of the room, and headed towards the backyard.

The wind was strong in the courtyard at night, rustling the fallen leaves on the ground.

As Jin An walked, he kept looking around. It was very quiet, and he didn't see a single person. He quickened his pace, bypassed the room, and came to the backyard.

The outhouse was built separately in the backyard, three separate outhouses. Jin An found the outhouse as soon as he arrived in the backyard.

Jin An squinted and looked towards the outhouses. Two of the outhouses were dark, but one of them had a lantern hanging on it and was lit.

"Old Taoist priest?" Jin An called out.

But there was no response.

"Hmph!" Jin An snorted coldly and walked straight to the outhouse.

Just as he arrived at the outhouse, the lantern inside went out.

He simply reached out and yanked open the roller shutter!

(End of this chapter)