Tang Dynasty Puppet Doctor

Chapter 114 Are You the Master?

Almost as soon as Murong Huan finished speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped. Outside, there was a commotion and Cui Ying thought of the scene of Zheng Shuxiao being killed in the street. She was so scared that she quickly hid behind Murong Huan, muttering, "Don't kill me, don't kill me..."

Xiao Muchen opened the carriage curtain and asked, "What happened?"

Xuan Yu sent someone to take a look and the man replied, "It's just some small vendors arguing over a little profit. It's nothing serious."

"Have Lu Ling taken those Hu merchants who caused trouble in Xiushanfang this morning to the Dali Temple for investigation?"

When Xiao Muchen asked this, Xuan Yu replied, "We questioned everyone present and examined the evidence at the scene. However, after all the questioning, we concluded that everything that happened was a coincidence. Lu Shaoqing didn't seem to have any reason to arrest anyone else, so he simply took the bamboo seller to the Dali Temple for questioning."

The coincidental murder was nothing more than a pre-planned operation. It seems that the murderer is not just one person, but even a gang.

Just as Xiao Muchen was about to get up and get off the carriage, Cui Ying suddenly grabbed his hand and pleaded, "Don't go out, Xiao Zhongcheng, I don't want to be killed like Zheng Shuxiao."

She looked at Xiao Muchen pitifully, and even a few tears of fear flowed from her eyes.

Xiao Muchen couldn't help but feel a little angry: "You know you're afraid now, but have you ever thought about how Lu Yingying felt when you deceived her and gave her to the bandits?"

“Let go!”

Cui Ying then shyly withdrew his hand, and whispered with tears in his eyes:

"I... I was confused at the time. I regret it now. I regret listening to Si Niang. I really didn't know she was the daughter of my uncle's mother... I regret it..."

"Even if she's not Madam Cui's biological daughter, can you just trample on the innocence of an innocent young lady?"

Murong Huan added with even more indignation, then lowered his voice and said, "The murderer said he would kill you at 1:00 PM tomorrow, so he won't do it today. Don't worry."

Cui Ying didn't believe it and didn't dare to approach Xiao Muchen anymore. He grabbed Murong Huan like a lifeline and pleaded, "But maybe this is the murderer's trick to distract you? If you only prepare at the hour of Chen, what if he chooses another time to kill me? Wouldn't that put me in great danger?"

I don't care, you have to stay with me tonight!"

Xiao Muchen frowned, took Murong Huan's hand and gently brought it to his side. He said to Cui Ying in a cold voice, "Don't touch her. Why do you want her to accompany you all night? Do you want to shift your misfortune onto her?"

"No, Xiao Zhongcheng, that's not what I meant. I just believe in you... I believe she can catch the murderer. Can't she draw the murderer's appearance and hypnotize people with her flute? As long as the murderer comes, she can use the flute to put him to sleep, and then we can catch him!"

Xiao Muchen looked at Cui Ying with disgust, and after pulling Murong Huan to his side, he didn't say another word.

An hour later, the carriage finally arrived at the Dali Temple. Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen brought Cui Ying in. Lu Shiyilang greeted her curiously, "Why did you bring another young lady to our Dali Temple? We only take in prisoners, not idlers! Unless it's someone like Miss Huan..."

Lu Ling glared at Lu Shiyilang warily.

Only then did Lu Shiyilang put away his playful smile.

Murong Huan said directly, "She is the next target of the murderer. She will stay in the Dali Temple tonight to see if the murderer will come to the Dali Temple."

"Ah? She's the murderer's next target?" Lu Shiyilang looked at Cui Ying in surprise. "What bad things did a delicate young lady do to make someone hate her and want to kill her?"

Cui Ying bit her lip and said nothing, tears streaming down her face.

"Forget it, I'll just be your escort tonight and stay outside your door! There's an empty room in a side hall of the Dali Temple. You can stay there tonight. Oh, there's also a little girl from the Zheng family, she's also a girl, we can squeeze in together!"

Cui Ying said repeatedly: "Okay! Okay!" So, that night, Murong Huan and Xiao Muchen also stayed in the Dali Temple.

Because the deaths of Hong Xian and Xue Huaiyi were too strange, Lu Ling did not dare to relax this time. He and Lu Shiyilang did not leave. They took turns to stand guard outside Cui Ying's door.

Surprisingly, most of the night had passed without even a sound of cicadas. Murong Huan felt a little sleepy, so Xiao Muchen let her lie in his arms.

But just before dawn, Murong Huan seemed to hear a flute sound in her dream, just like when she first learned to play the flute. Her master brought her to an empty and quiet valley and asked her to whistle into the empty valley.

The master said, "Music originally has no such thing as sadness or joy. It is only because people pour their abundant emotions into the strings that this music has all the emotions in the world. In the past, when Boya tuned his qin, Zhong Zi understood his intention; when a scribe struck his chimes, Zi Chan understood his sorrow; when the people of Lu cried in the morning, Yan Yuan understood their separation.

Therefore, customs in all directions are different, and songs and cries are all different. The heart moves within, and the sound comes from the heart!

Ah Huan, do you understand this principle?"

"Master, Ah Huan doesn't understand!"

"It's okay. I'll teach you how to play the flute. You'll understand it in the future."

"it is good!"

……

There is a flute sound!
And it’s very clear, as if it’s right next to your ear!

Murong Huan woke up from her dream instantly. She saw that Xiao Muchen also closed his eyes sleepily, and even Lu Ling and Lu Shiyilang fell to one side. She thought to herself that something was wrong. The sound of the flute seemed to have the same effect as hers, which was to induce sleep.

Could it be that the master has come?
Murong Huan followed the direction of the flute sound until he reached a pear orchard and banana trees in the backyard of the Dali Temple. He saw a green figure like a bamboo standing under the thin moonlight, playing the flute. His green clothes rustled in the night wind.

This figure does look familiar.

Murong Huan's heart surged, tears welling up in his eyes. He asked hoarsely, "Are you the master?"

The man in green put down the jade flute in his hand when he heard the voice. When he turned to look at her, Murong Huan saw that he was also wearing a white jade mask.

But the man chuckled and replied in a very clear voice: "Junior sister's flute hypnosis technique is more powerful. She can actually resist my hypnosis technique?"

"You're not the master? Who are you?"

The man smiled and said, "I came here tonight to ask why, even though you've already found out the truth, you're still trying to protect the life of a woman who's as vicious as a snake and a demon. She's also a murderer!"

After that, he raised his voice and asked sternly:

"Shouldn't she die?"

"So it was you who planned to kill Zheng Shuxiao? But why did you also kill Hong Xian and Xue Huaiyi? She doesn't seem to have anything to do with Lu Yingying's affairs."

"Junior Sister, you are trying to trick me, but I won't be fooled. You have no evidence to prove that I killed anyone, and I am just an outsider seeking justice for the deceased."

"Then, take off your mask tonight and let me see who you really are."