Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 123 The Truth Completed
"Brother Jieshu?"

After listening to the monk finish chanting, Zhan Zhao stepped forward.

The monk was startled and darted to a corner of the room: "Don't come any closer! This monk is poisoned!"

Zhan Zhao didn't actually go over, but instead sized up the old farmer-like monk.

One of the six monks who committed serious misdeeds.

Jie Shu, the "Monk Among Flowers".

Originating from the Five Immortals Sect, they are most skilled at cultivating poisonous flowers and herbs, yet they unexpectedly appear in this form.

Under the influence of the Six Hearts Clarity Technique and the Heart Sword Divine Technique, the other party was genuinely frightened, rambling on and on: "Why do you walk so silently? You're terrifying! Which junior brother are you? I've never seen you before, and you don't recognize me either! Get away! Don't come any closer!"

Zhan Zhao asked, "Senior brother, can't you control your poison?"

Jie Shu sighed, "I can usually control myself, but lately there have been a lot of accidents. Even Ding Chen lost his life. He's lying there. Don't take any risks!"

"I witnessed Dingchen's murder with my own eyes..."

Zhan Zhao said, "This person knew that the evening glories were highly poisonous, yet he still stole the flowers and was even more eager to cooperate with 'Golden-Faced Yama' Luo Shijun."

"His goal is to turn the evening primrose into a medicinal ointment and sell it to noble ladies in the capital. Once they start using it, it will be a done deal, and you, as the cultivator of this flower, will be blackmailed by Ding Chen and Luo Shijun."

"Don't you hate someone like that?"

Jieshu sighed repeatedly, his wrinkles deepening: "Alas! No matter what, he doesn't deserve to die! As long as the evening glories aren't applied for too long, this humble monk has a way to detoxify him, and can clean up the mess Dingchen caused!"

Zhan Zhao asked, "But Ding Chen is dead now, so what happened?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Ding Chen's corpse.

The way this monk Yunban died last night was that his disguise mask was half-removed, and an evening glory flower was stuck in his chest.

The blood from his heart dripped onto the petals, exuding an eerie aura of death.

But after the body had been lying there for most of the day, it began to exhibit very different characteristics—

Dingchen's face began to show an unnatural color, and spider web-like black blood vessels could be vaguely seen under his skin, spreading from the side of his neck to his limbs.

The fingernails were cyanotic, the fingertips were curled, and the exposed lividity was dark in color, quite different from the purplish-red of ordinary corpses, and it faintly emitted a sweet and rotten smell.

Even though Zhan Zhao was not an expert in autopsies, he could tell at a glance that Ding Chen had died of poisoning.

What kind of toxin could have been masked last night, only to spread today?
"Junior brother, step back a bit!"

Jie Shu reveals the answer.

He slowly approached the corpse from the corner and reached out to pull aside Ding Chen's clothes.

The most noticeable change was on the skin around the chest, which had developed grayish patches with bulging blood vessels that resembled black tree roots entwined beneath the skin.

Jieshu explained, "He took the 'Mind-Soothing Elixir' that I gave him."

"This formula is half medicine and half poison. It can strengthen the heart and blood vessels, enhance one's skills, and resist poisons. It is perfect for entering and leaving my flower garden to resist the poisonous flowers and plants."

"However, this 'Mind-Stabilizing Inducing' is extremely potent and requires a ten-day interval to counteract its effects. Each time, it must be freshly prepared. If the timing is missed, the patient's heart meridian will rupture, resulting in death..."

Listening to his description of the toxicology, and combined with the changes in Ding Chen's corpse, Zhan Zhao also understood the characteristics of this "Mind-Stabilizing Inducing".

Strictly speaking, it doesn't resemble a poison; it's more like a cardiac stimulant with extremely strong side effects.

If taken in accordance with the prescribed medication guidelines, "Dingxin Yin" can bring many benefits, such as strengthening the body and making one immune to all poisons.

However, if used improperly, the toxicity of any medicine will be amplified a thousandfold, causing the user to shed tears.

They might not even be able to cry and die suddenly.

This is why Dingchen actually died of poisoning, but there was no sign of poisoning on his body until the symptoms appeared after the body had been kept for half a day.

Zhan Zhao asked, "Didn't you tell Ding Chen about these things?"

Jieshu said bitterly, “How can I not say it? He was afraid at first, but later he probably felt that I was just scaring him, so he didn’t care anymore.”

Zhan Zhao said, "Ignorance breeds fearlessness, but trouble is inevitable. Why not choose a different monk, Yunban?"

Jieshu paused for a moment, then sighed again, "At the time, I thought it was not bad. When I was in the sect, others would laugh at me at first, and then feel afraid of me. It's not easy to find someone who neither laughs at me nor is afraid of me. In the end, I can't bear to part with him!"

He then clasped his hands together, his eyes filled with remorse: "I'm so sorry!"

This is indeed only human nature.

Unfortunately, Jie Shu's tolerance ultimately fueled Ding Chen's delusion of stealing the Evening Glory Flower, and he himself suffered the consequences, dying from the influence of Ding Xin Yin.

Therefore, Bai Xiaofeng did not kill anyone.

The truth behind the murder at the Pang residence is still in its final piece: "Besides Dingchen, did Senior Brother give his evening primrose to anyone else?"

Upon hearing this question, Jieshu slowly shook his head: "This humble monk does not lie. I promised that person that this matter cannot be discussed."

Even if the monk with bad karma didn't say anything, Zhan Zhao already knew what would happen next.

Jie Shu recognized Bai Xiaofeng and told him about the harm caused by the evening primrose. Bai Xiaofeng was faster and caught up with Ding Chen to stop him from selling flowers.

But they were too late. The other party had already taken advantage of the Pang family's birthday banquet to change the name of the Evening Glory Flower to the Xiyan Flower, and spread the word about its miraculous effects of rejuvenating and maintaining youth forever.

Later, Bai Xiaofeng, disguised as Yu Le, met with Ding Chen, but still failed to persuade him to give up.

Even Ding Chen, emboldened by his position, followed his agreement with Luo Shijun and took Sun Tao's body back to his room to prepare for the murder scene.

Just then, the "calming agent" took effect, and he died from the poison.

Upon seeing this, Bai Xiaofeng did two things—

First, inserting the evening glory flower into Dingchen's heart not only changed the manner of his death as a warning, but also prevented Jieshu from being implicated if the signs of his death from poisoning were exposed.

Secondly, they took Sun Tao's body with them, even carrying it all the way to Tianxiang Tower, where they planted evening primroses as a warning to Luo Shijun.

After all, Luo Shijun knew very well what the Evening Glory Flower was all about, and he also knew who killed Sun Tao.

He originally planned the murder in the Pang residence, hoping to use Pang Ji's power to suppress the case while secretly spreading rumors that thieves were trying to steal the rare flower, thus further promoting the reputation of the Xiyan Flower—killing two birds with one stone.

Upon discovering the corpse and poisonous flowers that shouldn't have been in front of Tianxiang Tower, they likely dared not continue their scheme. 'Bai Xiaofeng not only heeded Pang Ji's reputation for virtue and helped this "wise minister," saving him from a major trouble.'

'They're still cleaning up the mess for Jieshu, preventing the evening primrose from causing further harm; that's truly thoughtful!'

What exactly is the relationship between the two parties?

Zhan Zhao couldn't help but be curious, and after thinking for a moment, he asked, "How many evening glories did Ding Chen steal from you? Did he also steal any seeds?"

Jie Shu immediately replied, "Ten evening primroses, three bags of seeds, and two boxes of finished ointment."

"so much?"

Zhan Zhao deliberately said, "Now they're all in Luo Shijun's hands, and they should be hidden in Tianxiang Tower. Even after the two Xiyanhua murders, he might not give up..."

Jieshu immediately said, "This humble monk will go to the Tianxiang Pavilion right away and get these back."

"With Senior Brother's poison skills, Luo Shijun should have been unable to withstand it, but unfortunately..."

Zhan Zhao said, "There is a Grandmaster hidden inside Tianxiang Tower!"

"what?"

For the first time, Jie Shu didn't just sigh; his expression changed: "Grandmaster? Which school or sect?"

Zhan Zhao asked, "Have you heard of Xuan Yinzi of Lao Jun Temple, Senior Brother?"

"It's him? The leader of the Seven True Warriors? He was incredibly powerful back then!"

Jieshu's face grew even more pained, and he murmured, "What should I do? What should I do? Should this poor monk go and fight the Grandmaster? Amitabha! Good, good! Is Master Chiyuan here?"

Zhan Zhao sensed panic and cowardice in his heart, which surprised him and amused him.

Even if Xuan Yinzi is a master alchemist and is familiar with toxicology, surely he shouldn't be so afraid?
Zhan Zhao asked directly, "Is it possible that your poison skills pose no threat to a Grandmaster, Senior Brother?"

A bitter smile stretched across Jie Shu's rough face: "If this were a closed space like the Tianxiang Tower, even Xuan Yinzi would have difficulty escaping unscathed with my poisonous techniques!"

"But there are innocent lives inside the building, how can we harm them as well?"

"Moreover, the Grandmaster has built a bridge between heaven and earth, sensing the external nature, and his spiritual perception is like the moon reflected in a pool. I'm afraid that before I even raise my hand to release the poison, Xuan Yinzi will have already killed me! Amitabha! Amitabha!"

The meaning is clear: if Jie Shu is allowed to unleash his poison to his heart's content, Xuan Yinzi will have to retreat, and in a closed environment, he may even face mortal danger.

But putting aside his unwillingness to release that poison technique to avoid harming innocent people, in a closed environment, how could Xuan Yinzi allow him to release the poison?
Seeing that Zhan Zhao's body was trembling, he said, "Senior Brother, would you like to come back to the temple with me to see Senior Brother Jiewen and let him know that I am safe?"

"Good! Good!"

Jie Shu felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and then looked at the corpse: "I don't know what Ding Chen's remains are?"

Zhan Zhao said, "We will send it back to the temple for burial."

"The matter of the evening glories..."

Jieshu hesitated, but ultimately didn't ask. He simply clasped his hands together and sighed, "Let's go!"

The servants of the Pang family prepared a coffin, and the two placed Dingchen's body inside, put it on a carriage, and headed towards the Daxiangguo Temple.

Entering the temple through the back gate, Jiewen, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, hurriedly came out, and the two met.

Seeing Jieshu return, Jiewen visibly breathed a sigh of relief: "Junior Brother Jieshu, you're back! Of the six monks who have committed sins, you are the first to return to the temple. That's wonderful!"

These words carried a hint of praise, but Jie Shu said with a mournful face, "This disciple has failed the temple. The evening glory almost caused a great disaster. I am willing to go into seclusion to repent before the precept against killing and cleanse myself of this karmic obstacle!"

Jie Wen's expression changed: "What's going on?"

Zhan Zhao, standing beside him, succinctly recounted the events surrounding the case of the Evening Glory Flower, temporarily omitting Bai Xiaofeng's role.

Jiewen looked at Dingchen's corpse and couldn't help but sigh, "I never expected it to be like this."

Fortunately, the temple selected six monks with cloud-shaped wooden boards to act as liaisons for the monks with negative karma, which also served as a form of monitoring and guidance.

Unexpectedly, the monk who had committed the sins was unharmed, but the monk with the cloud-shaped board developed greed and almost caused a great disaster.

Ashamed!

As for Jieshu's request.

Jiewen pondered silently: 'A storm is brewing in southern Yunnan. Both the Five Immortals Sect and the Dali Kingdom are in turmoil. Although Junior Brother Jieshu's temperament isn't suited to contacting outsiders, his connection to the Five Immortals Sect means that as long as he travels in southern Yunnan, he can promptly report news and prevent trouble before it arises.'

'Now is not a good time for him to go into seclusion...'

‘That’s all! ’

Jiewen sighed inwardly, but he knew that the condition of the burdened monks was more important than the local situation. If their inner demons arose, it could lead to great disaster. He nodded and said, "That's how it should be!"

But just then, Zhan Zhao's voice rang out again: "Wait!"

The two looked over.

Then the junior brother said, "Brother Jieshu, do you know that Bai Xiaofeng, the number one thief in the world, has sent a message that he wants to take the precept against killing?"

Jie Shu was suddenly stunned.

Zhan Zhao finally revealed Bai Xiaofeng's role: "In the case of the murder involving the evening glories at the Pang Mansion, the person who appeared and inserted the evening glories into the chest of the already dead person was this person."

"Although this action caused panic, it did stop the further spread of the poisonous flower evening glories, and also thwarted Luo Shijun's conspiracy, exposing his crimes."

"In this matter, Bai Xiaofeng has been a great help, but one thing is one thing, what is the relationship between Bai Xiaofeng and Senior Brother Jieshu?"

“If we don’t understand this point, it would be really unsettling to let Brother Jieshu come into contact with the precept against killing.”

Upon hearing this, Jiewen's expression changed.

But the look in his eyes as he looked at Jie Shu wasn't one of wariness or suspicion, but rather one of reassurance. He gently pressed his palm down: "Junior brother, please don't get agitated, please don't slap him..."

late.

Upon hearing this, Jie Shu stiffened his neck, and suddenly with a crack, he fell backward.

(End of this chapter)