Chapter 402: One Word to Convince the Heart

The next morning, after Duan Rong finished breakfast by the street, he strolled toward the Dali Temple to report for duty.

Just as he reached the entrance of the Dali Temple government office, he saw a table set up on one side of the stone steps, with a pockmarked man with his hair tied up sitting there, and there were actually four or five people queuing in front of that table.

Duan Rong did not know what the queue was for, but seeing two burly Guards standing at the office entrance with swords in hand, scanning their surroundings with cold eyes, he prepared to show his Taiyi Order and Sect Cloud Token to go straight in.

But just as he reached the stone steps, he saw a young man in front of the set-up table holding a pitch-black token up to the pockmarked man.

"It's a Taiyi Order!"

Duan Rong suddenly stopped and looked back, eyes narrowed. So these four or five people in line were all Outer Sect Disciples!

This really is the Dali Temple of Shenyun Prefecture!

In the Southeast Four Prefectures, relying on just a single Taiyi Order, he could almost walk sideways; everywhere he went he was an honored guest, and even the Prefecture Master would call him "Imperial Envoy" upon seeing him.

But here at the gate of the Dali Temple, they were nothing more than people queuing to await an audience. Even before a minor government clerk who might not even have an official rank, they all had to be respectful.

The pockmarked man glanced at the Sect Cloud Token the young man handed over, then flipped through the Yellow Skin Booklet in his hand, wrote something on a slip, and said, "Come back in three days at the Shen hour in the afternoon; Lord Huang will have time then."

The young man took the appointment slip and turned to leave.

Duan Rong walked to the end of the line at this moment and waited at the very back.

So this queue was just for an appointment; this Dali Temple really has such a high-and-mighty attitude!

The pockmarked man's speed was quite fast, and soon it was Duan Rong's turn.

Duan Rong handed over his Sect Cloud Token and Taiyi Order.

As soon as the pockmarked man saw Duan Rong's Sect Cloud Token, he immediately looked up at him and asked abruptly, "When did you arrive?"

Duan Rong was stunned by the question and replied, "I arrived at the post station yesterday and came to report for duty first thing this morning."

The pockmarked man gave an "oh," pressed the Yellow Skin Booklet and some documents down with a paperweight, stood up, and said to the three people behind Duan Rong, "You all wait a moment; I'm going inside and will be right back."

Then he turned his head, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Lord Duan, follow me."

Duan Rong followed the pockmarked man into the Dali Temple; the two Guards standing at the gate only glanced at him.

Inside the Dali Temple, it was actually as large as a labyrinth, with halls like a forest, and many people in and out of official robes walking back and forth.

The pockmarked man led Duan Rong through a veranda and into a secluded room in a corner; Duan Rong noticed that the room seemed to have neither a door sign nor a number.

The pockmarked man said, "Lord Duan, please wait here. The Dali Temple is large and has many rules, so I ask that you do not walk around casually!"

After the pockmarked man finished speaking, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him.

Duan Rong examined the room before him; the furnishings were quite simple, the tables and chairs were ordinary items, and there were almost no ornaments.

He walked over to a grand armchair and reached out to touch it; the chair was wiped spotless.

Duan Rong sat down, crossed his legs, and muttered to himself, "Such a large Ya Men, and there isn't even anyone to serve tea."

No sooner had his voice fallen than the door was pushed open.

A middle-aged man with a slightly plump build, dressed in plain clothes, walked in carrying a wooden tray.

Duan Rong did not expect someone to enter the moment he sat down, so he somewhat awkwardly uncrossed his legs.

The man placed a cup of tea and a plate of snacks from the wooden tray onto the side table next to Duan Rong, then bowed and backed out; as he left, he casually pulled the door shut.

When the man entered the room, his eyes only looked at the floor, and when placing the items, his eyes only looked at the side table; throughout the entire process, he did not even glance at Duan Rong once.

When backing out of the door, he kept his waist bent and his head lowered the entire time.

"This Dali Temple certainly has strict rules!"

Duan Rong sighed, then took a sip of the tea cup at his side.

During the two or three years he had been an Outer Sect Disciple, he had always drunk good tea, and even at home, Xiao Yu had never treated him poorly, so his palate had become quite refined.

He took a sip of the tea and shook his head slightly. The tea at this Dali Temple was just too ordinary.

Duan Rong glanced again at the plate of osmanthus cake next to the tea cup; he picked up a piece and immediately let out an "hmm"—this osmanthus cake was made quite authentically.

Duan Rong was eating the osmanthus cake and drinking the tea when, after about half a stick of incense, two people suddenly walked in.

These two people looked to be not very old, about thirty-something, but they were both wearing official robes.

Duan Rong glanced at the patches embroidered on the front of their official robes; one was a peacock, the other a leopard.

The peacock is the patch for a third-rank civil official, and the leopard is the patch for a third-rank military official.

Their ranks were not low at all, and there was one civil and one military official.

The two stepped into the room, stood side by side, and both looked Duan Rong up and down.

The civil official was dark-skinned and robust, while the military official had a pale complexion and looked somewhat sinister.

The military official suddenly walked over to the seat opposite Duan Rong in a boorish manner, lifted his robes to sit down, and asked bluntly, "You are Duan Rong?"

Duan Rong cleared his throat. "Yes."

The dark-skinned, robust civil official smiled and said in a humble tone, "Our Ancestor said he had a secret letter for Lord Duan. I wonder if Lord Duan knows what case this is for at the Dali Temple?"

Duan Rong's heart skipped a beat. This "Ancestor" must be Zhu He; it seems the guy in front of him is also of Zhu He's bloodline.

Duan Rong said, "It is for the matter concerning the Secretariat Chancellor, Lord Zhu Shizhong."

The dark-skinned, robust civil official nodded upon hearing this and said, "Let me introduce myself to Lord Duan. I am Zhu Cheng, a Temple Rectifier of the Dali Temple. This is Zhu Peng, a Secretariat Commissioner of the Privy Council. The case of the Secretariat Chancellor, Lord Zhu Shizhong, is being handled by the two of us."

Both of them are surnamed Zhu! It really is "father and son soldiers going into battle together"!

However, the case of the Secretariat Chancellor could be called the number one major case under heaven.

Even if the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, by convention, does not investigate specific cases, this case should be presided over by a Vice Minister of the Dali Temple; how could it possibly fall to a third-rank Temple Rectifier of the Dali Temple to be responsible for it?

As for that Secretariat Commissioner of the Privy Council, he only has the power to mobilize troops; he is clearly just assisting in the investigation.

Thoughts swirled in Duan Rong's mind.

In fact, having Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng jointly investigate this case was the intention of the Shenyun Prefecture Master, Wang Maochun.

The Dali Temple was clearly very much in favor of this arrangement.

They all knew that the most important thing about this case was to provide an explanation to that person on Changliu Mountain, so no other candidates were as suitable as these two.

Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng had been handling this case for about ten days, and their view was that the Secretariat Chancellor, Zhu Shizhong, had died of a natural disaster.

Because he had already reached this conclusion in his heart.

When they received the secret letter from the Ancestor saying that Duan Rong was being transferred over to participate in the investigation, Zhu Cheng was fine, but Zhu Peng felt quite displeased; in his view, the Ancestor was questioning their abilities.

After all, Zhu Cheng was a Temple Rectifier of the Dali Temple and had been in contact with various cases for years; he knew very well that the Ancestor doing this clearly meant he suspected there was something fishy about the death of Lord Zhu Shizhong, and that the Ancestor must have deeper reasons for such suspicions—there were levels of information that people like them, situated in the secular officialdom, could not access.

Furthermore, Zhu Cheng subsequently pulled Duan Rong's resume from the Dali Temple's files, and to be honest, this resume truly astonished him.

After reading this resume, he knew why the Ancestor had transferred Duan Rong over to participate in the investigation of the case. Although this Duan Rong was not very old, he was indeed a genius at solving cases!

Therefore, ever since he walked through the door, Zhu Cheng's attitude toward Duan Rong had remained quite friendly.

When Zhu Peng heard that Duan Rong came from that remote, southeastern place of Yuanyang Prefecture, and then saw that Duan Rong was quite rude—not even rising to salute them upon meeting—he had an even greater opinion of Duan Rong.

In fact, as an Outer Sect Disciple representing the Sect to patrol the world, Duan Rong did not need to salute local officials, not to mention that he had come after receiving a transfer order from the Sect's Inner History Department.

But Duan Rong did not know that the official atmosphere of this Shenyun Prefecture was different from other places; according to custom, any Outer Sect Disciple who met officials here was required to salute.

Zhu Peng sat there, glancing at the plate of osmanthus cakes on the side table next to Duan Rong; seeing that more than half of the plate was already gone, a look of disdain appeared on his face.

At this moment, Duan Rong actually pinched another piece of osmanthus cake and stuffed it into his mouth, asking while chewing, "It has been more than ten days since this case occurred; I wonder how the two of you are doing with the investigation?"

Because Duan Rong was speaking while eating, his words were somewhat slurred.

Zhu Peng glared at him and said coldly, "A rustic bumpkin!"

Duan Rong, however, did not care at all; he took a sip of tea to wash down the osmanthus cake in his mouth.

In just this short time, Duan Rong had already formed a rough judgment of the two people before him.

Although the two people before him were officials in the capital of Shenyun Prefecture, when it came to their Daoist cultivation, they were likely far inferior to guys like Chen Xun and Shen Yanliu who came from humble backgrounds.

That they could reach the position of third-rank officials was likely mostly due to the hereditary protection of their bloodlines.

Zhu Cheng smiled and replied, "To be frank with Lord Duan, Zhu Peng and I have already conducted a detailed investigation, and we both unanimously believe that Lord Zhu Shizhong indeed died of a natural disaster!"

"Truly a natural disaster?" Duan Rong said, "So he was struck to death by lightning?"

Zhu Cheng nodded somewhat awkwardly. "It was indeed caused by heavenly lightning striking the cool pavilion!"

"A cool pavilion?" Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Are there any case files?"

"Yes!" Zhu Cheng said, pulling a document from the sleeve of his official robe and handing it to Duan Rong.

Duan Rong took it and began reading it directly.

This file was quite detailed, containing both the autopsy report and various diagrams of the scene.

Seeing Duan Rong speaking to Zhu Cheng with a tone vaguely like that of a superior, and now reading the file right in front of them, Zhu Peng felt a sudden surge of anger and sneered, "Putting on airs!"

Duan Rong acted as if he hadn't heard, focusing only on flipping through the file.

Seeing Duan Rong's complete lack of reaction, Zhu Peng felt even more stifled.

Duan Rong closed the file, his eyes flashing with a look of deep contemplation.

After a moment of thought, Duan Rong swept his gaze over the two people before him and asked, "Do you two lords feel there is anything fishy about this case?"

"Anything fishy?" Zhu Cheng and Zhu Peng looked at each other.

Duan Rong said, "There are so many high-ranking officials and nobles on Changle Street; why did this heavenly lightning happen to fall on the head of the Secretariat Chancellor? Isn't that a bit too coincidental?"

Zhu Cheng's eyelids twitched slightly. When he first took over the case, he had the same feeling, but after investigating all the way through, there were truly no traces of human intervention. He could only conclude it was a natural disaster.

But Duan Rong's next sentence made Zhu Cheng's heart tremble violently.

Duan Rong said, "If the timing were even more sensitive, it would be even more coincidental."

After finishing, Duan Rong raised his eyes and fixed them on Zhu Cheng.

In fact, Duan Rong had no idea whether the timing of the Secretariat Chancellor's death was coincidental or not, but he felt that Zhu He must have had a reason for suspecting this matter, and he suspected that the reason was likely that the timing of the Secretariat Chancellor's death was somewhat off.

Zhu Cheng, however, avoided Duan Rong's gaze.

Just then, Zhu Peng's voice drifted over; he looked at Duan Rong with a disdainful expression and said, "You feel there is something fishy? So, you rely on 'feelings' to solve cases?"

Duan Rong smiled faintly and said candidly, "Of course!"

"I solve cases by relying on feelings! And it is a feeling honed over a long time."

Zhu Peng could no longer understand what Duan Rong was saying.

Zhu Cheng, however, was startled upon hearing this, and as if he had gained a slight realization, he murmured, "A feeling honed over a long time?"

Duan Rong looked at Zhu Cheng and continued, "Every time my feeling differs from the facts, I will delve deep into that feeling to understand clearly why it did not match the facts. I must think it through, because that is the moment of progress. As long as I understand why the feeling did not match the facts, my feeling will be corrected in the subtle details, and I will have a more accurate feeling. If honed over a long time, the feeling becomes a blade that never fails!"

After hearing this, Zhu Cheng felt a chill run through his entire body. A true expert shows their skill the moment they act. Having been in the Dali Temple for many years and dealing with various murder cases, although he could not fully understand what Duan Rong said, he could tell it was an extremely profound realization, by no means nonsense.

This passage was something Duan Rong had seen in an interview on television in his previous life, spoken directly to the camera by an old criminal investigator with a weathered face who had solved many major cases.

At this moment, he said it not only to shut Zhu Peng's mouth but also to incidentally awe the two of them.

After finishing, Duan Rong looked at the stunned Zhu Cheng and asked, "Lord Zhu, what do you think?"

Zhu Cheng came back to his senses and said, "Your words, Lord, are profound and subtle, not something an ordinary person can glimpse the true meaning of. I have also read through the documents of the Dali Temple, and some of the remarks of the senior experts within the Dali Temple seem to have a similar effect to your words. It is just that your words, Lord, are clearer and more lucid, pointing more directly to the human heart."

By the end of his speech, Zhu Cheng had become increasingly respectful toward Duan Rong.

Zhu Peng was greatly surprised on the side; he knew Zhu Cheng's character well, and this guy would never go against his conscience to flatter others. That he could praise Duan Rong so sincerely showed that what Duan Rong just said was definitely not nonsense.

"Could this kid really have ability?"

For the first time, Zhu Peng's view of Duan Rong began to waver. He then thought that the Ancestor would never have transferred a rustic kid from the southeastern lands to this Shenyun Prefecture without reason.

Zhu Peng sat up a bit straighter and, with a gaze of some awe, re-examined Duan Rong's unremarkable face.

(End of chapter)