Chapter 319: Enemy Traces in the Ancient Temple

No matter how Jia Zhangshi stomped her feet and cursed in the courtyard, Zhao Yingzi remained lying on the kang, not moving a muscle.

The cold wind of the twelfth lunar month drilled into people's collars like knives; Jia Zhangshi was shivering all over from the cold, so she had to wrap her cotton-padded jacket tight and run resentfully toward the Houyuan.

She raised her fist and pounded on the wooden door of Zhao Si's house with a "bang, bang, bang." Not long after, Zhao Si, draped in a cotton-padded jacket, pulled back the door bolt with sleepy eyes: "In-law, it's early in the morning, what's the fuss about?"

Jia Zhangshi stamped her frozen feet and said angrily: "Your daughter is too outrageous! It's already broad daylight and she still hasn't gotten up to cook; what kind of daughter-in-law acts like her!"

Zhao Si rubbed his sleepy eyes and chuckled: "We've both been through it; on their wedding night, the young couple was tired all night, so let's be understanding and let them sleep a while longer."

This remark was like adding fuel to the fire, and Jia Zhangshi immediately raised her voice: "Zhao Si, you are the one who sets a bad example! You didn't teach your daughter right! Once she has entered someone else's house, she must follow that house's rules!"

"What rules does your house have?" Zhao Si asked unhurriedly.

"Cooking, washing clothes, serving parents-in-law—these duties, not one can be missing!"

Zhao Si sighed, his tone still calm: "In-law, you're not even forty yet, you have hands and feet, so you can do the work you're capable of yourself; why must you torment the children? Since you've already moved to the Houyuan, why not just share meals with me?"

"What are you saying? You bastard!" Jia Zhangshi cursed.

The smile on Zhao Si's face gradually faded, and his voice deepened: "In-law, why must a woman make things difficult for another woman? That's enough!"

Seeing him sink his face, Jia Zhangshi knew that saying more would be useless, so she had to flick her sleeves in a huff and turn to leave.

At the same time, He Yuzhu had just put on his coat when a plainclothes officer hurried to his door: "Dan wants you to come over immediately!"

He followed the other person to the Municipal Bureau, where Tian Dan was already waiting in the office; seeing him enter, she handed him a cup of warm water: "Did you get any leads from interrogating those people caught yesterday?"

Tian Dan shook her head slightly: "We went to their stronghold overnight, but the other side was very cunning and had already evacuated in advance."

"Did they leave any traces?"

"No." Tian Dan sighed, "But we confirmed that the leader is called 'Officer Yu.' These people came from different places; some came from Tianjin, and others came from the direction of Baoding." She paused and added, "This Officer Yu has a very peculiar trait—he and his twenty subordinates always wear a skullcap."

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment and said: "Can you take me to the scene to take a look?"

"I was just thinking of going to investigate carefully again." Tian Dan nodded, "Let's go together."

He Yuzhu drove, and the two headed toward the Wukesong area.

The winter countryside was exceptionally desolate, with withered yellow wild grass shivering in the cold wind.

They found an independent courtyard near a small village.

Tian Dan got out of the car and pointed at the courtyard, saying: "They lived here before."

He Yuzhu stepped into the courtyard and quietly activated the system's Scanning Function.

From the front courtyard to the Houyuan, he carefully searched every corner.

In a corner of the front courtyard, he discovered a cellar. Following the steps down, it was empty inside, with only some Chinese cabbage and radishes left.

Just as He Yuzhu was about to walk out of the cellar, he discovered a small amount of incense ash in a corner.

He Yuzhu walked out of the cellar and checked the courtyard again; he found a head covering among a pile of trash.

Soon, he discovered a hidden compartment on the wall of a main room.

He opened the compartment, which contained some Bullet Shells and some incense sticks.

"This person likely hid in a temple," He Yuzhu said with a frown.

Tian Dan's eyes lit up: "You mean, the reason these people always wore hats is because they have no hair!"

He Yuzhu nodded: "Some wore head coverings, others might not like wearing them, so they wore hats. Secret agents have no fixed residence, so why would they burn incense often? This is clearly a habit, a habit formed in a temple."

He Yuzhu continued to check the other rooms and indeed found a scattered Buddhist bead in a corner.

Tian Dan said firmly: "In that case, Officer Yu and these twenty people are monks from a temple. This makes things easier; we can screen the temples around Beijing based on the known physical characteristics."

He Yuzhu pondered for a moment and said: "If they are hiding in a temple, this temple must not be small. I do know of one place that fits these characteristics—Tanzhesi."

Tian Dan stood up immediately: "Let's go, we'll go check now. Those twenty-plus people escaping outside are a hidden danger after all."

"But with all this rushing, it will be night by the time we reach Tanzhesi," He Yuzhu reminded her.

She thought for a moment and said: "The matter is urgent, we must catch them as soon as possible. The fact that they wanted to commit an assassination in broad daylight shows they are anxious. We will return to the bureau now to mobilize people and bring enough manpower to Tanzhesi."

He Yuzhu and Tian Dan took more than twenty police officers and traveled in three cars toward Tanzhesi.

The rugged mountain road made the convoy's progress difficult, and by the time they reached the vicinity of the mountain gate, the sky had already turned dark.

In the twilight, Tian Dan looked at the silhouette of the temple hidden among the vast mountain forests and whispered: "I brought the person who saw Officer Yu. Let's go up and search now."

He Yuzhu observed the grand temple built against the mountain and said: "This temple is too large; it will be difficult for us to fully control it with our numbers, and we might instead alert the enemy. Since they fled back here, they must be like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow, and they have certainly set up hidden sentries. It would be better to let me go in first to scout the path."

Tian Dan stared at the darkening sky and nodded: "Alright, but be extremely careful."

He Yuzhu responded and then used the twilight to sneak toward the mountain.

Once inside the temple, He Yuzhu was struck by the magnificent layout of this thousand-year-old ancient temple.

Although he had seen it in images in his past life, only by being there in person could he truly feel its imposing momentum.

The layered halls were built against the mountain, and the flying eaves and bracket sets appeared even more solemn and sacred under the moonlight.

He dared not delay, and under the cover of the deepening night, it took him nearly an hour to map out the main halls, monks' quarters, and paths.

The number of monks in the temple was also unexpected; a rough estimate was four or five hundred people. Searching for disguised enemy agents among such a large population was no different from looking for a needle in a haystack.

He calmly initiated Scanning, first probing the rows of monks' dormitories, but because there were too many people, it was impossible to check.

Afterward, he stepped into the Daxiong Baodian, where the pilgrims had already dispersed.

Inside the hall, the candlelight was dim, and the statues of the Three Buddhas were solemn, looking down at the empty hall.

Lingering smoke rose from the incense burner, slowly ascending in the dim candlelight.

He Yuzhu held his breath and scanned, when suddenly his figure froze—the system showed that inside the belly of a Buddha statue, several Mauser C96s were hidden.

With a thought, he quickly stored the firearms into his space.

Doubts arose in his heart: Why would enemy agents hide weapons inside a Buddha statue in a hall with such flourishing incense? Unless they were on duty here every day.

He Yuzhu quietly withdrew and passed through the Talin on the west side of the temple.

Dozens of tomb pagodas of high monks from past dynasties stood here, like silent guards in the night, casting mottled shadows.

He lightened his footsteps and quietly walked down the mountain, when suddenly he heard two people whispering to each other.

A hoarse voice said, "The Abbot is already dissatisfied with the Guest Prefect uncle-master; they had a huge argument today, saying that if we continue like this, it will bring a fatal disaster upon the entire temple."

Another, more resonant voice complained, "Hmph! I haven't wanted to keep hiding in this Po Miao for a long time! The Bald Party is already finished; they can't fight back! After the New Year, I'm leaving no matter what!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down!" the hoarse voice hurriedly stopped him, "If the Guest Prefect uncle-master hears this, he will surely shoot you!"

He Yuzhu's eyes sharpened, and catching them off guard, he flashed out from behind the pagoda like a leopard, his strikes swift as lightning, precisely hitting the back of both men's necks.

The two men let out a muffled groan and collapsed limply to the ground, only to be swiftly taken into his space by him.