Fang Yuqi did not mind at all. She stepped forward to take a closer look.
Lu Chen sighed and extended his left hand.
"Circular Light!" Lu Chen silently chanted in his heart and quietly cast the Circular Light. In an instant, a round mirror with a silver-white needle appeared in his left palm, and a black needle appeared in his left pupil.
Instantly, Lu Chen could clearly see all the auras in the room. Fang Yuqi's was pale white, which was the most conspicuous. The deceased's was light green, which enveloped the elegant bed and the aura of other dead things.
Other than that, there was nothing else.
"We're too late." Lu Chen came to a realization. After a day and night, everyone's aura had dissipated. Of course, that included the murderer's. "No, it's not completely dissipated. It's just that I've just mastered the Circular Light, and the aura left behind is too inconspicuous. I can't see it clearly for the time being. I'm not strong enough!"
Lu Chen came to his senses and became even more eager to level up.
"Any leads?"
"No." Lu Chen shook his head and said casually, "It's been too long. It's difficult to find any clues."
Compared to finding the murderer, Lu Chen was more interested in leveling up.
After killing Monk Yuanzhen yesterday, not only did he solve the problem at hand, but he also obtained three departed souls, including two ghosts. He was still short of two departed souls to upgrade the [Eternal Youth Technique].
In addition, the Qi Refinement Technique required three departed souls to level up.
Circular Light needed three.
Sword Control Technique needed one.
Sealing Technique needed one.
Ghost Retribution needed one.
Lu Chen did some calculations and realized that he actually needed eleven departed souls. Even if he did not consider the Sealing Technique and the Ghost Retribution for the time being, there were still nine souls left.
Nine lives.
Killing people like flies!
Lu Chen sighed faintly. Unknowingly, he had become a demon king.
After the two of them left the courtyard, Fang Yuqi mounted her horse and turned around to ask, "I'm going back to the Town Guards Mansion. Where are you going?"
"Me? Oh, I'm going back to the temple."
"It's on the way. Tell me about Monk Yuanzhen."
"Yuanzhen!" Lu Chen was shocked and said gloomily, "She even told you that?"
"What did you expect?"
Lu Chen smiled awkwardly. "Um… um, are you going to arrest me?"
"I'll let it go this time. If you do it again, I'll personally lock you up in death prison."
"Yuqi~"
"Mm?"
"You're the best~"
"Don't talk nonsense. Hurry up and tell me about Yuanzhen."
"Yes, yes."
Lu Chen spoke of his grudge with Yuanzhen absent-mindedly, but two words kept echoing in his mind.
Death prison!
Seeing that Fang Yuqi was thinking about the Ku Chan Temple, Lu Chen asked softly, "Yuqi, are there many prisoners on death row?"
"Not much in the past. I only locked them up after catching a group of robbers some time ago."
"When are they going to be executed?"
"First of next month."
Today was the end of November. There were only two days left until the first day of the first lunar month. Lu Chen rode on his horse and kept calculating. He smiled apologetically and said, "Yuqi, can we make a deal?"
"You want to practice the Ghost Retribution? Don't even think about it!" Fang Yuqi cast a sidelong glance at Lu Chen, as if she had seen through all his thoughts.
"No, definitely not!" Lu Chen tried his best to persuade Fang Yuqi to agree to let him be the executioner at the beginning of next month. Before the two of them parted ways, Fang Yuqi took a nether talisman and gave him the bay horse.
In the afternoon, Fang Yuqi's troops surrounded Ku Chan Temple. After a round of searching, they found many shameful things. Several baldies were locked up in the death prison.
Lu Chen led his horse through the market. He looked around. He turned around and saw a pretty little lady standing by the street. She had a wooden hairpin on her head and was wearing a green cloth dress. There was a bamboo cage in front of her.
Lu Chen's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked over. "Young lady, how much did you sell it for?"
Dozens of chicks were squeezed in the small bamboo cage, chirping non-stop.
"Fifteen copper coins for one chick. One tael of silver per basket." The young lady was shy and timid. Her voice was softer than a mosquito, and it was a different kind of charm.
"Alright, I'll buy it."
Lu Chen did not bargain. He threw out a tael of silver, picked up the bamboo cage, and rode his horse back to Changchun Temple. When he passed by a courtyard, he knocked on the door.
Knock, knock, knock!
After a while, the little girl, Meng Yao, stuck her head out. "Brother Daoist!"
"I bought a nest of chicks at the market. Do you want a few?"
The little girl wiped her dirty face and said in surprise, "I… I can raise it?"
"Sure." Lu Chen reached out and grabbed three of them from the bamboo cage. He placed them in the little girl's arms and instructed, "Just throw in some food and you can feed it. It's very easy to raise."
"Yes, yes~" The little girl hugged the little chick happily and raised her head. She said timidly, "Brother Daoist, can you let Yaoyao be your wife?"
Lu Chen could not help but laugh. However, he could feel the closeness of the little girl to him from the bottom of his heart. He gently knocked the little girl's head and scolded, "How old are you? Don't talk nonsense."
"Oh." The little girl lowered her head in disappointment. Just as Lu Chen was about to leave with his horse, he suddenly heard the little girl mutter, "But… but Grandpa said that he's preparing to marry Yaoyao off…"
"What did you say?" Lu Chen stopped in his tracks and flew into a rage.
"Cough, cough, cough!" At this moment, a cough suddenly came from the courtyard, followed by an old voice. "Ahem, little girl, who's outside?"
"Grandpa, it's Brother Daoist."
"…"
The voice was silent for a moment before it slowly sounded again. "There are many bad people outside. Don't talk to outsiders."
"Brother Daoist is not a bad person!"
"Close the door!"
The little girl had just retorted when the voice suddenly became stern.
"But…"
The little girl was in a dilemma. Lu Chen tied the horse to the door and rubbed the little girl's head. He pushed the door open and walked into the courtyard. He saw a figure standing under the roof of the main room.
The man was in the shadows. His body was thin, and his long hair was messy and withered. His back was bent, and he was wearing a cloth robe. He held a withered wooden staff in his hand, and his face was wrinkled like a dead person.
Fear flashed across the old man's face when he saw Lu Chen looking at him.
Lu Chen frowned and asked, "What's your name?"
"Meng… Meng Jiu."
Lu Chen asked again, "How old is your granddaughter?"
Meng Jiu avoided his gaze and stammered, "She's… She's eleven or twelve years old."
"Old people are really forgetful." Lu Chen sneered and pulled the little girl in front of him. "Yaoyao, tell your grandfather how old you are."
The little girl put down the three chicks and said timidly, "By the end of the year, Yaoyao will be nine."
Lu Chen's expression turned even colder as he questioned, "She's just a nine-year-old child. Old man, are you in such a hurry to sell your granddaughter? Ha, aren't you afraid that no one will collect your corpse if you die?"
"You… you…"
Lu Chen's voice was very loud. Meng Jiu was intimidated by his aura and could not help but take a step back.
"You're spouting nonsense. This old man… this old man did not."
"No? Haha! Then let me ask you, what kind of good family did you marry Yaoyao to?"
"…"
Meng Jiu was speechless. He leaned against the wooden door and panted heavily.
The little girl tugged at the corner of Lu Chen's shirt and said weakly, "Grandpa said that he'll betroth Yaoyao to a butcher on the neighboring street. I'll be able to lead a good life in the future and have meat to eat every day…"