The abbot and great masters of Jinling Temple were in retreat. That night, they only invited a few monks to chant sutras and recite Buddha's name, and the religious services were held until dawn.
That night, the king had trouble sleeping and eating, and his sleep was particularly restless. The next day, he announced to the world that anyone who could neutralize the evil spirit would be granted one wish.
Liu Ruyan wanted to give it a try.
"If this matter can be accomplished, you might as well lend the Xuankun Seal to the king," she said.
"The evil spirits are dangerous and the monks at Jinling Temple are helpless. What confidence do you have?" Shen Yanchu asked.
"The theory of ghosts and gods is not credible yet. Without checking it yourself, how can you know whether this thing is man-made?" She said briefly, "I still remember you once said that the people in the city have different emotions. I suspect that inside and outside the palace, , someone got angry and committed murder."
Shen Yanchu understood.
"It's just my guess at the moment. Possession by evil spirits is too strange. If this matter is not investigated and brought to light, Jinling City will definitely be in chaos." Liu Ruyan frowned.
On this day, Liu Ruyan and others asked to see the king.
The king looked at the group of artists and was curious about what they were capable of.
"You mean, you know the art of witchcraft?" the king asked.
Liu Ruyan reported back: "There is a kind of witchcraft in Dali called 'wearing victory'. By casting a spell on a puppet, you can subdue demons and ghosts."
The king straightened up and looked at her, "You can also deal with evil spirits possessing them?"
Liu Ruyan said: "You might as well give it a try."
As she spoke, she gently lifted her palm up, revealing a small puppet, "Please take a look, Lord."
The puppet was lying on her hand. It moved its legs and feet, suddenly stood up, spun around in a circle, and slowly raised its tiny arms, pointing outside the hall.
The king couldn't help but ask: "What is it?"
Liu Ruyan explained: "I have cast a spell on the puppet. It can not only see where the evil spirits are, but can also suppress them. However, the evil spirits I encountered this time are very cunning and good at hiding. I hope the Lord will give me some mercy." It will take a few days to handle this matter properly."
"Accurate -" the king ordered, "all the officials in the palace will cooperate with the evil spirits, and must not be careless."
After receiving the order from the king, Liu Ruyan first investigated from the Zhang Mansion outside the palace.
It is said that after the banquet that day, something strange happened to Zhang Ting. In a rage, he killed a servant in the mansion, and then went on a killing spree, almost injuring his relatives.
The servants all said that the young master had gone crazy because he didn't recognize his relatives at that time.
Liu Ruyan stood in the backyard of Zhang's residence and asked casually: "How is Mr. Zhang's temperament usually?"
As the servant walked away, he said, "Young master, he is young and has a promising temperament. Otherwise, he would not serve in front of the emperor."
Liu Ruyan pondered: "Then does he suffer from a hidden disease?"
The servant replied carefully: "I have been in the mansion for many years and have never heard that the young master is suffering from a hidden illness."
After asking, Liu Ruyan checked Zhang Ting's daily diet.
She asked Xiang Baizhi: "Is there anything wrong with these meals?"
Bai Zhi shook her head: "Nothing unusual."
"Guys, the young master was in this room when something happened."
Liu Ruyan, Shen Yanchu, Bai Zhi and others looked at a room in front of them, which was blackened by the fire, and there was a lock on the door.
The servant opened the copper lock and said sadly: "After the accident, I regretted it so much that I shouldn't have locked the young master in the room at that time. If you can get rid of the evil spirit, the Zhang family will be grateful!"
Eliminating the evil spirits is actually a pretense to find out the truth. The puppet in her hand is not Yansheng, but Gongshuyu's mechanism technique.
Liu Ruyan doesn't know how to cast spells and doesn't worship ghosts and gods. She only believes that there will be a break in every hundred secrets.
Faced with Zhang Fu's plea, she should do her best.
When I opened the door, I saw burn marks all over my eyes and a strange smell filled the air.
Liu Ruyan walked into the house, raised a window lattice, and let the light pour in. The room suddenly became much brighter.
She asked the servant: "Besides the burns, Mr. Zhang, are there any other wounds on his body?"
"That's not true."
Liu Ruyan walked in and stood next to the table.
The wooden board under her feet was burned to pieces due to a fire, and the foundation underneath could be vaguely seen. A candlestick happened to be stuck in the gap of the wooden board.
She bent down to pick it up and twirled it between her fingertips.
This candlestick originally held a candle, but now only a few drops of dried red wax are left. There seems to be a layer of red stone chips near the red wax, and the original shape is no longer discernible.
Liu Ruyan squatted down and saw many such gravels nearby, with different shapes and sizes.
She picked a piece at random and handed it to the servant: "Do you recognize this thing?"
The servant looked at it again and again, but couldn't remember what it was.
When Shen Yanchu took over the object, he saw that the stone was glowing with wax, and there were subtle lines like growth rings.
"It's a red coral from the bottom of the sea. It's precious and naturally rare," he said.
It's not unusual for young masters from aristocratic families to collect treasures, but the strange thing is, how could such a precious thing fall to the ground?
She looked around and saw that this was a dormitory. The doors and windows were locked at the time of the incident, and there was no one else in the room.
The burnt candlestick is usually placed on the table, made of bronze, and there is water for people to drink next to the table. There is also a basin and other items in the corner of the room. If a fire accidentally breaks out, there is enough water in the room to extinguish the flames.
She looked at the desk indifferently. In addition to the burned books, scrolls, and pen holders, there was also an exquisitely carved dovetail furnace.
Not only that, there was a pair of bracelets placed by Zhang Ting's bedside.
The bracelet is as white as jade, with a glow of color, and looks absolutely extraordinary.
I think Zhang Ting liked to collect these treasures when he was alive.
After returning from Zhang Mansion, Liu Ruyan went to Dali Temple again.
She learned from others that the jailer was possessed by a ghost at that time, and after he was shot to death, the evil spirit possessed the body of the temple again.
Si Zheng survived by chance and is now resting at home. It is said that he was depressed all day long and did not see anyone.
When we returned to the Jiaofang, it was just getting dark.
She packed a few pieces of clothing and went to the bathroom to wash up.
The room was filled with water vapor. Liu Ruyan soaked in the warm water, her cheeks flushed with a light pink blush.
She stared at the rising water vapor and thought to herself: At the time of the incident, Zhang Ting, Yu Cheng, and Si Zheng had not had any contact with suspicious people, and there were no signs of poisoning in their usual diet and daily life.
Why did these three people become crazy?
I remember that the original source was a female body recovered from the lake. There were eunuchs, guards, Dali Temple, Jinling Temple, about 20 people present to witness it.
Why are these three people possessed by ghosts?
Liu Ruyan pondered.
Xu Shi was lost in her thoughts. For a moment, she didn't notice someone approaching outside the house. By the time she noticed, the person had already opened the bathroom door and walked around the screen.
Shen Yanchu bumped into her suddenly, and immediately lowered his head and turned his back.
"I didn't know you were here." The man whispered.
He closed his eyes, and the pink shoulders and white skin seemed to be engraved in his mind, and he couldn't get rid of them.
Liu Ruyan was secretly upset that she forgot to remove the bolt before washing.
"I'll wait outside." He said and walked out of the bathroom.