Yang Che stopped Cultivating and quietly looked at the old monk without speaking.
The old monk walked up to Yang Che and gently said, "Benefactor Yang, would you mind telling this old monk why you came to my Taiyan Temple?"
Yang Che pointed to his glabella but still said nothing.
The kind-faced old monk stared intently at Yang Che's glabella for a long time before a hint of realization appeared on his face.
"You came to find Ming Pu to help you remove this black mark on your glabella?"
Yang Che nodded.
The old monk couldn't help but shake his head slightly and said, "Ming Pu probably doesn't have that ability yet."
Yang Che then spoke, "What Senior said is true. Great Master Ming Pu also said that although he could see this black mark on my glabella, he couldn't help me remove it. However, he did say that there was a Senior in your temple who could help me remove this black mark. That is why I made an appointment with Great Master Ming Pu to visit your temple within a year."
"So that's how it is," the old monk nodded.
He then continued, "Benefactor Yang, most people truly cannot even see this black mark on your glabella, let alone remove it. From what this old monk observes, you must have been afflicted by some malicious curse. Removing such a curse is not easy."
"Does Senior have a method?"
Yang Che's expression was calm, but deep down, he held immense hope.
The old monk suddenly smiled.
A moment later, he said with great certainty, "Yes."
Upon hearing this, a hint of joy finally appeared on Yang Che's face, and he immediately bowed respectfully, saying, "Please Senior, help me."
However, the old monk's expression turned serious, and he gravely said, "Benefactor Yang, removing this curse requires a great price. Although our temple extensively Cultivates Buddhist Law and saves all sentient beings, that also depends on the circumstances. It's impossible for us to pay such a great price for someone with whom we have no prior connection."
"What Senior said is reasonable. Naturally, I cannot ask your temple for help for free. Then, according to Senior, what must be done for your temple to offer assistance?"
Yang Che understood very well that every word the old monk said was logical.
It was impossible for them to help an unknown Sect Disciple for no reason.
The old monk said, "There are two methods. First, if Benefactor Yang is willing to leave his original Sect and join my Taiyan Temple, and devote himself to Cultivating Buddhism, our temple will naturally rescue our own Disciple."
"And the second method?" Yang Che's eyelids twitched slightly.
"This second method is not difficult either. I heard that Benefactor Yang is acquainted with that Mortal woman, Wu Qingxuan. As long as Benefactor Yang can get Wu Qingxuan to speak the truth and let us know the real cause of Ming Pu's death, then our temple will naturally help you remove this cursed black mark."
Yang Che was stunned.
After all that circling, it turned out they were waiting for him here.
After deep contemplation, Yang Che said, "Senior, I am very confused. How are you so sure that it was Wu Qingxuan who killed Great Master Ming Pu?"
The old monk said, "It was the Truth Spell left by Ming Pu when he died. However, this Truth Spell contained no other information besides stating that Wu Qingxuan killed him."
Yang Che then asked, "What was Wu Qingxuan's statement?"
"Wu Qingxuan hasn't uttered a single word since Ming Pu's death. Even when we considered she was just a Mortal and used a little physical punishment, she still refused to reveal anything."
"That's strange. She's just a Mortal, and your temple, as one of the Five Great Immortal Cultivation Sects of Jiang Country, can't even make a Mortal woman speak? No one would believe that, would they?"
"Benefactor Yang, she is not an ordinary Mortal woman. Although she has no Immortal Root, she possesses an Extreme Yin Body. To some extent, she is protected by the Laws of Heaven and Earth. And as a righteous Immortal Cultivation Sect, our Taiyan Temple would never easily use Soul Searching on a Mortal."
Yang Che fell silent.
After a long while, he said, "Alright, I'll try."
...
Taiyan Peak is an incredibly massive peak, which, after being modified, has hundreds of acres of high and low flat ground.
The core halls of Taiyan Temple are built upon these flat grounds.
Adjacent to Taiyan Peak, on the shady side, there is a small peak called 'Chaoyin Peak'.
Yang Che was brought from Taiyan Peak to Chaoyin Peak.
This is where Taiyan Temple imprisons the most heinous criminals.
In a dark, sunless cell, Yang Che finally saw Wu Qingxuan again.
Yang Che had thought that after Wu Qingxuan entered Taiyan Temple with Great Master Ming Pu, she would have already let go of her 'Immortal Path obsession'.
But he never expected that she would become the murderer of Great Master Ming Pu?
This sounded incredibly absurd, which is why Yang Che still didn't believe it.
At this moment, Wu Qingxuan was sitting cross-legged inside a square, occasionally glowing cage.
Mysterious characters appeared on this glowing cage, and the occasional flashes of light were emitted by these characters themselves.
Yang Che found that his Divine Sense could not penetrate it, so he couldn't clearly see Wu Qingxuan's face at the moment.
"Yang Che?"
When Wu Qingxuan saw Yang Che standing outside the light cage, she was very surprised.
But then, deep worry quickly surged into her eyes, and she anxiously said, "Yang Che, quickly leave this place. This Taiyan Temple is very strange, you must not believe anyone here."
A hint of surprise and doubt flashed in Yang Che's eyes.
He had originally thought that Wu Qingxuan might have been controlled again, thus losing her autonomy.
But Wu Qingxuan's reaction at this moment was completely that of a very clear-headed, normal person.
"Miss Wu, is it true that Great Master Ming Pu's death is related to you?" Yang Che asked.
Wu Qingxuan's expression changed slightly, but after a brief silence, she still solemnly said, "Great Master Ming Pu's death is indeed related to me, but I didn't kill him. How could I, a mere Mortal, kill a Great Master with profound Cultivation?"
"But they said that Great Master Ming Pu used a Truth Spell when he died, and the Truth Spell pointed to you as the one who killed him."
Yang Che tried to capture Wu Qingxuan's expression, but his Divine Sense couldn't penetrate, so he still couldn't see her face clearly.
"Yang Che, others can disbelieve me, but do you also not believe me? You know better than anyone what kind of person I am. Great Master Ming Pu was a beginner Buddhist cultivator comparable to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage. How could I, a mere Jianghu Mortal, kill him?"
As Wu Qingxuan spoke, two streams of clear tears flowed down her face.
After a moment of silence, Yang Che said, "Miss Wu, I certainly believe you are not the murderer. Can you tell me what exactly happened when Great Master Ming Pu died?"
Wu Qingxuan paused, then faintly said, "I truly don't know what happened at that time. Ever since I followed Great Master Ming Pu to this Taiyan Temple, I would go to 'Ming Pu Hall' every morning at Mao Shi (5-7 AM) to listen to his scriptures. On the day he died, I went to Ming Pu Hall as usual, but somehow, I fell asleep halfway through listening to the scriptures. When I woke up again, I found that Great Master Ming Pu was already dead."
Yang Che carefully pondered every word Wu Qingxuan said. After a while, he suddenly asked, "On that day, were you and Great Master Ming Pu the only two people in Ming Pu Hall? Were there no others?"
"Yes. There was also Miss Miaocui, whom Great Master Ming Pu brought back."
Hearing this, Yang Che also remembered that at the gate of Wu Gate, Great Master Ming Pu indeed brought a young woman who looked dispirited.
"Then where is this Miaocui?" Yang Che asked.
Wu Qingxuan said, "I don't know. When I woke up, she was gone."
Yang Che immediately said, "Then, it seems this Miaocui is also a suspect."
"Indeed, but the people of Taiyan Temple say that the 'Truth Spell' can never be wrong. So they insist that I am the one who killed Great Master Ming Pu."
Wu Qingxuan sighed softly.
Yang Che suddenly realized that this person named 'Miaocui' was key.
So, with some comfort, he said to Wu Qingxuan, "Miss Wu, please don't worry. I will ask the people of Taiyan Temple to find this Miss Miaocui, and perhaps the truth will come to light."
Yang Che left the dark, sunless cell and immediately noticed that the kind-faced old monk was specifically waiting for him.