The Dramatic Crown Princess Wants to Poison Me!

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Master of Fraud or Patriarch of Deceit?

As he spoke, Kong Chan vented his frustration by taking a big bite of the fatty chicken leg, stuffing his mouth full of oil, and savoring it contentedly.

Huangfu Jingchen: ”...”

His expression barely changed, though the corners of his mouth twitched violently.

The majestic and solemn Master Kong Chan from before looked utterly unpresentable at the moment.

Xia Wenjin said, ”No wonder you insist on living in a courtyard alone and don’t allow others to visit, turns out it’s for sneaking meat!”

Chewing on the chicken leg, Kong Chan glanced at Huangfu Jingchen and mockingly mumbled, ”Oh, are the two unfortunate souls here together? I haven’t even charged you for fortune-telling yet, are you here to pay your fee?”

Xia Wenjin kicked forward, saying, ”Speak properly!”

Kong Chan tumbled backward from the kick but fiercely protected his half-eaten chicken leg, presenting an image of ’kick me all you want, but don’t touch my chicken leg’.

Once again, the corners of Huangfu Jingchen’s mouth twitched.

Can you imagine a monk, with white brows and beard, looking over sixty, kindly and dignified, gnawing on a chicken leg like a glutton in front of you, oil smeared all over his face and hands?

Kong Chan, kicked like a ball, rolled back before calmly sitting down again, chomping away at his chicken leg. Only amidst his busy chomping did he say, ”What brings you here?”

Xia Wenjin stepped closer, saying, ”Kong Chan, those women you took, did you sell or abuse them?”

Huangfu Jingchen was startled, immediately stepping forward.

However, he cast a skeptical glance at Xia Wenjin. Was Xia suggesting this old monk was behind the missing girls from River Mouth Village?

Kong Chan widened his eyes, a piece of meat got stuck in his throat, making him cough violently. Bending over in a pathetic state while coughing, he pointed at Xia Wenjin, ”You—you—you... cough cough cough... don’t... cough cough... falsely accuse others!”

Xia Wenjin grabbed his shoulder with a smile, saying, ”I just took a nap and had a dream, where a woman appeared looking miserable and said you were the culprit. You violated her and killed her horribly! She’ll never let you go, not even as a ghost!”

Huangfu Jingchen: ”...”

What a flagrant lie.

Kong Chan jumped up, forgetting about the chicken leg, angrily saying, ”Nonsense, I... this humble monk... cough cough, I did not commit such atrocious acts!”

Huangfu Jingchen scrutinized Kong Chan, thinking, this old man can’t possibly have the energy for such things, even if he wanted to.

Xia Wenjin pulled over a cushion, sat opposite him, and with a smile said, ”So you understand the meaning of ’atrocious’? You obviously found some clues but said nothing. How are you different from those heinous people?”

Kong Chan angrily retorted, ”I haven’t found anything, who said I have?”

Huangfu Jingchen: ”...”

The lofty monk image shattered before him, it felt bizarre.

Xia Wenjin still smiled, looking at him, saying, ”When I previously inquired about the Buddhist Law with you, every time River Mouth Village was mentioned, you changed the topic. Yet, I picked up from your words that you weren’t just talking about the River God’s marriage by chance, you were aware. Knowing and doing nothing is abetting villainy, isn’t it?”

Huangfu Jingchen said, ”Master, if you truly knew, why wouldn’t you speak out? Those women are truly pitiful.”

Kong Chan glanced at Huangfu Jingchen and then glared at Xia Wenjin, snapping, ”How am I aware? I’m also investigating this matter!”

Huangfu Jingchen looked at Xia Wenjin, who also returned his gaze.

In Huangfu Jingchen’s eyes was confirmation, while Xia Wenjin’s eyes reflected agreement and admiration.

Huangfu Jingchen immediately said, ”So, the master thinks there’s a problem with Shian Temple?”

Kong Chan said, ”I... who said that? I didn’t say anything!”

Xia Wenjin smilingly said, ”The intentional or unintentional clues you gave me earlier were clearly about this. But you bald donkey love to speak in riddles and aren’t straightforward. Initially, I didn’t take it seriously, but I realized after I got back.”

Frustrated, Kong Chan wondered if he had indeed revealed something. How did she figure it out so easily?

But he wouldn’t admit it.

He rolled his eyes around and said, ”I don’t understand what you’re talking about! I’m just a guest monk, only discussing Buddhist Law with you before, nothing else. So, tell me, what did I say?”

Xia Wenjin said, ”Previously, when I asked you, what is Buddha? You answered, ’Here is no Buddha, no Law, Dharma is an old fart, the Ten Bhumis Bodhisattva is a manure carrier, the two enlightenments are a precept-breaking layman.’”

Kong Chan said, ”That wasn’t me. Old me thought you were destined with Buddha, so I pointed it out to you. That is from Zen classics, Master Deshan’s original words. I don’t blame you if you didn’t know.”

Xia Wenjin laughed, ”But I just happen to know, Deshan’s full answer was, ’Here, there is no Buddha, no Law. Dharma is an old fart, the Ten Bhumis Bodhisattva is a manure carrier, the two enlightenments are a precept-breaking layman, Bodhi Nirvana is a donkey anchorage, the twelve divisions of teachings is a ghost registry, wound wiping paper, Buddha is Old Hu’s shitty fixation.’”

”So what?”

Xia Wenjin smiled without speaking. Deshan’s words were about seeing the true nature of Emptiness, but Kong Chan’s implied Shian Temple was shady, devoid of Buddha, devoid of Law, and its monks were mere laymen.

This is exactly why she disliked dealing with monks. They couldn’t speak plainly, always speaking in riddles, making one guess, run circles before realizing the truth.

Kong Chan was equally vexed, feeling he was already discreet enough. Initially, he planned to leave here today; by the time Xia Wenjin figured it out, he would be far gone, disconnected from the matter. Unexpectedly, Xia Wenjin caught on so quickly.

Huangfu Jingchen, deep in thought, quickly concluded, ”I understand: Deshan’s ’here’ referred to inside Master Deshan’s heart. Master Kong Chan saying ’here’ changes the meaning subtly, but certainly, there’s depth within that nuance. Master, you do know where those women are, don’t you?”

”How would I know?” Kong Chan feigned ignorance, rolling his eyes!

Xia Wenjin coolly said, ”You’ve already slipped up, isn’t denial pointless?”

Kong Chan suddenly slapped himself hard on the mouth, regrettably saying, ”You talk too much, you talk too much!”

Xia Wenjin laughed, ”What are you doing? At this rate, you’ll mess up your beard.”

Out of anger, Kong Chan ripped off his beard and eyebrows, rendering Huangfu Jingchen utterly speechless. Turning his head, he noticed Xia Wenjin remaining calm, as if this wasn’t her first encounter with such a sight.

Seeing Kong Chan transform from a sixty-year-old into a young man in seconds left Huangfu Jingchen at a loss for words.

He was aware of the existence of some amazing disguise techniques in the world, but this was his first time witnessing such sophisticated Disguise Technique.

Is this person before him truly a hidden sage of the Buddhist Sect, or a master of deception?