- Secret Investigation and Vague Clues ??
To maintain secrecy, only Feng Chen (Phong Tr?n) ???, Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) ?, and Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) ?? officially took part in the investigation. Han Chang's (Hàn Th??ng) ????? group immediately refused, as their main objective was to protect Noe ??. Other matters were deemed secondary.
Furthermore, an entire group that large appearing together would certainly attract attention, especially White Tiger (B?ch H?) ??—being a Beastman (Thú nhan), and since most humans disliked Beastmen, he was forbidden from entering the city and could only move around outside. The Half-Immortal (Bán tiên) Huo Ming (H?a Minh) ?? (Half Elf) and True Immortal Noe (Elf) were too visually striking, making it inconvenient for them to investigate. Tu Zhong Sha (Th? Trung Sa) ??, being a Northerner (B?c ??ch) from the six-fingered Ancient Race (C? nhan 6 ngón tay), was even less suited to gather information, as the citizens of the Jade Nation (Chau Ng?c Qu?c) viewed Northerners as enemies. Han Chang, being a well-known representative of the Immortal Clans (Tiên t?c), also found it difficult to investigate discreetly.
Feng Chen (Phong Tr?n) was quite suitable; he exuded a certain trustworthiness that others found hard to explain. Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) was tasked with investigating the deep ravine where the Demoness (Ma n?) was pushed down. Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính), in his capacity as City Lord (Thành ch?), could easily gather information from the missing persons reports and cases related to Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam Tr? trì) ??, including visiting the victims' families and the nunnery (am ni c?).
Feng Chen (Phong Tr?n) went everywhere listening for rumors among the populace. His main goal was to seek out any diaries, letters from the girls to the Abbot, or small items such as gifts.
However, all initial investigations yielded no clear clues. Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) did gather additional accounts from other Demonesses, but their testimonies were not sufficient to immediately arrest Ci Xin, as most people could not see the demonesses and Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam) was a highly reputable person. Vague evidence could not lead to a conviction. Nevertheless, their stories would provide more clues, helping the other two broaden their investigation.
Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) was half-convinced and half-skeptical about the whole affair. Although he had spoken with the Demonesses, he couldn't entirely believe them. He had a habit of jotting down what he heard to review later.
If Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam) was truly guilty, with over 20 related cases and including the nuns in the convent, he might have seduced over 50 girls over 40 years. The fact that there was no suspicious information proved that the Abbot was too intelligent, acting without a single flaw. Since these were papers related to a supposed 'suspicion of a crime' (nghi án) and were deemed unimportant, and since Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) still trusted the Abbot, he did not secure them carefully, leaving them right on his desk.
- The Secret Exposed and Dangerous Consequences ??
Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính)'s mother, Lady Zhang (Tr??ng phu nhan) ??, found the papers concerning Abbot Ci Xin's cases while cleaning her son's office. She was utterly shocked and indignant, believing the Abbot was being framed. Therefore, she immediately took these papers to show Abbot Ci Xin.
The Abbot reviewed them, his voice calm and benevolent: "Thank you, Madam. You truly are a devout believer. I am personally grateful, but if I have done nothing, I have nothing to worry about. Buddhist Law is vast; everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Their only small mistake is doubting me slightly. Buddhist Law is forgiving; as long as they turn back, they will find the shore. Please be at ease, Madam, and go home to rest."
Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam) outwardly maintained his calm and virtuous demeanor, but inwardly, he was utterly shaken ?? upon holding all the papers and images—the deeds he had committed over 40 years were clearly documented here. The Abbot was a very intelligent and paranoid man, so he was completely shocked and enraged by this discovery.
In the nights that followed, the Abbot secretly left the temple with his Copper Men (??ng nhan - t??ng ??ng hình ng??i) to go behind the mountain, to the deep ravine where the girls were pushed, to search for anything left behind. Afterward, he climbed down the ravine to check once more, then left his Copper Men there to guard, giving the order:
"Kill anyone who comes down here."
This resulted in Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) going missing ? during one of his investigations, and everyone believed Ci Xin (T? Tam) was responsible because they found signs of a struggle in the ravine.
- Evidence, Belief, and Justice Unveiled ??
Feng Chen (Phong Tr?n) had much more success. He constantly changed his identity—sometimes a herb collector, sometimes a porter, a water carrier, or a firewood gatherer—doing odd jobs and appearing in places where the families of the missing girls lived.
If he had the opportunity, he would enthusiastically help them and often spoke ill of Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam) in one way or another, sometimes even recounting stories from the Demonesses to them. Gradually, they opened up and told stories about their daughters.
Feng Chen (Phong Tr?n) introduced some of the relatives of the dead girls, who confirmed the information told by the Demonesses, to meet Noe ??. Previously, they dared not speak the truth to Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) because they believed he and Ci Xin (T? Tam) were on the same side, just coming to check up on them. So, no matter what Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) asked, they would not speak the truth to avoid implication and suffering.
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They established a connection by coming to the bamboo house for medical treatment, as Noe often provided free treatment to the common people. In return, they would pick some wild medicinal herbs for Noe as a thank-you.
Notably, Feng Chen (Phong Tr?n) also found a young man who had gone mad after being mentally tortured by magic. He was the brother of a girl in the nunnery. Noe treated him and let him meet his sister in secret. The young man continued to feign madness (gi? ?iên) to stay safe, waiting for the right moment to testify.
Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) often hid his face when those people came for medicine. Hearing so much, his self-confidence waned. He wanted to shirk the responsibility and asked his master to resolve the issue, but Noe refused, saying: "I am an Immortal Clan member, after all. If I invite the Heavenly Dao (Thiên ??o) to resolve an issue within the Buddhist Clan (Ph?t gia), it will anger the Buddhists and the vast majority of the populace here, bringing disgrace upon both the Buddhist faith and the Immortal faith (Tiên gia).
This is not an issue of the Buddhist Clan; this is a personal matter of Abbot Ci Xin. When handling this, you must make that distinction clear, or you might unintentionally cause a civil uprising. A war over religion would not be good at all."
Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) said shamefully: "But I made a mistake. I am not worthy to be the City Lord. I... I am terrible." ??
Noe ??: "The Buddhist saying is, 'Turn around, and the shore is there.' (quay ??u là b?). Knowing your mistake and correcting it is a wonderful thing. The ancients built the mechanism of a fair state, with courts and officials, based on the operation of the Heavenly Dao—completely neutral to all factions and religions, only judging guilt and punishing, favoring no one, and having no close relationship with anyone. Even a Prophet (Tiên Tri) would be punished similarly if they committed a crime."
Noe ??: "Therefore, being an official or general is the fastest way to accumulate merit (c?ng ??c), but also the fastest way to lose merit. You should try to make the most of this opportunity."
Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) bowed and said: "Yes, Master."
- Justice Unveiled (C?ng Ly Vén Màn)
Shortly thereafter, Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) appeared before the victims. He bowed and apologized to them, urging them to trust and cooperate with the City Lord to prosecute this wicked abbot. They agreed, placing their trust in him. Subsequently, Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) publicly reopened the old cases, read the information aloud, and invited all relevant people to witness and give their accounts. He even invited highly respected figures within the Buddhist community to listen to the trial, to demonstrate fairness and impartiality. Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam) was temporarily detained within the temple and forbidden from leaving.
As soon as the news broke, Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính)'s mother was enraged and cursed at him, barring him from the house. He did not resist, allowed his mother to strike him, and moved his residence to the courthouse, determined not to return home until this issue was resolved. Additionally, many fanatic believers hurled insults and threw rotten eggs and vegetables ?? at Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) whenever he walked in the street.
Abbot Ci Xin's reputation plummeted uncontrollably.
Those who opposed the Abbot also found their voices. They began "turning over stones to find a serpent" (v?ch lá tìm sau), digging up all information. With their collective intelligence, countless clues were exposed. After a process of filtering, they determined which news was exaggerated, which was false, and which was the truth. The girls in the nunnery were no longer afraid of the Abbot and also spoke out.
The entire Buddhist community saw the true face of this handsome Abbot: he was a lustful, murderous, deceitful man who greedily took offerings from believers for himself. The monks in the temple also spoke out to condemn him.
In a short time, Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam) plummeted from the peak of fame and wealth into a bottomless abyss of misery. Although the accusations were mere words without concrete evidence, completely worthless in the eyes of the law, and could even result in prosecution for slander or defamation, Ci Xin, ruled by his emotions, was no longer lucid enough to judge.
Thus, he fled in the night ??, turning the accusations into conclusive evidence (t?i ch?ng). From then on, people no longer saw a handsome and virtuous Abbot, but a demon monk (ma t?ng) who committed all manner of evil deeds. Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) regained his prestige and returned home. Many people even proactively came to apologize for misunderstanding him. From that point, Duan Zheng (?oàn Chính) became an honest official praised by everyone.
5. Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) 's Redemption
When Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) went down to the deep ravine to look for clues, he was suddenly attacked by the Copper Men, leaving him near death ??. The demonesses in his Soul Summoning Banner (H?n K?) escaped. They pulled Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) out of the area by controlling Demonic Beasts, then brought him and other demoness sisters into a cave filled with Yin Energy (am khí) to hide from Abbot Ci Xin.
They did not know that this place of Yin Energy was extremely toxic to the living, but for Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) alone, who had a special constitution extremely sensitive to Yin Energy, it did not harm him but rather indirectly boosted his power many times over ??. This constitution was known as the Purest Yin Body (Thu?n ?m chi th?), or what Immortals called the Single Dark Spiritual Root (nh?t Linh c?n ám h?). Shortly after, Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) woke up, gathered all the demonesses into the Soul Summoning Banner, absorbed all the Yin Energy there, and returned to Noe.
When Abbot Ci Xin (T? Tam) fled, Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) searching for few months and waited along the road, then released all the demonesses to let them personally deal with the Abbot, the unfaithful man. Afterward, Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) buried Abbot Ci Xin, collecting the remaining Malevolent Energy (Ma khí) from the corpse to prevent it from undergoing Corpse Transformation (Thi Bi?n) and harming those around him.
When everything was done, the demonesses came to thank Wang Chen (Vong Tr?n) and then achieved salvation (siêu thoát) ??. A few demonesses who had not yet departed wanted to stay with him to help with necessary tasks. But he refused. He understood that these demonesses were also human, possessing emotions, and he could not use them as weapons. So, he advised them to leave and performed salvation rites for them, no longer capturing them as weapons as before.