West of the city, there was a group of people gathered in front of the temple ruins. The person who first discovered the body, after witnessing the horrific scene, his face had turned pale. He was telling the other people about the gruesome murder and what he had seen. After listening to him, everyone had the expression of fear on their faces. With curiosity and fear, they constantly threw glances at the temple. At this time, there were two guards stationed in front of the temple to prevent anyone from entering.
When Dong Fang Jie arrived at the temple ruins, she saw a wall of people blocking her path and she shouted politely into the crowd with a smile.
"Fellow villagers, please give way."
Everyone heard and one by one they opened up a path for her. All eyes rested curiously on her, whispered and tried to guess her identity.
"What is happening inside?"
Dong Fang Jie took out her medal for verification and asked the two guards.
"Chief Guard Zheng is inside with the Coroner. DRen, please go in."
The two guards did not dare to block her and bowed to show their deep respect for her.
Dong Fang Jie stepped over the threshold and strode in with big steps. When she looked at the scene, she frowned with a serious expression. The female dead body in the temple ruins was exactly what she had overheard in the restaurant. Obviously, after being raped, the woman's skin was completely sliced off from her face. Seeing the dead woman's horrible face, she could not endure and quickly looked away. After working as an officer for such a long time, this was the first time she had seen such a gruesome corpse.
"Dong Fang Brother, you are here."
"Zheng Brother, what have you found out?"
Dong Fang Jie tried to stay calm, suppressed the discomfort she felt and focused her eyes on the face of Chief Guard Zheng.
"As you can see, the deceased's face was skinned after she was raped. The murderer is very cruel. Who is so inhumane to actually do this?!"
When Chief Guard Zheng said those last words, his voice was full of agitation and indignation. He really wanted to plunge a knife into the murderer to take revenge for the dead woman this very instant.
Suddenly there was a commotion outside the temple ruins which attracted the attention of both of them.
"Who are you? The public is not allowed to enter!"
The two guards denied the two people entry and held up their swords to prevent them from taking a step further.
"Such boldness! This is no place for you to speak. Retreat!"
Liu Yong stood in front of his Master and shouted loudly at the two guards.
Dong Fang Jie heard Liu Yong's voice and turned her head around. She did not expect to see Long Hao Tian, she felt surprised and quickly stepped forward.
"Master Long, why are you here?"
Long Hao Tian folded his arms across his chest, unconsciously wrinkled his eyebrows with contempt on his handsome face for the guards who had looked down on him.
"Dong Fang Jie, it's good that you are here. Tell them, am I considered a casual person?"
"Of course, you are not considered a casual person but why is Master Long here?"
Her eyebrows wrinkled and was puzzled why she was also able to meet him here. This Long Hao Tian is really like a deceased's soul that is yet to disperse*.
(A deceased's soul that is yet to disperse means even though something had passed but its influence still lingers)
"Dong Fang Brother, who are these two people?"
Following behind, Chief Guard Zheng looked at Long Hao Tian. He could see Long Hao Tian was an extraordinary person exuding an aura of nobility. He also noticed Dong Fang Jie's respectful voice tone which made him curious about the person's identity.
Then Dong Fang Jie pulled Chief Guard Zheng aside and whispered into his ear.
Upon seeing this, Long Hao Tian's handsome face sank slightly and an inexplicable unhappy feeling rose from his heart. The action of the two people was a bit too close for comfort.
Then he noticed the expression on Chief Guard Zheng who was pulled aside, had changed drastically. With quick steps, Chief Guard Zheng walked up to him, cupped both his hands into a fist and bowed respectfully. Then he said fearfully.
"Wang.......Master Long, please forgive this small one's mistake for not recognizing you. Please forgive me."
"It's alright." Long Hao Tian said. He shook his sleeves and did not look at Chief Guard Zheng, instead his black eyes rested on Dong Fang Jie and in his deep voice, he murmured. "What actually happened here?"
Dong Fang Jie glanced at his solemn face and thought in her heart, this man is really temperamental. However, she still told him briefly about the case.
"What have you decided to do next?"
Long Hao Tian asked the person in front of him and noticed the shadows under his eyes. Didn't he have a good rest last night?
"I will discuss this matter with Chief Guard Zheng again and hope to solve this case in the shortest time possible. Please be rest assured, Master Long."
Dong Fang Jie promised. If this case is not solved as soon as possible, it will definitely cause uneasiness among the people.
"Did you find out the identity of the deceased?"
Long Hao Tian threw a glance at the corpse and asked in a heavy tone.
"Not yet......"
Suddenly a commotion in the crowd was heard outside the temple and then an old couple was seen pushing through the crowds, moving quickly forward.
"Such boldness! This is not the place for you to enjoy yourself. Quickly leave!"
The two guards shouted out loudly, strode forward in big steps and blocked the old couple from entering.
"No! Please these two DRen, we are not here to enjoy........."
As the two elderly were pushed out, they anxiously pleaded for mercy and were so panic-stricken that they did not know what to do.
"Just a moment."
Dong Fang Jie called out to stop the guards and came to stand in front of the two elderly people. When the two guards saw her, they retreated and Dong Fang Jie asked the old couple good-naturedly.
"These two elders, why did you come here? Or is it that you know the deceased?"
When the old man saw Dong Fang Jie was so good-natured, he quickly grabbed her sleeve and said.
"DRen, we came just to have a look. The day before yesterday, our granddaughter said she wanted to burn incense for her dead parents but until now she has not returned home."
"These two elders, please come with me."
As soon as she heard the old man speak, she quickly led the old couple into the temple. When the two elderly saw the dead body, they burst into tears.
"Heavens! It is really Yun Er! Her clothes are the clothes I had personally sewn for my Yun Er! Yun Er, my good granddaughter........."
The old woman was so grief-stricken that she cried out loud. When she saw her granddaughter's horrifying face, she cried until she collapsed into the old man's arms, unable to bear such a big blow.
Some people in the crown recognized the old couple and whispers could be heard in the crowd.
"So, she was the granddaughter of Sun Lao. It's such a pity. I heard Sun Yun Er is a beauty and did not expect she would die tragically at such a young age. What will become of these two elderly in future?........"
"Elder, are you sure this woman is your granddaughter?" Dong Fang Jie asked.
The old man's eyes were red, comforting his wife in his arms and did not turn his head for he could not bear to look at the corpse of his granddaughter again. Choking with emotions, he said.
"That's correct. The set of clothes Yun Er is wearing was sewn by my wife. If you don't believe me, you can take a look at the red dragonfly birthmark on her right palm."
Dong Fang Jie bent down and held up the right hand of the deceased. Turning over the hand, there was indeed the mark of a red dragonfly. It seems the deceased was really Sun Yun Er.
"I would like to express my condolences to these two elders, please restrain your grief. We will find the murderer as soon as possible and bring him to justice to account for this murder." Dong Fang Jie promised with a stern look.
"Master Long, Dong Fang Brother, we have to return to Yamen. We will take our leave."
Chief Guard Zheng ordered his men to cover the dead body with a piece of white cloth and then use a stretcher to carry the corpse back to Yamen. The two elderly wept piteously as they followed behind them. After the crowd had dispersed, only Dong Fang Jie, Long Hao Tian and his servant stayed behind.
"How are you going to handle this case?"
Long Hao Tian's handsome face showed a serious expression. He felt this case was not as simple as it looked. Perhaps it was only just the beginning.
"In the meantime, I still don't have a plan. I will stay here to continue investigations. Master Long, why are you coincidentally here?"
"It's not a coincidence. I have to attend to some urgent matters, so had to leave early and passed by here."
"In that case, please forgive me for not sending you off."
Dong Fang Jie was trying to get rid of him in a roundabout way. It is better for this annoying man to leave as soon as possible.
"Why? In a hurry to get rid of me? Don't forget the agreement between us. Jun Zhu will now be placed under your care."
Long Hao Tian's black eyes looked smilingly at him. The more anxious Dong Fang Jie wants to get rid of him, the more he does not want to grant him his wish because Dong Fang Jie had aroused his interest.
"I'm afraid I have to carry out investigations on this murder case and really can't accompany Jun Zhu. Why don't you........"
"I believe you will protect Jun Zhu well. All these will have to trouble you. Ben-Wang will come to look for you again."
Long Hao Tian interrupted him and did not give him a chance to decline. His black eyes looked at Dong Fang Jie deeply and pensively before he turned around and left with Liu Yong following behind him.
Dong Fang Jie stared at his retreating back, could only shake her head and smiled wryly.
Outside the main door of Long Feng Restaurant, a beautiful lady in a yellow dress had stood for a long time. She had her arms folded across her chest, watching the people walking around on the streets with an unhappy look.
"Young Miss, I wonder when Dong Fang Jie will be coming back. How long are we going to wait for him?"
Xiao Lan asked her Mistress who was standing beside her. Early in the morning, Jun Zhu had hurriedly came over and did not expect it was a wasted effort. They had already stood as Door Gods* at the door for nearly a sichen* (two hours). It seems Dong Fang Jie would not be coming back.
(The Chinese believe Door Gods guard the doors and gates to protect against 'evil spirits' and to encourage the entrance of 'good spirits'.)
"I don't know either."
Long Qian Qi felt so angry that she stomped her feet on the spot. Dong Fang Jie did not seem like one who breaks his promise but if he did not return, she really did not know where to look for him.
"Young Miss, he's back! Dong Fang Jie has returned!'
Xiao Lan excitedly pointed at the figure in front who was walking towards them.
"Dong Fang Jie, where did you go? You're finally back!"
Long Qian Qi went forward to question him angrily. All this while, she had never waited for anyone and only others would wait for her. She did not expect she had to wait for a sichen for him and if she was not interested in him, she would have left long ago.
"Jun Zhu, I'm afraid I am unable to accompany you. A murder case had happened and the murderer is still at large. For the safety of Jun Zhu, it is safer for Jun Zhu to return to Jing Wan's Mansion as soon as possible."
Dong Fang Jie briefly told her about the case, hoped this spoilt Jun Zhu will be scared and return home as early as possible.
After Long Qian Qi listened to the case, she was filled with indignation. Not only was she not scared but she was even more determined to stay.
"This is abhorrent! How can there be such cruel people in this world? I don't care! I will not go back! I must see with my own eyes, what that heartless person looks like, one who is able to attack a girl so viciously."
Dong Fang Jie did not expect her reaction would be like this and could only sigh in her heart. It seems she had no choice but to keep Jun Zhu firmly by her side.
"Well, if Jun Zhu has already decided to follow me and run around then Jun Zhu must not complain."
Long Qian Qi smiled like a flower in bloom. She took the initiative and happily hooked her hands on his arm and said.
"I understand. I promise to be obedient, listen to you and will not cause you any trouble."
Last night, her Elder Brother had come to look for her and Long Qian Qi had thought her Elder Brother came to take her home. Unexpectedly, her Elder Brother had actually agreed to let her stay on the condition that she remains under the protection of Dong Fang Jie. Since her Elder Brother had agreed, she certainly would play with confidence until she was satisfied.
"Jun Zhu, you must not forget what you have promised."
Dong Fang Jie forced a smile. After her difficult brother had left and now there is this troublesome sister. This pair of brother and sister is really entangled with her.
"Once said, a team of horses is unable to pursue*. First, you must accompany me to have breakfast, then after that, I will listen to everything you say."
(Once said, a team of horses is unable to pursue means once a promise is made, it will be kept)
Long Qian Qi did not allow him to refuse, dragged him into Long Feng Restaurant and Dong Fang Jie could only helplessly let her be.