Wait a minute, where is my master?

Before Xuanxu Temple.

Two government officials, of unknown origin, were present.

One appeared to be over forty, and the other much younger.

The older head constable was knocking on the door and calling out, while the younger one stood tense, eying the pair of guardian wolves beside the door.

"Uncle, is this temple legitimate? Why are there wolves at the door?"

The young constable said to the elder head constable.

Upon hearing this, the elder head constable stopped knocking, walked over to the youngster, and knocked heavily on his head.

"I've told you, when we're outside, call me Head Constable Li. Don't you know to keep work and personal matters separate?"

After saying that and making a motion to knock again, he spoke, "How could there be anything wrong with a temple recommended by Lord Xu himself? And besides, the townswomen who have come here to offer incense all say it's efficacious, right? My aunt even said that after offering incense at this temple, the stray dogs in town stopped stealing her home's bacon."

The young constable dodged the second knock, pleading, "Yes, yes, Head Constable Li."

Then he added in a low voice, "I'm going to tell my mother when we get back."

As the two were conversing, the temple door creaked open.

Jin Xu peeked his head out from within the temple and said, "The temple is closed for rest at noon, come back to offer incense later."

Slam, the door closed.

?

"Taoist, we have an urgent matter to discuss with you!" Head Constable Li hurried forward and started knocking on the door again.

The door opened once more, and the young Taoist came out.

"What is it?" Jin Xu asked calmly.

Head Constable Li looked at the young Taoist in front of him, his manner otherworldly as if a celestial being had descended to earth, and thought to himself, So young, so handsome, no wonder those women from town come to offer incense every day.

"Taoist Jin, I'm the head constable from Qian Deng Town. There's a case in town that we would like your help with."

Head Constable Li politely requested, then added.

"I heard about you from Lord Xu when I was working on the case at Yuhua Temple, so I decided to come and disturb you."

Hearing that the other party knew Xu Qian, Jin Xu nodded slightly.

Considering that he had just learned a new Spiritual Recognition Skill and that the person was referred by an acquaintance, not to mention he had nothing particular to do, the Taoist said.

"Is there renumeration?"

"Uh, yes, there is."

Head Constable Li hastened to assure him.

"Let's go then."

Jin Xu liked the idea of being able to help others and receive renumeration for it.

He instructed the two guardian wolves at the door to keep a good watch on the temple, then he stepped towards the mountain's base.

Head Constable Li, taken aback by the ease with which things were proceeding, stood there stunned. It was the young constable who came over and nudged him before he snapped out of it and hurried after Jin Xu, who was already making his way down the mountain.

On the way, he briefed the Taoist on the details of the case.

...

In Qian Deng Town, there's an ancient legend that long ago, there was a poor child with no parents raised by his elder brother.

Later, when the brother married, his wife despised having the child around, wasting food, so she found an excuse to separate the household and kicked him out.

The boy was left with nothing but broken possessions, the most valuable of which was an old, battered oil lamp.

Later, as the impoverished child lay in the drafty house he had been apportioned, clutching that oil lamp and deliriously hungry, the oil lamp suddenly began to show its spirit.

A voice emanated from the lamp, saying it could fulfill his wishes. When the child wished for good food, the lamp produced a pile of delicious fare, and when he wished for clothes, the Divine Lamp provided him with plenty to wear.

From that point on, the child's life gradually improved. Because he carried the oil lamp everywhere, the townspeople nicknamed him Lamp Man.

As time passed and the child grew up, he wished for a wife, so he spoke to the oil lamp...

"Wait a minute."

Jin Xu interrupted Head Constable Li's narration.

"Was it the oil lamp that led him to the riverbank to steal clothes and then helped him marry a fairy from heaven, who bore him two children, only to be taken away later? In the end, the oil lamp sacrificed itself to allow the man to see her once a year?"

The young Taoist spoke very quickly.

Leader Li exclaimed in surprise, "Eh! Jin Xu, you've also heard of the legend from our Qian Deng Town?"

"No."

Jin Xu answered expressionlessly, and then added silently in his mind.

But I've heard the story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl; your legend is just swapping the ox for a lamp, isn't it!

"Taoist, you really are a divine being. The latter half of the legend is exactly as you described. Later, in order for the couple to see each other once a year, every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, the oil lamp summons thousands of lights to form a bridge of lamps in the sky for the two to meet," Leader Li said while buttering up, finishing the tale.

"Right, that's why our town is called Qian Deng Town, and the oil lamp has become a symbol of enduring love and loyalty here," the constable chimed in.

"Emmmm... let's just get straight to the case details," Jin Xu said as he walked.

"Ahem, the case is that several people have died in the town recently, and witnesses claim that at the crime scene, an oil lamp appeared. And at some sites, 'accusations' against the deceased were written in blood."

"Accusations?"

The young Taoist was puzzled and unsure whether this oil lamp was some kind of agent of justice.

"Ahem ahem, you'll understand once you see the scene," Leader Li said with a strange expression, as if unsure how to begin.

...

Silence prevailed on the way there.

The three men entered Qian Deng Town and arrived at a large mansion.

It seemed to be the home of a wealthy family by the looks of it.

Inside the hall, a woman in a green dress greeted them, holding two children with swollen red eyes, seemingly from crying.

"This is the widow of the deceased. And this is Jin Xu from the Xuanxu Temple on Little Platform Mountain, a hermit of great attainment," Leader Li timely said, introducing them to each other.

Then, Leader Li led Jin Xu to the backyard, while the woman in the green dress did not follow.

"This is the latest crime scene, and that 'accusation' is written on the floor," Leader Li said.

After hearing this, the young Taoist moved forward to inspect.

There were three bodies lying on the floor, each covered with a white cloth, and next to them on the bare ground were words written in blood, which had turned dry and black over time.

After scrutinizing for a while, Jin Xu's brows furrowed into a frown.

This 'accusation' is so disorderly!

The general content on the floor.

A married woman had an affair with a married man and accidentally got pregnant and bore a son.

The woman's husband was unaware of this, and he had two daughters but no sons; when the concubine gave birth to a boy, he was overjoyed, and he doted on the child.

When the child's biological father learned of the child's existence, he wanted to take the boy away secretly, but the woman's husband discovered it.

Realizing that the son he thought would carry on his lineage was another man's seed, he confronted the concubine, demanding to know whose child it really was. The concubine confessed, saying it wasn't his. She had done it to spite the man because he always went out philandering; she didn't expect to get pregnant on the first attempt, let alone with a boy.

Seeing Jin Xu frowning and looking up, Leader Li guessed that he had finished reading the content on the ground.

Leader Li explained, "These three were arguing and fighting here. The noise startled a passerby outside the backyard wall, and someone kindly went around to the front door to check. But by the time they knocked at the door and made it to the backyard, the three were already dead. A witness said that at that time, they saw an oil lamp on the ground."

He finished, pointing at a spot on the floor.

"Right here."

The young Taoist's gaze followed, noticing a small, dark circle on the floor, as if something had been placed there and then moved away.

"We would like the Taoist's help in capturing this oil lamp elf," the constable requested.

Jin Xu stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, and said.

"Why do I feel like these three got what they deserved?"