National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 502 - 502 461 The Small Temple

502: Chapter 461: The Small Temple 502: Chapter 461: The Small Temple The wilderness of Qu’an County is less than 10 kilometers away from the county seat.

By the time the car got here, the road had already narrowed, and it took longer to travel the next two kilometers on this small road than it would to drive 100 kilometers on the highway.

“The body was found 20 meters back from here,” the police who found the scene on that day pointed to a clump of grass and specified the location, then pointed forward and said, “This path leads to a temple on the mountain.

From time to time, there are people who come to do voluntary work for free, known as lay Buddhists.

At first, we followed this lead to look for people, but we have yet to identify the body.”

“When it was discovered, the body must have been highly decomposed.

Was there a smell?”

“When we arrived, it was barely perceptible.

Those who haven’t smelled a corpse might not even know what it is, almost similar to the stench of a dead rat on the side of the road,” the police understood what Jiang Yuan was getting at and continued, “From the roadside, you have to walk inside, you can’t just go straight through from here, you have to take the path in front over there, and walk a good fifty or a hundred meters…”

Pointing at the path, Liu Jinghui decisively said, “Let’s go and take a look.”

Since they had come to inspect the scene, the police didn’t fuss and led several people forward for a few dozen meters, passing between two trees and then stepping on the pathway overgrown with thatch grass and walking further inside.

As they walked, the police explained, “This road leads to an orchard deeper inside.

The orchard is now abandoned, and kids no longer go there to steal fruit, so the road is barely used.”

Liu Jinghui immediately asked, “So, only locals would know this road?”

“The volunteers at the temple also know it.

They used to like to pick some fruit to eat, but this year the fruit season hasn’t come yet, so no one’s been walking here.”

“So, the first people you suspected were those from the temple.”

The police didn’t conceal it and with an affirmative “Mhm,” said, “There are no locals missing, so it’s mostly volunteers from the temple and such, but we don’t know how long the body has been decomposing, and the volunteers come and go, the records are incomplete.”

“People coming to volunteer usually come in groups, bringing friends along and such.”

“Maybe, but there are also those who come alone.

The temple here isn’t big, and previously, taking the night’s path was never an issue, sigh…”

Liu Jinghui nodded as he listened.

He was planning to rest these few days, not returning home, and staying in Qu’an County was somewhat boring.

Furthermore, Jiang Yuan would be performing the Cranial Reconstruction Skill for a week or two, so he thought if he could crack the case by deduction, wouldn’t that be delightful.

Liu Jinghui wanted to inspect the site, and Jiang Yuan unexpectedly followed, carrying a laptop, apparently planning to continue with the Skull Restoration Skill after checking the site where the body was dumped.

Liu Jinghui felt that Jiang Yuan somewhat had an attitude of sticking to old ways.

The police led the group through twists and turns to the edge of a puddle and then said, “It should be around here, the body was half-submerged in the water when we found it, the upper body was already unrecognizable, but there were still some remains on the lower body, even the clothes had rotted off.”

After a brief description, the police continued, “The water in the puddle was drained at that time, and there wasn’t much inside.

The water now should have accumulated recently.”

“This isn’t a place a stranger would know,” Liu Jinghui looked around.

A pretty good spot for a murder, quiet within the noise, not far from the road, ideal conditions, the place felt like it had been carefully chosen.

All these considerations made him think that the likelihood of the crime being committed by a stranger was extremely low.

“Should we inspect the scene?” Liu Jinghui turned to ask Jiang Yuan.

“Let’s have a look,” Jiang Yuan handed his backpack to Mu Zhiyang, then put on a head cover and shoe covers, and began to circle the puddle.

It had rained in the past few days, which made outdoor crime scene investigation especially difficult.

With green grass and vegetation on the ground, Jiang Yuan couldn’t find any suitable footprints, and the chances of finding them initially, he estimated, were probably slim.

“Let’s go to the temple,” Jiang Yuan said, after wasting half an hour and taking photos, and then left the place.

The group meandered up the small hill.

At the flattest part of the hilltop, the ground was paved with red bricks and cement.

Surprisingly, there was a small shop and a tourist specialty store in the temple.

Upon closer inspection, both were owned by the same boss.

The boss was a woman in her forties who had been idly scrolling on her phone.

Seeing visitors arrive, she immediately stood up eagerly, but upon seeing the police, she inhaled with some resignation and took the initiative to ask, “Are you here for the investigation?”

“Mrs.

Li,” the police were very polite and asked, “Have many tourists come lately?”

“With a death here, how could there be any visitors.

Only regular customers come now.

Have you eaten?” The boss finally sounded a bit more cordial at the end.

“Not yet, I’ve been thinking about your braised meat,” the police said with a chuckle, introducing to the others, “Mrs.

Li’s braised meat is a delicacy of Qu’an County, she would make a fortune if she ran her business in the city instead of coming to the temple, probably enough to earn a temple in a year.”

“We really shouldn’t be talking about money all the time in the temple,” Mrs.

Li said as she stood up, opened a pot behind her, and sure enough, there was brisket stewing inside.

A strong aroma hit their noses.

“Pastry with filling?

It’s 7 yuan each,” Mrs.

Li asked.

“Fill them.

Two for each person!” the police officer said, and then added, “Many people from Qu’an County come here to the temple specifically for Mrs.

Li’s stuffed pastry.”

“Not that many people.

Especially lately, there have been very few visitors,” Mrs.

Li calmly stated the price and then began to chop meat, while simultaneously sticking pastries to the side of the heating bucket.

First, she chopped the marbled meat, then took out a hot, steaming pastry from the heating bucket, slicing it with a knife to naturally create a slit in the middle.

Close to a liang or more of marbled meat with juices was generously stuffed into the bun, followed by a spoonful of gravy, whetting the appetite of anyone watching.

The tastiest meat is undoubtedly meat filled with juices, which is a craving from the body.

The meat pastry, to an extent, is a bit of a cheat.

It doesn’t require high-quality meat or precise control of the heat.

Even because of the spices and boiling process, it can be preserved for several days.

As long as the meat is stewed until tender and paired with an easy-to-make hot bun, ordinary gravy and meat can’t compete with it.

A few people had climbed the mountain and were already somewhat hungry; now they devoured Mrs.

Li’s stuffed pastries with relish.

“Your skills should be earning you money in the big city,” Liu Jinghui complimented, giving a thumbs up.

Mrs.

Li smiled, “I actually came back from the big city.

Making money isn’t all that interesting.”

Liu Jinghui: “Isn’t making money to buy houses and cars great?”

“After buying them, it’s just so-so,” Mrs.

Li replied, glancing back at the main hall.

“I’d rather cultivate my mind and temperament here, attending to those who are destined to come.”

“That’s quite a thought,” Liu Jinghui laughed heartily, wiped his mouth, then gestured to the police officers to move forward to take a look.

In the courtyard, two other lay Buddhists were sweeping the floor.

Further inside, the temple’s abbot was offering incense to the Buddha statues one by one, muttering under his breath, “Each Bodhisattva is their own first line of defense for their faith.

Everyone take good care of your own section, and don’t let others take it over…

”

There were many Bodhisattvas worshiped in the main hall, including Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, Manjushri Bodhisattva, as well as Guan Yu, Maitreya Buddha, etc.

In front of each Bodhisattva, there was a small porcelain bowl, some filled with money, some empty.

“Abbot.” Liu Jinghui couldn’t wait for him to finish a round and called out loudly.

After some hesitation, the abbot came over.

“Are you here to investigate that case?” The abbot was in his thirties and looked quite young.

“Yes, could you spare a few minutes?

I have some questions,” Liu Jinghui asked with a smile.

“Sure, there is plenty of time.

Would you like to light some incense?”

“Well…

alright then,” Liu Jinghui, having just regained the initiative, obediently handed it back.

Jiang Yuan looked around, looking for a good spot to sit down, breathe in the fresh air, and start performing the Cranial Reconstruction Skill.

He had become proficient now and could operate it even on his notebook without a problem.

Meanwhile, Liu Jinghui asked with a smile, “What is the abbot’s name?”

“Just call me Director Cheng.

‘Cheng from a thousand mouths, the turtle Cheng,'” responded the abbot with an easy-going manner, even taking the initiative to crack a joke.

Liu Jinghui couldn’t muster a laugh though; the situation in the temple was more complex than he had imagined, and the number of suspects had multiplied in an instant.

Liu Jinghui couldn’t help but look towards Jiang Yuan.

The skull on Jiang Yuan’s screen still had a bare face.

“If you want to investigate the case, you can stay for a couple of days.

Tonight, a few more lay Buddhists will come over,” the abbot offered hospitably.

“Are you holding an event today?”

“Not exactly.

It’s mainly because Mrs.

Li cooked too much meat, and it’ll spoil if no one comes to buy it,” the abbot said with a face exuding honesty.

Liu Jinghui decisively said, “Then please arrange a few rooms for us to stay.”