The lanterns of the Xuan'an Bureau swayed in the night wind, casting a flickering, uneven light across the bluestone pavement.
Seven or eight constables stood surrounding a corpse. A young constable's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as his voice trembled: "Just yesterday, the Abbot was lecturing three hundred incense-offering patrons in the Hall of Scriptures. His voice was so booming it could shake the dust off the rafters, and today he's..." He stared fixedly at the Imperial Token stabbed straight into the heart. The four characters "The Holy Monarch's Mercy" carved on the token looked soaked in blood, glowing with an eerie red under the lantern light.
"Keep your traps shut." The lead constable slapped the iron ruler at his waist, his gaze sweeping over a thread of golden light hanging above the back mountain cliff—that was the signature soul-energy mark unique to the Xuan'an Bureau. "Go bring over all the young Taoist acolytes from the temple, and pay special attention to anyone trembling." He paused, then jerked his chin at the man beside him. "You, ride a horse to the Xuan'an Bureau and invite Master Pi. Tell him a murder has happened at the Taiyi Sect, and we're missing someone who can see through metaphysical illusions."
Chapter 79