482: Chapter 482 Untouched by Cause and Effect

Facing Mr. Han's question, Old Taoist Kun was not in the least surprised; he merely pointed to another meditation cushion: "Please, sit. This humble Taoist will explain slowly."

Han Jingyang, however, gave him absolutely no face: "This concerns two murder cases; I have no interest in listening to your grand principles or old stories. I only want to know who was sitting there just now, what was said, and where they went."

"And if this humble Taoist is unwilling to say?"

"You can try."

Old Taoist Kun sighed: "Everyone says Mr. Han is overbearing, and it is indeed so."

"Cut the nonsense. Answer my questions directly: Who was it? What did they do? Where did they go?"

"There is time to speak slowly..."

"If you won't say, I'll go ask Hua Zhenzhen."

"..."

Old Taoist Kun was silent for a few seconds, then gave the answer with lowered eyes and a submissive demeanor: "Deng Faxin. He sat for three minutes, asked me to help him mask his heavenly secrets, and returned the way he came twenty-three minutes ago."

Han Jingyang pressed on, step by step: "What is Deng Faxin's status?"

"Just an ordinary Taoist, though his cultivation is not weak; he has a small reputation in the Zhongnan Mountain reclusive cultivation circle."

"What is his relationship with Zhang Fazhong?"

"He is Zhang Fazhong's junior fellow apprentice. He is more than twenty years younger than Zhang Fazhong. They are called fellow apprentices, but in reality, their relationship is like father and son."

"Like father and son?" Han Jingyang sneered, then pressed further: "Where is Deng Faxin most likely to go after leaving here?"

"I don't know. Deng Faxin has wide social connections and is quite wealthy, so it's possible for him to go anywhere. Deeper into the mountains or to a bustling big city are both possible."

Han Jingyang frowned.

That was true.

Deng Faxin had killed his senior fellow apprentice and stolen a treasure; he would certainly need to hide to study it carefully. Therefore, both remote, uninhabited deep mountains and bustling, mixed-crowd big cities were good choices.

The lesser hermit hides in the wild; the greater hermit hides in the city.

If one wants to hide their tracks, there is no difference between the greater and lesser hermit; the only difference is the tool used to cover their tracks. The former's tool is the vast wilderness, while the latter's tool is the vast sea of people.

A normal person would choose one of these two.

Therefore, he had to speed up and find the culprit, Deng Faxin, before he could hide.

First, to help Liu Tingting avenge herself.

Second, to retrieve the treasure that had been stolen from him.

Although that little woman Hua Zhenzhen was very likable, pursuing the murderer was more important.

Besides, Hua Zhenzhen lived right here; he could find her later.

If he let the murderer escape, it would be truly impossible to find him.

Therefore, he continued to press the old Taoist: "Can you find him?"

"No."

"What if I insist that you find him?"

"I am sorry, this humble Taoist is powerless to help."

"Are you truly powerless, or are you just unwilling to act?"

"Truly powerless," Old Taoist Kun sighed: "Although this humble Taoist has achieved a modicum of success in cultivation, I am not skilled at finding people. Once heavenly secrets are masked, even I have no way to trace them."

Han Jingyang stared into Old Taoist Kun's eyes, his mind racing as he pondered the old man's words.

True? False? Or a mix of both?

As it stood, Old Taoist Kun's attitude was very clear: he was not going to help. He seemed to have answered many questions, but they were basically useless, almost entirely nonsense.

He was impervious to both soft and hard tactics.

How should he deal with this Old Taoist Kun?

Use force?

Or...

Han Jingyang thought for a moment and said to Old Taoist Kun: "How about this: help me find Deng Faxin, and I can promise you one thing."

Old Taoist Kun's eyes lit up, but he held up three fingers: "Three things!"

"Deal!"

"It is a deal," Old Taoist Kun took out his mobile phone: "Leave your contact information. When you need to fulfill your promise, I or Zhenzhen will call or text you."

"Fine," Han Jingyang left his phone number and added him as a friend: "Can you tell me now?"

"Go to Xuanyang Temple. Xuanyang Temple is a hideout set up by Deng Faxin, but very few people know about it, and it is very well hidden. Return along the original path, turn north at the five-kilometer mark, pass through a dense forest, and then climb a cliff. There is a small path at the top; follow it, and you will arrive at Xuanyang Temple."

"Are you sure?"

"I am sure. It's just that the so-called Xuanyang Temple is only a stone house hidden in the dense forest. It is almost impossible to discover it unless there is smoke from a fire. It is very, very hidden. Even Deng Faxin rarely goes there; he only goes to stay for a period of time when he is in secluded cultivation or needs to hide from enemies. Perhaps even Deng Faxin's senior fellow apprentice, Zhang Fazhong, does not know the specific location of Xuanyang Temple."

"Then how do you know about it?"

Old Taoist Kun smiled: "This humble Taoist can mask heavenly secrets, so naturally, I am also skilled at deducing them, and I also have a slight understanding of Tracking techniques. Deng Faxin often asked me to mask his heavenly secrets, so I was inevitably curious; a slight investigation made it crystal clear."

Good grief.

He is also an old sly fox.

I really don't know how such an old sly fox managed to raise such an innocent and lively daughter like Hua Zhenzhen.

Oh, she is an adopted daughter.

Han Jingyang had no further doubts about this.

Although this Old Taoist Kun was an old sly fox, the halo above his head was relatively clean; he had not committed many evil deeds, nor had he done many good deeds, which fit the status of an Old Taoist Kun hermit.

In the words of some people, he was untainted by karma.

This was also a state pursued by these hermits.

Of course, it is impossible to be completely untainted by karma; after all, in this day and age, it is impossible to truly seclude oneself from the world. One has to deal with people for food, drink, and daily necessities. For example, the melons, fruits, and vegetables planted in the courtyard require buying seeds every year, because the genetic traits of these high-yield crops bred nowadays are unstable. The second generation will degenerate, leading to reduced yields and increased pests and diseases, and the third or fourth generation may not be able to flower or bear fruit at all.

Besides that, daily necessities like oil, salt, sauce, and vinegar also need to be bought from down the mountain or provided by believers.

Not to mention issues like identity, communication, and exchanges with fellow practitioners.

Old Taoist Kun being able to know his personal information and even details about his character showed that he had not only not severed contact with the outside world, but the connection was actually very close, and he could also receive the freshest news happening in the martial arts world immediately.

Therefore, although the karma on Old Taoist Kun was less than that of ordinary people, it still existed.

The complete lack of karma that Old Taoist Kun pursued was, in all likelihood, just a pursuit that could never be realized in this lifetime.

However, that had nothing to do with him.

He had obtained what he wanted, and that was enough.

After confirming the specific location of Xuanyang Temple once more, Han Jingyang stood up to take his leave.

When he went out, the innocent and lively Hua Zhenzhen was just coming out of the kitchen, carrying a sizzling black pottery kettle.

Seeing him, the little girl's face flushed instantly, and she lowered her head, acting shy: "Drink, drink tea~"

His mood instantly improved, and he waved his hand with a chuckle: "I'll drink it another day."

After saying that, he immediately sped up and left.

When leaving the courtyard, he looked back and met the little girl's innocent gaze again, left a bright smile, and strode away.

Business was more important.

He walked for five or six minutes according to the location given by Old Taoist Kun, then suddenly slowed his pace and stared cautiously ahead.

A moment later, he saw a fat Taoist in his forties walking towards him.

The fat Taoist was also taken aback when he saw him, then bowed and saluted: "Greetings, Lay Practitioner. This humble Taoist, Lingxiao, greets you."

Lingxiao?

Han Jingyang frowned.

This fat Taoist... his strength was not weak, but he was not a good person.

However, the one he was looking for was not some Taoist Lingxiao, but Deng Faxin.

Moreover, a title like "Lingxiao" was a Taoist name, which was different from a dharma name. A Taoist name sounded not very serious right off the bat; it was probably some wild path, because a Taoist name was more like an honorific title given to a Taoist by others. Referring to oneself by one's own Taoist name was a bit strange; serious Taoists would not do that.

However, Zhongnan Mountain was a place of mixed crowds, so there was no need to make a fuss.

Thinking this, he nodded, bowed slightly, and passed by the other person to continue on his way.

However, the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong.

Suddenly he slapped his thigh, hurriedly turned around, and returned the way he came, secretly praying that nothing would happen!