Tang Dynasty Prison Administration

048:5 Prison

Upon hearing this, Li Xingguo suddenly realized and exclaimed, "That's right! How come I didn't think of that!"

Xu Ge stepped forward and asked, "Then who is the real culprit?"

Su Wen smiled slightly and said, "We'll know once we cut open the abdomen and stomach!"

After saying this, Su Wen came to the Grand Master of Nestorianism, put on cloth gloves, picked up a knife and decisively made a cut in his abdomen, then cut open his stomach and took out a fish bladder.

Li Xingguo immediately frowned and looked at Su Wen. The moment he saw the fish bubble, he had already figured something out. Su Wen then opened the fish bubble, revealing the scroll of yellow talisman inside, and slowly said, "The real culprit is obviously who it is!"

Li Xingguo clenched his fist and said, "I'll go catch him right now!"

Su Wen shook his head and said, "No, his official rank is higher than ours, we can't touch him. Xu Ge, go to Governor Cui's residence and ask him for permission. Tell him we've tracked down the real culprit and now need his approval!"

Xu Ge asked, "Magistrate, General, what are you two talking about? Who exactly is the murderer?"

Su Wen whispered something in Xu Ge's ear. When Xu Ge heard the name, his eyes widened, and he still looked a little incredulous!

Su Wen said, "I think he's already determined that even if we know he's the murderer, we can't arrest him immediately. Therefore, I guess he'll go to the center of the Five Elements Grand Array to carry out his Five Prisons Immortal Ascension Method!"

Li Xingguo asked, "Then where are we going to catch him?"

Su Wen turned around and walked towards the exit of the morgue, saying, "It should be in Zhangshanfang!"

Su Wen looked at Xu Ge and asked, "Xu Ge, are there any Taoist temples in Zhangshanfang?"

Xu Ge pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "There are no Taoist temples in Zhangshanfang, but I remember that a few months ago, when someone was building houses, they dug up a tunnel. There was a Taoist temple from the Sui Dynasty underneath. Later, the government took control of the area and didn't allow anyone to enter. By the way, it was Taoist Master Li Moxuan who made the suggestion. It was him and the Sage who made the suggestion!"

Su Wen nodded in agreement, saying, "Then it should be there. I reckon that's where they first learned about the Five Prisons Ascension Method!"

After saying that, Su Wen looked at Xu Ge and Li Xingguo and said, "Let's go, split up. Xu Ge, you need to be quick!"

"yes!"

After saying that, Xu Ge hurriedly left. Su Wen looked at Li Xingguo and said, "General, would you like to put on your armor and take your long-handled sword?"

Li Xingguo chuckled and said, "Does capturing an old Taoist priest require wearing armor and carrying a long-handled sword?"

Su Wen said with a serious expression, "General, don't forget, Li Moxuan served as a military advisor in Anqing Palace for several years. He's no ordinary person!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xingguo thought for a moment and nodded in agreement, "The magistrate is right; we do indeed need to wear armor and carry a long-handled sword!"

After saying that, Su Wen waited for Li Xingguo at the entrance of the county government office.

A moment later, Li Xingguo was seen wearing armor and a helmet, holding a long sword, and walking slowly towards Su Wen.

Upon seeing this scene, Su Wen felt an immense sense of pressure rushing towards him, as if a powerful boss was closing in on him step by step.

A figure clad in full red iron armor, nearly two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular build, his helmet revealing only his eyes, wielding a long sword nearly 1.7 to 1.8 meters long, seemed less human and more like a mecha warrior.

Li Xingguo looked at Su Wendao and said, "Magistrate, we can set off now!"

Su Wen and Li Xingguo mounted their horses. The moment Su Wen saw Li Xingguo mount his horse, the oppressive force of the attack became even stronger. If Su Wen were to face such a monster, he would be so frightened that his legs would go weak without even having to fight!

"drive!"

......

Before long, Su Wen and Li Xingguo arrived at Zhangshanfang and saw a fence with a warning sign posted by the government. As Li Xingguo kicked the fence open, the two went inside.

Not far ahead was a downward staircase. Li Xingguo walked in front and Su Wen followed behind. The two of them walked forward like this.

The further they walked, the brighter it became inside, with candles lit on both sides. Before long, the two arrived at an open space.

Suddenly, there was an extremely open space, about ten meters high and about forty or fifty meters in size. The entire room was lit by candlelight, and in front of it was a very magnificent Taoist temple.

From below, there is a staircase five or six meters high leading to the top of the Taoist temple. This scene deeply impressed Su Wen.

"You've arrived?"

A voice came from above. Su Wen and Li Xingguo looked up and saw a person standing on the steps, dressed in a black Taoist robe.

Su Wen pointed and said, "Li Moxuan, it really is you!"

Li Moxuan sneered, "Hmph, Su Wen, you are indeed very clever. Do you know that you weren't originally part of my plan? If you weren't here, I would have finished long ago. Unfortunately, you arrived early, disrupting my plans and forcing me to speed up. Otherwise, I would definitely have been captured by you!"

Su Wendao said, "Li Moxuan, didn't you say you didn't believe in ghosts and gods? How come you believe in such an ethereal and unrealistic concept as becoming an immortal?"

Li Moxuan said, "At first, I really didn't believe it, but do you know how shocked I was when I saw this Taoist temple, the stone tablet, and the Five Hells Ascension Method?"

Su Wendao said, "You actually believe what's written on this stone tablet? Isn't that just pure nonsense?"

Li Moxuan sneered: "Do you know who wrote this inscription on the stone tablet, or who owns this Taoist temple?"

Su Wen did not reply, and Li Moxuan continued, "This is Huang Chuping's Taoist temple from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. This stone tablet was written by Huang Chuping himself. You've read history books, right? You know that according to history books, he had already become an immortal!"

Upon hearing this, Su Wen was shocked and exclaimed, "This is actually Wong Tai Sin's Taoist temple?"

Li Moxuan said, "That's right. You know he's Huang Daxian, and he's already become an immortal. Since Huang Chuping can become an immortal, then so can I, Li Moxuan!"

Just as Su Wen was about to speak, Li Moxuan said, "Magistrate Su, you hide to the side first, I'll go and grab him right now!"

Li Moxuan smiled slightly and said, "A martial artist is just a martial artist!"

As soon as Li Moxuan finished speaking, dozens of Taoist priests dressed in robes ran out from behind him. These priests all carried long spears and had even formed a battle formation on the steps.

Li Moxuan then calculated the time with his fingers and said, "There's still a quarter of an hour left, it's not even sunset yet. Let these Daoist boys I've trained play with you for a while!"

As soon as Li Moxuan finished speaking, the disciples shouted in unison, "Suppress!"

Li Moxuan gripped his broadsword tightly, took a deep breath, and shouted, "Come!"

The trained Taoist disciples marched in unison, step by step, down the stairs. Seeing this, Su Wen couldn't help but frown, feeling somewhat worried.