Today, Madame led a team to the Spirit Wells Village to investigate information about one of the thieves. Suddenly, they received a report from the public that a few hundred people had gathered and caused a disturbance. So they decided to check it out, which led to the incident just now.
As Madame brought Leo back to the police station, the special task force received news that the thief had appeared in Jade Peaks City.
Madame immediately decided to head to Jade Peaks.
Leo initially thought they would take a flight, but to his surprise, they ended up taking a train.
From Janlin County in Langstel to Jade Peaks City in River South State, it would take about six to seven hours by train.
It was already 4 pm when they boarded the train, and by the time they arrived in Jade Peaks, it would be around eleven or twelve at night.
Apart from Leo, Madame was accompanied by two male police officers.
These two officers were part of the team that went to the White Iris Mountain earlier. One was Nathaniel Toby, a burly and straightforward man from the northern region. The other was a younger officer named Preston Eliot, around the same age as Leo.
Because these two officers had witnessed Leo’s extraordinary abilities, Leo couldn’t catch a break as soon as they boarded the train.
The two guys kept pestering Leo to read their fortunes and analyze their physiognomy.
After the fortune-telling, they wanted to ask about their marriages, how long they would live, and when they would get promoted…
Madame couldn’t help but smile as she watched their antics.
“Oh, Mr. Bloomer, please help our team leader analyze her physiognomy and marriage prospects,” Preston said after asking about his own matters, naturally thinking of their team leader.
Madame widened her eyes and crossed her arms, “Preston, do you want to die?”
Preston smirked, “As your subordinate, your comrade, your ally, I’m just concerned about your life.”
“Nathaniel, don’t you agree with what I said?” he turned to Nathaniel.
Nathaniel was a bit stunned but nodded in agreement, “Yes!”
Leo, happy to flirt with the beautiful police officer, shifted his gaze to Madame’s face and looked at it for a while before saying seriously, “With this physiognomy… alas…”
“What’s wrong?” Preston asked with concern.
Leo sighed leisurely, “I’m afraid she’ll never find a boyfriend in her lifetime.”
“You… go to hell!”
Madame exploded, and the three big men, realizing the situation wasn’t good, ran away.
Amidst the laughter and playing around, the train arrived in Jade Peaks City at eleven-thirty at night.
The accommodation conditions were not like those of a five-star hotel. They were provided with rooms in a local police guesthouse, one person per room.
Before going to bed, Madame called for a small team meeting with the three of them.
The meeting mainly focused on how to find the thief and make an arrest.
Leo was particularly interested in what the thief had stolen-the Jade Peaks Buddha Head.
Early the next morning, Madame woke Leo up to get to work.
But the task was relatively easy. It was just accompanying her to visit Jade Peaks. As for Nathaniel and Preston, they had other assignments.
Arriving at the Jade Peaks scenic area, Leo displayed his gentlemanly manners. He went to the ticket booth in advance and bought two tickets, as well as two bottles of water. Only then did they enter through the main gate of the scenic area.
Jade Peaks was quite large. The description of the scenic area stated that it extended 23 kilometers from north to south, covering an area of approximately 154 square kilometers. It was primarily composed of four peaks: Grand Jade Peak, Second Jade Peak, Third Jade Peak, and Fourth Jade Peak.
Clearly, it would be unrealistic to explore the entire Jade Peaks in just one day.
Madame brought Leo here not primarily for tourism. The place where the Buddha head was stolen is the Mabuhay Temple on Jade Peaks.
After ascending the mountain, the two headed straight for the Mabuhay Temple.
Although they were here for the case, it wouldn’t hurt to appreciate the beautiful scenery and experience the cultural atmosphere along the way.
As they walked, they encountered various historical and cultural plaques and even had a guided tour. Unconsciously, they gained a deeper understanding of the Buddhist culture in Jade Peaks.
For thousands of years, Jade Peaks, known as the “Holy Land of Buddhism,” has gained fame both domestically and internationally as a “Samantabhadra Pilgrimage Site.”
Although it wasn’t the peak tourist season, there were still many visitors. Everyone followed the tour guide, listening to explanations and visiting ancient relics and Buddha statues.
Among the tourists, there were also Buddhist believers who would kneel and pay respects in front of each temple’s Buddha statue.
The bronze Buddha statues were dignified and, when one looked up at them, brought a sense of tranquility.
When they were close to the Mabuhay Temple, Leo couldn’t help but show off his knowledge and asked Madame beside him, “Madame, do you know the story of the Snow Konjak in Jade Peaks?”
Madame was interested in the cultural history and strange stories of Jade Peaks, as evident from her attentiveness to the tour guide’s explanations.
“What Snow Konjak?” Madame took a sip of water, clearly intrigued.
Leo cleared his throat and began to narrate.
Due to its high and cold mountainous terrain, ancient people described Jade Peaks as a place where “winter persists year-round.”
Although the mountain was abundant with unique flowers, plants, and medicinal herbs, it didn’t produce vegetables or fruits.
As a result, visitors who came to Jade Peaks could only enjoy the beautiful scenery but couldn’t taste delicious dishes.
One winter, an old man with white hair arrived at the Golden Summit Cloud-Resting Hermitage.
When he saw the monks eating dried beans, pickled peppers, and salted bamboo shoots in the dining hall, he asked, “Jade Peaks is a land of immortals, abundant with immortal vegetables. Why do you eat such plain food?”
The monks, hearing his words, asked, “May we ask, where are these immortal vegetables?”
The old man pointed up the mountain with his hand and said, “The immortal vegetables are up there on the mountain.”
The monks looked up at the mountain but saw nothing but a vast expanse of white snow. They curiously asked, “Old layman, why don’t we see these immortal vegetables?”
The old man calmly took out a shiny golden-bronze mirror from his body. He used the mirror to shine on the snowy ground, and suddenly, a golden light appeared.
As the snow was illuminated by the golden light, it quickly turned from white to yellow and gradually melted into water, flowing down the mountain slope.
Suddenly, a marvelous sight unfolded.