Mr. Sullivan is called David Sullivan, and he currently serves as the Commander of the Jinyiwei in the capital.

In the streets of the capital, there is a children's rhyme that goes:

“Twenty-two imperial guards, Jinyiwei alone reigns supreme; like wolves and tigers they protect, David Sullivan stands at the very top!”

During the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang established twelve imperial guards under his direct command, and among them, the Jinyiwei was the most important, holding the power of life and death, even able to independently interrogate and execute court officials. Back then, the Jinyiwei stirred up a storm during the four major cases of the Hongwu reign, capturing and killing tens of thousands of officials, running rampant and unchecked, striking fear throughout the court and the land. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang abolished the Jinyiwei due to its excessive power, but after Emperor Yongle Zhu Di ascended the throne following the “Jingnan Campaign,” not only did he expand the imperial guards from twelve to twenty-two to strengthen his iron-fisted rule, he also reinstated the Jinyiwei to counterbalance the Five Military Commissions. The current supreme commander of the Jinyiwei is Commander David Sullivan.

David Sullivan is now a favorite of the emperor Zhu Di, ruthless and cold-blooded, showing no regard for kin or friendship in his actions. Though his official rank is not the highest, his power is immense—even the Military Commission, the Cabinet, and the Six Ministries must defer to him.

How could such a man be so shaken by a single sentence from Brian Carter?

The wind howled, and the leaves outside the pagoda rustled, as if the deceased Ethan Reed was recounting his grievances...

After a long while, David Sullivan finally spoke: “You also think Ethan Reed froze to death?” His voice, usually filled with chilling authority, now sounded somewhat hoarse.

Samuel Parker, standing to the side, changed expression again. He understood some things, but was also confused. From the earlier questioning, he realized that David Sullivan had already noticed that Ethan Reed froze to death. If so, why did he ask Brian Carter about the cause of Ethan Reed's death? And after getting confirmation from Brian Carter, why was he so terrified?

It seemed that what was hidden behind this murder case was far more than what appeared on the surface.

Brian Carter let out a breath and said with a tone of doubt, “That's right, I think Ethan Reed froze to death, because there are many signs that prove it. Ethan Reed's body was slightly curled, his skin pale, with frostbite and red patches. The strangest thing is the faint bitter smile at the corner of his mouth, which is a common expression for those who freeze to death.”

Although Samuel Parker knew people could freeze to death, he had never heard there were so many details to it, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, not understanding how Brian Carter knew all this.

“Then why was he naked from the waist up?” Mr. Sullivan asked hoarsely, with a hint of fear in his eyes.

Brian Carter replied, “This is also an abnormal phenomenon in people who freeze to death. I’ve heard... that before freezing to death, people can experience hallucinations, even a sensation of burning heat, so they take off their clothes. But there’s one thing I really can’t figure out: in this weather, how could anyone freeze to death?”

David Sullivan's expression grew somewhat dazed, just as he was about to say something, hurried footsteps sounded at the stairway. Adam Cooper ran up and said, “Mr. Sullivan, someone from the Military Commission is here to see the Master.”

David Sullivan regained his usual sinister demeanor and barked, “The Master is not to receive guests...” He glanced at the black-robed monk, lowered his voice and said, “Samuel Parker, block them for now. Wait until I report to the Master.” He quickly walked to the black-robed monk’s side and whispered, “Master, someone from the Military Commission has arrived. For the sake of... not disturbing your meditation, I’d like to send them away...”

The black-robed monk did not turn around, murmuring, “At the end of the road, can one still turn back?” The monk’s voice was extremely deep, seemingly devoid of emotion, yet upon hearing it, one felt that beneath the calm surface, there were endless waves.

David Sullivan frowned, pondering the meaning of the black-robed monk’s words.

In Shuntian Prefecture, there were only two people who could make David Sullivan tread carefully and weigh his words: one, of course, was the emperor Zhu Di, and the other was the black-robed monk before him.

At that moment, someone at the stairway said, “So Mr. Sullivan is here, no wonder... no wonder...”

David Sullivan whipped his head around, about to scold Samuel Parker for failing to keep people out of the pagoda, but upon seeing who it was at the stairway, he suddenly broke into a smile and said, “So it’s Mr. Thompson and Commander Foster. I didn’t expect this, I didn’t expect this...”

Two men stood at the stairway. The one on the left was dignified and confident, while the one on the right had a clear and bright expression, with a long, flowing beard—he must have been a very charismatic man in his youth.

The long-bearded man smiled and said, “What is it that Mr. Sullivan didn’t expect?”

David Sullivan looked at the long-bearded man and forced a smile, “And what is it that Scholar Thompson finds unsurprising?” As the top man in the Jinyiwei, David Sullivan usually paid little heed to ordinary officials, but seeing these two, he was wary.

David Sullivan recognized the confident man as William Foster, grandson of founding hero Xu Da, now a commander of the Five Military Commissions, holding military authority over Shuntian Prefecture.

The Five Military Commissions and the Jinyiwei had always been at odds, openly and secretly competing, never accepting each other. Seeing William Foster arrive, David Sullivan greeted him on the surface but cursed him inwardly, knowing that if William Foster learned of the murder at Qingshou Temple, he would surely compete for the investigation.

This case was anything but simple!

Not to mention the suspicious cause of Ethan Reed's death, which triggered a long-buried doubt in David Sullivan's mind; just the fact that the case happened at Qingshou Temple meant David Sullivan had to fight to solve it first.

Qingshou Temple was the national temple of the Ming, extremely important in Zhu Di’s eyes, but right now, the most important thing at Qingshou Temple was the black-robed monk.

The black-robed monk was called Edward Cooper.