Upon hearing Ah Ling’s words, Xiaosuisui’s eyes widened, and she adopted a pensive expression.
The Ji family watched her nervously.
"What... what are you thinking about?"
The Matriarch of the Ji family looked at her, concerned. This girl is so young, she doesn’t really understand much. Yet, Ah Ling has a point. We really shouldn’t be making decisions for her.
"If I join a Buddhist order, are there any benefits?"
The Ji family members gaped at her. "What made you think of that?"
They all asked in unison!
Ji Youcheng said with great exaggeration, "Truly my niece! When we do business, it’s all about getting a good deal. Joining a Buddhist order? That could work. The key is whether that Buddhist order is worth you joining. More importantly, are the benefits good enough?"
Xiaosuisui tilted her head, looking at him with her large, puzzled eyes.
"So? What benefits can I actually get if I join a Buddhist order?"
"Er... well..."
Ji Youcheng scratched his head. He couldn’t think of any!
"Naturally, there are benefits!"
When Ji Youcheng was at a loss for words, Ji Youze, who was standing to one side, spoke up. The rest of the Ji family glared fiercely at Ji Youze.
The Matriarch of the Ji family even snapped, "Old Eighth!"
Ji Youze continued speaking as if to himself, not even glancing at the Matriarch.
"You’re still young, so you can’t clearly differentiate between good and evil. You don’t understand the magnitude of things, nor can you clearly distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, your words and actions have immediate effect; whether they bring blessings or disaster to you, to us, or even to the Great Han, is an unknown. However... as it stands now, blessings and disasters are intertwined!"
What Ji Youze said was true, and no one present would dispute it.
"So, I really am a troublemaker!"
Xiaosuisui pouted. She didn’t like causing trouble for others or being the kind of person who hurt people.
"Master, do you wish to join a Buddhist order?" Ah Ling asked directly upon hearing her words.
Xiaosuisui sighed and said, "If joining a Buddhist order can help me control my abilities, so I only use them for good and not for bad, then I’ll join..."
"Think carefully before you speak! Once you join a Buddhist order, you’ll certainly be entering the ’Gate of Emptiness.’ Would you like to become someone like Liao Kong?" Ji Youze interrupted Xiaosuisui, metaphorically dousing her with a basin of cold water before pouring a bowl of hot oil on her.
"Besides, if you join a Buddhist order, your beautiful hair will be gone. Then, who will wear all those pretty beaded flowers on your vanity table, the ones bestowed by the Empress Dowager and His Majesty along with your clothes? Will you give them to Xiaobai?"
"WAAAH! I won’t join a Buddhist order!" Xiaosuisui burst into tears with a WAAIL, quickly covering her hair with her small, chubby hands. "I don’t want to shave my head! I want to be pretty! I want to wear gorgeous beaded flowers! When I grow up, I also want to wear the golden swaying hairpin and the Phoenix Head Hairpin that Grandma gave me!"
With Xiaosuisui crying like this, the Ji family members scrambled to comfort her. It took a great deal of effort before she finally stopped crying!
"Since Master is unwilling to take a monastic vow, the Buddhist order will certainly not get its wish. As for the Silent Zen cultivation technique, the Uncles will have to find a way to obtain it from the Buddhist order for Master to practice!" Seeing that Xiaosuisui had been comforted, Ah Ling suggested another method.
However, no sooner had Ah Ling finished speaking than Xiaosuisui asked, "What’s Silent Zen then?"
What is Silent Zen?
"It’s one of the supreme cultivation techniques in Buddhism. Practitioners must begin by not speaking at all!"
"Not... not speaking? Then what if I have a question I really, really want to ask?"