Compared to the excitement of Wangkong and the Abbot, Master Liao Kong was relatively calm.
"Have any of you seen your Junior Martial Ancestress?"
Junior Martial Ancestress?
The young novices looked at each other for some time before realizing Master Liao Kong was referring to the princess who had just undergone the discipleship ceremony.
"We monks have not seen the Junior Martial Ancestress!"
"If she hasn’t been here, why did Celestial Thunder strike this place?"
Master Liao Kong couldn’t understand it for a moment. The rolling Celestial Thunder just now was clearly identical to when the Celestial Dao gave its warning during the little girl’s discipleship ceremony. Why then did the young novices claim they hadn’t seen her?
"Master Liao Kong, my Suisui did not successfully become a disciple! She has no connection to your Qixia Temple, and I don’t wish to hear the title ’Junior Martial Ancestress’ used for her again!"
Ji Youyuan glanced around. Xiaosuisui was nowhere to be seen, so he had no intention of wasting any more time with these old monks.
"Amitabha! Benefactor Ji, my disciple accepted the apprenticeship gift I bestowed upon her. Furthermore, she is to cultivate our Buddhist techniques—the Technique of Heart and the Vow of Silence Meditation. Without my guidance, she will definitely be unable to master these two Divine Techniques!"
Hearing Liao Kong’s shameless words, Ji Youyuan couldn’t help but laugh.
"Liao Kong, you baldy, how about a wager? I bet that in no more than three days, my Suisui will definitely make progress with the Technique of Heart. Do you believe it or not?"
Liao Kong shook his head upon hearing this.
"Impossible! The Technique of Heart is the supreme Heart Method and Divine Technique of our Buddhism. Even I have yet to grasp its rudiments, and my own cultivation of it is incomplete. My young disciple has only just received the Heart Method. She is still young, and I have not yet explained it to her, nor guided her initial steps. Forget three days—even in three years, she likely wouldn’t comprehend even one or two-tenths of it!"
Liao Kong spoke with utmost certainty.
"You baldy, just tell me directly whether you’ll take the bet or not! Why all the nonsense? Or are you too scared to bet?"
"Amitabha! I accept Benefactor Ji’s wager. What does Benefactor Ji wish to bet?"
"Let’s bet on this: if my Suisui cannot comprehend the Technique of Heart on her own within three days, then I will hold my nose and acknowledge today’s discipleship ceremony. I will let her join the Buddhist path and become your disciple!"
"Good! Then I also promise that if my young disciple can comprehend the Technique of Heart on her own within three days, I will not insist on taking her as my disciple. Her future will be entirely up to Benefactor Ji to decide!"
This outcome made Ji Youyuan’s lips curve into a smile. Although today’s events had deviated somewhat from his plans, he had ultimately succeeded in luring this old baldy into his trap.
"A promise is a promise! In three days, I will bring my Suisui to visit again!"
Having said this, Ji Youyuan turned and walked away.
Huo Xing’Er followed him anxiously, seizing the opportunity to ask, "Big Brother! Where is Suisui? Do you know where she is?"
Ji Youyuan shook his head. "I didn’t see her. Weren’t you at the Mahavira Hall before us?"
His meaning was clear: if you, who arrived at the Mahavira Hall first, didn’t find her, then I, who arrived later, would know even less.
"I... I didn’t see Xiaosuisui in the Mahavira Hall, but I suspect that what happened to the Mahavira Hall is absolutely connected to Xiaosuisui!"
Ji Youyuan laughed heartily as he walked, saying, "Cast aside your doubt. It was definitely our precious niece who did it!"
"What? Who... who did she kneel to?"
"Who knows?" Ji Youyuan shrugged, then looked up to see Ji Youze strolling leisurely towards them.
"Eighth Brother! Where have you been? You missed quite a show just now!"
"How do you know I didn’t see it, Big Brother?"
If he hadn’t deliberately moved everyone away, how could that little beggar have entered the temple so easily? Besides, those who do good deeds never seek rewards. Moreover, that gold and silver will eventually be used for the common people. Isn’t it far better for Xiaosuisui to take it than for it to remain hidden and unseen in Qixia Temple?
"You saw it? Well, look at me! Our Eighth Brother’s eyes truly are everywhere. In that case, tell me, Eighth Brother, where did she go?"
"A big surprise awaits Big Brother. I suggest you hurry back to the Capital City! If you delay any longer, I, your younger brother, am truly afraid she’ll stir up some major trouble, and Big Brother, you might not be able to handle it!" Ji Youze said to Ji Youyuan with a smile, fanning himself.
Huo Xing’Er keenly sensed the implication in his words. So, she hadn’t been mistaken earlier; that little dark shadow truly was Xiaosuisui!
「Elsewhere」
Zhu Xiuxiu rushed over from a distance, anxiously saying to everyone, "I’ve searched everywhere and haven’t seen Xiaosuisui. I suspect those old baldies have locked her up again!"
Hearing her words, Ji Youze immediately interjected, "Third Sister-in-law, your words are reasonable. Why don’t you go ask those old monks to hand over Xiaosuisui!"
Just as Ji Youze finished speaking, Zhu Xiuxiu asked worriedly, "What if they don’t admit it?"
"Then, Third Sister-in-law, you only need to keep an eye on Master Liao Kong. As long as Liao Kong doesn’t make a move, the people from Qixia Temple won’t be able to do anything to Suisui!"
"Eighth Brother is right! I’ll go find that old baldy Liao Kong and demand he hand Suisui over!"
Zhu Xiuxiu then left to find Liao Kong.
Ji Youyuan pointed at Ji Youze with his fan. "You, you! You’ve become even more devious than when you were little!"
Ji Youze gave a faint smile and said, "Third Sister-in-law is concerned about Suisui. Right now, none of us know Suisui’s whereabouts. If we don’t give her something to distract her, I’m afraid she’ll wear herself out searching all over town."
Ji Youyuan didn’t believe Ji Youze’s far-fetched excuses. He simply wanted Zhu Xiuxiu to pester Liao Kong relentlessly and prevent him from leaving the mountain.
The procession returned to the Capital City in a grand display, with only Zhu Xiuxiu staying behind, not going back with them.
Inside the carriage, Huo Xing’Er kept making calculations with a divination compass, her expression growing increasingly grave.
This girl, who could she have possibly encountered? I actually can’t divine her current location at all!
The girl whose location Huo Xing’Er couldn’t divine was, at that very moment, standing in a large courtyard. She blinked, observing the group of middle-aged and elderly people with various disabilities, and a crowd of children dressed in clothes covered with patch upon patch.
She was inwardly bewildered. It was the first time she had ever seen so many disabled people, and even more so, the first time she had seen so many young children.
An old man with only one leg, leaning on a crutch, walked over holding a roasted sweet potato. He placed the sweet potato in Xiaosuisui’s hand.
"Eat this, child. Fill your belly a bit!"
Xiaosuisui blinked and asked, "Grandpa, why do you only have one leg? Where did your other leg go?"
As soon as she said this, the courtyard instantly fell silent. You could hear a pin drop.
"I’m so sorry, Grandpa Fang! Suisui is still little; she didn’t mean to offend you! Please don’t hold it against her!"