The old immortal could see beyond the Three Realms; this girl’s soul did not originate from here. Why she had come was a mystery; it must be fate.
Even he, an old immortal, could not explain the laws of nature beyond his mana.
Of course, he would not admit his powers were insufficient. In this part of the world, except for the land, his mana was the highest.
Of course, there was also The Bodhisattva Guanyin, but she was far away in the Heavenly Palace, and only he, the Great King, was the strongest Buddha here.
"I want to learn medicine, I want seeds for medicinal herbs."
"This...!" The Great King stroked his beard with difficulty.
Ye Shiqi had simply made a request. She had always wanted to learn medicine. If she grew a bit older and met a more skilled doctor, she had hoped to ask for teaching.
As for seeds for medicinal herbs, she could find those herself when she got a little older. Seeing the old immortal’s troubled look, she guessed even an immortal might not be capable of such a feat.
If an immortal himself was unversed in medical skills, how could he help those who came with their wishes?
Praying to Buddha did not guarantee the fulfillment of one’s desires; it might not just be that the Great King said he was too busy. Perhaps there were things he couldn’t do, just like the troubled expression he wore now.
"Forget it! I knew you couldn’t do it!"
The Great King was contemplating whether to hand over something from his person to this girl in front of him when her disdainful look instantly swept away his hesitation!
"Wait, it’s not that this immortal can’t do it. I shall bestow upon you a gift, but you must not use your knowledge to harm others. I don’t have seeds for medicinal herbs, but I have a Medical Book. Besides, I’ll give you something extra, hoping you will bring benefits to the people."
With those words, the Great King’s hand moved, and a bag was transported over.
Ye Shiqi caught it without a second thought. Amongst the crowd, she didn’t even check what it was and trustingly stored the bag in her space.
Looking up again where the Great King’s statue stood, the lively Great King and his white horse were nowhere to be seen, only a golden statue remained.
Ye Shiqi stared blankly at the statue. If not for the bag in her space, she would have truly thought her previous encounter was an illusion.
Past the dense crowd, other worshippers finally had a chance to move forward.
Ye Shiqi and the other boys and girls squeezed their way in, and the children bowed devoutly with their hands clasped in front of the Buddha statue.
There were too many people to kneel, so many bowed at the waist and offered their respects with clasped hands. They looked up at the Buddha statue, then stepped back to make room for others.
After bowing with her elder sisters, Ye Shiqi also stepped back and they headed to the side hall, where three more Buddha statues stood.
Unable to name these Buddhas, they simply knelt and worshipped because they knew they were Buddhas.
After paying their respects here, they retreated and left for the square on the other side.
Ye Shiqi saw that some people had left the temple, yet the crowd seemed no less dense. She caught sight of her parents amidst the swarm.
As the night deepened, those who had made their prayers began to head home.
Ye Shiqi walked unevenly, tired and staggering alongside her sisters.
"Qing, let your elder sister carry you."
Ye Shiqi nodded, feeling too sleepy to resist, her strong will unable to counter her body’s reactions.
"Ye Luoqi, let me carry your sister!" Ye Jiaxing boldly offered.
All day, he had looked for a chance to talk with Ye Luoqi. With his brothers and others around, and noticing this girl wasn’t paying him any mind, he grew more bashful in her presence with age.
His pride felt wounded.
"No need, she’s my sister, I can carry her." Ye Luoqi had never taken a liking to Gou Dan, reluctant to owe him any favors. Gradually, she realized the attentiveness this man showed her and did not wish to interact with him more than necessary.
"I should do it, it’s late..."
Ye Luoqi waved her off and hoisted Ye Shiqi onto her back.
"Gou Dan brother, if my sister gets tired, we’re here too." Ye Fengqi was younger than her three elder sisters and held no such aversion toward Gou Dan, somewhat confused as to why her sisters resisted him so.
Of course, Ye Fengqi had never seen the moment their mother was humiliated; her elder sisters had, and the memory was deeply etched in their hearts.
"This... all right, be careful walking."
Ye Jiaxing, under everyone’s gaze, had no choice but to give up his attempts to ingratiate himself.
His brother patted his shoulder, offering a small measure of consolation.
Ye Jiaxing returned the smile. On their way back, they all lit the torches from earlier.
After escorting the girls home, the boys reluctantly left for their own homes.
Ye Shiqi fell asleep on her elder sister’s back. She had stayed up late before but had never felt so exhausted. Even she couldn’t understand why she was so tired.
Ye Luoqi carried her little sister all the way home from so far away. She had built her strength from a young age and, tired or not, she wouldn’t let anyone else carry her sister. She couldn’t bear the thought!