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 hasnât been here, why did Celestial Thunder strike this place?"
Master Liao Kong couldnât 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 girlâs discipleship ceremony.
Why then did the young novices claim they hadnât seen her?
"Master Liao Kong, my Suisui did not successfully become a disciple! She has no connection to your Qixia Temple, and I donât wish to hear the title âJunior Martial Ancestressâ 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 techniquesâthe 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 Kongâs shameless words, Ji Youyuan couldnât 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 daysâeven in three years, she likely wouldnât comprehend even one or two-tenths of it!"
Liao Kong spoke with utmost certainty.
"You baldy, just tell me directly whether youâll take the bet or not! Why all the nonsense? Or are you too scared to bet?"
"Amitabha! I accept Benefactor Jiâs wager. What does Benefactor Ji wish to bet?"
"Letâs 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 todayâs 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 Youyuanâs lips curve into a smile. Although todayâs 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 XingâEr 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 didnât see her. Werenât you at the Mahavira Hall before us?"
His meaning was clear: if you, who arrived at the Mahavira Hall first, didnât find her, then I, who arrived later, would know even less.
"I... I didnât 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 didnât see it, Big Brother?"
If he hadnât 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. Isnât 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 Brotherâs 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 sheâll 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 XingâEr keenly sensed the implication in his words.
So, she hadnât been mistaken earlier; that little dark shadow truly was Xiaosuisui!
ăElsewhereă
Zhu Xiuxiu rushed over from a distance, anxiously saying to everyone, "Iâve searched everywhere and havenât 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 donât you go ask those old monks to hand over Xiaosuisui!"
Just as Ji Youze finished speaking, Zhu Xiuxiu asked worriedly, "What if they donât admit it?"
"Then, Third Sister-in-law, you only need to keep an eye on Master Liao Kong. As long as Liao Kong doesnât make a move, the people from Qixia Temple wonât be able to do anything to Suisui!"
"Eighth Brother is right! Iâll 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! Youâve 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 Suisuiâs whereabouts. If we donât give her something to distract her, Iâm afraid sheâll wear herself out searching all over town."
Ji Youyuan didnât believe Ji Youzeâs 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 XingâEr kept making calculations with a divination compass, her expression growing increasingly grave.
This girl, who could she have possibly encountered? I actually canât divine her current location at all!
The girl whose location Huo XingâEr couldnât 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 Xiaosuisuiâs 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.
"Iâm so sorry, Grandpa Fang! Suisui is still little; she didnât mean to offend you! Please donât hold it against her!"