The young master asked Qiu Lingling softly, "Would you mind taking me to pay respects to my revered master?"
Qiu Lingling nodded in agreement and led him toward the cemetery. The guardians each had their own thoughts; now that it was the young girl leading the way, it had nothing to do with them.
.
Under the cover of darkness, ten small earthen mounds and ten stone tablets—who would have thought that these were the tombs of the successive leaders of the Thousand Hands Sect, a sect renowned for its immense wealth? The sect's founder, Jin Sihai, believed that wealth was merely an external possession, something to be used and played with. When a person dies, they return to dust, and wealth becomes superfluous. It is better to leave empty-handed to find true freedom. In fact, this statement is not without merit. Look at the wealthy families, even the emperors. No matter how magnificent their burials are, after thousands of years, they will only become the spoils of tomb raiders, and their tombs will be completely destroyed, leaving no trace of their remains. Where can one find such peace and tranquility?
At the newest grave, four guardians and Liu Bai stood to one side, while two servants stepped forward to set up incense, candles, and other offerings.
The young master bowed respectfully, withdrew, and sighed: "I have long admired the name of Elder Jin and greatly respect his demeanor. It is a great regret of my life that I have never seen his face. Fortunately, the Thousand Hands Sect has long established a new leader and has many virtuous and capable people. He will surely be able to rest in peace."
The words were polite and respectful, and the Dharma protectors and altar masters quickly became modest.
Qiu Lingling looked at her master's grave and wept uncontrollably. The young master calmly pulled her into his arms. Qiu Lingling had no relatives and there was no news of Jin Huanlai. At this moment, she felt especially close to him and simply buried her face in his chest and cried loudly.
All the Dharma protectors and altar masters, including Liu Bai, turned their faces away.
This is no longer a matter of "it's none of my business." Knowing full well that the young girl is the sect leader's wife, and still watching her being taken advantage of, if the sect leader finds out when he returns, won't he skin me alive or kill me to silence me? Hua Yunfeng broke out in a cold sweat, determined to save his own fate, and stepped forward, saying, "I only hope that, as Young Master Yi says, the Thousand Hands Sect will not fail the old sect leader's hard work. If he knew of Young Master Yi's intentions, he would surely be grateful. It's cold here, why don't we go back and talk about it later?"
The young master suddenly realized, and said with a hint of apology, "I am truly ashamed to have troubled you all. If you have anything to do, please go ahead and do your work. I will just have a word with Lingling."
Being alone together? Hua Yunfeng's eyes widened: "This..."
The relationship between Young Master Yi and the young lady is obvious. Even an idiot like Yin Fei could see it. You, who usually consider yourself a playboy, can't you read the room? Protector Yue Yiping secretly despised him and smiled obsequiously: "Miss Lingling has been very sad lately. It would be good for Young Master Yi to help her. We'll have to excuse ourselves now."
The other Dharma Protectors and Altar Masters shared the same understanding as Yue Yiping, nodded repeatedly, and tactfully left. Hua Yunfeng was both anxious and angry, but he couldn't speak up. Damn it, what do you know? This matter is very serious!
Seeing that he didn't leave, the young master asked in surprise, "Protector Hua?"
"Alright, when the cult leader holds us accountable, no one will be able to escape!" Hua Yunfeng steeled his resolve, turned around and followed, pondering as he walked how to drag these guys down with him.
.
When will Master Jin return?
Qiu Lingling looked up and wiped her eyes: "I don't know. He left early that morning, saying he was going to Huai'an."
“Master Jin is highly skilled in martial arts, he should be fine,” the young master patted her back and smiled kindly, “It’s so boring to be alone in Jin Garden, let Brother Yi take you down the mountain for a walk.”
Qiu Lingling hesitated, then shook her head: "I want to wait for him at Jin Garden..."
The young master interrupted her: "Waiting won't solve anything. There are people from the Yi family in Huai'an. Why don't I ask them to inquire for you and see if anything major has happened there recently?"
Qiu Lingling was worried that Jin Huanlai might get into trouble, and had long intended to do so. However, unless it was an emergency, inquiring about the sect leader's whereabouts in private was a major taboo in the Thousand Hands Sect. Even if a young girl was willing to help, if the sect leader really got angry, it wouldn't be difficult for him to punish anyone. Therefore, the four protectors all declined to agree. Now that they saw that he was willing to help, Qiu Lingling was overjoyed: "Really?"
The young master looked at Liu Bai.
Liu Bai hurriedly replied, "I will have someone deliver the message to the pigeon station shortly."
The young master nodded and looked down at her: "Now you don't need to worry anymore. Let's go down the mountain with Brother Yi, have some fun while we wait for news, how about that?"
Qiu Lingling was delighted: "Great!" Suddenly realizing something, she quickly took two steps back, looking shy and blushing slightly. Since the incident at the Peony Courtyard, she could no longer bring herself to call him "Yi Qinghan." Now, hearing "Brother Yi" was not inappropriate, but it seemed a bit too intimate.
The young master didn't notice: "Let's go."
That hand was calm and strong, giving the feeling of being firmly controlled. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't break free. Qiu Lingling could only blush and let him pull her down the mountain.
A night of wind and rain has changed everything.
"Young master, a letter has arrived from Huai'an."
The young master remained silent.
Liu Bai opened the letter, glanced at it, and laughed, "There really are two big things. Huai'an got a new prefect half a month ago. Also, the manager of the Yu family bank died suddenly overnight, the owner, Young Master Yu, went mad, and his whole family inexplicably became deaf and blind. It's really strange!"
The young master laughed: "That's strange. It's clearly a trick from the martial arts world. How could the Yu family, with its ordinary business, have made enemies with people from the martial arts world?"
Liu Bai understood: "I will write a letter to them and ask them to investigate this matter."
The young master said nothing more and changed the subject, "Has there been any movement from the Jiang family?"
Liu Bai shook his head: "The Lan family's group has been guarding outside the courtyard the whole time, and our people can't move either. Everyone says the Jiang family is haunted."
The young master said calmly, "Our people are afraid of ghosts?"
Liu Bai laughed: "It's because the Lan family is afraid of ghosts and doesn't dare to enter the courtyard. Plus, there are also members of the Thousand Hands Sect. We can't let anyone find out that we are related to the Yi family."
The young master nodded: "Tell our people to withdraw."
Liu Bai hesitated: "This..."
The young master sighed: "They were clearly sent to keep watch, but Jiang Xiaohu has put them all to guard the gate for him without paying them. Isn't that a losing proposition? Let them do it."
Liu Bai chuckled: "What you say is true, young master. The Lan family is after that treasure. The Thousand Hands Sect is probably helping Jiang Xiaohu monitor the Lan family. Letting them be in chaos for a while is fine."
The young master remained silent.
.
"My cousin's woman?" I heard this as soon as I stepped out. I looked up and saw a woman in an embroidered dress standing by the rockery, holding a round fan. Although she was smiling, her eyes showed a haughty disdain.
Qiu Lingling disliked this kind of person: "Who are you?"
Cheng Xiaolin looked her up and down: "Jin Yue is dead, so the Thousand Hands Sect is really left unattended. You're not short of money, so what's your purpose in following my cousin around?"
Seeing her disrespectful attitude towards Jin Yue, Qiu Lingling became even more displeased: "How do you know I'm from the Thousand Hands Sect?"
Realizing she had let something slip, Cheng Xiaolin turned and left, saying, "Where you're from is none of my business!"
Qiu Lingling suddenly remembered and chased after her, grabbing her arm: "Ah, I know, those people last time were sent by you. You forbade me from looking for Yi Qinghan!"
Cheng Xiaolin considered herself a young lady from a prestigious family and regarded Qiu Lingling as Yi Qinghan's woman. Being pulled like this made her feel ashamed and she was furious. She slapped Qiu Lingling in the chest with her left hand.
Qiu Lingling was shocked that she would be so ruthless and quickly dodged to the side, saying, "You're such a bad woman!"
Cheng Xiaolin was furious and was about to hit him again, but her right hand was grabbed.
"You're here!" Qiu Lingling breathed a sigh of relief, then pointed at Cheng Xiaolin, "She's trying to kill me."
The young master released the hand, lowered his head and smiled: "Alright, don't misunderstand, this is my cousin."
Qiu Lingling was stunned.
The young master turned to Cheng Xiaolin: "She didn't know it was her younger sister. Why should her younger sister care and do it herself?"
Seeing the two of them behaving intimately, Cheng Xiaolin suppressed her anger and regained her composure: "It's not that I meant to argue with her, it's just that families like ours should have rules. My cousin is too nice to people, so I just stepped in to teach him a lesson."
“Since he’s one of my people, I will discipline him,” the young master frowned. “You’ve always been the most sensible one, how come you’re joining in this nonsense? Isn’t that beneath your dignity?”
Feeling humiliated, Cheng Xiaolin gritted her teeth and said, "My cousin is right. How can I compare to her status?" She then turned and left.
.
"I thought she sent someone to harm me. I didn't know she was your cousin." I felt uneasy.
The young master remained silent.
"Are you... angry?" She tugged at his arm.
The young master turned to look at her: "Even if she sent someone to harm you, are you going to take her down yourself?"
Qiu Lingling explained, "I just wanted to grab her and ask her some questions."
The young master said, "Your martial arts are very powerful, you're sure you can catch him?"
Qiu Lingling lowered her head.
The young master said, "Since she dared to send people to harm you, she might send even more and more powerful people next time. What will you do then?"
Qiu Lingling remained silent.
The young master took her hand, his tone much gentler: "If anything happens, you should tell Brother Yi. Brother Yi has his own way of protecting you. It's wrong to act rashly on your own, do you understand?"
Qiu Lingling looked up at him for a moment, blinked, and nodded.
The young master smiled and said, "That's right. Come in and have some snacks."
Qiu Lingling hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
The young master shook his head: "Nothing major has happened in Huai'an. I have already sent a message to the protectors. If Master Jin returns, he will immediately send someone to inform us. You can rest assured."
Qiu Lingling said disappointedly, "Oh, I see. Thank you."
"Have some snacks first, I'm going out to explain a few things."
.
The young master hadn't gone far when Liu Bai came into the garden to meet him.
"Just now, Miss Cheng..."
"She's going to teach that girl a lesson."
"Offending her now would likely make things difficult for Old Madam Cheng, and if she really holds a grudge..."
The young master chuckled lightly: "It's a trivial matter. The Cheng family is after the position of the third wife of the Yi family. Making a mountain out of a molehill won't do any good. My daughter hasn't even entered the family yet, and she dares to interfere. She has offended the Yi family. They should be the ones who are worried. You should send two people to prepare gifts and say that they are to pay respects to your aunt and uncle. There's no need to mention this matter. After all, they are relatives. For the sake of your mother, you should put their minds at ease."
Liu Bai nodded: "But what about the old lady..."
The young master said, "The Cheng family will send a letter to her. If she finds out, she will definitely try to persuade me to marry Xiaolin again."
Liu Bai asked, "What do you think is the best course of action, young master?"
“It’s too much trouble to keep talking to her,” the young master said, his hands behind his back. “Go to the pigeon station and send a message to Wu Xin to retrieve the luminous bottle from last year and present it to Seventh Aunt. Tell her to keep an eye on Master. I’ve already arranged things for her brother. When I go back next year, I’m thinking of bringing some toys for Ninth Sister.”
Liu Bai was dumbfounded. He actually used this trick, using his father to control his mother. That was fucking brilliant! Wasn't he afraid his mother would beat him up?
.
With a flick of her long fingers, sandalwood beads were sent flying, striking the dice cup in mid-air. The dice cup spun rapidly and slowly fell. Qiu Lingling stared intently, her eyes fixed on them. Ever since Jin Yue's death, she had been sullen, but now she finally felt like playing.
With a soft sound, the dice cup landed on the table.
The young master, leaning on the table, asked, "Is it big or small?"
Qiu Lingling said, "Three ones!"
The kitten is quite talented at gambling. The young master leaned back in his chair and raised an eyebrow: "That's not necessarily true."
Qiu Lingling reached out and lifted the dice cup, her eyes widening instantly: "No way, there are three ones!" Looking at the three sixes on the dice, she was filled with doubt. Suddenly, she saw the young master smiling at her and realized: "Hey, you cheated!"
When did I renege on my promise?
You definitely cheated!