The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 198

Behind the screen wall were three rooms, with a Buddha statue enshrined in the middle room. Upon seeing the Buddha statue, Zhu Huihui suddenly realized: this was a temple! She went around the door behind the Buddha statue and entered another courtyard, where there were three more rooms, all with their doors closed.

Strange, why is there no one here? Is everyone having lunch?

Thinking about food, Zhu Huihui unconsciously touched her stomach, feeling a little hungry.

"Hey! Is anyone home?"

The courtyard was deathly silent; no one answered.

"Is no one here? If no one is here, I'm coming in!" Before entering, it's customary to give a greeting—this time I'm not here to "steal" anything, it would be unfair to be mistaken for a thief and beaten up.

Stepping up the stairs, he reached out to push the main hall door. With a creak, the thick door opened, and Zhu Huihui peeked inside.

This was also a Buddhist temple, but Zhu Huihui didn't even see which Buddha was being worshipped before her gaze was drawn to someone.

She only saw the man's back; his light apricot-colored robe and apricot-colored belt accentuated his tall and slender figure, and his black hair was tied up with a golden crown, making him look extremely noble.

The person stood in front of the offering table, with their back to the door, inserting three sticks of incense into the incense burner, then clasping their hands in prayer, their demeanor as gentle and elegant as spring water.

"Hey, can I ask you for directions?" Zhu Huihui only respected force and had never known the meaning of "politeness".

The man didn't even turn his head; he simply clasped his hands together and prayed silently.

"Hey, I'm asking you a question!" Zhu Huihui said.

The man turned around.

It was an extremely handsome face, with a face like jade, fair and warm, lips like vermilion lacquer, slightly curved into a perfect arc, eyes like peach blossoms, a pair of dark eyes as light as misty rain, with a slightly hazy look, and a misty fog permeating between glances.

Zhu Huihui involuntarily took a step back: "You... um... you..."

A warning bell rang in his mind. He'd been having a run of bad luck lately; whenever he ran into someone good-looking, they were always someone he didn't want to mess with. Maple Snow Color was like that, Nishino En was like that, and this person was also very handsome, but he probably didn't have a good temper either…

"Um, well..." Zhu Huihui nodded and bowed automatically, "I wanted to ask if anyone is in this temple?" Before figuring out the other party's strength, it's always best to play the fool!

The man held a folding fan and tapped it lightly on his hand. A faint smile bloomed on his handsome face: "I'm here!"

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear - Part Three: Thirteen (5)

The same dazzling man, Maple Snow Color, is like a light snow on a high mountain, a wisp of thin cloud on the horizon, noble, cold, and serene, with a touch of loneliness and a touch of sadness. When he smiles occasionally, it is like a rare flower blooming for the first time. Although the snow on his flower-like face has not yet melted, his eyes always reveal warmth.

This noble young man, though as gentle as water, as the spring breeze, as a beautiful rainbow after the rain, as the serene moon in the deep night, as the bright sunset hanging in the western sky before the arrival of summer night, is both beautiful and ethereal, yet he is very far away from people.

Zhu Huihui exclaimed "Ah!" inwardly, thinking to himself, "This guy is good-looking, but he's nothing like the old man. The old man's eyes are clear and bright; he laughs when he laughs and gets angry when he's angry. But this guy's eyes are misty and unpredictable. He may be smiling, but his eyes are clearly telling the other person, 'Stay away from me...'"

"Ahem, excuse me for disturbing you!" Zhu Huihui feigned refinement. "May I ask, young master, how far is Luomei Nunnery from here?"

The young man was slightly taken aback, and looked her up and down: "Luomei Nunnery?"

Based on Zhu Huihui's years of experience in petty theft, if someone looked at her like that, it meant she had aroused their suspicion. At that moment, even if she wanted to take the other person's things and run away immediately, she had to hold back and not do it. So she casually made up a lie: "I have a granddaughter who is a nun at Luomei Nunnery. She hasn't been home for several years. Now her mother is dying, and she asked me to find her to go home and see her mother one last time."

The young man was quite puzzled and asked, "Your granddaughter?"

“Yes! Don’t let my young age fool you, I’m a senior member of the family! My granddaughter’s hair is all white, but she still calls me ‘Grandma’ when she sees me!” Zhu Huihui blurted out. Even in her words, she insisted on not suffering any loss if she could avoid it.

"Is that so!" the young man laughed. "I didn't know which of the nuns in this temple is your granddaughter!"

"What?"

"Isn't that huge plaque above the mountain gate supposed to say 'Luomei Nunnery'?"

"Huh?" What a coincidence! Zhu Huihui awkwardly scratched his head. "I, cough, I didn't notice. This is my first time here too."

She couldn't help but wonder, this guy probably isn't a good person. A nunnery—what's a grown man like him doing here? Where are the nuns? Oh dear, maybe the nuns here aren't good people either! In the past, when I listened to storytellers on the street, they often talked about shameless nuns who would seduce strong, handsome men and then keep them locked up in the temple, not letting them go home—whenever the storyteller got to this part, the audience would chuckle...

As soon as she had a wicked thought, her eyes started darting around. The young man watched her, then suddenly smiled and said, "I'll take you to see your granddaughter."

"No need! The nuns are probably having lunch now. I'll come back later." Since she'd already found the place, it was more important to inform the old man; she didn't want to cause any more trouble! She turned and walked out.

The young man flicked his folding fan and blocked her way, saying with a faint smile, "Why don't you say hello before you leave?"

"Let's forget about it!" Zhu Huihui walked past him and headed to the other side.

The young master gently shook his folding fan, spun around on his heel, and without making any visible movement, stood in front of Zhu Huihui again.

Zhu Huihui changed direction again, but the young master turned around slightly and still blocked her way.

Zhu Huihui was furious. She was very familiar with this way of stopping people! She cursed inwardly: Bah! You've met an expert! Back in the day, I used this trick on the street to scare countless women into screaming and running around in panic. Hmph! You're nowhere near as good as me!

She reached out to push his arm, but it wouldn't budge. She pushed harder, but his arms remained in front of her, not moving an inch.

Zhu Huihui had been following Feng Xuese around for days, and had gained a lot of experience. Seeing this scene, he immediately knew something was wrong. He was unlucky; he had indeed run into an expert again. But then again, in front of someone like him who didn't know any martial arts, someone who knew a few moves could be considered an expert...

The Sky Over the Martial World is Clear, Part Three: Chapter Fourteen (1)

She suddenly remembered what Feng Xuese had told her before she left: Be careful! If a dog bites you, run using the method your mother and I taught you.

What did Mom teach him again? "Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, Five Qi Converging at the Origin"? No, no, Grandpa was referring to—something about lightness and hatred, a kind of light-body technique. Using the breathing and energy-regulating methods he taught me, I can indeed run much faster than before; even a dog can't catch me—this kid over there is practically missing two legs…

While her thoughts wandered aimlessly, she gathered her inner energy and placed both hands on the young master's arms. Her small, fair hands, with tiny dimples on the backs and pale pink nails, looked quite beautiful against his light apricot-colored clothes.

The young man looked at her with a smile, waiting for her to push him.

Zhu Huihui sneered at him, "Consider yourself lucky. I'm being forced by the old man to wash my hands and face clean every day. Otherwise, hmph, I'd turn you into a crow!"

She was filled with resentment at being forced to wash every day by Feng Xuese. Whether she washed or not was none of her mother's business, so why was he interfering? Before, she only needed to sit where he couldn't see her with her rice bowl, but now he wouldn't give her food if she didn't wash herself properly. The old man was getting more and more ruthless. He not only wanted to cut off her legs and head, but also wanted to starve her to death or make her die from washing herself to death... In short, she was extremely unlucky.

She tried pushing and pushing but couldn't budge him. Zhu Huihui wasn't stupid enough to use the same method again. She paused for a moment on the young master's arm, then moved her hands up his arm, gently pinching his shoulder. Her devilish hands slid down his shoulder and gave his chest a hard pinch.