Having paid the deposit and instructed the tailor to deliver the finished clothes to Dongqi Pavilion, Xue Qing was delighted that she had finally completed her task. Returning to Liuying was far more pleasant than being with that old monk. As the two were walking back, Abbot Chankong suddenly stopped.
"What's wrong with you again, sir?" Xue Qing asked weakly.
Abbot Chankong glanced at the shop next door, then at Xue Qing, his meaning all too clear. But Xue Qing hesitated; it was a roast chicken shop.
"Are you sure?" Xue Qing asked again.
Abbot Chankong nodded. Being cursed by such a monk is nothing to fear; if it's going to hell, he'll be the first one there!
I bought a roast chicken for Abbot Chankong, and he chuckled, "You little devil, have I managed to reform you a bit?"
Xue Qing regretted not bringing laxatives with her when she went out; she should have put some on the roast chicken.
Author's Note: ╭(╯3╰)╮ Thank you nata and eda for the landmines!
2000 comments! My first time! Let's celebrate and play the card-flipping game again~ Game rules: The sofa girl chooses a character name, and I'll write a short skit for that character. It might not be posted in the next chapter; it could be posted in a few days. Some characters are quite difficult to write.
Yi Jin
"Father, it's time to take your medicine." Cheng Ling brought the medicine that the maid had brought to Master Cheng's bedside.
Unable to move from his bed, Master Cheng still managed to knock over the bowl of medicine with his last bit of strength: "You unfilial son! Do you think I don't know you're going to give away the Xilin Pavilion that I've worked so hard to build to that Xiao fellow! You unfilial son!"
Cheng Ling cut her hand, plugged the blood with a silk handkerchief, and said to the maid beside her, "Brew another bowl and bring it to Father." With that, she left the room. Once she made a decision, she would stick to it. Even if the elders of the pavilion constantly made veiled accusations against her, they would still obey her orders to merge with the East Qi Pavilion. She didn't regret becoming the traitor condemned by everyone in the West Qi Pavilion, even though those who cursed her were spared only because of her decision. Cheng Ling had hesitated, but when she calmly imagined what Xiao Guiying would do if they switched places, she made up her mind. She believed Xiao Guiying's decision would be the same as hers.
Dressed in elegant attire and with appropriate makeup, Cheng Ling stood up and said to her personal guards, "Let's go, I'm going to become a sinner in the Xilin Pavilion."
This day marked the signing of the Qilin Alliance. After a century, the dilapidated site of the Qilin Pavilion was finally revitalized. After a busy rescue and renovation, it regained its former glory and was just waiting for the two pavilions to move in together after the alliance was signed.
It had been a long, long time since so many people had gathered together on the main peak without any bloodshed. The Wudang and Emei sects met on the road and came together. Abbot Chankong was so angry that he kept blowing his white beard.
"This junior greets the Daoist Master and the Abbess." Xiao Guiying, along with Dong Chou, Xue Qing, and Liu Ying, all went to pay their respects to Daoist Siyou and Abbess Dingni.
Master Dingni grabbed Liuying's arm and helped him up, pressing his pulse as she did so: "He seems to be out of danger. I didn't know there was such a divine physician hidden in the Central Plains. Qing'er, I heard you know him?"
Master Dingni hated the people of the desert the most. Xue Qing said vaguely, "I met him by chance in Changsheng Town. I didn't expect him to come to Qilin Mountain. Maybe some folk doctor in the mountains had a folk remedy."
"If that's really the case, then the firefly's life is truly wasted."
After confirming that the robes were neatly worn and the prayer beads were spotless, Abbot Chankong strolled over with cat-like steps: "Master, it's been so many years, you are still so beautiful."
Xue Qing was certain she wasn't seeing things; the abbess's forehead veins were bulging! The other person was the abbot of Shaolin Temple, and for the sake of harmony in the martial arts world, she couldn't lose her temper. She still spoke kindly, "How come the abbot of Shaolin Temple is you?"
"Abbot Chankong, it's been many years!" Daoist Siyou also came over to greet Abbot Chankong warmly.
Abbot Chankong ignored him and continued speaking to Abbess Dingni: "Amitabha, the reunion between this old monk and the abbess must be the arrangement of the Buddha."
"Liu Ying, I think the current scene is really hurting my eyes," Xue Qing whispered to Liu Ying. Was it because she wasn't pure? Was it really because she wasn't pure?
“The abbot is a man of strong likes and dislikes. He likes to talk to nuns who are also Buddhists, and often ignores the Taoist priest.” Liu Ying didn’t think anything of it and answered calmly.
Xue Qing shut her mouth. The ancients' thoughts were so pure. Had she really been too deeply influenced by them?
The so-called alliance was formed under the witness of three elders, with Xiao Guiying and Cheng Ling representing the East Qilin Pavilion and the West Lin Pavilion respectively signing an agreement and swearing an oath with blood. The two pavilions were reorganized into the Qilin Pavilion, with Xiao Guiying as the pavilion master and Cheng Ling as the deputy pavilion master. The elders of both pavilions remained in their positions, and from then on, the East Qilin Pavilion and the West Lin Pavilion were inseparable, sharing both glory and disgrace. After speaking, the two bowed together to heaven and earth.
“Look at them, they look like they’re getting married, don’t they?” Xue Qing said happily.
"Uncle-Master, be serious, Master is glaring at you," Liu Ying reminded her.
Tongchou's panda eyes were indeed glaring at Xue Qing. Xue Qing looked up at the sky, then at the ground; everyone was too serious.
After the alliance was formed, it was time to celebrate the bright future shared by the two pavilions. The elders of the Xilin Pavilion all looked grim, but rules are rules, and they had to abide by their young master's decision. They wanted to be under Xiao Guiying's command from now on, so it would be too much to ask them to smile. Xue Qing wasn't worried about them. Later in the novel, they were all impressed by Xiao Guiying's character and followed him loyally. Xue Qing believed that this would never change.
A banquet was prepared at the summit of the main peak. Because Abbess Dingni was a hermit and did not want to disturb everyone's enjoyment, she prepared a small table of vegetarian dishes for herself. Abbot Kongchan, that old monk, actually used the excuse that he was also a vegetarian to join the Abbess at the same table. Xue Qing looked down on him. How could someone who ate a whole roasted chicken yesterday have the nerve to say he was a vegetarian?
People are in high spirits when they have a happy occasion, and Dongchou was drinking heartily, even though he never stopped drinking. As usual, Liuying and Jiandie's wine was replaced with tea. If Abbess Dingni saw Jiandie undressing in public, she would definitely go crazy! Xue Qing put a piece of pigskin on Liuying's plate: "You are what you eat."
Dongchou picked up a piece of pig's head and handed it to Xue Qing: "Junior sister, have some to nourish yourself."
In return, Xue Qing picked up a pig's heart and gave it to Dong Chou: "Senior brother, you have to have some too."
Cheng Ling covered her mouth with her sleeve and said with a light laugh, "I used to think that Miss Xue was a difficult person to approach, but after meeting her today, I find her to be so kind and approachable."
Xiao Guiying also laughed and said, "Uncle Xue is indeed very different from the rumors. I am also very surprised."
Dongchou finished his drink and said, "My junior sister used to be so fierce, but after that ordeal, she suddenly became well-behaved. Or is it that she's reached a certain age and has learned the gentleness that a girl should have?"
"Senior brother~" Xue Qing said coquettishly without expression, begging someone to quickly change the subject and stop discussing her.
"Hahahaha...cough." Dongchou suddenly covered his mouth and left his seat.
"I told you not to drink too much, and here I am, throwing up." Xue Qing explained with a smile to the curious faces at the table, "I'm going to find some hangover medicine for my second senior brother." As she spoke, she went to chase after Dong Chou, and the smile on her face disappeared as soon as she left everyone's sight, replaced by anxiety and worry.
"Second Senior Brother!" Xue Qing caught up with Dong Chou, only to see Dong Chou covering his mouth, with blood trickling down between his fingers. The shocking red sight frightened Xue Qing into a daze.
Xue Qing quickly gave her silk handkerchief to Dong Chou and helped him back to his room. The two were unusually silent, both knowing that any conversation that broke out would not be pleasant. Back in the room, Xue Qing helped Dong Chou lie down on the bed and poured him a cup of hot water: "Drink some first, and I'll secretly go to the kitchen to brew you some medicine later."
Dongchou took the water, stared blankly at the surface, and said, "My time is running out."
"Don't talk nonsense." Xue Qing interrupted Dong Chou; she didn't want to hear it.
Dong Chou smiled and stroked Xue Qing's hair with his sallow and withered hands: "Junior sister, you've grown up. You should understand that some things can't be avoided but can only be faced. You two little brats outside the door, come in too. I have something to say to you."
With a creak, the door opened, and Firefly and Butterfly walked in with their heads down, like mice caught by a cat.
"Disciple, do you remember me saying that your swordsmanship has flaws?" Dongchou asked seriously.
"I remember," Liu Ying answered earnestly.