Chapter 269: Night Encounter with a Little Thief

The commoners, officials, and even the emperor and crown prince of the capital were all made unable to resist by this aroma.

Not only them, but also Juéqíng Shītài and others, as well as all the disciples of the Dao Yi Sect, were the same.

Outside the kitchen, disciples gathered there at all times, with Zhao Zhengping, Xu Jie, and others constantly guarding the side of that big pot.

"Junior Brother Ye Zhangqing, is it not ready yet?"

"This is just the soup base."

Having been asked who knows how many times, Ye Zhangqing replied helplessly; hearing this, Xu Jie muttered to himself, with saliva still dripping from the corner of his mouth.

"Just the soup base."

"If even the soup base is this fragrant, what exactly is this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall?"

For this dish, Ye Zhangqing indeed pulled out his family's secret skill; now we just need to wait for Elder Qing Shi and the others to return, then we can proceed to the next step.

The disciples of the Dao Yi Sect are fine, after all they still get to eat Ye Zhangqing's cooking every day, which counts as alleviating their cravings.

But the disciples of the Withered Wood Hermitage, including Juéqíng Shītài, were practically tormented.

Moreover, they are members of the Fomen, so it's naturally impossible for them to just wait outside the Dao Yi Sect's garrison; they could only grit their teeth and endure.

But as time passed, the aroma grew stronger and stronger, and the nuns found it increasingly hard to bear.

At this moment, Juéqíng Shītài was leading the disciples in chanting Buddhist sutras, a mandatory daily practice for the Fomen.

Seated in the main seat, Juéqíng Shītatai pressed her palms together, slightly closed her eyes, and slowly began to speak.

"The Buddha said, life has eight sufferings: birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, lingering resentment, unfulfilled desires, and inability to let go."

"Can't withstand hunger.............."

Just as she was speaking, a voice suddenly came from below; hearing it, Juéqíng Shītatai opened her eyes and looked toward the leading little nun below.

Unlike the other disciples, this little nun was clearly a beauty in the making, her big eyes giving off a lively and mischievous vibe.

She was the one who had just spoken; facing Juéqíng Shītatai's gaze, the little nun stuck out her tongue and whispered.

"Master, I really can't hold back............"

Don't let her appearance fool you; this little nun is actually the third Inner Disciple of the Withered Wood Hermitage and the sole disciple of Juéqíng Shītài, who came with her to the capital this time, named Xiu Ling.

Since this aroma appeared, the little girl has endured again and again, but now she truly can't endure any longer.

Juéqíng Shītatai, however, frowned and spoke displeasedly.

"Xiu Ling, your mind is not calm; as your teacher, I punish you to copy the Calm Heart Sutra one hundred times."

"Yes, Master."

Hearing this, Xiu Ling lowered her head and said in a wronged tone.

Seeing this, Juéqíng Shītatai continued chanting the Buddhist sutras.

"The Buddha said, my Dharma has no thought in thought, no action in action, no word in word........... gurgle..........."

Just as she was speaking, her stomach suddenly let out a sound; the elder's face flushed red, she originally wanted to gloss over it and keep speaking, but the sound seemed uncontrollable, continuing to call out.

The disciples below also had strange expressions, and Xiu Ling was even holding back laughter.

"Today's sutra lecture ends here; you all may go practice cultivation."

Unable to continue, Juéqíng Shītatai ultimately could only let the disciples disperse.

After the disciples had left, Juéqíng Shītatai sat alone in the hall, constantly smelling the aroma that assailed her face, and kept muttering.

"Namo Amitabha, my sins, my sins.........."

This aroma is practically going to kill her old life; feeling vexed and distracted, the elder could only divert her attention by chanting scriptures.

But such a method, facing the rich aroma of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, is merely a drop in the bucket; fortunately, as an elder, a high monk of the Fomen, her concentration is not comparable to those little nuns, and she can still hold on.

But while the elder can grit her teeth and persist, the disciples below cannot.

Especially Xiu Ling, the craving worms in her stomach seemed to have rebelled, completely out of control.

She stubbornly held on until night; finally Xiu Ling couldn't resist any longer, and under the cover of darkness she sneaked alone toward the Dao Yi Sect's garrison.

Moving lightly and furtively, daring not to make the slightest sound, she followed the scent all the way to the kitchen.

She thought no one had noticed, unaware that her every move had already been seen by Hong Zun and Shi Song.

At this moment, Hong Zun and Shi Song were discussing how to invite the elder.

We have the food, but how should we invite them? Simply saying, 'Elder, we invite you to eat meat,' would definitely not work.

Moreover, the aroma has already spread about; the elder would surely have noticed it by now, impossible to hide.

Just when the two were not paying attention, suddenly Hong Zun laughed and said.

"Senior Brother, the reason has just come, hasn't it?"

"Huh???"

At first they didn't understand, but soon they noticed Xiu Ling sneaking toward the kitchen, and Shi Song also showed a faint smile.

Carefully entering the kitchen, just as Xiu Ling was following the scent to go into the backyard, a voice from behind, extremely alluring and mature, suddenly sounded.

"Who are you?"

"I.......... I........ I took the wrong turn."

Having been discovered, Xiu Ling panicked, randomly made up an excuse, but the "person" behind her clearly didn't believe it and questioned.

"You took the wrong turn?"

"Yes, I really took the wrong turn, don't you believe............"

While saying this, she slowly turned around, but at a glance there was no one—yet why was the voice still coming?

"If you took the wrong turn, how could you have walked all the way here?"

She lowered her gaze and saw a big yellow dog suddenly appear before her eyes; Xiu Ling frowned, wondering if it was a demon beast.

But no, there's no demonic aura; this is just an ordinary big yellow dog, so why can it speak human words?

However, since no one had noticed her, Xiu Ling still breathed a sigh of relief, made a silent gesture, and then took a spirit melon from her Space Ring.

This is Xiuling's favorite food; as a Fomen follower she cannot eat meat, so she only eats spiritual fruits and vegetables, and the spirit melon is delicious and sweet, which Xiuling has loved since childhood.

She endured the pain and threw the spirit melon at Dàhuáng's feet, saying with a smile.

"Good, eat up, it's really delicious."

"It's just a dog; give it something to eat and it'll stop barking," Xiuling thought.

But who would have known, Dàhuáng merely glanced at the spirit melon by its feet, and even a hint of contempt flashed in its eyes.

"What lousy thing? Who would eat this?" it thought, then immediately lifted its head to look at Xiuling, its eyes full of vigilance.

"Who exactly are you? If you don't tell me, I'll call for help."

Having been looked down upon by a dog, Xiuling felt crushed, but seeing Dàhuáng about to call for help, she quickly waved her hands.

"Don't call, I......"

But Dàhuáng didn't give her a chance at all, and shouted at the top of its lungs.

"Help! There's a thief!"

As soon as the words left its mouth, Xiuling's face changed drastically; she took a step forward to try to seize Dàhuáng, but it easily dodged her.

"Stupid dog, don't call."

The person and the dog chased each other around the courtyard in chaos; Xiuling exerted all her strength, yet she still couldn't catch Dàhuáng.

Meanwhile, the disciples of the Dao Yi Sect were as if dead asleep, with not a hint of movement, until......

"The kitchen's been broken into, why aren't you coming?"

The Dao Yi Sect disciples, who had shown no movement before, now heard chaotic footsteps coming from all directions, accompanied by faint shouts.

"Which petty thief dares to break ground on Tai Sui's head?"

"You dare to steal from the kitchen, an important place; you're asking for death."

"Brothers, follow me to take down this guy."