Chapter 297: One should not be too unscrupulous in life

Over here, Monk Xinyuan was peering sneakily toward the entrance of the County Magistrate's residence.

He had made an appointment with his little apprentice yesterday to sneak out early this morning to chant sutras and learn skills from him!

But the sky was already bright; why hadn't his precious apprentice come out yet?

Could it be…

"Could it be that the child overslept?"

The beds in the County Magistrate's residence were so soft, and the child was at the age where he was most prone to sleeping in.

"Forget it, forget it. I've waited so many years, so I, this monk, am not in a rush for this moment."

The Mad Monk had always been casual in his ways, as if he never knew what it meant to be anxious or angry.

Just then, seeing no movement in front of the residence, Xinyuan smacked his lips and rubbed his flat belly, thinking that once his little apprentice came out, he would make the little guy use his pocket money to buy two steamed buns as an offering to him.

The Mad Monk was busy calculating in his heart, completely unaware that an underworld creature was silently creeping up behind him.

When he reached close, Xu Qing aimed right at that shiny, bald head and—*slap*—delivered a palm strike!

"You thieving bald donkey! What are you being so sneaky about!"

Monk Xinyuan had been entirely focused on calculating what filling he wanted for his buns; caught off guard by the slap, he jumped up in a fright!

The monk had some cultivation base; in this world, as long as a person was breathing and had footsteps, it was impossible for them to sneak up behind his backside without any warning.

Unless the other party's cultivation was far superior to his own!

Startled, Xinyuan twisted his old waist, jumped backward, covered the back of his head, and stared—he looked a bit familiar.

Isn't this the benefactor who gave him roasted chicken to eat back in Qianzhou! He remembered that he had even specifically left the other party a sixteen-character prophecy at the time.

In that prophecy, he told Xu Qing to avoid temples and retreat from Daoist shrines, and that by parting the clouds, one could see the bright moon.

The monk had said this to many people; the former was because the Cizhao Temple and Ruyi Shrine in Quyang Commandery were not good places—they were no different from bandit dens, and perhaps even more vicious.

So, whenever anyone was heading toward Mount Yunmeng, Xinyuan would kindly offer a reminder.

As for the latter two lines…

The legend of immortal fate at Mount Yunmeng had existed for a long time, and the Mad Monk had seen back then that the Xuan Yu beside Xu Qing was no ordinary girl; who knew, perhaps they might stumble upon that immortal fate?

To become a monk and cultivate was to forge a bond of kindness; that immortal fate had nothing to do with him anyway, so Xinyuan naturally didn't mind telling others who had the affinity.

But from beginning to end, Monk Xinyuan never felt that Xu Qing was a true cultivator with a cultivation base. Whether in the past or now, no matter how he looked at it—even if the Buddha himself came—the other party was just an ordinary person.

But could an ordinary person sneak up to him silently, without a shred of human aura?

The Mad Monk felt uneasy. The Dao he cultivated was related to entering the world, and his sensitivity to people was sharper than anyone's; he could even sniff out a good person or a villain just by using his nose, without needing to look!

But this fair-faced young man before him…

Monk Xinyuan's nose twitched; other than a strangely pleasant floral scent, he couldn't smell anything at all!

"I'm asking you! What are you doing sneaking around in our Jinmen territory? Who sent you, and what is your purpose? Speak honestly!"

"..."

Three questions in a row left Xinyuan feeling inexplicably guilty.

No! This Jinmen is the Jinmen of the world, not your backyard. I, a monk, am strolling here in public; what is there to feel guilty about?

Xinyuan came to his senses and immediately put on a familiar, smiling face.

"Amitabha. This poor monk is a wandering traveler, passing through this place to beg for alms. Speaking of which, Benefactor, you and I have an affinity; I have truly missed that roasted chicken you gave me back then!"

Xu Qing looked at the Mad Monk, who was climbing up the pole, and bared his teeth: "Begging for alms? You look more like a child trafficker to me!"

"How can you say that? Benefactor, please do not wrong this monk; I am truly here to beg for alms!" Xinyuan said nothing about the matter of tricking children into shaving their heads.

"Does one beg for alms at the front door of the County Magistrate's residence?" Xu Qing countered.

"Yes, yes! I, this monk, have long heard that County Magistrate Chen is an upright official who respects Buddhism and Daoism and possesses a compassionate heart! And this residence is a high-walled, wealthy household with plenty of wine and meat; if I don't come here, where else can I go?"

Ever since he became a monk, the Mad Monk had never suffered a loss; he relied on this crazy, nonsensical energy of his!

In his eyes, these younger generations were all too reserved; how could they be a match for someone like him, who was shameless and could rub half a person's worth of dirt off his own body?

Even if they fought, wouldn't they be afraid of getting dirty?

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes at the Mad Monk, knowing he had met his match.

However, he had plenty of ways to make this monk tell the truth.

After a moment of silence, Xu Qing reached out and draped his arm over Xinyuan's shoulder; the two walked with arms linked, and he didn't mind the filth at all.

Just kidding—how many filthy corpses had he not handled in the mortuary? Would he really mind a living person?

Xinyuan turned his head to look at the hand on his shoulder, vaguely feeling that something wasn't right, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

At this moment, Xu Qing gave the Mad Monk no chance to escape. He asked with a smile, "Are you really here to beg for alms?"

"Exactly," the monk nodded.

"Wanting good wine and meat?" Xu Qing continued to press.

"I, this monk, am not happy without meat and not joyful without wine; Benefactor, you should know this..."

"That's good!" Xu Qing's smile grew wider. He patted Xinyuan's shoulder, reached out to take the gourd from his waist, and pulled out the stopper; the mellow aroma of wine instantly overflowed.

"What do you think of this wine?"

"This wine's aroma..."

Monk Xinyuan's eyes lit up, and he praised sincerely, "Good wine! Truly good wine! Only a proper century-old vintage has this kind of flavor."

"Would the Master like to taste it?"

Xinyuan just reached out his hand, but then pulled it back.

Although he was crazy, he wasn't stupid. Why would someone give him good wine for no reason?

"Benefactor, this wine is worth tasting, but if after tasting it, you ask me for wine money, I don't have a single cent!"

Xinyuan sighed, "It's just to say that I, this monk, have no good fortune."

Xu Qing laughed upon hearing this, "No money needed. This wine is my alms to you, Master. As long as you drink the wine and stop tricking other people's children into becoming monks, that will be enough!"

"That is a certainty! I, this monk, am the most law-abiding and would never do such an unscrupulous thing as child trafficking!"

The gourd Xu Qing was handing over suddenly paused. He pulled it back, avoiding Xinyuan's reaching hand, his smile fading: "Wait! Bring the wine gourd from your waist; I'll share some with you."

Taking the wine gourd, Xu Qing poured while keeping an eye on the situation at the County Magistrate's residence in the distance.

At one moment, Xu Qing suddenly exclaimed, "The Magistrate is coming out! And there are two little bald heads!"

Xinyuan hurriedly turned to look, only to see the front gate of the residence tightly shut, with only a crow perched on a stone statue of a Xiezhi at the entrance, burying its head to preen the downy feathers under its wings.

Xinyuan turned back. By now, Xu Qing had finished sharing the wine. He handed the monk's gourd back and said with a chuckle, "The Magistrate chased that little bald head back into the residence again."

The Mad Monk took the gourd, still feeling suspicious.

Did his little apprentice really come out just now?

Before Monk Xinyuan could think it through, he heard Xu Qing speak again: "Look! The Magistrate is truly coming out!"

The monk turned his head and truly saw County Magistrate Chen walking out with a stern face.

Before getting into his sedan chair, the Magistrate specifically instructed the nanny at the door: "You must watch the two young masters well; do not let them come into contact with strangers!"

Early this morning, Chen Liuer had tried to sneak out of the residence; it was fortunate the guards discovered him in time, otherwise, who knew what trouble he would have caused!

At the same time, Xu Qing's slow, leisurely voice sounded behind Xinyuan.

"Chen Liuer and Chen Zi'an's parents are still alive; it is not yet their turn to sever their worldly ties and go to a temple to be wild monks who eat vegetarian food and chant sutras."

"I have watched these two children grow up. I don't care what they become when they are older, but if you dare to trick them away when they know nothing and understand no reason..."

Xu Qing chuckled and turned to walk away into the distance.