Chapter 3580: Discard Falsehood, Preserve Truth

"Xiao Xiao, your name is quite pleasant to hear."

Ye Chen muttered casually, absentmindedly pinching the little cat's chin.

The little cat was well-behaved, half-closing its eyes and slightly lifting its head, allowing him to play with it.

Ye Chen was somewhat surprised, saying: "This little cat is quite bold, not at all afraid of people."

Lin Wan'er smiled and nodded, saying: "Xiao Xiao is more affectionate than ordinary stray cats, perhaps because it's often bullied among other cats, so it finds humans more reliable than its own kind."

After speaking, she watched Ye Chen lower his head, his handsome face and eyebrows, and secretly thought: "If the Young Master knew his mother was still in the mortal world, he would surely be very moved? For twenty years he had believed his close relatives were already gone, never expecting his mother was still alive—surely nothing could bring him greater comfort than this."

At this moment, perhaps enjoying Ye Chen's gentle rubbing, Xiao Xiao slowly rose, arched its back, and tapped the ground a few times with its front paws before darting into Ye Chen's embrace.

Lin Wan'er laughed and said: "It seems Xiao Xiao really likes the Young Master."

Saying this, she took out her phone, opened the camera, and said: "Young Master, allow me to take a photo of you and Xiao Xiao."

Ye Chen gave it no further thought, nodded slightly, and held Xiao Xiao while looking toward the lens.

Lin Wan'er pressed the shutter button, and a close-up high-definition photo was taken. Due to the dim lighting in the courtyard, the phone automatically turned on the flash. In the photo, Ye Chen's sharp features were highlighted by the flash's glow, as if beauty mode had been automatically activated, making him appear even more handsome than in real life.

Lin Wan'er handed the phone to Ye Chen, smiling and saying: "Young Master, take a look—how does the photo turn out?"

Ye Chen didn't mind these things, glanced at it casually, and smiled: "It's quite good."

Lin Wan'er happily smiled, took back her phone, and casually opened WeChat, sending the photo to An Chengxi.

She had never before thought of taking photos of Ye Chen as keepsakes, but just now she wanted to photograph him—first, because the scene of one person and one cat was very harmonious; second, because she wanted to send the photo to An Chengxi to see.

For many years, An Chengxi had dared not come into close contact with Ye Chen. Back when Ye Chen was in the orphanage, perhaps it was still manageable, as she had her own staff secretly take photos for her to see. But these past few years, Ye Chen's strength has grown ever stronger, and the people he kept around him have been withdrawing one by one, maintaining distance. Ordinarily, seeing Ye Chen's close-up photo would be difficult.

At this moment, An Chengxi had already left Jinge Temple and arrived at Qingsen County, several hundred li outside Jinge Temple.

Qing Sen is located in the northernmost part of Japan's main island, renowned for producing apples and other economic crops.

An Chengxi has her own plantation here, as well as a deep-processing production line for apple-related products. Qing Sen's apple output accounts for half of Japan's total, and An Chengxi herself holds half of Qing Sen's share, with the main export operations under her company's control.

After An Chengxi married Ye Changying, besides helping their family earn money, she also used various shell companies and nominee holders to invest in numerous industries worldwide—profitable tech, energy, and industrial enterprises, as well as less profitable small businesses, such as their apple industry investment in Qing Sen: large in scale but with modest actual profits. However, this meant little to them, as their investment in Qing Sen was primarily for the region's geographical conditions and industrial uniqueness, which could bring them many conveniences.

Qingsen County has a low population density, roughly only one-third of Japan's average. The advantage of vast land and sparse population is that it's easier to conceal things, especially plantations like this, which are less likely to be discovered by outsiders.

Moreover, Qing Sen's geographical location is convenient for An Chengxi: a few hundred kilometers south lies the developed regions of Japan's main island, such as Tokyo and Osaka; a few dozen kilometers north is Hokkaido, separated only by the Tsugaru Strait, with an undersea tunnel connecting them. Sailing east leads to the Korean Peninsula and Russia's Far East; sailing west opens onto the vast Pacific Ocean. From Qing Sen Port, reaching San Francisco is only about seven or eight thousand kilometers—truly very convenient.

An Chengxi controls Qing Sen's apple export business, partly through large-scale acquisition of plantations, and partly by suppressing export prices and profits, leaving competitors unable to keep up.

Others grow apples to make money, but she doesn't care whether she profits or not, so her profit margin is the lowest. With low profit margins, the cost-performance ratio naturally appears high to consumers.

An Chengxi's main purpose in controlling Qing Sen's apple exports is to use the export channel to establish an international freight route, allowing her to transport special goods under the guise of apple exports.

Because she feared Ye Chen's investigation, after the passing of the Void Hidden Dharma Master, she relocated here, settling at her largest plantation under her command. Mountains and fields are filled with apple trees, all tended by her people, and she has long established a hidden security system, ensuring her safety here is greatly protected.

At this moment, she was in her private building within the plantation, sipping apple juice she had just pressed using traditional methods, when she suddenly received Lin Wan'er's photo. Overjoyed, she cupped the phone in both hands and carefully examined Ye Chen's image.

She hadn't seen such a clear photo of Ye Chen in a long time. Gazing at her son's handsome features and the rare, relaxed smile as he held the little cat, her mood instantly improved greatly.

At this moment, Sun Sister entered, respectfully saying: "Lady, Jing Qing wishes to see you."

An Chengxi, while enlarging Ye Chen's photo and carefully studying her son's face, smiled and said: "Let Jing Qing come in."

"Yes, Lady."

Sun Sister turned and left, and shortly afterward brought Jing Qing in.

Jing Qing approached An Chengxi, bowed deeply, and said: "Lady, Jing Qing prepares to depart and return to the country. I come to bid you farewell and to see if you have any further instructions for me."

An Chengxi put down her phone, smiled, and said: "Nothing to instruct. You've also worked hard during this time."

"Amitabha." Jing Qing pressed her palms together, respectfully saying: "Lady, you overstate it. To serve you is my blessing."

Toward An Chengxi, Jing Qing is not flattering, but feels genuine respect from the depths of her heart.

Previously, she had wholeheartedly followed the Buddha, believing all beings were equal beneath the Buddha. But after being enlightened by An Chengxi's guidance and attaining the Dao, she realized that originally, both Buddha and Dao lie beneath the Heavenly Dao, and beings are not equal, for each person's distance from the Heavenly Dao differs.

Take herself as an example: after attaining the Dao, her lifespan has increased by dozens, even hundreds of years compared to ordinary people. Is this equality among beings? Certainly not.

An Chengxi herself has not attained the Dao, so her distance from the Heavenly Dao may be far greater than Jing Qing's after her enlightenment. Yet in Jing Qing's view, her opportunity to draw one step closer to touching the Heavenly Dao comes entirely from An Chengxi's support behind the scenes, so she naturally ought to be reverent and grateful toward her.

An Chengxi gazed at Ye Chen's photo for a while longer, then reluctantly put down her phone, first replying to Lin Wan'er with: "Thank you, senior."

Then she said to Jing Qing: "You've been in Japan for a while now, delaying many domestic affairs. Everything here has been settled—go ahead and attend to your own matters."

Jing Qing nodded slightly, saying: "I plan to depart shortly for Tokyo, taking the earliest flight back."

An Chengxi smiled: "Good, decide according to your own time. If you decide to depart later, I will arrange someone to see you off."

At the same time, the top courtyard of Zijin Mountain Villa.

Lin Wan'er smiled as she watched Ye Chen and Xiao Xiao, and softly asked: "Young Master, you said over the phone that you have a new discovery—what exactly is it?"

Ye Chen held Xiao Xiao and said to Lin Wan'er: "Today I met Cai Cai Zi. While chatting with her, I noticed a previously overlooked detail. Back then, she was at Qi Xia Temple, where she was enlightened by a monk named Jing Qing, which allowed her to attain the Dao. I wonder what kind of person would risk exposing themselves to enlighten a stranger?"

Lin Wan'er's heart skipped a beat.

Ye Chen's attention to Monk Jing Qing—doesn't that amount to grasping a corner of An Chengxi's cover?

Thus, she asked Ye Chen: "Young Master, do you think this Monk Jing Qing's identity is worth suspecting?"

"Yes." Ye Chen nodded firmly.

Lin Wan'er, however, said: "Such matters, I dare not say are bad. For cultivators, their own secrets are indeed important, but sometimes they also feel that transmission is necessary—just like her grandfather, who, though in seclusion in the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, still took her father and Wu Fei Yan as disciples."

As she spoke these words, Lin Wan'er felt nearly nauseous in her heart, for she already knew Meng Changsheng's despicable nature, yet to avoid making Ye Chen too suspicious, she could only force herself to feel disgust and use him as an analogy.

But Ye Chen said: "Saying it's for transmission alone might be normal enough, but Cai Cai Zi's going to Qi Xia Temple was not accidental—it was deliberately arranged by someone."

Having said that, he recounted how Cai Cai Zi had been deliberately guided by a woman in the elevator, including the fact that the woman had since gone missing.

Lin Wan'er listened, and her brows involuntarily knit together.

She knew: once Ye Chen grasps the upstream of Cai Cai Zi's enlightenment, this matter will inevitably be exposed.

Moreover, that woman has already left Jin Ling, which only adds weight to Ye Chen's suspicions.

Yet she also knew: An Chengxi is certainly powerless in this matter, for Ye Chen has his means. Even a young woman, let alone Monk Jing Qing—who has some cultivation but not high cultivation—would likely be unable to guard her secrets in his presence. Once Ye Chen finds that woman, everything will be laid bare under his questioning.

Now, she dares not try to guide Ye Chen's judgment any further, for she is a clever woman, and she feels that once Ye Chen begins to notice and analyze these abnormalities around him, his thinking will take on a dialectical and truth-seeking, falsehood-discarding approach. If she keeps trying to steer his judgment, he will surely notice something is off about her.

Thus, Lin Wan'er immediately declared with conviction: "I feel the Young Master's analysis is very reasonable. If Cai Cai Zi was deliberately led to Qi Xia Temple, and then Monk Jing Qing appeared to feign a chance encounter to enlighten her, then this proves they are certainly in league, and perhaps could become an important breakthrough!"

"Right!" Getting Lin Wan'er's affirmation, Ye Chen's confidence soared, and he had no doubts about her earlier guiding words.

He said seriously: "Now trying to find that woman will probably be difficult, but finding Master Jingqing shouldn't be too troublesome. As a well-known figure in Buddhist circles, his whereabouts should be relatively easy to trace. Cai Cai said he recently handled the posthumous affairs of Master Kongyin at Kinkaku-ji in Japan, so he should be returning to China soon!"

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PS: Recently my back has been hurting badly, so updates might be a bit delayed. Please bear with me.