Chapter 288: Master and Disciple

Palace servant: "A monk and a young master say they need to report to the princess, then you'll understand."

Mu Yuanzhi's eyes lit up—Qilin and the others have arrived!

"Please let them in quickly!"

The palace servant hesitated, then asked: "Who are those two? Since this is the attendant's palace, any strangers entering or leaving must be reported to the Ninth Thousand Years."

"Just tell him they're my junior martial brother and... his master." Mu Yuanzhi said offhandedly.

The palace servant nodded: "Understood, I'll have them come in right away."

After a quarter hour, the palace servant led Qilin and the monk in, then withdrew to report back.

"Senior sister!" Qilin exclaimed upon seeing Mu Yuanzhi, rushing over: "Long time no see!"

"Amitabha, Benefactor Mu, greetings."

"Please, Master, look after the child." Mu Yuanzhi smiled at the monk.

"What child? Where is there a child?" Qilin snorted.

Gu Rongjin immediately stepped in front of Qilin, afraid he'd excitedly give Mu Yuanzhi a bear hug.

Besides, men and women shouldn't be intimate—his wife is pregnant now, we can't jostle her belly!

"Be careful with your senior sister's belly's little treasure." Gu Rongjin reminded.

Qilin then remembered this matter, and his dissatisfaction with Gu Rongjin being in the way disappeared.

"Hello, little nephew." Qilin knelt down to greet Mu Yuanzhi's belly.

Mu Yuanzhi couldn't help laughing: "The baby probably can't understand words yet."

Gu Rongjin: "Our baby is so smart, they'll definitely understand!"

Qilin nodded: "Exactly!"

Gu Rongjin raised his eyes to the monk and said: "Master Yuan Yan, you've worked hard on your journey; the room's been cleaned, follow me."

"Thank you, Benefactor Gu, for your trouble."

"What about my room?"

"You'll stay with the master."

"I don't want to! Who wants to stay with him!"

"The poor monk doesn't care; monks consider the four seas their home."

"I do care—what kind of monastic are you? You're just a demon monk!"

Gu Rongjin and Mu Yuanzhi brought the two to their respective rooms to settle in, then went together to the Side Hall to discuss.

He spent an hour explaining in detail the matters that couldn't be fully written in the letter, telling them what had happened these past days.

The overly complex matters left Qilin bewildered; he said, "I'll just focus on the little prince's curse, and leave the rest to the monk."

Monk: "I didn't come to be a guard—how did I end up investigating a case?"

Gu Rongjin: "Master, don't be modest—you're formidable."

The monk smiled without speaking.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door outside, saying news had come from the palace, requesting Qilin and his master to come to the palace's holy presence.

"My master? You?" Qilin looked puzzled at Gu Rongjin.

Mu Yuanzhi: "It's him."

She pointed at the monk.

Monk: "?"

Qilin: "Ah? When did he become my master?!"

Mu Yuanzhi: "Wasn't it just that I couldn't think of anything else earlier? If I don't say he's your master, the master might not be allowed into the attendant's palace."

"The poor monk doesn't mind."

"Of course you don't mind—are you taking advantage, okay?!"

"What advantage are you taking?"

"Get lost!"

Mu Yuanzhi: "Let's get back to the point—it must be the little emperor eagerly wanting to see Qilin, hoping he can cure his own illness, and the little prince truly believes Master Yuan Yan is Qilin's and my master, so he summoned them both."

Monk: "Perfect—I also want to meet that Ninth Thousand Years."

"No delay—let's set off together." Gu Rongjin said.

Mu Yuanzhi: "Where did this 'together' come from? Stay behind—you weren't invited."

Gu Rongjin: ……

It really seems to be the case……

"Fine, you guys be careful." Gu Rongjin said, "But with Master Yuan Yan along, I'm not worried."

Monk: "Leave it all to the poor monk."

"I'll go with you!" Pei Di said, "I can come and go through the palace gate anytime."

"His token hasn't been reclaimed yet."

Qilin: "What's the use of you coming along?"

Pei Di: "I know the imperial palace better than you do."

Mu Yuanzhi nodded: "All right then, Little Di will go with us."

"Little Di? When did you, senior sister, get so close?" Qilin, a bit jealous, said, "You always call me by my full name."

"What do you mean by 'full name'? Isn't that just your nickname?" Gu Rongjin asked.

Qilin: "Qilin is my name!"

Mu Yuanzhi: "I'm just used to calling you that—do you want me to call you Little Qi or Little Lin?"

Qilin frowned upon hearing that: "Everything feels weird……"

"Alright, let's go, stop dawdling." The monk interrupted their pre-departure chatter.

"Calling you Little Qilin is great!" Qilin said.

Monk: "Alright, from now on I'll call you Little Qilin, let's go."

"Who told you to call me that? Who gave you permission?"

Mu Yuanzhi helplessly pulled Qilin along: "Let's go, Little Qilin."

Qilin was instantly appeased, "Mm!"

"That's more like it."

The group of four arrived at the palace, and it was the Nine-Thousand Years who came to greet them.

Mu Yuanzhi whispered to Pei Di: "Little Di, why is this Nine-Thousand Years so idle?"

"At times like this he certainly shows up, but he really is idle—idle to the point of farting." Doing nothing, isn't that idle?

The Nine-Thousand Years seemed not to notice Mu Yuanzhi and Pei Di whispering, his gaze resting on Qilin and the monk as he sized them up, smiling as he stepped forward: "You two must be the Princess's junior disciple and master, nice to meet you, nice to meet you—His Majesty is waiting for the two honored guests."

Qilin also sized up this so-called Nine-Thousand Years—who would think he's a eunuch if he didn't speak? Well, although he isn't really a eunuch, he at least has to put on the airs of one; his arrogance really makes him seem like a prince, and he even lets others call him Nine-Thousand Years.

The monk smiled and returned the salute: "Amitabha, I humbly greet you."

The Nine-Thousand Years' gaze lingered mainly on the monk, with deep meaning.

"May I ask your Dharma name, Master?" the Nine-Thousand Years asked curiously.

"My Dharma name is Yuan Yan."

"Master Yuan Yan, I'm curious—since the Princess and this young master are both your disciples, why are you a monk?" the Nine-Thousand Years asked.

The monk just smiled: "Buddhism values fate; I have a teacher-student affinity with Young Master Qilin and the Princess."

The Nine-Thousand Years raised his brows: "I see."

Mu Yuanzhi slightly regretted having blurted out those nonsense words on the spur of the moment.

"Is Master also from Juechen Valley? I've heard the old valley master of Juechen Valley already……" the Nine-Thousand Years said, scanning them with an inscrutable look.

"That's false information, Eunuch Yao—no wonder, after all this place is far from both the Great Zhou and Juechen Valley, so it's normal you got it wrong." Qilin said.

"I see, is the old valley master still a monk?" the Nine-Thousand Years wondered again: "But no matter how I look at it, Master, you seem quite young."

"Don't judge by his looks—he's actually fifty!" Qilin blurted out a lie.

The monk nearly lost his footing.