Zhao Wu said, "I guess my master prefers meat buns."

Xu Lanyin said, "If he wants to eat meat, he must tell us so himself. We can't actively tempt the monk to break the precepts. It would be a sin."

Zhao Wu laughed again and said, "Sister, do you know why my master, with such high martial arts skills, only became a rice monk?"

Xu Lanyin asked, "Could it be that greed is the cause of the trouble?"

Zhao Wu said, "Smart. Later, after I stayed in the temple for a long time, I heard that he had been beaten and punished for breaking the precepts of eating since he was young. He was beaten when he was young, but now that he is old, the abbot is his nephew, so if it is difficult to beat him, he will punish him by making him face the wall and reflect on his mistakes, eating only three steamed buns a day. Oh, his Dharma name is Jie Chi."

"Jie Chi, how can there be such a strange Buddhist name?" Xu Lanyin was incredulous.

Zhao Wu explained, "The 'chi' here doesn't mean 'chi' in eating, but 'chi' in 'chi' which means 'bookworm'." He was embarrassed to say 'chi' in 'stupid'.

Xu Lanyin chuckled. What a different kind of monk, or rather, a great monk.

Zhao Wu continued, "Two days before my accident, my master was caught killing a wild rabbit and secretly roasting it for food. He was punished to face the wall for three months. I couldn't even bring him food because he was under guard. If he hadn't been punished, perhaps I wouldn't have gotten into trouble."

As he spoke, he walked to a tree with a thick trunk and twisted branches, and all the leaves had fallen off.

Suddenly, he exerted force with his right foot, and his entire body flew into the air. One, two, three, he kicked the tree trunk and branches three times, getting higher and higher. The trunk shook, and two branches were broken by his kick. When he was four or five meters high, he began to fall. He managed to maintain his balance in the air and flipped several times. He fell to the ground, rolled again, and stood up.

Xu Lanyin's blood boiled with excitement. She jumped and clapped her hands, praising him, "So handsome, so beautiful."

Zhao Wu said proudly, "Beautiful, isn't it? When I fell off the cliff, I flipped over and kicked the cliff wall, avoiding a large rock. I hit a tree, broke the tree, and continued to fall. I broke the branches of several trees, kicked the cliff wall again to avoid another large rock, broke two more trees, and finally landed on that old pine tree. At that time, my body felt like it was drained away, without a trace of strength. I thought I would starve to death hanging on the tree and then feed those eagles. I was so lucky that you saw me and saved me."

Xu Lanyin sighed, "First, you had your elder brother and Uncle Yu, and you practiced hard. Then you met your master, and then you met me. None of these things can be missing. You had the right time, right place, and right people. You had everything right. That's why you survived safely."

This child may really be blessed.

Zhao Wu said, "My master said that I have only practiced 30% of my strength. If I can practice 90%, even the top masters will not be able to withstand my three kicks." He then instructed, "This is my unique skill to save my life, sister, don't tell anyone."

Xu Lanyin promised, "Okay, I won't tell anyone."

The two entered the hut, and Xu Lanyin took out a few silver notes from her bosom and gave them to him, saying, "That piece of jade was sold for six hundred and fifty taels of silver."

A few days ago, Zhao Wu gave Xu Lanyin a jade pendant and asked her to pawn it at a pawnshop. Instead of going to the pawnshop, Xu Lanyin went to the Nanping Silver Shop where she had previously sold her dowry. Because she could hear the shopkeeper's actual price and thoughts, she bargained and got a good price.

Zhao Wu had always felt insecure and made various preparations, always wearing a purse around her neck, tucked into her underwear. Inside the purse was a red gold hairpin with a swallow on it, a token of her mother, Zhao, which she always carried close to her. There was also a mutton-fat jade pendant, which he had purchased privately. It was a plain style, without any special markings.

Zhao Wu was surprised and said, "You are really good at selling. I bought this jade pendant for more than 800 taels. I thought it would be good to be worth 400 taels." He left a silver note for 100 taels and stuffed the others into Xu Lanyin's hand. He said, "Take this silver, sister. You saved my life. I will live in your house and eat your food in the future."

Xu Lanyin returned the banknote to him and said, "My family can't afford to support a young master like you. Living in my house is only temporary. You have to find a job to support yourself in the future. You must be independent and don't think about living off your savings. Save this money for buying a house, getting married, and raising children in the future."

Zhao Wu stubbornly stuffed the banknote back into Xu Lanyin's hand and said, "Sister, you've made me sound so useless. I'll definitely have to find a job to earn money in the future, not only to support myself, but also to buy flowers for you. This is my life-saving money and my future food and rent money, so take it, sister." He added, "My life is far from being so worthless. When I make more money in the future, I will definitely give more to mother and sister. As for getting married, I won't think about it in the next few years."

Xu Lanyin was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. She was so young and yet someone was already showing her filial respect.

She looked at Zhao Wu, who looked stubborn, and said, "Okay, I'll keep it for you first and give it to you when you need it." She also reminded him, "Don't call me random names. Call me Auntie. It's hard to change when you get used to calling me that."

I reminded the naughty kid many times, and he agreed every time, but he still often barked.

Xu Lanyin put the banknote away and took out a small porcelain box to apply the Jade Regenerating Ointment to Zhao Wu. This precious ointment was rubbed around the edges of two large scabs. There was still some left on her hand, so she rubbed it on other healed scars. She then instructed, "Don't wash your face for three days."

Zhao Wu smiled and said, "I heard that the old doctor has three treasures, one of which is the Jade Skin Regenerating Cream. If this cream is that kind of magic medicine, it would be great. I won't be disfigured and can still continue to be a gigolo."

Xu Lanyin said that the ointment was given by Grandpa Zhang, who was suspected to be a miracle doctor, but she didn't say that she also believed it was the Ruyu Regenerating Skin Ointment. She said, "I hope so. If this medicine really heals your face, you will owe me a big favor."

Zhao Wu flattered, "Even my life belongs to me, so this face and all the favors I have received from adults also belong to me."

Xu Lan laughed and said, "I only want your favor. I don't want your life or your face."

The two were close to each other. Zhao Wu looked at Xu Lanyin's slightly dark skin and relatively large pores and said, "Sis, it doesn't matter if a man is a little ugly. You should keep this medicine for me. I heard that the Jade Skin Regenerating Cream can make the skin fair and smooth."

Xu Lanyin suddenly remembered what he had said to scold her before, and she was so angry that she twisted his ear and scolded him, "You called me an ugly girl, annoying, and unmarriageable. You said you didn't want me to look at you anymore. You also said that I looked like your nightshade incense cleaner when I wore a handkerchief and wanted to stuff it into the toilet... You naughty boy, you think too highly of yourself. When did I ever fall in love with you?"

There were other things she couldn't bring herself to say. He secretly thought she was tall, big-breasted, and had rough skin. She might be in her twenties. He wondered why she wasn't married at such an age, still wearing her hair in twin buns. He figured she must be engaged, but perhaps mourning was holding off. He also thought her skin was dark and rough, and she should apply more balm...

Thinking of this, Xu Lanyin exerted a little more strength in her hands.

PS: The third update will be posted in the evening.