Yangzhou Twelve

Qin Zhi, who had been kicked out, stroked his chin and looked at Yiyuan, who was sitting on a stone bench outside the bedroom and chanting sutras. He then looked back at the bedroom that belonged to Yiyuan and said, "I said, I'm leaving, but aren't you the abbot here? Why were you kicked out too?"

Qin Zhi could understand his brother-in-law kicking him out, but he found it a little strange that Yiyuan, the head of the family, was also thrown out. And Yiyuan actually came out so naturally.

"These are all matters of the mundane world. I am no longer a mortal, so it's best not to listen," Yiyuan replied without opening his eyes. He had no interest in getting involved in official affairs, even if he had to lend his bedroom out. Of course, this had nothing to do with the fact that many of Dayin Temple's offerings came from the families of officials.

He is a person from outside the world, and money is like clouds to him.

"Master Yiyuan, the breeze and the moon are so bright..." Qin Zhi curled his lips and gave him a fake smile. If he could get him, he would reduce the incense money by 100 taels this year.

Suddenly, a clanging sound came from the archway of the courtyard, and Yiyuan looked over vigilantly.

At the archway, Aunt Song looked at the monk sitting on the stone bench in the courtyard with surprise, her eyes slightly red. "Hu... Hu Zi?"

Qin Zhi subconsciously glanced at Yiyuan beside him, only to see him stand up without changing his expression, clasping his hands in greeting. "Donor, this is the temple's sleeping quarters, closed to the public. If you get lost, I can have someone take you back to the main hall."

"No, you, you are..." Aunt Song's voice was hoarse, tears were in her eyes, she walked over with trembling steps and wanted to reach out to touch him.

Yiyuan's face was calm, with an almost indifferent compassion in his eyes. He bowed gently without flinching or avoiding and said, "My name is Yiyuan, and I am the acting abbot of Dayin Temple."

Aunt Song's face turned pale, her trembling hands hanging in the air. Under that calm gaze, she never dared to touch the person in front of her, "Abbot... you, you are a monk? How can it be... No, you are obviously Hu Zi, Hu Zi, I, I am your mother..."

"Donor, you must have recognized the wrong person. I have been a monk since I was young, and I have no parents to worry about in this worldly world." Yiyuan replied without changing his expression.

"No, it's impossible... I, I..." Aunt Song looked at him in panic, at a loss.

Qin Zhi blinked at the excited look on Yiyuan's face. He could see no emotion in Yiyuan's eyes, as if he didn't recognize the person before him at all. His subordinates had reported on Aunt Song's search for her son, but he had heard that Yiyuan and Aruo had known each other since childhood. If she was really Yiyuan's biological mother, how could Aruo not know?

"Auntie Song, Master Yiyuan has known us since childhood. Perhaps you really have recognized the wrong person." Seeing the old lady's face getting paler and paler, Qin Zhi couldn't bear it and went forward to support her. "Don't worry, I have sent someone to help you find the whereabouts of the child. I believe there will be a reply soon."

Aunt Song looked at Yiyuan, with doubt in her eyes, "You, you really are not..."

"I am indeed not Hu Zi." Yiyuan nodded slightly, with the usual kindness of a monk in his expression.

Aunt Song stared blankly at the face that bore the shadow of her son. The narrow eyes filled with indifference and pity made her heart ache. She murmured with trembling lips, "How could it be..."

Qin Zhi felt a little uncomfortable seeing her like this. His mother passed away early and it was Qin Shuang who raised him. His biological mother was already vague in his memory, but the natural bond between mother and son was still there.

"The time for preaching has come, so I will leave first." After giving Qin Zhi a look, Yiyuan bowed respectfully and turned to leave.

"Master Yiyuan," Aunt Song suddenly called out, "Master, you have profound Buddhist teachings. Could you please tell me if my son and I will ever meet again?"

He paused slightly, turned around, and clasped his hands together. "The Buddha said, if the fate is deep, people will gather together, and if the fate is shallow, people will separate. All things are determined by fate. If you don't seek, you won't suffer."

After saying that, he left without stopping.

Aunt Song closed her eyes, two lines of tears fell silently, and her whole body was trembling.

Qin Zhi helped Aunt Song out of the bedroom. He had no experience in coaxing women. The women in the family were all tougher than each other and didn't need his coaxing. At this moment, he could only pretend not to see Aunt Song's tears and chattered about the clues he had found to comfort her.

Not long after he left the courtyard, a figure suddenly rushed out, frightening Qin Zhi so much that he took a step back to protect Aunt Song. Suddenly, a pair of hands reached out and held his face directly.

Qin Zhi stared blankly at the middle-aged woman with messy hair in front of him. He rolled his eyes, not daring to move. "Madam, please, may I help you?"

Under the guidance of his elder sister, he kept himself clean and never messed around with women, young or old!

"Mother!" Soon, Cheng Sheng hurried out from another courtyard and hugged the woman tightly. "It's not him. He is not my sister."

"No, he is handsome, like your father. People say girls resemble their fathers..." The woman pushed him away, held Qin Zhi's face again, and smiled gently.

Qin Zhi bent over and rolled his eyes at Cheng Sheng, but it was not easy to push the woman away.

"Mother, apart from his figure, he doesn't look like father in any way." Could it be that his father has been dead for so long that his mother has forgotten what he looked like? Cheng Sheng pulled the woman away in shame and clasped his fists towards Qin Zhi. "I'm sorry, Young Master Qin, my mother missed her so much that she misunderstood... She always thought I looked like her, and that my sister must look like father."

Qin Zhi waved his hands awkwardly, and carefully glanced at the woman who kept glancing at him, "You and your mother...are not very similar."

Cheng Sheng was a tall and burly man, his beard covering two-thirds of his face. But his long eyes looked nothing like the woman's round, almond-shaped eyes. Were not only civil officials but also military commanders lying so openly these days?

Madam Cheng's eyes suddenly turned red. "You don't look like your father either. If Rou'er doesn't look like me and your father, how can I know she is Rou'er... I, I will never be able to find her... I, I..."

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became. Mrs. Cheng's face turned pale and she fell precariously into her son's arms.

"Mom!" Cheng Sheng was so scared that he picked up his mother in a panic.

"Don't move," Aunt Song said, her sorrow dissipating somewhat after being interrupted. She reached over and took Madam Cheng's pulse. "She was just agitated for a moment, but her pulse is blocked. It seems she has a chronic illness. We need to take a closer look."

Cheng Sheng looked at her warily, "Who is this lady..."

"Auntie Song is a doctor." Qin Zhi chose the most appropriate word.

"Take her back first. If you don't mind, I can take a closer look." Aunt Song wiped the remaining tears from the corners of her eyes and said calmly.

"Then..." Cheng Sheng hesitated for a moment, but his mother had indeed been a little abnormal these past two days, so he could only nod and agree, "Thank you, Doctor Song."

Qin Zhi watched them turn into the courtyard and breathed a sigh of relief, "It's really lively today."

"This Dayin Temple is really lively..."

The man wiped the sweat from his forehead, gazed thoughtfully back at the hall behind him, and rubbed his aching legs with a wry smile. Climbing nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, passing through every hall door, witnessing the myriad forms of sentient beings praying to the gods, finally reaching the back hall, only to encounter a series of life-like scenes. This feeling... is truly indescribable.

That's why he didn't like temples. Such a peaceful place hid so many secrets and desires. It was worse than a bright and open place...

"Master Jing?"

Suddenly, a surprised voice came from the front. The man looked up, smiled slightly, and said politely, "Young Master Qin, long time no see."

Qin Zhi stared at the man strolling towards him in astonishment, his mind a little confused. Marquis Dingbei was here, why was he here too?

The man was wearing a clean and comfortable green robe. His appearance was not outstanding, but his facial features were very delicate. He had a strong scholarly air and his demeanor was calm and leisurely.

Jing Lan looked at Qin Zhi's silly look with amusement. Just as he was about to say something, a loud roar came from the side.

"Third Master!"

Qin Zhi and the other man looked over and saw a man in a white monk's robe looking at Jing Lan excitedly.

Today is indeed lively. Qin Zhi's mind inexplicably flashed through these words.

"Xuanqing, don't talk nonsense. This is the magistrate of Futian County, Lord Jing Lanjing." Qin Zhi knew that Xuanqing was a person recruited by Aruo and Yiyuan, and he used to be a gangster, so he quickly reminded him.

Xuan Qing ignored him and rushed over to kneel down in front of Jing Lan, "Third Master, I didn't expect you to be alive. I'm Bai Yong. I'm so happy. I'll be here chanting sutras for you every day..."

Jing Lan chuckled, his eyebrows curved, and he reached out to help Xuan Qing up. "Thank you very much. I didn't expect to meet you again. It really is fate. You... became a monk?"

There were only five children who were released eight years ago. In the vast sea of ​​people, I thought it was a farewell forever, but I didn't expect to see them again one day. Jing Lan was very pleased to see that the boy had grown strong now. Although he converted to Buddhism, it was still a good choice.

"Yes, Third In Command, I'm ashamed of you. I was a gangster hanging around in casinos these years and did some bad things. Fortunately, I met the girl from the Tiger Village and Master Yiyuan. They asked me to convert to Buddhism to atone for my sins." Xuan Qing still feels ashamed when he thinks about it now.

The Third Master had risked letting them go in order to give these poor people a chance to survive, and he had failed to live up to that kindness. Fortunately, one of them remembered their original intention and led him back to the right path.

"Girl?" Jing Lan's expression changed slightly, and a hint of darkness flashed across his eyes.

Impossible. When he massacred the village, he only let five boys go. How could there be a girl? Given the situation back then, with that man's anger and bloody methods, it was impossible for anyone to escape.

When Jing Lan looked up at Xuan Qing, whose face was filled with excitement, he had suppressed all his inner thoughts and said with approval, "Indeed, admitting one's mistakes is the best way to improve. By the way, that little girl you mentioned... is she also from Menghuzhai? Do I know her?"

Xuan Qing didn't notice his strangeness. She was delighted by his praise and grinned, "I don't know if Third Master would recognize her. She is Second Master's subordinate and is now called Miss Aruo. If it weren't for her, I would have been killed by Lord Su of the Ministry of Justice."

"Cough cough cough..." Qin Zhi was so scared that he started coughing violently as soon as he finished speaking. Did he hear something strange? It's impossible. A'ruo was from the Shen family of Qishan. She was his brother-in-law's sister. Even... Qin Zhi looked at Jing Lan. The person in front of him had offended Dingbei Hou for A'ruo four years ago. How could it be possible...

Jing Lan was rarely shocked by anything over the years, but at this moment he really couldn't react.

Among the three, only Xuan Qing clasped his hands together without any distractions. "Amitabha, although Miss Aruo is a subordinate of the Second In Command, she is still young and a girl. After leaving the Tiger Stronghold, she found her family. There is also Master Yiyuan. He seems to be from the Tiger Stronghold as well, but I don't know if he is from the Second In Command's side."

Second in command, Meng Bahai? Impossible… That young man who slaughtered the village back then specifically targeted the second in command's men. The trigger for their actions was a falling out between the two Meng brothers, with Meng Batian imprisoned by his younger brother. It's possible that the eldest in command, Meng Batian, had sent the remaining criminals away, but the second in command…

Jing Lan's heart was filled with turbulent waves, but his face remained calm. Only his eyes became more solemn. He said softly, "Okay, you have left the world of mortals. Don't mention the past to anyone else. Lest you put others in danger."

Xuan Qing looked around cautiously. "I know, that's because I met the Third Master... No, Master Jing, I was so excited that I said something wrong. Young Master Qin is an old friend of Miss Aruo and Master, so I lied."

"Alright, Xuanqing, your master's gone to give a lecture, are you still slacking off here?" Qin Zhi was terrified that this guy would reveal something more, so he quickly sent them away. After all, Cheng and Su were still nearby. He secretly decided that once his brother-in-law finished his confession, he would rush back home and force a confession from that girl.

Xuan Qing quickly glanced at the sky and bowed, "Then Master Jing, I will take my leave now."

Jing Lan nodded, and waited until he was far away before slowly turning back to look at the bedroom. "It's really lively now."

Ignoring Qin Zhi's probing gaze, Jing Lan walked towards the bedroom with his hands behind his back, "Stop looking, follow me."