Chapter 84: One wrong step, all wrong steps

Xiao Nanyue stared at his mother, narrowing his eyes slightly. His narrow eyes were like a deep pool, with a cold light hidden in them.

After a while, he slowly spoke with a sigh:

"Mother, Buddhism teaches us to refrain from all evil and to practice all good. This is the foundation of spiritual practice. Harming others is like a dark fire that will eventually burn itself. Speaking falsehood is like a mirror covered in dust, unable to reflect the true self."

He paused slightly, his eyes sweeping towards the Buddha statue in the ancestral hall, where incense smoke curled up, his expression solemn:

"Tonight's incident concerns human life. I know full well that mother is a devout Buddhist. However, if I conceal the truth and mislead others due to a momentary impulse, wouldn't that be contrary to Buddhist principles?"

Su Xianrou's originally pale face turned even more bloodless:

"Yan'er, Xiyan, she shouldn't be in danger of losing her life."

Xiao Nanyan's eyes became even colder when he heard this:

"Mother, how do you know her life is safe? Or, can you tell me the truth about what happened in the Brahma Sound Temple today?"

"No, no!"

Su Xianrou immediately denied it.

"Mother, you are praying for my father's rebirth in paradise. This is a great act of kindness. However, according to Buddhist teachings, karma is a cycle, and retribution is inevitable. If you, mother, caused someone's life to be lost due to a single thought, you will be entangled in this evil karma and will hinder your spiritual practice. Even if my father's spirit remains in the afterlife, it will be difficult for him to escape the suffering of reincarnation. How can he safely ascend to paradise?"

Su Xianrou subconsciously clenched the Buddhist beads in her hand:

"He, he promised mother that he would never harm Xiyan's life, but she can no longer stay in Yandu..."

"who?!"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Nanyan's pupils suddenly shrank and the aura around him instantly condensed.

"Yan'er, don't force your mother!"

Su Xianrou was frightened by Xiao Nanya's cold look. All the strength seemed to be drained from her body. She slumped in the chair, and the round Buddhist beads in her hands collided with each other under her trembling fingertips.

After that, no matter how Xiao Nanyan pressed the issue, Su Xianrou kept her lips tightly shut, her eyes dodged, and she didn't utter a single word.

The atmosphere in the ancestral hall instantly dropped to freezing point.

Xiao Nanyan had never expected that his mother had always been a vegetarian and a Buddhist, and should not have been disturbed by worldly affairs. Now, for the sake of an outsider, she kept her mouth shut to her own son.

This made him more and more suspicious about who his mother was making friends with outside that made her protect him so much?

It seems that Xiyan must have witnessed something secret, which led that person to want to kill her to silence her!

My mother has always been kind and would definitely not want to be involved in human life. So the man used sweet words to deceive my mother and just sent Xiyan out of Yandu, away from the place of trouble.

Who on earth is this person who can easily control my mother's mind?

Xiao Nanyan took two steps back, trying his best to suppress the emotions surging in his heart, and his face gradually returned to calm:

"Since mother doesn't want to say it, I won't force her. But mother, you have to trust Yan'er's methods. No matter how that person hides, I will find out sooner or later!"

Su Xianrou's face was filled with panic when she heard this:

"Yan'er, why do you have to investigate this matter? Although Xiyan is loyal to the palace, she is, after all, just a servant. He promised me that he would never harm Xiyan's life, but would only send her out of Yandu and give her a generous sum of money to free her from slavery. Isn't this a good thing for her?"

"not good!"

Xiao Nanyan's voice suddenly became icy cold, like the frost in December:

"If you were to punish any of the maids in the palace, I wouldn't ask a single question. But not Xiyan!"

The toffee opened her eyes wide and looked at her son in disbelief, as if she understood something at that moment.

Her lips trembled slightly, and she stammered, "Could it be that you, you and her..."

Xiao Nanyan did not give her the opportunity to continue asking questions, but just said coldly:

"It's getting late, mother, please go to bed early!"

After saying this, he bowed respectfully and left.

Su Xianrou looked at her son's back as he left resolutely, and felt her heart beating non-stop.

Her legs felt weak, and she stumbled to the Buddha again, kneeling on the thin cushion, staring straight at the spirit tablet of her late husband Xiao Beicheng. A line of tears slowly slid down her cheek, and she muttered to herself:

"One wrong step, all wrong steps. Bei Cheng, what should I do?"