"We've already said he's a reclusive master; how could a lowly security escort agency like ours possibly know him..."
Guo Qinglan's tone became somewhat downcast as she spoke, seemingly expressing genuine admiration for this extraordinary person she had never met, and clearly holding him in extremely high regard.
Cheng Ruyi pressed on, "Never heard of it? Did you write to your father to ask? Did he not know either?"
“My father has no clue either.” Guo Qinglan shook her head and sat down again. “In recent decades, due to the instability of the court, the martial arts world has also been in turmoil. Many sects have chosen to retire or disband. As for the current state of the martial arts world in Dayue, few people really know.”
After spending most of the day on it, we still don't know the old Taoist priest's background!
The only good news is that the old Taoist priest kept his promise and took the blame for concealing her existence. In any case, he should at least be a trustworthy person.
Well, I guess we won't have a chance to meet again in the future, so let's not dwell on this anymore!
“Sigh, you have no idea how miserable those people who were captured and taken to the mountain stronghold were. According to the bandits, in the past year or so, they have captured at least a thousand people and taken them up the mountain, but in the end, less than two hundred people were rescued…” Guo Qinglan became more and more angry as she spoke. Although she had not seen it with her own eyes, she could imagine how shocking the scene must have been just from hearing other people’s descriptions.
She slammed her hand on the table and said fiercely, "Those wicked bandits should all be sentenced to death!"
As someone who had personally witnessed the situation inside the mountain stronghold, Cheng Ruyi's feelings were naturally more complicated at this moment. However, Guo Qinglan's words suddenly reminded her of something: Didn't Old Man Ding say that his eldest daughter and her family were captured by bandits on their way from the prefectural city?
So, is it possible that he was captured and taken to Wolong Village?
So she immediately asked Guo Qinglan, "What's happening to those people who were captured and taken to the mountain stronghold? What are the government's plans? Do you have a list of those people here?"
Although Luo Xian was unreliable, he always followed the rules and regulations very rigidly when it came to basic official duties. So the list was neatly placed in the county government office early on. Cheng Ruyi did see several people with the surname Ding on the list, so even though the probability was low, she still decided to tell Old Man Ding.
Currently, almost all of the hundred or so victims are sick or injured, and very few of them are able to take care of themselves. It is impossible for them to even leave Nanyang County, let alone be repatriated.
Fortunately, under pressure from various parties, the magistrate of Nanyang County was relatively benevolent and settled these people in batches in several temples and monasteries on the outskirts of Nanyang County, promising to take care of them temporarily.
Upon hearing Cheng Ruyi's words, Old Ding and his family knelt down on the spot without hesitation, expressing their hope to take a few days off to visit Nanyang County. They did not want to miss any possibility.
Cheng Ruyi naturally agreed, but firstly, she was worried about the Ding family going to Nanyang County on their own, since heavy snow often blocked the roads and the weather was extremely unstable. Secondly, she herself wanted to go and see the specific situation, hoping she could be of some help. In any case, since she had started this matter, she wanted it to have a good ending.
So early on the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Cheng Ruyi, along with You Sanniang, Old Man Ding, and his wife Liu, set off for the neighboring county.
Originally, the plan was for Old Man Ding and his eldest son Ding Tiezhu to go, but Liu was worried that if something happened to her daughter and granddaughter, it would be more suitable for a woman to take care of them. Moreover, as a mother and grandmother, she was naturally the person they could trust the most.
Cheng Ruyi strongly agreed with Liu's suggestion. It seems that the Ding family's unity and friendship are largely due to Liu's personality and way of dealing with people.
Thanks to the large number of people traveling during the Spring Festival, the snow on the official road had been cleared, so the group arrived in Nanyang County before noon.
To improve efficiency, Cheng Ruyi decided to split the group into two: first, Ding Laohan would take them to the nunnery, and then he would drive to a nearby temple to search for them.
Perhaps it was good luck, but they unexpectedly found their granddaughter and grandson in a nunnery they arrived at. However, the granddaughter Chen Ming's physical condition was not optimistic, and her breathing was very weak. Her younger brother Chen Liang, on the other hand, was also covered in injuries, but he was still conscious.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Ruyi immediately took out the prepared "basic healing pills" and gave them to the two children, intending to save their lives first and then slowly recuperate them after taking them back.
After all, there were many people around, and she didn't want to perform some kind of miraculous cure in public.
After taking the pills, the little girl's breathing became noticeably stronger, and the little boy was also able to muster the energy to recognize his grandmother and recount what had happened to his family after they were arrested.
On the very first day they were captured, their father, Chen Caogen, was beaten to death for resisting and trying to escape. Their mother, Ding Damei, was left to protect the two children alone and had no choice but to submit. She died of illness not long after being taken to Wolong Village. Fortunately, she had been noticed by a bandit leader named Xiaotoumu. Because of the months Ding Damei had followed him, the bandit leader would occasionally take care of the two children after her death.
Thanks to this transitional period, the two children have gradually figured out how to survive in the mountain village. Chen Ming used herbs to keep the scars on his and his brother's bodies festering and not healing. When the people in the village saw the two children covered in disgusting scars and smelling extremely foul, they were worried about being infected, so they simply threw them into the mines behind the mountain to do hard labor.
Although the days of doing manual labor were very hard, the two children had grown up in the mountain village and could do all kinds of odd jobs. They could also occasionally find food in the wild, so they could barely make ends meet. At least it was safer than staying in the mountain village.
After hearing Chen Liang's description, everyone felt very depressed, especially Liu, who almost cried herself to sleep. She wanted to hug her granddaughter and grandson tightly, but she was afraid of hurting them. She could only gently stroke their thinning hair and keep murmuring, "It's okay, Grandma is here!" "Don't be afraid, it's all over now!"
To be honest, the fact that these two children are still alive today is mainly due to their own resourcefulness and caution, in addition to their mother's early help and a bit of luck.
Cheng Ruyi was quite surprised that someone so young could survive for so long in such an environment without the protection of adults.
The women were talking and crying in a corner of the main hall of the nunnery. Meanwhile, several nuns moved around the hall, carefully taking care of the other patients.
When Cheng Ruyi first entered, she looked around. This nunnery, named Jingsi Nunnery, was not a large place. Apart from the main hall, which was somewhat presentable, the other courtyards were quite dilapidated, indicating that it was not a place with great religious significance.
In this hall, which is less than 100 square meters in size, there are now twenty or thirty people lying densely packed together, so crowded that there is almost no room to stand.
With the weather so cold these days, the three braziers in the main hall are simply not enough to keep us warm, but this is perhaps the best that Jing Si Nunnery can offer.
Cheng Ruyi thought for a moment. When they went out, they brought four cotton-padded coats, two cotton quilts, 100 kilograms of rice, and three phoenix-tailed chickens. Although these supplies certainly couldn't save everyone, she had a cheat code. No matter what, she could save at least one person.
So she told one of the young nuns what she wanted and was taken to the kitchen in the backyard.
When Old Man Ding left them, he took half of the supplies with him. Now Cheng Ruyi only has fifty catties of rice and two chickens. However, the rice is more than enough to cook a large pot of chicken porridge that is enough to feed thirty people!
Half an hour later, a rich aroma spread throughout the entire Jing Si Nunnery. Even Abbess Hui Ci, the abbess of Jing Si Nunnery, was startled and couldn't help but run to the kitchen to find out what was going on. When did their nunnery become able to eat chicken so openly?
Fortunately, Cheng Ruyi had prepared plain porridge with only spiritual spring water for the nuns in advance, and explained to the abbess that she had brought the ingredients herself and intended to donate them to the nunnery to take care of these poor people, so the abbess's face was not so dark.
After the chicken porridge was cooked, it was distributed to the women and children in the main hall. One of the women suddenly burst into tears while drinking it. For some reason, everyone seemed to be infected by it and started crying as well. In an instant, the entire hall was filled with the mournful cries of women.
"Amitabha Buddha~~ They are all pitiful people!" Upon seeing this, Abbess Huici walked to the Guanyin Bodhisattva statue in the center of the main hall, sat down, and silently began to recite scriptures.
While Cheng Ruyi was cooking porridge, Old Man Ding returned after searching two nearby temples to no avail. He listened to the news calmly, then silently stayed outside the temple guarding the donkey cart.
Cheng Ruyi went to him to move all the supplies from the car to the nunnery's storeroom. Miaozhen, the young nun who had been helping cook porridge, couldn't help but ask upon seeing the supplies, "Benefactor Cheng... how many days are you staying here? Why did you bring so much luggage?"
“The nunnery is already overcrowded, so we don’t intend to disturb you any longer. We will leave before dark. These supplies are a donation to the nunnery.” As she spoke, Cheng Ruyi took out a twenty-tael silver note from her bosom and handed it to the young nun with both hands. “This money may not be of much help, but it is my token of appreciation. Please accept it, young nun.”
Upon hearing this, Miaozhen's eyes widened immediately. Her innocent face, coupled with her surprised expression, made her look somewhat adorable and bewildered.
Jing Si Nunnery is not a famous nunnery, and the abbess does not like to deal with wealthy families in the city. Normally, they can barely make ends meet and support themselves. However, since taking in those women and children, life at the nunnery has become increasingly difficult, and they themselves have been hungry and cold for several days!
Although she grew up in a nunnery, Miaozhen was still just a teenager. She tried to suppress her excitement and the corners of her mouth turn up, and said as calmly as possible, "This is a decision Miaozhen cannot make on her own. Please wait a moment, Benefactor Cheng, while I go ask the abbot!"
“Okay…” Cheng Ruyi looked at the little nun who couldn’t wait for her to return and rushed to the main hall, and couldn’t help but show a kind smile.
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