"What money? Someone you know?"
Yikong didn't say anything, just smiled faintly.
The more he did this, the more nervous Hao Bai became.
"What's so funny?! Let me tell you, you're a monk from the mountains, you haven't seen much of the world. When you're out and about, you shouldn't stop your car just because it's on the road. Mountain bandits always rob cars like this. If you were to encounter one, you'd probably have to fight them off for two or three rounds."
"Bandits?" Yikong's tone was still slow, but his men were urging the ox on happily. "Do you and I have anything that those bandits can rob?"
Hao Bai was speechless for a moment, but the humiliation of the past was still vivid in his mind, and he soon came up with a more terrifying idea for himself.
"Not only do they rob people of their money, they also capture men and bring them back to the village to be played with by the female bandit leader. Don't think they'll let you go just because you're a monk..."
As they were talking, the ox cart carrying the two of them came closer to the poplar tree. The carriage under the poplar tree and the scholar in the green hat standing in front of the carriage were all visible clearly.
Scholar? This bandit wouldn't bring a scholar with him during a carjacking, would he?
Hao Bai's heart, which had been in his throat, finally relaxed a little.
The ox cart stopped under the shade of the poplar trees, opposite the two horse-drawn carriages.
The air was stagnant for a moment, and then a series of loud snoring sounds came from the car, and after a pause, it returned to silence.
Hao Bai was somewhat surprised and confused, but the scholar beside the carriage lowered his head out of embarrassment, leaned close to the window, coughed violently, and whispered.
"Teacher, someone is coming."
There was a dull sound inside the carriage, and after a long time, someone opened the window.
Hao Bai looked at the face behind the car window and widened his eyes in disbelief.
Yikong obviously already knew the result.
After all, there have been thousands of carriages coming up the mountain over the years, and he always remembers which family gave more money for incense offerings.
"Is the Prime Minister in good health recently?"
"Everything is fine." Bai Zhaoyu smiled, his beard hidden behind the curtain trembling. "It's just that I often have light sleep at night and many dreams. I can't sleep well. I wanted to go to the temple to ask for more of the calming incense, but I was told that the monk had already left the mountain. That's why I'm waiting here."
"I'm out of incense, but I do have a talisman. If you don't mind, Prime Minister, please accept it."
After Yikong finished speaking, he took out a thin piece of letter from his robe.
Bai Zhaoyu nodded, and the scholar beside the carriage respectfully took the letter from Yikong and handed it to his teacher.
Although Bai Zhaoyu held the letter in his hand, he did not rush to open it.
"As the saying goes, in troubled times, no news is good news. I wonder if this is a talisman for peace or a curse for suffering?"
Yikong pondered for a moment, and the smile on his face faded for a moment.
"I made a promise to my master, but I haven't been able to fulfill it yet. Now that I have finished my lessons, I have some insights, but I can't say whether they are happy or sad, good or bad. However, if the Prime Minister needs some sleep, please wait until you have enough sleep before reading this."
After getting enough sleep? He hadn't gotten enough sleep since a month or so ago.
The old prime minister cursed inwardly and said no more. He turned around, took out a box from the carriage, and asked the scholar to pass it to the young monk.
"Master and Mr. Qu must have endured many hardships on this journey. His Majesty once instructed this old minister to offer all possible assistance to those traveling far away. This box and the carriage over there are a token of our appreciation. I wish you both a smooth journey and all the best."
Yikong took it readily. As soon as he touched the box, he knew how many taels of silver were stuffed in it, and his smile became even wider.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your care and thank you, Prime Minister, for seeing me off. The journey is long, and I will be on my way now. May you sleep well every night."
After saying that, Yikong jumped off the ox cart nimbly and quickly got on the empty horse-drawn carriage, dragging Hao Bai and the luggage.
Before leaving, he remembered something and leaned out half of his body.
"Ah, one more thing."
The scholar looked up when he heard this, and Bai Zhaoyu opened the car window again.
"What is it?"
Yikong pointed to the side politely.
"This ox and this cart are one of the three treasures of my temple. Please help return them, Prime Minister. I will be grateful."
After saying this, Yikong didn't wait for the other party to respond. He shook the reins and drove away quickly in the carriage.
The freshly fed horses galloped at full speed, leaving behind only a trail of dust in the blink of an eye. The scholar looked in the direction where the carriage had disappeared, then glanced at the ox cart in front of him, and suddenly felt a little indignant.
"Teacher, why do people always want to borrow your carriage? It would be fine if they just borrowed it, but they never return it. Isn't that shameless..."
"How dare you!" Bai Zhaoyu angrily scolded, "How can you criticize that person?"
The scholar stopped talking and went to lead the ox that was chewing the grass with a wronged look on his face.
"But you're right." Bai Zhaoyu restrained his expression and touched the letter left by Yikong. "Next time, I have to ask for some benefits back, including the money for the tranquilizing incense..."
Having said this, he suddenly stopped and then rolled up the car window.
"Pooh, pooh, pooh, there won't be a next time!"
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