"Xiao'er, did you bring Luo's belongings?"
A moment later, Master Yuankong stopped striking the wooden fish, closed his eyes, and kept turning the prayer beads in his palm.
Xiao Zhuo paused, then said in a low voice, "No."
“I remember telling you that I became Master Yuankong because I predicted some disasters that would happen in the Southern Liang Dynasty and thus comprehended Buddhist scriptures.”
"Um?"
Xiao Zhuo was puzzled, wondering why the old monk would bring up this matter.
"Last night, the immortal appeared to me in a dream again, saying that the Ziwei star in the southeast corner was dim and shrouded in black mist, which might bring disaster to the country."
Xiao Zhuo pondered for a moment, his brows furrowing. The Purple Star symbolized the emperor of Southern Liang; its dimness... could it be...?
"Is this related to that Taoist priest?"
Mo Huaiyu, the Taoist who stole Jiu'er's eyes, came up with such a sinister and vicious method, and lay low for decades, all for the sake of disrupting the prosperous Southern Liang Dynasty.
"Taoist priest?"
Then, Xiao Zhuo recounted the whole story in detail.
"Mo Huaiyu?"
Upon hearing this name, Master Yuankong gave a forced smile.
"His Buddhist name is Xuanyu, which must be his secular name. When I saw Luo's symptoms, he was the first person I thought of. I felt that if he were still in the temple, he might have some other way to cure Luo in one go."
I never imagined that Luo's tragic state was her doing.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhuo frowned deeply. "Master, do you know him?"
Master Yuankong put down his prayer beads, looked up at the golden Buddha statue in front of him, and slowly began to speak.
"He grew up with me. You know my personality; I'm childish and a bit lazy. He did a lot of things for me."
The temple has a rule that every five years, one outstanding disciple is selected to become the abbot, and thereafter, there is a high chance that they will become the next abbot.
At this point, Master Yuankong lowered his eyes and continued in a low voice:
"He was better than me in everything, whether it was his studies or his diligence. However, because I was guided by a celestial being, the abbot thought that I could understand the will of heaven and that I was a person with a Buddhist affinity, so the spot for that year was given to me."
Xuan Yu left after that and never returned.
“I feel deeply guilty about this. I sent someone to find him, wanting to make amends, but I never expected him to go to such extremes…”
"Amitabha."
After hearing this, Xiao Zhuo was also surprised by the reason and finally understood why the old monk was kneeling on the prayer mat to chant sutras, which was contrary to his usual behavior.
It turned out that he was repenting for a regret deep in his heart.
However, in Xiao Zhuo's view, the old monk had done nothing wrong in this whole affair. The only thing to blame was fate.
Xiao Zhuo stepped forward to help the old monk up and said in a low voice, "Master, this is not your fault."
"Mo Huaiyu has escaped. Do you know where he might be hiding?"
The old monk also realized that he didn't have much time to wallow in self-pity.
"According to the immortal's instructions, it was in the southeast corner, which is exactly the area of the temple. As far as I know, we used to carry water from the mountain to the temple every day, and we accidentally discovered an abandoned wooden hut."
"Perhaps we can try looking for this place."
Xiao Zhuo's face lit up with joy, and he hurriedly ran up the mountain.
As night fell, darkness slowly enveloped the earth. Moonlight, like water, poured onto the lotus pond, resembling a ribbon slipping through its surface. Occasionally, the chirping of cicadas added a touch of liveliness to this summer night in the palace.
"Your Majesty, Lord Liu from the Imperial Observatory is already waiting." An old eunuch hurriedly walked in.
"Quickly, announce it quickly."
Upon hearing this, the emperor immediately stopped what he was doing, his eyes involuntarily glancing outwards, somewhat impatient.
"Master Yuankong from Jing'an Temple just reported that the Ziwei Star is dim. Lord Liu, is this true?"
Having been emperor for over a decade, he still possessed a chilling ability to project an air of authority.
Upon hearing this, a man broke out in a cold sweat, large beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. "It's...it's true."
"Oh? Doesn't that mean I'm about to die?" The emperor picked up his wine cup and toyed with it in his hand.
“That’s not how it is.” Upon hearing this, Lord Liu immediately knelt down. “Your Majesty’s fortune is as vast as the Eastern Sea. The dimming of the Purple Star is only due to the presence of unusual phenomena. As long as these phenomena are removed, the Imperial Star will surely shine brightly again.”
"Your Majesty and Master Yuankong have confirmed that the thief is hiding in the back mountain of Jing'an Temple. Your Majesty should send men to capture him, and this strange phenomenon will surely be dispelled."
Lord Liu of the Imperial Observatory was very eloquent, like a comedian, and explained the situation clearly in a few words, thus saving his life.
"Alright, someone come here. Pass on my order: send the First Prince with the Imperial Guards to apprehend the thieves."
The old eunuch had only taken a few steps when he was called back again.
"Hey, come back. This matter... let the third brother handle it."
After listening, the old lady made a plan in her mind. With the Prime Minister fallen, the Third Prince Liang Ye had gained the Emperor's favor. It seemed that the Eastern Palace would finally be occupied.
Mo Huaiyu was a cautious person. Several years ago, he had already designated this small wooden house as his place of residence.
"Hey, do you see these brightly colored flowers? They were all transplanted from the Southern Frontier to be used for raising Gu poison."
The old monk sighed and said, "Back then, he was punished by the abbot to kneel as punishment for secretly learning these things. I never thought that after so many years, he would still end up on this path."
After saying that, the old monk gave Xiao Zhuo a sachet, saying, "Keep this with you; it will keep insects away."
"No need to knock, come in since you're here."
A hoarse voice came from inside the wooden house, sharp and piercing, completely unexpected by Xiao Zhuo.
The old monk sighed again, touched his bald head, said "Amitabha," and then stepped inside.
As Xiao Zhuo entered, he saw a man dressed in cotton and linen clothes, with disheveled hair and a large black robe over it, who was sitting at a table, his back bent and busy.
"I knew it was you this afternoon. In over a decade, you're still the only one who's managed to find this place."
The man's voice was hoarse, tinged with a hint of helplessness. He shook his head and continued fiddling with the several brown jars beside him, occasionally making clinking sounds.
After listening, the old monk hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "Xuanyu, turn back before it's too late."
"Oh."
Mo Huaiyu sneered and smashed the jar in his hand to the ground with a "bang".
"Turning back is the shore, turning back is the shore? Yuan Kong, I didn't expect that after all these years, you are still so naive."
Having said that, she raised her head, pulled back all the hair that was covering her face, and looked directly at the two people in front of her for the first time. The corners of her mouth unconsciously curved into a smile. "Look, do you think I can turn back now?"
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