In March, the weather is still chilly despite the warming trend.
North of the city, at the foot of Qingshan Temple.
A slender girl sat beside an ancient tree.
The girl was wearing a tattered long gown and a white mourning cap on her head, and she was holding a black urn in her hands.
The urn was wiped spotless and gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Pedestrians come and go on the street.
People passing by the girl from time to time were drawn to her and curiously peered over.
Upon seeing what the girl was holding, their curiosity instantly turned into disgust.
"Let's get out of here. It's so unlucky to run into this thing as soon as we step out the door."
The young man spat and, looking utterly dejected, hurriedly pulled his companion away.
The brightly dressed woman was looking down at her phone when she looked up and was startled by Yan Ning.
She rolled her eyes and shrieked, "You little bastard! You're scaring everyone here with that urn of ashes! Get out of here! Don't get in my way!"
Yan Ning looked at the woman expressionlessly and said calmly, "Elder sister, I see that your eyebrows are close to your forehead, your nostrils are small, you have fox-like eyes, and there are fine lines at the corners of your mouth."
"You've been embroiled in a verbal dispute recently; if you speak again, you'll be in trouble."
The woman stopped in her tracks, put one hand on her hip and pointed at Yan Ning with the other, cursing, "You little bastard, you dare to comment on me?"
"Do you know who my husband's third uncle's brother is? I'll kick you out of Beicheng in a heartbeat!"
Yan Ning didn't speak, but straightened her back and looked at her calmly.
"What do you mean by not saying anything? Are you scared? I knew you little bastard had never seen the world."
The woman took another step closer and continued her aggressive outburst, attracting a crowd of onlookers who pointed and whispered at Yan Ning.
The next second.
A drop of white bird droppings fell from the sky and landed precisely on the woman's face.
"Ouch, my face!"
"Ugh...this damn stinky bird!"
The woman touched the bird droppings on her face, suppressed the urge to vomit, and ran away in shame and indignation.
Yan Ning's lips curled up slightly, a faint smile appearing on her face, as she gently brushed away a wisp of dust from the urn.
Serves you right for being so talkative; I reminded you and you still wouldn't listen.
Yan Ning was an orphan who was abandoned at the entrance of Qingshan Temple in December when snow was falling heavily.
The master couldn't bear to see a baby girl freeze to death, so he took her in and raised her with great care.
With the rapid development of the information age, as Yan Ning grew up, the once prosperous Qingshan Temple gradually declined.
Although life was simple and frugal, it was still comfortable.
Until a few days ago.
A nouveau riche man with a gold chain around his neck rushed up the mountain with several bodyguards.
The nouveau riche spat on the clean blue bricks and shouted that he had already bought the land.
Tell the master to immediately close Qingshan Temple and renovate it into the Qingshan 5A-level Hot Spring Resort.
Yan Ning was indignant and wanted to argue with them. Qingshan Temple had been open for over a hundred years, so why could they just close it down?
But her master shook his head, stopping her, and said softly:
"There's no need to argue anymore. The Taoist temple has been without incense offerings for years, so it's only a matter of time before it's eliminated."
"My days are numbered, Yan Ning, it's time for you to descend the mountain."
Two days later, her master passed away. Before she could even arrange his funeral, she was expelled from Qingshan Temple, along with the coffin.
Yan Ning sat alone under the big tree, holding her master's urn.
She's been sitting here all alone for most of the day.
Yan Ning is not someone who cannot take care of herself. She is staying here because her master instructed her on two things before he passed away.
The first thing to do is to wait under the largest tree on the south side of the foot of Qingshan Mountain.
Until a woman in a red dress came and took her away.
The second thing is to bury Master's ashes in the woods at the foot of the mountain, under a stone pier 300 meters to the east.
There is no need to erect a monument or hold a memorial service.
The order of these two things must not be reversed; the woman in red must appear first before he can be buried.
But she had been waiting there for most of the day, and no woman in red had appeared.
She did see several stray dogs staring at her menacingly.
Yan Ning's legs were already a little sore, so she reached out and pounded her calves.
Just then, a pair of red cloth shoes appeared in front of her.
She quickly looked up and found a middle-aged woman wearing a blue coat.
The older woman had a kind face, and her eyes held a hint of pity as she spoke:
"Little girl, I've seen you stay here for a long time. Did an elder in your family pass away and you have nowhere to go?"
Yan Ning pondered for a moment, then nodded, "Hmm..."
The woman continued, "I run a steamed bun shop next door. My house isn't big, but there's enough room for one more person."
"If you have nowhere to go, you can stay at my house for the night."
Yan Ning narrowed her eyes. She noticed that although the aunt had a kind and amiable face, there was a hint of fierceness between her brows, and her lower right side of her fertility palace was red.
This is a sign that misfortune is about to befall us.
She smiled and said in a clear voice, "No need, thank you for your concern, Auntie. I'm waiting for someone."
"Oh, I see. Then I won't bother you any longer."
The woman smiled awkwardly and prepared to walk away.
Yan Ning's clear voice rang out again.
"Auntie, do you have a seven-year-old daughter who is usually lively and mischievous and always gets into trouble?"
The woman stopped in her tracks, looking at Yan Ning in surprise. "Yes, yes, how did you know?"
Yan Ning smiled faintly and continued, "I just looked at your face. There is a fierce look between your eyebrows, and the lower right side of your children's palace is red. Your daughter will face a great calamity today."
The woman's eyes widened in panic. "What happened to Niu Niu? Wasn't she watching TV at home? How could this be..."
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