Chapter 428: 428. Benefactor Su is not at home

Translator: 549690339

It was already winter, and for Ji Xiaoshu, who had lived in the south since birth, this was the first time he had experienced the cold season. Each time, he would run outside to feel the cold air, only to come back shivering before reluctantly putting on more clothes.

One morning during breakfast, Ji Xiaoshu looked worriedly at the leaves falling outside the window, with the trees already bare. “Auntie, my dad has gone to the north, will he freeze?”

Su Liang laughed, “No, your dad is an adult, he knows to wear thicker clothes when it’s cold.”

“What about master? When will he come back?” Ji Xiaoshu asked.

Su Liang counted the days every day, so she answered without thinking, “If all goes well, he can return in ten days or half a month.” If Gu Ling’s rescue mission went smoothly and he didn’t encounter any other troubles, he should be on his way back to Jiaye City now.

“Great!” Zhengzheng’s eyes lit up, “Before Master returns, we will teach little sister to speak more. He will be so happy when he sees it!”

“Little sister, who am I?” Ji Xiaoshu pointed at himself as he faced Gu Xiaonuan.

Gu Xiaonuan waved her little hand, her voice clear, “Big brother!”

Zhengzheng looked helpless and leaned his face closer, “Little sister, I’m the big brother. He is the second brother.”

Gu Xiaonuan’s chubby white finger poked Zhengzheng’s cheek and called out, “Second brother!”

Ji Xiaoshu was extremely smug, “Aww, little sister, you have such discerning eyes!”

“Eat your meal, stop fooling around.” Su Liang suspected that Gu Xiaonuan was doing this on purpose, knowing it was more fun this way.

At the end of breakfast, Ji Xiaoshu was still thinking about Gu Ling’s imminent return, “When Master comes back, let’s go together to Wangxiang Mountain to see if the tadpoles have grown into big frogs!”

“Sure.” Su Liang rubbed Ji Xiaoshu’s head, “But don’t forget, when your master returns, he will also check your lessons.”

“Huh?” Ji Xiaoshu sighed, looking just like Su Liang in her previous life when she realized she had forgotten a summer homework assignment before school started, “Big brother, could you not be so diligent?”

Zhengzheng, who had already started reciting the poems he learned yesterday, looked up seriously, “Master said, either don’t do it, or do it well. Little Tree, come on, let’s write together.”

After watching the two children write for a while, Su Liang heard Gu Xiaonuan shouting “Outside, outside, outside”in her little cart. This was also taught by her two brothers; if she wanted to go outside, she would say this. But Gu Xiaonuan only said one word, which sounded more like a question “Why, why, why.”

After putting a red hat with fur balls on Gu Xiaonuan and wrapping her in a small blanket, Su Liang carried her to the lake outside for a walk.

“Mom!” Gu Xiaonuan’s eyes sparkled as she called out to Su Liang, her little hand pointing towards the forest.

Su Liang shook her head, “No use calling mom, we’re not going there.”

Gu Xiaonuan immediately changed her tune, calling out, “Dad!”

Su Liang couldn’t help but laugh, “Right. If your dad was home, he would definitely pamper you. You just miss him!”

I miss him too… Su Liang looked at the not yet frozen lake, reminiscing about the small river in Su Family Village. During her first winter since crossing over, Gu Ling would often go fishing by the river and bring his catches back for Su Liang to cook. It had been more than three years since then.

In the end, Su Liang took Gu Xiaonuan for a walk in the forest before returning to Yuanming Pavilion.

After a while, Cheng Yun came, saying that his master had asked him to borrow a set of chess, as agreed with Su Liang.

Su Liang smiled, “Since you’re here, stay for lunch before you go.”

Even though Cheng Yun said he wouldn’t eat, Su Liang asked him to help look after Gu Xiaonuan while she was busy with something.

Qiao Cong had accompanied Nangong Qian to the Lin’s family to visit and had not come back yet, while the two children were still diligently making up their homework. With Su Liang heading upstairs, Cheng Yun had no choice but to take care of Gu Xiaonuan.

Gu Xiaonuan touched Cheng Yun’s shaved head for a few times, then her attention shifted to the window and she pointed outside, wanting to go out.

Cheng Yun picked up Gu Xiaonuan and went upstairs to ask Su Liang if he could take the child out.

“Alright, put a hat on her and wrap her in a blanket,” Su Liang said.

Cheng Yun found Gu Xiaonuan’s hat and put it on her, then wrapped her in a small blanket and carried her outside. They went wherever Gu Xiaonuan pointed, eventually ending up at the main gate.

Gu Xiaonuan kept pointing outside, but Cheng Yun looked serious. “That’s not allowed.” To prevent Gu Xiaonuan from crying, he quickly flew back to Yuanming Pavilion with her, only to find her laughing happily and wanting to play more as soon as they landed. She had completely forgotten about wanting to go out the gate.

Cheng Yun took Gu Xiaonuan around the mansion several more times until it was noon.

Su Liang prepared vegetarian dishes for Cheng Yun, but there were also meat dishes on the table for everyone else.

Cheng Yun appeared uncomfortable. Su Liang calmly said, “Whether you look or not, we’re all going to eat. There’s no need to pretend you don’t hear the bell.”

Cheng Yun frowned, thinking there was some truth to that… so the two children dragged him to sit down.

“Cheng Yun, have you ever thought about trying secular life for a year or so?” Su Liang suggested. She had truly thought about persuading Cheng Yun to return to secular life, especially after receiving Master Pu Cheng’s request for help. So when Cheng Yun came to borrow chess today, Su Liang decided to detain him as a guest.

Zhengzheng immediately joined in, “I think that’s a good idea. Uncle Cheng Yun, why don’t you try? If it doesn’t work, you can always go back to Buddhism.”

Ji Xiaoshu nodded, “Yeah! Uncle Cheng Yun, are you afraid? Are you afraid you’ll be too happy after returning to secular life?”

Cheng Yun shook his head, “It’s not that I’m afraid. I simply do not have that desire.”

Su Liang smiled, “Without experiencing the world, can you truly understand the Buddhist Dharma?”

Cheng Yun was taken aback, “I… I am still far away from fully understanding the Buddhist Dharma…”

Zhengzheng’s little face looked serious, “Uncle Cheng Yun, if you don’t know the suffering of sentient beings, how can you save them?”

Ji Xiaoshu was amazed, “Where did you learn this, big brother? It sounds like you’ve been through a lifetime of hardships!”

Zhengzheng shook his head, “I didn’t learn it from anyone. I just said it casually.”

“Big brother, you have the potential to become a great monk!” Ji Xiaoshu gave him a thumbs up.

Cheng Yun couldn’t help but laugh, “Zhengzheng has a strong connection with Buddhism.”

Su Liang asked, “Then do you want to take him into Buddhism?”

Cheng Yun hesitated, “Of course not… He has parents and siblings. How could he break free from them?”

Ji Xiaoshu was quick to retort, “Uncle Cheng Yun, we’re here for you too! Why do you have the heart to break away from us?”

“You… all of you…” Cheng Yun was a bit bewildered, “I… I… aren’t you all…?”

“Don’t we count as Uncle Cheng Yun’s favorite people?” Ji Xiaoshu put his little face close to Cheng Yun’s, almost touching it.

Cheng Yun hurriedly shook his head, “No… yes, you’re all the most… Ah, I don’t know what to say anymore.”

“Uncle Cheng Yun, we need you.” Zhengzheng grabbed Cheng Yun’s hand, “You can teach us martial arts and help take care of our sister.”

“I can do all of that now, without returning to secular life,” Cheng Yun shook his head.

“It’s different,” Ji Xiaoshu shook his head, “You have to live with us! My master is not at home, and there are bad people who want to bully my master’s wife. We need someone to protect us right now! Uncle Cheng Yun, don’t leave today! If something happens to my master’s wife, what will we do? Don’t you care about her and our sister, or our safety?”

Ji Xiaoshu kept up his barrage of “moral kidnapping,” speaking righteously and leaving Cheng Yun speechless.

Zhengzheng shook Cheng Yun’s arm, “Uncle Cheng Yun, please stay. We really need you. At least, you have to stay with us until my master returns. When he does, if you still want to leave, we won’t stop you.”

“Right!” Ji Xiaoshu expressed his confidence that he and Zhengzheng could “secure” Cheng Yun before Gu Ling returned.

Cheng Yun looked at Su Liang, “Benefactor Su, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu are just joking, right?”

Su Liang shook her head, “That’s not really the case, honestly. Recently, a group of people have been causing trouble for us, and Gu Ling went out because those people captured my three masters. He went to save them, but we don’t know the result yet. Actually, I’ve been worried that someone would come to harm me, so I really need a master like you by my side. I don’t trust outsiders. If you could stay here for a while, that would be great, and it would really help me out. As for the matter of returning to secular life, you can take your time to think about it.”

“Uncle!” Gu Xiaonuan raised her little hand and smiled at Cheng Yun.

Cheng Yun was instantly won over and could no longer refuse, “In that case, this humble monk will take advantage of your hospitality. I will only stay until Master Gu returns home, and please don’t mention the matter of returning to secular life.”

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu agreed cheerfully, exchanging a tacit look, and a new mission began: to move Uncle Cheng Yun and persuade him to return to secular life.

Cheng Yun said he had to go back to Huguo Temple first to inform his master, Pu Cheng, and pack up some things. Su Liang asked Qi Yan to accompany Cheng Yun, but Cheng Yun politely declined, “Master Su, please be assured, since this humble monk has promised, I will not break my word.”

Su Liang nodded, “Alright, you can go by yourself then.”

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu each grabbed one of Cheng Yun’s hands and escorted him to the front door, waving at him, “Uncle Cheng Yun, hurry back home, we’ll be waiting for you!”

The scene was heartwarming, and Cheng Yun felt warm inside. He urged the two children to go back quickly and not to catch a cold outside, promising that he would come over as soon as he finished packing at the temple.

When Cheng Yun left, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu ran back to Yuanming Pavilion.

“Elder martial brother, let’s bet on how many days it will take Uncle Cheng Yun to agree to return to secular life. I guess three days!” Ji Xiaoshu said.

Zhengzheng shook his head, “I think three days is not enough, Uncle Cheng Yun is still quite resolute, not easy to persuade. It would take at least five days.”

“So if it’s four days, who wins?” Ji Xiaoshu countered.

Zhengzheng thought for a moment, “If it’s within three days, you win; if it’s more than three days, I win.”

“That’s not fair. I win if it’s three days, you win if it’s five days. As long as it’s not those two times, nobody wins!” Ji Xiaoshu was very shrewd.

“Alright!” Zhengzheng agreed.

The two returned to Yuanming Pavilion and told Su Liang about their bet, even having thought up the stake.

Su Liang laughed, “Then I’ll bet four days.”

“How many days do you want to bet, little sister?” Zhengzheng asked Gu Xiaonuan with a smile.

Gu Xiaonuan shook her two little hands.

Zhengzheng nodded, “Little sister bets ten days; I think little sister will win. Maybe our master will be back by then.”

When Qiao Cong brought Nangong Qian back, he heard that Cheng Yun was going to move in and live with them.

Qiao Cong couldn’t help but laugh and cry, “Where will Master live, then?”

“Master can go live with Auntie Qian.” Ji Xiaoshu suggested, “What if some bad guys come to catch Auntie Qian?”

Qiao Cong had been staying at Yuanming Pavilion and was indeed worried about Nangong Qian. Now that Su Liang had invited Cheng Yun over, he felt this arrangement was better, so he moved his belongings to Nangong Qian’s place and then returned to Yuanming Pavilion, saying he wanted to wait for Cheng Yun to come and test his martial arts skills.

When Cheng Yun returned with his luggage, he also brought back the chessboard that Su Liang had lent to Pu Cheng. With a helpless expression, he said, “When I returned to Huguo Temple, my uncle had already left.”

Su Liang was not too surprised. She had not made a prior agreement with Pu Cheng to lend him the chessboard, so it seemed that Pu Cheng intended to leave Cheng Yun behind and return without notice. His determination to have Cheng Yun return to secular life was quite strong. Given Pu Cheng’s wandering nature, it was not surprising that he would do such a thing.

Qiao Cong suggested testing Cheng Yun’s strength. While Cheng Yun was not fond of fighting, he could not refuse when faced with Qiao Cong, an elder. The two men went outside.

“You all stay inside and watch, don’t come out, it’s cold outside,” Qiao Cong instructed.

Thus, Su Liang, the three children, and Nangong Qian all sat by the window to watch the battle.

Qiao Cong used the Cold Moon Sword Technique, and Cheng Yun borrowed a long stick from Su Liang. Su Liang had also learned stick techniques, taught by Gu Ling, but it had been a long time since she had used them for the Military Exam.

Su Liang actually didn’t know much about Cheng Yun’s true strength. She had seen Cheng Yun in action before, but he definitely hadn’t been going all out. Also, given his personality, he would not use powerful moves because he did not want to hurt people.

However, the martial arts competition was still quite exciting.

Qiao Cong held nothing back, and Cheng Yun’s strength turned out to be higher than Su Liang expected, probably about the same as Qiao Jing and not much worse than Gu Ling. Keep in mind, he was using a stick for the first time in his hand. It seemed that his moves were not very sharp, but he didn’t fall behind. He was fast and had quick reactions. Although he stopped as soon as he touched the opponent, his strength and accuracy were very strong.

After the competition ended, Qiao Cong won, but he said, “You little monk have no viciousness. If you did, you could have exerted three times more strength!”

In other words, if Cheng Yun were not such a kind-hearted and gentle monk, his actual martial arts prowess could have been even stronger.

Considering the age difference, Qiao Cong didn’t really win. Cheng Yun was just in his early twenties, and he was definitely a martial arts prodigy.

Su Liang prepared hot tea for them. After Cheng Yun drank a cup of tea, Su Liang asked, “I’m a bit puzzled. Since you’re so devoted to Buddhist Dharma, how have you developed such strong martial arts skills?” To some extent, these two aspects are somewhat conflicting.

Cheng Yun said that Master Pu Cheng had been very serious about his martial arts practice since he was a child and had taught him very strictly.

Cheng Yun was not used to sharing a room with two children and staying next to Su Liang, but he was here to protect her and the children, so he couldn’t be too far away. Besides, he really liked children, so he accepted it.

The night was quiet.

Cheng Yun listened to the even breathing of the two children but didn’t sleep. He couldn’t sleep in the new environment and felt the bed was too soft. On top of that, he wasn’t planning on sleeping—Su Liang had asked for his help to guard the house, so he was afraid that he would not notice if intruders arrived while he was asleep.

Just in case he didn’t hear the intruders enter Su Liang’s room… Cheng Yun thought about it and felt that lying on the bed was not safe, so he quietly got up, went out, and sat in the small living area between the two rooms.

Before, when it was just Su Liang and Gu Ling, they used to sit here and eat meals. There were tables and chairs, and windows to look outside.

Cheng Yun opened the window, and a cool breeze came in. He sat facing the window without turning on any lights.

The moonlight was bright, and Cheng Yun could see the dark lake and pavilion outside. However, from the outside, he could not be seen in Yuanming Pavilion.

An hour later, Cheng Yun became a little sleepy. He rubbed his forehead and then rubbed his face, continuing to stare outside, silently reciting that he must protect Su Liang’s family until Gu Ling returns. These were all his favorite people.

As soon as a dark figure appeared on the edge of the forest, Cheng Yun noticed it, and his expression grew serious. He immediately went back to his room, pulled up Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu, and whispered in their ears, “Intruders are coming!”

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu immediately became alert and, well-trained, rushed out of the room and downstairs. There was a maze-like secret chamber under Yuanming Pavilion. Gu Ling had taught them that if something happened, they should just run into the maze and hide without bothering with anything else.

Cheng Yun then went over and knocked on Su Liang’s door three times, one loud and two soft.

Su Liang immediately sat up, not putting on her outer clothes or shoes, and picked up the sleeping Gu Xiaonuan beside her. She opened a piece in the floor and jumped down. The secret chamber entrance was right below her room.

All this happened in an instant. Cheng Yun was simply following Su Liang’s instructions on what to do if something unusual happened.

Cheng Yun entered Su Liang’s room and had just restored the floor when he heard the window moving. He grabbed the long stick he had used during the day when he returned to his room to call for the kids. Now, he held the stick tightly, waiting for the intruders.

As the window opened, the silvery moonlight poured in, and Cheng Yun’s bald head stood out in the dim room.

There were two intruders, both wearing masks. As they saw the situation in the room, they both paused for a moment and glanced at each other.

Then, Cheng Yun heard a child’s cry coming from one of the intruders’ arms.

“Let Su Liang come out, or we will choke Lin Jingyun to death,” said the other intruder, his voice low and calm.

Lin Jingyun? Cheng Yun knew him; he had held him when he visited Su Mansion last time. He was Lin Shuzhi’s eldest grandson, a very well-behaved child, and Gu Ling’s third disciple. Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu both called him their third junior brother.

Cheng Yun did not expect Su Liang’s enemies to be so shameless and vicious, kidnapping a child from the Lin Family to threaten Su Liang. It was despicable!

Cheng Yun’s eyes grew serious, and he raised the stick in his hand. “Master Su is not at home. Put the child down. If you want to do something to Su Liang, come at me!”