Seeing her junior sister’s innocent and lively demeanor, it didn’t seem like she was being insincere or putting on an act.
For the first time, Qing Yao spoke to Fu Yu with seriousness and politeness: “Thank you. Senior sister doesn’t need protection.”
Fu Yu replied, “That won’t do. I’m worried about you without your magic.”
Qing Yao shook her head and sighed softly. She hadn’t wanted to reveal this truth, but it seemed necessary now to make her junior sister face reality: “Perhaps, even without magic, I could still defeat you?”
Fu Yu was left speechless. That “perhaps” might very well be true…
There was nothing to be done. After all, she had transmigrated into the youngest disciple of the sect, who hadn’t even entered the Two Forms and Four Symbols Valley to determine her path.
She suddenly felt a strong urge to determine her path! But she was absolutely determined not to become a professional breeder!
Qing Yao’s belongings had been packed the day before. Fu Yu followed Qing Yao to the main gate, only to be taken aback by what she saw.
Besides her own two carriages, there were two more carriages?
Fu Yu thought to herself, were the other two also senior sister’s? One of them had a canopy, clearly for passengers, while the other was a flatbed carriage with a large stack of items securely tied down with ropes.
“Senior sister, are you… moving house?”
Qing Yao stepped into her carriage. “Since we’ll be staying for a while, I need to bring all my daily necessities.”
Fu Yu was somewhat astonished. After boarding her own carriage and glancing at the small bundle of clothes and valuables beside her seat, she truly felt that, compared to her senior sister, she lived a rather rough life.
The carriages headed westward through the city. Once they passed through the city gates and reached the outskirts, they traveled a bit further along the main road until a range of layered, undulating mountains came into view, crouching beneath the western sky.
They followed the mountain path for quite some time before finally arriving at Mandala Temple.
Mandala Temple was a nunnery, home to over a hundred nuns who practiced their cultivation there.
The abbess had already received word from the palace and had made all the necessary arrangements.
To the north of Mandala Temple stood Mount Prajna, covered with a plum forest. Within the forest was a small garden called Little Kala Court. Before the temple was expanded, this area had been its main compound. Later, when the court allocated funds for expansion, the courtyard fell into disuse and was renamed “Little Kala Court.” Important guests who came for meditation retreats were usually accommodated here.
When Fu Yu and the others arrived at the temple, the abbess personally greeted them with several senior disciples and escorted them to Little Kala Court to settle in.
Fu Yu and Qing Yao’s rooms were in the Wisdom Compound, adjacent to each other with only a wall between them, while Lady Qing Cheng’s room was arranged in the Intelligence Compound.
Fu Yu thought to herself that the abbess must have truly understood the empress’s intentions to make such arrangements.
The abbess assigned young nuns to help them move their belongings. Fu Yu quickly declined, saying she didn’t need assistance, her small bundle was light enough for her to carry into her room on her own.
So, all the young nuns went to help Qing Yao. For a while, they bustled back and forth, taking quite some time to unload Qing Yao’s carriage.
Fu Yu grew curious about what her senior sister had brought. After the young nuns finished moving the items and left, and Qing Yao’s two maids began unpacking and arranging the bundles one by one, Fu Yu slipped into her room to observe.
She saw the two maids busily working: putting on quilt covers, arranging writing materials, setting out a complete tea set, along with cosmetics and jewelry, clothes, shoes, socks, and even various unknown bottles and jars.
Fu Yu felt as if she had practically moved her entire bedroom here.
“Senior Sister, why did you bring so many things? The temple already has almost everything we need. Just bringing some clothes would have been enough. If you didn’t want the trouble, you could even skip bringing clothes altogether and just wear the temple robes after we arrive.”
Qing Yao sat on the luohan bed by the window, arranging her tea set. “I’m not used to using theirs.”
Fu Yu thought to herself, You really are quite particular.
She seemed to have gained a new understanding of Qing Yao, that she actually had quite the young lady temperament. But then again, it wasn’t surprising, given that Qing Yao came from an official’s family, unlike Fu Yu, who grew up in the slums.
While Qing Yao was busy settling in, Fu Yu returned to her own room, where Qing Li had already tidied everything up. Fu Yu glanced around the room, the layout and furnishings were exactly the same as Qing Yao’s, but she hadn’t brought many personal belongings. Her room still retained the original simplicity of a monastic cell, while Qing Yao’s had practically become an “annex” of her own boudoir.
By the afternoon, Qing Yao had finally finished unpacking.
Fu Yu crouched under the corridor, teasing an orange cat while waiting for Qing Yao to go together to the Wisdom Hall to meet Master Qing Cheng.
A young nun brought them oil lamps for the evening and, seeing Fu Yu crouched on the ground playing with the cat, walked over with a smile. She pulled out a small bamboo ball tied with a string from her sleeve.
“Xiao Niba, come here, come here!” The young nun swung the ball left and right, making the orange cat leap and pounce with great enthusiasm.
“Is its name Xiao Niba? Do you keep it here?” Fu Yu asked.
The young nun replied, “No, it’s a stray, but it often comes here to play, so we casually gave it the name Xiao Niba. Do you like cats, benefactor?”
Fu Yu smiled and said, “I quite like small animals in general.”
Noticing that the young nun had a fair and gentle appearance, Fu Yu asked for her name.
The young nun replied, “You may call me Wu Se, benefactor.”
Fu Yu blinked in surprise, Wu Se? But she quickly remembered that in Buddhism, the term “se” (color) does not carry the worldly connotation.
Just then, Qing Yao finished her preparations and came out to call Fu Yu. “Let’s go.”
Fu Yu smiled and bid farewell to the young nun Wu Se and Xiao Niba, then left with Qing Yao to meet their master at the Wisdom Hall.
However, when they arrived, they found the Wisdom Hall empty. Master Qing Cheng was not there, whether she hadn’t arrived yet or had come and gone, they didn’t know.
They had no choice but to return to the Wisdom Compound.
When they got back, the young nun Wu Se had already left, but Xiao Niba was still there.
Xiao Niba was in the courtyard toying with a small bird, pinning it down with its paw, then releasing it, only to pounce again as the bird fluttered its wings trying to escape. It repeated this cycle, seemingly finding it quite entertaining.
The bird had grayish-brown feathers and was very small, Fu Yu thought it looked like a sparrow.
“Senior Sister, that bird is about to be tormented to death by Xiao Niba. I should go save it,” Fu Yu said, unable to bear the sight.
Qing Yao glanced at Xiao Niba and said calmly, “Xiao Niba is hunting by its own ability. Why interfere? Cats catching sparrows is the way of nature.”
Fu Yu was taken aback. Indeed, the survival of the fittest was a natural law, and she had no reason to intervene. If that sparrow fell into the cat’s claws today, it was simply its fate.
That was the truth of the matter.
But if Xiao Niba had been catching sparrows somewhere else, out of her sight, she might have let it be. However, witnessing it right before her eyes, she couldn’t help feeling the urge to snatch the prey from the cat’s mouth.
In her previous life, she had often rescued stray cats and dogs. Now, seeing this little sparrow, she felt the urge to save it again. Fu Yu knew she was letting her compassion run wild again, becoming overly merciful.
She hesitated for a moment, watching as Xiao Niba finally pinned down the sparrow and was about to bite into it. In a flash, she rushed over, snatched Xiao Niba up, and grabbed the sparrow in one swift motion.
Xiao Niba was stunned. When it finally realized what had happened, it let out an angry “meow” and swiped its paw furiously at Fu Yu’s arm. Fu Yu winced in pain and released her grip on the cat. Xiao Niba leaped to the ground and dashed away like an arrow.
Fu Yu looked down at her scratched arm, her sleeve was torn, and a faint trace of blood was seeping through.
Frowning, she let out a pained hiss.
Qing Yao had been watching coldly from a distance and finally spoke, “If you don’t listen to the advice of your elders, you’ll suffer the consequences.”
Fu Yu retorted, “Are you that old?”
Qing Yao replied, “I’m just two or three hundred years older than you.”
Fu Yu was momentarily speechless. Fine, you’re old, you’re ancient, you old fossil! she grumbled inwardly.
She didn’t force others to share her views, especially since Qing Yao practiced the path of emotionlessness, which made her even more detached from life and death than ordinary people. She pursued the natural order of all things, believing that people should not be burdened by emotions or interfere unnecessarily.
Just like in her previous life, her parents never understood why she kept bringing home dying cats and dogs. She would nurse them back to health and then post online to find them loving new homes, helping the rescued animals start anew.
Her parents would often stand by and say, “Aren’t you tired of all the trouble?”
She would always laugh and reply, “Saving a cat’s life is like building a seven-story pagoda of merit.”
Perhaps for others, not intervening was following their true nature, but for her, saving lives was her true calling.
Fu Yu cradled the sparrow in her hands and walked over to Qing Yao to show her. “Look, it’s so pitiful.”
Qing Yao glanced at it indifferently and said, “The word ‘pitiful’ is just a sentiment you’ve imagined.”
Fu Yu fell silent and took the bird inside.
Those who walk different paths cannot plan together.
Sitting on the luohan bed, Fu Yu placed the little sparrow on the small table and examined it carefully. The sparrow, exhausted from being toyed with by Xiao Niba, barely moved no matter how Fu Yu handled it.
Its right wing was bleeding, so Fu Yu went to the washstand, wrung out a cloth, and gently wiped away the blood.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Since Qing Li wasn’t around, Fu Yu got up to answer it herself.
She had assumed it was one of the nuns from the temple, but when she opened the door, she saw a woman in white standing there, none other than Qing Yao.
Fu Yu was surprised. They had just parted ways moments ago, and now Qing Yao was here. She wondered what brought her.
“Sister, what is it?” she asked.
Qing Yao tossed her a small white medicine bottle. “Apply it three times a day.”
Fu Yu was momentarily confused and clutched the bottle, letting out a puzzled “Huh?”
The bottle still carried a trace of Qing Yao’s body warmth, feeling warm in her palm.
Sister is actually quite kind, she thought.
Seeing Fu Yu standing there dumbfounded, the “quite kind” sister prodded, “What are you staring for? Waiting for me to apply the medicine for you?”