Back Mountain.
A tiger with upturned eyes and a white forehead was stealthily approaching its prey.
It crept quietly toward the little child sleeping on the large rock.
In the blink of an eye, the tiger arched its back and pounced on her.
Yet the child neither dodged nor flinched.
Instead, she casually slapped the tiger on the face.
“Xiaobai, stop bothering me while I’m sleeping!”
Seeing that its ambush had failed, the tiger obediently lay down beside her and dozed off.
“Qingqing, wake up, stop sleeping. Master is calling for you.”
Not long after.
Eldest Senior Brother gently shook his little junior sister, who had fallen asleep while meditating on the large rock.
Shaken awake, the little junior sister rolled over and waved her hand.
“What kind of fly is this? Stop bothering me while I’m sleeping.”
Eldest Senior Brother sighed helplessly, took two steps back, and cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone.
“Time to eat! Time to eat! There’s braised pork today!”
The little junior sister, who had been sleeping soundly, sprang up like a carp leaping from water.
“Time to eat!”
Eldest Senior Brother smiled and steadied his little junior sister, who had groggily jumped down from the rock.
“If I hadn’t said that, would you have woken up? You’re not even as tall as the rock, yet you insist on sleeping in such high places.”
“Huh? It’s not time to eat yet? Then I’ll sleep a little longer.”
“Don’t sleep just yet. Master is looking for you.”
Little Qingxuan rubbed her sleepy eyes as Eldest Senior Brother half-supported, half-led her toward the Three Purities Hall.
The moss on the bluestone steps was slick with morning dew.
She half-squinted her eyes and hopped along the path.
“Where’s Xiaobai?”
Suddenly stopping, she turned her head to look behind her.
The white tiger that had been stunned by her slap earlier had already transformed back into a palm-sized white cat, curled up and dozing on Eldest Senior Brother’s shoulder.
Hearing her question, it lazily flicked the tip of its tail.
【This little ancestor finally remembers me. She didn’t even flinch when the tiger pounced, but a few bites of braised pork can make her jump three feet high.】
The little dumpling giggled and reached out to scratch Xiaobai’s chin.
“Don’t be mad, Xiaobai. I’ll sneak some dried meat for you from the kitchen later.”
Eldest Senior Brother shook his head helplessly. This junior sister had been close to the spirits in the mountains since childhood.
At three years old, she held the newly opened-eyed Fox Spirit Lingfeng and slept with it all night. At four, she dared to ride on the back of Mystic Bird Qingyu and fly around the mountain. Now, even the hundred-year-old white tiger from the Back Mountain had been tamed by her.
He didn’t know why Master had decided to let her descend the mountain so early.
Incense smoke curled gently in the Three Purities Hall, where Daoist Xuansong was meditating peacefully.
Hearing the commotion at the entrance, he waved from his cushion.
“Qingqing, come here.”
The little dumpling pattered over to the cushion and knelt down, looking up at her master with her small face.
“Master, you were looking for me?”
The Daoist’s white beard hung down to his chest, and he usually appeared stern and unsmiling.
But when he looked at her, his expression softened considerably.
The Daoist patted her head, the calluses on his fingertips brushing against the little dumpling’s soft hair.
His heart softened a little.
“You are five years old now. It’s time for you to go and find your birth parents.”
Qingxuan blinked, her long eyelashes like two small fans.
“Parents? Isn’t Master my father?”
The Daoist chuckled softly. “Master indeed treats you like his own daughter, but your birth parents are different people.”
“Will my birth parents buy meat for Qingqing?”
She had heard many stories about the world below the mountain from Lingfeng and knew that many birth parents doted on their children.
【This old Daoist is finally willing to let the little dumpling descend the mountain. If she stayed any longer, even the rabbits in the Back Mountain would be too afraid to fall in love after having their marriages divined by her.】
Fox Spirit Lingfeng had slipped in at some point and was crouching by the offering table, licking the long fur on its paws.
Little Qingxuan pouted, this time not refuting Lingfeng’s muttering, only staring fixedly at her master.
Daoist Xuansong closed his eyes and formed hand seals.
“Go to the Shen Family in the city at the foot of the mountain.”
The Daoist’s voice deepened, “Shen Zhentian and Lin Wanrong are your birth parents.”
She suddenly remembered the news Qingyu had brought last night.
About a family at the foot of the mountain, where a woman gave birth to a baby girl and immediately abandoned her.
“Master, why did they abandon me? Was it because they didn’t like me?”
She asked softly, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes.
The Daoist smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes becoming more pronounced.
“Silly child, you are so wonderful, how could they not like you?”
He took out a yellow cloth bundle.
“This contains some travel expenses and a protective talisman I’ve prepared for you. If you encounter trouble, don’t panic. Remember the skills you’ve learned, and don’t forget that the temple will always be your home.”
Eldest Senior Brother, listening nearby, felt his eyes redden. He stepped forward.
“Master, let me accompany my junior sister.”
The Daoist shook his head, “She has her own path to walk. You can protect her for a while, but not forever.”
He then looked at the little one, “Let your little treasures follow you as well.”
The three little creatures on the side nodded in unison.
The little fox Lingfeng leaped onto Qingxuan’s shoulder.
The miniature white tiger, Xiaobai, jumped down from Eldest Senior Brother’s shoulder and nestled into her arms.
The mystic bird Qingyu flew in through the window, landing on top of her head, affectionately pecking at her hair.
[Little one, don’t be afraid. With me here, no one will dare bully you!]
[Whoever dares touch her, I’ll bite them. Rawr!]
[I’ll scout ahead, ensuring a smooth journey.]
Hearing their jumbled thoughts, the little one’s anxiety about parting lessened considerably.
She simply treated it as a trip down the mountain to play.
She kowtowed three times to the Daoist, her forehead touching the cold blue bricks.
“Master, take care. Qingqing will come back often.”
The Daoist waved his whisk, repeatedly admonishing her.
“Remember, my disciple, to do good deeds when outside. If you do good deeds, report my name.
If you cause trouble, remember to report the name of that old man Xuanzhen next door.”
The little one nodded, “Understood. If I cause trouble, I’ll report Master’s name. If I do good deeds, I’ll leave Daoist Xuanzhen’s name.”
Upon hearing this, Daoist Xuansong was so angry he blew his beard and glared.
Before he could even react,
the little one on the cushion bounced up and ran off with a giggle.
Eldest Senior Brother saw her off at the mountain gate, taking a small bundle from his back.
Inside were Little Qingxuan’s change of clothes and some snacks.
“Little junior sister, this is the money I’ve saved. Take it.”
Eldest Senior Brother handed her a cloth bag containing banknotes of various denominations.
The temple had long resided on the mountain, remote and rarely visited by people.
When disciples went down the mountain to help, they always accepted payment as fate allowed.
Sometimes, when encountering poor families, they would accept just a cabbage as payment.
In truth, what they grew on the mountain was more than enough to eat.
The sect often spent their own money to handle matters and was indeed not wealthy.
Fortunately, the little junior sister had always been on the mountain and didn’t know how much this money was worth.
Eldest Senior Brother scratched his head sheepishly.
“If anyone bullies you, have the mystic bird find me. I’ll come right away.”
The little one nodded vigorously, stuffing the cloth bag into her bundle.
She stood on tiptoe and hugged Eldest Senior Brother’s leg.
“Senior Brother, take care too. Don’t always practice until late at night; it’ll harm your health.”
Eldest Senior Brother’s throat tightened, and he only gave a heavy “Mm” in response.
Only when Qingxuan’s figure disappeared along the winding mountain path did he turn to walk back.
In his sleeve, his hand clenched a small bronze dagger.
That was given to him by his master. He had carried it with him all these years and had blessed it many times.
He had originally intended to secretly slip it to her, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to let her take a lethal weapon down the mountain.
Daoist Xuansong was also watching him return at the mountain gate.
Eldest Senior Brother couldn’t help but ask, “Master, Qingqing is only five years old. Why is she leaving the mountain so early?”
The Daoist shot him a glance. “If I don’t send her down the mountain soon, I’m afraid your Daoist hearts will waver.”