Green Mountain

Chapter 534 396: Liu Ren Divination

Chen Mansion.

On the narrow bluestone path, Xiao Man carried two food boxes, humming a tune as she returned to Silver Apricot Garden.

She pushed the door open and entered, complaining loudly, "Come and help, no sense of what's going on at all."

The little monk, dressed in a moon white monk's robe, like a bullied young wife, quickly dropped the bamboo broom and took the food boxes from Xiao Man before setting the bowls and plates out on the stone table.

A dish of red plum fermented bean curd, twelve buns, two bowls of white porridge.

Xiao Man sat boldly beside the table, "I'll warn you; when the young master comes back, don't tell him I'm bullying you again."

The little monk quickly responded, "Miss Xiao Man, don't worry, I won't."

Satisfied, Xiao Man picked up her chopsticks, "Alright, let's eat. Today's buns are stuffed with sour celery, which I personally pickled a few days ago using the first batch of spring celery—sour, crisp, and very tasty."

In spring, Ning Dynasty officials and nobles longed more for greens than meat, as they were rare winter delights.

Xiao Man took a big bite of a bun, while the little monk watched, his heart pounding, as she bit off half of it with her "blood-red mouth."

Just as the little monk was about to eat a bun, Xiao Man suddenly raised her hand to stop his wrist.

Confused, the little monk asked, "Miss Xiao Man, what's wrong?"

He looked up to see Xiao Man's face changing repeatedly, as if she'd tasted something bad. Then, he heard rumbling thunder from her belly, its sound like a drum.

The next moment.

Xiao Man stood up, releasing the little monk's wrist, bent over, and vomited out a mouthful of black water.

"Bleugh!"

"Bleugh!"

"Bleugh!"

Xiao Man vomited three mouthfuls of black water, which seeped into the bluestone, startling the little monk to retreat repeatedly, "What's wrong with you?"

Xiao Man suddenly raised her head, staring directly at the little monk, "Don't eat the bun, it's poisonous!"

The little monk was dumbfounded, "Poisonous? Are you okay? Oh, you're okay."

Xiao Man pulled out a silk cloth from her bosom to wipe away the black water at the corner of her mouth, "I practice eating as a form of cultivation; I can instantly sense poison. Besides, I'm the least afraid of food poisoning in this world. If there's poison, a few mouthfuls of black water will clear it all."

The little monk sincerely raised his thumb, "Amitabha Buddha, Miss Xiao Man is amazing. I can't vomit black water; I can only vomit bitterness."

This time, Xiao Man had no time to bicker with him.

She grabbed hold of the little monk's wrist and pulled him towards the inner room, closing the door behind them.

In the main room, the little monk watched Xiao Man hurriedly packing items, stuffing all the gold and silver and Buddhist treasures into a bundle, "Miss Xiao Man, what are you doing?"

Xiao Man tied the bundle without turning back, "The young master is definitely being schemed against during the spring hunt. Someone wants to kill us too. We need to leave quickly; right now, they don't want to act too wildly, using slow poison so it looks like we're dying of illness. But they won't wait long; if they get desperate, we won't be able to escape... no, carrying the bundle is too conspicuous."

She looked painfully at the blue bundle on the bed, eventually putting it down and only taking a few strings of Buddhist treasures, hiding them with her sleeve.

Xiao Man came before the little monk, instructing seriously, "Go fetch a carrying pole and pretend to fetch water; I'll follow you closely. Remember, don't act out of the ordinary, just like usual."

The little monk looked into Xiao Man's eyes, doubtful and uncertain, "Is it really that serious?"

Xiao Man rolled her eyes, "Look at your cowardly appearance. Following our young master means facing trials and tribulations... your official gateway, besides seeing others' intentions, what else can you do? Can you kill?"

The little monk was startled, "Recite one hundred thousand times Ksitigarbha's Vows and make great vows; then there's the ability to communicate with gods. Oh, and also heal people; my master saved many people in Yunzhou..."

Xiao Man angrily interrupted, "I'm asking about you, not your master! What can you do now?"

The little monk hesitated for a moment, "Help you transcend..."

Xiao Man was furious and pinched his waist, "What use are you? Remember, when I say run, you follow me running, don't hesitate, or I'll thrash you!"

With a grimace, the little monk went to the ear room for a carrying pole and ambled out, Xiao Man following beside him while complaining, "I work hard to make you three meals a day, but you gripe for doing this little work and even go to the young master to complain!"

As she spoke, she formed a fist and knocked on the monk's back, causing him to grimace and whisper complaints, "Miss Xiao Man, you don't need to act so real!"

Xiao Man glared at him, "Shut up!"

Strangely, the little monk gradually calmed down inside.

At this moment, a servant approached them and greeted them with a smile, "Miss Xiao Man."

Xiao Man glanced at him and responded with a nasal sound.

As they passed each other, her hand, hidden in her sleeve, clenched into a fist and only relaxed after they crossed paths. The little monk couldn't help but want to turn back, but she ground her teeth and whispered to him, "Don't look back, don't look back."

Behind them, the servant stood on the bluestone path and turned around, staring intently at the two figures walking towards the well.

...

...

At the well, the little monk vigorously cranked the wooden crank, winding the hemp rope to lift the wooden bucket bit by bit to the wellhead.

Xiao Man's mind was racing with thoughts; though her head stayed still, her eyes darted about: What about crossing over Little Yingtai to Wendan Hall to find Chen family's eldest house? It seems they treat the young master well, trustworthy...

No, she doesn't trust anyone in this Chen Mansion.

What about the second sister? No, the second sister went spring hunting with the young master.

Denghuo Inn? No, those people only recognize money, not people.

Go to the Ministry of Personnel to find Zhang Zhuo, Lord Zhang!

In this vast Imperial Capital, the only person we can trust is Lord Zhang!

With a plan forming in her mind, Xiao Man suddenly shouted at that moment, just as the little monk was lifting a bucket of water: "Run, head for the courtyard wall!"

Xiao Man hurled the heavy bucket behind her, not looking back as she pulled the little monk toward the courtyard wall.

The bucket accurately smashed against the servant following them, breaking apart and sending the servant rolling backward: "Chase!"

Several more people emerged from the corner, closely trailing Xiao Man.

The distance between the well and the courtyard wall was only a little over ten measures; in a flash, they were there.

Xiao Man dragged the little monk by the bottom, pushing him up onto the grey tiles of the wall as he clumsily climbed up. Just as she was about to leap onto the grey tiles, her head abruptly turned to one side as an axe brushed past her ear and struck the white wall!

Xiao Man's expression didn't change; she kicked backward into the groin of the servant behind her, causing him to immediately fall unconscious.

Another five people surrounded her; one of them was clutching a Mountain Ghost Coin, with its blood-red patterns twisting and turning.

A woman emerged from the Mountain Ghost Coin, with disheveled hair, white clothes, a white face, red lips, but only a torso without legs.

The woman pressed her palm towards Xiao Man's chest—it landed squarely, as quick as a specter.

Xiao Man spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, retreating swiftly to the wall. She looked up to see the woman, after delivering the palm strike, gracefully float back to sit lightly on the servant's shoulder.

"Remnants of the Beggar Guild!"

As a servant came at her with an axe, she suddenly crouched, pulling a small silver scissors from her sleeve, crouching to the ground to cut.

She cut the shadow into thin air, watching it struggle and then swell.

The shadow grew into a creature with a goat's body and a human face, its massive maw stretching from its left armpit to the right, with black fur wrapping its four hooves like four black clouds.

"Taotie!"

The man-high Taotie opened its blood-filled mouth, swallowing the servant in front of it in one gulp. Xiao Man, no longer willing to engage, took advantage of the frightened retreat of the servants, leaping over the courtyard wall like a butterfly by stepping on the Taotie, dragging the little monk as she dashed towards Fuyou Street.

"Run quickly, there's an expert, the Taotie won't last long!"

They hadn't run far when Xiao Man's heart sank; the Taotie had already been dispersed. She heard someone scaling the courtyard wall behind them, landing heavily on the ground.

Pulling the little monk, Xiao Man ducked into a side alley, mumbling, "What to do, what to do, what to do, we can't reach the Ministry of Personnel office..."

Before she could finish, a lazy voice said, "Get on the carriage."

Xiao Man looked up sharply, seeing a lazily reclining Daoist in a blue robe leaning against a carriage, writing something on two Yushu Leaves with a mouse whisker pen in his hand.

Without raising his head, the Daoist said, "Why are you standing there?"

Xiao Man pulled the little monk into the carriage. As they climbed aboard, the Daoist applied the written Yushu Leaves onto their foreheads: "Sit tight, don't speak."

Xiao Man and the little monk sat in the carriage, unsure and uneasy, as the Daoist urged the carriage along Fuyou Street toward Chang'an Street.

The pursuing servants from the Chen Mansion hid their axes behind their backs, looking around on Fuyou Street but failed to spot Xiao Man.

The servant clutching the Mountain Ghost Coin spotted the carriage, immediately rushing forward to lift the window curtain from the side to peer inside.

Xiao Man and the little monk held their breath, their hearts in their throats as they witnessed the sinister eyes glancing over them, as if seeing nothing.

The servant let the curtain fall, shook his head at his companion, and prepared to leave.

But just then, the carriage-driving Daoist lazily said, "Did I say you could leave?"

The servant was stunned, stepping to the front to scrutinize the Daoist: "May I ask who you are?"

The Daoist grinned broadly: "The first disciple of Huangshan Dao Court, Zhang Li."

The servant was taken aback, stepping back a step and hurriedly clasping his fists in salute: "Apologies for disturbing you, Daoist. I beg your pardon."

Zhang Li chuckled, "Just an apology? Slap yourself."

Without hesitation, the servant slapped his own face ten times with his right hand until blood appeared, then stopped.

Zhang Li praised, "The retainers from wealthy families are indeed sensible."

He glanced down at the Mountain Ghost Coin in the servant's left hand, "Remnants of the Beggar Guild, I've told you before, using the Mountain Ghost Coin upsets the natural order. Go to the City God Temple in Chongnan Fang and kneel to atone until you toss nine Yin-Yang cups; only then will the Heavenly Venerate forgive you."

The servant bowed his head, gritting his teeth, "Yes."

Zhang Li no longer looked at him, driving the carriage southward, humming a little tune under his breath, "Oh, the Yushu Leaf is light, the tree leaves sway, one leaf blinds the eyes, the bluestone path stretches long. The little monk doesn't recite scriptures, the young lady is ruthless, neither are like me, whose snores shake the roof beams...huh, this part should be written into the story, how wonderful!"

With that, Zhang Li suddenly pulled out a blank book from his sleeve, withdrawing a brush from his topknot as he began to write furiously on the pages.

Xiao Man, having never heard this tune before, suspected it might have been made up on the spot. This Daoist seemed quite odd, not at all like a proper Daoist.

She looked up to find the little monk in the carriage unseen, only able to sense the warmth of his breath.

After thirty minutes had passed, the Yushu Leaves on both of their foreheads shattered, allowing her to see the little monk looking her way. When their gazes met, the little monk unexpectedly averted his eyes.

The carriage slowly came to a stop, Zhang Li lifted the curtain to look inside, casting a meaningful gaze at the two of them, "I can't take you far, better get off here."

Xiao Man asked puzzledly, "Daoist, how did you know we were in trouble?"

Zhang Li raised his eyebrows, "As the first disciple of Huangshan Dao Court, I am skilled in Six Ren Divination, just a calculation..."

Xiao Man seriously replied, "Thank you for saving our lives, Daoist. There's no need to continue with fanciful stories."

Zhang Li laughed heartily, "Tell your master, the favor from Lu Hun Manor has been repaid in Luocheng; the favor from the Four Dreams of Bianliang has been repaid today. Quickly return those Yushu Leaves in his hand, and settle this matter."

Xiao Man's eyes darted around, "This time it was I who was saved by the Daoist, how could this count as repaying my young master's favor? It should be counted as me owing the Daoist a favor instead. My master is my master, I am myself. So, it appears you still owe my young master a favor."

Zhang Li widened his eyes, "No, no, no, how can it be counted like that? What use do I have for your favor!"

Xiao Man ignored this, pulling up the little monk and jumping off the carriage, sprinting towards the Ministry of Personnel office with all her might.

Zhang Li watched the flutter of Xiao Man's skirt and the monk's moon-white robe, his gaze gradually fixing on their joined hands, "Interesting, interesting, I'll write you and this little monk into the story too!"