Free Web NovelChapter 96: Chapter 84: The Maiden Shyly Disrobes
On this day, Zhi Jian was accompanied by his wife.
The very same maiden from all those years ago, now a young matron who had put on a little weight.
In addition, there was a particularly cute and pretty little girl of about three, with big, round, innocent eyes, looking as if she were carved from a fine piece of jade.
"Hui Chi! Martial Uncle! It’s really you! This is wonderful!"
Zhi Jian hurried forward. Looking at Xu Lei, he said with a mix of excitement and emotion, "I can still call you Martial Uncle, right?
"Even though I’m no longer part of the Buddhist Sect.
"In my heart, you will always be my Martial Uncle!
"I never thought you’d be passing through here. It seems fate has brought us together again!
"I went to Tianming Temple to look for you and my master before.
"But I missed you both."
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei said, "Of course you can.
"However, I was just passing through when I heard about you.
"I couldn’t help but ask around.
"I didn’t expect you to find me so quickly.
"It seems you’re doing quite well for yourself here, Zhi Jian.
"You have plenty of eyes and ears, and no shortage of helping hands!"
"What does it matter?"
Zhi Jian gave a wry smile. "Ultimately, I’m just an ordinary mortal. I’ll grow old, and in less than a hundred years, I’ll turn to dust.
"It’s not like you, Martial Uncle. You’ve made some real progress in your Cultivation, haven’t you?
"After all, you still look so young!
"I was always a bit older than you, even back then.
"But not by much.
"Yet now I look like a middle-aged man, while you’re still a youth in your prime!"
Just then, Zhi Jian’s wife—the once naive and willful young lady from a wealthy family—also stepped forward to offer a respectful greeting.
The little girl beside her, meanwhile, peeked out from behind her mother with wide eyes.
"Amitabha Buddha. Greetings, Benefactress, and Little Benefactress."
Xu Lei also smiled. "Is this the little one who was in your belly back then?
"That’s right. It’s been three years since you left the mountain, Zhi Jian.
"It’s good to see you two are as in love as ever.
"To be honest, I was worried that by the time we met again, you’d be all alone, Zhi Jian.
"After all, a young lady from a wealthy family can be naive and passionate, but also willful and free-spirited. Once those so-called feelings fade, the relationship can easily become a thing of the past.
"But seeing your family of three so happy now, it seems your choice back then was not in vain.
"This is good as well. This is good as well. If one cannot attain immortality in this life, finding a soulmate to grow old with is also a great joy."
「Two minutes later.」
"I’m sorry, but your daughter has no talent for Cultivation."
Xu Lei said, withdrawing his hand, "Her ability to sense Spiritual Qi is very low. It’s not enough for her to be suitable for Cultivation."
"What? None at all?"
Zhi Jian was slightly disappointed. "I thought that since I was able to cultivate, our daughter might have a chance, too.
"Of course, that doesn’t change anything. I’ll still tell you the information about the Spirit Monster as promised, Martial Uncle.
"Besides, if you really can subdue that Spirit Monster, it would be a huge favor to me as well, so you don’t need to feel awkward about this, Martial Uncle."
That was right. Zhi Jian had mentioned he had information about a Spirit Monster.
He himself had lost his chance at immortality, but he hoped his child might have a chance.
Ever since his daughter was born, he had wanted to know if she had the aptitude for Cultivation.
If she did, he wanted her to join the Buddhist Sect and cultivate, to continue the path he had been forced to abandon.
However, his Magical Power had long since dissipated, leaving him unable to sense it himself.
That was why he had sought out Xu Lei today—to ask for his help in checking.
Of course, having once been a cultivator himself, he knew the rules. He understood that checking for aptitude would consume a bit of Magical Power.
Thus, he had offered information on the whereabouts of a Spirit Monster as a greeting gift.
Xu Lei had been a little surprised at first, but since Zhi Jian was so perceptive, he naturally wouldn’t refuse.
After all, checking for aptitude only consumed a minuscule amount of Magical Power.
If the girl truly had the talent, Xu Lei wouldn’t have refused to recommend her to the Buddhist Sect.
Of course, she couldn’t possibly become his or Hui Ming’s disciple.
A girl would have to go to a Nunnery and cultivate under one of the Buddhist Sect’s True Nuns.
As it turned out, Zhi Jian’s daughter really didn’t have any talent for Cultivation. Xu Lei hadn’t lied.
Originally, Xu Lei had come on this trip to see if Qi Yang had found any Spirit Monsters that he could then poach for himself.
He never expected that while Qi Yang hadn’t seemed to find any Spirit Monsters, he himself had managed to find one!
It just goes to show how unpredictable life can be sometimes.
Xu Lei had just been passing through, and upon learning Zhi Jian was in this city, he couldn’t help but ask about him, thus becoming entangled in the threads of karma.
This time, however, it seemed to be a fortunate entanglement.
「That same afternoon.」
Led by Zhi Jian, Xu Lei arrived at the location of the Spirit Monster he had mentioned.
It was the residence of the local County Magistrate.
Zhi Jian explained that one of the young ladies of the residence was already fourteen years old.
She had been born with a beautiful face and a graceful figure, and had reached the age to be considered for marriage.
Not long ago, however, strange white patches had suddenly appeared on her face.
The Lord County Magistrate had even summoned many famous physicians, but none of them could identify the illness.
None of their treatments worked.
Taking all sorts of random medicines had even worsened the young lady’s health.
He’s at his wit’s end over it now.
But Zhi Jian, having been a cultivator, judged that this was likely not an ordinary illness, but rather the work of a Spirit Monster.
That’s why he wanted to find a cultivator to take a look.
It seemed that if Xu Lei hadn’t shown up, Zhi Jian would have suggested that the Lord County Magistrate seek help from the Daoist and Buddhist Sects.
But since Xu Lei happened to be passing through, he was more than happy to do him this easy favor.
Xu Lei didn’t mind Zhi Jian’s desire to curry favor with the powerful.
As long as it really was a Spirit Monster, there was profit in it for him.
There was no need to dwell on Zhi Jian’s worldly ambitions.
