Free Web NovelChapter 154: Chapter 154: The Xie Family’s Older Brother
Xie Mingxu was dressed in dark blue robes that accentuated his tall frame. An agate-inlaid treasure sword hung at his narrow waist, and his entire bearing was one of indescribable nobility, tinged with a faint air of authority.
"We’ve only been walking a short while, and you’re already exhausted? It seems leaving the border has made you lazy." His voice was pleasant, like the sound of a clear spring flowing over stones.
Xie Mingxu held out a hand. "Keep up, or you’ll be on stable duty when we get back."
The man in purple clutched his head, begging for mercy. "General Xie, please, spare me! I’m just a useless dandy! The main reason I followed you back to the Capital City was to visit my grandmother. How about this? I’ll head down the mountain now and prepare a welcome banquet for you. Just come to my estate when you get down."
With that, he turned and ran, terrified that Xie Mingxu would catch him if he delayed for even a moment.
Xie Mingxu pressed his lips together as he watched his friend disappear in a flash.
Without another word, he turned to continue up the mountain, only to spot a tiny figure perched on a large rock nearby.
Shen Ningning had been watching them for a while, blinking her big, round, dewy eyes.
The little girl wore a light pink dress with flowing gauze sleeves. Her skin was as white as snow, but her cheeks were flushed a lovely crimson from the heat.
Xie Mingxu was taken aback.
Water was scarce in the outer regions, making it difficult to raise even the daughters of wealthy families to look so delicate and fair.
He truly hadn’t seen many little girls as lovely and vibrant as her on his entire journey back.
Besides, there was something familiar about her face.
Shen Ningning’s eyes followed him. Xie Mingxu considered stopping to say a few words, but he was worried he might scare her.
So, he walked past her in silence.
Once he was out of sight, Shen Ningning blinked her big, round eyes and wondered aloud, ’His surname is Xie. I wonder if he’s related to Uncle Prime Minister?’
Having rested enough, Shen Ningning hopped down from the rock and resumed her bouncy climb up the steps.
"Oof, oof..." she panted, taking big gulps of water as she climbed.
She wasn’t really tired, but her little tummy was stretched taut and round, full of sugary water.
About halfway up, Shen Ningning saw the young man named Xie again. He was standing on the steps ahead, inspecting the soil in the adjacent woods.
His brow was furrowed, and he rubbed the coarse dirt between his long fingers as if he’d made an unexpected discovery.
Shen Ningning walked over. "Big brother, what are you looking at?"
Xie Mingxu turned to look at the little girl, his tone a bit cold. "Nothing."
He clapped the dirt from his hands.
It had rained heavily in the Capital City last night, yet this patch of soil was still wet. Moreover, its color was different from the surrounding soil.
Xie Mingxu suspected something was buried beneath this discolored soil.
But with an unfamiliar little girl right next to him, it wasn’t a good time to start digging. Besides, his purpose for coming up the mountain was to worship and offer a lamp, so he decided to let the matter go for now.
’This big brother Xie is so cold!’ Shen Ningning thought.
Since he wasn’t being friendly, she didn’t try to cozy up to him for a chat. Instead, she gathered her little skirt and continued hopping up the steps.
A moment later, Xie Mingxu caught up to her and asked, "Little friend, are you climbing this mountain alone? Where’s your family?"
Shen Ningning looked at him with her bright, dark eyes, her voice soft and sweet. "Big brother, you aren’t trying to kidnap me, are you? My teacher, Mr. Huang, says that strangers who call you ’little friend’ are usually up to no good!"
"Are you going to offer me candy now to get me to go with you?"
Xie Mingxu stumbled, nearly falling over in shock at her words.
A touch of awkwardness crept onto his calm, serious face. "I’m not a trafficker. Why would I abduct you?"
But on second thought, he realized that as a complete stranger, rashly asking where her family was would certainly make her suspicious of his intentions.
Xie Mingxu explained, "I just wanted to warn you. We’re deep in the mountains now. You might get lost if you go any further. If you snuck out to play, you should head back before your family starts to worry."
Only then did Shen Ningning flash a sweet, mischievous smile. "I didn’t sneak out to play! I’m going to Fashan Temple to have the nice old monks help me fix my Buddha Beads. Here, look!"
She dug into her pocket with a small hand and pulled out several round, smooth Buddhist beads.
Xie Mingxu glanced down, his brows knitting together slightly.
The Buddhist beads she produced looked just like the string of Shariputra he had once seen on the Crown Prince.
Legend had it that the Crown Prince’s birth coincided with the descent of an Evil God into the mortal world, destining him to a life of misfortune.
For the Crown Prince’s sake, the Emperor had taken all the Shariputra left by an eminent monk who passed into nirvana a hundred years ago and fashioned them into a bracelet. After having it consecrated, he ordered the Crown Prince to wear it at all times to ensure his safety and ward off evil.
Xie Mingxu had seen a few of those beads before. They were a uniform brown but seemed translucent when held up to the light.
His gaze toward Shen Ningning grew inscrutable.
’If these truly belong to the Crown Prince, how did they end up in this little girl’s possession?’
Shen Ningning let him look for only a moment before putting them away.
Xie Mingxu fell into step beside her and said coolly, "Since that’s the case, let’s go together. I’m also on my way to Fashan Temple."
Shen Ningning immediately became more enthusiastic. "Big brother, what are you going to the temple for?"
"To offer a lamp for my family," he said.
Shen Ningning was a cheerful little chatterbox. All the way up the mountain, she would excitedly point out any peculiar flower or plant she saw to Xie Mingxu.
The sight of her made Xie Mingxu think of his own younger sister.
His expression couldn’t help but dim.
’If my little sister were still alive,’ he thought, ’she’d be about this girl’s age now.’
’She would have followed me around, chased after me, or pestered me while calling me ’brother.’’
With this in mind, Xie Mingxu couldn’t stop himself from calling out to Shen Ningning, who was trotting ahead of him, "Slow down! Be careful you don’t fall."
The two of them arrived at Fashan Temple together.
Shen Ningning’s face was flushed from the exertion, and she used her small hand to wipe the sweat from her fair brow.
Her large, dark eyes peered into the temple. "Huh? There’s hardly anyone here!"
Xie Mingxu glanced inside as well.
It wasn’t just that there were few people; there was no one at all.
Aside from a monk sweeping the grounds, he couldn’t see a single other worshipper.
His brow furrowed with sharp perception. But before he could speak, Shen Ningning had already bounded inside, completely carefree.
"Uncle Monk!" The little girl made a beeline for the sweeping monk.
Resigned, Xie Mingxu had no choice but to follow her.
The sweeping monk was a sturdy man in his forties. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes as he looked at Shen Ningning.
"Young benefactor, how may I help you?"
"I’d like to have my broken Buddha Beads restrung. Can you help me?" Shen Ningning asked in her sweet voice, taking out her waist pouch.
She opened it for the monk to see, revealing it was full of brown beads.
Cangyun Country had a long-standing tradition where people would bring their personal effects to a temple to be passed through incense smoke, a process commonly known as consecration.
The monk, therefore, assumed this was Shen Ningning’s intention. He nodded immediately, smiling. "Of course."
He glanced up at Xie Mingxu, who stood behind the girl, and, assuming they were siblings, took the pouch of beads and carried it into the main hall.
"The Buddha Beads must be offered before the Buddha with incense for half an hour. Afterward, I will find some thread and restring them for you, young benefactor."
Shen Ningning put her palms together and said sweetly, "Okay! Thank you, Uncle Monk."
The monk smiled. "You’re welcome. Amitabha Buddha."
Then he turned and left.
Shen Ningning turned her head and saw Xie Mingxu by the altar in front of the Buddha statue, his brow deeply furrowed as he studied it.
"Big brother, you keep staring at the food on the altar. Are you hungry? I have something delicious!" She beckoned with a little finger, pulling some red fruits out of her bag to share.
