Chapter 3: Time for a Feast

"Master... how... how did you figure this out?"

Sister Qing herself didn't even realize her voice was trembling.

To understand, her father marrying a stepmother was considered a family secret—something no one outside knew about.

Her parents had a close and loving relationship when they were young, and over the years, her father had remained single. She had always felt a bit sorry for him, thinking that, as he grew older, there was no one around to care for him.

So, when her grandmother started looking for a match for her father, she supported it.

However, her father never seemed interested.

But last year, something strange happened—he suddenly brought home a girl around her age and insisted on marrying her.

That moment was a breaking point for Sister Qing. In her mind, her father was always the mature and steady man, but now he was marrying someone young enough to be his daughter.

Wasn’t this unbecoming of him?

It seemed like the whole family felt it was a scandal too, and if the news got out, the company’s stock would certainly drop. So, the matter had been kept under wraps.

But Sister Qing didn’t hold back. The father and daughter had a big argument, and in her anger, she ran away from home.

It was also during this time that she met her boyfriend, who had the looks she liked, though his family wasn’t well-off.

Sister Qing didn’t hide the fact that she was in a better position. Her boyfriend often said he didn’t deserve her, but she didn’t mind. As long as she liked him, money didn’t matter.

However, recently, she started to feel something was off with her boyfriend, suspecting he might be seeing another woman.

To Sister Qing, a man might be poor, but he couldn’t be dirty.

She was desperate to find out the truth. So, she made an excuse to get some air and secretly planned to have someone investigate her boyfriend.

Unexpectedly, she ran into this fortune teller. From his tone, she had a sudden impulse to have him read her fortune.

But in the end, this so-called "master" was spouting nonsense, and it led to her boyfriend accusing her of doubting him and threatening to break up.

Sister Qing still liked her boyfriend’s face, and since there weren’t any principled issues, she was willing to comfort him.

But once she had done so, she made sure to settle this hidden debt.

"Sister, didn’t you know Daoist face-reading? It’s your face that told me all this."

"This..."

Sister Qing was a bit incredulous. Could something so specific be known just by looking at someone’s face?

But the little girl was frighteningly accurate.

"You said the woman he’s cheating with, do I know her? Who is she?"

Finally, Sister Qing couldn’t hold back and asked the burning question she had been holding in. Her palm was clenched tight.

Since this little master wasn’t lying, then her boyfriend must be the one telling lies.

Thinking of her boyfriend’s aggrieved face from before, her anger flared up. This scoundrel really knows how to act!

"Let me see... ah! She’s at your house right now. Sister, you’d better hurry. Who knows, you might run into her if you go back!"

Sister Qing: ...

"This damn woman!"

She didn’t expect the other person to be so shameless—one moment promising to be faithful, and the next, bringing the mistress home.

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Was she being treated like a fool?

At this moment, she couldn’t care less about the fortune teller. All that was in her mind was one thought—catching these shameless scoundrels.

When the bodyguards saw their employer leave, they didn’t dare to stay and quickly followed. A large group rushed in and hurriedly walked out.

"Wait... is this all?"

At that moment, with the pressure lifted, Qing Yun rolled up from the ground. He patted himself down, checked his arms and legs, and, seeing he was still in one piece, a skinny face broke into a grin.

After checking himself, his gaze naturally landed on the little dumpling in front of him. He searched for a while but couldn’t recall who she was.

He couldn’t help but ask, "Who are you?"

Just now, this child had called him 'Shibo' (Master Uncle), but he was clueless. He didn’t remember having any disciples.

Yao Yao glanced at her disheveled master uncle. Her round eyes immediately turned into crescent moons as she cheerfully said, "Shibo Qingyun, I’m Yao Yao. Qinghan is my master."

"Mm?" Qing Yun paused for a moment, then seemed to recall. "You’re the disciple my junior brother Qinghan accepted a few years ago?"

"Yes, yes, that’s me!"

Qing Yun was now truly surprised. This child had only entered the sect a little over two years ago, yet already had such abilities?

Qinghan’s junior brother must be really fortunate!

"But, why did you come down the mountain? What is Qinghan doing?"

The disciples of the Fire Cloud Sect had a rule about leaving the mountain. Of course, the sect master was an exception because they had to guard the place. But usually, disciples could only leave when they reached adulthood or achieved a certain level of cultivation and discernment.

Why would a three-year-old child be sent down the mountain?

If she were kidnapped by someone with a candy, wouldn’t the entire Fire Cloud Sect’s teachings be lost?

Qing Yun suddenly felt angry. Even though his own cultivation was poor, he truly considered the Fire Cloud Sect his family.

Who didn’t want the younger generation to succeed and revitalize the sect?

But the Fire Cloud Sect’s incense had always been weak, and it could never attract good disciples. It had always hung by a thread.

Now, his junior brother had picked up a treasure, but they weren’t properly protecting her? Instead, they were eager to send her down the mountain!

What a fool!

If it wasn’t so hard to go back, he would have gone straight to scold them.

But before he could vent his frustration, he saw the little dumpling’s small mouth puckering up, her eyes red.

"Shibo, my master... he... entered Nirvana."

In the Buddhist and Daoist worlds, when a monk or cultivator passed away, they didn’t say they "died," but rather that they "entered Nirvana," meaning their soul returned to the heavens, and their body returned to the earth.

Qing Yun, who had been preparing to speak passionately, suddenly froze. He turned stiffly. "Entered... entered Nirvana?"

"How could this happen!"

Qing Yun knew his junior brother’s abilities well. Though he wasn’t yet a great cultivator, he had the help of the ancestral statues in the temple. Even a powerful ghost wouldn’t be able to harm him easily.

So, why did he die so early?

Yao Yao shook her head. "Master didn’t tell me the reason. I only know that one time he came back from a ritual on the mountain, covered in blood. After that, his condition worsened day by day."

"A few days ago, he gave me his final instructions before passing away. He asked me to bring you a message, saying you’d understand when you saw it."

Yao Yao said, reaching into her bag to pull out a letter. Qing Yun took it and began reading.

After a long while, his brow slowly relaxed.

In the letter, Qinghan never explained how he was injured. He only mentioned one thing: to take care of his little disciple.

He said this child could eat, but not let her indulge her appetite.

There were also some other trivial instructions about taking care of a child. After reading it, Qing Yun couldn’t help but sneer.

What, just a three-year-old child?

How big could her appetite be? My junior brother had become so stingy over the years, even with the sect’s offerings.

But he didn’t need to say it. Yao Yao, being the only disciple with any cultivation now, was the future of the Fire Cloud Sect. Of course, he would take care of her well!

Not to mention big money—he could afford to feed her, after all. He had some savings from his years of fortune-telling... I mean, from his career.

Qing Yun adjusted his robes, dusted himself off, and didn’t mention the earlier disgrace.

He turned to the little dumpling and asked, "Are you hungry? Shibo will take you to eat."

Yao Yao was stunned. She hadn’t expected her master uncle to be so kind. She was immediately touched, and her image of him became even taller in her heart.

She nodded her soft little head and asked, "Can I eat meat?"

She had been eating flatbreads for days, and they tasted like nothing. It was hard to bear.

Qing Yun frowned:...

Couldn’t my junior brother even afford meat? His management of the sect’s offerings was truly a failure. It would have been better if he had stayed outside!

"Of course, but let’s have a little less, okay? If you eat too much at once, you can’t eat it every day."

Yao Yao nodded, "I understand, Master said life should be lived slowly, so I won’t eat too much."

Seeing how sensible she was, Qing Yun couldn’t help but feel proud. He silently gave his junior brother another point.

At least the child was being raised well!

Not only was she obedient, but she had good manners too.

Qing Yun looked at her with increasing fondness, then waved his hand toward the restaurant.

Neither of them realized how important this meal was for both of them.

[----------------°-------------]

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