As Yining pondered, she stepped into the room. Opposite her, a cotton mat with a calamus pattern covered the kang bed.
A man sat on the other side, drinking water. He didn’t look up when he heard visitors arrive. He was extremely handsome, with tanned skin, wearing a simple reddish-brown kasaya. If he were a young nobleman, even Gu Jingming would be outshone. But as a monk detached from worldly affairs, his demeanor exuded an indescribable sense of asceticism.
He stood up, chanted a Buddhist mantra, and said, “Commander, is this the person you want me to read?”
His voice was like a bell, neither hurried nor slow.
Lu Jiaxue led Yining forward and sat down beside her, saying, “Please, Master Daoyan, read her fortune. She’s physically weak; if there’s a way to improve her health, that would be best.”
So this was the renowned Daoyan!
Yining was slightly surprised, having heard his name but never seen him. She looked at him carefully again. Daoyan was very tall, and he bowed his head with palms together when chanting, likely out of respect. She recalled the legends of his coastal resistance against Japanese pirates, fighting hundreds single-handedly, and his thousand-tael silver qin that was rarely played. She even thought of how he became famous in one battle and then retreated to the mountains.
So he was cultivating at Daci Temple.
Lu Jiaxue asked Daoyan to read her fortune. This man was truly historically famous, on the same level as Lin Qingtian.
“Female benefactor, please sit and open your right palm,” Daoyan pointed to the opposite side. His eye sockets were deep-set, with a high nose and thick eyebrows. Yining thought his features didn’t look purely Central Plains Chinese. His deep-set eyes and brows were particularly striking, but his eyes were light, as if uninterested in everything.
Yining sat down as instructed, and Daoyan began reading her palm.
Daoyan’s unusually long middle finger traced Luo Yining’s palm for a moment. Then he looked at her, closed his eyes to think, and after opening them, said, “A noble fate, with benefactors.”
This was almost a template phrase; eight or nine out of ten fortune tellers would say something similar. Yining didn’t take it to heart, and neither did Lu Jiaxue. Just as Lu Jiaxue was about to inquire about Yining’s health, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside.
Someone ran in and whispered in Lu Jiaxue’s ear. Yining’s attention was fully on Lu Jiaxue, and she vaguely heard the person mention something about the back mountain and a pursuit.
Lu Jiaxue had personally escorted Zeng Yingkun here. He had planned to have his subordinates escort Zeng to the back mountain without accompanying them. Unexpectedly, in less than a quarter of an hour, trouble arose – someone was trying to rescue Zeng Yingkun. Lu Jiaxue’s expression darkened. “How many of them are there?”
The man replied, “About forty or fifty. The guards are outnumbered. You should go check, sir! They’re all trained fighters. As soon as they saw an opportunity, they attacked. Even the shackles are useless!”
“A bunch of useless fools, can’t even handle a jailbreak,” Lu Jiaxue frowned deeply.
From the sound of it, something had gone wrong with Lu Jiaxue’s plan!
Yining’s heart began to race. Escaping during chaos would be easiest, but would Lu Jiaxue go to check? Moreover, Lu Jiaxue’s men were everywhere outside; would they notice her?
Zeng Yingkun was crucial; if he escaped, it would cause endless trouble. Lu Jiaxue had to go see.
Lu Jiaxue stood up, glancing at Daoyan and Luo Yining, then called two attendants in. He said to Yining with a warning tone, “Behave yourself. I’ll be back soon.”
Daoyan was his man, and Daci Temple was his territory, so Lu Jiaxue felt quite at ease.
Yining looked at the two tall attendants, then at her thin arms. She estimated she couldn’t even take down one of them, let alone face the deified war god Daoyan.
She wanted to talk to Daoyan to distract these people, so she asked, “Master Daoyan, what else did you see?”
Daoyan fingered his Buddhist prayer beads with his left hand and said softly, “This poor monk also sees that the female benefactor’s life path is fraught with obstacles. I’m afraid there will be more misfortune than fortune in your future.”
As soon as he finished speaking, people suddenly broke through the window. These intruders wore linen clothes but had half their faces covered. Seven or eight of them immediately killed the few attendants Lu Jiaxue had left behind. Yining didn’t know where these people came from or what they were doing. Could they have been sent by her third brother to rescue her? Uncertain, she quickly grabbed a long staff leaning against the kang.
But in that instant, Yining felt a dagger pressed against the back of her neck. Someone yanked her backward, and she suddenly found herself against a chest filled with the scent of incense. Daoyan looked at her face, which was indeed very beautiful, enough to move any man’s heart. He said slowly, “Don’t you think it would be better for someone like you to die sooner?”
The dagger in his hand was ice-cold and pressing with real force against her flesh as if about to cut into her at any moment.
Daoyan’s gaze was now cold, completely unlike a monk.
He wanted to kill her!
Yining was startled but maintained a calm expression as she said lightly, “Master, I have no past grievances or recent grudges with you. Do you want to kill me just because? This thinking isn’t right. Aren’t monks supposed to be compassionate?” She was now focused on staying alive and would say anything necessary. “I suspect the commotion on the back mountain was arranged by you. Do you want to kill me so badly that you’re willing to break with Lu Jiaxue?”
“Killing you would save many people,” Daoyan said, completely unmoved. The gentle scent of incense continued to surround Yining. In truth, Daoyan was very handsome, with a compassionate air about him.
Yining felt she had truly been having terrible luck lately. How could she have barely escaped from one danger only to fall into another?
Daoyan truly intended to kill Yining. His dagger moved down an inch, ready to plunge into her thin flesh.
But then a voice came from the doorway: “Daoyan, stop.”
A man wearing a dark gray squirrel fur cloak, with a stern expression, walked in.
It was Luo Shen Yuan.
“Junior brother, you’re still too soft-hearted,” Daoyan’s voice had a peculiar coldness to it. But his dagger didn’t withdraw; instead, it pressed closer against Yining’s nape. Yining saw the auspicious knot on the prayer beads swaying. She found it somewhat laughable that a compassionate, historically renowned hero wanted to kill her.
“Master, you’re a famous general who fought against the Japanese pirates, spreading Buddhist teachings to save all beings,” Yining said calmly. “Though I don’t know you personally, I’ve long admired you. Now it seems seeing is indeed better than hearing.”
Daoyan’s tone remained unchanged: “You know my past, so you must understand that these words are useless to me.”
As a cultivator, Daoyan rarely associated with women, especially those from high-ranking families. In his view, Yining was too pampered and too troublesome. Lu Jiaxue personally brought her here just to have her fortune told – it couldn’t be that simple. For the sake of his career, Luo Shen Yuan should stay away from her, preferably letting Lu Jiaxue have her.
He hadn’t intended to kill her earlier; he was just putting on a convincing act to see how long Luo Shen Yuan, waiting outside, would restrain himself. As soon as he mentioned “more misfortune than fortune,” Luo Shen Yuan’s men broke through the window. If he had tried to kill Yining, this fellow would have rushed in personally without delay.
Daoyan finally withdrew the dagger into his sleeve, resuming the appearance of a calm, high-ranking monk.
Yining felt a burning pain on the back of her neck. She discreetly touched it and found blood on her fingers.
Luo Shen Yuan approached. Yining quickly hid her hand in her sleeve. He stared at her for a long time before reaching out to stroke her hair, asking in a hoarse voice, “Are you alright?”
“Thanks for you coming to save me,” Yining sighed in relief. She looked outside, where Luo Shen Yuan’s men now controlled the area.
Yining felt somewhat dazed and uncertain. Had he so easily killed all of Lu Jiaxue’s men?
“Lu Jiaxue,” Yining pondered for a moment, “is very cunning. I fear this might be a trick to lure you in. We should leave quickly.”
“This was a feint,” Luo Shen Yuan explained. “The jailbreak attempt for Zeng Yingkun was a diversion; our real goal was to rescue you.”
“We can’t stay here long,” Daoyan suddenly said with his eyes closed. “How long can your men hold out? You should hurry.”
“When Lu Jiaxue arrived, he had Daci Temple surrounded. I snuck in with my men. He won’t let his guard down so easily,” Luo Shen Yuan said, looking up. “I still have things to do. Let Daoyan take you out. When our master taught us, Daoyan learned martial arts while I studied literature. With him leading you to break through, Lu Jiaxue won’t use excessive force.”
Yining had long known that Daoyan and Luo Shen Yuan were acquainted, but this was the first time she learned they were fellow disciples.
He was staying behind alone? Letting Daoyan escort her?
Yining couldn’t help but glance at Daoyan.
He was chanting with lowered eyes. Sunlight filtered through the window paper, illuminating his profile, his features as if sculpted. His long eyebrows were slightly furrowed, his eye sockets deep-set, with a compassionate look between his brows.
Daoyan suddenly said, “What, afraid I’ll kill you again?”
The wound on her nape still stung. Yining smiled wryly, “Since Master spared me earlier, you probably won’t kill me now. It’s just that Master looks so refined, not like a martial artist.”
“Buddhist teachings are compassionate, saving others and oneself. Physical force is inferior; this poor monk doesn’t usually favor it,” Daoyan said calmly.
Yining didn’t say more to Daoyan but turned to Luo Shen Yuan: “…Third Brother, Daci Temple is dangerous now, and there’s chaos on the back mountain. Why don’t you leave with us? Whatever you need to do can wait.”
“Don’t worry about me. Go with Daoyan. I brought plenty of men this time. I’ll come back after I finish what I need to do,” Luo Shen Yuan said, pressing her shoulder. “Hurry and leave. Lu Jiaxue will likely return soon.”
If she left alone and Luo Shen Yuan stayed behind, who knew what Lu Jiaxue might do?
Yining felt uneasy, sensing the situation wasn’t so simple. “Third Brother…” she called softly.
Luo Shen Yuan frowned: “Your presence here is delaying me. Don’t be willful.”
“Let’s go,” Daoyan put down his prayer beads picked up a three-foot-long crossbow, and quivered from the corner. Yining wanted to say more to Luo Shen Yuan, but Daoyan led her out of the courtyard, where a carriage was waiting. Daoyan got in first, and seeing Yining still looking back, he slowly said, “Although Lu Jiaxue is brutal, he’s also quite intelligent. Killing my junior brother would do him no good, and as the Vice Minister of Works, my junior brother isn’t someone who can be killed casually. Your presence here actually restricts him more. Once he rescues Zeng Yingkun, he’ll naturally leave.”
Yining was always afraid of causing trouble for him.
She sighed inwardly and got into the carriage. The carriage moved quickly along the mountain road, taking a different, more desolate, and difficult path than the one they came on. She sat unsteadily in the carriage. Daoyan, however, sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, his body barely swaying. He was mumbling; Yining listened carefully and recognized it as the Heart Sutra, a Buddhist scripture she knew.
She didn’t ask more until the carriage suddenly jolted. The driver let out a muffled groan, and Yining saw blood spatter on the curtain. The carriage lost control and swerved violently.
Yining fell backward, expecting to hit the carriage wall. But Daoyan suddenly moved, and Yining felt a hand steadying her waist, helping her sit upright. She began to believe this man truly knew martial arts; his hand supporting her was very stable. Daoyan didn’t say much, just grabbed his crossbow.
Outside, a gruff voice said, “Master! Leave the carriage, and we won’t trouble you!”
Daoyan was revered in the military, with the title of War God. Fishing villages along the Fujian coast still had shrines dedicated to him.
“I had given up killing, but now I must kill again to save you,” Daoyan glanced at her and suddenly said.
Yining didn’t know what to say. Daoyan had already gone outside.
She lifted the curtain slightly, peering through the gap to see Daoyan drawing his bow. The men blocking them held broadswords, not suitable for this kind of attack. Daoyan’s arrows hit their targets with almost 100% accuracy. At the same time, he slapped the horse’s rump, and the startled animal suddenly accelerated. Yining had to grab the carriage frame to steady herself as they charged through the blockade.
The carriage raced along the wide road. Daoyan had one arrow left. His hand was on the arrow shaft, about to lower it, when he suddenly said, “Lu Jiaxue’s men are coming.”
Dust rose on the official road as a group of horsemen approached. In the distance were men from the Divine Machine Battalion, about forty or more.
Daoyan aimed his arrow at the leader. Yining’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly grabbed his arm to stop him from drawing the bow. “Master, you mustn’t!”