IDWBE -Chapter 239 Remember My Name

“Ah!”

A-Dai said, confused, “Why?”

Sun Chongde snapped, “Go home and ask your brother. He knows why.”

After the meal, only the bones remained on the table.

Jiang Kan finished paying the bill, looked at the few dozen copper coins in his hand, and sighed to the sky.

Too much talking leads to mistakes.

The ancients did not lie.

Why did he have to babble nonsense?

And yet they took him seriously, making him host the meal!

Lin Yi looked at the dozen or so large chests in front of him and sighed. “Jiang Kan, as the superintendent of the navy, is this poor? Only a hundred thousand taels of silver?”

Far less than he had imagined.

Hong Ying brought over a teacup, smiling. “My lord, this is new tea sent by the Xiyi Sect. Try it and see how you like it.”

“Xiyi Sect? They’re rich!”

Lin Yi recalled the incident in Dazhu Town. Ye Jinyu had a conflict with the Xiyi Sect, and they casually pulled out tens of thousands of silver!

At the time, he had marveled at how rich the underworld could be.

Hong Ying said, “My lord, this is a thousand-year-old tea tree from Xiyi Mountain. Only one exists in the world, worth a fortune.”

Lin Yi took the teacup, sniffed it, sipped lightly, and said, “Good tea. Let them continue sending it. I quite enjoy it.”

He had never suffered from indecision; good tea was always welcome.

Only the poor faced choices.

Hong Ying smiled. “Yes, my lord likes their tea. It’s their blessing.”

Lin Yi asked, “How can the Xiyi Sect be this rich? What do they rely on for a living?”

Shan Qi clasped his hands. “The Xiyi Sect comes from Xiyi Mountain. In the jianghu, they are considered evil, everyone wants to fight them. However, they’ve managed the tea route from Southern Province to Jinzhou and Liangzhou for generations, making them quite wealthy.”

Lin Yi asked, “Compared to your Dongyang Island, who is richer?”

In his mind, the Shan family was also a wealthy house. The old matriarch reportedly spent tens of taels on a single meal.

Even as a vassal lord, he couldn’t compare.

Shan Qi laughed. “My lord, you jest. The Shan family focuses on farming and scholarship, not business. How could we compare to the Xiyi Sect?”

“Seems the Xiyi Sect is still richer,”

Lin Yi stretched as he stood. “I like making friends with the wealthy. Tell them that in Southern Province, as long as they follow the law, I’ll protect them.”

The Xiyi Sect was an enemy of the Jizhao Temple, which meant they were effectively his friends.

Shan Qi said, “My lord is wise.”

Lin Yi turned to Qi Peng. “No news from the palace yet? How are my mother and sister?”

Qi Peng said, “The emperor reprimanded Minister Qin, who advocated marriage alliance, saying it would harm the state.”

Lin Yi snorted. “Good. The eldest knows his place. He must have investigated and learned my strength; better not provoke me. Otherwise, don’t blame me for showing why I am so formidable.”

Qi Peng continued, “In Sanhe, I’ve noticed not only the palace guards and secret guards but also the Sixth Prince’s partridge scouts. Their numbers are higher than before. Previously, the partridge scouts ambushed the palace guards in Sanhe; over ten casualties on both sides. In Baiyun City, it caused panic, everyone thinking it was another band of pirates. My lord, if you approve, I can send the hair-cutters to eliminate them.”

Lin Yi pondered. “Don’t touch them. Better to let them fight each other—dogs biting dogs.”

Qi Peng respectfully acknowledged.

On the day the monk returned to Baiyun City, it happened to be the city’s dog-fighting contest. The blue dog from Sichuan won the crown, drawing everyone’s attention, while a battered tabby, injured and abandoned, lay by the roadside, barely alive.

The monk walked over, cradled it in his arms, occasionally using his hand to pass energy to it.

“You’re a kind-hearted monk.”

A clear, melodious female voice reached him.

The monk looked back. A woman in a yellow silk jacket and skirt stood behind him.

He replied lightly, “Heaven loves life.”

After speaking, he held the tabby and climbed the temple steps, one by one.

He did not look back, knowing the woman followed him.

Near the temple entrance, the woman could no longer hold back. “Hey, monk.”

“What does the lady wish to say?”

The monk asked, turning.

“Say? Not really,”

The woman walked up to him, hands behind her back, pacing and inspecting him. “You’re ordinary. How did you make my senior sister fall for you so deeply?”

“Senior sister?”

The monk looked puzzled.

“My senior sister is Xie Jiuyun.”

The woman smiled.

“Amitabha,” The monk nodded. “So you’re from Chunshan City.”

“Hmph,” The woman said proudly, “afraid?”

“Why should I be afraid?”

The woman frowned.

Chunshan City’s reputation was infamous. Anyone who heard the name trembled in fear.

In jianghu rumors, everyone from Chunshan City was ruthless, killing without hesitation. Even children feared them.

“You really aren’t scared?”

The woman asked again.

“No.”

The monk answered firmly.

The blind man had returned earlier. Even if not in the temple, he would be in Baiyun City, ready to help with the Lion Roar skill. Why fear?

Seeing the woman silent, he turned and stepped onto the temple entrance.

“Monk.”

The woman called out again. “You haven’t asked my name yet.”

The monk smiled wryly. “Then may I know your name?”

She grinned. “Remember this—I’m Xie Xiaoqing. Everyone says I’m prettier than my senior sister. I’m the most beautiful in Chunshan City.”

“You speak truthfully,”

The monk said, walking off without another word.

Back in the temple, he first reported recent events in the Southern Province to the abbot, then returned to his room.

Entering, he saw the blind man sitting cross-legged on his bed.

“Do you want dog stew?”

The blind man pointed at the tabby on the floor.

The monk snapped, “I don’t eat meat, you know that.”

The blind man nodded. “Then I’ll skin it and eat.”

The monk said, “I don’t kill either.”

The blind man sighed. “Then I’ll carry it back, let my master deal with it.”

“No!”

The monk said firmly. “I want to raise it. It will be my companion.”

The blind man smiled. “Fine, give it to me. I’ll lead it and let it guide me later.”

“Okay.”

The monk agreed.

The temple housed monks and Daoists, but Daoists loved dog meat the most.

His martial skill was low; Daoists might not respect him, and could kill the dog when he wasn’t looking.

Better to entrust it to the blind man, safe at least. Few in the temple dared offend him.