After Lin Shi was sent away, Yu Xiang managed the household together with Yu Si Yu and the Marquis manor finally regained its former tranquility. The four training Momo after all came out from the palace and they were afraid of being forgotten by the Empress since they had stayed away for too long. So seeing that Yu Miao Qi behaved herself, they hastened to take their leave and left with the five hundreds copies of women’s precepts, all of which were transcribed by Yu Miao Qi every day.
Since then, Yu Miao Qi often left the manor, saying she was visiting Lin Shi. She seems to have recovered from the series of blows as not only her complexion is rosy but even her eyes are radiating sparkles, especially after she has visited Lin Shi of which she is able to greet others with a smiling face for several days.
Yu Xiang had sent someone to tail her but seeing that she did not come out after entering the Lin residence, the surveillance gradually slackened.
Today is a rare sunny day. The golden-bright sun dispelled the biting cold wind and the fragrance of blooming plum blossoms filled the air. Yu Pin Yan, who was on respite, was now standing behind the desk and painting a picture of ‘plum blossoms standing proudly in the snow’ while Yu Xiang was lying on the soft couch opposite him, holding a novel of supernatural tales and reading it with great interest.
After painting the few specks of plum blossoms, Yu Pin Yan lost his interest and set aside the painting paper. He then took out a new piece of paper and glanced at his younger sister.
Noticing his focused gazes, Yu Xiang put the book down and asked, “Are you painting me?”
“En, don’t move around.” Yu Pin Yan carefully mixes the inks.
Yu Xiang blinked then seemingly thought of something, the pearl hairpin on her head was swiftly removed and unbound her hair bun, letting the ankle-length silky black hair down before overlapping her legs and lay gracefully on her side. The white socks had long been removed, revealing her small delicate fair feet. One hand naturally hung on her waist while her chin rested on the other and said with a brimming smile, “Paint me like this.” As the words faltered, she felt that it was still not perfect enough. So, she slipped the side of her blouse down to her elbow after a brief thought, exposing her white glossy rounded shoulder.
The delicate and cute girl instantly transformed into an unrivalled beautiful minx. The hand holding the brush unconsciously tightened and merely a snap resounded as the shaft of the painting brush broke into two. Helplessly holding his forehead, Yu Pin Yan threw the broken brush out the window and strode over quickly. His low voice revealed an intense desire, “Xiang’er, how can you make me paint with you looking like this? I just want to kiss you now.” As he spoke, his lips moved closer and closer.
“Then let’s paint after we kiss. Paint my red lips swollen which are as beautiful as the peaches and plums.” Yu Xiang giggled and licked her elder brother’s elegantly thin lips with the tip of her tongue.
He never knew his younger sister could actually be so fiery passionate once she opened up her feelings that even a saint could not resist. Yu Pin Yan groaned softly then tenaciously nipped the little minx’s lips into his mouth …
Yu Xiang hummed a smile and wrapped her arms around his neck. The two of them instantly rolled onto the soft couch and got passionately entangled.
It was already warm inside the room with the underground heating and now the temperature rose even higher, almost to the point where several small sparks would be ignited. Standing guard outside the door, Tao Hong and Liu Lu could hear the frequent tongues entangling sound from inside, their expression had long changed from bashfulness to numbness.
More stupor than them were the guards guarding the study where they stood upright not far away without even a twitch on the tips of their eyebrows. Just at this moment, a guard rushed in hurriedly from outside the courtyard and half-kneeling in front of the door to salute, “Marquis, Great Master Ku Hui has been found! He is now being escorted back by our people and will arrive in the Capital tomorrow.”
After a moment of silence in the study, Yu Pin Yan pushed open the door and ordered in a deep voice, “Prepare the horse. This Marquis will greet him personally.”
Rather than saying that Great Master Ku Hui was escorted back, it would be better to say he was detained home. In order to heal his younger sister, Yu Pin Yan was said to have left no stone unturned as he actually sent many guards to Tianzhu (India), Siam (Thailand) and Nanyang (Southeast Asia) to look for him. In these five years, just the cost of travelling expenses alone was substantial. Fortunately, the effort paid off where they finally found Great Master Ku Hui in Tianzhu, who was carried onto the ship without demur and forcibly taken back to the Capital.
Ku Hui is only twenty-five or six years old this year. Although he was raised by Ku Hai himself and usually delved more into the art of healing than the teaching of Buddhism, yet it was the words lack of cultivation from Ku Hai that made him travel across the sea for the quest of Buddhism studies. Once he arrived in Tianzhu and other places, he was attracted by the foreign medical skills and neglected to practice Buddhism. Thus, his state of mind naturally is not as accommodating as Ku Hai.
Ku Hui was a little uneasy in his heart and made many inquiries along the way. Learning that the one abducting himself was Marquis Yongle, known as the Living King of Hell, who usually kills people like flies and slaughters indiscriminately, the feeling of uneasiness turned into defiance. Once he arrived at Zhenguo Temple, he refused without even thinking after hearing Yu Pin Yan’s plea.
Yu Pin Yan asked kindly, “How will the Great Master be willing to treat my younger sister? As long as I, Yu Pin Yan, can do it, I will agree without exception.”
Ku Hui recited a passage of the Buddhist scripture. Opening his eyes, he slowly said, “Today at zhishi (11pm-1am) if you wear a single unlined garment to perform the ceremony of the three prostrations and nine kowtows from the walkway planks at the foot of the mountain to the gate of the temple, then this humble monk will consider your request.”
Zhenguo Temple is located at the top of the mountain, with a pathway built around the mountain and a walkway planks for the woodcutters. It takes an hour to walk from the pathway and two hours by the walkway planks. Should one have to perform the ceremony of the three prostrations and nine kowtows on the steep flight of stairs, the difficulty can well be imagined. With this kind of torment, Yu Pin Yan might not be able to hold up even if he is made of iron.
The guards standing on both sides could not help but draw their swords yet Ku Hui closed his eyes and chanted in a low voice.