At the time, there was an outsider present—Xu Fei—so they couldn’t make their move. As soon as Xu Fei left, the three of them took out a suitcase and handed it to Lanhua, asking her to count the money inside.
When Lanhua opened the suitcase, she was thrilled to see it completely filled with cash. Overjoyed, she began counting the money.
But she soon noticed something was wrong. Except for the top bill in each stack, the rest were all blank sheets of paper! She had been scammed!
Realizing this, Lanhua wanted to chase after them, but by then, the scammers had already driven off in a car.
Even though Lanhua had been practicing at the temple for several years, there was no way her legs could outrun a car. After a futile attempt to chase them, she had no choice but to give up. Then, she remembered the original buyer.
“So, you’ve come to me now because you want to save your master first, and then recover the Jade Arhat?” Xu Fei asked after listening to Lanhua’s story. This question left Lanhua stunned.
“Senior… how could you even guess about my master’s situation?” Lanhua asked, her small face filled with shock.
Seeing her frightened expression, Xu Fei realized he needed to explain himself, or else this would seem far too mysterious.
“It’s nothing. Although we follow different paths, I have no reason to stand by and do nothing. As for your master, I just know a little about divination and the Eight Trigrams,” Xu Fei replied.
Hearing this, Lanhua felt somewhat reassured. Although she had taken refuge in Buddhism and become a disciple, the boundaries between Buddhism and Taoism had long since blurred in this day and age. Lanhua had heard that some Taoist seniors possessed powerful divination skills, with the most skilled said to be able to foresee the future. This encounter left a deep impression on her.
In truth, Lanhua didn’t know that Xu Fei was simply very experienced and had overheard her earlier mutterings at the stall. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known so much.
“I… I’d like to ask you to save my master first! If that’s possible…” Lanhua’s tone shifted from resolute to hesitant, as if afraid her request might be too presumptuous.
Xu Fei looked at Lanhua and shook his head with a smile. “It’s a good thing you chose your master. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have helped you! Let’s go see your master together.”
With that, Xu Fei took Lanhua to his car. Seeing the massive “land tank” before her, Lanhua couldn’t help but be amazed. “Just what kind of person is this senior?” she wondered.
Sitting in the passenger seat, Xu Fei focused on driving while Lanhua, after buckling her seatbelt and giving directions, found herself with nothing to do. She began secretly observing this senior who, despite being only a few years older than her, seemed so extraordinary.
“What are you looking at?” Xu Fei asked casually, still keeping his eyes on the road.
Lanhua quickly straightened up and stuck out her tongue sheepishly. “N-nothing… I was just curious why you said you wouldn’t help me if I hadn’t chosen my master.”
“That’s simple,” Xu Fei replied. “Even if the Jade Arhat is worth a fortune, in my eyes, a living person is far more important. That’s why I said your choice was the right one.”
“Even if the Arhat is worth a fortune, it’s not as important as a person…” Lanhua murmured to herself.
The car sped along, and soon they arrived at their destination. “Up this path, halfway up the mountain, is the Golden Light Temple. My master is inside.”
