With that, he turned and left, leaving Master Kong Yin standing hunched at the door, gazing eagerly into the distance.
On the other side, after leaving the main hall, Master Jingqing arrived at the courtyard that Kinkaku Temple had provided for An Chengxi and her group.
Jingqing entered the courtyard, where An Chengxi was chatting with Tang Sihai, Sister Sun, and the others. An Chengxi had brewed a pot of fine tea and was using gongfu cups to serve it to the two when she saw Jingqing. She smiled and said: “Jingqing, Master Kong Yin let you return so early today? Come, sit and have a cup of tea.”
These past few days, Jingqing had debated scriptures with Master Kong Yin until noon each day before returning. Today, he was back an hour earlier than usual, which was indeed unusual.
Jingqing smiled faintly and said: “Returning to Madam, just now two monks from the temple came shouting outside the main hall door, but they spoke entirely in Japanese, which I do not understand. I have no idea what they were saying. Master Kong Yin simply became extremely agitated and asked me to support him to the temple gate. I do not know precisely what happened.”
An Chengxi asked in surprise: “Master Kong Yin is over a hundred years old. What could agitate him so?”
Jingqing shook his head gently: “This one does not know either.”
An Chengxi asked puzzledly: “You did not support him there?”
“No.” Jingqing answered truthfully: “Later, Master Kong Yin instructed his two disciples, then had me return first.”
An Chengxi sensed something amiss and thus said to Sister Sun: “Sister Sun, ask our hidden sentries if they have noticed anything unusual.”
Sister Sun nodded, stepped aside a few paces, gently pulled the microphone from her collar’s walkie-talkie, pressed the talk button, and asked softly a few questions.
Upon hearing the response, her expression sharpened at once. She hurried back to An Chengxi with evident panic and said: “Madam, the hidden sentry says a Japanese girl arrived at the temple gate earlier. She looks young, waited at the entrance for a while, and has now been escorted inside by a novice from the temple…”
An Chengxi had just picked up a purple clay teacup for Jingqing when she heard this. Her hand trembled suddenly, and the cup slipped from her fingers, shattering into scattered fragments on the tea tray with a sharp crack.
A flash of shock crossed her face, and she asked Sister Sun: “Who do you think it might be?”
Cold sweat slid down Sister Sun’s cheeks as she said, fraught with anxiety, panic, and deep guilt: “Madam… this subordinate… this subordinate fears it may be Lin Wan’er…”
An Chengxi gave a wry smile: “I think the same as you…”
Sister Sun immediately lost her composure. Over all these years, they had never been tracked down like this. It felt just like the crew of the Titanic, brimming with confidence that their great ship would never sink, only to hear the cry: “We are done for! We have struck an iceberg!”
Master Jingqing also panicked at once and said hastily: “Madam, this Lin Wan’er… could she be here for you? Perhaps… perhaps we should cover your evacuation first!”
“Yes, Madam!” Sister Sun added: “While she goes to see the abbot, we can still make our escape in time. I just confirmed: the visitor is Lin Wan’er alone!”
An Chengxi shook her head and smiled self-mockingly: “If Lin Wan’er has come for me, there is no point in hiding any longer. You must understand, she came alone this time, which means she has not yet told Chen’er of her discovery. Otherwise, had Chen’er accompanied her, with his cultivation, we would have been exposed long ago.”
Master Jingqing, Sister Sun, and Tang Sihai all looked utterly dejected.
They knew too that if Lin Wan’er had truly come for them, hiding further would be pointless. Her coming alone was a signal: take your time, let us talk face to face first. If they ignored this signal, next time, Lin Wan’er might bring Ye Chen along.
Tang Sihai still struggled: “Madam, even if Lin Wan’er has discovered us, she surely does not know of your existence. Why not hide first and let this subordinate go to meet her!”
“It would be futile.” An Chengxi smiled and said: “Lin Wan’er is cunning almost to the point of being a demon. Wu Feiyan has chased her for centuries without success, and Chen’er barely lasted a few rounds with her before she tracked us down. If you go to see her, she will never believe you are the mastermind. Between us, our combined years do not match hers, and besides, with her already at our door, trying to fool her is unrealistic.”
With that, An Chengxi sighed deeply and said earnestly: “The matter has come to this; if our skills fall short, there is no use in futile resistance. Wait and see. If Lin Wan’er has truly come for me, it will not be long before she sends someone to summon us. Then, I shall go and speak with her openly and honestly!”
Master Jingqing instinctively released his spiritual energy and sensed Lin Wan’er approaching the entrance to the main hall courtyard. He immediately said: “Madam, with my spiritual sense, I have probed and am monitoring Lin Wan’er’s every move comprehensively!”
“No need.” An Chengxi waved him off and said gravely: “At this juncture, such petty manoeuvres would lack true candour. I, An Chengxi, have lived upright my whole life, never done anything to feel guilty about, yet for twenty years I have skulked like a rat in the shadows across the world. To meet Lin Wan’er openly today, upon reflection, may not be such a bad thing after all!”
