Daitoku-ji (2)

to be so polite, I hope you can keep this a secret.""Definitely, definitely, I would never lie." He nodded seriously."...I still want to thank you for saving me, but hearing you just say you were goin...Lin Yanhuan shared a lot of information with us. Afterwards, Lao Su brought tea and skillfully led Dabo, who was carrying the fruit platter, out. The two went to sit in the courtyard and chat, while we four sat around the Eight Immortals table drinking tea and chatting.

"Brother, you're rarely this free and relaxed." Lin Yanqin stuck out her tongue and whispered, "You always have your schedule packed full."

Lin Yanhuan raised his teacup with a smile, a wisp of floral fragrance drifted in, and his gaze followed the scent.

The osmanthus tree in the courtyard was still emitting its lingering fragrance.

"The swallows that once graced the Wang Xie family's courtyard eventually flew into commoners' homes... Now, on the surface, there are no more social classes. Privileges have retreated behind the scenes, making navigating life much more complicated... I'm so busy I can barely spare a thought for anything else, unlike you, who has nothing better to do than think about romance." Lin Yanhuan chuckled lightly.

Lin Yanqin pouted and glanced at my brother.

-- Look at my big brother, how serious he is.

My older brother, who's also about five years older than me, had a smirk on his face as he said, "You've gotten used to frowning, so your brain tends to get stuck in ruts and dead ends. Dating has its perks; at least it keeps your mind active! Prevents dementia in old age."

“I see you're pretty sharp when you’re not dating.” Lin Yanhuan smiled lightly, with a hint of mockery.

“But finding a woman who can keep up with your sharp mind, it’s going to be difficult, really hard… I don’t think many women could match your wit.” My brother shook his head and sighed: “Back in the day, the Prince had numerous wives. Now, even finding one wife is challenging, but plenty of mistresses are easily obtainable.”

I have a feeling my brother is digging a hole for Lin Yanhuan.

I kind of want to laugh, but I also kind of want to hear gossip from Lin Yanhuan!

A man like him, so tight-lipped, wouldn't his gossip be special too

Lin Yanhuan smiled and wasn't about to jump into the pit. Lin Yanqin, however, couldn't contain her frown and asked, "Who said that all princes are surrounded by a bunch of mistresses When women appear around my brother, they're basically there for a reason. In such circumstances, who has the heart to fall in love It's so twisted...and he still has to act like he's close to them..."

Lin Yanhuan glanced at her sister: "You understand... That Xu Yaqi... I heard she had already handled the paperwork to go home for recuperation. When I continued my investigation, I found that she and her family applied to go to Malaysia, but were rejected by the relevant authorities."

"Why refuse She can't go abroad now, can she" I asked.

"Yes, her father has fallen from power, and everyone in her family is under surveillance. The person responsible for watching her told me that she recently went to a deep mountain, I don't know what she was doing... And she is also purchasing some building materials. She claimed to the outside world that she wanted to help renovate the gates of nine Taoist temples to thank the gods for their blessings." Lin Yanhuan frowned, he clearly didn't believe this explanation.

I smiled, it turned out she had been possessed by the ghost princess's subordinates. A lot of ghosts are good because they can cast a wide net to obtain social resources.

"Little Qiao, I suggest you temporarily ignore everything else. Just focus on preparing and taking down the Grand Elder. Once you stand at a certain height, many troubles will no longer be troubles." Lin Yanhuan said seriously.

I nodded. He's been a bit like that lately, frustrated and wanting to impart all his wisdom onto me.

This time we learned from our mistakes, Da Bao went to great lengths to gather intel, and Lin Yanhuan also discreetly helped us understand some of the inside story.

"Xiao Qiao... what exactly is this 'Head Barbarian'" My brother sounded conflicted. "Should we go visit that old monk at Dingguo Temple"

"You wouldn't see him easily, would you He's the host, after all. Hosts usually don't show their faces..."

"Go for it, let's just go! "

Dingguo Temple is in the suburbs! How can you just say you're leaving

——As a result, it got dark and we were still wandering on the path.

I looked at my brother and said, "You're too confident! What if we get lost Now look, we're in the middle of nowhere..."

My brother looked at me speechless: “Ancestor, can you be reasonable How am I supposed to know the sewer pipe on that main road burst! This suburban area of the imperial capital is my first time here…I followed the navigation and didn’t take a wrong turn!”

I'm a little frustrated too, we've been following the navigation, but we're just going in circles!

"Running in circles" I asked, puzzled.

"Ghosts in the walls can even mess with navigation" My brother scoffed.

"Then what do you think is going on... I've been looking at this sign for the third time now—wait! Someone! Someone! Brother, go ask that person!" I saw a shadow moving by the roadside.

My brother slammed on the brakes. A man walking by the roadside was carrying fishing gear, he must be going night fishing.

"Big bro…" My brother pressed down the car window.

That man, upon hearing this, turned his head, a cigarette clamped between his teeth. His voice was rough and gravelly as he roared, "Who are you calling 'Big Brother'"

That voice actually belongs to a woman! You wouldn't tell just by looking at her short hair.

And her manner and bearing didn't resemble a woman at all, I thought she was "Big Brother".

"Damn it... Sorry, my eyes must have gone blind... Cough, sis, hello. I wanted to ask for directions." My brother quickly changed his tune.

This older woman stood on my side, she took the cigarette out of her mouth and leaned against the car frame with a swagger. Her eyes scanned both me and my brother a few times before she sneered: “What are you doing Come to this deserted mountain to have some wild sex”

"No." My brother twitched the corner of his mouth.

"What are you doing here Driving around in the dark like this Let me tell you, it's dangerous to walk around here at night. You might not even get shot, you might just end up agreeing to die together. Understand, big-breasted girl" She glanced at my chest.

I had a feeling of being flirted with by a hooligan in that moment.

This lady's words and actions are really... out of the ordinary!

She's not even that old, how come she's such a player! She just opens her mouth and spews filth!

"We're trying to find our way, how do we get around to Dingguo Temple The main road had a burst water pipe earlier, so we followed the GPS and ended up going in circles here! We thought we were lost in some kind of labyrinth—" my brother glared at her.

She snorted and raised an eyebrow. “Think so The only thing haunting this place is the sound of your own imagination. I just told you to be careful, not for ghosts, but because if you get caught without pants on, you might end up in the lake with a creepy stranger! We'd all be reading about it tomorrow."

"I was a little surprised: 'You know this place has ghosts Then why are you walking alone at night Aren't you afraid'"

She raised an eyebrow and looked at me, spitting out the cigarette she was chewing with a "tsk" sound. That look was more like a gangster than a gangster!

She rested her elbow on the car, leaning close to the half-open window, and flashed me a smile that revealed a row of pearly white teeth —

"Because, I'm the one who guides ghosts, you see..."tches.'"The little ghost clerk whispered, "This kind of thing is made when a living person exchanges their own bad deeds for longevity with the underworld. So we just turn a blind eye. Generally speak...