Chapter 67: Chapter 67 The Little Girl Vengeful Spirit
Tao Ti felt certain she was done for, that this fierce monk would surely hit her like her mother used to, or scold her at least.
She was taken to a place, the door opened, and a fragrance wafted towards her, the table laden with many exquisite pastries.
Tao Ti pursed her lips, not letting her saliva dribble down.
“Hungry?”
With no one else around, Luo Hanchen was quite gentle and affectionate.
Before becoming a monk, he had a daughter too, but she had been brutally murdered by a criminal gang.
...
At that time, his daughter was about the same size as Little Taotie now.
Latterly he completed his mission, but it left him all alone.
Unwilling to stay on the police force, and at one point harboring suicidal thoughts, he had, as a child, learned martial arts at Shaolin Temple—who would have thought that after so much, he would end up back at Shaolin Temple, this time truly shaving his head and taking the monastic vows.
Tao Ti glanced at the delicate pastries on the table, then stealthily peeked at the stern-faced, menacing monk, her heart pounding: Can I eat them? Will they be poisoned? Why does he want to feed me?
“Don’t be afraid, eat,” Luo Hanchen picked up a piece of mung bean cake and offered it to Tao Ti, tugging the corners of his mouth to make himself smile, “Try this, it’s delicious.”
“You… have an ugly smile,” Tao Ti muttered softly, stepping back without taking it.
Although she was hungry, and although she was craving, she also remembered her older brothers’ warnings—there were many bad people out there, and one must not eat things given by strangers; the better-looking the treat, the more dangerous it was, just like how beautiful mushrooms are often poisonous.
“Not eating?” Luo Hanchen seemed a bit disappointed, and bit into it himself.
Tao Ti breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him eat.
Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.
It appeared there was no poison.
Tao Ti looked around and noticed pictures on the shelf; she trotted over, asking, “Who is this young lady? She’s so pretty!”
This photo was an artistic shot taken for her daughter’s sixth birthday, dressed in a delicate, beautiful skirt with a floral headpiece, running through a field of lavender.
It was her daughter’s favorite photo; countless times before she died she spoke of wanting to take more pictures in the lavender fields for her seventh birthday.
But… she never got that chance.
Her life was forever frozen at six years old.
Luo Hanchen’s gaze darkened, the corners of his eyes reddening, his voice hoarse: “She was my daughter.”
Tao Ti was surprised, “Ah? Monks have daughters too?”
“I have her photo album, do you want to see it?”
“Yes!”
Imperceptibly, their relationship became less tense, and Tao Ti was no longer so afraid of him.
The two of them looked at the album together, heads close; when Tao Ti saw an unfamiliar landscape, she would ask about it, and Luo Hanchen would explain it with great detail.
“Wow! Your daughter went to so many places!”
“She loved flowers, and whenever I had the time, I would take her to see different kinds of flowers.”
“In our village in the mountains, when spring comes, the whole mountain is covered with flowers, tiny ones of all colors; it’s beautiful! You should bring your daughter to our mountain village to see!”
At her words, Luo Hanchen felt a bitterness in his throat, “There’s no more opportunity for that.”
Tao Ti was puzzled, tilting her head as she looked at him quizzically.
“She…”
Before Luo Hanchen could say that his daughter was dead, Little Taotie suddenly pointed in a direction with surprise, “Ah, your daughter is there!”
“Why is it a vengeful spirit?” Tao Ti asked in bewilderment, moving slowly in the direction of the young girl.
The girl was covered in injuries, and the hand stretched out to her had no fingers, as if they’d been cut off in an exceedingly cruel manner.
“Do you harbor resentment, and that is why you are unwilling to leave?”