Chapter 72: 072. Beautiful Monk (First Update)
Translator: 549690339
After a day of arranging for Yan Shiba and preparing for their journey, they were busy until the sun was about to set by the time their carriage arrived at Feiyan Town.
Last night, Su Liang scarcely closed her eyes, and she was drowsy in the carriage when she suddenly heard an angry shout, “You bald thief! How dare you steal money! Someone, catch this thief!”
She opened her eyes and lifted the curtain to look outside.
Ahead there was a commotion, and a shiny bald head stood out in the crowd.
A monk wearing ordinary clothes had his back to Su Liang, so she couldn’t see his face.
“A monk stealing? Must be a fake monk!”
“Look at his smooth-skinned face, I bet he’s a Casanova!”
“Report it to the authorities!”
Originally, it had nothing to do with Ning Jing and Su Liang, but the spectacle of a “monk stealing money on the street” attracted many onlookers, who blocked the road with their noisy clamor.
They had just changed their carriage that day, and they couldn’t get through for the time being.
Su Liang thought they might as well wait for the crowd to disperse before proceeding, but then she saw the monk being pushed around and turning to face her. The sight of his appearance made her pause for a moment.
The description of “fine and fresh” was not an exaggeration.
About eighteen or nineteen years old, thin and fair-skinned, with delicate features that could be called beautiful even with his bald head and coarse monk’s robe. He didn’t defend himself when people humiliated and reviled him, but merely put his hands together and chanted a low prayer.
The scene was quite dramatic.
The devout Little Monk seemed to be separated from the boisterous crowd around him, as if they were in two different worlds.
However, Su Liang didn’t know the details of the incident, whether the theft was true or not, and she had no intention of intervening.
Just as she was about to lower the curtain, she heard Ning Jing speak, “He has a dark foreboding in his countenance.”
Su Liang: …
There was no need to ask “how do you know the monk isn’t a murderer” kind of questions, because it was impossible to determine at the moment.
And Su Liang had officially promised to “do things” for Ning Jing.
The trigger for their tasks was the ominous “dark foreboding” Ning Jing mentioned.
The chanting monk was pushed to the ground by the big man, and many people crowded in to trample him.
However, he didn’t resist or flee, so it was possible that he would be beaten to death on the spot.
After all, the law didn’t hold the mob accountable. That big man might have done this deliberately, rousing public outrage and prompting everyone to join in the assault, so if the monk died, he could evade responsibility.
Su Liang jumped down from the carriage, made her way through the crowd, and shouted, “Stop!”
No one listened.
With a resigned expression, she drew a knife, quickly moved to the big man holding the monk, and pressed the weapon to his neck. “Everyone stop!” she shouted.
Many people hadn’t seen how Su Liang had appeared, as if she had dropped from the sky.
After a moment of quiet, someone accused Su Liang, “What are you doing? This fake monk is stealing money! Are you his accomplice? Or do you find him attractive and want to be with him?”
Laughter erupted at this remark.
As Su Liang looked over, she saw that the speaker was an ugly man with a large mole on his face. It was difficult not to suspect that his so-called “righteousness” was born out of jealousy for the monk’s beauty.
The monk’s face had been stomped on, and his clothing was torn.
He slowly stood up, looked at Su Liang with calm eyes, and put his hands together, murmuring, “Amit?bha Buddha… ”
Before the monk could say anything else, Su Liang coldly asked the big man,
“What evidence do you have that he stole money?”
The young woman hiding in the corner saw everyone looking at her and said meekly, “I was buying steamed buns when the monk stole my money.” The monk sighed at this.
“Where’s the bun vendor? Did he see anything?” Su Liang asked.
A man was pushed out of the crowd, but he quickly waved his hands, saying he hadn’t seen anything.
“Did you steal her money?” Su Liang asked the monk.
Without answering, the monk lowered his eyes and resumed his chanting.
“You’re blocking my way. Everyone leave now. If the monk stole money, report him to the authorities,” Su Liang said coldly.
For the sake of the knife, the big man nodded hurriedly, “I’m going to take him to the county government right now!”
Su Liang put away her knife and said coldly, “The new County Magistrate, Magistrate Mu, is brilliant and impartial. He won’t let any evildoer go unpunished, nor will he be swayed by anyone’s one-sided story, framing the innocent!”
Su Liang’s last sentence was directed at the woman, who shrank back and pleaded while clutching the big man’s arm, “My lord, it’s only three pennies, let it go.”
However, the big man’s brows furrowed, “No! Is three pennies not money?”
“Go. To the county government,” Su Liang demanded, sensing something was amiss with the woman’s behavior and suspecting that she might be lying. The woman became flustered and clung tightly to the big man, “No…we can’t
Stealing three coins would not amount to much punishment in the government office, just a few hits with a plank and a few days behind bars.
However, the punishment for false accusation in Qian Country’s law was much more severe.
The burly man finally sensed something was off and stared at the woman, “Did he steal it or not?”
The woman sobbed, “I was buying steamed buns and saw him asking for alms, so I gave him one… My mother-in-law said one bun was missing, and I was afraid my husband would beat me…”
Only now did the bun seller dare to tell the truth, “The little monk came to me for alms! I drove him away, but the young lady kindly gave him a bun she bought. Who would have thought that after a while, she came back with others, falsely accusing the little monk of stealing her money!”
“I didn’t do it on purpose, I just wanted to help him…” The woman sat on the ground, her face full of tears.
The situation turned around.
Those who had just cursed the monk immediately switched targets and began pointing fingers at the couple.
With his eyes wide like copper bells, the man yanked the woman up, and slapped her hard, “I knew it! You never behave yourself, seeing he’s good-looking, you think you can seduce him, right? You think I don’t know you’ve been sneaking peeks at the pretty boy next door?”
“Benefactor, do not blame this woman; it’s all this humble monk’s fault.” The monk finally said something other than “Amitabha” to defend the woman.
“So, what have you two been doing behind my back?” The man’s anger was even stronger.
“Stop adding fuel to the fire, let’s go!” Su Liang looked at the monk coldly.
Indeed, the monk was beautiful, and the woman probably had a moment of weakness in wanting to be a good person and giving him a bun, thinking she could get away with it at home.
Her actions after that, though, could perhaps be explained by weakness, but the outcome was malicious. As soon as she was in trouble, she pushed an innocent person to take the blame. She knew her husband had a violent temper and was heavv-handed. vet she didn’t make a sound when the monk was
beaten up.
Pitiable and hateful.
The monk sighed and followed Su Liang out of the crowd.
The man dragged the woman away as well.
Order was restored on the street, and Su Liang went to the carriage side. Seeing Ning Jing nod, she knew that the monk was no longer in danger, so she turned to him, “No need to thank me, you can go now.”
The monk put his hands together, “Benefactor, what you did earlier would harm that woman benefactor. She helped me out of kindness.”
Su Liang was simply flabbergasted, “I saved you, and now it’s my fault?”
The monk shook his head and sighed, “It’s all this humble monk’s fault.”
Su Liang found both Yan Shiba from last night and the monk today utterly speechless. She didn’t bother to deal with him anymore and was about to get on the carriage and leave.
“Miss Su! Miss Su Liang!”
Hu Er’s follower Xiaoliu ran through the crowd, “This is a gift my master prepared for you both!”
Su Liang took the parcel containing two fur-lined capes. Xiaoliu said his master was in the fur business, and these were sent especially by his old lady to thank Su Liang for treating Hu Er.
Seeing Su Liang accept the gift, Xiaoliu ran away.
As she was about to get in the carriage, she heard the monk ask, “Is the benefactor Miss Su Liang from Su Family Village?”
Su Liang turned around, “Yes, what’s the matter?”
“Yesterday, I sent a benefactor named Yan to find Miss Su. I wonder if Miss Su got to see her? Is she alright?” The monk asked.
Su Liang had asked Yan Shiba who had saved her, and he had said, “A very pretty young man”…
Su Liang hadn’t expected it to be a monk. Although he was indeed beautiful, his personality was the polar opposite of Yan Shiba’s. One was a paranoid who didn’t trust anyone, and the other was a saintly figure who saw the good in everyone.
“She’s in Su Family Village; you can go and see for yourself.” Su Liang got into the carriage as soon as she finished speaking.
“This humble monk needs to rush back to the temple, so I won’t bother Benefactor Yan.” The monk shook his head slightly, “Farewell.”
As the monk passed the carriage, Su Liang asked Ning Jing, “Do you think he knows Yan Shiba is a bloodstained assassin?”
Ning Jing’s expression was calm, “Even if he knew, he would still save her.”
By the time they arrived in the county town, it was completely dark.
After a simple dinner, Su Liang and Ning Jing went straight to bed.
Early the next day, just as it was getting light, Ning Jing drove the carriage, taking Su Liang out of Bei’an County town and headed southeast towards the Provincial City.
Early in the morning, Mai Fei sent Chang’an to Su Family Village to invite Su Liang.
Last time they went to the mine, they encountered heavy rain and assassination attempts on the way, and couldn’t make it there.
Nian Jincheng was visiting the mine today and would stay there when they arrived. Mai Fei was going together with him, and they had agreed to invite Su Liang as well.
But when Mai Fei and Nian Jincheng arrived at Feiyan Town, they thought Su Liang would come soon but saw Chang’an return alone.
“Master, Ning Jing and Miss Su left Su Family Village for the Provincial City yesterday!” Chang’an reported.
Mai Fei frowned, “Didn’t they say they would leave on the eighth?”
Nian Jincheng also found it strange. He had intended to find another time to have a secret drink with Ning Jing, but they left early.
“This subordinate doesn’t know why.” Chang’an said, “But there’s someone at Miss Su’s house. A lady who claims to be her sister, named Su Jiujiu, is seriously injured. Miss Su entrusted the neighbors to take care of her.”
Mai Fei found it inexplicable. Of course, he knew whether Su Liang had a sister or not, who was this Su Jiujiu that suddenly appeared? And since she was injured and came to find Su Liang, why didn’t Su Liang take care of her herself and leave early instead?
“Since they’ve left, let it go; after all, they’ll be back in a while.” Mai Fei said,
“Check the background of that Su Jiujiu..”
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m