Chapter Thirteen: Hello, Little Junior Sister

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The teacher has arrived? It had been years since they last met... here by the river? Ouyang Rong was full of questions, yet he felt a strange sense of a teacher’s home visit... No, it had to be related to his aunt!

Ouyang Rong tossed the kitchen items to Xiufa, instructing him to take care of them, then led the way back to Sanhui Courtyard.

Halfway along the path, they encountered several monks on duty. Warmly reminding them, Ouyang Rong mentioned that he had just seen Madam Zhen and their mentor Xie Xun heading toward the Sutra Hall, and so Ouyang Rong and company prepared to take a detour.

“Langjun, your clothes, your clothes!”

“I know! I’ll go change. You can go ahead.”

Ouyang Rong glanced down at himself; having been bustling in the kitchen, he had borrowed a loose gray monk’s robe from the Xiangji Kitchen monks to wear, since his original moon-white scholar’s gown wasn’t suited for rolling up sleeves and working.

Now, the gray robe was filthy, as was his face—certainly not fitting for meeting a teacher known for strictness and propriety.

He did not change course, continuing toward Sanhui Courtyard.

Upon reaching the gate, he saw the house was quiet. He pushed the door open and went straight to the inner room, washing his face with clear water and drying it. He picked up the moon-white scholar’s gown he had changed out of, shook it off to change back into it, when suddenly a round bead slipped from between the folds of the gown and rolled to the foot of the bed.

Ouyang Rong was not surprised. He placed the gown on the bed and bent down to pick it up.

It was a luminous pearl relic he had previously kept in the small chest pocket of his robe. Last night, when he took it out for study, he discovered the little trinket shone brilliantly under the moonlight, almost like a true luminous pearl.

Just as his hand reached the pearl by the bed, he suddenly heard faint footsteps from the study in the outer hall. Assuming it was his aunt’s maid, he didn’t look up but picked up the pearl, blowing off the dust and checking for any dents.

But in the next moment, the “maid” stepping out from the study spoke:

“What are you doing?”

The voice was like crisp frost, sharp yet softened with a hint of morning rice wine—cold but mellow.

“What do you mean, what am I doing?” This was his room after all. Hearing the questioning female voice, Ouyang Rong almost laughed.

But when he turned, standing by the study doorway was a tall, slender youth with a pale face and surprisingly broad chest muscles. Ouyang Rong was momentarily stunned, as the muscular chest seemed incongruous with the slender frame—quite perplexing how such a physique was developed... wait.

This was a young woman dressed in men’s clothing.

Realizing this, Ouyang Rong quickly apologized silently for mistaking her ample assets for chest muscles.

The young woman held a scroll and stood outside the door. Warm afternoon sunlight slanted in from behind her, casting a dazzling backlight that made it hard to see her fair face clearly from Ouyang Rong’s bent-over position by the bed.

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“What are you looking at? Put the item down.” The young woman frowned.

“Why should I? Is it yours?”

“No.” She shook her head.

Ouyang Rong nearly thought the pearl’s owner had come looking for it. Hearing her denial, he relaxed and tucked the luminous pearl relic into his bosom. He frowned slightly at this somewhat unfriendly young woman, when familiar footsteps sounded in the courtyard—Yen Liulang’s steps.

A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall. Ouyang Rong glanced sideways at her, feigning a nod of greeting, then quickly slipped past her to meet with Liulang.

But in the next breath—

Thud!

A heavy, muffled sound rang out, accompanied by a curse from someone’s mouth, breaking the afternoon silence of Sanhui Courtyard.

Ouyang Rong was thrown onto the floor outside the door, gasping sharply. Turning over, he felt a faint footprint on his back and glared at the woman inside.

“Mingtang!”

A figure flew out from the house. Yen Wuxu, who was in the courtyard, reacted immediately and roared fiercely. The burly man drew his knife and charged inside.

“Who dares harm Mingtang? I, Yen Liulang, will fight you to the death!”

In the next second, another thud sounded. Yen Wuxu was also sent flying, landing beside Ouyang Rong.

Ouyang Rong’s eyes widened as he glanced at his comrade, who also bore a footprint on his chest. His mouth twitched.

Goodness, it seems since I arrived here, you’ve never won a fight against anyone, have you? Ouyang Rong covered his face, already considering replacing his bodyguard.

Yen Wuxu, unaware he was on the verge of unemployment, glared wide-eyed and pointed at the young woman slowly stepping out of the house. “Mingtang, she... she’s no ordinary person.”

Ouyang Rong cursed silently, thinking, If she were ordinary, how could she have sent two big men flying without even being fully seen?

The young woman’s long legs had just kicked Yen Wuxu away, but Ouyang Rong hadn’t seen a thing—only caught a glimpse of her clean robe’s edge fluttering in the breeze before someone was airborne.

“You even have accomplices playing lookout? Little thief.”

The young woman snorted lightly and stepped out, standing prettily before the two men, tapping her scroll at them.

Only then did Ouyang Rong fully take in the stranger’s appearance, his eyes lingering twice longer than polite, before looking away as if nothing had happened. Yet a phrase from a book surfaced in his mind: “Heavenly grace, exquisite beauty, radiant countenance, a match for gods.”

Nonetheless, he spoke bluntly, “Little thief? This is my room—you’re the real thief, breaking into a private residence.”

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Xie Lingjiang’s two arched brows knit as if in slight displeasure, then relaxed as she thought for a moment and shook her head.

She had been leafing through books in the study, waiting for others, when she heard hurried footsteps come in. Expecting to see the much-talked-about yet never met senior brother Ouyang, she was surprised instead to see a filthy little monk rummaging through her senior brother’s belongings by the bed, even pulling out a precious luminous pearl. She never imagined monks from Donglin Temple would stoop to such deeds.

Xie Lingjiang shook her head. “Turning the tables? You must be a habitual offender. If it were some passing pilgrim, you might have fooled them, but I know the owner of this room—this is where he recuperates. How could it be your monk’s quarters? Don’t try to deceive me.”

Ouyang Rong stood up upon hearing this and avoided looking at her. He patted the dust off his gray robe, then, deeming it unnecessary, took the robe off and tossed it on the floor. He glanced at Yen Wuxu, who stood protectively before him, and said, “It’s alright now. I know who she is. No danger. Eh, who’s protecting whom exactly...”

Xie Lingjiang looked at the ‘little thief’ with a somewhat amused and exasperated expression. Hesitant, she said, “What are you talking about? Quickly... hand over the item...” Her voice softened, and her grip tightened slightly on the scroll, betraying some hesitation.

Ouyang Rong looked up seriously. “Is there a possibility I am the troublesome senior brother? I was just... never mind. The sages say, indeed, a gentleman should stay away from the kitchen.”

“You...” Xie Lingjiang took a step back.

With that, Ouyang Rong passed by her to the inner room to change clothes, casually leaving behind:

“The Buddhist scripture you hold, the ‘Treatise on Rebirth,’ page eighteen, line five, first sentence, ‘Reciting Buddha’s name leads to the Pure Land, fearless in achieving Bodhi.’ I wrote two annotations there... Hello, little junior sister.”

Xie Lingjiang immediately flipped to that page, her fingertip pausing.

Silence.

Ouyang Rong emerged wearing a clean scholar’s gown when the young woman in men’s clothing, unable to stay inside any longer, stepped into the courtyard and looked up at the sky, suddenly speaking in earnest:

“You and the rumors, as well as what Father says, are somewhat different. They say Ouyang Lianghan is a gentleman of upright spirit, with rugged integrity, dignified and resolute, and his words are precise.”

Ouyang Rong nodded. “You are the same.”

“Father mentioned me? At that time, I was still in Wuyi Lane, Jinling Prefecture, not studying by his side. What makes me different? Did the misunderstanding arise because I lack the elegant family tradition of the Chen clan and Xie lineage?”

“That’s not it.” Ouyang Rong controlled his gaze, looking her squarely in the eyes, and said seriously, “I never expected my little junior sister to be so approachable.”

“Approachable?” Xie Lingjiang turned curiously, about to ask more, but laughter and talk from outside the courtyard—her father and Madam Zhen—drew her attention away.

Soon, the courtyard grew lively, and Ouyang Rong finally saw his mentor, Xie Xun, who might be quite disappointed in him.

...

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