Chapter 31: The Twins Plan to Sneak Down the Mountain

Qingli was unaware of her children’s little scheme and felt guilty about leaving them behind to go down the mountain. Therefore, she decided to spend quality time with them today.

However, the twins insisted on studying hard and locked themselves in their room, completely ignoring her. With no other choice, Qingli began to pack her belongings, preparing to head down the mountain early the next morning.

In the room, although Yangyang and Mengmeng were only three years old, they recognized quite a few characters, thanks to their exceptionally intelligent minds. They possessed an impressive memory, easily understanding and remembering many things after a single explanation.

Additionally, they had been learning mystical arts from their great-grandfather. Although they had only grasped the basics, it was quite impressive for their age.

Yangyang placed great importance on safety, as it was something their mother and great-grandfather had repeatedly emphasized since childhood. Therefore, if they wanted to go down the mountain, they needed to have the ability to protect themselves.

For this reason, Yangyang began to urge his sister, his tender voice carrying a maturity beyond his years. “Sister, you can’t be lazy anymore. You need to practice your skills and study the techniques Great-grandfather gave us. Otherwise, if we encounter bad people when we go down the mountain, we won’t be able to defend ourselves. Also, the talismans you drew are too low-level; they won’t protect you at all. It’ll be dangerous when we go down. We’re going to explore and gain experience, not to put ourselves in danger.”

Mengmeng nodded dismissively, “I know, I know! As long as I focus on studying, my skills will improve greatly in no time. I just feel it’s useless to learn here in the mountains; that’s why I’m not interested.”

Mengmeng couldn’t help but explain herself.

Yangyang sighed and couldn’t help but start lecturing, “Learning skills doesn’t mean you’ll use them immediately. Once you learn them well, they’ll be useful whenever you need them. If you keep being lazy, I won’t take you with me.”

Although Mengmeng was the older sister, she could be quite willful, while Yangyang was more stable and responsible.

Feeling her brother’s serious demeanor, Mengmeng was somewhat dissatisfied, but for the sake of going out, she could only comply, saying, “Alright, alright, I understand.”

After they made their plans, they went to find their great-grandfather to ask him to teach them how to draw talismans.

This was a relatively simple yet life-saving skill.

As the day passed, night fell. The two children couldn’t sleep because they knew their mother was leaving that night. They had to watch her go to know where the new exit was.

After they discovered the previous exit, their great-grandfather had cast some spell to change its location. To get out, they had to find the new exit again.

However, by midnight, Mengmeng had fallen asleep.

Yangyang had no choice but to wait alone until he felt drowsy and the sky began to lighten. Suddenly, he heard some movement.

Upon hearing his mother’s footsteps approaching, Yangyang quickly lay down and pretended to be asleep.

Qingli peeked at the two children and softly said, “Babies, Mother is going out to do some work. It’s not that I’m deliberately leaving you behind. You can’t blame me; blame your great-grandfather! This is his task for me.”

Qingli gently reached out to touch Yangyang’s cheek and then went to her daughter’s bed to smooth Mengmeng’s bangs and caress her little face.

“Mother is leaving. You two must behave.”

After softly saying this, Qingli turned to leave.

Yangyang quickly sat up and quietly followed Qingli.

Qingli, unaware of being followed, didn’t notice the little shadow trailing behind her.

It wasn’t until she pressed the switch and exited the valley that Yangyang emerged from his hiding spot to check the spot where his mother had pressed the button.

Sure enough, there was a sunken area concealed by some vines, making it quite difficult to find.

Confirming the switch, Yangyang didn’t linger and promptly returned the way he came.

Meanwhile, everyone else was still fast asleep, unaware of the small figure.

…

Once Qingli arrived at the foot of the mountain, the sky had brightened considerably. She went to the small town to find her favorite wonton stall, planning to have breakfast before looking for Xue Nan to inquire about Jiuli Temple. Then she would deliver some silver to Lin Jiabao and continue with her tasks.

After locating the stall, Qingli ordered a bowl of wontons and sat down to wait, scanning the surroundings with her eyes.

“Here are your wontons, Miss. Enjoy!”

The owner quickly brought over the steaming bowl of wontons. Qingli withdrew her gaze from her surroundings and began to eat her breakfast.

In a distant corner, a few little beggars poked their heads out and scanned the area. Upon spotting Qingli, one of the beggars’ eyes lit up. “Nan Ge^[1]The term “Ge”  in Chinese literally means “older brother,” but it’s often used more broadly and informally in modern Chinese—especially in colloquial or street language—to show … Continue reading, is that Miss Qingli over there?”

Xue Nan had taken in quite a number of little beggars over the years, and his group had gradually grown. The newcomers had all seen Qingli’s portrait, and Xue Nan insisted they memorize her appearance, ensuring that everyone must provide her with assistance without question.

So even though the little beggars had never met Qingli, her likeness was deeply imprinted in their minds, allowing one of them to recognize her immediately.

Xue Nan was in the midst of assigning tasks when he heard this and quickly looked in the direction the little beggar pointed. Indeed, it was Qingli.

Now fourteen years old, Xue Nan had grown quite tall, almost matching Qingli’s height.

He finished giving instructions to his companions and tidied himself up, excitedly heading over to Qingli.

“Li Jie^[2]The term “Jie” in Chinese literally means “older sister,” and like “Ge”, it’s often used informally beyond its family meaning. Calling someone “___ Jie” (like “Xiao Jie” or … Continue reading, what brings you here?” Xue Nan approached Qingli with a smile and asked.

Hearing his voice, Qingli looked up. The boy who was just a child three years ago had now grown into a young man with clearer facial features and a hint of boyish charm.

“Xue Nan? What a coincidence! I was just thinking of finishing my meal and coming to find you. I didn’t expect you to find me first.”

“Sit down.”

“Boss, another bowl of wontons, please!”

Seeing him, Qingli was pleasantly surprised and quickly ordered another bowl for him.

Xue Nan had already eaten some buns earlier, but he didn’t refuse the wontons this time, wanting to share another meal with her.

“Li Jie, do you have something to discuss this time?”

Upon hearing her mention wanting to find him, Xue Nan guessed that she might need his help.

Over the past few years, he had received many favors from Qingli but had never repaid her. If she needed him now, that would be wonderful.

Qingli asked, “Do you know about Jiuli Temple? I want to find the temple master, Li Jiuhua.”

Xue Nan certainly knew about Jiuli Temple; it was quite a famous Taoist temple known for its accurate fortune-telling.

“Li Jie, Jiuli Temple is a Taoist temple where the priests specialize in fortune-telling. It’s said to be very accurate and quite reputable. Many wealthy families know about it, but common folk are less aware.”

Qingli inquired, “Where is Jiuli Temple? Is the temple master there?”

Xue Nan responded, “Jiuli Temple is in Nanyang City. As for the temple master, he’s quite mysterious; not many people have seen him. Many who visit Jiuli Temple don’t get to meet the master, as he doesn’t see people easily. So I can’t say for sure if he’s there or not.”

“However, Li Jie, I can investigate this for you. We have our people over in Nanyang City.”

Qingli was surprised and looked at him, “You’re that capable? It hasn’t been long, and you’ve already expanded to Nanyang City.”

Xue Nan felt bashful at her praise, scratching his head modestly, “I’m not that impressive; you flatter me, Li Jie.”

In truth, if it weren’t for Qingli frequently being in this area, Xue Nan might have already gone to Nanyang City.

Qingli sincerely praised him several times, then said, “If Jiuli Temple is in Nanyang City, I need to go there. Xue Nan, do you know how far it is to Nanyang City?”

“Li Jie, are you planning to go to Nanyang City?” Xue Nan’s eyes brightened.

Qingli nodded, “Yes, I have some matters to discuss with the temple master.”

Xue Nan eagerly said, “Then Li Jie, let me go with you! I’ve always wanted to visit Nanyang City, but I didn’t want to go alone. Can I come along? This way, I can help you gather information.”

With someone familiar accompanying her, Qingli was naturally willing but expressed her concern, “Are you sure it’s okay for you to leave? There are many children here that you need to take care of.”

Xue Nan nodded, “It’s fine. Little Tiger and Little Flower will look after things here.”

Seeing that he truly wanted to go, Qingli agreed, “Alright then! Let’s go together.”

Upon hearing her consent, Xue Nan was extremely happy and quickly said, “I’ll go prepare and let the others know. When are we leaving?”

Qingli smiled at his eagerness, “As soon as possible! Can you handle the arrangements?”

Xue Nan nodded vigorously, “Yes! Leave it to me. I know which carriage service is the most reliable and offers fair prices. I’ll take care of it.”

Xue Nan was very enthusiastic.

After they finished their breakfast, Xue Nan went off to prepare. They agreed to meet at the city gate.

Meanwhile, Qingli still needed to visit Lin Jiabao to deliver some silver.