Chapter 380: Buy a Little Girl’s Matches?

Perhaps it was due to that innate nobility that Wang Cuihua immediately realized how great the gap was between her and the abbess. Ye Wenxin, noticing this, had no choice but to release Gu Xiangsi’s hand, and say, “Xiangsi, take good care of Cuihua. I’m going to walk with Abbess Jiunan.”

She also didn’t intend to hold Abbess Jiunan’s hand, as it seemed inappropriate. Abbess Jiunan seemed unconcerned with such details and continued, “It doesn’t matter. Do you see that lighthouse in the distance? If we get separated, we can regroup there.”

Ye Wenxin shifted her gaze and indeed saw a lighthouse in the distance. She looked back to ask Abbess Jiunan why she thought they would get separated, when she saw a group of women rushing toward them from afar.

By the time she had reacted, there was already no one around her. Ye Wenxin felt quite helpless, thinking that since she didn’t have anything she wanted to buy, she started moving toward the lighthouse to wait for the others.

Despite the noisy crowd, Ye Wenxin seemed to hear none of it. Amidst the crowd, she felt a sense of tranquility in her heart. Even if Fairy Fengya were here now, Ye Wenxin felt that her mood would be as clear as a mirror, and unswayed by any emotions.

With these thoughts in mind, she took out the thick medical book and sat down to read.

As time ticked by, the number of people around her only increased. Ye Wenxin watched as more and more people gathered, lingering under the lighthouse. Suddenly, she heard the sound of crying, and when she looked, she found that it was coming from a little girl not far away.

The girl was holding a stick of candied hawthorn fruits, her face full of helplessness and anxiety. Ye Wenxin, not wanting to get involved, continued to read with her head down, but the little girl seemed to notice her and walked toward her.

Ye Wenxin continued to ignore her, but the little girl persistently circled around her as she cried, and her crying seemed very deliberate. Without a choice, Ye Wenxin looked up and helplessly said to the little girl, “Little girl, can you go cry somewhere else? I’m reading here, you know?”

The little girl originally thought her crying had finally attracted Ye Wenxin’s attention, but upon hearing her response, she cried even harder. Ye Wenxin, frowning slightly, swept her gaze over the little girl, and noticed the white aura surrounding her.

The aura appeared as white as paper, just like Abbess Jiunan’s. If Ye Wenxin hadn’t checked, she would have mistaken the little girl for a random stranger looking to pick a fight with her.

But after seeing this white paper aura, it was clear to Ye Wenxin that this little girl was Abbess Jiunan.

Although she didn’t know why Abbess Jiunan had appeared to her in this form, Ye Wenxin figured it must be related to the umbrella sword.

“Waaah, I got separated from my mother.” Abbess Jiunan acted with superb skill, perfectly portraying a lost child.

Ye Wenxin had assumed that the white paper aura was as common as cabbages, and almost fell for her performance, but considering Abbess Jiunan’s character, she still had to be cautious.

“See that willow tree over there? Just go over and shout ‘Mom!’ a few times, and you’ll find your mother,” Ye Wenxin said dismissively, hoping to send the prankster abbess on her way.

Abbess Jiunan became unhappy, and cried even harder. “Don’t think you can trick me just because I’m small!”

“And don’t think I’m reliable just because I’m older,” Ye Wenxin retorted, rolling her eyes dramatically.

Abbess Jiunan didn’t know how to respond for a moment and simply continued her fake crying. She intentionally stood very close to Ye Wenxin, determined not to let her read her book in this situation.

Ye Wenxin had excellent patience. She turned away again and continued to read the medical book in her hands. She could still feel that intense gaze piercing her back, filled with resentment and longing. It seemed that if Ye Wenxin didn’t respond, Abbess Jiunan would wait there indefinitely.

“Ye Wenxin, why is it just you here?” Fortunately, Wang Cuihua arrived soon after. Ye Wenxin figured that she would sorely appreciate this family drama, and desperately foisted it on her, embellishing the little girl’s story to Wang Cuihua.

Wang Cuihua was overwhelmed with sympathy. “The poor thing. This won’t do; we have to help her find her parents.” Ye Wenxin, sensing something amiss, squeezed out a few words, stressing, “Drop the ‘we’, I want to focus on studying here.”

Wang Cuihua glared at her. “How can you always be so heartless? Can’t you see how pitiful this child is? If we don’t help her, who else will?”

Ye Wenxin, without pausing in her reading, continued, “Out of all these people around us, she chose a weak woman like me as her target. Don’t you find it strange?”

Wang Cuihua was just about to refute, when she noticed there were not only kind-looking elders around, but even some officials. Yet, this little girl kept clinging to Ye Wenxin, which indeed gave off an indescribable eeriness.

After further reflection, however, Wang Cuihua said, “But Xiangsi said that girls favor you. Maybe this little girl has fallen for you at first sight?”

Wang Cuihua directly hit on Ye Wenxin’s sore spot, and Ye Wenxin forced out a bitter smile, saying, “Don’t talk nonsense; I’m popular with men.”

The disguised Abbess Jiunan watched as Ye Wenxin bickered with Wang Cuihua, ignoring her, then started wailing again. Wang Cuihua felt helpless, thinking that with how heartless Ye Wenxin was, she had to take matters into her own hands, and take Abbess Jiunan to find her mother.

Ye Wenxin stayed in place, and not long after, she saw Wang Cuihua return, looking dirty and disheveled, with embarrassment on her face.

“How did it go? Did you find her?”

“No, I got scolded.”

“That’s normal; there are a lot of scammers these days. Look at this little girl—she doesn’t look like a proper child at all. Just leave her be.” Ye Wenxin hinted to Wang Cuihua not to get involved, but then she felt a small body leap into her arms. To her surprise, Abbess Jiunan began to act cute and spoiled.

Ye Wenxin didn’t buy into this act at all, especially after spending time with Qiao Ni; she believed even more strongly that all children were little demons. She pulled Abbess Jiunan aside and said again, “Keep looking for her mother with her.”

Wang Cuihua also began to feel reluctant, but she still took Abbess Jiunan and went to search the nearby area.

As they searched and searched, two hours passed. Gu Xiangsi had returned, while Wang Cuihua still couldn’t find the mother who never existed in the first place.

Ye Wenxin thought Gu Xiangsi would be a little more agreeable, but in the end, Gu Xiangsi still dragged her along, and the three of them followed the ‘little girl’ around.

If one looked closely, they would notice the smile on Abbess Jiunan’s face. Ye Wenxin noticed it, but still didn’t understand why the abbess had transformed into a ‘little girl’ and what she was up to.

As they walked on and on, they soon entered a narrow alley. At that instant, more than a dozen masked men appeared.

They all wore hats, and Ye Wenxin had a sneaking suspicion that these hats were hiding bald monks.