Abandoned Woman Busy Farming

Chapter 2424: Chapter 2425: Origins

Lord Sa Tian looked slightly embarrassed and said in a low voice, ”She Zongyi is the wealthiest merchant in Fusang, he built irrigation channels for the people, distributed porridge and medicine in years of disaster, gaining much respect from the populace. The Emperor also holds him in high regard.”

Bai Ruozhu sneered inwardly; outwardly, he appeared to be a great philanthropist, but he dispatched people to burn, kill and plunder on the seas. Were the people killed by the Black Pirates not human?

Thinking that the Shadow Ninja that night might have been sent by She Zongyi, everyone was reluctant to meet with him and urged Lord Sa Tian to keep moving forward.

However, before they had taken a few steps, She Zongyi’s voice called from behind, ”Are the esteemed guests from Danliang Country up ahead?”

As soon as he spoke, Lord Sa Tian couldn’t ignore it, and Bai Ruozhu and the others had no choice but to listen reluctantly.

”Lord Sa Tian pays respect to Lord She,” Lord Sa Tian said with a bow.

She Zongyi approached with a group and returned the greeting with a smile, ”Lord Sa Tian, you’re too polite. Are you showing the esteemed guests around the Buddhist temple?”

The group with Bai Ruozhu could only greet him as per etiquette, but according to the customs in Danliang Country, officials did not need to bow to merchants. Bai Ruozhu, representing Danliang Country, naturally could not lose Danliang’s face.

She Zongyi didn’t mind and greeted them with a smile, ”Greetings to Lord Jiang, Lord Bai, Lord Mo, and Lord Tang.”

He then turned to introduce his family, ”These gentlemen are envoys from Danliang Country in Zhongyuan, of distinguished status. Why haven’t you paid your respects?”

The women and followers at his side all bowed with great deference. One must admit, She Zongyi managed his family well, without anyone coming out recklessly to cause trouble.

Then She Zongyi laughed and said, ”Meixi wasn’t very happy to attend the girls’ school? You should thank Lord Bai; she is a heroine among women.”

A young girl stepped forward from behind She Zongyi, respectfully bowed to Bai Ruozhu, ”A few days ago, I had already heard of Lord Bai. I admired you greatly, and I’m so happy to meet you today.”

After bowing, she raised her head to look at Bai Ruozhu, her dark eyes resembling a deer’s, clear yet lively.

Bai Ruozhu smiled and gently supported her, saying, ”Miss Meixi, there’s no need for such formality.”

”Lord Jiang, if you are going to worship Buddha, why not join us?” She Zongyi said with a smile. His smile was gentle; if one didn’t know about the Black Pirates, one might have thought he was an elegant and amiable person.

Elegant... Bai Ruozhu suddenly recalled the scene of first meeting the Black Boss.

The Black Boss, silent, appeared as an elegant scholar, not a pirate chieftain at all. When he lost his temper, he revealed his true nature.

She had thought that the Black Boss was deliberately imitating someone else’s demeanor, but lacking the depth, his emotions betrayed him.

Now that she looked, the Black Boss, at that time, and She Zongyi were really alike, showing how much he admired She Zongyi.

Unfortunately, a pirate is still a pirate; how can one remain elegant after killing so many people?

Mo Beishan cupped his hands, ”Mr. She, we intend to visit the abbot, so as to not delay your family’s worship.”

Mo Beishan smiled apologetically, making the rejection less blunt, knowing Jiang Yichun’s temperament, he took the initiative to say it.

She Zongyi did not insist and returned the greeting with a smile, ”Then I won’t delay you, but if you need any help in Fusang, feel free to come to me without hesitation.”

”Thank you, Mr. She, in advance,” Mo Beishan said.

The others echoed with bows, only then seeing She Zongyi and his party off.

The young girl named Meixi seemed reluctant, frequently turning to look at Bai Ruozhu, as if she wanted to talk to him more.

The group followed Lord Sa Tian to the backyard of the temple, where a young monk greeted them and quickly led them to a side room to rest and have tea.

”I mentioned to the abbot before, he also very much wants to meet the esteemed guests from Danliang, and will soon come over,” Lord Sa Tian explained with a smile.

”Is the abbot a person from Zhongyuan or from Fusang?” Bai Ruozhu asked.

”The abbot claims to be from Zhongyuan. From what I know, his mother should be from Fusang, and his father seems to have been a servant who once accompanied a great monk to Fusang,” Lord Sa Tian said softly.

Footsteps were heard from outside, and soon a monk appearing in his forties was brought in by a welcoming monk.

”I am Monk Pu Ru, greetings to you all,” the abbot said with his hands together in salutation.

Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat, Pu Ru? Could he be of the same generation as Master Pu Deng and Master Pu Zhu?

Everyone returned the greeting and met this abbot, Pu Ru.

”Having crossed the seas, you have indeed gone through many challenges and hardships,” Pu Ru said, ”I wonder how things are in Danliang Country now. If convenient, could you tell this monk about it?”

Pu Ru smiled again after speaking, ”Please excuse me if this seems laughable, but my father is from Danliang, both my master and grandmaster are from Danliang, and they missed their homeland even until they reached Nirvana. If I could learn about it, I could share it with them during memorials.”

Perhaps due to gratitude towards Master Pu Deng, Bai Ruozhu felt a great sense of kinship with Pu Ru and said, ”The current emperor of Danliang Country is Emperor Wuning, not yet thirty, but he governs well, and the people live in peace and contentment.”

Of course, this is after the internal turmoil, and Bai Ruozhu deemed it inappropriate to mention the internal strife without reason.

”And what about the Buddhist temples in Danliang Country?” Pu Ru seemed a bit agitated, even losing the composure he had when he entered, ”Has the benefactor heard of Xinchan Temple?”

Bai Ruozhu and the others displayed surprise, this—this is quite a coincidence!

”Before going to sea, we happened to visit Xinchan Temple and stayed there for a while,” Bai Ruozhu quickly said.

Pu Ru’s eyes were already red, ”Is Xinchan Temple doing well now? My master’s master entered the monastic life there, and due to chance, traveled east to Fusang to spread the teachings. Both my master’s and my religious names were given according to the temple records of Xinchan Temple.”

Gao Zhou’s eyes reddened too, ”Currently, the abbot of Xinchan Temple is Master Pu Zhu, there was also a highly enlightened monk, Master Pu Deng, with whom I had some connection. It’s only a pity that he reached Nirvana a short while ago.”

Pu Ru wiped his eyes with his sleeve, ”Since the brother monk is an enlightened one, Nirvana is but a journey to the Western Pure Land. There is no need to grieve.”

He then inquired further about Xinchan Temple’s current situation, to which Bai Ruozhu and the others spoke positively, avoiding mentioning the trouble caused by the Longhu Mountain Daoist. Pu Ru was very pleased and said his master would be happy to hear it.

It turned out that Pu Ru’s master was an abandoned baby taken in by Xinchan Temple, and when he followed his master to Fusang, he was just eleven or twelve. Yet childhood memories are the most vivid, so he longed to visit his ancestral land before achieving Nirvana.

”Master, may I boldly ask, since you could travel east, why couldn’t you return and visit Zhongyuan?” Bai Ruozhu asked.