Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 226 - 225: Disaster of Blood

Chapter 226: Chapter 225: Disaster of Blood

The old monk was sitting on the kang in a side room. Seeing Chen Afu coming in with a food box, he smiled with squinted eyes.

He put his hands together and said, "Amitabha Buddha, I have been eagerly awaiting our female benefactor, and behold, she arrives. You consistently act with purpose, ensuring you will enjoy lasting prosperity and longevity."

Chen Afu smiled joyfully at these kind words. She set the food box on the table beside the bed, and bowing respectfully to the old monk, replied, "Master, as an esteemed monk, your blessings for my lasting prosperity bring me great joy. However, I am hardly worthy of your anticipation."

The old monk invited Chen Afu to sit down. He took two pieces of dessert from the food box and savored them. He then pronounced, "Delicious."

He then looked at her and asked, "Where is the young benefactor who came with you last time? This old monk misses him dearly."

Chen Afu replied with a smile, "I didn’t bring him along as I didn’t want to disturb your peace, Master. I sent him straight to Yingxue Nunnery instead."

The old monk nodded. He then solemnly added, "Dear benefactor, please pay heed. I fear that young master may be in danger of a calamity."

Chen Afu was shaken, asking, "Does Dabao face any danger?"

Master Wu Zhi held his fingers together thoughtfully and said in a cryptic manner, "Hmm yes, there is danger, as grave as death, or as painful as disability."

Whether it was death or disability, both possibilities, when linked to Dabao, were too much for Afu to bear. She asked urgently, "How can we break this curse? Please guide me, Master."

Master Wu Zhi, with his discerning eyes, replied, "It is within my ability to break this curse. But, I am entrusted with divine secrets, thus I can’t reveal them to you. If you could spare some green swallow nests for charity, it would also benefit the young man. With that, his misfortune will naturally dissolve."

Before Chen Afu could react, she heard a sneering voice in her head – it was Jin Yanzi, "Mommy, did you hear that? This bald old man is asking for your precious green swallow nests."

With this remark, Chen Afu started to suspect the monk. She said, "Master, didn’t I give you a small quantity of green swallow nests and a leaf last time? It’s not very moral to bargain with someone’s life."

The old monk put his palms together and said, "Monks do not lie. I assure you everything I said is true." He looked sincere to his core. He then added, "The nests and leaf you gave last time are a mere drop in the ocean, it wasn’t enough. If you do not believe and refuse to help, I will have to helplessly watch as fate takes its path. I will not be able to save many victims from an untimely demise. Ultimately, you will helplessly witness the disaster that befalls the young benefactor. Amitabha Buddha, it is sinful."

Having said this, he closed his eyes and began to turn the Buddhist beads in his hand.

Chen Afu could ignore the fate of the rest, but not Dabao. The monk anticipated that she had the agarwood, which demonstrated his real capabilities. As such, his prediction of calamity for Dabao, changes in fate, and the threats Dabao faces, couldn’t be overlooked.

Although she has Jin Yanzi which possesses the divine medicine green swallow nests, what if something unexpected happens when it hibernates during winters? What if there is a lethal attack, or someone directly amputates its claws or wings...?

While she hesitated, Jin Yanzi said, "This bald old man is just trying to frighten you, Mommy, don’t believe him."

Thinking of the glint in the monk’s eye that occasionally flashed, Chen Afu thought that it wasn’t above the monk to intimidate her in order to obtain the green swallow nests.

But, if by chance, what he said turns out to be true, she could not risk Dabao’s life by ignoring it.

Finally making up her mind she said, "Master, how much do you need? If it’s too much, I can’t make that decision."

The wise Master opened his eyes and he chuckled, he said, "So you’ve made the right choice, benefactor. Plant virtuous seeds, and you shall reap virtuous fruits. You possess treasures that do not belong to you in this life and have brought them into this world. This shows you’ve done tremendous good deeds in your past life..." realizing that he was straying from the subject, he quickly stopped speaking, and said with feigned generosity, "I require three finger-widths of agarwood and eight leaves." Seeing Chen Afu shake her head, he suggested, "How about one finger-width of agarwood and five leaves?" Seeing her continue to shake her head, he gritted his teeth, "Half a finger-width of agarwood and two leaves. Not any less, this is the least amount required, and I am not certain that this will completely quell the issue."

Then, quite tactfully, he stood up and left the Zen room.

When only Chen Afu was left alone in the Zen room, she stood up and surveyed the room and window outside, to make sure no one was prying. She cupped her mouth and whispered quietly, "Darling, it is said that the Master is an enlightened monk and he surely wouldn’t lie. I beg of you, please give it."

Jin Yanzi was also torn with indecisiveness. It was worried that the old monk was lying to take hold of its treasure, and was also afraid if his predictions concerning Dabao were true. While it could spare some leaves, so many swallow nests would bring her immense pain.

Chen Afu continued, "Sweetheart, you and Dabao get along so well. How could you bear to see him suffer and die, or become disabled? If something happens to him, I can’t go on living either."

"Alright, alright, alright, let’s just give it to this bald old man. Ah! My chest hurts, my tongue hurts, my head, wings, claws all hurt... Ah..." toward the end, Jin Yanzi was so distressed it started crying.

Chen Afu covered her left hand with her sleeve. Feeling the items in her hand, she took it out. Her hand held one piece of green agarwood that was half a finger-wide and three leaves.

Jin Yanzi, still crying in the space, didn’t see clearly and ended up giving an extra leaf.

Immediately, the room was filled with a dense fragrance.

Chen Afu raised her voice and called, "Master Wu Zhi, please come in."

The old monk came in smiling from ear to ear.

As he was about to reach for it, Chen Afu took her hand back remarked, "Having taken so many valuable items, wouldn’t you at least tell me where my uncle is?"

The old monk replied, "This is to dissolve the young benefactor’s misfortune. If you want to know about your uncle, you will have to give more green swallow nests." Seeing Chen Afu’s face turn red with anger, he added, "Never mind, I’ll give you some more information. You have great fortune, and are certain to get what you want."

Did this mean she would be reunited with her uncle? Chen Afu extended her hand again.

The old monk took the items in his hand, noted that there was an extra leaf, and the smile on his face grew wider with satisfaction. He said, "The benefactor must have smelled the agarwood fragrance in this room, it’s a type of incense that I prepared. It contains a little bit of the leaves you gave last time, I call it the ’Swallow’s Leaf Sinking Fragrance’, it is much superior to the Dragon’s Saliva Fragrance. Not only does it have a persistent and mellow fragrance, but it also calms the mind, invigorates the brain, enhances the body’s resistance and prevents various diseases. Its fragrance lasts longer than common scents. I will give you three sticks of this incense. If you like it, you can give me a few more leaves, and I will give you more incense."

With that, he put the green agarwood and leaves in a copper box, securely closed it and placed it in a cabinet. From the cabinet, he took out a small, thin copper tube equal in length to a writing brush and handed it to Chen Afu.

Chen Afu opened one end of the copper tube and looked inside. It contained three green incense sticks.

Jin Yanzi was still crying in the space. Chen Afu didn’t want to stay there any longer and proceeded to take her leave.