The Female Cannon Fodder With Boundless Merits
Chapter 501 - 505: Unrivaled in the World (17)

Chapter 501: Chapter 505: Unrivaled in the World (17)

"It is said that the one who predicted the fate of Miss Su was none other than the now-famous Master Wu Jin.

Sixteen years ago, Master Wu Jin was merely a humble Saint Heir within the Buddhist Sect, a disciple of Master Wu Hui. At that time, no one knew his identity, taking him only for an itinerant monk from some unknown origin.

After he left a few brief sentences of prophecy for the Su Family, he quickly vanished without a trace.

Logically speaking, Old Master Su shouldn’t have readily believed in a master who appeared out of nowhere, yet he not only believed, but he also convinced his mother to believe him as well.

His mother was already a devout Buddhist, and the master had an aura of a noble hermit, seeking neither wealth nor profit. It was precisely his lack of worldly desires that convinced her he was genuine, alongside the persuasive efforts of her son.

After all, what is a girl with congenital inadequacies compared to the continuous glory of the Su Family and her own son?

Su Li had spent quite an effort to confirm that this Master Wu Jin was indeed that itinerant monk from years ago.

In the Buddhist Sect, there are a total of one hundred and eight Saint Heirs, and Master Wu Jin’s talents were not considered outstanding among them. However, he managed to surpass the other one hundred and seven disciples with superior talents and, after the previous abbot’s demise, achieved the position of abbot himself.

It was rumored that Master Wu Jin had the support of nobles within the imperial court, though such rumors were only vaguely passed around by curious townsfolk, their truth uncertain.

Yet, it was well-known that Princess Zheng, the wife of Prince Zheng, was a devout follower of Buddha, donating large sums of money to the Buddhist Sect every year.

Prince Zheng was extremely fond of Princess Zheng and had constructed several Buddhist temples for the sect because of her.

In any case, Master Wu Jin maintained a good private relationship with many nobles.

Those who had seen Master Wu Jin at the Su Residence had either passed away due to illness or had been sold for committing mistakes.

Fortunately, Su Li managed to find a woman who used to be a maid doing cleaning chores in the yard of the former Madam who had passed away in the Su Residence.

Based on the information provided by her, Su Li discovered that Master Wu Jin had privately met with Princess Zheng’s favored maid before entering the Su Residence.

In her early years, Su Li’s birth mother had developed feelings for a young Prince Zheng.

However, some incidents later led to Su Li’s birth mother hastily marrying Old Master Su.

That same year, Princess Zheng was designated as the official wife for Prince Zheng.

If one were to delve into it, the scheming involved should not be exposed in the light of day.

However, glancing superficially, one could tell that Su Li’s birth mother was the loser in a family power struggle.

Initially, Old Master Su was a poor scholar climbing his way up. As the official daughter of a noble family, Su Li’s mother would not have married someone with an evidently mismatched social status, especially if she couldn’t marry Prince Zheng.

Particularly, since Su Li’s mother was the legitimate eldest daughter of her family, and her dowry was substantial, it seemed more like her maternal family was compensating Old Master Su.

Nobody would believe that there wasn’t something fishy going on.

Although Prince Zheng and Princess Zheng appear to be harmonious and affectionate now, their mansion no longer harboring even a single concubine, many old people still remember that for a long period after their grand wedding sixteen years ago, the couple was in a state of cold war.

----------

The Buddhist temple, serving as the imperial dynasty’s tributor, is not far from the Capital.

It occupies a large area on a mountain peak, enjoying extremely prosperous incense offerings.

Not only the local commoners seeking gods and worship would come here, but devout believers from all over the north and south would walk miles to offer their prayers at this temple.

Especially on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, the outer courtyard of the Buddhist Sect is often so packed that there’s hardly room to move."

The inner courtyard, reserved for high officials and nobles, was also pre-booked by the powerful one by one.

When Su Li appeared in front of people, she was quickly recognized because her attire was too distinctive at the time.

Golden lotus crown, luxurious Daoist robe, feet clad in East Sea Pearls, her face showing signs of illness...

Every aspect revealed that she was the Lotus Saintess, Miss Su, who was currently the center of attention.

Whether she was the Lotus Saintess who had delivered numerous evildoers or the Miss Su beset by rumors, she was an exceedingly topical figure of late.

From nobles to commoners, everyone knew of the events surrounding her.

This caused Su Li to attract everyone’s gaze even without making an appearance.

Everyone was guessing why she had come to the Buddhist Sect.

Given that the Lotus Saintess’s recent appearances were all at places infamous for villains’ haunts, could it be that the Buddhist Sect also...

All sorts of speculations swirled through people’s minds, though absurd, they dared not voice them, fearing disrespect to Buddha, but curiosity and gossip were human nature, still sparking many private discussions filled with emotion.

Unfazed by the various gazes, Su Li, swaying her frail body, walked slowly, coughing every three steps, capturing all the soft whispers around her as a subtle smile crept across the lips concealed under her silk handkerchief.

"They say Miss Su of the Su Family was born weak, it seems true... Judging by her appearance, it looks like she won’t live long."

"This gentleman speaks the truth; my family has practiced medicine for three generations. This Miss Su has a pallid complexion and an unstable gait, with a severely weakened constitution that hinders her lifespan. I fear she is not one for longevity."

"With such a frail body, how did she manage to guide one hundred and eight evildoers to salvation?"

....

Doubts, confusion, and various opinions mingled together.

Some accused her of sensationalism, some criticized her behavior for being improper... In summary, most conclusions drew a hint of malice.

The initial hint of fear that people had for the Lotus Saintess dissipated without a trace upon seeing her true form.

There were those with ulterior motives who coveted Su Li’s fine features with eagerness in their eyes, showing a willingness to test their luck.

Although the current dynasty did not impose strict limitations on women, it could not be said to be open.

If a woman made a slight mistake, the consequences she faced would not be good.

A closer look revealed that many women and ladies attended the Buddhist Sect’s Dharma event today, but they either had brothers watching over them or were accompanied by a host of servants and maids, unlike Su Li, who came alone. Aside from men, it was certain that no second woman would be found like her.

Therefore, Su Li’s independence also presented an opportunity to others with nefarious intentions.

Standing in the shade of a tree, a noble young master, surrounded by a group of guards, watched all that transpired from a distance.

His gaze also fell upon Su Li, the central figure of discussion.

The noble young master playfully twirled his folding fan, a mocking smile on his lips, and whispered softly, "A bunch of fools, to dare provoke her, they probably won’t even know how they died."

He involuntarily shivered thinking back to that day, no longer daring to look further at her, his eyes and heart filled with nothing but fear and trepidation of that person.

"Young heir, Madam and Princess Zheng have gone to the inner courtyard, shall we join them?"

"No need, we’re leaving here immediately. That woman... Don’t bother with her."