Chapter 372: The Nunnery (Part 1)

In Tao Yaoyao’s eyes, Guo Jing was a fickle, flirtatious man—certainly no good bird.

“How outrageous! The elder’s corpse hasn’t even grown cold yet, and he actually has the heart to flirt with girls!” Tao Yaoyao was so furious she clenched her teeth and immediately dialed Guo Jing’s number.

She had intended to yell at him, but Guo Jing, annoyed and preoccupied, had already shut off his phone.

About four or five hundred meters away from the villa, beside a cement road running from south to north, stood a small nunnery quietly by the riverside of the Jie River.

The Jie River was a large waterway, winding and twisting, connecting upstream to the Yangtze River and downstream to the Yellow Sea. It was the second largest river in Huanghai City.

This nunnery consisted of three small houses and a courtyard, housing three elderly nuns—two in their seventies or eighties, and one around fifty years old.

In today’s world, very few young women were willing to become nuns.

Inside the nunnery, a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva was enshrined. After Shui Miao finished burning incense and bowing in prayer, she turned to speak with the nun in her fifties.

Through their conversation, Shui Miao learned that the two elderly nuns were in poor health, and the nunnery’s incense offerings were scarce, barely enough to scrape by. The nun hoped Shui Miao would show compassion and donate generously.

But Shui Miao had little money on her, and even if she did, she had no intention of giving any at the moment.

She noticed that the nun in her fifties had a rosy complexion, a strong physique, and radiant energy—hardly the signs of someone struggling to eat.

Shui Miao observed carefully and used her spiritual senses to investigate.

In the back yard’s room, she sensed stacks of more than twenty sacks of grain. Even more surprisingly, there was a refrigerator in the kitchen, filled with fish meat. Most shockingly, hidden beneath a cabinet were many bottles of white liquor!

Shui Miao had never expected that this nun would secretly eat meat and drink alcohol. No wonder she looked so healthy and strong—she was clearly a nun who had broken her vows and lived comfortably.

Meanwhile, the two elderly nuns in the back lay in bed, too weak to move. They were emaciated and yellow-skinned, with only a pot of spoiled porridge in their room—the porridge had long since gone bad, giving off a foul smell.

“Little layperson, little layperson?”

The nun in her fifties called out twice as Shui Miao stood lost in thought.

At that moment, Lin Xue and the others had already arrived outside by car. Shui Miao snapped back to reality.

“Oh, sorry, I don’t have any money on me. But my friend Guo Jing, Director Guo, has money. They’ve already arrived. Why don’t you ask him to make a generous offering? Maybe he’ll be in a good mood and even donate enough to help you rebuild the temple.”

“Director Guo?”

The nun was slightly taken aback. “You mean Director Guo Jing?”

“Yes.”

Shui Miao nodded. “Master, you should go greet them. I’ll just take a look around.”

“Well… okay then…”

The nun seemed unenthusiastic about welcoming Director Guo. She knew that when Guo Jing was young, he had been a mischievous troublemaker who often came to the nunnery to cause chaos. After becoming an official, he had never returned to offer even a small donation. In contrast, Guo Jing’s mother visited frequently, bringing incense money regularly.

As the nun approached the gate, she saw two female police officers in uniform, which startled her heart.

Those who have done wrong often feel guilty. This nun had not only broken her vows but also desecrated the Bodhisattva. Her conscience was uneasy.

“Master, hello. A young man came by earlier—is he still inside?” Lin Xue asked directly.

“Oh, yes, he is.”

Seeing that the female officers were looking for someone they knew, the nun relaxed slightly.

Guo Jing, anxious to find Shui Miao, rushed into the nunnery without even acknowledging the nun, which annoyed her greatly.

Turning back, she suddenly noticed that Shui Miao had disappeared, and the door to the back yard was open. Worried that the meat, alcohol, and grain might be discovered, she panicked and hurried to the back yard.

She found Shui Miao speaking with the two elderly nuns lying in bed. Relieved, she still couldn’t help scolding him, “Little layperson, please don’t disturb my masters’ rest.”

Shui Miao ignored her and continued speaking to the elderly nuns, “You’re both so ill—why don’t you go to the hospital? If it’s a matter of money, you needn’t worry. Director Guo here can help.”

“Exactly! I’m willing to help. I’ll call an ambulance right now,” Guo Jing eagerly replied, hoping to gain favor with Shui Miao.

Hearing this, the elderly woman in bed quickly waved her hand, “No, no. It’s fine here. Eating bitterness and enduring hardship is because our six senses are impure. Heaven is helping us atone for our sins.”

“Yes! At our age, we don’t want to trouble anyone anymore. If we owe more favors, how could we ever repay them?” the other nun added.

These two elderly nuns truly had high cultivation and deep understanding of the Dao.

Shui Miao nodded, “Alright then. I won’t force you. If you insist on staying, then the hospital idea is off. But I must take this spoiled porridge away.”

Shui Miao picked up the pot of spoiled porridge and walked outside, where there was a round well. She threw the entire pot straight into the well.

“Hey! What are you doing? You can’t just dump spoiled porridge into the well!” The nun in her fifties rushed over, furious and scowling—her expression was anything but that of a pious nun. She looked more like a vicious, aggressive woman.

Shui Miao turned to face her and frowned, “Master, isn’t what you’re saying a bit contradictory? If this spoiled porridge is good enough for the elders to eat, then you should be able to eat it too. If it’s edible for them, what’s wrong with throwing it into the well? Or are you saying you don’t eat this kind of porridge? That you eat something much better?”

“Uh…”

Caught off guard by Shui Miao’s words, the nun was momentarily speechless.

After a pause, she quickly said, “Forget it, forget it. Don’t talk about this anymore. All of you, please leave and let my masters rest in peace.”

“Forget it?”

Shui Miao blinked and shook her head. “This matter isn’t over yet. The elders are eating so poorly, they’re practically skin and bones. I must check what kind of food you have here. If there’s truly nothing, I’ll buy some supplies to bring here. I can’t let the elders suffer like this anymore. What do you think, Director Guo?”

“Exactly! If there’s really nothing, I’m willing to spend ten thousand yuan!”

Guo Jing enthusiastically supported the idea, appearing very generous.

Shui Miao nodded and immediately headed toward the room where the grain was stored. The nun panicked and rushed to block the doorway.

“This room… this is a forbidden area, sealed to imprison evil spirits. No one is allowed to enter!”

“Really?”

Shui Miao smiled.

“It’s true, absolutely true!” The nun nodded repeatedly, though she found Shui Miao’s smile suspicious.

Before Shui Miao could speak, Lin Xue chimed in, “By the way, little master, you mentioned earlier that you studied Taoist arts for a few years and can exorcise demons. Why don’t you help us eliminate this evil spirit?”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

Shui Miao rubbed his nose. “Master, as a nun, you must stand against evil. Surely you wouldn’t hesitate to let me destroy this harmful demon?”

“…”

The nun was momentarily speechless, unable to respond.

Seizing the advantage, Shui Miao stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. “Unless… there’s no demon in this room at all, and instead, you’re hiding something else—something that can’t be exposed to the light?”