Miss Truth
Chapter 200 - 128: Falling into the Mortal World, Huai Yin’s Past

Chapter 200: Chapter 128: Falling into the Mortal World, Huai Yin’s Past

Unconsciously, she fell asleep.

Next morning, Ran Yan woke to the morning bell and chanting from Yuncong Temple at the foot of the mountain. Just as she got up, Jing Hui came to find her.

Last night after handing over everything, Ran Yan insisted on keeping Huan Kong, waiting for Jing Hui to come.

Ran Yan still remembered her first impression of the nun a month ago, about thirty years old, tall and slim with a long neck, and a thin oval face. Her facial features appeared extraordinarily plain against her dark robe, utterly unremarkable.

This time, Ran Yan carefully observed Jing Hui without showing her thoughts. She still looked the same, her features well-arranged, not beautiful but not bad either, carrying a gentle demeanor. Her clothes were clean, with hardly any mud on her shoes.

Ran Yan ordered Ge Lan to brew tea while she chatted with Jing Hui about numerous things related to Huan Kong.

Ran Yan was surprised to discover that this unremarkable looking nun actually possessed a noble aura, especially when they made eye contact. Ran Yan clearly saw that her gaze was neither servile nor overbearing, but carried a faint dignity, a rarity in ancient times, even in the culturally rich Great Tang, where ordinary households’ wives definitely could not exhibit such a presence.

Jing Hui was either a time-traveller like Ran Yan, or she had been from a noble family before she became a nun. Ran Yan felt the latter was more likely.

"Huan Kong seems very timid. Was she frightened as a child?" Ran Yan was rubbing the tea bowl, but she didn’t drink. The Tang Dynasty liked to add salt, tangerine peel, and cornel in their tea, a mixture Ran Yan could not quite stomach.

Jing Hui brushed her sleeve with one hand and picked up the tea bowl with the other, took a gentle sip, and after placing the bowl down, she answered, "When I found her, she was wandering the streets. It seems she had been scared quite often before."

"Hmm, maybe she was frightened by the scene at her mother’s tomb a few days ago. She gets along very well with Wan Lu, so maybe let them play together for a few days; it might ease her fears." Ran Yan’s gaze shifted to the courtyard where Huan Kong, with her bald shiny head, was watching Wan Lu, who was frowning as she copied Medical Books, occasionally mocking her, Wan Lu seemed on the verge of exploding.

Jing Hui’s eyes quickly flashed an indescribable expression, but what eventually overflowed was joy and fondness, "That would be good. She rarely gets along with others. If she can make a friend, it would give me peace of mind."

After sitting for a while, Jing Hui rose to say goodbye. She stood in the courtyard and spoke a few words to Huan Kong on the porch.

Ran Yan carefully observed their interaction; Huan Kong was extremely respectful and almost fearful towards Jing Hui, as if she was desperately trying to please her.

Apparently, the seemingly gentle Jing Hui was not so tender to Huan Kong usually.

Shortly after Jing Hui left, Ran Yan finished her breakfast and immediately went down the mountain to find Liu Pinrang; yesterday’s pile of terrifying bones should provide many clues.

The mist in the mountains had not yet dispersed. Looking from halfway up the hill, Yuncong Temple was nestled among a blend of red and yellow woods, only the tips of its roofs faintly visible.

Walking through the woods, the wooden clogs stepped on thick fallen leaves, soft and somewhat slippery, the leaves on the trees shimmered with moisture after rain. A breeze shook many droplets from the trees.

Wan Lu quickly held an umbrella over Ran Yan.

With a swishing sound, water droplets streamed down the plain umbrella.

As they stood in front of the side gate, the guarding Government Official asked, "Is this Wife Ran Shiqi?"

"Yes, it is." Ran Yan responded.

The Government Official opened the side gate and said, "The Inspector said you would come this morning and to go directly to Master Huai Yin’s meditation room."

Ran Yan hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you."

"Not at all." The Government Official stepped aside, letting Ran Yan enter where a young novice was waiting. Hearing the Government Official’s words, he recited a Buddhist chant to Ran Yan, "Donor Ran, please follow this young monk."

"Thank you." Ran Yan thought to herself, Xiao Song prepared too thoroughly, how could he be so sure that she would come?

Under the guidance of the young novice, taking a shortcut between the temple buildings through a fiery red Maple Forest, they soon saw a lonely wooden hut in the woods. In front of the hut stood a ginkgo tree large enough to be embraced by two people. On the porch stood a half-man-high water tank, and the water dripping from the eaves fell into it, making a clear, crisp sound, causing ripples on the surface of the water.

The hut was surrounded by government soldiers wearing iron armor, holding oil-paper umbrellas, creating a strangely beautiful aesthetic.

The novice led Ran Yan to the front of the hut, bowed slightly, and said, "Donor Ran, here we are. The morning services are not yet over, but Inspector Liu and Inspector Xiao have already arrived. Please enter alone."