Female Novel
Chapter 5508
Maria’s words set off a subtle alarm in Charlie’s mind. He couldn’t resist asking Maria, “Do you suspectthere’s something off about her identity?”
Maria nodded thoughtfully and asserted, “I have encountered accomplished Buddhist Masters in the pastand they all shared a common trait, they strictly adhered to Buddhist teachings in their lives, quotingscriptures and drawing wisdom from Buddhist principles in their daily conduct and speech. To put itsimply, they lived in accordance with Buddhism. However, this Master, except for Amitabha, rarelymentioned Buddhism. This discrepancy makes me wonder if she’s a genuine nun.”
Charlie’s vigilance heightened instantly. He remarked, “If she’s not a real nun, then she’s concealingherself as a nun, awaiting our arrival. Whether friend or foe, there’s certainly an external force behind herbesides the Warriors Den.”
Maria nodded gravely. “But, Young Master, don’t be overly concerned. I believe they’re not hostile andthere’s a good chance they hold some grudge against the Warriors Den. ‘The enemy of my enemy is myfriend,’ as the saying goes. However, they’re still cautious around us, or there could be other reasonspreventing them from revealing their true identities at the moment.”
Charlie fell into contemplation for a moment and inquired, “What Greek mythology did she mention?”
Maria, cautious not to divulge too much, replied, “She spoke of the tale of Achilles, emphasizing thateven the strongest could meet their downfall if they’re not careful.”
Charlie, without delving further into the matter, made a firm decision. “Let’s turn back and investigate.”
Surprised, Maria asked, “Young Master, do you intend to visit Greenwood Nunnery?”
“Yes.” Charlie affirmed, “I want to discover who they are, why they possess such knowledge about usand why they’ve adopted nun disguises to await us. Initially, they asserted Buddhism’s sanctity and
denied us entry. It’s only right that I respect their wishes. But now, it’s evident that they may not truly beBuddhists. It’s better to confront them directly.”
Maria hesitated momentarily and then consented, “If the Young Master wishes to investigate, I willaccompany you. Just exercise caution and avoid inadvertently turning potential allies into adversaries.”
Charlie nodded, resolute. “I simply want to know who they are. If there’s a chance to become friends dueto a shared adversary, we should be open and honest. Keeping secrets would be shameful.”
Maria concurred with Jagoan’s perspective, perturbed by the other party’s secrecy despite theirknowledge of her and Jagoan’s backgrounds.
Thus, the two of them retraced their steps and descended the mountain, heading straight for GreenwoodNunnery.
Passing the Y-shaped intersection, Jagoan and Maria continued along the path. After a while, Jagoanfurrowed his brow and remarked, “There’s no one left at Greenwood Nunnery.”
“Ahh?” Maria exclaimed in surprise. “Did you use your aura to confirm?”
“Yes,” Jagoan confirmed, “There’s no one left, they’ve probably departed.”
“This…” Maria furrowed her brow. “When I left, I looked back several times, but I didn’t spot anyonecoming down the mountain.”
After Jagoan conducted a more extensive aura sweep, he concluded, “There’s a path behind themountain.”
Regretfully, Maria confessed, “It’s my oversight. I should’ve thought of that.”
Jagoan offered a small, reassuring smile. “No worries. Since they’re gone, let’s head up and investigate.Maybe we can find some clues.”
Maria proposed, “Shall I ask Keagan to help us gather surveillance information from nearby towns?”
Jagoan shrugged, skeptical. “You can try, but I doubt it’ll yield much. These individuals are different fromMorgana, who’s inherently suspicious. This time, she came to Shiwan alone, unaccompanied, making itchallenging to cover her tracks. In contrast, these people appear to be working as a team and came well-prepared. I doubt they left any traces behind.”
“That’s true…” Maria sighed and acknowledged, “They likely anticipated our arrival in advance and madepreparations within Greenwood Nunnery.”
Maria then had an idea. “We can inquire about Greenwood Nunnery from the locals. Perhaps we canunearth some clues.”
Jagoan agreed. “Let’s proceed and take a look first.”
Upon arriving at the main entrance of Greenwood Nunnery, they found the door closed. However, whenJagoan gently pushed it, the door creaked open.
Stepping inside, Jagoan noticed the thick wooden door bolt and furrowed his brow. “It seems they wereaware of our arrival and left the door open intentionally.”
Maria wore a worried expression and murmured, “They’ve calculated every step we’ve taken.”
Jagoan self-deprecatingly chuckled and commented, “I thought I was well hidden, but it turns out theyknow everything. What’s baffling is how they calculate it all.”
Maria, somewhat disheartened, admitted, “I’ve never had any cultivation in over three hundred years. Myconfidence has always been in my intellect. Now it seems I can’t match up to them.”
Jagoan offered a comforting smile. “It’s normal. Two fists are no match for four hands, especially ifthere’s a formidable organization backing them. With so many people working together, it’s difficult for
the two of us to stay ahead.”novelbin
Maria, although somewhat consoled by Jagoan’s words, still appeared shaken.
Changing the subject, Jagoan said, “Let’s go inside and investigate.”
“Agreed,” Maria replied, following Jagoan inside.
Greenwood Nunnery was rather modest in size, comprising two courtyards, one in front and one in therear. The front yard had side halls on either side and a main hall in the center. A small courtyard behindthe main hall featured three tile-roofed houses.
Jagoan and Maria first examined the side halls, where they found little beyond a few Buddha statues.
In the main hall, an evergreen lamp continued to burn, with three sticks of sandalwood almost reduced toashes in the incense burner.
Jagoan examined the incense burner, gauged the length of the remaining ash and commented, “Thesethree sticks of sandalwood seem quite long. They’ve likely been burning for over an hour.”
Maria calculated the time. “From the time I left the house, met you, explained everything and wejourneyed up the mountain and back down… it has indeed been an hour.”
Jagoan concurred, “These three sticks of incense were lit when you left. They predicted our arrival.”
Closing his eyes, Jagoan inhaled the sandalwood’s fragrance deeply and sighed, “This sandalwoodaroma is extraordinary, better than any I’ve encountered.”
Maria agreed, “I was about to say the same… This sandalwood is truly exceptional. As a connoisseur oftea and fragrances, I’ve encountered some excellent aged sandalwood, but none have matched thisscent. It’s rich, deep and subtly sweet.”
Jagoan couldn’t help but marvel, “It seems they’ve calculated every step, even predicting that you’dnotice something was amiss and that we’d turn back. These three sticks of incense were undoubtedly litfor us.”