Chapter 80 Arrival in Hangzhou

After lunch, Xiao Yanzi and her group prepared to leave Bai Family Village. As for the matter of the young master of the Bai family marrying his apprentice, they just listened for fun and had no interest in finding out the details.

Xiao Yanzi was eager to return to Hangzhou, so she quickened her pace and it took her six days to reach the city. Xia Ziwei lifted the curtain, looked outside, and said, "Xiao Yanzi, it's already late afternoon. Let's hurry and find an inn to eat and rest for the night. We can visit your home tomorrow."

"I'll listen to you. My stomach is growling right now." Little Swallow nodded in agreement. Xingchen was about to drive the carriage to find an inn when a monk blocked their way. "Amitabha, please wait, benefactor."

Xingchen frowned and looked at the old monk in front of him, asking, "Master, why are you blocking our way?"

Little Swallow, noticing the commotion, got off the carriage. She saw the old monk in front of her, who was smiling at her. "This humble monk, Wuxiang, greets you, benefactor."

Looking into the old monk's eyes, Xiao Yanzi vaguely felt that the person in front of her seemed to know her.

"Master Wuxiang, why are you stopping us?"

“Benefactor, please follow me.”

The group looked at each other, unsure whether they should follow him.

After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Yanzi followed the old monk. Xingchen grew anxious, "Miss, we still don't know who this monk is..."

Little Swallow whispered, "It's alright. Whether he means well or bad, we should still go and see what's going on. Besides, my intuition tells me he's not a bad person."

Her intuition hadn't been wrong so far, so she chose to take the risk. Seeing that Xiao Yanzi had made up her mind, Xingchen had no choice but to follow along.

The group followed the old monk to the side of a temple. "Esteemed benefactor," the monk said, "there is a young benefactor in the capital who asked me to deliver a message to you. I would be grateful if you would accompany me to Lingyin Temple. The rest of you can rest at the inn nearby."

Little Swallow nodded and replied, "Okay, Ziwei, you two go and put your things away first. I'll be right back. If you're really worried, Xingchen can come with me."

Since Xiao Yanzi had spoken, the others had no choice but to obey. Xiao Yanzi, along with Xingchen, followed Master Wuxiang into Lingyin Temple. Along the way, monks greeted Master Wuxiang, and many people who were about to leave also spoke warmly to him. Seeing this, Xiao Yanzi and Xingchen felt less worried.

Finally, they arrived at Master Wuxiang's meditation room. "Please come in, both of you benefactors."

Master Wuxiang's room was very simple. He took out a letter from the cabinet and said, "This letter is what you wanted to read when you first arrived in Hangzhou."

"Little Swallow, by the time you read this letter, you should already be at Lingyin Temple. Don't worry, Master Wuxiang is one of us. If you encounter any difficulties in Hangzhou, just go to Master Wuxiang for help... As for Ziwei's matter, don't rush things. Since you brought Ziwei to Hangzhou, let her train with you for now. Leave the matters in the palace to me and Xiao Jian. Once the dangers in the palace have lessened, we'll consider bringing Ziwei back to the palace..."

After reading the letter, Xiao Yanzi was very surprised. "Master Wuxiang, how did you know I would come to Hangzhou today?"

"Well, this humble monk has his own way of doing things. By the way, benefactor, there is another letter that I can only show you after you have read it in your hometown of Hangzhou."

"Huh? Can't I watch it all at once?" Little Swallow asked, puzzled. "Why do I have to watch it separately?"

Master Wuxiang smiled helplessly and said, "This humble monk is only acting under orders and does not know the reason behind it. If you want to know, write to him in the future, or ask him after you meet him."

Little Swallow asked curiously, "The master seems to know him very well?"

Master Wuxiang shook his head. “We are not familiar with each other. I have only met him once and contacted him once. I am more familiar with another person, that old man, who is also his right-hand man. If we are destined, you will be able to meet him in the future.”

"Then why is the master helping us?" How could an ordinary monk have connections with the royal family and even help the princes?

"This humble monk has a karmic connection with you two. We were destined to meet but not to be together in our past lives. In this life, your future is limitless. Whether our Great Qing Dynasty can become even stronger depends on the two of you! Alright, it's about time. Benefactor, you should go back and have your meal."

"Thank you, Master." Seeing that Master Wuxiang was unwilling to say more, Xiao Yanzi did not press the matter further. After taking the letter, she and Xingchen left Lingyin Temple and went to the inn next door.

"Little Swallow, what did Master Wuxiang show you? What did he say to you?" Xia Ziwei couldn't help but ask first. "Why did he send you a letter?"

Little Swallow laughed and said, "He is your fifth brother's man, working for your fifth brother. Your fifth brother gave me some instructions in the letter, telling me to be careful and not to rush things."

"No way? His influence has reached Hangzhou?" Xia Ziwei was very surprised. "If this is..."

Little Swallow comforted him, "As long as your father stands firmly behind him, he'll be fine! Okay, let's eat quickly and then get some rest. Tomorrow, I plan to go to my hometown. A few of you can stay here to watch the luggage, and the rest of you can come with me."

After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest. Xiao Yanzi took a stool, sat by the window, and leaned against it, gazing at the moonlight outside. "Yongqi, I miss you..."

Before meeting Yongqi, she had never known what longing felt like, or what it was like to be used to someone by her side.

After meeting Yongqi, she experienced many things she had never experienced before and learned a lot. This made her eager to grow up and mature quickly so that she could fight alongside Yongqi and work with him to make the people of the Qing Dynasty happier.

"Little Swallow, next month we're going to the Summer Palace, and then we'll be going hunting in the hunting grounds. Will you come?" Without Little Swallow, will the hunt still be as fun?

Yongqi sighed inwardly, longing for her, yet feeling helpless. "Little Swallow, when will I be able to see you again?"

Xiao Yanzi originally thought that she couldn't miss Emperor Qianlong's or the Empress Dowager's birthday celebrations, nor did she want to. However, when she arrived in her hometown, she met a master and followed him to learn and train, so she didn't have time to go back.

The next morning, Xiao Yanzi and her group rushed to her hometown. They found that the Xiao family mansion had been rebuilt, and all the elderly people who could be found had been brought back. When Xiao Yanzi led them back, the old people were all moved to tears. "Young Master said that Miss would come back, and we still can't believe it..."

"Miss, it really is Miss! I've missed you so much!" Although they only spent half a year with Xiao Yanzi, they had been waiting for her to come back.

"Miss, now that you're back, why don't you stay at home? Your room is still available."

Little Swallow thanked everyone for their kindness and said, "I'm just passing through and came back to take a look. I'll be going to visit other places later, so I won't be staying long..."