Chapter 145: Life Is Short, Avoid Evil Deeds!

Chapter 145: Life Is Short, Avoid Evil Deeds!

The old Taoist priest turned to look at Old Lady Wei, speaking slowly, "How can this be considered finished? I noticed dark clouds in their brows; I'm afraid what happened to their son is only the beginning... So, as long as you live, it's best to avoid evil deeds. Otherwise, you'll only add to your karmic debt. You never know when it will come back to haunt you or your loved ones."

Old Lady Wei nodded repeatedly.

Yu Siyang interjected, his eyes clear and childlike, "Taoist Master, if we kill to save others, does that count as a sin?"

The old Taoist priest looked at Yu Siyang for a moment longer before replying, "Heaven has its own standards. If you kill for the sake of justice, there will be no karmic consequences; instead, you'll accumulate merit... Of course, if you've committed wrongs, good deeds can balance out the bad. For example, that couple from the Pang family actually have a considerable amount of merit, making them seem like benevolent benefactors. But that's just the surface. The dozens of lives they've ruined are crimes that await settlement."

As the old Taoist priest said this, Huiyin nodded repeatedly, a look of admiration on his face. "Indeed, indeed. They were introduced to me by a friend. He said they were generous benefactors who often sent goods to charitable houses."

At this point, the old Taoist priest remembered something and added, "Come to think of it, if that couple hadn't recently done more wrong, their son wouldn't have been haunted by karmic consequences."

Huiyin wasn't aware of this and shook his head, looking at the old Taoist priest with deep admiration. "You see much further than I do and reckon more precisely. Are you free?"

The old Taoist priest replied straightforwardly, "It's getting late today; I must return to the Taoist temple. If you're interested, feel free to visit me tomorrow. I'll be on Mount Xuqing."

Huiyin bowed to the old Taoist priest, replying respectfully, "Yes."

Under the gaze of the Yu family, the old Taoist priest left unhurriedly.

Huiyin turned around and bowed to the Yu household. "Since things are mostly settled, I'll take my leave."

The Yu family was somewhat less warm towards Huiyin but still saw him off with proper etiquette.

After closing the courtyard gate, Yu Sanbao felt as if all the bones in his body had loosened up. He stretched lazily, a look of joy on his face. "Finally, my heart can settle."

Old Lady Wei and Yu Laotou both smiled.

Yu Sanbao then asked Shuang He to go inform Huai Geer's school. The boys hadn't slept well these past few days either, and now that Xingxing had been found, it was good to inform them so they could relax.

Shuang He accepted the order and left.

Xingxing slept until the afternoon when Huai Geer and the others got out of school.

Huai Ge and the others could hardly wait, running all the way back from the schoolhouse.

Huai Ge, the most energetic, ran the fastest, leaving his three younger brothers trailing far behind.

After running, he was only slightly sweaty and not even out of breath.

"Where's Xingxing?" Huai Ge asked repeatedly.

From inside the room, Xingxing's small, hoarse voice called out, "Big brother, Xingxing is here!"

Huai Ge dashed into the room.

Xingxing had just woken up and was sitting groggily on the kang, while Wei Pozi was combing her hair. Huai Ge was so excited that he wanted to pick her up and spin her around, but he held back since their grandmother was already attending to her.

He inspected Xingxing from head to toe. Seeing she was unharmed, he finally relaxed and smiled broadly, "So good you're back, so good you're back!"

After a while, Bai Ge, Liu Ge, and Gui Ge finally arrived, panting heavily.

Still catching their breath, the three rushed over to check on Xingxing.

Seeing she was unharmed, they finally felt at ease.

Even though Shuang He had already said Xingxing was fine, seeing her for themselves was still reassuring!

"How exactly did they rescue Xingxing?" Huai Ge couldn't help but ask.

He had wanted to ask earlier but decided to wait for his younger brothers to avoid making the elders repeat the story.

Yu Sanbao, sitting with his legs crossed, sipped some water and vividly recounted the scene with great enthusiasm, "Let me tell you, it was really dangerous at the time..."

Huai Ge and the others listened in amazement.

Finally, after another sip of water, Yu Sanbao concluded, "In short, don't do evil deeds while you're alive!"

Huai Ge and the others nodded in agreement, thoroughly convinced.

"We owe a great deal to the old master from the Nameless Taoist Temple. You're on a break the day after tomorrow, aren't you? You should go to the temple to offer some incense, properly thank the master, and ask the gods to bless your studies."

They didn't take the request to pray for their studies seriously, but they felt they should thank the old Taoist priest.

After discussing, Huai Geer and the others decided to go offer incense at the Nameless Taoist Temple the day after tomorrow.

Wei Pozi also decided: "The day after tomorrow, I'll take Xingxing there too."

And that settled the matter.

Because many people in the Yu family were still worried about Xingxing, Wei Pozi and Old Yu didn’t stay long in the county. Yu Sanbao harnessed the carriage and drove them back to Nantuo Village.

The carriage creaked as it rolled over the dirt road, where patches of snow still remained.

Occasionally, villagers passing by on the narrow path watched the carriage enter the village with envy.

Only one household in the village owned a carriage, and it was clearly the Yu family’s.

The carriage stopped at the Yu family’s gate. Li Chunhua, busy in the yard, heard the noise and came out to greet them: "Father, Mother, you're back? How's Xingxing..."

Before she could finish, the carriage curtain was lifted, and a small figure joyfully emerged, calling "Auntie," and jumped down.

Li Chunhua, overwhelmed with excitement, scooped Xingxing up: "Oh my goodness! Xingxing is back!"

Too excited to care about anything else, she turned and rushed into the yard to share the good news: "Second Sister-in-law, Third Sister-in-law, Ju Geer, come quick, Xingxing is back!"

The rest of the Yu family were both surprised and delighted to see Xingxing return unharmed.

Especially Ju Geer, who held onto Xingxing and wouldn’t let go, fiercely saying: "If anyone tries to claim you as theirs again, we’ll just throw them out!"

His words made the whole Yu family laugh.

Xingxing was also very happy, her little face flushed, as she smiled along with the Yu family.

These were her family, the ones she loved the most!

...

Soon it was the day of Huai Geer and the others' traditional day of rest. As previously agreed, Wei Pozi took Xingxing and set out from Nantuo Village to the Nameless Taoist Temple.