Chapter 3. The Adorable One

Gu Zhaochen was seriously injured; one arm and one leg were completely useless, and he moved slowly, barely making it ten meters in half a day.

The little monk admired this human cub a bit because two years ago, when she fell down a slope and dislocated her ankle, she couldn't help but cry loudly. Gu Zhaochen was in such pain that his body trembled, yet he didn't cry — he was very strong.

Gu Zhaochen walked toward the Qingshui River, and Mingjing silently followed beside him. Although this human cub was already eight years old, he looked only a little taller than Mingjing. Now, covered in injuries and looking pitiful, he held his back straight like a small animal cornered by a wolf at the edge of a cliff, bloodied but refusing to let anyone approach, vigilant and wary.

Mingjing tightened the strap of her small backpack and saw her master from a distance, waving excitedly, "Master! Master! Mingjing is here!"

The master, named Luo Qingshu, had a tall and slender figure, with a handsome face. His white monk robe was embroidered with golden cloud patterns, and his every movement flowed gracefully, exuding a calm and noble aura. He walked through the snow like a celestial being descending from the misty mountains, appearing ethereal and otherworldly.

The little monk didn't care much about appearances, but the neighbors passing by were stunned. Some were so mesmerized that they slipped and fell, only to get up with flushed faces, covering their faces in embarrassment as they ran away.

Mingjing knew that his master was very popular among humans, but it was a different kind of admiration. These people didn't dare to approach or joke with him. Mingjing understood this feeling well; although his master never got angry, he was firm in his words. Those beautiful eyes would look at Mingjing in such a way that he couldn't hide the snacks he had stashed away, and any lazy thoughts had to be quickly suppressed.

Mingjing respectfully clasped his hands together and looked up at his master, "Master, can I take this human cub home to treat his injuries and then send him to the welfare home in the city?"

She held her cotton jacket in her arms, her little bald head was already red from the cold, and her hands were too. Luo Qingshu took the jacket and helped her put it on, then lifted the small boy who was standing stiffly beside him and started to walk back.

Gu Zhaochen struggled to get down, "I don't need treatment! I won't go to the hospital!"

The child's voice was cold and firm, but Luo Qingshu was even firmer, "Shut up, you don't need to go to the hospital."

Gu Zhaochen fell silent. Lin Shuixiang and Gu Zhiming had just received a large sum of money, and they would surely go shopping and buy many things before returning. The Gu family usually had dinner only after dark, which was still three or four hours away, so there was no rush.

He didn't know where people went after death, but as long as he could escape from here, he felt a sense of relief and stability in his heart.

This little bit of longing made him feel much more patient and settled.

The two lived not far from the Gu family, in a standalone courtyard covering over a thousand square meters, complete with a yard and garden. There was even a practice room for Mingjing to meditate, a reading room, and a study. This wasn't their only residence; they also owned properties near Haihe City’s primary and secondary schools, as well as a key high school. In the first month after coming down the mountain, Luo Qingshu had taken care of everything, and all the houses were under the little monk's name.

Each place was laid out similarly to the courtyard, and Mingjing's future was already planned out: just like other children, he would finish elementary school, then middle school, high school, and finally university, graduating to do what he loved.

This time, Luo Qingshu brought the little one down the mountain to train her ability to live independently.

As a diligent, studious, and strong little beast, Mingjing held herself to high standards, learning everything her master taught her seriously. For example, right now, under her master's guidance, she was cleaning the human cub's wounds and applying medicine.

The room was equipped with underfloor heating, and the clean, warm carpet contrasted with the heavy snow outside, making the courtyard feel like spring.

Having lived in the cracks of society for so many years, Gu Zhaochen could almost instinctively judge between kindness and malice. He didn't need this kind of help, but the other party had indeed helped him. The harsh words of rejection were stuck in his throat; he had tried to say them several times but couldn't get a single word out. Such kindness was precious in his life, and he couldn't help but replay it in his mind over and over.

Gu Zhaochen looked at the little monk squatting in front of him, pursing his lips. The alcohol stung his wounds, causing him to sweat from the sharp pain, yet he gritted his teeth and remained silent, suppressing the urge to retreat for fear of being rejected for being dirty.

Although Mingjing knew that blowing on the wounds wouldn't alleviate the pain, she couldn't help but blow gently on the human cub's wounds, sweetly comforting him, "After applying Master’s medicine, the wounds will heal quickly, and in a few days, it won’t hurt anymore."

In such a warm room, hearing such pure concern, Gu Zhaochen felt a warmth rising in his heart, something even harder to bear than pain. He stopped looking at the little monk and focused on sitting up straight, trying not to fidget and dirty the clean sofa, doing his best not to cause more trouble for the little monk.

Luo Qingshu sat nearby, watching his little disciple carefully treat the wounds, and sighed softly, asking gently, "How much money is left?" Gu Zhiming and Lin Shuixiang had happily rushed to the bank, and he could guess what foolish method his silly disciple had used.

There was no card left.

Mingjing felt a bit embarrassed, her face red from the cold, and she climbed onto her master's knee, blinking her big eyes, "Master, I will earn more in the future."

This meant she had given everything away, not leaving a single cent.

She was willing to do so.

Luo Qingshu didn't know whether to feel relieved or helpless. The little one was in a special situation; she had been confined to a chair to read books, and after learning to read, she began to chant scriptures. Later, she studied knowledge, mostly dull subjects like history and literature, biology, and chemistry.

For nearly four years, over fifteen hundred days, the daily cycle of chanting scriptures, studying, doing experiments, practicing martial arts, and gathering herbs continued without pause. The goal was to help the little one cultivate a broad-minded, tolerant, kind, restrained, and peaceful heart.

Now the little one had achieved this—when she earned rewards through her own efforts, she was very happy. She would sleep with her bank card, having already planned what to do with the money, and now she was willing to use it all to help others...

Although this method was quite foolish, it showed that the little one was completely different from the violent, greedy little beast she had been five years ago.

The little one had been deliberately abandoned at Qingling Mountain by two women.

The Qinling Scenic Area had many mountains, and Qingling Mountain was hidden among dense ranges. It took several days to go up and down, and few people came here. The forest was quiet, and Luo Qingshu had heard the complaints from afar.

One was old, and the other was young, panting as they climbed the mountain.

"Just leave it here; no one should come by."

"The little girl will suffer living; it’s better to die early and be reborn with a healthy body."

"We can't afford to lose face for the Song family by giving birth to a little monster. I don't have a granddaughter like that. Let's go, let's go, it's getting dark; we should head back."

"Huai Mountain is still young; if the child wants a few more in the future, just keep it a secret from the old man!"

Five years ago, Luo Qingshu was a man who had just been diagnosed with stomach cancer. After chemotherapy, he lost all his hair and had no dietary restrictions, living on the mountain, waiting to die. One day, while chopping wood, he fell asleep on a slope and heard this conversation before he even opened his eyes.

The two women, dressed in gold and silver, left a cardboard box behind, crying silently as they walked away.

The little one lay in the box, not crying or making a fuss, just chewing on the fabric, and when that didn't satisfy him, he bit his fingers. His chubby little hands were covered in wounds, and even when they bled, he didn't care, continuing to eat. When he was carried out, he seemed to realize something and struggled toward the direction the two women had left, reaching out to be held. When he couldn't reach, he began to cry, his crying loud and clear, his big watery eyes turning red, with tears the size of beans hanging on his eyelids. The sight was heart-wrenching...

What a sin.

Luo Qingshu had plenty of money and no relatives; he had more than enough to spend. He truly took the little one down the mountain to seek medical help, searching both domestically and internationally but finding no results. He realized that this child could not be cured, so he brought the little one back to his small, dilapidated temple that offered no shelter from the wind or rain, and he named the child Mingjing.

At that time, the little monk couldn't even walk. She would eat anything she saw, sometimes catching insects and shoving them into her mouth along with the dirt and stones. She would eat anything, even her own fingers when she got hungry.

Aside from eating, she saw nothing else in the world.

It was not easy to correct this little one's bad habits.

Luo Qingshu stopped mistreating his own body and focused his spirit and attention on serious matters. He began to study the scriptures and Buddhist teachings left by the old monk, starting from scratch, learning medicine bit by bit, and renovating the temple with the little one. They chanted scriptures, read books, and adopted a vegetarian diet.

He taught the little one how to control her gluttony, how to transform the root of that greed into a unique talent and treasure in this world, and how to understand the principles of life. One day, when walking among people, she would no longer be the little monster that everyone despised, the little demon that even her relatives abandoned.

Teaching a child who saw everything as food to control their greedy appetite was an incredibly difficult task. Even if Luo Qingshu did nothing else but stay with the little one all the time, it took nearly five years to teach her to become the person she was now.

She grew beautifully, not only did she not turn out wrong, but she was also smarter than other children her age, more stable, able to endure hardships, and more open-minded. She was kind, could take care of herself, could distinguish between good and evil, and had skills and the ability to learn and live.

This was good; it put Luo Qingshu's mind at ease.

He watched for a while, waiting for the little monk to finish tidying up. He moved his long fingers and lifted the little one up. He didn't want this little one, who had finally become happy and joyful, to experience too much. He simply said he was going to fetch scriptures. The little one also had a heart that pursued knowledge and truth, so even though she was reluctant, with tears welling up in her big eyes, she nodded in support of him.

She was reluctant but had learned to restrain herself, even if she cried all night under the covers, her eyes swollen.

Luo Qingshu rarely showed affection; he gently pressed his forehead against the little one’s. Seeing her excited little face turn red, he chuckled, "Everything has been arranged, and there’s a couple named Su Shiyang in Haihe who are willing to be Mingjing's guardians. Mingjing will have a mom and dad in the future."

Luo Qingshu handed her a photo of Su Shiyang, and Mingjing took it carefully, studying it for a long time, trying hard to remember the person's features.

Mom and Dad.

"Really, are there kind humans willing to be Mingjing's mom and dad? Mingjing will have parents now!"

Even though she was a Taotie, her parents were not here, and she wouldn't see them for a hundred years. But the term "mom and dad" was a beautiful word. She had longed for it since she was little. If kind humans were willing to be her parents, she would probably be the happiest beast in the world!

Mingjing blushed a little, tugging at her small monk robe, her tongue almost tying itself in knots, "Will Mom and Dad like Mingjing?"

The little monk, who always believed that everything was fleeting, had bright light in her crescent-shaped eyes, and her smile revealed a set of pearly white teeth, clearly excited and happy.

"Yes." Luo Qingshu nodded. Starting this year, she would live like a true little princess, happily and joyfully. Those who had once let her down would eventually seek her forgiveness, and that day would not be too far away.

Notes:

• I intended to use male pronouns for our main character until the reveal a few chapters later, but I forgot they already revealed the gender here.