The Yellowwind Brute rapidly dropped altitude and landed in a patch of forest, glancing around in panic. Then, crouching low, he sprinted off and quickly reached the designated spot.
Yet, not a single underling was there.
"Damn it, they really all ran off. If I catch any of you, don’t even dream of surviving!"
He spat bitterly, breathing heavily as he scanned the area, finally spotting the pigeon-egg-sized bead in a corner.
Picking up the bead, he hesitated for a moment, wiped the sweat from his brow, and nervously infused it with spiritual power.
......
In that instant, Monkey, who was inside the manor, suddenly froze and looked up.
"Great Sage, what’s wrong?" Louis Quickpaw asked hurriedly.
Monkey’s eyes narrowed to slits. "There’s a strange fluctuation of spiritual power, but it’s not very strong. It’s about two li away from here."
"Two li?" Louis Quickpaw exchanged a glance with Barry Bear. "Could it be that the Buddhists have sent someone again?"
"It’s a bit different from Buddhist techniques, and it’s not like Heaven’s either," Monkey shook his head. "At this distance, it could be a ruse to lure us away. Best not to act rashly."
As he spoke, Monkey quietly locked his attention onto Tripitaka, who had already left the room to offer his congratulations.
......
The Yellowwind Brute anxiously glanced toward the manor, gently placed the faintly glowing bead on the ground, and covered it with a few blades of grass.
Swallowing hard, he sprinted off toward the next destination.
Behind him, two butterflies continued to follow closely.
......
At this moment, Tripitaka was already dressed in his kasaya and wore the Ten-Thousand-Buddha Crown, entering the hall in full formal attire.
Everyone who saw him was momentarily stunned; the previously noisy hall instantly fell silent.
Marshal Silver clenched his fists, visibly uneasy.
"Why is there a monk here? There’s no Buddhist temple nearby."
"I heard he arrived last night. They say he’s known Gavin for a long time."
Under everyone’s gaze, Tripitaka walked step by step through the crowd to stand before Gavin, pressed his palms together, and silently bowed to Old Master Gale. Then he turned and bowed to Gavin, saying, "This humble monk wishes you and your lady lifelong harmony and happiness."
As he spoke, he took a small sandalwood box from his sleeve, slowly opened it, and handed it to Gavin. "A monk owns little, but I happened upon this string of prayer beads. Please accept it as a wedding gift and do not disdain it."
Everyone craned their necks to see the beads in the box, but Gavin’s gaze remained fixed on Tripitaka’s face, visibly uneasy.
Inside the box was a string of clear jade prayer beads. Though ordinary in origin, they were nonetheless precious—especially in this remote countryside, where such a treasure was rarely seen even in a hundred years.
"This master is truly generous."
"Yes, I heard he’s an old friend of Gavin’s. He must be a distinguished monk."
"What about the others? Why haven’t they come out?"
For a moment, the whole hall was abuzz with discussion.
Old Master Gale squinted for a long moment before coming to his senses. "Master, you’re too generous. Such a valuable gift—I really can’t accept it."
Tripitaka lowered his eyes, bowed slightly, and said softly, "For a monk, there’s no such thing as valuable or not. In the end, it’s all about ‘affinity.’ Since I’ve come to Gao Village and happened to witness Gavin’s wedding, doesn’t that mean these beads have affinity with the groom? I’m merely passing on a kindness, offering flowers to the Buddha. If I refused to give them, that would make me stingy and harm my own cultivation."
"Harm... cultivation?" Old Master Gale hesitated, then accepted the prayer beads. "Since you put it that way, I won’t refuse any longer."
Turning, Old Master Gale signaled to Carter Gale at his side to put the beads away.
Only then did Gavin steady himself, glancing at Tripitaka again, pressing his palms together and bowing. "Thank you, Master."
"It’s only right," Tripitaka replied, pressing his palms together in return.
"Come, Master, please take the seat of honor!" Old Master Gale waved his hand, and the relative seated beside him immediately understood and gave up the seat.
At that moment, everyone looked at Tripitaka with new eyes, murmuring in admiration.
......
In the guestroom, the four who had been listening in all exchanged glances.