Fifth Madam's face lit up with delight when she saw her younger daughter admiring the flowers not far away.
"Rong Rong."
The Eminent Monk still left through the back gate.
After all, he wasn't an official guest.
Sixth Miss had become a taboo in the household, too.
To avoid any complications, the Eminent Monk naturally left the same way he had come.
"Master."
The Eminent Monk ran into the man guarding the gate again.
"Are you leaving?"
"Yes."
The Eminent Monk nodded.
"Amitabha."
"Thank you for your help this time, benefactor."
"Not at all."
The man waved a hand. "I only passed along a message."
Whether or not to meet him had been Fifth Madam's decision.
And since Fifth Madam had later changed her mind and agreed to see the master, it had to be because of the master himself.
What did that have to do with him?
The Eminent Monk smiled.
"Without you, how would Fifth Madam have known that I wished to see her?"
The man paused.
That... was true, too.
He grinned.
"So, Master, did you accomplish what you set out to do by meeting Fifth Madam?"
The Eminent Monk paused.
His reason for meeting Fifth Madam...
The Eminent Monk smiled faintly.
"Yes."
He had gotten his answer.
Though it was a rather disappointing one,
it was an answer all the same.
The man smiled.
"That's good, then."
"Amitabha."
The Eminent Monk stepped through the back gate,
leaving the large residence behind.
The Eminent Monk walked down the street,
his eyes lowered.
He was thinking.
Where did the benefactor who had given him sesame cakes last time live?
As it turned out, he had no idea.
From beginning to end, that benefactor had always been the