"Have you forgotten what happened last night? Junior Brother Xuáncōng suddenly went mad and injured several people, including a few pilgrims. If he hurt these three as well, how would I explain it to our revered master?" Xuándé's face brimmed with righteousness, and he carried himself with the authority of an Eldest Brother. The other Daoists fell silent at the sight.
Xuándé turned to Jiang Cheng, performed a Daoist salute, then said in an unquestionable tone, "Three pilgrims, this is no place for you. Please leave at once."
Ye Qiutang still wanted to insist. Since they were already here, she took the silver needles from her sleeve and showed them to Xuándé. "Daoist Xuándé, I'm a physician. I can treat this Daoist's condition..."
"Xuányì, see our guests out!"
Xuándé gave Ye Qiutang no chance to explain, issuing his order with a stern expression. Daoist Xuányì had no choice but to lead the three away, their spirits dampened.
Jiang Cheng walked along, lost in thought. Then he gave the fat man a look, and the fat man caught on. The next second, he suddenly started complaining. "What's this supposed to mean? We came all this way to help treat someone, and they won't even appreciate it. And did you see Xuándé's sour old face? He looked like I owed him money! Is this how Qingfeng Temple treats its guests? Well, I've certainly learned something."
Listening to the fat man gripe, Xuányì, who was leading them, looked embarrassed and kept apologizing. "Please calm down, Fat Pilgrim. This is all my fault. Don't let Senior Brother Xuándé's stern manner fool you; he's actually a good person. Whenever we make a mistake and Master punishes us by making us copy sutras, Senior Brother Xuándé always speaks up for us."
As they walked and chatted,