The Worthy Must Strive

The little pottery cup had already been fired with a layer of white glaze. In the morning light streaming through the window, it seemed to ripple with a sheen of white, with a hint of red haze hidden within, giving it a bewitchingly lovely appearance.

Painted on the white glaze was a design. At a glance, it showed a towering elephant-headed god preaching to all living beings.

Mr. Ye Hai exclaimed in wonder:

"An Elephant God Cup? What's it for?"

Mr. Ye Hai had met people from the Ganges before and knew they worshipped the Elephant God.

But this kind of cup—something like the "Sacred Cup" used in religious rites—was a first for him.

From his experience, Mr. Ye Hai reckoned the cup must be worth a fortune.

Lu Bolin spoke in a mysterious, reverent tone:

"Even if you put plain water in this cup, you can taste the spices!

"If you add tea leaves... or all kinds of spices, the flavor becomes even more incredible!

"The fragrance, Master—the unbelievable fragrance!

"You have to prepare it yourself and taste it with your own mouth to truly experience its mysteries..."

Lu Bolin felt a pang over the expense. He had spent a great deal on this cup.

The reason was that it had undergone an expensive "consecration" ceremony at a temple. The head priest had personally sprinkled it with holy water from the Ganges River, then baptized it with the blood of sixty-six virgins.

Not a word he'd said was exaggerated. The gifts he'd brought might have been many and varied, but even all the others put together weren't as valuable as this single cup.

Lu Bolin had decided to buy it for Mr. Ye Hai because English nobles loved this sort of thing.

English nobles got up to all kinds of wild antics along the banks of the Ganges. Throwing orgies was practically the most normal of their vices. Holding cult rituals while high was a little more horrifying, and there were plenty of even more depraved pastimes. They had given Lu Bolin quite a fright back then, and he couldn't even bear to remember it now.

From that time on, Lu Bolin had come to understand that so-called high society was probably made up of the most depraved people around.

So he had picked out one of the most expensive and normal-looking pastimes from high society as a gift for his master.

He had a vague, hazy sense that Mr. Ye Hai yearned for high society.

Master was bound to love this thing.

Mr. Ye Hai stroked his beard and smiled.

"That's quite a rarity."

He smiled on the surface, but inwardly he was already muttering to himself.

Bolin had been away too long. He'd forgotten that we worship our patriarch and Lord Guan.

This foreign god's trinket might be worth a fortune, but how could it be brought into a nunnery that enshrined our patriarch and Lord Guan?

Though Mr. Ye Hai thought this, he didn't say it.

He didn't want to damage his relationship with Lu Bolin now, or let a cup come between them.

Lu Bolin saw his master set the Elephant God Cup on the table and knew he had accepted it. At once, he felt relieved.

Mr. Ye Hai disliked the cup and thought it ill-omened. He rose, walked past Lu Bolin, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Once this matter is done, I might be promoted and transferred somewhere else."

"Then Golden Orchid Nunnery will be without a master."

"Of all your fellow disciples, you joined the earliest and have the closest relationship with me. You're the one I have the most faith in!

"I think you've got a drive and a ruthlessness the others don't!

"You're just like I was back then..."

Mr. Ye Hai didn't continue.

"Whatever happens,

"you must strive!"

Hearing this, Lu Bolin was so moved that he trembled with excitement, as if he'd been injected with chicken blood. He was practically buzzing.

If he could take over from Mr. Ye Hai and inherit his connections, he was sure he could accomplish even greater things!

Seeing how thrilled he was, Mr. Ye Hai felt very pleased and reassured him:

"You've done the gang a great service this time, though I haven't decided how to reward you yet.

"Puxi City has changed a lot these past two years. Spend some time resting in Puxi. Go see your parents first, then take a break.

"Once you've recovered, I'll have an important assignment for you."

Lu Bolin clasped his hands in an excited salute, wishing he could remove the word "master" from "Master."

Of course, he knew that wouldn't be proper.

He took his leave of Mr. Ye Hai and left the incense hall. As he headed toward the entrance by the spirit wall, he happened to run into Ye Miao, who had just returned to Golden Orchid Nunnery.

Ye Miao was wearing the standard uniform of a girls' school: a blue-and-white, high-collared, diagonal-buttoned short jacket that fell to her waist. Its loose, long sleeves fluttered gently in the breeze, and silver crescents were embroidered at the cuffs.

Her white stockings beneath her black pleated skirt were stained with dust and mud, but it was obvious the stains came from walking on the ground, not from fighting.

Her black leather shoes were also filthy with dust and dirty water, a pitiful sight.

Ye Miao's eyes were red, and she looked furious. It was clear she'd been bullied at school.

Seeing her like that, Lu Bolin's heart ached.

He had watched Ye Miao grow up.

Lu Bolin had witnessed her grow from a naive little girl into a graceful young woman.

For several years, he had helped her with her private-school lessons every day and brought her breakfast. Whenever she held out her hand, he gave her all his pocket money.

He considered himself Ye Miao's childhood sweetheart, and thought that was perfectly reasonable.

Yet for some reason, Ye Miao had never liked him much. She was always cool and indifferent toward him.

"Ashui..."

Lu Bolin called her by her nickname, but Ye Miao was furious and didn't even acknowledge him. She went straight into the tea hall.

"I'm not going to school anymore!"

Lu Bolin had been about to leave, but when he heard this from the tea hall, he hurriedly turned around and went back inside.

Ye Miao was standing opposite Mr. Ye Hai, whose face was livid.

"No!"

Lu Bolin had rarely seen his master this angry.

The last time he remembered his master being this furious was when his second junior, Duan Hu, had wanted to leave and set up on his own.

That time, too, his master's face had been livid as he whipped Duan Hu's back with a cane until it was a bloody mess. If the other disciples hadn't begged for mercy, Duan Hu might have been beaten to death on the spot.

Lu Bolin didn't want his master to get angry, and he didn't want Ye Miao to get beaten, either.

Fortunately, he had been through enough to know what to do.

"Please calm down, Master!"

Lu Bolin had spoken with Mr. Ye Hai on the phone and chatted about the nunnery's everyday affairs. He knew how Ye Miao was doing.

Lu Bolin spoke first:

"It's normal for Ashui to feel reluctant about school when she's just started.

"You know how it is at a mission school like St. Mary's Hall—there are so many rules, it's enough to scare anyone. It's perfectly normal for her to have trouble adjusting!

"Let me have a good talk with Ashui!"

Hearing this, Mr. Ye Hai felt a little better, and the livid look on his face finally eased.

Lu Bolin turned toward Ye Miao.

Ye Miao pursed her lips and turned away.

Normally, Lu Bolin should have felt a little awkward.

But that was how he and Ye Miao had interacted for years. He was used to it by now.

Lu Bolin spoke earnestly:

"Ashui, you really don't understand how much thought Master has put into this."