You Should Encourage It

The small ceramic cup had been fired with a layer of white glaze; under the morning light filtering through the window, it seemed to ripple with a layer of white luster, within which a hint of red mist was hidden, making it bewitchingly beautiful.

On the white glaze was a painted pattern; at a glance, it depicted a towering, elephant-headed deity preaching to all living beings.

Ye Hai asked with curiosity:

"An Elephant God Cup? What is the use of this thing?"

It was not that Ye Hai had never encountered people from the Ganges region, nor was he unaware of their worship of the Elephant God.

But this kind of cup—something akin to a "holy grail" in religious rituals—was truly the first he had ever seen.

Based on his own experience, Ye Hai judged that this cup must be worth a fortune.

Lu Bolin said with a mystical air:

"In this cup, even if you add plain water, you can taste the scent of spices!

If you add tea leaves... or various other spices, the flavor is even more incredible!

The fragrance, Master, an unbelievable fragrance!

Only by operating it yourself and tasting it yourself can you be immersed in it and experience the mystery within..."

Lu Bolin felt a pang of heartache, as he had spent a significant amount of money on this cup.

The reason was that this cup had undergone an expensive "consecration" ceremony at the temple, where the high priest personally poured holy water from the Ganges over it and bathed it in the blood of sixty-six virgins.

He wasn't exaggerating in the slightest; although he had brought many gifts, even if all the others were combined, they would not be as valuable as this single cup.

The reason Lu Bolin wanted to buy this for Ye Hai was that the British nobility loved such things.

The British nobility played very wildly on both banks of the Ganges; hosting orgies was considered the most normal of their hobbies. After getting themselves intoxicated, they would hold cult rituals that were even more terrifying, and there were plenty of even more perverted ways to play. It had frightened Lu Bolin so much at the time that he didn't even want to recall it now.

From that moment on, Lu Bolin roughly understood that the so-called upper class was likely composed of such a group of the most degenerate people.

Thus, Lu Bolin chose one of the most expensive and seemingly "normal" ways to play from the upper class as a gift for his master.

He could vaguely and dimly sense Ye Hai's yearning for the upper class.

His master, he figured, would likely love this thing to death.

Ye Hai stroked his beard and smiled:

"A rare item indeed."

Ye Hai smiled on the surface, but in his heart, he was already grumbling.

Bolin, this child, has been away for too long and has forgotten that we believe in our founding masters and Lord Guan.

This object of a foreign god, though worth a fortune, how could it be brought into a nunnery that enshrines our founding masters and Lord Guan?

Although Ye Hai thought this, he did not say it.

He did not want to ruin his relationship with Lu Bolin at this moment, nor did he want to create a rift between them over a cup.

Lu Bolin saw his master place the Elephant God Cup on the table and, confirming that his master had accepted it, immediately felt relieved.

Ye Hai, finding the cup distasteful and feeling it brought bad luck, stood up, passed by Lu Bolin, and patted him on the shoulder:

"Once this matter is accomplished, I may be promoted a rank and transferred elsewhere."

"By then, this Golden Orchid Nunnery will be without a master."

"Among you brothers and sisters, you entered the sect the earliest and have the deepest bond with me; I have the highest hopes for you!

I feel that you possess a drive and a ruthlessness that the others lack!

You are so much like I was back then..."

Ye Hai did not continue.

"Regardless.

You must strive for it!"

Hearing this, Lu Bolin was so moved that his whole body trembled; it was as if he had been injected with adrenaline, and he became completely exhilarated.

If he could take over for Ye Hai and inherit his connections, he would surely be able to achieve even greater things!

Seeing his excited state, Ye Hai was very satisfied and comforted him:

"You have made a great contribution to the gang this time, and I haven't decided how to reward you yet.

Puxi City has changed a lot in the last two years; you should take a good rest in Puxi for a while, go back to see your parents first, and then clear your mind.

After you have recuperated, I have an important task to entrust to you."

Lu Bolin excitedly cupped his hands in a salute, wishing he could drop the "Master" title and just call him by his name.

He knew, of course, that this would not be proper etiquette.

He took his leave of Ye Hai, exited the incense hall, and was walking toward the shadow wall when he unexpectedly ran into Ye Miao, who had just returned to the Golden Orchid Nunnery.

Ye Miao was wearing the standard student uniform of a girls' school—a blue-and-white, high-collared, diagonal-buttoned short shirt on her upper body that reached her waist, with loose long sleeves that swayed gently in the wind, the cuffs embroidered with silver crescent moons.

The white stockings beneath her black pleated skirt were stained with quite a bit of dust and mud, but it was clear that this came from walking on the ground, rather than from fighting or brawling.

A pair of black leather shoes were also ravaged by dust and dirty water, looking truly wretched.

Ye Miao's eyes were red and she looked furious, clearly having been bullied at school.

Seeing her like this, Lu Bolin felt an immediate pang of heartache.

He had watched Ye Miao grow up.

Lu Bolin had witnessed her transformation from an ignorant little girl into a graceful young lady with his own eyes.

For several years, he had tutored her in her private school lessons every day and brought her breakfast every morning; whenever she reached out her hand to ask, he would give her every cent of his pocket money.

He considered himself Ye Miao's childhood sweetheart, and he believed such a thought was not the least bit excessive.

Yet for some reason, Ye Miao had never really liked him, remaining cold and indifferent toward him.

"Ashui..."

Lu Bolin called out her nickname, but Ye Miao was currently in the heat of anger and ignored him entirely, walking straight into the tea hall.

"I'm not going to school anymore!"

Lu Bolin, who had already been about to leave, heard these words coming from the tea hall and hurriedly turned back, rushing inside.

He saw Ye Miao standing opposite Master Ye Hai, whose face was livid:

"Absolutely not!"

Lu Bolin had rarely seen his master this angry.

In his memory, the last time his master had been this furious was when his second junior brother, Duan Hu, wanted to leave and set up his own household.

That time, his master had also been as livid as he was today, lashing Duan Hu's back to ribbons with a rattan cane; if not for the other disciples pleading on his behalf, Duan Hu might have been beaten to death on the spot.

Lu Bolin did not want his master to be angry, and he wanted Ye Miao to be beaten by his master even less.

Fortunately, having experienced much of the world, he knew exactly what to do now.

"Master, please calm your anger!"

Lu Bolin had spoken with Master Ye Hai over the phone before, chatting about daily life at the nunnery, and he knew Ye Miao's current situation.

Lu Bolin spoke up first:

"It is normal for Ashui to feel a distaste for school just after starting.

You know as well as I do that a missionary school like St. Mary's Hall has terrifyingly strict rules; it is perfectly normal for her not to be used to it yet!

Let me have a good talk with Ashui!"

Hearing this, Master Ye Hai felt a bit better, and his livid expression finally softened somewhat.

Lu Bolin turned toward Ye Miao.

Ye Miao pouted and turned her face away.

Under normal circumstances, Lu Bolin should have felt somewhat awkward.

But he and Ye Miao had been getting along this way for years, and he had long since grown accustomed to it.

Lu Bolin said earnestly and patiently:

"Ashui, you truly do not understand Master's good intentions."