I just practiced a little

Hui Ming accepted it, his eyes reddening. "Benefactor... this is far too precious..."

"You lost an arm ridding the people of a menace. You deserve it," Chen Hao said. "Besides, it's no use to me."

Hui Ming gave him a long look and stopped refusing. He immediately sat cross-legged and swallowed the inner core.

Moments later, color visibly returned to his face. The wound on his severed arm healed completely, and he looked much more vigorous.

He opened his eyes and bowed to Chen Hao again. "Thank you for your generosity, benefactor."

Chen Hao waved a hand. "No need for formalities. What do you plan to do next, Master?"

"I'll return to the monastery to report, then spend some time recuperating in seclusion," Hui Ming said. "If you ever visit our Esoteric Buddhist community, I will personally welcome you."

"I will." Chen Hao nodded.

Everyone returned to the car. Chen Hao was about to start the engine when Yang Wanqing suddenly slapped her thigh. "Oh! That monk! Master Hui Ming! Are we just leaving him behind?"

Chen Siyao realized it too. "Right, Hao! The master was badly hurt. Even if the bleeding's stopped, how will he get back all alone in the mountains?"

Chen Hao glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "He's already waiting."

"Huh?"

Everyone turned around and looked through the rear window. Sure enough, Hui Ming stood on the lakeshore, his red robes fluttering gently in the wind. Though he had lost an arm, he still stood straight and tall, gazing toward them from afar.

"Why... why isn't he coming over?" Li Li asked quietly.

Chen Hao said evenly, "Monks don't like troubling others."

Something stirred in Cai Jingwen's heart. He didn't want to trouble them, so he stood there seeing them off, intending to find his own way back once they left. That ingrained pride and clear understanding earned the old, one-armed monk a little more of her respect.

"Hao, let's take him back!" Chen Siyao said immediately. "He's hurt so badly. What if he runs into another wild animal on the way?"

Yang Wanqing nodded too. "Exactly! If we're going to help him, we should see it through!"

Li Li opened her mouth to say something, but after glancing at Chen Hao, she swallowed her words.

Without another word, Chen Hao turned the car around and drove toward the lake.

The car stopped beside Hui Ming. Chen Hao rolled down the window. "Master, get in."

Hui Ming froze, then raised his remaining hand in a gesture of prayer. "I appreciate your kindness, benefactor. But I smell strongly of blood, and I fear I might soil your car..."

"Enough talk," Chen Hao interrupted. "Get in."

Hui Ming paused. Looking at Chen Hao's calm face, he suddenly smiled.

"Then I'm sorry for the trouble."

Chen Siyao got out of the front passenger seat. "Master, you can sit up front."

Seeing that everyone besides Chen Hao was a woman, Hui Ming bowed in thanks. "Thank you, young benefactor."

The car set off again.

"Master, where's your monastery?" Chen Siyao asked, looking toward the front.

"At the foot of the Kunlun Mountains, in a place called Zhaxi Qulin," Hui Ming said. "It's about three shichen from here by car."

"Three shichen?" Yang Wanqing did the conversion. "Six hours?"

"More or less." Hui Ming nodded. "If that's inconvenient, I can get out in the next town and make my own way back."

"It's no trouble!" Chen Siyao jumped in. "We're on a road trip anyway. It doesn't matter where we go!"

Hui Ming looked at her warmly. "You have a kind heart, young benefactor. Good fortune will surely come your way."

Chen Siyao chuckled, her cheeks flushing slightly.

In the livestream chat:

[I am Ying Zheng: This little sister is pretty and kind. Love her!]

[Yaoyao's little red riding hood: Siyao is so cute!]

[East gate snowblower: Nobody in Chen Hao's family is ordinary.]

[No more meetings: That monk has real presence. He doesn't look like an ordinary monk.]

[Luocheng eight extremes fist: He's the former Khenpo of Esoteric Buddhism. Of course he's not ordinary.]

[I am Ying Zheng: Celestial Master Chen is so cool! I've decided—I'm becoming his disciple!]

[I am a bad student: Does big brother take disciples? I want to learn too!]

[East gate snowblower: Become his disciple? Get in line.]

[I am Ying Zheng: @East gate snowblower, what do you mean? I said it first!]

[East gate snowblower: I was in the stream first!]

[I am Ying Zheng: I've donated more than you!]

[East gate snowblower: I'm donating right now!]

Then gifts began flooding the livestream:

[I am Ying Zheng] sent Yacht ×10! Message: Celestial Master Chen, please take me as your disciple!

[East gate snowblower] sent Yacht ×15! Message: Master, please accept your disciple's bow!

[I am Ying Zheng] sent Yacht ×20! Message: I'm from the Jingcheng Ying Family. We're fabulously wealthy, and I definitely won't disgrace my master!

[East gate snowblower] sent Yacht ×25! Message: I'm from the Chancheng Ye Family, a martial arts family. I already have a foundation!

[I am Ying Zheng] sent Yacht ×30! Message: I have money!

[East gate snowblower] sent Yacht ×35! Message: I have talent!

Staring at the screen full of gifts, Yang Wanqing's jaw dropped. "Oh my god... Hao, you're famous! Seriously famous!"

Chen Hao merely glanced at it, showing no reaction.

Walking beside him, Cai Jingwen asked softly, "Chen Hao, don't you like being famous?"

"It doesn't matter," Chen Hao said. "Famous or not, I'm still me."

Cai Jingwen smiled.

That answer made her like him even more.

Back in the car, the group continued their journey.

Li Li was noticeably happier and even started playing with Wolf Cub. Wolf Cub seemed fond of her too, lying on her lap and letting her stroke them.

"Wolf Cub seems especially fond of me," Li Li said, a little delighted.

"Animals have keen instincts," Chen Siyao said. "Wolf Cub knows you're hurting inside."

Li Li's eyes reddened again, but this time she was touched.

Watching her best friend gradually emerge from the gloom, Cai Jingwen felt relieved too. She looked toward Chen Hao in the driver's seat. Sunlight streamed through the window, bathing him in gold.

She sighed softly.

Meeting a man like him was already a stroke of luck. As for anything more, I'll leave it to fate.

The car traveled along the grassland highway. The scenery outside remained magnificent, but everyone's attention was drawn to the old, one-armed monk.

Holding up her phone, Chen Siyao asked cautiously, "Master, may I film you? The viewers are all very curious about you."

Hui Ming glanced at the camera and smiled faintly. "What is there to film about a crippled old monk?"

"You're the former Khenpo of Esoteric Buddhism!" Yang Wanqing cut in. "You must have so many stories!"

Hui Ming shook his head. "The past is fleeting as mist. There's no need to speak of it."

[Taoist Yifan: The master is so Zen!]

[The only one: Everything these eminent monks say is full of philosophy.]

[East gate snowblower: A former Khenpo—that makes him one of the leading figures in Esoteric Buddhism. No wonder he has such presence.]

Looking at Hui Ming, Cai Jingwen asked softly, "Master, your injury... is it really all right?"

Hui Ming looked down at his severed arm, his expression serene. "I've practiced Buddhism for over sixty years. Life and death have long ceased to trouble me. Trading one arm for more than a dozen lives was worth it."

After a pause, he looked at Chen Hao, his eyes full of gratitude. "Besides, Benefactor Chen not only saved my life with that sword strike, but also gave me an inner core, allowing my meridians to reconnect. I will never forget this kindness."

Chen Hao glanced at him in the rearview mirror and said casually, "It was no trouble."

Hui Ming smiled wryly. "That's the third time I've heard you say that today, Benefactor Chen. Slaying the Gu Diao King with one sword strike, walking on water as if it were solid ground, stopping bleeding through pressure points, and reconnecting meridians—and you call that no trouble?"

He paused, giving Chen Hao a searching look. "My own cultivation may be shallow, but even I know that anyone capable of such feats is far from ordinary. Benefactor Chen... what realm have you reached?"

The car suddenly fell silent.

Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing exchanged a glance, both listening intently. Cai Jingwen held her breath too, waiting for Chen Hao's answer.

Li Li held Wolf Cub with a blank expression—she didn't understand any of this.

Chen Hao was silent for a moment before saying evenly, "No particular realm. I just practiced a little."

Pfft—

Yang Wanqing almost burst out laughing.

In the livestream chat: