The weather had cleared completely, and warmth filled the Great Autumn Temple.
By the time the shack's door opened again, at least another quarter of an hour had passed. This time, Yi Shuyuan emerged with the woman who had helped earlier.
The moment they stepped outside, however, they felt countless eyes turn toward them. Yi Shuyuan brushed a slightly curling strand of hair beside his cheek. Under One Leaf Blinds the Eye, this could lessen the effect of his looks, provided no one examined him closely.
At the moment, though, it seemed to be of little use. Probably very few people weren't looking closely. Still, most of those outside were elderly men and women or children; the able-bodied had largely gone off to work.
The children's eyes held nothing but innocent curiosity, while their elders' gazes carried varying degrees of respect, along with some puzzlement.
The few men who met Yi Shuyuan's gaze mostly looked away in instinctive embarrassment.
Yi Shuyuan also spotted a broad, fat, pockmarked man with a slightly bulging belly. Surprisingly, he too averted his eyes with the others when Yi Shuyuan looked over.
So this toad had woken up now. Had the newborn's cries disturbed his sleep?
Whatever. I'll just pretend I don't know him!
Yi Shuyuan merely swept his gaze around after stepping out, then headed toward the back of the temple with the woman, carrying wooden basins and buckets. He had no intention of speaking to anyone, and no one seemed to dare approach him either.
As they walked, Yi Shuyuan continued explaining a few things to the woman.
"Boil the scissors and cloths to eliminate filth and harmful influences. The heart of delivering a baby lies in 'receiving' it. You may receive and support it, but never use too much force. Only once