Shopkeeper Yu took a sip of tea and continued, "My daughter Bihe and Li Jinfeng's younger sister Yinfeng encountered bandits from West Cui Mountain during an autumn outing and were abducted by those brutes. Fortunately, the coachman escaped with his life and brought us word. After we reported it to the government office and gathered our family members to rescue them, we thought we had arrived too late. Yet, unexpectedly, the two girls were rescued by two lay disciples from Great Forest Temple and escaped their cage before us. But those two lay disciples who saved their lives vanished without a trace."
At this point, Shopkeeper Yu secretly glanced at Zhang Xiaohua. Zhang Xiaohua, however, watched his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose, utterly unmoved.
Shopkeeper Yu continued, "Once our two families brought our daughters home safe and sound, we were naturally endlessly grateful to their saviors. It was only a pity that we had failed to recognize them and brushed past our benefactors, which left us parents deeply regretful. Thus, several days ago, our two families discussed going to the most famous Shaolin Temple outside the city to worship Buddha and burn incense, using this to thank the Buddhist disciples for their kindness toward us."
As he spoke, Shopkeeper Yu could not help glancing at Zhang Xiaohua again.
Zhang Xiaohu naturally noticed all this, but he did not expose it. He merely listened patiently.
Shopkeeper Yu went on, "Shaolin Temple is some distance from Lu Town. When our two families arrived there and found its gates tightly shut, we learned that Shaolin Temple seemed to have suffered a burglary. Things from the temple had been stolen, and it was closed for reorganization. We waited a day, yet still saw no gates opened to welcome incense