"Boss, I want more... wuuu..."

Qingyun quickly covered his disciple's mouth as soon as he saw her about to ask for another serving of noodles.

When the boss's gaze swept over, Qingyun awkwardly smiled and said, "It's nothing... this child is just making noise."

"Oh, I thought she wanted more!" The boss looked at the stack of empty bowls on the table and chuckled, "You know, your little one has the best appetite of any child her age I've ever seen."

Hearing this, Qingyun's face grew even more bitter. Indeed, what proper child asks for more food ten or more times during one meal?

Once the boss walked away, Qingyun lowered his voice, looking sternly at his disciple, who he had just silenced. "Yao Yao, no more eating!"

"Why? Didn't Master say I could eat as much as I want? I'm still hungry!" Yao Yao blinked her big innocent eyes, patting her little stomach. "There's still plenty of room!"

Qingyun was momentarily at a loss for words, staring helplessly at the stack of bowls on the table.

One bowl, two bowls, three bowls... five bowls... nine bowls!

Nine whole bowls!

Thinking of the price per bowl, Qingyun felt his vision darken. At this rate, he'd go bankrupt.

When he said "eat freely," he meant it for normal people, not for a child who could devour nine bowls of noodles in one sitting!

At first, his junior brother had said she could eat a lot, and Qingyun thought it was an exaggeration. Now he realized how wrong he was.

No wonder his junior brother had inherited the temple and still lived such a frugal life—he was raising a bottomless pit of a child! If they saved money, that would really be a miracle.

Straightening his neck, Qingyun said, "Master doesn't have money left. If you eat more, I'll have to leave you here to pay the debt."

Though it was a bit embarrassing to admit, it was better than being caught later for not having enough money to pay the bill, only to be mistaken for someone trying to dine and dash.

He didn't want to end up being forced to wash dishes at the restaurant when he was older. That would be a loss of face, both inside and out.

"Then... then I won't eat anymore. Master, please don’t leave me behind."

Yao Yao quickly put down her chopsticks, looking genuinely full. She scratched her head in frustration, realizing she had forgotten her master's warning in her moment of greed.

Sure enough, greedy children get abandoned. She wouldn’t be greedy anymore. From now on, she’d only eat one-tenth—no, maybe two-tenths full!

At the same time, Yao Yao realized that when Master said "eat freely," it wasn’t really as free as it sounded.

The adult world was so complicated. She didn’t know what to believe anymore.

"Well, as long as you're full," Qingyun said, seeing that she listened well. His expression softened a bit.

However, seeing the little one still looking troubled, he thought for a moment and decided to salvage his image. "Next time, Master will bring you back to eat more."

"Okay, Master, you're so kind."

Yao Yao nodded obediently, though there was less enthusiasm in her eyes. Her own master often promised the same, but each time "next time" took forever.

"Master, where are we going now?"

Since there was no more food, continuing the walk felt pointless. Yao Yao covered her mouth sleepily.

Normally, this would be her nap time, but today they had been traveling, so she missed it. Now that she was full, sleepiness hit her, and she struggled to keep her eyes open as she asked.

Qingyun smiled when he saw this. "Let's go home first. After you sleep well, we can talk about other things."

Though his little disciple had nearly eaten him out of house and home, Qingyun, who was aging and lonely, found it strangely pleasant to have a child with him.

Plus, if his disciple had real talent, didn’t that mean he wouldn't have to scam others anymore?

Not only could they make money, but they wouldn’t have to worry about people coming to cause trouble! Thinking this, the little bit of pain he felt over losing money disappeared.

As for the fact that he, an elder, was far less skilled than the little child—he ignored that entirely. Don’t ask. The answer was simply that the heavens hadn’t given him the chance to eat.

And when Yao Yao heard "sleep," she immediately cheered up.

...

Qingyun’s home wasn’t far from the bridge.

It was only about a ten-minute walk—small and narrow, more like a coffin-sized room. It had just a bed and a desk.

The bedclothes were grayish, not because they were dirty, but because of the color.

Qingyun wasn't a picky person in many ways, but he liked things to be clean. The desk had neatly arranged yellow papers, cinnabar, and a brush holder.

"Give your little bag to Master. You must be exhausted from carrying it. Put it down and rest."

Qingyun noticed the little one’s bulging bag, obviously packed full of things. He had asked her earlier if she needed help, but she insisted it wasn’t heavy. He didn’t press her further. But now that they were inside, he thought she shouldn’t carry it any longer.

Yao Yao smiled and handed over the bag.

Seeing her hold it so lightly, Qingyun didn’t think it would be heavy, so he grabbed it with one hand.

But the force nearly sent him to the ground.

"Yao Yao, how much stuff did you pack in here? It's so heavy!"

Qingyun used both hands with all his strength, barely managing to hold it. His face turned red, and he grunted as he slowly shuffled it to the corner.

There was a loud thud as the bag hit the floor. He took a moment to straighten up, his face full of disbelief.

If his little disciple carried this bag every day, would it stunt her growth?

When the temple holds its big meetings in the future, and they see their fiery-temple leader is just 1.3 meters tall, they’d be the laughingstock!

Qingyun suddenly had an idea—he couldn’t let his little disciple carry this thing anymore.

When asked what was in the bag, Yao Yao instinctively said, "Nothing much! Just some little things."

Qingyun raised an eyebrow. What "little things" could be so heavy?

Seeing her avoid his gaze, he suspected the little one didn’t even remember what she had stuffed in there. But it didn’t matter. There would be plenty of chances to find out later.

"If you’re sleepy, just sleep. Master has some business to attend to, so I’ll take a walk."

Qingyun, older and no longer accustomed to midday naps, was glad to let the child rest. The bed was small, and he wanted Yao Yao to sleep comfortably.

Yao Yao nodded obediently, already struggling to keep her eyes open. After hearing Master’s words, she quickly undressed, scrambled onto the bed, and curled up.

She tossed and turned, realizing that Master’s bed was much softer than the one at the temple. The pillow and blanket had a faint scent of soapwort.

It was a smell she liked—her own master also used soapwort to wash things, and their temple had several soapwort trees in the back garden!

The familiar scent, the soft bed, and soon, Yao Yao fell into a light snore.

Qingyun smiled, watching her fall asleep. He carefully adjusted the blanket around her, then quietly slipped out the door.

Meanwhile, far away in the capital city, the prestigious Gu family was in chaos.

[----------------°-------------]

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