Chapter 22: The Eldest Brother Is a Peerless Hero

On a mist-shrouded mountain stood a resplendent golden Buddhist temple, where the Bodhisattva’s face radiated boundless compassion. This ancient sanctuary, existing for millennia, was a place where Buddha’s golden form guided souls, and where enlightenment reached the primordial beings.

Madam Jiang was a frequent visitor to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, generously offering incense each time she came. To welcome her, the abbot specially arranged for his chief disciple to escort the grandmother and her granddaughter into the meditation hall. There, they purified themselves before proceeding to the Great Hero Hall to pay homage to the Bodhisattva.

Madam Jiang knelt solemnly before the Buddha, her devotion resembling that of a pure soul untainted by wrongdoing. Beside her, Jiang Mo imitated her grandmother’s reverent gestures with equal sincerity, like a pristine lotus blossom. The Buddha seemed to sense their genuine sincerity, returning their homage with a gentle, compassionate smile that conveyed deep approval.

Softly, Jiang Mo recited the Heart Sutra, banishing all distractions from her mind. Suddenly, a vivid image crossed her thoughts—the doll cradled by the peddler. That doll’s cheerful expression, those delicate brows and eyes—it bore an uncanny resemblance to Jiang Yunyun’s younger sister.

She truly recognized her!

Now, the child was plump, rosy, and utterly adorable; that was why she had not noticed at first. Alarmed, Jiang Mo glanced at the Buddha’s statue, which still bore its serene smile, yet her palms were soaked with sweat, dampening the beads of her rosary. Her straight back nearly faltered, and she dared not meet the Buddha’s gaze directly. Fear gripped her heart.

Steeling herself, she continued to chant the Heart Sutra, kneeling before the Buddha to pray fervently for Jiang Yunyun’s sister’s safety. She hoped the Bodhisattva would not blame her, for she had not intentionally failed to save them—she simply had not remembered, truly, nothing more than forgetting. No matter how one looked at it, this was fate; there was nothing she could do. She was powerless to help them.

Once more, she looked upon the Buddha’s forgiving smile. See? Even the Buddha has pardoned me.

A gentle smile painted her face as she resumed the intricate sutra as if nothing had happened.

…

Jiang Haohao watched cautiously as little Jiang Xiaoguo bit and tore at the bamboo basket behind her, gnawing at the fabric. Along their journey, Xiaoguo had discarded the heavy clothes from the basket. Haohao wished their mother would discover their plight soon and come to rescue them.

“How are you holding up, old man? Can you still endure?” the peddler asked, his voice growing desperate. No one knew what substance had coated the beast’s claws, but the pain from his wounds had intensified unbearably.

“I’m managing,” the old man replied.

“Hang on a bit longer! The young lady has already been sold for quite a sum. If we sell these two girls, there’s hope your ailment might be cured!”

“I can’t take it anymore; we should stop and rest.”

He gazed at the wound on his hand, now seeping black blood, and his heart leapt with alarm.

“Where’s that pill you sold to the noble? Tell me where it is; I’ll get it for you to drink first!” the peddler urged.

He sighed hoarsely, voice rasping, “It’s a fake. It doesn’t work at all.”

Suddenly, the bamboo basket was opened again, revealing little Jiang Haohao’s small face. The woman accompanying them lost patience and, stepping down from the carriage, tried to strangle the child.

Haohao, terrified by the woman’s fierce expression, screamed loudly, her piercing cries echoing through the forest and startling birds and beasts into flight.

…

The youths lying in ambush grew restless; their impatience betrayed their anxiety. They knew the peddlers dealt in worthless goods and abandoned their hopes of capturing anything valuable. But then, amid the quiet, the sound of a child crying emerged from the peddler’s chest.

Hua Zi immediately recognized the voice—these were human traffickers!

Without hesitation, he grabbed his broadsword and charged forward; his own sister had been sold by traffickers.

“Boss, it’s human traffickers! I’m going down to save them!” he declared, cheeks flushed, avoiding the leader’s gaze but mustering courage to speak. Before the leader could respond, a youth dashed past him, rushing down the mountain.

With a leader taking the lead, the others followed with bold determination. The four bandit cultivators made no effort to stop them—it was inevitable they would suffer some hardship.

They all understood that these peddlers appeared weak but were ruthlessly desperate; a fight could go either way.

The woman, seeing the approaching youths from below, quickly positioned herself in front of the peddler, who swiftly drew a large knife hidden within the carriage.

Jiang Lin, crouching in the grass, was already overwhelmed by chaos upon hearing his sister’s cries. Disregarding consequences, he charged forward to save her.

Seeing his sister in the bamboo basket, tears streaming down her face, his heart ached. He opened another chest to find Jiang Yunyun and Yiyun inside.

Fury burned in Jiang Lin’s eyes as he glared at the peddler, who snarled back fiercely, as if the youths were robbers invading his territory, ready to execute them on the spot.

The peddler spat on the ground.

“I advise you all to return to your mothers quickly. You haven’t even finished nursing, yet you dare come out here to kill? Don’t be ridiculous!”

“All these years, I’ve never failed. I suggest you scram!”

…

Jiang Haohao no longer dared to cry; a fight was imminent, and she must not cause trouble. Yet she found it absurd—did her elder brother’s work really extend so broadly? Even to robbery?

“You scum! Human traffickers deserve death! We’ll have the magistrate arrest you!” a trembling youth shouted bravely.

The bandit cultivators on the mountain chuckled. Indeed, these were mere children with barely a hint of maturity—arrested by the magistrate? The magistrate was probably off indulging in pleasures!

“Trafficking in humans is punishable by hanging; anyone may kill them on sight!” Jiang Lin declared, brandishing his long sword, ready to strike the peddler down.

The youths, inexperienced in combat, were quickly overwhelmed by the peddler. But Jiang Lin avoided their attacks, slashing deeply into the peddler’s arm, then cutting repeatedly into other parts of his body—never delivering a fatal blow.

Though struck by the woman’s wooden staff, he held on, venting his fury with relentless blows.

The bandit cultivators watched Jiang Lin’s fierce determination with a shiver of fear.

At that moment, Jiang Haohao burst into loud, wailing cries that brought Jiang Lin back to his senses. He quickly lowered his weapon, performed a purification hand seal to cleanse himself, and then embraced his sister, soothing her.

“Good baby, don’t cry, don’t cry. Brother’s here for you!” he whispered.

Though frightened by her brother’s ferocity, Haohao’s tears were not solely from fear but relief at being rescued. Hearing his comforting voice, her sobs grew more heart-wrenching.

Jiang Lin glanced at the still unconscious Jiang Yunyun and demanded of the peddler, “Where is the antidote?”

The peddler, terrified by the fierce young man before him, stammered, “Just drink plenty of water!”

Nearby, Hua Zi hurriedly poured water from a bamboo tube into Jiang Yunyun’s mouth. When she opened her eyes, the chaotic scene startled her. She saw her tear-streaked sister and the bloodied peddler, as well as her formidable elder brother. Overcome, she began to sob bitterly.

“I won’t eat those candied fruits anymore!” she cried.