Chapter 24: If Heaven Won’t Take You, I Will
The atmosphere at home was far from good—in Lady Yin’s eyes, Nezha had stirred up trouble again, and she was distressed over whether she should inform her equally worrisome husband.
But the rain poured down heavily, making it impossible to reach Wild Horse Ridge in time to report to Li Jing, which consequently dispelled that thought.
She had Cui Yu accompany her, holding up an oil-paper umbrella as they walked toward the Buddha Hall.
In previous years, following the visit of a bald-headed practitioner from the Western Buddha Sect who preached here, a Buddha Hall was established in addition to the existing thirteen Divine Ghost Temples.
Lady Yin, kind-hearted as she was, favored the teachings of the Buddha Sect over other deities, therefore she often came here to worship and pray for blessings for Nezha.
However, just halfway there, a sudden gust of violent wind swept in the thunderstorm diagonally. Despite Cui Yu’s best efforts with the paper umbrella, not only were their clothes drenched, but even the incense and candles for offering to the Buddha completely soaked.
Seeing this, Lady Yin felt an ominous sense of foreboding. She opened her mouth to speak but uttered not a word; instead, she sighed and continued on toward the Buddha Hall, head lowered.
Cui Yu, perceptive and considerate, discerned Lady Yin’s troubled thoughts, offering comfort: "Madam, please don’t overthink. If the incense and candles are wet, I’ll fetch more from the storeroom. As for the third young master, he was born under unusual signs, with a golden bracelet on his arm and red silk around his waist, his spiritual intelligence just began to manifest recently, and a sage from the mountains has already taken him as a disciple. He is by no means ill-fated. A person with good fortune is naturally protected by heaven; nothing will happen to him."
"I hope so."
Comforted by Cui Yu’s reassurance, Lady Yin’s worries eased slightly. Meanwhile, Nezha, who had missed his lunch, went to the kitchen on his own to grab a basket of buns and two rice balls. He also cut four taels of pork from the cook’s private stash before returning to his room, intending to eat his fill then meditate in order to replenish his utterly depleted Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.