Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

The east is about to dawn.

Xie Xiaoyi, carrying Lin Sanniang, lightly landed in the ravine where the caravan was encamped, his toes barely touching the last old tree.

The campfire was reduced to a tiny ember, and the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) guarded the wounded, each sighing with worry.

Zhao Hang and Liu Heng leaned against the tree trunk, their faces ashen, still arguing in hushed tones about the humiliation of yesterday's robbery.

"Third Sister...I'm afraid she's in grave danger." Liu Heng coughed twice, his voice full of dejection.

"Although Xie Mo's lightness skill is strong, he hasn't returned by now, I'm afraid..." Zhao Hang slammed his fist on the ground:

"It's all our fault for being useless. We never expected a bandit leader to have a second-grade cultivation level. Sigh..."

Just then, among the master and apprentice resting beside the caravan, the young monk Hu Si spoke first: "Don't worry, benefactor, the female benefactor and the male benefactor have returned."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a clear voice rang out: "Who said I'm in grave danger?"

Everyone looked up abruptly and saw Xie Xiaoyi and Lin Sanniang walking slowly towards them.

The morning light fell on the two of them, carrying a touch of tenderness.

Lin San Niang's hair was disheveled, and her bodyguard's outfit was tattered; she looked utterly wretched after the robbery.

"Third...Third Sister!" "Chief镖林 (Lin the镖头, a镖师, is back!)!"

The bodyguards scrambled to their feet with gasps of surprise, their faces filled with unbelievable elation.

Ignoring their own injuries, Zhao Hang and Liu Heng staggered over and almost burst into tears when they saw that Lin San Niang was safe and sound.

"I'm so glad you're alright! I'm so glad you're alright!" Zhao Hang said excitedly, repeating the words over and over.

Liu Heng nodded in agreement, his eyes filled with gratitude as he looked at Xie Xiaoyi.

"Brother Xie, I was ungrateful before. Thank you for saving Third Sister!"

"I won't thank you enough. If you ever need my help again, Liu Heng, I'll go through fire and water for you without hesitation!"

Xie Xiaoyi smiled slightly.

These two are truly devoted lovers, and they genuinely care for Lin San Niang.

If these two knew that Lin San Niang had transformed into a "heroic knight" last night, would they try to stab me with a knife?

The surrounding bodyguards echoed their sentiments, offering their thanks in a cacophony of words.

Lin San Niang straightened her clothes and glanced at the devastation of the camp. She saw several familiar faces lying on the ground covered with coarse cloth, their eyes slightly red.

"Brothers, Han Tianlei has been killed, and the bandit leader of Wenshan Village is gone. From now on, we can travel more safely!"

"Drought Thunder is dead?!" everyone exclaimed.

Lin San Niang nodded: "Dead!"

Liu Heng's eyes widened: "How could a second-rank expert like him die?"

Lin San Niang glanced at Xie Xiaoyi, then turned to the crowd:

"He was struck on an acupoint by this young hero Xie, who then chopped off his head with a single sword stroke."

She only talks about the consequences, but never mentions the causes.

She couldn't very well say that she had been drugged with aphrodisiacs and forced Xie Mo... Where would she put her face then?

The bodyguards cheered, and amidst the cheers, a childish voice squeezed in: "Benefactor! You're back!"

Xie Xiaoyi looked in the direction of the voice and saw Hu Si greeting him with his palms together, his eyes gentle.

If I hadn't witnessed this little monk smash the head of the third leader of Wenshan Village with a single punch yesterday, I would have been truly intimidated by his harmless appearance.

Xie Xiaoyi stepped forward with a smile, and the old monk and Hu Si bowed, saying, "I am Xie Mo. May I ask your Dharma names, masters?"

The old monk nodded in return, his voice calm: "This humble monk is slightly annoyed. This is my disciple, Hu Si."

Xie Xiaoyi was suddenly startled—

In his dual memory, Dajue Temple was the head of the Buddhist sect, ranking alongside Kunlun Tianjian Sect and Zhenwu Dao Sect as one of the "Three Superior Sects".

The three eminent monks in the temple, Wuchen, Weichen, and Yichen, each possess unfathomable cultivation and can be considered top figures in the martial arts world.

He quickly bowed and greeted the master: "So you are Master Yichen of Dajue Temple. This junior greets you."

He clasped his hands in reciprocation, feigning anger:

"Thank you for your quick thinking and courage in saving Benefactor Lin. This is truly a meritorious deed. Meeting in the mountains is fate, young hero, there's no need for such formalities."

Tiger Rhino stepped forward to return the greeting: "Thank you so much for the water chestnut cake yesterday, oh my..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was given a playful slap on the head.

Tiger Rhino covered his forehead, looking puzzled. "Master, why did you give me another stern warning?"

Yi Chen gently tapped his brow with her finger and said softly:

"The physical body is perishable, and the desires of the mouth and stomach are nothing but shackles on the skin. If the mind is bound to delicacies, the mind will find it difficult to see enlightenment."

Tiger Rhino retorted, "But Master, didn't you say yesterday that Buddhist teachings reside in the heart, not on the lips?"

Yi Chen, fiddling with her prayer beads, didn't even lift her eyelids:

"When circumstances change, one should act accordingly. In the past, when you were starving and begged for vegetarian food, it was out of a desire to survive."

Today you feast to your heart's content, craving meat and fish all day long; this is the root of greed. Times change, and the world changes—this is the natural order.

Tiger Si nodded and stopped arguing.

No matter what I say, Master is always right; if I say anything more, I might get beaten up again.

However, he quickly spotted a flaw: "Master, isn't 'Times change and the world evolves, so things naturally follow' a Taoist proverb?"

Yi Chen paused upon hearing this, then shook her head and said:

"The principles of the world may differ, but they all lead to the same goal. As the saying goes, there are no two laws, and no two principles."

Different interpretations are merely convenient methods; their essence is the same. The principles of Buddhism and Taoism are fundamentally interconnected.

Xie Xiaoyi secretly pursed his lips. This master is really good at talking; his disciple is in for a rough time.

Suddenly, he recalled the conversation between Hu Si and Zhao Gui yesterday, and a thought struck him. He asked:

"I heard from the young monk that you two are seeking donations to repair the temple?"

Tiger immediately answered:

"Master said that we need to build a spacious scripture library, and also add bookshelves and moisture-proof medicinal herbs. It will cost at least eight hundred taels of silver!"

We've been begging for alms for three months and have saved up several dozen taels..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Xiaoyi pulled a stack of silver notes from his bag, counted out ten hundred-tael notes, and stuffed them directly into Hu Si's hand.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, nothing much, consider it a way to do good deeds for myself."

Tiger-horse suddenly loosened its grip on the silver note and waved its hands repeatedly:

"No, no! Master said that the desire for food is a shackle, but isn't ill-gotten gains also a shackle? This disciple must not succumb to greed!"

Upon hearing this, Yi Chen reacted swiftly and gave him a sharp rap on the head.

Before Hu Si could even raise his hand to cover his forehead, he had already snatched the silver note, deftly stuffed it into the pocket of his monk's robe, and patted it vigorously, as if afraid it would fall out.

Then, with a stern face, he solemnly lectured:

"Foolish child! Greed for money is obsession, and abandoning good deeds is folly!"

This banknote is not just a banknote; it represents the benefactor's compassion, the very beams of the Buddhist library! If you refuse it, you are shutting someone out of the Buddhist order!

Tiger Rhino rubbed his forehead and blinked, muttering as if he understood but not quite, "Master is right, I've learned something new again."