The gluttonous little boy is four and a half years old, and even the wealthy family kneels down and

With the matter settled, Kongji instructed his disciples to clean up the mess separately:

The brainwashed believers on the first floor were taken away one by one for education; Zhuang Huai-ren's body was placed in the coffin and buried according to the rules; all the talismans and array diagrams in the building were burned, and glutinous rice was sprinkled on the house to purify it and suppress the remaining yin energy.

Kong Zheng led his men to investigate floor by floor, dispersing the remnants of souls and fragments of spirits hidden in the corners. The black aura in the tenement building gradually dissipated, revealing the hazy light of day outside the windows.

"Let's go too!" Xiao Jin dusted off her hands, grabbed Yun Ziang's clothes, and started to walk downstairs.

"Young friend, please wait a moment." Kong Ji stepped forward and called out to her.

He pulled a small, dark brown notebook from his pocket. The cover had an inconspicuous gold emblem embossed on it. It looked ordinary, but it exuded a solemn and righteous aura.

He handed it to Xiao Jin and said gently, "Take a look at this first."

Xiao Jin took it and looked at it over and over again. The words on it were crooked and she didn't recognize a single one.

She held up the notebook, looked up, and asked, "What kind of notebook is this? The drawings are weird."

"This is proof of identity." Kong Ji bent over, his voice soft yet weighty. "With this certificate, we are officially working for the country, rightfully catching bad guys and settling evil deeds, and we'll have rules to follow wherever we go. You're young, but you're very capable. Would you like to join us?"

Yun Ziang, who was listening nearby, gasped in shock.

The legendary secret department that specializes in dealing with evil spirits and strange occurrences is actually real!

The Taoist priest Kongji standing before me is actually one of the people inside?

He glanced at Xiao Jin instinctively, feeling a little nervous.

If she agrees, then the young lady will become a "government employee" from now on.

Xiao Jin blinked, stuffed the notebook back into Kong Ji's hand, and shook her head.

"I don't need a notebook," she said crisply, patting the longevity jade on her chest. "Little Jin has her little jade pendant; she eats bad guys when she encounters them and helps good people when she meets them. Even without a notebook, she can catch tons of bad guys!"

She spoke earnestly, showing no sign that this was some kind of incredible opportunity.

In her heart, catching bad guys and accumulating good deeds were never about any kind of identity certificate.

Kong Ji was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter.

He had lived most of his life and seen countless people desperately trying to squeeze in, only to be rejected outright by a four-year-old girl, as clean as the mountain breeze.

"Good, good enough to catch bad guys even without a notebook." He smiled as he put the notebook away, then turned to look at Yun Ziang, his eyes filled with a warning, "Today's matter involves secrets, so please keep it a secret, Master Yun."

Yun Zi'ang nodded quickly: "Don't worry, Daoist Master, we don't know anything."

Kong Ji didn't linger. He instructed two disciples to drive Xiao Jin and Yun Zi'ang back to the Yun family villa, while he stayed behind to handle the aftermath.

When she got home, it was just getting light. Xiao Jin hugged the longevity jade around her neck and felt that the jade pendant was brighter than ever before. Warm heat rose up her neck and into her body, as if she were carrying a small sun.

She was so tired that she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, and slept very soundly.

In her dream, she returned to Lingfu Mountain.

The mountain breeze carried the scent of pine needles. Master sat on the old rocking chair at the entrance of the courtyard, his bamboo cane leaning against one side. When he saw her coming, he smiled and stroked his messy beard.

"Master!" Xiao Jin ran over excitedly and threw herself into her master's arms.

The master smiled, picked her up, and placed her on his lap. The rocking chair swayed back and forth, making a creaking sound.

"Are you doing well down the mountain? How are the Yun family treating you?"

"Great!" Xiao Jin counted on her fingers, chattering away, "There's Grandpa Zheng Bang, my nephews and nieces, and my grand-nephews and grand-nieces. I also made so many new friends! So many people. They bought meat and cakes for Xiao Jin."

"Xiao Jin also caught a lot of bad guys, ate a lot of black miasma, and accumulated a lot of merit!"

She gestured animatedly as she talked about the wooden sign at Yunding Square, mentioning Li Yifa, Yuan Wei, and the six-fingered old man in the tenement building. At the end, she sighed and said like a little adult, "He's so pitiful."

The master stopped laughing, gently stroking the top of her head with his rough hands, his voice slowing down, becoming as gentle as a mountain breeze:

"Xiao Jin, remember this: only by entering the world can you know the warmth and coldness of human relationships, distinguish between good and evil, and know the truth and falsehood."

"Practice on the mountain is about developing skills, practice at the foot of the mountain is about developing the heart. No matter how high your skills are, if you don't understand people's hearts, you won't go far."

Xiao Jin nestled in his arms, blinked as if she understood, and rubbed her face against his Taoist robe.

She didn't understand what "entering the world" or "human nature" meant. She only felt that her master's words were like mountain spring water, clear and bright, and she remembered them as soon as she heard them.

"Xiao Jin understands!"

She couldn't help but mutter about the interesting things that were happening in Beijing.

The master listened with a smile, occasionally tapping her little head gently with his bamboo cane and interjecting a comment to tease her.

Sunlight streamed into the courtyard, falling on the dried herbs, warm and cozy, just like every day before.

Xiao Jin said she was tired, nestled in her master's arms, and drifted off to sleep, smelling the familiar scent of herbs.

Suddenly, her master gently patted the top of her head, his voice softening: "Little Jin likes the foot of the mountain so much, why don't you stay there forever?"

Xiao Jin suddenly opened her eyes.

She looked up into her master's eyes and suddenly panicked.

"No!" She sat up abruptly, her small hands clutching her master's robe tightly, her eyes instantly reddening. "Xiao Jin is supposed to come back and be with Master after three hundred days! Doesn't Master want Xiao Jin anymore?"

Why keep her at the foot of the mountain?!

"Silly child." The master sighed, pulling her back into his arms. His voice was as soft as a mountain breeze. "The day will come when your master will leave. As long as you are happy down the mountain, catching bad guys and accumulating merit on your own, your master will be at ease."

"Don't go! I don't want Master to leave!"

Xiao Jin suddenly struggled, crying and shouting, waving her arms and legs wildly.

The next moment, she suddenly sat up in bed.

The sky outside the window was bright and clear, the pillow was soaked with sweat, and tears were still on my face.

In my dream, my master's voice still seemed to be in my ears, cool and refreshing.

"Master..." she sobbed, jumped down barefoot, and stumbled out of the room.

In the living room, Yun Zhengbang and the others were preparing to eat breakfast when they heard the noise and looked over.

Xiao Jin stood at the top of the stairs, her hair disheveled, her face covered in tears, her shoulders shaking as she cried.

"Xiao Jin is going to find Master!" she choked out. "Master is leaving... Xiao Jin is going back to find Master!"

Everyone was stunned.

Yun Zi'ang was the first to react, quickly walking over and squatting down to wipe her tears: "What's wrong, little miss? Did you have a nightmare?"

"It wasn't a nightmare!" Xiao Jin shook her head, tears streaming down her face even more. "Master said he's leaving... Xiao Jin has to go back to Lingfu Mountain! Right now!"

Yun Zhengbang's grip on his cane tightened slightly.

He recalled the letter his elder brother had sent through a messenger two weeks ago.

The letter didn't say anything else, only that Xiao Jin was destined to be with the Yun family and asked him to take good care of her; it also said that he was getting old and his time was coming to an end, so he would entrust Xiao Jin to the Yun family in the future.

Seeing Xiao Jin crying like this, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"Dad, how about... we take her back to see her?" Yun Zi'ang turned to Yun Zhengbang, his tone pleading. "My little aunt is in such a hurry, maybe something really has happened. Besides, we should go up the mountain to thank Grandpa. Thanks to him, Xiao Jin was able to come and help us."

Yun Mingyuan nodded in agreement: "Zi'ang is right. Our elder brother has helped our Yun family so much, and it's only right that we go up the mountain to express our gratitude. It's also a good opportunity to let Xiao Jin go back and stay for a few days to ease her homesickness."

Yun Mingyue sat to the side, gently patting Xiao Jin's back, and looked at Yun Zhengbang: "Dad, go ahead."

Yun Mingyi sat in his wheelchair, his expression calm: "If there's anything needed on the mountain, we can lend a hand."

Looking at Xiao Jin, who was sobbing and hiccuping, and recalling the words in the letter, Yun Zhengbang felt a pang of sadness and slowly nodded: "Okay. Pack your things, let's leave now."

The group set off immediately, driving for a day and a night, and finally arrived at the foot of Lingfu Mountain the next afternoon.

Xiao Jin woke up early and directed Yun Ziang to carry a big bag full of food—osmanthus cake, candied dates, pine nut candy, and Master's favorite braised pork knuckle.

"Master will be happy!" She clenched her little fists and walked quickly up the mountain.

But she had only taken a few steps when she froze.

A small piece of white cloth hangs on a pine branch by the roadside, fluttering in the wind.

Further up, there were more and more white cloths, hanging in strings on the branches and bamboo fences along the roadside, their whiteness dazzling.

Yun Zhengbang's face turned pale instantly.

The veins on his hand gripping his cane bulged, and he quickened his pace, almost staggering, as he walked up the mountain.

He knows.

He should have known.

That letter from my elder brother wasn't a message of entrustment; it was a farewell.

The wind whipped the white cloth covering the mountainside, making it flutter loudly, and the sound of the pine trees seemed to hide a sigh.

Xiao Jin panicked for no reason. She didn't even notice that the osmanthus cake in her hand had fallen to the ground. Clutching the longevity jade, she took her short legs and ran desperately up the mountain.

"Master!"

Her voice, choked with sobs, echoed through the mountains.