"Why is that here?!" Shen Xiatang thought in rage.
"I will muddy their luck so bad that they will wonder what kind of bad karma they must have accumulated to meet a calamity like me!" Shen Xiatang recalled her words in rage.
"Yes!" Shen Xiatang thought in a moment of clarity.
"This must be her descendant!" Shen Xiatang thought as she rushed to grab her, only to phase right through her.
"Why can't I touch her?" Shen Xiatang screamed in frustration, knowing full well that nobody could hear her.
"What to do?" Shen Xiatang thought as she floated besides Ye Shin Ah's head.
"I don't care!" Shen Xiatang said before continuously trying and failing to slap her to no avail.
"How could you do this to me?" a voice said and Shen Xiatang snapped her head towards it.
"I treated you like a sister!" Ye Shin Ye said in rage.
"Showed you how to carry yourself and taught you things you wouldn't have learned in the countryside but now that you are in good graces with grandmother, you dare frame me?" Ye Shin Ye asked in anger.
"Am I a doormat, am I easy to step on?" Ye Shin Ye asked in rage.
"Mark this day, Ye Shin Ah." Ye Shin Ye said coldly and Shen Xiatang smiled in glee.
"Yes." Shen Xiatang thought with a smile.
"I may not be able to touch you but someone else can." Shen Xiatang said with a grin before materializing in the carriage next to Ye Shin Ye.
After a long and tumultuous journey, the carriage arrived at the monastery and the Head monk of the monastery, an old man, along with some staff of the monastery came out to welcome them.
Stepping out of the carriage with no complaint, Ye Shin Ye put on a pleasant smile and tried her best to curry favour from the Head monk.
"Ye Shin Ye greets the Great Abbott Master. May the master be in peace and good health." Ye Shin Ye said with a bow and Shen Xiatang nodded in approval.
"This poor monk greets the Virtuous Lady." the head monk said with a smile.
"May your household be blessed with harmony, and may wisdom illuminate your heart." the head monk said with a smile as he silently applauded her manners.
"The old madam of the Ye family sends her greetings and hopes you can take in the first daughter of the Ye family in the meantime." The male servants said with a bow and a woman in the crowd who was in charge of the staff in the monastery tried her best to hide an evil smirk.
"Of course, of course." the Head monk said with a smile.
"The Ye family donates to this monastery every year, this is the least we can do for them." the head monk said before ushering Ye Shin Ye into the monastery with a smile.
As Ye Shin Ye and the head monk walked along with some staff, the old monk said "This poor monk welcomes the Honored Young Lady to our humble monastery."
"The mountain paths are steep, I trust that the journey did not wear you down?" The head monk asked in worry.
"The Master is gracious." Ye Shin Ye said with a smile as she walked with her hands folded before her.
"The road was long, yet the serenity of this sacred place eases all fatigue." Ye Shin Ye said and Shen Xiatang rated her compliment a 10 over 10.
"Mountains quiet the mind when the heart is willing to listen. It honors this temple that a daughter of such a distinguished household would seek stillness among plain walls and wooden halls." said the old monk.
"My father teaches that one must occasionally leave the bustle of rank and title behind, lest the heart grow arrogant." Ye Shin Ye said in a respectful tone and the old monk's smile grew even bigger.
"Your father's wisdom accords with the Dharma. Rank and ornament are garments of the outer world; here, we wear only simplicity." The old monk said with a nod and a happy smile.
"Good." Shen Xiatang said.
"Getting him on your side would make your stay significantly easier." Shen Xiatang said as she floated beside Ye Shin Ye.
For a while, Ye Shin Ye and the monk in peace before the monk hesitantly said, "There is a matter this poor monk must speak of plainly." and Ye Shin Ye looked at him attentively.
"Recent storms damaged part of the eastern corridor, and several lay attendants have returned to their villages. The temple is, for the present, short on helping hands." the old monk said hesitantly.
"If the Master has need of assistance, I would not wish to remain idle." Ye Shin Ye said smoothly and Shen Xiatang wondered how this girl could possibly be framed by that overly innocent girl in the family hall.
"Your words show sincerity." the old monk said with a smile and a nod.
"But this poor monk fears the tasks here will prove too taxing for one raised in refinement." The old monk said in worry.
"Master, refinement without discipline is merely decoration. If permitted, I would learn through service." Ye Shin Ye said and Shen Xiatang clapped.
"With brains like this it will be easy to take down Shen Wu Ran's descendant." Ye Shin Ye thought evilly.
Smiling gratefully, the old man took Ye Shin Ye's hands in his and said "The Lady speaks with uncommon understanding. In the kitchen smoke and garden soil, one often discovers truths that cannot be found in embroidered chambers."
"Then I shall consider the smoke my teacher and the soil my companion." Yr Shin Ye said with a smile and Shen Xiatang could practically see the stars in the old man's eye.
"Very well." The old monk said with a gleeful smile.
"This poor monk will instruct the steward to assign tasks suited to your strength. Should fatigue arise, you must speak without hesitation." the old man warned Ye Shin Ye.
"I am grateful for the Master's concern." Ye Shin Ye said and the old monk smiled at her before calling the steward of the temple over.
"This is Jingxiu, the steward of this temple." The old man said as he introduced the woman who smirked upon Ye Shin Ye's arrival to Ye Shin Ye.
"As you have ordered, head monk, I will make sure to assign her tasks that suit her strength." the head maid said with a sickening sweet smile.