Chapter 227: Tracking Monk Suixin

Yun Huizhou didn’t particularly mind; he simply ate whichever dumpling he picked up, occasionally using the dough skins Lian Li had steamed later to wrap roast meat and cabbage.

After eating a few dumplings, the South Island Master focused solely on the lamb hotpot, continuously adding vegetables to the broth.

Just as Yun Huizhou picked up another dumpling and placed it in his mouth, his movements suddenly paused. He then spat out a copper coin.

Seeing this, Lian Li couldn’t help but grumble, “I’ve been staring at the dumplings Master wrapped and eating only those, yet I haven’t found a single one. You just pick them up at random and get one.”

Yun Huizhou said with a smile, “No wonder you wouldn’t touch the ones we wrapped. It turns out you were after the copper coins inside.”

Lian Li nodded repeatedly in admission.

Yun Huizhou continued, “Master wrapped three coins inside. There are still two left. Keep looking; you’re bound to find one.”

“That’s for sure. I’m sticking to the ones Master wrapped; I’ll get one sooner or later,” Lian Li said, placing several more aesthetically pleasing dumplings into his bowl.

However, after finishing them, he found that there was still nothing.

Just as he was preparing to redouble his efforts, Yun Huizhou lowered his head again and spat out a second copper coin.

Lian Li stared at him.

Yun Huizhou gathered the two coins and set them aside, then reached out to pick up another beautiful dumpling wrapped by the South Island Master.

Lian Li continued to glare at him. “You’re not allowed to eat the ones Master wrapped. There’s only one coin left.”

Yun Huizhou placed the dumpling he had just picked up into Lian Li’s bowl and said, “Try this one. Maybe the last coin is inside.”

Lian Li muttered, “How is that possible? I don’t believe you could pick three in a row,” even as he stuffed the dumpling into his mouth.

Then, his expression froze.

Seeing his face, Yun Huizhou asked with a laugh, “Is it in there?”

Lian Li lowered his head to spit out the coin, then looked up at Yun Huizhou. “Did you cheat? Did you secretly put marks on the dumplings?”

Yun Huizhou replied, “How could I? You saw Master wrapping them, and I was wrapping them too. When would I have had the time to make marks?”

Lian Li knew that Yun Huizhou likely hadn’t made any marks. After all, he had been with him throughout the entire process of making the dumplings, and they hadn’t been apart since they finished. Yun Huizhou certainly wouldn’t have had the time.

But for Yun Huizhou to pick all three coins was too much of a coincidence. Was this man truly the king of luck?

It shouldn’t be!

When he gave the dumpling to Lian Li, it was obvious he knew the third coin was inside.

This man must have used some trickery he didn’t know about.

Thus, he spoke with certainty, “You definitely made marks. I don’t have evidence, but it’s my intuition.”

Yun Huizhou raised an eyebrow with a smile but didn’t argue.

Now Lian Li was finally certain; Yun Huizhou really did know which dumplings contained the coins.

Yun Huizhou picked up a dough skin, wrapped some roast meat for Lian Li, and handed it over. “Don’t just focus on the dumplings. There’s still the roast meat and that huge pile of vegetables in the hotpot.”

Lian Li huffed twice before taking the wrapped meat and stuffing it into his mouth.

The roast meat had been prepared by Yun Huizhou before they started the meal, as it wasn’t very convenient to grill and eat at the same time here.

The three of them ate quickly. Although the roast meat wasn’t as hot as when it first came off the grill, it was still warm. After testing the temperature, Lian Li began eating them one by one.

The South Island Master and Yun Huizhou had quite the appetite, whereas Lian Li was the type who was extremely greedy for food but couldn’t actually eat much.

Consequently, Lian Li was soon out of the running, sitting by the table watching the South Island Master and Yun Huizhou eat.

The two of them knew Lian Li’s situation well and didn’t try to persuade him to keep eating.

However, both of them consciously set aside some dumplings and roast meat so that Lian Li could reheat them whenever he felt hungry later.

Sure enough, around the time they were supposed to go to bed that night, Yun Huizhou heard the sound of Lian Li running from his room to the kitchen.

He followed him to the kitchen and saw Lian Li reheating food by the stove.

Yun Huizhou felt quite helpless and walked over to help him.

The trio had originally planned to stay until after the Lantern Festival before setting out. However, two days before the festival, while Lian Li and Yun Huizhou were out walking the streets, they suddenly spotted an “old acquaintance.”

Lian Li grabbed Yun Huizhou. “Look, isn’t that Monk Suixin?”

Yun Huizhou turned to look, but he could only see a distant back wearing a bamboo hat.

The figure’s build was indeed similar to Monk Suixin’s, but there was hair draped over his back.

“But that person has hair,” Yun Huizhou said hesitantly.

Lian Li wasn’t as hesitant as he was. He pulled Yun Huizhou along, following the person from a distance, while saying, “Hair grows, doesn’t it? It’s been nearly a year since we last saw him. If he didn’t want to be a monk anymore, it’s not impossible for him to grow his hair out and return to secular life.”

Yun Huizhou followed Lian Li in tracking the man, but he still argued, “But hair couldn’t grow that long in just one year.”

Lian Li didn’t think that was an issue. “It can’t grow that long, but he could be wearing a wig. Monk Suixin’s big bald head is too conspicuous in a crowd. If he wanted to hide his identity and avoid drawing attention, wearing a wig would be the way to go.”

“I saw that person’s profile just now; it really looks like that stinking bald man. If it really is him, and he’s come all this way wearing a wig, I feel like he’s up to no good.”

Since Lian Li put it that way, Yun Huizhou stopped arguing. Instead, he seriously joined Lian Li in tracking the man suspected to be Monk Suixin.

He knew that Lian Li still held a grudge over how Monk Suixin had tipped off the Spirit Sect Leader and the Grand Elder last year, which had led to Lian Li being injured.

It was only because Lian Li’s martial arts weren’t strong enough yet; if he ever reached the first-class level, he would likely seek out Monk Suixin for revenge.

If Lian Li were alone, he certainly wouldn’t dare to be so bold as to track him.

Monk Suixin was a long-renowned first-class expert, while Lian Li had only reached the second-class level less than a year ago. If he ran into Monk Suixin head-on, the monk would likely capture him, if not kill him, given their past grievances.

At that point, whether the monk used him against Yun Huizhou or handed him over to the Spirit Sect for a reward, both were possibilities.

However, Yun Huizhou was now a top-tier, super-first-class expert. Above him were only those twenty-eight transcendent masters.

Tracking Monk Suixin with him felt feasible to Lian Li.

Furthermore, even if Yun Huizhou encountered a transcendent master now, if nothing else, he would at least be able to make an escape.

Moreover, the South Island Master was also here.

The two followed Monk Suixin out of the city. Because Lian Li’s martial arts were inferior to Monk Suixin’s, they didn’t dare follow too closely for fear of being discovered.

However, as they watched Monk Suixin head toward increasingly remote areas after leaving the city, the suspicion in Yun Huizhou’s heart grew deeper.

When Lian Li and Yun Huizhou followed Monk Suixin to the vicinity of a secluded thatched hut, they saw him stop and look around vigilantly.

Seeing this, they immediately found cover to hide. Lian Li even lightened his breathing significantly, terrified of being discovered by Monk Suixin.