Chapter 118: All Cause and Effect Are of Human Making

The carriage reached a secluded alley, where they switched to another vehicle. The secret agents discarded their peasant disguises, mounted their horses, and rode toward the border.

Peering out from the carriage, she saw the imperial capital draped in mourning. Every household had hung white cloth, and the entire nation was immersed in the grief of losing its sovereign.

She lowered the curtain, rubbing her waist, which had been bruised by the jolting of the cart. Her heart was a mixture of joy and sorrow. Although she hadn't been close to the Emperor of Tianjue, and while he had been overbearing, he had not schemed against her at every turn or sought to harm her like Dai Yuheng had.

She then thought of the Eastern Palace, her destination. The joy in her heart was undeniable. Even though it was the rival of the Central Palace, Xiao Bi, in her eyes, was the most harmless person. Besides, once she found the old monk, she would learn the truth about her identity, and finding him was the key to finding her way home.

Excitement surged through her, but then she remembered something. "Oh no!" she cried out, sitting bolt upright. "My gold! After moving out of the manor, I left it hidden under the floorboards of the old house! How can I go to the Eastern Palace without travel money? Should I expect Xiao Bi to pay for everything? He’ll look down on me! Besides, if I really can go back, keeping that gold would be a profit!" She cursed the urgent circumstances that had made her forget such a vital matter.

The driver heard her cry and slowed down, asking, "Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing," she replied quickly. *Oh well, let it go. They were just doing their job,* she thought. *In any case, my life is worth more than gold.*

"May I ask how much longer until we arrive?"

"Soon. Once we reach the riverbank and cross, we will be at the Eastern Palace."

*The riverbank? Do we have to cross a river?*

They disembarked. As expected, a small boat was waiting. The two men accompanied her onto the vessel, while the others departed with the carriage.

The small boat had a black-tilted canopy and pointed ends. There was a boatman at each end, rowing with remarkable speed. She gazed at the surroundings from beneath the canopy—a dark, ink-black expanse where the mountains and water merged into a single line. All she could hear was the rhythmic splashing of the waves.

The two men accompanying her remained silent. Listening to the water, a playful mood struck her. She reached out to trail her fingers through the spray, savoring the cool sensation on her palms. For the first time ever, she felt incredibly relaxed.

As this relaxation took hold, a wave of exhaustion washed over her. Leaning against the side of the boat, she drifted into a hazy sleep.

In a blur, she saw E'nao shaking her, her face magnified several times over and filled with panic. Her screams echoed thunderously in her mind: "Kaiming! Wake up! Kaiming!"

*E'nao? Why did I see E'nao instead of Bao'bei?*

"General Kaiming! General Kaiming! Wake up!" Someone was truly shaking her. She opened her drowsy eyes and looked at the person in confusion.

"General Kaiming, we have arrived," the person said in a soft, thin voice.

"Arrived? Arrived where?" She was still caught in her dream. *What about E'nao? Where did she go?*

"We are at the Eastern Palace." The person helped her up and carefully guided her off the swaying boat.

Still in a daze, she boarded another carriage cushioned with soft pads. As it swayed and jolted, her body relaxed, and she drifted back to sleep.

When she woke, she felt momentarily disoriented. Sunlight slanted through the lattice window, casting bright, grid-like patterns on the snow-white wall. She lay on the bed, her eyes wandering as she took in her surroundings.

It was undoubtedly a bed. The furniture in the room was spotless, as if wiped down with great care, and the walls were stark white, adorned with a single large piece of calligraphy.

She sat up, recalling the events of the previous night. She remembered arriving at the Eastern Palace, but where was this? Her eyes caught a washbasin by the window, half-filled with clear water, with a clean towel draped over the edge.

*Forget it, I'll wash my face first.* After freshening up and tying her hair back, she took a breath and opened the door. She had steeled herself for the sight of soldiers armed with weapons, but as the door swung open, her eyes widened in surprise.

She had never imagined such a scene. There were no soldiers, no weapons—only a landscape of profound peace and tranquility. A ring of straight, slender trees had been planted along a slope, their leaves rustling happily in the sunlight. A breeze carried the fresh scent of grass and trees, causing her to squint in contentment.

*What a quiet place. Where on earth am I?*

Stepping over the threshold, she looked around and immediately found her answer. It was a temple.

To her left, she saw incense burners, flickering candles, golden Buddha statues, and the indistinct figures of people moving up and down the steps—were those not monks in meditative robes?

*I'm in a temple?* She hurriedly checked her clothes; she was still wearing the outfit from last night, not the shorts and T-shirt she had been wearing before she arrived. Standing here felt like being back at the temple in her modern life, and a sudden sense of dread washed over her.

Looking ahead, she saw two people sitting at a stone table, focused on a game of chess. Seeing them, she couldn't help but smile.

The person on the left possessed a youthful, childlike face with distinctive deep dimples—wasn't that the clever Xiao Bi? He was dressed in an exquisite, bright blue robe embroidered with lotus leaf patterns in shimmering white silk, and a headband adorned with a subtle green jade rested near his forehead.

Opposite him sat a monk, his back to her, dressed in a simple, clean robe, his bald head bearing the marks of time.

*Could this monk be the one from that temple in that village Xiao Bi mentioned?* Curious, she moved toward them.

The two were so deep in thought over their game that they didn't notice her arrival. She didn't interrupt, standing quietly to the side to wait for them to finish.

To someone who doesn't understand chess, watching it is naturally boring. The black and white pieces intersected on the grid; the players were locked in a fierce battle, while the observer could only count the time on her fingers.

Just as her legs began to tremble from standing, the match finally concluded. Xiao Bi cheered excitedly, "I finally won a game! I told you, no 'Ever-Victorious General' can lose on the chessboard forever!" Kaiming couldn't help but smile; what a childish thing to say.

The monk beside him chuckled. "Young Master is gifted and diligent. With practice, you will surely win five out of ten games against me."

Xiao Bi’s face darkened, his excitement vanishing instantly. "What? Even with diligent practice, I can only win five?"

The monk laughed, "Without practice, I fear it would be a struggle to win even one game against this old monk."

Xiao Bi pouted, clearly unconvinced. Turning his head, he saw Kaiming standing nearby and jumped in surprise. "Sister! When did you get here? You didn't say a word—you scared me to death!"

Kaiming couldn't help but laugh. "When did you become so timid? How could this possibly scare you?"

"Well, you have to make a sound! Coming up so quietly like that..."

The monk, seeing them talking, stood up, dusted off his robes, and said to Xiao Bi, "Young Master has a guest. I shall take my leave."

Xiao Bi responded, but Kaiming’s gaze was fixed on the monk. Her eyes widened, unable to look away. That face—the long eyebrows, the small eyes, the face that, despite the wrinkles, was still full of spirit—wasn't this the very same fortune-telling monk she had seen in her modern life?

She stood with her mouth agape, stunned as she watched the old monk walk past her. *How is this possible? Is it really you?* It was both expected and unexpected.

*All the harrowing conspiracies I’ve endured, all the senseless wars I’ve fought—they are all because of you! Because you forcibly dragged me away from my modern life!*

*You pulled me from a modern world of trivial heartbreaks and peaceful stability into this muddy, filthy, alien land! You made me face life and death, made me lose my husband and child—what was the point of it all?*

"Wait... wait!" She spun around, calling out to the monk's retreating figure. He couldn't leave; he had to tell her why.

The old monk tilted his head back slightly. "Benefactor, all karma is created by human hands."

*Karma is created by human hands?* Kaiming stumbled, a faint memory surfacing: when she and E'nao went to a temple to draw a lot, the old monk had said, "Since you do not believe in heaven, remember: human agency is everything." It was as if she had lived this moment in a past life; it appeared in her mind with startling clarity.

"Stop... stop right there! Say it—explain yourself clearly!" she said, her voice hoarse. "Who am I? Why am I here? Tell me!"

"Benefactor," the old monk sighed softly. "The truth is very cruel. You would not want to know..."

"I came here specifically to know the truth!" she stared at his back, enunciating every word.

The old monk straightened his posture. "If that is the case, please wait a moment, Benefactor. I shall return shortly."

She watched him walk away until he vanished from her sight. Her thoughts were in turmoil; she didn't know what to feel.

"Kaiming?" Xiao Bi saw her dazed expression and waved his hand in front of her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing," she smiled at Xiao Bi—a forced, strained smile. "I'm fine. How could anything be wrong?"

Xiao Bi tugged at her sleeve, signaling her to sit on the stone stool. He began fiddling with the chess pieces, pretending to be casual. "I heard that something earth-shattering happened in the Central Palace..."

"Yes," she nodded numbly. With so many of Xiao Bi’s agents in the Central Palace, nothing could be hidden from him, especially such a major event. "The Emperor of Tianjue is dead."

"Oh." He didn't show the surprise she expected, saying only, "Doesn't that make things difficult for you in the Central Palace?"

"Difficult for me?" She didn't understand what he meant.

Xiao Bi sorted the black and white pieces into their respective bowls. "You rose from a common soldier to a commander, and then to a general—wasn't that all through the promotion of the Emperor? I heard the Empress is a puppet manipulated by Dai Huang, and the two have long-standing grudges. With the Emperor dead, hasn't Dai Huang gained power? Isn't it even more dangerous for you to stay in the Central Palace? That is exactly why I wanted to get you to the Eastern Palace as soon as possible."

Kaiming smiled at him; Xiao Bi was a good younger brother who knew how to care for her. "Thank you."

Xiao Bi curled the corner of his mouth, clearly unaccustomed to her formal gratitude. "What are your plans for the future?"