Chapter 433 - Back to the Temple in the Mountains (1/2)

Pushing open the room door, Ning Tao entered Hu Xiaoji’s room. Hu Xiaoji was sleeping soundly but she immediately woke up once Ning Tao entered the room.

“Papa, are you going to tell me a bedtime story?” Hu Xiaoji got up from bed, holding her blanket, while staring at Ning Tao with eagerness.

Ning Tao walked to her bedside and sat down. He reached out to ruffle Hu Xiaoji’s pretty little head and said gently, “I won’t be telling you any bedtime story today. Let us father and daughter have a good chat.”

Hu Xiaoji blinked. “Papa, what do you want to talk about?”

Ning Tao said casually, “What did you learn in school today?”

Hu Xiaoji thought for a moment. “I learned the words, ‘field’, ‘sky’, ‘sweet’, ‘fill’. I know these words but I don’t know how to spell them, so the teacher punished me and made me stand in the corner with the broom.”

“Did you?”

“I did. I had to listen to Teacher Fang. I am a good child after all,” Hu Xiaoji said.

“Right, our Xiaoji is a good kid. Also, was that history knowledge test also done by Teacher Fang?” Ning Tao asked again.

Hu Xiaoji nodded. “Yep. She even told us the story of someone with the Li surname, saying that he was King Chuang. How impressive.”

Li Zicheng, also known as King Chuang, had a lot to do with the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

Ning Tao developed a very odd feeling inside him, and probed, “Then did Teacher Fang mention Crown Prince Zhu San and Zhu Hongyu?”

“Crown Prince Zhu San, Zhu Hongyu…” Hu Xiaoji muttered and thought very carefully before saying, “No, she did not.”

Ning Tao thought to himself, “Could it be just me overthinking?”

“Papa, you’re a little strange today, you keep asking me these weird questions, it’s no fun at all. I prefer you telling me bedtime stories.” Hu Xiaoji appeared a little impatient.

Ning Tao said, “Haven’t we agreed to not have a bedtime story tonight and just to have a chat? Also, if you don’t want to go to school anymore, just tell papa then you don’t have to go anymore.”

Hu Xiaoji pouted. “What kind of papa are you? Other people’s papa and mama would encourage their children to study well and go to a good university, yet you’re encouraging me to not go to school. I’ll tell Teacher Fang tomorrow.”

Ning Tao took out a piece of chocolate from his shirt pocket and stuck it in Hu Xiaoji’s hand.

Hu Xiaoji beamed immediately. “Good papa, I won’t tell on you anymore.”

If it were in the past, Ning Tao would definitely be amused by her but he simply could not find it in himself to laugh tonight. He watched Hu Xiaoji finish that piece of chocolate then opened the small medicine chest which he was carrying and took out an item.

“Ah!” Hu Xiaoji screamed and hid under her blanket.

Ning Tao was holding none other than the skull fragment he had taken back from the Emei Sect.

“Papa, keep it quickly! Ghost, ghost…Xiaoji is scared!’ Hu Xiaoji was hidden in her blanket, and her voice came from underneath.

Ning Tao said, “Xiaoji don’t be scared. Papa is here, no ghost will dare to come near you. You just have to look at this piece of bone and try to describe it using what you’ve learned then papa will reward you with a new school bag.”

Whoosh. Hu Xiaoji instantly lifted her blanket and reappeared. She said excitedly, “Really?”

Ning Tao nodded. “Yes.”

“Then let’s make a pinky promise.” Hu Xiaoji stuck her pinky out.

Ning Tao and Hu Xiaoji made a pinky promise. He even recited to Hu Xiaoji very seriously, “Pinky, pinky bow-bell, Whoever tells a lie will sink down to the bad place and never rise up again.”

After making the promise, Ning Tao handed the skull fragment to Hu Xiaoji.

Hu Xiaoji was slightly scared at first but she was a child after all. When she held the skull fragment, it was like nothing happened therefore she got used to it very quickly. She looked at the skull fragment then flipped it around. Looking at the prescription which was inscribed on it with Buddhist incense, she got excited again. “Papa, look, there are words!”

Ning Tao stared at her, observing her reaction. “Do you know the words on it? If you do, read them out.”

Hu Xiaoji read, “The Authentic Ambergris, two taels and seven maces. Black Jade Fungus, two taels and one mace. Wild Silk Potato, five taels and seven maces…”

She remembered all the names and quantity of the 18 ingredients on the skull fragment. She also recognized part of the secret cultivation procedure. She had read all of them. Yet, all she did was read. Nothing else was happening to her.

Hu Xiaoji then returned the skull fragment to Ning Tao’s hands, giggling as she asked, “Done, papa, where’s my new school bag?”

Ning Tao pat her hand lightly.

The door opened; Jiang Hao walked in with a new school bag with cartoon prints. It was very colorful and pretty.

Hu Xiaoji jumped off the bed and planted herself in Jiang Hao’s embrace. “Mama Jiang, you’re great.” Before Jiang Hao could say anything, Hu Xiaoji had taken the new school bag from Jiang Hao and jumped on her bed, examining her bag closely.

Jiang Hao got close to Ning Tao’s ear and whispered, “Is there still no reaction to her past life’s memory?”