"I was confused earlier trying to guess who this person was who claimed to be my friend when I was studying at the temple.
After all, I had no other friends except my *su-moi* (junior martial sister) Ciu Lian Hwa.
If you had claimed to be that temple servant, I certainly would have remembered."
" Cin Han's face flushed slightly.
Apparently, this person was even more arrogant than he was when he was a child! If he had known he would be received like this, he wouldn't have bothered visiting.
"I...
ah, I thought...
there was no harm in claiming to be a former acquaintance from the temple."
"Enough! Now tell me, what is the purpose of your visit? If you intend to ask for a job, there is none, because you know my father is the commander of the security forces in this city, and every member of the security forces must possess sufficiently strong martial arts skills.
However, if you are asking for financial help, I can give you a little, considering our past acquaintance."
" Saying this, Kim Cong Bu put his hand into his jacket pocket, apparently to retrieve money.
"No, don't bother!" Cin Han said, his voice slightly loud and his brow furrowed.
"Kim-kongcu, I came here not to ask for a job, money, or anything else.
I came to visit because when I said goodbye before, you invited me to come here.
You don't need to insult me. If you don't like receiving my visit, I will leave right now!" Apparently, Kim Cong Bu genuinely disliked the visit from this former servant, and if he had invited him before, it was merely a formality.
He also didn't care how offended Cin Han was.
"Cin Han! We are not children anymore, and the relationship between us must be based on rank and status.
I cannot associate with just anyone and I cannot accept you as a guest.
If you want to leave right now, then go."
" Cin Han's face grew redder, but he smiled.
He looked at the young man's face and felt pity in his heart.
What a pity for this young man, he thought.
His personality and humanity were gone, replaced by the power of wealth and rank; he was no longer like a human but had become a puppet of power.
He nodded and, without further conversation, left the room, exited through the gate, and quickly departed from the place.
This bitter experience visiting Kim Cong Bu's house made Cin Han feel reluctant and ashamed to try visiting Ciu Lian Hwa's house.
The girl had indeed been a kind-hearted and gentle child.
But now she must have become a grown woman, and that girl was the daughter of Ciu Tai-jin, the regional head of Tong An.
The status of the girl's parents was higher than that of Kim Cong Bu's parents, so it would not be strange if the Ciu family acted even more arrogantly! And he only wanted to visit, without any ulterior motive, so it was truly not worth the potential danger of receiving another insult! No, he would not visit Ciu Lian Hwa, and his relationship with his two former temple acquaintances would end right there.
Let me remember them as children at the temple, disciples of Thian Cu Hwesio, the abbot of Siauw-lim-si temple on Rose Peak, he thought.
His heart felt relieved, and the matter was now past and released from his mind.
A free mind does not store past experiences to be made into beautiful or bad memories.
Storing past experiences only brings attachment.
A free mind releases everything experienced and finishes it in that very moment.
Not remembering the past, not imagining the future, but living