The Charismatic Charlie Wade

As Jagoan and Maria descended from Greenwood Temple, Jagoan held the agarwood bracelet tightly in his hand. He was determined to decipher the meaning behind the bracelet left for him, but after much contemplation, he remained perplexed.

He decided to consider Maria’s interpretation, the twenty-eight beads on the bracelet symbolized his current age. The mysterious sender had deliberately placed these twenty-eight beads within the bracelet, anticipating that Maria would notice the anomaly and return to Greenwood Temple to investigate.

But what message did the sender intend to convey by leaving this bracelet behind?

Puzzled, they descended the mountain only to retrace their steps back up the winding mountain road.

During their uphill journey, they encountered a group of local elderly women. These women walked together, descending the mountain slowly, each carrying a basket woven from vines containing various items, including sesame oil, paper money, and earthen incense.

Observing this, Maria approached the elderly women and inquired politely, “Where are you all headed?”

One of the elderly women replied, “We heard that Greenwood Temple has reopened. We’re on our way there to pay our respects to Buddha and offer incense.”

Maria asked with curiosity, “Has Greenwood Temple been closed for a long time?”

The woman nodded, “It’s been shut for about ten or twenty years. There are fewer and fewer people in the mountains, and the temple lacks incense. All the previous nuns have left. Yesterday, the villagers informed us that a new nun had arrived, so we decided to visit together.”

Maria quickly interjected, “You may want to reconsider. The new nun at Greenwood Temple has also departed.”

“Left again? Why?” Several elderly women looked disappointed. “Why did she leave just a few days after arriving?”

Maria explained, “Perhaps she felt there wasn’t enough incense being offered here.”

The elderly women hesitated, torn between continuing or turning back. Eventually, one of them suggested, “The nun may be gone, but the Buddha statue remains. Since we’re already here, why not light a few incense sticks?”

they proceeded to the temple. Maria, seeing their sincere devotion, decided not to dissuade them any further. She cautioned, “Please take care, and we’ll be on

farewell to the elderly women, Maria turned to Jagoan and remarked, “It seems like they arrived

arrival or Morgana’s intention to come here, prompting them to prepare in

added, “What’s certain now is that they know us and Morgana quite well. They might

said, “The mountains hold many secrets. If you ever get the chance

***

to the outside world, three inconspicuous Buick commercial vehicles smoothly cruised along the road. These vehicles bore license plates from Bloomington, the capital

the traffic. No one would suspect that the individuals inside these vehicles were

little in common with their commercial counterparts. Undergoing systematic modifications, these vehicles had evolved significantly in terms of power,

driver was the young nun who had previously intercepted Jagoan and Maria at the mountain’s base.

woman referred to as Madam sat, the very

inquired

Aurous Hill. We’ll stay at a Temple there for

Turk nodded and added, “I’ll inform the

like to meet next among these girls? I’ll

in Nanako Ito. Among these girls, she shows the most potential

said, “I’ll do my best to

lady remarked, “I heard she’s studying martial

Turk confirmed. “She’s there, along

talents can’t compare to Nanako Ito’s. Unless they encounter a great opportunity, they won’t

is Japanese. If she joins Taoism, could

lady shook her head and replied, “Her nationality doesn’t matter. What’s crucial is her character and intentions. Whether she’s Chinese or not, if her character is