"My lord..."
A yamen runner lowered his voice and saluted Su Buchi.
Although he didn't say it directly, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that he was reminding Su Buchi that Granny Sun might not make it.
Su Buchi frowned tightly and raised his hand as if he wanted to gently pat Li Ying's heaving back as she sobbed, but in the end, he put it down.
He was only on leave to visit his relatives and had no right to casually order yamen runners. His act of leading a large group to search the mountain today was already overstepping his bounds.
Su Buchi nodded and only said in a solemn voice, "You may go back to your duties."
After saying that, he didn't hesitate for a moment. He turned around, bent down, and started to move the earth and stones blocking the cave on his own.
Su Buchi was a gentle and slender man. After only moving a few stones, fine beads of sweat had oozed out on his forehead.
Through her tear - filled eyes, Li Ying vaguely saw Su Buchi's long and thin hands struggling to bear the weight. She also wiped away her tears forcefully and stood beside him tirelessly.
A Man couldn't persuade her and had to take care of Mianmian in her arms. She was so anxious that she didn't know what to do.
The villagers all looked dejected. Just when they were at a loss, suddenly a shadow like a bolt of lightning nimbly scurried to Li Ying's side.
"Mao Mao, this is not the time to mess around and play!"
Li Ying rarely scolded. Before her voice faded, she saw Mao Mao find a corner on its own, lie down, measure with its long whiskers, and then timidly crawl in!
"Mao Mao..."
The little kitten meowed from afar as a response.
Li Ying and Su Buchi exchanged a look, and a glimmer of hopeless hope welled up in their hearts.
"A... A Ying...?"
After a long time, a trembling call finally came from inside the cave.
It was Granny Sun!
The hot tears in Li Ying's eyes were like a long - pent - up mountain torrent. They could no longer be contained and gushed out like a wild beast.
"Auntie, it's me. A Ying is here! A Ying has come to take you home!"
Li Ying and Su Buchi accelerated their actions simultaneously. The villagers also scurried around, some moving stones and some holding picks.
After another two hours of hard work, the sky in the distance was starting to show a faint fish - belly white. Finally, a gap large enough for a person to pass through appeared in the collapsed cave.
Granny Sun was holding Mao Mao and finally saw the light of day again.
Fortunately, during the collapse, the old woman was quick - witted. She just accidentally fell and wasn't seriously injured.
The whole family looked at each other, and all they felt was lingering fear.
"Auntie, I know you were worried about me, but to me, you are family, like a mother. Nothing in this world is more important than our family being safe and sound! Please, for A Ying's sake, never put yourself in danger again, okay?"
Li Ying supported Granny Sun and saw that she was still tightly protecting the incense candles in the basket. She felt both heartache and touched.
Granny Sun felt extremely guilty seeing that the whole village was in chaos because of her safety. She lowered her head deeply.
But after hearing Li Ying's words, she seemed to suddenly remember something. She raised her eyes and called out eagerly, "A Ying, there really is a Goddess Temple. I found it!"
Regardless of her injured foot, she limped and pulled Li Ying towards the depths of the cave.
Li Ying frowned slightly. The cause of the cave collapse was unknown, and it was really dangerous at the moment.
But Granny Sun was so eager, and her two little lucky stars didn't show any obvious reactions. Presumably, there shouldn't be any problems.
Only Su Buchi, looking worried, followed the two of them uneasily.
"Right here! A Ying, maybe it was the Goddess Mazu who protected me this time and allowed me to barely survive!"
Granny Sun stood still, and her voice was filled with uncontrollable ecstasy.
Li Ying felt that the cave was a bit cramped at first, but the deeper she walked, the more open it became. At this moment, she faintly felt a deep sense of oppression. She raised her eyes and was stunned by what she saw.
The mountain in front had been completely hollowed out.
Standing majestically was a magnificent golden statue of Mazu.
It reached the sky and the earth, with a golden body. It had kind eyes, wore a crown, a flowing cape, held a ruyi scepter, and exuded a divine and imposing aura. It was elegant and solemn, with a compassionate look on its face.
Li Ying made a rough estimate and immediately understood.
No wonder the so - called "Goddess Temple" only existed in the villagers' oral traditions before.
It turned out that there was no temple on Kuwu Mountain at all.
The whole mountain was the palace of Goddess Mazu!
Some curious villagers also followed. When they saw this scene, they were all stunned and speechless.
No one knew who built this statue of Mazu, when it was built, how much incense it had received, how many seaside villagers it had protected, and for what reason it had been hidden in Kuwu Mountain out of sight.
Now that it had appeared in the world, it was lifelike and still exuded its divine power. Just one look at it would make people involuntarily feel pious. Their legs would go weak, and they would involuntarily kneel on the ground.
"It was really Goddess Mazu who protected us!"
In front of the statue of Mazu, there was also a pig's head sacrifice placed neatly. Obviously, it was proof that Granny Sun had not forgotten to pray whole - heartedly even at the moment of life and death.
Li Ying was even more moved. She tightly hugged Granny Sun's gaunt and thin body and burst into tears.
"Auntie, you've treated me so sincerely. I have no way to repay you. With Goddess Mazu watching, I swear that I'm willing to be your daughter for the rest of my life. As long as you don't abandon me, I'll be by your side every day, filially serving you in your old age!"
People by the sea respected Goddess Mazu the most and would never dare to tell a lie. Li Ying's words were sincere, and Granny Sun was also in tears.
She had been alone for half her life and never thought that in her twilight years, she would be able to take in an adopted daughter. She quickly reached out and pulled Li Ying up from the ground and said tremblingly, "Good girl, good girl, my daughter!"
The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried. Fortunately, this incident had ended without any real harm.
Su Buchi led his men back to the yamen. Shi Hu had already made a small rattan sedan chair. Li Ying personally escorted it, and several strong villagers carried Granny Sun down the mountain.
Du, the shopkeeper of Deji Hall, came to diagnose her in person. Since the injury didn't involve the bones, Li Ying finally felt relieved.
The news that there was such a grand Mazu Temple hidden in the fishing village spread quickly. Many villagers from nearby villages came, skeptical but eager to see the statue of Mazu with their own eyes and seek blessings.
Zhang Lu and the men of the horse caravan also put on the special rattan "safety helmets" made by Li Ying. They worked day and night, sparing no effort, and finally managed to carry the giant statue of Mazu out of Kuwu Mountain intact for tens of thousands of people to worship.
However, how to properly place this statue had become a difficult problem.