After stepping out of the main hall, Xie Zhaofan immediately felt as if the air had become fresher.
She strolled slowly along the small path behind the temple, admiring the surrounding scenery while thinking about how she should live if she were to truly stay in this world for the long term.
Just then, a voice laced with a smile came from behind her.
“Oh? Isn't this the Xie family’s Eldest Young Miss?”
Xie Zhaofan’s footsteps paused.
“Oh, that’s not right,” the voice continued. “I should call you the Xie family’s Second Young Miss now.”
She turned around to see a young man dressed in a brocade robe walking toward her with quick steps.
The man was tall and handsome, with a trace of the arrogance typical of a young master from a noble family between his brows.
Xie Zhaofan stared at him for a few seconds before finally digging out the relevant information from the original owner’s memories: Lu Cheng, the only son of the Courageous Count.
He was also a friend of the scumbag former fiancé, Pei Shaohuai.
The original owner had been somewhat acquainted with him in the past, though their relationship could hardly be called good.
“What are you doing here?” Xie Zhaofan asked casually.
“Accompanying my mother and sister to worship Buddha.” Lu Cheng curled his lip. “You womenfolk just love to fuss over these ethereal, nonexistent things. If you have the time for this, you might as well go for a couple of laps around the horse tracks or head to Zuixian Restaurant for a drink.”
“I actually agree with that sentiment,” Xie Zhaofan nodded. “Better to rely on oneself than seek Buddha.”
Lu Cheng was visibly stunned. He looked her up and down, surprise flickering in his eyes.
“You really have changed recently.”
“Changed how?”
“You wouldn't have said something like that before.”
Xie Zhaofan’s heart stirred, and then she smiled. “People always grow.”
Looking at her beautiful and bright face, Lu Cheng suddenly revealed a grin full of interest. “Since that's the case, I actually have something I’d like to discuss with you.”
“What is it?”
“Isn't that fellow Pei Shaohuai going to break off the engagement with you?” Lu Cheng leaned in a bit closer and said with a beaming smile, “Why don't you take a look at me? How about that?”
Xie Zhaofan looked completely baffled. “How about what?”
“How about I have my mother go to your house to propose marriage?” Lu Cheng said it with total confidence. “Marry me; I happen to like your type.”
Xie Zhaofan nearly burst out laughing after hearing this. “Big brother, do you even hear yourself?”
“What?”
“Could you bear to give up your flock of admirers?”
Lu Cheng was instantly at a loss for words.
Xie Zhaofan continued bluntly, “If I am to marry, my husband must at least be like my father—one person for a lifetime, never taking a concubine. Can you do that?”
The smile on Lu Cheng’s face froze instantly.
Asking him to marry Xie Zhaofan? Of course, he felt that anyone would like a beautiful girl. But asking him to give up all other women for the sake of one woman? He truly couldn't bear that sacrifice.
“This...”
“What, you can't do it?”
“It’s not exactly that I’m unwilling.” Lu Cheng gave a sheepish smile. “It’s mainly that my Courageous Count’s manor has few descendants. Even if I were willing, my family wouldn't agree to it.”
Xie Zhaofan looked at him, making no effort to hide the disdain in her eyes.
“Lust is lust. To find an excuse for yourself on top of it? You’re truly nothing.”
With that, she turned and left.
Lu Cheng’s expression immediately turned sour.
“You...” he gritted his teeth behind her. “Xie Zhaofan, don't be too full of yourself!”
“You’re about to have your engagement broken! Once your reputation is completely ruined, I’d like to see how many noble families in the capital are still willing to marry you!”
Xie Zhaofan didn't even slow her pace.
She currently didn't even care about the genuine scumbag Pei Shaohuai, let alone a playboy whose proposal lacked any sincerity. This kind of person wasn't even worth her anger. However, after walking a certain distance, she couldn't help but mutter in a low voice.
“I come out to see a temple and I still have to run into such bad luck.”
Chunxing listened from the side, trembling with fear. She quickly lowered her head and pretended she hadn't heard a thing.
Little did Xie Zhaofan know that after she left, a young monk in a gray robe was standing quietly under the corridor in the distance, his gaze thoughtfully following her receding figure.
In that moment just now, he seemed to have felt an extremely strange aura.
It wasn't like a martial artist’s, nor was it like the internal strength of an ordinary person. That feeling seemed to originate from deep within her body.
“Grandmaster, what are you looking at?”
In the back mountains of Gangen Temple, within a secluded Zen courtyard far away from the pilgrims in the front halls, an old monk with white hair and beard slowly walked out from the inner hall.
Though advanced in age, his stature remained upright and his steps were steady and silent. He only stopped respectfully once he reached the young monk’s back.
The young monk wore a set of monk's robes that had faded from washing. His face looked to be only in his twenties, his features delicate and his temperament ethereal.
If one were to ignore those monk’s robes, no one would ever associate him with the high-ranking monks of the temple.
At this moment, he was standing under an ancient tree, his gaze crossing the long corridors to look toward the temple's open area not far away.
People came and went there in an endless stream of pilgrims, but the young monk’s gaze seemed to pierce through layers of space, accurately falling upon a slender figure that had just departed.
“Grandmaster?” The old monk called out softly again when he saw no response.
The young monk finally withdrew his gaze, the corners of his lips slowly curving into a faint smile.
“An interesting little friend.”
“Better to rely on oneself than seek Buddha...”
He seemed to recall something and repeated it softly, a rare glint of amusement appearing in the depths of his eyes.
“Hehe, those words are quite wonderful.”
The old monk followed his gaze toward the distance, but he only saw the bustling crowd of pilgrims and discovered nothing.
Though curious, he didn't dare to ask more.
Although this Grandmaster of his family looked young, his seniority was frighteningly high. Even the Abbot would have to respectfully address him as Grand-Uncle Master upon meeting him. Usually, he was as elusive as a divine dragon, and no one knew exactly what he was thinking.
Just as the old monk withdrew his gaze, the space before him suddenly became empty.
The young monk who had been standing under the ancient tree just a moment ago had vanished without a trace, leaving not even a single footprint on the ground.
The old monk had long since grown accustomed to this. He simply stood in place for a moment of silence, pressed his palms together, softly chanted a Buddhist invocation, and then turned to walk slowly back into the inner hall.
As for where that Grandmaster had gone or why he had suddenly taken an interest in a pilgrim, he did not pursue the matter.
At his age, he knew that for some things, the less one knew, the more peaceful one remained.
On the other side, Xie Zhaofan had no idea that she had unintentionally caught the attention of a mysterious figure in the temple.
At this moment, she was enthusiastically wandering through Gangen Temple.
Originally, she hadn't had the slightest interest in so-called Buddha worship, but once she actually arrived, she discovered that this rumored number one temple of the capital was far more spectacular than she had imagined.
The grand and ancient halls spread out level by level along the mountain slope. Blue bricks and black tiles were hidden among the lush ancient trees, and occasionally, she could see a few gray-white pigeons flying past the eaves.
The distant sound of bells was melodious, and the mountain breeze blew by carrying a faint scent of sandalwood, causing one’s state of mind to quiet down involuntarily.
Rate on N.U.
