Xie Zhaofan was currently dressed in men’s clothing, but no matter how one looked at her, she certainly wasn’t disguised to the point of being unrecognizable at a glance.
Was her cross-dressing technique truly that powerful? Or was there something wrong with this monk’s eyes?
The young monk merely smiled slightly.
“The physical form is but a skin-deep outer shell. Karmic affinity and innate perception are what matter most; it is no hindrance.”
As he spoke, the gaze with which he looked at Xie Zhaofan became noticeably more satisfied.
Xie Zhaofan’s interest was piqued. She sized up the monk in front of her, her eyes darting slightly.
“You’re not a fake monk, are you? Planning to kidnap me and sell me off?”
The young monk seemingly hadn’t expected her to ask such a question. He froze for a moment before laughing in spite of himself.
“You must be joking, benefactor. This poor monk’s Dharma name is Liao Fan, a disciple of Gangen Temple. I have an ordination certificate in the temple that can be verified; I am the real deal.”
“Gangen Temple?”
Hearing this name, Xie Zhaofan’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
She actually remembered this place. The last time she accompanied Madam Shen and Xie Jinyi to fulfill a vow, they had gone to Gangen Temple, but the impression it left on her that time wasn't particularly good.
So when this monk suddenly appeared talking about an Immaculate Physique, it immediately made her a bit more wary.
“Look, high monk, although I don't know what exactly you see in me, it’s a pity—this young lady has no interest in leaving the secular world.”
Xie Zhaofan waved her folding fan, her tone very sincere.
“I don't want to be a monk, nor do I want to shave my head.”
“No matter, no matter.”
The smile on Liao Fan’s face didn't change at all.
“You needn't undergo tonsure; you can start as a lay disciple to gain some experience.”
Xie Zhaofan’s eyes lit up.
“Oh? There's even a trial period? You guys are quite user-friendly.”
“But still, forget it. My six roots are not pure; I’m full of greed, anger, and obsession. Even the Buddha would shake his head upon seeing me. I can't leave the secular world.”
Xie Zhaofan fanned herself and sighed, offering a moment of self-reflection.
“Benefactor misunderstood. If everyone’s six roots were pure and they had realized the emptiness of the four elements, why would they still need to cultivate? They would have already become Buddhas. The ones this poor monk seeks to ferry across are precisely those like you.”
Liao Fan smiled slightly, truly possessing a hint of the Buddha’s grace when he held up a flower and smiled.
Xie Zhaofan only then realized that this monk was actually quite good-looking, a fact previously obscured by his coarse cloth robes.
“Are all monks as eloquent as you? Hearing you put it that way, I feel like it would be a shame if I didn’t follow you to cultivate.”
Xie Zhaofan elegantly snapped her folding fan shut with a clack. This was a move she had practiced for a long time to get the timing perfect; she truly did look somewhat dignified.
“However, first tell me what kind of divine abilities you have. Let me see if it’s worth my while to take you as a master and learn.”
Liao Fan shook his head. “The Dharma cannot be taught lightly, nor can it be displayed casually.”
“Then are there any rare treasures? After joining, will I be granted any Magic Tools, pills, or the like?”
Liao Fan shook his head again.
“With only the breeze in one's sleeves, we cultivate with a focused heart. Buddhism does not emphasize external possessions.”
The expectation on Xie Zhaofan’s face vanished instantly. She looked at the monk before her, her expression gradually becoming one of disdain.
“Now you’re just being boring, monk. So there are no benefits at all, and you want me to become a nun? What are you thinking?”
She snapped her folding fan shut and waved her hand dismissively.
“This young lady eats well and dresses well, living a carefree and leisurely life. I can even go out for delicious food whenever I want. You want me to become a nun and live on nothing? How crazy do you think I am?”
Liao Fan wasn't angry in the least; the smile on his face remained gentle.
“Benefactor is indeed straightforward. This poor monk simply feels that you have a karmic connection with Buddhism.”
“Having a connection doesn't mean I have to leave the secular world.”
Xie Zhaofan curled her lip.
Although she could vaguely sense that this monk was definitely not simple—at the very least, that trick of quietly appearing before her just now was something no ordinary martial artist could achieve.
But the more this was the case, the less likely she was to agree easily. Who knew if practicing Buddhist techniques required one to be free of desires?
If it meant she couldn't even enjoy good food, she would be the first to refuse.
“It seems that perhaps the timing for our karmic connection has not yet arrived.”
Liao Fan did not continue to persuade her; he merely nodded slightly.
“If you change your mind one day, young miss, you may come to the back mountain of Gangen Temple and simply mention this poor monk’s name.”
With that, he pressed his palms together and lowered his head to chant a Buddhist phrase.
“Amitabha.”
Before Xie Zhaofan could say anything, her vision blurred, and the young monk was gone.
She stood rooted to the spot, forgetting even to wave the fan in her hand.
“Where is he?”
She subconsciously looked around, but Liao Fan, who had been standing right in front of her just a moment ago, had actually vanished into thin air.
But that wasn't even the strangest part.
Xie Zhaofan soon discovered that while she had been talking to the monk, not a single person passing by had shown any sign of anything being out of the ordinary.
No one stopped, no one was curious, and no one even spared them a glance.
It was as if everything that had happened in that small pocket of space was only perceivable by her.
Only after the monk left did that strange sense of isolation slowly dissipate.
The street returned to its hustle and bustle. Carriages drove past, pedestrians continued chatting and laughing, and the cries of vendors in the distance reached her ears once more, as if everything just now had never happened.
The smile on Xie Zhaofan’s face finally faded bit by bit. She gripped her folding fan and stood there in silence for a moment.
This time, she was truly a little shocked.
If the things she had encountered before could barely be explained by martial arts, hidden weapons, or some underworld methods she didn't understand, then the scene that had just unfolded clearly exceeded the range of what ordinary martial arts could achieve.
A person who could make everyone around them oblivious to their existence, appearing silently before her and then vanishing right under her nose.
Moreover, the other party had seen the extraordinary nature of her body at a glance, even directly identifying it as the “Immaculate Physique.”
This was definitely no ordinary monk.
“Could it be...”
Xie Zhaofan narrowed her eyes. For the first time, a possibility she had never seriously considered before truly surfaced in her mind.
Had she truly run into a so-called cultivator?
She was just complaining about not being able to find one. Was her mouth blessed, making whatever she said come true?
“This is getting interesting.”
She murmured in a low voice, the corners of her lips slowly curling upward.
Originally, she just wanted to go shopping for some treasures and eat some delicious food. She hadn't expected that before finding any treasures, she would run into a master suspected to be from the cultivation world.
It seemed she really should come out to roam the capital more often in the future.
After all, who could have imagined that behind this bustling, prosperous capital full of ordinary people, there might be a world hidden that she had never touched before?
And now, it seemed she had already quietly cracked that door open.
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