Chapter 61: Praying for a Child at the Temple

Bright spring light filled the air.

A gentle breeze carrying the fragrance of flowers swept slowly past.

When Sun Yan'er mustered the courage and walked toward the figure ahead, the entire clearing suddenly fell silent.

Huang Zhaodi had just been publicly humiliated, yet Sun Yan'er still dared to approach him?

Everyone's gazes followed her all the way forward until she stopped directly behind the young man.

"Luo Zijun..."

Sun Yan'er called out softly from behind him.

At this moment, her tone lacked the high-and-mighty arrogance she had shown upon their first meeting; it was almost submissive.

She did not understand why she had suddenly changed like this.

Her mind was currently in utter chaos, and her feelings toward the young man before her were so complex that even she could not articulate them.

Hatred? Gratitude?

Or perhaps both?

Or were there other emotions mixed in as well?

She truly could not tell them apart.

Hearing the voice, Luo Zijun turned his head and looked at her.

Meeting his handsome features and indifferent eyes, Sun Yan'er felt a sudden flutter of panic in her heart. Not daring to meet his gaze, she averted her eyes, lowered her head, and said, "I..."

"If you are coming to thank me, you needn't bother."

Before she could finish, the young man interrupted her, his expression cold: "I saved you not because you are Sun Yan'er. If it had been anyone else here, I would have saved them just the same."

Sun Yan'er lifted her head, her eyes suddenly brimming with tears: "Luo Zijun, do you... do you really hate me that much?"

Luo Zijun shrugged. "Miss Sun is overthinking things. We aren't even close, why would I hate you?"

The two of them indeed weren't close.

They had only met a few times, and every single encounter seemed unpleasant.

"..."

Sun Yan'er looked at him with tear-filled eyes, brimming with a sense of grievance.

Yet she knew she must absolutely not cry at this moment.

The male and female students of the academy were surely all watching her right now, perhaps waiting for her to spill some gossip about her and him...

"Thank you for saving me..."

She did not dare to say any more, fearing her tears would spill over. After offering her thanks, she immediately turned and fled the scene.

"You're welcome. If Miss Sun also wishes to offer herself in marriage, you are welcome to follow Miss Huang's example—go over to that field, carry a plow, till the land, and earn some money for me."

Luo Zijun called out to her retreating back.

Sun Yan'er bit her lip, desperately holding back the tears threatening to fall.

This guy was just... simply detestable!

"Luo Zijun! Your tongue is truly venomous!"

Huang Zhaodi could not help shouting out loud.

Luo Zijun replied, "Indeed it is venomous. It just kissed you, so I suppose you've been poisoned too. No wonder you just had the audacity to come over and offer yourself in marriage."

Huang Zhaodi's face flushed bright red in an instant, and she stammered in mortification, "You... you..."

Stomping her feet in frustration, she snapped, "One thing at a time! Even though you saved me, I still think your tongue is venomous! And utterly hateful! Could you... could you change that in the future? If you changed that, you'd be a perfect man."

Luo Zijun asked, "Why on earth would I want to become perfect? If I were perfect, what would I do if you clung to me shamelessly? That would be terribly troublesome for me."

As soon as these words were spoken, the surrounding students could not help bursting into laughter.

"You..."

Huang Zhaodi's chest ached with anger. Realizing she could not best him with words and fearing further self-humiliation if she continued, she could only huff, "Whatever you say! It serves you right if you never manage to find a wife in this lifetime! Yan'er, never bother with this bad egg ever again!"

"Then I am most grateful to you."

Luo Zijun expressed his heartfelt gratitude and bothered no further with her.

If this lass truly could persuade that proud Sun family young miss to stop plaguing him in the future, he would genuinely be grateful.

Huang Zhaodi glared at him, her chest heaving up and down in a magnificent display of fury, but she did not dare utter another word.

Wang Dafu suddenly chimed in from the side, speaking in a heartbroken, low tone, "Brother Luo, it just occurred to me—you kissed my Zhaodi earlier. Did you happen to kiss her cute little canine teeth as well?"

Luo Zijun replied, "No, I only bit her cute little tongue."

"Ah!"

"Pfft..."

Su Bie and the others nearby burst into laughter.

Wang Dafu wailed a few times and earnestly advised him in a persuasive tone, "Brother Luo, my Zhaodi secretly harbors feelings for your brother here. As the saying goes, a friend's wife is not to be coveted. Do stay away from her in the future and don't speak to her, alright? I'm begging you like a brother, I'll even kneel for you if you want. How about this—tomorrow night when we head back to the city, I'll take you to the Celestial Immortals Pavilion and hook you up with the most alluring maidens, deal?"

Su Bie laughed from the side, "Dafu, you should be telling Miss Zhaodi to stay away from your Brother Luo. Didn't you see that it was always Miss Zhaodi making the first move?"

Wang Dafu proudly puffed out his chest. "My Zhaodi is just standing up against injustice and speaking up for her sister. A girl like that is a good girl! Only a girl like that is qualified to secretly pine for me, Wang Dafu!"

Su Bie chuckled, "What if the person she's secretly pining for isn't you?"

Wang Dafu instantly grew anxious. "It is her! I'm certain of it, it's definitely her!"

"Oh? And why is that?"

Not only Su Bie, but Luo Zijun, Xu Xian, and the others looked at him with puzzled expressions.

Wang Dafu snorted coldly, his face full of smugness. "Take a look at all those girls—who is the cutest? Naturally, it's my Zhaodi! With your brother's unmatched charm, it's simply impossible for me to attract any ugly hags, and those hags wouldn't even have the guts to secretly admire me. Therefore, it has to be her!"

"Impressive logic!"

Hearing his analysis, everyone was left in awe.

This fellow's reasoning and logic were truly both formidable and idiotic—in short, peerless!

Growing even more smug, Wang Dafu patted Luo Zijun on the shoulder and said, "Brother Luo, you're the only one here who poses any threat to me. After all, you saved Zhaodi and even kissed her, but never mind that. As long as you keep your distance from now on, I'm quite confident I can win her over."

Luo Zijun humbly asked for advice, "Then how should I keep my distance?"

Wang Dafu lowered his voice and instructed, "Ignore her. Whenever she gets close to you or tries to talk to you, just scold her fiercely. If that doesn't work, hit her—just not on the face, and definitely not her cute little canine teeth."

Luo Zijun was speechless. "Do you take me for some kind of violent maniac?"

"Aren't you?"

Wang Dafu looked at him with genuine confusion.

Luo Zijun chose to ignore him.

Chatting amongst themselves, taking in the scenery, and enjoying the breeze, the group soon arrived at the foot of Mount Hanshan.

A flight of stone steps rose and fell, winding its way upward until it reached the temple above.

Petals and blades of grass had drifted onto the steps.

A few birds chirped merrily, hopping about as they pecked at fallen berries.

Evening was already drawing near.

Many tourists who had finished offering incense and paying respects to the Buddha were beginning to make their way down in succession.

However, for these young scholars, the journey had only just begun.

Since they had finally managed to venture out for such a lively excursion, they were naturally determined to enjoy it to the fullest.

"Let's go, time to climb the mountain!"

Led by the boisterous crowd, the group began marching up the stone steps.

Meanwhile...

In a side hall deep within the inner courtyard of Hanshan Temple...

The doors were tightly shut, the lighting was dim, and wisps of smoke curled upward from an incense burner.

A woman draped in a luxurious purple gown, wearing a hooded cloak and a veil, knelt before the statue of the Buddha, her eyes closed as she silently prayed.

Not far away, near a pillar, two maidservants stood with lowered heads, as still as wooden statues.

Silence pervaded the room.

At that moment, an elderly monk in a gray robe emerged from the inner chamber, pressing his palms together before the woman. His voice carried neither sorrow nor joy: "Amitabha, Your Ladyship has been kneeling here for quite some time."

The woman remained quietly kneeling on the floor, as though she had not heard him at all.

The sandalwood in the burner slowly burned down to ash.

After a long while,

The woman slowly opened her eyes, revealing a pair of tear-gemmed, watery pupils, and murmured under her breath, "What if I have knelt for a long time? Has the Buddha manifested any miracle?"

Her tone was filled with self-mockery and lingering resentment.

"I have indeed knelt for too long... Ever since I was fourteen, all the way until now. I have simply grown accustomed to it."

The elderly monk sighed, lowering his head. "Amitabha, such is fate; why force what cannot be? Your Ladyship should return first."

The woman raised her head, fixing her gaze upon him. "Master, I have no more time to wait. He has never touched me—not because he doesn't want to, but because he cannot... Yet I need a child now, otherwise everything I have worked for up to this point will go down the drain."

The monk lowered his head and closed his eyes, saying nothing more.

The woman's peach-blossom-like, enchanting eyes looked at him with a watery gaze. "Master, I have already decided. I can only hope Master will grant me this grace."

The monk lowered his head to chant Buddhist scriptures, remaining silent.

Desperation filled the woman's eyes. "This humble woman is willing to re-gild the Buddha statues in this temple; willing to practice vegetarianism and perform good deeds for the rest of my life; willing to chant scriptures every day to deliver all souls from suffering... I only hope the Buddha will help me..."

With his eyes closed and head bowed, the elderly monk still offered no reply.

After a moment of silence, the woman lowered her gaze and said, "Does Master still remember how this Hanshan Temple managed to survive the purge of Buddhism back then?"

The monk finally opened his eyes, slowly raising his head. "Why must Your Ladyship make things difficult for this poor monk?"

The woman offered a bitter smile. "Matters of this sort are precisely why I can only seek you out on the pretext of coming here to worship the Buddha."

She looked at the old monk before her, complex emotions swirling in her eyes. "If I don't turn to you, who else can I turn to? My family has been destroyed and gone to ruin. Though you have entered the monastic gates, you did, after all, give birth to me and raise me once upon a time, didn't you?"

"Amitabha..."

The monk lowered his head and closed his eyes once again.

The woman watched him and said no more.

After a long time,

The monk slowly spoke, "Tonight, the students of West Lake Academy will come to the temple to worship and stay the night."

A flicker crossed the woman's eyes. After a brief silence, she remarked, "I fear they are nothing more than a bunch of undeserving mediocre talents with empty reputations."

The monk kept his head lowered in silence.

The woman sighed softly. "Very well. Once they come up, I will take a closer look. If there is anyone who can barely pass muster, then tonight..."

"Amitabha..."

Seeming unable to bear hearing any more, the monk chanted a Buddha's name and bowed his head as he retreated.

Within the grand hall, silence descended once more.

"Students of West Lake Academy, are they?"

The woman's gaze flickered. Raising her head, her peach-blossom-like eyes looked toward the Buddha statue above, her full bosom rising and falling gently with her breaths.

"Hua'er, prepare yourself..."

"Yes, my lady."