Within the grand temple, beneath the main hall, Xu Qing sat cross-legged. Dim lamplight illuminated his face, his deep-set eyes mirroring the boundless expanse of the Gobi Desert sky.
“Wang, your mind is troubled.”
Mosah, holding an oil lamp, lit the surrounding murals, then sat quietly beside him.
Xu Qing closed his eyes. Light from the window cast the silhouette of his solitary, proud figure. His lips moved, murmuring scriptures, offering no reply.
“The desert enchantress of yesteryear caused you to be betrayed by your followers and forced into the monastic life. Now she returns to disrupt your cultivation. What is your intention, Wang?”
The magnificent hall was lined with gilded clay Buddha statues, vast and desolate.
“Send her out of the pass.”
“Wang knows she will not leave,” Mosah paused, then continued, “You have entered the Buddhist path. Returning to the palace to entangle yourself with her was already a transgression. If you do not sever ties, you will surely be plagued by chaos.”
Xu Qing’s eyes opened. He gazed at the Sakyamuni Buddha statue above, his expression as indifferent as if separated by myriad ravines. Silence reigned, broken only by the sound of prayer beads rolling.
After a moment, his clear, aloof voice echoed through the empty hall.
“What did you do.”
Mosah’s heart sank. He replied calmly, “I have uprooted this karmic entanglement for you, Wang, to end it completely.”
A cold blade was suddenly pressed against his neck, and a killing aura surged around him.
Mosah looked up. The profound outline of Xu Qing’s face before him seemed to have transformed. The ruthlessness and murderous intent in his eyes momentarily brought back the image of the Northern Army Wang from years ago on the battlefield.
“A monastic does not commit acts of violence. I merely erased her memories and sent her away. For you to be so enraged, drawing a blade against me before the Buddha, is a transgression.”
Xu Qing’s gaze was icy. He withdrew his blade and turned to leave.
The martial prowess of those pursuers was indeed formidable. However, Chi Yan had always navigated treacherous paths, surviving countless near-death experiences to reach her current position. Thus, she had no intention of confronting them head-on.
She fired a signal flare and fled deeper into the mountains. The peculiar scent emanating from her person confused the experts, drawing them towards a cliff edge.
However, later, she had a change of heart.
She couldn’t bear to displease him, but she could use these people to gain his sympathy.
Therefore, upon sensing her hidden guards arriving, she deliberately held back and allowed herself to be captured.
Yet, she hadn't anticipated that their intention wasn't to kill her, but to capture her and force-feed her a medicinal substance.
Having been accustomed to deceit and treachery since childhood, Chi Yan, despite not knowing the nature of the medicine, refused to ingest it.
“Aba Huan.”
Her hidden guard immediately kicked aside the expert restraining her, and a fierce battle ensued between the two groups.
The origin of these formidable fighters was unknown.
Her numerous hidden guards struggled to subdue them.
Chi Yan, unwilling to continue this charade, instructed her guards to keep the opponents occupied. She then grabbed a blade and plunged it into her own shoulder before turning to flee.
The weather had been unfavorable recently, with skies perpetually overcast and the mountain winds bitterly cold.
She stumbled onward, blood streaming, making her way towards the temple. Blood dripped through her fingers, seeping into her thin azure silk blouse, creating blood-red patterns.
However, she had overestimated herself. The blow hadn’t been measured carefully, and after running for so long, she collapsed in the dense woods.
The next day, a young monk from the temple, out to fetch water, discovered her lying on the ground and brought her back.
Xu Qing, having finished his morning prayers, saw her being carried back, his expression instantly changing.
“Wang.”
The young monks watched in astonishment as the Wang carried the young woman away, exchanging bewildered glances.
Xu Qing brought her to his small courtyard and summoned a physician.
Located in the mountains outside the pass, finding a doctor was difficult, and with the delay of a night and significant blood loss, her face was terrifyingly pale.
He directly tore open her clothes and began to dress her wound with the medicine readily available in the room.
Even in her unconscious state, she murmured his name repeatedly, causing him immense agitation.
His usually calm and unruffled heart felt as though it were being torn asunder, forcing him to confront his inner feelings and cease his evasion.
“Good girl, be obedient, don’t move.”
Perhaps his voice offered her some comfort, as she ceased her struggles and lay still, though her brow remained furrowed as if in pain.
He applied the medicine minimally and bandaged the wound.
Later, when the physician arrived, he prescribed a further course of treatment and prepared a medicinal decoction.
He stayed by her side for the entire night.
The large oil lamp flickered, casting their tightly pressed shadows.
Xu Qing stood up and leaned against the bedside.
He gazed at her weak, pale face, his eyes lost in contemplation for an unknown duration, when memories of the past suddenly surged through his mind.
He closed his eyes, and after a brief moment, two streams of clear tears traced paths down his cheeks.
“A’Xuan Gege.”
A soft, whispered murmur brought his thoughts back.
Xu Qing’s eyes opened. He saw her unconsciously calling his name. His eyes deepened, and he suddenly leaned down, biting her lips fiercely.
Deep in slumber, Chi Yan sensed the familiar presence she yearned for, instinctively coiling her head around his, responding.
His bite was fierce, as if venting years of suppressed rage.
Blood spread in his mouth. She felt pain and tried to pull away, but her cheeks were firmly held by him, forcing her to endure.
Within the dim tent, the flickering lamplight illuminated their entwined figures.
The wind outside swept across the eaves, and the bells hanging from the beams chimed softly.
A faint light rose from the distant eastern horizon, beginning to illuminate the land.
The light pierced through the lattice of the window and shone inside.
Chi Yan gradually regained consciousness. She dazedly rubbed her head and sat up, looking around, realizing she was back in his private courtyard.
Before she could even process this, the door was pushed open.
Chi Yan instinctively looked towards it, seeing Xu Qing enter with a bowl of medicine.
She immediately feigned weakness, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
“A’Xuan Gege, the monks in your temple are too cruel. They sent people to kill me and gave me a huge wound, it hurts so much.”
She was deliberately employing this stratagem of self-inflicted injury, hoping to elicit his sympathy and affection.
Xu Qing brought the medicine to her, his expression placid.
“Drink it.”
Seeing his indifference, Chi Yan bit her lip and tugged at his arm, acting coy.
“It hurts, it hurts so much, can you blow on it?”
Xu Qing lowered his gaze. “You stabbed yourself. Who are you blaming?”
“---”
Chi Yan huffed. “It was your temple’s monk who stabbed me.”
“A monastic does not commit violence. Do not speak such nonsense.” He pushed the medicine bowl closer to her. “Drink up quickly.”
Chi Yan felt wronged. She had resorted to this tactic because he had been unwilling to forgive her.
“Feed me.”
She looked up at him with glistening eyes, a hint of delicate vulnerability in her gaze.
Xu Qing paused, then sat down and began to feed her, spoonful by spoonful.
Chi Yan’s expression was slightly stunned. Why did he seem to have become so much gentler?
“Open your mouth.”
His solitary voice slowly entered her ears.
She happily curved her eyes into a smile and obediently drank the medicine.
Whatever the case, improvement was progress.
After she finished the medicine, he left.
Chi Yan’s wound ached, but she couldn’t stop him, so she could only wait for his return in boredom.
He did not return until noon.
A young monk brought her food. She sighed deeply, looking at the bland, watery meal.
She had lost so much weight on this mountain.
As the thought crossed her mind, she lowered her head and glanced at her chest, secretly feeling fortunate that this part hadn't diminished.
He had always liked this part of her the most.