Chapter 13
It had been raining for days, and the temperature had dropped significantly. The little beggar was weak and had caught a severe cold, requiring medicine to dispel the chill. The place where the Qingyun Temple monks were distributing porridge and offering medical treatment wasn’t far from the street corner. Liaonian had just been sent by his senior brother to fetch medicine.
When he returned with the medicine for Liaowu, he saw Heng Yu standing nearby with a sugar figurine. Liaonian gave the medicine to Liaowu and whispered something to him.
Liaowu, who was supporting the little beggar’s back and feeding him porridge, looked up at Heng Yu, nodded in greeting, and then continued feeding the beggar.
Liaonian left after putting down the medicine. Passing by Heng Yu, he joined his hands together and said seriously, “Lord Luo, we meet again.”
Heng Yu asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”
Liaonian shook his head.
Heng Yu offered him the untouched sugar figurine. “Want some?”
Liaonian shook his head again.
Heng Yu said, “You seem to be in a bad mood. Eating something sweet might help.”
Hesitation flickered across Liaonian’s face.
Seeing this, Heng Yu simply placed the sugar figurine in his hand. The sugar figurine was shaped like a chubby, auspicious doll, brightly colored. Even without tasting it, one could tell it was sweet.
Liaonian took the sugar figurine and took a small bite. Sweetness filled his mouth, and a smile unconsciously touched his lips.
Heng Yu leaned against the wall, chewing on a piece of foxtail grass she had somehow acquired. The foxtail bobbed up and down as she spoke.
“As a Buddhist disciple, it’s right to have compassion for the suffering of sentient beings. But you’re still so young. You can’t solve the world’s suffering alone. Wait until you reach a higher position before considering shouldering such responsibilities and burdens.”
“For now, you should be happy and proud of what you can do.”
Liaonian’s gaze was drawn to the bobbing foxtail grass. He rubbed his eyes with his free hand and said shyly, “Lord Luo, did you guess why I’m in a bad mood?”
Did she need to guess?
Heng Yu looked at the sickly beggar, the emaciated and sorrowful elderly people nearby, and the pregnant woman seeking medical treatment with no joy on her face…
This was just a small corner of the town.
Noticing her gaze, Liaonian scratched his head.
“It’s because my cultivation is lacking. Senior Brother Liaowu carries the burden of Buddhism…”
Realizing he had said something he shouldn’t have, Liaonian coughed and stopped abruptly, his expression regretful.
The burden of what in Buddhism?
Heng Yu narrowed her eyes slightly.
Just then, another novice came to find Liaonian. He said to Heng Yu, “Lord Luo, I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave.”
He hurried off with the other novice.
Heng Yu stood there for a moment, seeing that Liaowu seemed to have finished giving the beggar medicine. She walked over to him.
Just now, standing under the osmanthus tree, she had smelled the sweet fragrance of osmanthus flowers and seen only the pure white blossoms. Now, after taking just a few steps forward, the feeling was completely different. This street corner wasn’t just home to one beggar; the environment was dirty and chaotic, the mixed smells strange.
But soon, Heng Yu smelled the faint, calming scent of sandalwood. This was the scent of Liaowu’s robes, imbued from years of living in the temple and serving before Buddha.
“Lord Luo, why are you here?” Liaowu looked at her.
Heng Yu shook her head without speaking, quietly watching him. He took out a thin blanket from his storage ring and covered the little beggar with it. After the beggar’s complexion improved slightly, he stood up and led Heng Yu out of the dirty street corner.
Leaving the alley, the light brightened considerably. Heng Yu saw black handprints on his robes and some dark grime on his hands.
Liaowu naturally noticed it as well and cast a cleansing spell. After his robes were clean again, he looked at Heng Yu. “Does Lord Luo have any other plans?”
Heng Yu shook her head, indicating she didn’t.
Liaowu said, “This poor monk wants to buy some candies and snacks at the grocery store to keep in my storage ring, but I don’t know which ones are good. I’d like to invite Lord Luo to help me choose.”
Heng Yu raised an eyebrow. Buy candies and snacks?
“Alright.”
They walked side by side. After turning two corners, they arrived at the busiest street in Hua City. It was the weekly market day, and the street was bustling with vendors selling various foods and trinkets.
Heng Yu knew the general location of the grocery store and walked straight ahead.
Liaowu followed silently. Seeing a stall, he paused. “Lord Luo, wait a moment.”
Heng Yu stopped and looked at him inquisitively.
Liaowu pointed to a sugar figurine stall a few meters ahead. “Let’s take a look.”
Several finished sugar figurines of various shapes were displayed in front of the stall. The stall owner was an old man with skillful hands. With a few swift movements, he created an exquisite sugar figurine.
Noticing someone approaching, the old man looked up and saw a monk and a woman in Daoist robes.
The old man was stunned. “Master, what would you like?”
“Amitabha.” Liaowu looked at Heng Yu. “This poor monk borrowed a handful of candies from Lord Luo the other day. Today, I’ll return the favor with a sugar figurine.”
He had originally intended to buy candies for Heng Yu at the grocery store, but while feeding the beggar porridge, he had noticed Heng Yu giving her sugar figurine to Liaonian.
It just so happened they were passing by a sugar figurine stall.
Heng Yu smiled softly. “Old man, can you make two sugar figurines for me? Modeled after me and this master.”
With business coming his way, the old man naturally didn’t refuse. He carefully observed Liaowu and Heng Yu’s features and, with swift hands, created two sugar figurines in less than a quarter of an hour.
The old man handed both figurines to Heng Yu.
Heng Yu held the sugar figurine modeled after Liaowu and felt that while it was similar, something was missing.
After a moment of thought, she took out some strawberry jam from her storage ring and dotted it between the sugar figurine’s eyebrows, creating a cinnabar mole.
“Done.”
Heng Yu handed Liaowu his sugar figurine.
Liaowu looked at the figurine.
The sugar figurine, originally only eighty percent similar, now looked exactly like him with the cinnabar mole.
He lowered his gaze and accepted it, asking the price and paying the old man with copper coins.
“Let’s continue,” he said to Heng Yu.
Heng Yu walked a few steps with her sugar figurine and noticed Liaowu was still staring at his.
She asked with a smile, “Senior Brother Liaowu, are you finding it hard to eat a sugar figurine that looks like you?”
Liaowu said, “That’s partly true. I’m also impressed by this folk art. The sugar figurine is incredibly lifelike.”
Heng Yu stopped, took the sugar figurine from Liaowu’s hand, and gave him hers.
She winked, a sly smile on her face. “To help you overcome your mental block, I don’t mind exchanging sugar figurines with you.”
“Buddha-son of the Undying Sect, you mustn’t waste food.”
Under Liaowu’s gaze, Heng Yu took a large bite of the sugar figurine, biting off half of the monk’s head.
Liaowu: “…”
He lowered his gaze and bit off the entire head of his sugar figurine.
Heng Yu: “…”
He definitely did that on purpose!
The grocery store they were looking for was the largest in town, with a wider variety of candies and snacks.
On market day, the grocery store was bustling.
Having finished her sugar figurine, Heng Yu threw away the stick and entered the store.
Liaowu was still slowly savoring his sugar figurine. Buddhist cultivators of the Undying Sect practiced asceticism and didn’t pursue the taste or texture of food, often eating just enough to satiate their hunger.
Liaowu rarely ate snacks and had never tried a sugar figurine before.
Inside the store, Heng Yu picked out several types of cookies. After confirming with the shopkeeper that she could sample them, she broke off a piece and offered it to Liaowu.
“Try it. Do you like it?”
Liaowu accepted it and took a bite.
The cookie was crispy and delicious.
After choosing cookies and candies, Heng Yu also picked out some nuts. The quantity of each snack wasn’t much, but with the variety, the total amount was considerable.
After finishing their shopping, Heng Yu and Liaowu returned to where the temple monks were distributing porridge and offering medical treatment.
Liaonian was brewing medicine. Seeing Liaowu return, he smiled. “Senior Brother, you’re back.”
Liaowu nodded. “You’ve worked hard.”
He took out a package of pine nuts from his storage ring and handed it to Liaonian. “Have some snacks.”
Liaonian accepted it, stunned.
He and his senior brother had only been apart for a little over an hour.
His senior brother never ate snacks before. Why were there suddenly pine nuts in his storage ring?!
“Do you think it’s not enough?” Liaowu asked gently, seeing his dazed expression.
Before Liaonian could answer, Liaowu took out another package of marshmallow-like candies. “These are also good.”
Since there was nothing else for him to do here, Liaowu let Liaonian continue brewing the medicine and went to help with the medical treatment, checking on the little beggar’s cold.
“Lord Luo, why does my senior brother seem different?” Liaonian looked at the other person involved.
Lord Luo had been with his senior brother for over an hour. She must know why he had changed.
Heng Yu asked, “Do you think this change is good or bad?”
Liaonian popped a marshmallow into his mouth.
He chewed for a few times and swallowed.
“…Probably a good change.”
He and Liaowu were both direct disciples of the Undying Sect’s leader, but their relationship wasn’t particularly close. Back then, Liaonian always felt that Liaowu was too cold and aloof.
But now, his senior brother had specially prepared snacks for him. Even though his demeanor was still aloof, Liaonian felt that his senior brother was more approachable now.
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