Chapter 11
As Heng Yu walked out of the room, she saw the young novice who had led her there earlier returning with a man.
“Here to see Man Xue’er?” Heng Yu asked.
Zhao Fan’s face paled slightly when he saw her. “Yes, Miss. I wanted to bring her some food. If it’s inconvenient for me to see her, could Miss please pass this to her?”
He held up a food basket covered with a floral cloth. A small corner was lifted, revealing green bean cakes inside.
Heng Yu looked at Liaonian. “Go ask Man Xue’er if she wants to see him.”
Liaonian obediently turned around, but after taking two steps, he regretfully patted his forehead: Why was he listening to this demonic woman?
However, having already reached the door, Liaonian entered the room.
A moment later, he came out. “Amitabha. Benefactor, you may enter and speak with your old friend.”
Man Xue’er had agreed to see him, but Zhao Fan hesitated.
He pursed his lips and then entered the room with newfound courage.
After the door closed, Heng Yu said to Liaowu, “See? Those with feelings also suffer.”
Man Xue’er had been married for a year, yet Zhao Fan still hadn’t let go.
Liaowu looked at her. “In Lord Luo’s eyes, are there any who do not suffer?”
Heng Yu smiled. “Of course. I, for example.”
“Only those who desire something but cannot obtain it suffer.”
She winked at Liaowu, her expression sly, as if saying: You seek the Buddhist path, so you also desire something you cannot obtain.
The young monk Liaonian stood behind them, listening silently to their conversation. He followed Heng Yu’s logic and couldn’t help but scratch his head. “Senior Brother, I think what Lord Luo said… seems quite reasonable.”
Heng Yu patted the little monk’s shaved head. “Of course my words are reasonable.”
Liaowu said to Liaonian, “You’re following Lord Luo’s logic, so naturally, you find her words reasonable.”
This Lord Luo of the Hehuan Sect was truly eloquent. If the person she was talking to wasn’t clear-headed, they could easily be persuaded or deceived by her.
Heng Yu clicked her tongue inwardly.
This Buddha-son was truly unwavering and impervious to persuasion.
She smoothed her sleeves. “Senior Brother Liaowu, are you free now? It’s still an hour before mealtime. Shall we go to the temple kitchen?”
“Alright.”
Liaowu opened his oil-paper umbrella and walked towards the kitchen.
Heng Yu quickly followed with her umbrella.
Liaonian stood there for a moment, looked around, realized there were no more umbrellas, and shouted, “Senior Brother, wait for me!” before running into the rain and under Liaowu’s umbrella.
In the room, Man Xue’er sat on the bed.
Zhao Fan came in, pulled a stool to the bedside, sat opposite her, and looked uneasy.
“Brother Zhao Fan,” Man Xue’er called out. “Didn’t you bring me food? What did you bring?”
Hearing the familiar address, surprise and joy flickered across Zhao Fan’s face.
He quickly pushed the food basket towards Man Xue’er. “Green bean cakes from the pastry shop in the east of the city. You used to love their cakes.”
Man Xue’er lifted the cloth, took a cake, and put it in her mouth.
“Still the same taste,” Man Xue’er said.
Zhao Fan relaxed a little. He said, “I still remember when we were young, I made you angry once, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t coax you. Finally, I spent all my copper coins to buy you two green bean cakes, and that finally made you happy.”
“Yes, but without the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia, these green bean cakes are just average.”
Man Xue’er covered the basket again and pushed it back to Zhao Fan. “Brother Zhao Fan, don’t trap yourself. I’ve let go of my obsession. You should too, and live your life well.”
The Qingyun Temple kitchen was behind the rooms. There were many young novices in the temple who hadn’t yet reached the stage of “fasting”, so the kitchen was bustling. A monk in charge of cooking was leading several novices in preparing vegetarian meals.
Liaowu entered and briefly explained his purpose.
The monk in charge smiled good-naturedly and gestured for Liaowu to help himself.
Having obtained permission, Liaowu walked out of the kitchen and looked at Heng Yu, who was standing under an apricot tree. “What would Lord Luo like to eat?”
Heng Yu was amused. “Can I really have anything I want? You’ve never cooked before.”
Liaowu said calmly, “I can learn. I might not be able to make it today, but I can succeed after a few tries.”
Heng Yu didn’t expect Liaowu to be so frank.
So frank that she felt a little embarrassed to make any overly demanding requests.
Well… just a little.
So Heng Yu replied, “The Bodhi cakes of the Undying Sect are famous. I’d like to try them.”
Bodhi cakes were made from ground Bodhi leaves, flour, and other ingredients, steamed until cooked. Because they were difficult to make, they were only sold near the Undying Sect. In this remote town, people had only heard of them, never seen them.
Liaowu said, “Bodhi cakes are bitter. Lord Luo probably won’t like them.”
Bitter?
Heng Yu had a sweet tooth and hated bitter things. Bodhi cakes were exactly what she disliked.
But after thinking for a moment, Heng Yu decided on it.
For no other reason than… it was difficult to make : )
It gradually grew dark.
Walking through the ginkgo forest, Heng Yu returned to her courtyard. She sat cross-legged on her bed, not cultivating, but lost in thought.
She took out the jade pendant that recorded her admiration value and placed it in front of her.
“I haven’t been able to break through from late Foundation Establishment to the peak. Could it be… that I really have to rely on admiration value?”
Heng Yu pondered for a long time but couldn’t make a decision.
The next day, the weather cleared.
After several days of wind and rain, the ginkgo leaves covered the ground in a thick layer.
Heng Yu wanted to ask Liaowu about the demon, so she went to Qingyun Temple early in the morning. A novice led her through long corridors and several courtyards, finally arriving at Liaowu’s room.
It was still early morning. The window of Liaowu’s room was half-open, and he sat by the window, reading scriptures. The warm sunlight shone on him, as if he were bathed in a golden glow.
Heng Yu stood outside the window, resting her hands on the windowsill as she watched him.
Liaowu closed the scriptures. “Lord Luo seems troubled.”
“You can tell?” Heng Yu smiled casually.
She shifted her position to stand more comfortably.
“This poor monk can sense it faintly.”
“Then guess what’s troubling me.”
What was troubling her?
Liaowu lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks.
Nothing seemed amiss yesterday, but today, she was troubled. This trouble didn’t seem to come from the outside, but from within herself.
“Have you guessed it?” Heng Yu asked.
“It should be a cultivation problem.”
Heng Yu nodded, not hiding anything. “If there’s something I must do, but to accomplish it, I have to go against my principles and risk being controlled by others, what do you think is the best choice?”
Liaowu’s lips curved into a faint smile.
“Lord Luo is blinded by her current situation. I remember when we first met, Lord Luo said that when you are weaker than others, you might temporarily submit and play along, but the final outcome will always be as you desire.”
Enlightened by Liaowu’s words, Heng Yu smiled.
She realized she had been overthinking it. The answer had been spoken by her all along, yet she had been struggling until now. — She sought freedom and detachment, but she currently lacked the strength to support her pursuit.
At this time, she should prioritize becoming stronger. Once she was strong, she could eliminate all obstacles to her freedom and detachment.
“I was indeed blinded by my situation,” Heng Yu admitted. “Thank you, Senior Brother Liaowu.”
“I merely repeated your own words.”
He didn’t take credit.
Heng Yu didn’t disturb him further and turned to enter Man Xue’er’s room.
Man Xue’er was reading the travelogue Heng Yu had given her. Seeing Heng Yu, she quickly sat up straight. “Miss, you’re here.”
Heng Yu said, “You seem happy?”
“Firstly, because I read the travelogue Miss gave me and learned about the vastness of the outside world. Secondly, because Brother Zhao Fan promised me that he would live well and not be trapped by the past.”
Heng Yu was stunned. She hadn’t expected Man Xue’er to personally enlighten Zhao Fan.
But soon, Heng Yu smiled. “These are indeed things worth celebrating.”
She changed the subject and asked Man Xue’er what it felt like to be invaded by a demon.
“During that time, I kept hearing a voice in my head. It said that if I merged with it, it would give me the power of revenge. At first, I thought I was hallucinating, but that voice had a strange power. It seemed…” Man Xue’er searched for the right word, “like it could maximize my anger and resentment. I was overwhelmed by these negative emotions and agreed to merge with it without thinking clearly.”
Heng Yu nodded.
She had read about this in the “Continental Records” —
Demons could amplify a person’s negative emotions. As long as there was a weakness in one’s heart, even a cultivator at the Soul Formation stage could be corrupted.
That was why demons were feared by cultivators throughout the continent.
Man Xue’er thought for a moment and added, “When I killed Li Jia, I… wasn’t fully conscious. It wasn’t until Miss appeared that I snapped out of that dazed state. After that, the voice never echoed in my head again.”
Just then, a knock came from outside the room.
Then came Liaonian’s voice: “Lord Luo, we’re about to chant the purification mantra for Miss Man.”
Heng Yu sent a wave of spiritual energy, and the closed door opened slightly.
Liaowu, dressed in green, entered and sat beside Heng Yu. He nodded slightly at Man Xue’er, closed his eyes, and began chanting the purification mantra.
Heng Yu listened attentively. She realized that the purification mantra wasn’t a simple chant. Liaonian was also channeling his spiritual energy to empower the mantra.
After listening for a while…
Heng Yu wasn’t sure about the mantra’s ability to dispel demonic Qi, but its hypnotic effect was first-rate.
She yawned quietly, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and rested her head on the table, falling asleep.
Liaowu paused in turning his prayer beads.
For a moment, he wondered if he had chanted the wrong mantra, turning the purification mantra into a sleep spell.