On the way up the mountain, Su Qianqian imagined countless scenarios of meeting her sweetheart in her mind.
One of them was the most alluring.
The Cyan Mountain Ancient Temple, green tiles, and red walls, a young monk in a moon-white robe standing under an ancient tree, smiling gently with a flower in hand.
The young monk's eyes were as clear as water, cold and indifferent, but when he looked at her, he seemed to speak yet remained silent, a myriad of emotions entwined in his brows and eyes!
Whenever she thought passionately, Su Qianqian felt her cheeks flush, her heart like a little deer desperately trying to escape, chaotic and sweet.
A young girl's heart in springtime, just like this!
However, ideals are full, but reality is very bony!
Su Qianqian came with a wealth of affection, only to be met not by a young monk smiling gently with a flower, but by a hurtful phrase!
"Impossible, I don't believe it!"
Su Qianqian's eyes were shocked, her expression flustered, like a child at a loss.
Unwillingly, she said, "Little Monk, you must be mistaken! I am Su Qianqian, the daughter of Su Changyuan from the Imperial Censorate! Please inform Master Fajing that I'm here to see him! If Master Fajing knows I've come, he will definitely come to see me!"
The novice monk remained unmoved.
He put his palms together and bowed to Su Qianqian: "Then there's no mistake! You are indeed the lady donor mentioned by Uncle Master Fajing, the only daughter of Lord Su Changyuan, the future Imperial Consort of His Highness the Sixth Prince!"
The novice monk said, "Donor Su, please go back. Uncle Master Fajing won't see you!"
After saying this, the novice monk reached out to close the door.
Su Qianqian suddenly had a stroke of inspiration and said, "The engagement has been broken, I've broken the engagement!"
She looked at the novice monk and said anxiously, "Little Monk, please tell Master Fajing that I've already broken off the engagement with Zhao Yi! I am now without a blemish, he doesn't need to avoid suspicion when meeting me!"
The novice monk was directly stunned.
Obviously, he didn't expect such a maneuver of breaking an engagement.
He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Please wait a moment, donor, I will report to Uncle Master Fajing."
Su Qianqian nodded repeatedly: "Thank you, Little Monk!"
The novice monk did not say much and directly closed the gate.
Zen Hall.
"The engagement has been broken?"
The protagonist was sitting on a meditation mat reciting sutras.
Upon hearing the novice monk's report, he was so shocked he almost jumped off the ground!
"This is trouble!"
"What a disaster!"
"Calamity has come knocking!"
The protagonist's face was tense, fists clenched, racing with furious curses in his mind!
"Has that woman gone mad? This humble monk already said he did not wish to be involved with her, why does she continue to pester?"
"Because of that bowl of vegetarian porridge last time, Sixth Prince Zhao Yi already harbors resentment against this humble monk, otherwise, he wouldn't have snatched that dead egg!"
"Now that woman has actually broken off the engagement, the Sixth Prince is sure to hate this humble monk to death. It might be as hard as climbing to the sky to get that dead egg from him now!"
The protagonist grew angrier and angrier, finally becoming so enraged he nearly fumed.
The aged voice fell silent.
The hardest thing in this world is love.
Faced with such a tricky situation, he also didn't know what to do.
After a long silence, the aged voice said, "This woman might find it interesting for now, but over time it should fade away, no need to pay too much attention! How is the preparation of the Beauty Pill going?"
The protagonist took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the irritation in his heart, and said helplessly, "The refining process for the Beauty Pill is too complicated, even following the alchemical methods you taught, I have only succeeded in refining three pills!"
The aged voice said, "Three is enough! The Beauty Pill has incredible effects of preserving beauty for women. Even if there's only one, as long as used properly, it can achieve unexpected results!"
The protagonist nodded: "I heard that Second Prince Zhao Mian is on good terms with Sixth Prince Zhao Yi, and on February 2nd next month is Zhao Mian's birthday. I plan to gift a Beauty Pill as a birthday present to the Second Prince. Then, maybe he can mediate, and Zhao Yi might return that dead egg to me!"
The protagonist asked, "Ancestor, what do you think?"
The aged voice said, "As long as you have a plan in mind, there's no need to consult me on everything."
The protagonist nodded.
He sighed, unwillingly saying, "If Zhao Yi wasn't of the royal family, it wouldn't require so much trouble! The materials for refining the Beauty Pill are too precious, even as the Buddha's Son of West Mountain Temple, I can't afford it! If it wasn't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't be willing to give away this precious pill!"
The aged voice said, "Fortune and calamity come hand in hand, external things shouldn't concern you too much!"
The protagonist gritted his teeth and said, "That's easy to say, but the anger in my heart is hard to extinguish! All this arose because of that wretched woman from the Su family; if not for her, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state! Hateful and infuriating!"
The aged voice fell silent again.
Instead of dissolving the protagonist's evil thoughts with profound Buddhist Dharma, it seemed to intentionally bolster those thoughts!
This hatred and contempt for women, as long as it is strong enough, will prevent the protagonist from ever giving his heart to a woman.
This, for someone practicing Buddhism, is a good thing!
No women in the heart, naturally a divine Buddha!
Creaaak!
The tightly closed courtyard door opened once more.
Su Qianqian's spirit lifted, she quickly asked, "Little Monk, what did Master Fajing say?"
The novice monk placed his hands together, his expression solemn as he said, "Donor, please go back. Do not come to West Mountain Temple again in the future, this temple does not welcome you!"
Without waiting for Su Qianqian to reply, after speaking, he directly closed the courtyard door!
Bang bang!
Su Qianqian pounded on the door forcefully.
"What do you mean? Make it clear! What did Master Fajing say exactly? Also, why can't I come to West Mountain Temple anymore in the future? Give me an explanation!"
Bang bang bang!
Su Qianqian knocked forcefully, but no response came from inside.
The door, like a barrier, divided two worlds.
Inside the door was utmost brightness, monks chanting uninterruptedly, like a paradise of bliss.
Outside was dark and cold, the mountain wind howled piercingly, as if a cavern of fierce ghosts wailing.
Unbeknownst to her, rain started to fall.
The mountain wind was already chilly, now combined with the damp cold, Su Qianqian shivered.
She stepped forward, squatting in the corner by the door to avoid the rain, hugging her knees, trembling from the cold.
After some unknown time, Su Qianqian suddenly heard someone calling her name by her ear.
Half-awake, she opened her eyes and saw a thin figure standing in front of her.
That person held an umbrella with one hand and a lantern with the other, looking down at her, eyes full of sympathy.
Su Qianqian's eyes widened, and upon recognizing the person, her eyes instantly reddened, she choked up, "Dad～"
Su Changyuan sighed heavily.
He took off his cloak and draped it over Su Qianqian, then carefully helped her up.
"Come on, let's go home with Dad!"
Upon hearing this, Su Qianqian's tears fell like strings of pearls breaking.
She lifted her head, looking at Su Changyuan with tearful eyes, pitifully said, "Dad, I..."
Su Changyuan raised his hand to interrupt her, shaking his head: "There's no need to say anything, your father knows it all! Let's go, go back home first, we'll talk at home!"
Su Qianqian timidly nodded, leaning on her father's hand to stand up, glancing back at the tightly closed door, her eyes quickly flashed a hint of reluctance.
"Master Fajing～"
ps: Seeking collections, recommendations, and completion reading!