"Sister benefactor, aren't you going to eat?" The little monk, who was covered in dirt from being beaten by Xue Qing, looked up and asked her.
"I don't like eating steamed buns..." Xue Qing said. Actually, she was afraid that the steamed buns might be poisoned. Given Abbot Chan Kong's character, his disciples might be willing to use any means necessary to deceive him.
"You should have said so earlier. We're all family here, why be so polite? Hui Shi, give the Demon Star some other food." Another senior monk instructed the junior monk.
"Hey!" the little monk responded, took a plate from the food box and ran to deliver it to Xue Qing. The plate contained... dumplings!
"Your food is quite good," Xue Qing said, tears streaming down her face, as she took out a silver needle and pricked each dumpling.
“Every time we receive donations from various temples, the abbot keeps half of it and gives us the rest for food. Our abbot is a very kind person, isn’t he?” said a young monk.
Xue Qing frowned. This was called embezzlement, and he was even embezzling without any fear. There are gods watching from above; she couldn't walk with Abbot Chankong on a rainy day—it was easy to get struck by lightning. Taking a bite of the dumpling, Xue Qing found it quite delicious—celery and pork filling… pork! Startled, Xue Qing spat it out: “What kind of filling is this? How can you eat this!”
"The abbot said this is celery and ginseng filling. The abbot is so good to us; we often eat ginseng in our temple," the little monk said, blinking his innocent big eyes.
What ginseng! This thing isn't called ginseng, it's called meat! You bald monk, how dare you deceive these pure monks into calling meat ginseng! Xue Qing is wrong, Abbot Chankong won't be struck by lightning, he'll be hit directly on the head by a meteorite!
"You really admit defeat? If you really admit defeat, I'm leaving!" Xue Qing said, drawing her sword after finishing her meal.
“Amitabha, please take your time, benefactor. Be sure to pretend to be tired, lest the abbot become suspicious,” the head monk said to Xue Qing with his hands clasped together.
Xue Qing grabbed a handful of ash, smeared it on her face, and walked out of the tower. It was snowing outside, a thin layer covering the ground, just like the day Liu Ying left. She hoped the old bald monk wasn't lying to her, or she would really go berserk and cause a scene at Shaolin Temple.
A young monk was waiting for her outside the tower: "Benefactor Demon Star, the abbot has given instructions. Please follow me."
Xue Qing followed the little monk to Abbot Chankong's residence. Damn it! All the other buildings on Shaoshi Mountain were understated and full of Buddhist atmosphere, but his residence was made to look like a palace. It was like he had traveled from Qilin Pavilion!
"Little monk, if you want to start a rebellion, go to the Emei Sect and the Wudang Sect. They will definitely support you," Xue Qing said to the little monk.
“You jest, benefactor demon star. The abbot says he is waiting for you in bed. Please come in,” the young monk said.
Xue Qing suddenly didn't want to go in. If Liu Ying were waiting on the bed, she would definitely pounce on her like a hungry tiger. The same action by someone else really stirred up waves in her heart.
Abbot Chankong was indeed waiting on the bed, his kasaya hanging to the side. He was lying on the bed reading a book, dressed in an earth-yellow monk's robe. When he was quiet and didn't speak, he really had the air of a Buddhist holy monk, but as soon as he opened his mouth, his image was ruined.
"Demon Star, sit."
"Thank you, bald monk," Xue Qing said, sitting down in a chair.
"Didn't it hurt you?" Abbot Chankong asked kindly, but there was no sign of concern on his face.
"Tell me what you promised, and I won't feel pain. Otherwise, I'll kick you back," Xue Qing replied, pretending to be exhausted and out of breath.
“Alas, what is love in this world? I see that you, Demon Star, have great potential. Why not enter the Buddhist order and pass on the position of abbot of Shaolin to you after I pass away?” said Abbot Chankong.
"No need, I'm not as gifted as you think..." Xue Qing replied. This is too outrageous! They really don't treat her like a woman? What kind of woman would be the abbot of Shaolin Temple? If she's destined to be without happiness, she'd rather be the head of Emei Sect!
"Alas, you have personally blocked the path to the Western Paradise. Haven't I reformed you enough?"
"Tell me quickly how to bring Liu Ying back to my side, or I'll stab her deeply." Xue Qing moved the Qingyun Sword at her waist.
Abbot Chankong took out a bottle of medicine and gave it to Xue Qing: "Huiying was picked up from the desert. To prevent him from betraying us in the future, I gave him poison. It takes effect once a month, and he must take the antidote in time, otherwise he will die from intestinal perforation. Now I am giving you the antidote, which is equivalent to entrusting his life to you. He will do whatever you ask him to do."
Xue Qing looked at the unremarkable medicine bottle in her hand: "Really?"
“Why don’t you try it and see? You won’t lose anything anyway. I’ve already written to him informing him about the transfer of the antidote, and I believe he’ll come back to you soon,” Abbot Chankong said.
Xue Qing put the antidote away. If it was real, that would be great; if it was fake, she wouldn't lose anything. She would just have to see if Liu Ying would actually come looking for her.
Seeing the joyful expression on Xue Qing's face, Abbot Chankong sighed, "Back then, I was also deeply in love with the nun, but she never accepted my feelings. So I can only place my hopes on you. I hope you will take good care of yourself."
"Thank you for your generosity, bald monk." Xue Qing thanked him happily. Yan Ming could use force to keep Nangong Luoluo by his side and develop feelings for her over time, so she was willing to take the plunge. A woman with unsatisfied desires has nothing to fear! Humans can no longer stop her!
Amidst the drifting snowflakes, Liu Ying walked alone to the Mirror Lake that Mu Lan had mentioned. The calm surface of the lake brought peace to the hearts of all who saw it. Beside the lake stood a giant hibiscus tree, now bare due to the changing seasons, with only a line of large characters carved on it: "Pluck the flower while it blooms, for when there are no flowers left, you will break the branch in vain."
Before descending the mountain, Abbot Chankong's words lingered in my mind: "I only ask you one question: if even she were gone, would you really be willing to let her go?"
It was precisely because he couldn't bear to part with her that he was even more afraid to face her. The dream he had this morning made him even more uneasy. Was he possessed by a demon? He was still worried about leaving her alone on Shaoshi Mountain. He was eager to rush back to her side to see if she was safe and sound.
A plump little pigeon huffed and puffed its way to Liuying's side. Liuying caught the pigeon, tore off the letter from its leg—it was from Abbot Chankong. Liuying read the letter, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the lake. This was a good idea, and most importantly, it provided a way for her to get back to her. Was she like a firefly caught in a spider's web, trapped and unable to escape?
Xue Qing stayed at Shaoshi Mountain for a few more days, but before she could see Liu Ying, she received a letter from Jian Die urging her to return to Lingyu immediately, as Dong Chou was critically ill. Upon receiving this letter, Xue Qing dared not delay any longer. She quickly packed her bags, said goodbye to Abbot Chan Kong, and hurriedly ran down the mountain.
Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Xue Qing led the white horse from the stable towards the main road. The horse snorted and kept trying to bite Xue Qing, but fortunately, she was prepared and had brought a bundle of carrots. She fed it one every now and then, which finally cheered the horse up a bit. Before they even reached the main road, Xue Qing stopped the horse. There was a faint murderous aura in the air. Xue Qing gripped the hilt of her Qingyun sword, warily sensing the surrounding atmosphere. Only the sound of the wind could be heard. Suddenly, a chilling aura rose from behind her. Xue Qing turned and drew her Qingyun sword. The clear sound of metal clashing rang out, and a force made her take two steps back. In her sight, a man held a dagger, his face expressionless, his eyes as emotionless as a puppet's.
"Lacquer!" Xue Qing exclaimed in surprise.
Qi aimed the dagger at Xue Qing and approached step by step. Yan Ming's order was to capture her alive, so he didn't aim directly at vital points. Xue Qing's martial arts had improved greatly during this time, and it would be quite difficult to capture her alive unharmed. So he would cut her tendons and prevent her from escaping on the way back. Yan Ming only said he wanted her alive, but didn't care how the prey lived, Qi thought to himself.
Xue Qing also pointed her sword at Qi. Yan Ming had sent him to kill her? This day had finally come. Xue Qing frowned. If it had been An Luo, she could have asked her a few questions, but Qi couldn't speak, and he wouldn't answer her questions. A fight was inevitable. Qi charged forward, his movements extremely agile and his attacks ruthless. Xue Qing parried with her sword, retreating step by step. The white horse was startled and neighed repeatedly.
Xue Qing seized an opportunity and unleashed her Remnant Flower Sword Technique at Qi. Qi's figure moved like a ghost, dodging the incredibly fast technique with ease. Qi caught the Azure Cloud Sword with his bare hands, tackled Xue Qing to the ground, and thrust his dagger towards Xue Qing's wrist. Xue Qing pulled her wrist back to avoid the dagger and kicked Qi in the abdomen. Qi rolled to the side, slashing a gash across Xue Qing's shoulder in the process.
Xue Qing stood up, still gripping her sword tightly, ignoring the blood seeping from the wound on her shoulder. She regretted not having rescued him when he was drowning; she should have just drowned him then! Qi attacked Xue Qing again. Just as Xue Qing was about to parry, Qi's dagger was deflected by a pure white, unadorned sword. The sword tip arced, neutralizing the dagger's force, and with a deft tremor, separated from the dagger. The sword's owner grabbed Xue Qing's arm and pulled her behind him. This wasn't the first time she had stood behind him; dressed in plain white robes, her attire unadorned, was as pure and white as the Suwen sword in her hand.
As if in a dream, Xue Qing softly called out, "Firefly."
Died of illness
Qi and Liuying stared at each other. What do you call this scene? Two men fighting over one woman? Xue Qing wisely stood on Liuying's side. Qi's expressionless face revealed no thought. He and Liuying were two completely opposite martial arts styles, one active and one passive. No matter how fast he was, it was useless against Liuying's gentle swordsmanship. Qi remained expressionless. Xue Qing drew her sword and attacked Qi together with Liuying. Qi dodged and stood far away watching the two.
"Capture him alive, I want to interrogate him," Xue Qing said from behind Liu Ying. Although Qi couldn't speak, he could write. He was one of the six Path Masters under Yan Ming, so he must know many secrets of the Underworld.
Liu Ying nodded, then turned her sword and engaged Qi in combat again. Her slow swordplay exuded sword energy, forcing Qi's agile skills to become useless. After dozens of exchanges, neither side had gained the upper hand. Qi made a wise decision—to retreat. Qi's assassination attempt could be evaded, but no one could catch him when he fled. He appeared suddenly and disappeared like a ghost. If it weren't for the blood still dripping from Xue Qing's shoulder, it would have been as if he had never been there at all.
"I'll remember him, he even left me some souvenirs!" Xue Qing said through gritted teeth, tearing a piece of cloth from her clothes to try and bandage the wound, but it was really inconvenient to bandage it with one hand.
Liu Ying quietly took the strip of cloth and helped Xue Qing bandage her wound. The two were so close that their foreheads almost touched. Xue Qing could secretly see Liu Ying's trembling eyelashes and had an urge to kiss her. Tragically, she wasn't even that old yet, so why was she acting like a wolf?