Woohoo~

The woman lying on the bed groaned softly, slowly opened her eyes, and looked around in confusion. Where was she? Strange, she seemed to have seen a monk before she lost consciousness, so how did she end up here?

"Is the young lady awake?" The old woman who was tidying up saw the lovely girl on the bed open her eyes and hurriedly went over to ask.

"Grandma, may I ask where this is?" the woman asked in a slightly hoarse voice.

"This is Hanshan Temple. Master Zhaochan brought the young lady back from the back mountain. So, young lady, just rest and recover." The old woman looked at the beautiful young lady on the bed with a kind expression and couldn't help but sigh, "This young lady is really pretty!"

“Master Zhaochan, may I meet him? I would like to thank him in person,” the woman asked gratefully.

The old woman waved her hand with a troubled expression, "Master Zhaochan is a Buddhist disciple. Many people can only see him once a year, let alone you, young lady, who has just arrived. It will be very difficult for you to see the Buddhist disciple."

Wen Su looked regretful; she really wanted to meet her savior.

Looking at the dejected Wen Su, the old woman comforted her, "Don't be discouraged, young lady. Maybe you'll meet the Buddha someday. Living in a temple, you're bound to run into him."

Wen Su nodded and said, "Thank you, Grandma. I understand. I'm still feeling a little unwell and want to sleep a little longer." Wen Su said weakly.

"Alright, young lady, please rest now. I'll go to the kitchen to warm up your medicine."

"Thank you, Grandma." Wen Su nodded gratefully.

The old woman had just stepped out the door when her senior brother Zhaohua stopped her in her tracks. He asked anxiously, "Grandma Li, has that girl woken up?"

Grandma Li said with a smile, "She's awake, she's awake."

Senior Brother Zhaohua breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good, that's good." This trouble wouldn't be blamed on him anymore. The more he thought about it yesterday, the more he felt something was wrong. He thought about it until midnight before realizing what was wrong—he'd been tricked by Junior Brother Zhaochan again!

Upon hearing that the girl was alright, Zhao Hua slapped his forehead and stormed off. "Zhao Chan, you actually tricked me! Humph! I'll teach you a lesson!"

Jing Xi and the others looked at Wen Su lying on the bed. Jing Xi spoke first and asked, "What is the background of this young lady?"

"Wen Su," Jiang Bai said, revealing her identity.

"Wen Su, who is that? I don't think I've ever heard of her," Shangguan Wei'er said in surprise.

“I haven’t heard of it either,” Li Shang said, shaking his head.

"Wen Su, the eldest daughter of the Wen family, is skilled in setting up the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams Formation. She is learned, eccentric, and the most talented woman in the Yin Kingdom. The Wen family is also a reclusive family with great strength, a family that has been established for centuries," Ji Mohan explained.

Jiang Bai nodded and continued, "According to the book, when Wen Su was sixteen years old, she was framed and fled the Wen family, and then disappeared without a trace. The next time someone saw her was three years later in a small town on the border of Huangzhou. Since then, no one has seen her again."

"Does that mean that during the years she was missing, she was taken in by Gongsun Gua and lived at Hanshan Temple for a few years?" Jing Xi asked.

"Based on the current situation, that should be the case," Jiang Bai said uncertainly, not daring to be sure.

“Let’s take another look at what exactly happened between her and Gongsun Gua,” Yan Wan said.

As the days passed, Wen Su's health gradually improved, and her wounds healed. She couldn't wait to find her savior and thank him in person.

Wen Su walked out of the room and strolled slowly along the secluded path of the temple. Just then, a young monk approached her, and Wen Su asked, "Young monk, do you know where Master Zhaochan is?"

"Amitabha, benefactor, Brother Zhao Chan is in the inner courtyard, but outsiders are not allowed to enter the inner courtyard," the little monk explained earnestly.

"Oh, is that so? Then how do I get to the inner courtyard?" Wen Su continued to ask, determined to see her savior.

“Madam, outsiders are not allowed to enter the inner courtyard. The scenery in other parts of the temple is also very beautiful. Why don’t you go and take a stroll elsewhere?” The young monk avoided her words and recommended other places in the temple to Wen Su.

"Thank you, young master. I'll go wander around for a bit. I'm sorry to bother you." Seeing that she couldn't get anything out of him, Wen Su had no choice but to end the conversation.

"Amitabha, then this humble monk will take his leave now." After saying this, the young monk hurriedly left.

Wen Su refused to give up and asked several more people along the way, but received the same answer. Dejected, she returned to her lodgings.

Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck her; she seemed to have come up with a good way to see her benefactor.

The next day, Wen Su asked other people in the temple where the back mountain was. This time, she got the answer quickly. She walked towards the back mountain with high spirits. As long as she went there to wait every day, she would definitely be able to wait for Zhao Chan one day.

Li Shang exclaimed in amazement, "As expected of the number one talented woman, she is so clever and quick-witted."

Shangguan Wei'er glared at Li Shang and said softly, "I'm smart too, okay!"

Li Shang: It's all over (?w? ) The lady is angry.

Wen Su went to the back mountain to wait the first time, but unfortunately, she did not see Zhao Chan. However, she still refused to give up and went to the back mountain to wait every day, rain or shine.

Jing Xi looked at Wen Su, who had been staying in the temple for a long time without leaving, and asked in confusion, "Isn't Wen Su the eldest daughter of the Wen family? Why hasn't the Wen family sent anyone to look for her since she went missing? She doesn't seem to want to go back either." This was strange. Normally, once a person recovers from their injuries, they would contact their family as soon as possible. But Wen Su had been staying in the temple for more than half a month, and there was no sign of her. She didn't seem to be in a hurry.

“The head of the Wen family is Wen Su’s second uncle. Wen Su’s escape from the Wen family this time should also be due to her second uncle’s framing. Back then, there were rumors in the martial arts world that the old master of the Wen family wanted to pass the position of head of the family to Wen Su, so her second uncle held a grudge and plotted to drive her out,” Jiang Bai added.

Jing Xi said with a look of indignation, "People who only know how to use underhanded tricks behind people's backs are the most annoying."

Shangguan Wei'er nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, that's right. Why can't a woman be the sect leader? Women are no less capable than men."

Jing Xi and Yan Wan nodded in agreement; their thoughts were aligned.

No wonder Wen Su wasn't in a hurry to return to the Wen family; that makes sense now.

Wen Su waited for more than half a month, and on this day, she finally met her savior - Zhao Chan.

Zhao Chan originally intended to take advantage of the good weather to go up the mountain to collect medicinal herbs, but unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the back of the mountain, he saw the girl he had saved last time sleeping against a tree trunk.

After he finished gathering the herbs, he found that the girl was still sleeping. He originally intended to leave, but when he looked at the setting sun hanging in the sky, he turned back and gently shook the sleeping girl. It would be dark soon, and it wouldn't be safe for her to be alone in the back mountain.

"Girl, girl, wake up, hurry down the mountain," Zhao Chan said in a cold voice.

Wen Su also woke up from her drowsy state. When she opened her eyes, she saw a handsome man who looked like a god in front of her. She thought that she must not have woken up properly, so she had such a beautiful dream.

Wen Su closed her eyes again. Zhao Chan watched the girl close her eyes again after less than three seconds of opening them and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, "This girl is really his nemesis."

He continued to reach out and shake Wen Su. Wen Su felt herself being shaken violently. She opened her eyes and saw that the handsome monk was still in front of her. It seemed that she was not dreaming.

Wen Su asked uncertainly, "Are you... Master Zhaochan?"

Zhao Chan's cold gaze swept over Wen Su. He stood up and said, "You know me?"

"You are Zhao Chan, you are my savior!" Wen Su jumped up excitedly. She had finally found her savior. Heaven rewards those who persevere.

“Amitabha, benefactor, please go down the mountain quickly. It’s getting dark, and the back mountain is not safe,” Zhao Chan advised without answering her question.

"Is the master also going down the mountain?" Wen Su asked tentatively.

Zhao Chan glanced at her, picked up his basket, and walked down the mountain. Wen Su saw this and immediately understood his meaning, so she hurriedly followed him.

Along the way, Wen Su kept talking non-stop, not realizing there was anything wrong with her talking to herself. Zhao Chan would only chime in with a comment or two when he heard something that interested him. Wen Su was overjoyed; she had finally met her savior.

Grandpa once said, "A drop of water in need is a spring of water in return." She was determined to repay this kindness.

Before they knew it, the two had returned to the temple. When they got back, they met the abbot who was waiting for them at the entrance.

Zhao Chan respectfully greeted, "Master." Wen Su glanced at the old monk in front of her, then turned to look at Zhao Chan, and said in a low voice, "Greetings to this master."

The abbot looked at the two people in front of him with a kind expression. He first looked at Wen Su and asked with goodwill, "How are you doing in the temple, young lady?"

Wen Su nodded hurriedly and said, "I'm used to it, I'm very used to it. I'm sorry to bother you, Master." Apart from not eating meat, she actually thought the temple was really good, at least better than the chaotic Wen family.

"You'll get used to it. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality, young lady," the old monk said modestly.

"No, no, thank you so much, Abbot. Goodbye, Abbot." Wen Su didn't dare linger and hurriedly slipped in from the side. Before leaving, she glanced back at Zhao Chan, but then thought, "Never mind, I'll thank him properly next time. The abbot was a bit scary just now, so I'd better slip away first."

I'm sorry, my benefactor.

After Wen Su left, the old monk asked sternly, "Didn't I tell you to stay peacefully in the inner courtyard? Why did you go to the back mountain?"

Zhao Chan moved the corners of his mouth and said, "Master, this disciple is going to the back mountain to gather herbs."

"Hmph! Don't think I don't know. You deliberately went to the back mountain because you heard that this girl has been looking for you, didn't you? Zhaochan, how have I taught you that monks don't lie and must be honest and trustworthy? Yet you've learned to lie now!" the old monk said angrily.

Zhao Chan lowered his head, looking at his angry master, but ultimately said nothing.

The old monk looked at the silent Zhaochan and knew that he had guessed what the other was thinking. He asked in confusion, "Why? Zhaochan, your master needs a reason."

After thinking for a moment, Zhao Chan decided to tell the truth. "Master, when I'm with her, I feel some different emotions. I can feel the emotions of normal people, which has never happened before." Zhao Chan calmly explained her reason.

The old monk sighed, "That's fate!"

One is in the inner courtyard, and the other is on the outskirts of the temple; they should never have anything in common, yet now they've appeared together. Is it really impossible to avoid it?

“I understand how you feel, but please don’t rush things. Perhaps you’ve always lived in the temple and never met anyone else; maybe it’s just your imagination,” the old monk said vaguely.

This time, Zhao Chan said firmly, "Master, I feel that this time is different." He murmured softly, and he really felt that for a moment, he seemed to have a normal human emotion.

Zhao Chan respectfully said, "Master, I am a little tired, so I will go back to rest first."

After speaking, Zhao Chan walked into his courtyard, his back firm and upright, like a pine tree in the cold night, desolate yet steadfast.

The old monk looked up at the sky, where only a few scattered stars remained, and sighed. Was there truly no way to escape this fate? If Buddha had mercy, please help this poor child!

Zhao Chan returned to his courtyard, quickly washed up, and rested. He tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. He thought of his master's hesitant expression, and then of the chattering girl he had met in the back mountain, who was as noisy as a cicada. She was so vibrant and full of life; in Buddhist terms, she was a girl with extraordinary spiritual power.

Was it all just his imagination? Perhaps his master was right; he had lived in the temple for over twenty years and had never encountered such a lively girl, so this was somewhat unusual.

Zhao Chan tried to convince himself again and again, but the more he talked, the less he could sleep, and the image of that girl kept appearing in his mind.

Zhao Chan simply sat up, exhaled a heavy breath, closed his eyes, sat cross-legged, and began reciting the *Meditation Sutra*: "One is clear, one is turbid; one is still, one is moving. Clarity and stillness are the foundation, turbidity and movement are the branches… and from this arise all things. Clarity is the source of turbidity, stillness is the basis of movement. When a person can be clear and still, the world values ​​them. The human spirit loves clarity, but the mind disturbs it; the human heart loves stillness, but desire pulls it away… The mind is not clear because desire has not been dispelled. One who can dispel desire does so by introspecting on the mind, finding the mind without a mind; by outtrospecting on form, finding form without form; by observing things from afar, finding things without things. When none of these three are found, only emptiness is seen. Observing emptiness, one finds emptiness itself empty; emptiness has nothing to be empty of; since there is nothingness, nothingness itself is nothingness; serene and eternally still, stillness without stillness; without stillness, stillness without nothingness, all is utterly nothingness—how can desire arise? Since desire does not arise, the mind is naturally still. Since the mind is naturally still, the spirit is undisturbed…"

Zhao Chan recited the "Meditation Sutra" all night but still couldn't fall asleep. When he opened his eyes again, it was already dawn. Zhao Chan sighed, "So be it, all phenomena are illusory."

As a monk, he shouldn't get too close to that girl, for the sake of both of them. He couldn't drag her into this mess over some unsubstantiated, uncertain matter.

From now on, he should avoid that girl!