Chapter 48

Nanny Hong and Chuntao knew that the girl had a stubborn personality and would not give up until she achieved what she wanted. Since she had decided to walk, no one could change her mind.

But they were unwilling to leave first and were only willing to accompany the girl on foot and kneel down to worship.

Jiang Zhaoli naturally didn't want them to kneel down with her. Seeing that they insisted, she sighed quietly, took the nurse's hand, and forced a smile: "Nanny, I always listened to you in the past, this time, you also listen to me."

The wet nurse was old, so she couldn't kneel down like her. She was young and could bear it after a rest, but the wet nurse couldn't.

Although Chuntao was young, she felt that there was no need for him to kneel down and worship her for no reason.

Chun Tao knew what the young lady was thinking, and suggested, "Young lady, why don't you let Madam take the carriage and leave first? Madam will be relieved if I stay here with you."

Jiang Zhaoli did not agree. He suddenly turned his back to them and said indifferently, "I have made up my mind. You don't need to persuade me anymore."

Chuntao felt more at ease knowing that her wet nurse could take care of her.

Chuntao hesitated to speak, and stood still, refusing to leave: "Young lady." She was really worried about leaving the young lady alone.

As soon as he finished speaking, a black-clad secret guard descended from the sky. His tall body stood firmly in front of the two of them, like a thick wall, not giving way to them. They could not get close at all. He then made a gesture of invitation: "Please get on the carriage, I will take you to the Thousand Buddha Temple first."

Chun Tao glared at him: "Guard Zheng, what are you going to do? Don't forget, if I hadn't given you a bite to eat, how could you have seen the girl? How could you have worked by her side?"

Seeing that he was unmoved, Chun Tao realized that she had said something unpleasant in a fit of anger, so she softened her tone and spoke sincerely, "Guard Zheng, I was wrong just now. The young lady really can't do it alone. Please let us go."

Guard Zheng stopped the two of them, his eyes calm, not affected by what he had just said. He replied expressionlessly: "I will only follow the orders of the Second Young Lady."

Chuntao was so angry that she almost pointed at his nose and cursed: "You!" What an ungrateful bastard, Chuntao cursed inwardly.

If I had known this would happen, why would I have saved him in the first place? It would have been better for him to starve to death on the street than to stop him from getting close to the girl today.

Chuntao snorted at him coldly and muttered a few words before her anger gradually subsided.

Looking at it from another angle, Guard Zheng is loyal to the girl and always obeys her orders. Thinking of this, she felt much better.

Finally, the two of them drove away reluctantly under the escort of Guard Zheng. The sound of the wheels of the car mixed with the mud and came out in a muffled voice.

Seeing the carriage going away, Jiang Zhaoli straightened up and looked up at the stone stairs leading up the road in front of him. He could not forget the end at all. There was no telling how many more stone stairs there were behind the obscurity of the smoke.

The slightly cool wind gently lifted the pleated dress below her knees, penetrating every inch of her skin through the fabric. Jiang Zhaoli's confused eyes instantly brightened.

She raised her hands and smoothed her arms to get rid of the last bit of coldness. The wind took the opportunity to lift a few strands of her black hair, which happened to blow onto her forehead, making her look a little cute.

Looking closely, the woman's skin was as white as cream, her eyes were as dark as autumn waves, and her lips were as tender as peaches. She was a real beauty.

The woman had a graceful figure, but there was a hint of sadness between her brows that did not fade away for a long time. She took a deep breath, exhaled, and mustered up the courage to force a smile.

She turned sideways and looked back. Perhaps because of the gloomy weather, there were very few people hiking up the mountain today.

She looked ahead, at the place of blessing obscured by the white mist, put her hands together, and silently recited her wish in her heart: "I, a believer Jiang Zhaoli, have come to Qianfo Temple from Qiancheng to ask for a wish. I wish Yin Su to have a safe and smooth life, I wish him not to be tormented by the past, and I wish his relatives and friends to be worry-free. To show my sincerity, I am willing to walk forward, bowing and kneeling, to ask for the protection of the Bodhisattva."

Then take a step forward, slowly squat on your knees, slowly lower your palms to the ground on both sides of the body, then kneel down on your knees, lightly touch the ground with your forehead, then raise your head and look straight ahead with a solemn expression.

She walked only half the distance until her knees were swollen and raw, and her legs were trembling. She didn't think much about it, but just endured the pain, gritted her teeth, and showed stubbornness in her eyes.

She will definitely be able to reach the Thousand Buddha Temple.

The higher she went, the colder the weather became, and the cold air seemed to surround her.

Her entire body was invaded by the cold air. She had expected it to be cold on the mountain, but she had never imagined it would be so bone-chillingly cold.

The brain is cloudy and a little unclear.

Finally, after kneeling down all the stairs, she walked towards the temple gate with empty steps. Seeing the words "Thousand Buddha Temple" written on the plaque on the door, she gave a pale smile, panting slightly, and her legs couldn't stop shaking.

When she was almost at the temple gate, she couldn't bear it anymore and fainted.

Before I fainted, I didn't feel the pain I had imagined. Instead, I felt my previously cold body suddenly become warm, as if I was hugging a huge stove burning very brightly, warming up my cold and damp body.

Jiang Zhaoli was in a trance for a while, unable to distinguish between reality and dreams.

Could it be that she was blinded by the cold and had hallucinations? The real her had actually already fainted not far from the temple gate. She couldn't have been frozen to death? Would anyone find her in time? The young monks in the temple should have found her first, after all, they would come out to clean at the hour of Mao every day.

If she remembered correctly, it was only the hour of Hai...

Finally, the last bit of consciousness was taken away, Jiang Zhaoli fainted completely, and his whole body was trapped in endless darkness.

She was unconscious for nearly an hour, and she seemed to have been dreaming for a very long time.

She dreamed that Yin Su returned to Luocheng and the Jiang family, bringing a bunch of valuable gifts to sincerely apologize to her and her family, explaining the reasons to her and begging for her forgiveness.

She didn't want to. When she thought of the past, her chest ached. Why could he come and go as he pleased? Should she forgive him just because he apologized? In anger, she had Yin Su kicked out.

This time, it was as if everyone was standing by her, speaking to her about Yin Su's faults. They all felt that Yin Su had gone too far, deceived her feelings, and framed her loved ones, and that he should go to hell. The two of them would never be able to reconcile.

Forever...Is it impossible?

Can the grudges between the two really be completely ignored? But he plotted against her and almost caused the Jiang family to be wiped out. They met in a plot, and they finally separated because of the plot.

She is not the only one in the Jiang family. Now, whenever her uncle and aunt mention Yin Su, they are all angry and abusive. They also use his example to teach the younger generation that they do not seek to be rich and powerful in the future, but only hope to find a good man after they get married and not take his life, let alone marry someone like her who almost destroyed her mother's family.

In the dream, many people surrounded her, chattering and shouting at her. She couldn't hear them clearly, let alone see their faces. For some reason, she felt very uncomfortable.

She suddenly felt a splitting headache, and the scene suddenly changed. She was standing in the ancestral hall in white clothes and with loose black hair. She swore in front of her parents' spirit tablet that she and Yin Su would never be together again.

"Mother." She murmured, do you think I should do so too?

Her forehead was instantly covered with fine beads of sweat, and the pleasant scent of light sandalwood in the room immediately pulled her away from her turbid consciousness.

She slowly opened her eyes and suddenly saw a dark shadow jumping out of the window and escaping. She thought she was hallucinating and raised her hand to rub her eyes. The house was quiet and there was no sign of anyone coming. It seemed that she was really seeing things.

The slightest movement of her body caused her arms and legs to ache, so she closed her eyes.

She lay on the couch and looked around. The room was simply furnished with only a wooden table, two benches, a set of tea sets and a kerosene lamp.

Jiang Zhaoli then realized that she should be in the guest room of Thousand Buddha Temple.

But who brought her to the temple? She clearly remembered that she fainted not far from the temple gate.

Where are Chuntao and the wet nurse?

It was already midnight, and the only sound she could hear outside the window was the rustling of insects on the mountain. She opened her lips, then swallowed them back.

Forget it, she will shout again tomorrow so as not to disturb the peace of the people in the temple. Besides, she is tired today.

Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, a dark shadow came in from outside the window again, walked lightly to the front of the couch, and stared at her quietly with a pair of amber eyes. After looking at her for a long time, he smiled bitterly and reached out to tuck the corner of the quilt for her.

He reached out and stroked her soft black hair, leaning over to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

The woman's lips are soft and fragrant, leaving one wanting more.

"Madam Jiang." He called softly, his tone revealing helplessness. The eyes he looked at her were as deep as a cold pond, but there were other emotions mixed in them, including struggle and pain.

With a subtle breathing sound, he gently rubbed the white jade hanging around his waist until his fingertips turned white and he trembled slightly.

Madam Jiang, I’ve already told you that it’s not worth it for someone like me.

The silence turned into a sigh.

He wrapped the amulet he had obtained from the young monk in a purse and tied it around her waist.

After he left, the woman on the couch slowly opened her eyes and tilted her head to look in the direction where Yin Su disappeared.

—

The next day, as the sky gradually brightened, Jiang Zhaoli was awakened by his wet nurse Chuntao.

My legs and feet are still sore after a good night's sleep, but much better than yesterday.

"Girl." Chuntao shouted in surprise.

When she and the nanny arrived at the Thousand Buddha Temple, they were arranged to stay in the guest room. They couldn't stay there any longer, so they and the nanny planned to go to the temple gate to wait for the girl to come. However, the young master came to dissuade them several times, saying that it was late at night and asked them to go back to the guest room to rest. As for the donors who arrived later, they would be arranged as long as they came to the front of the temple.

They then returned to the guest room.

There was no news from the girl the whole night. She and the nanny were extremely worried. They got out of bed several times, tossed and turned, and could not sleep well.

Chuntao woke up early this morning before the night watch. The young master came to tell her that a girl came last night and her surname was Jiang. She wondered if she was the one they were waiting for.

She and her nanny were overjoyed and ran to see, only to find that it was really a girl.

Jiang Zhaoli smiled and said, "Nurse, Chuntao."

"Miss." Chun Tao looked surprised: "When did you come back yesterday?"

Jiang Zhaoli was startled, and couldn't help but recall the warmth on her body before she fainted, and the familiar figure standing at the head of her bed and staring at her when she pretended to be asleep.

The burning look in his eyes was hard to ignore.

Thinking of this, she frowned slightly. A few days ago, she sent people to many places to look for him but there was no trace of him. Now she has given up the search, but he suddenly appeared.

Didn't he leave Luo City early? Why did he appear in the Thousand Buddha Temple now and save her?

Jiang Zhaoli suppressed his emotions and smiled at the two of them: "I arrived at midnight yesterday, but I didn't tell you because I thought the temple was quiet."