Shi Chan's eyes widened as if he were stunned. Liu Li, displeased, called out loudly, "Little monk, I'm asking you a question!"

Shi Chan snapped back to his senses, instinctively stood up and took several steps back, staggering as he barely managed to steady himself. He clasped his hands together and chanted Buddhist mantras repeatedly.

Liuli was stunned for a moment. She straightened up and looked at Shichan with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong with you? Do I look that scary, little monk? Why do you look at me like I'm a fierce demon?"

"Amitabha!" Shi Chan turned slightly to the side, his gaze darting away from Liuli, the night perfectly concealing his flushed face. He felt utterly confused, a strange feeling creeping into his heart, a feeling he had never experienced before. He didn't know what it meant, only that at this moment, stealing a glance, he saw how incredibly beautiful the woman in white was, as if she had stepped out of a painting. Even the legendary demons of the Desire Realm who disturbed cultivation were no more beautiful than her.

In an instant, a crack appeared in Shi Chan's firm Buddhist heart. A graceful figure burrowed into the depths of his heart through the crack, gradually deepening his imprint without his knowledge, eventually becoming an obsession, and perhaps the most difficult obsession for him to overcome on his path of cultivation.

Seeing that Shi Chan was chanting Buddhist scriptures with his eyes closed, Liu Li called out in displeasure, "Little monk! What's wrong with you? Why are you ignoring me?"

Shi Chan recited the Heart Sutra three times in a low voice before he could barely calm himself down. The blush on his face gradually faded. He took a deep breath, bowed to Liuli in a Buddhist salute, looked down at the ground, and said in a low voice, "Please forgive me, young lady. I was rude."

Liuli was taken aback, and said unhappily, "What's wrong with you, little monk? Why are you behaving so nonsensically?"

Shi Chan took a step back, bowed deeply, and said, "It is late at night, and it is inconvenient for this humble monk to be alone with you, young lady. I shall take my leave."

"No!" Liuli cried out in alarm, her body transforming into a streak of white light as she flashed in front of Shichan, who had already turned around, blocking his path. She frowned and said pitifully, "Little monk, it's so late, how can you bear to leave me here all by myself?"

Shi Chan paused, looked up at her small face, and felt a pang of pity. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Then this humble monk can take you to a place you deem safe."

He was simple-minded and completely forgot that Liuli's cultivation was far superior to his.

A sly glint of triumph flashed in her glassy eyes, her little face scrunched up even more, and she said pitifully, "This is my first time out here, how would I know where it's safe?"

“This…” Shi Chan was also at a loss.

Her glassy eyes darted around, and she said with a smile, "Then why don't you stay here and keep me company? There aren't many people here, just the two of us, so we can have a good chat."

After pondering for a long time, Shi Chan nodded helplessly and said, "Alright then."

Liuli chuckled, reached out to tug at his sleeve, and said with a smile, "Come on, let's go sit over there."

Shi Chan dodged Liuli's pull and walked towards the big tree first, nodding in response, "Yes."

When Liuli saw him flinch, she was displeased. She glared at his back but quickly smiled. She skipped and hopped after him to the big tree, sat down cross-legged like him, and said with a beaming smile, "Let's have a good chat."

"Okay." Seeing Liuli's beaming face, Shi Chan couldn't help but smile as well, his voice exceptionally gentle as he asked, "What do you want to talk about?"

At this moment, Shi Chan and Liuli were sitting cross-legged facing each other, which was too close, but he did not realize at all that he should step back a little.

Liuli pondered, "Tell me about yourself. You said you grew up in Bodhi Temple, but where was your family originally from? And what about your parents?"

Shi Chan chuckled and said, "This humble monk was picked up by my master; I must have been abandoned by my parents."

"Oh, is that so?" When the topic of adopted children came up, Liuli immediately thought of Bailing. Her face fell, and she said sadly, "I also adopted a human child before. He was a little boy. I raised him for several months. He had just learned to call my name when he suddenly disappeared. I searched for him for a long time but couldn't find him."

Zen Master Shi casually replied, "Is that so? Why has it disappeared?"

Liuli's little face was somber as she said, "Who knows? He just vanished into thin air. You don't know how adorable my Bailing is. He loves to laugh and play, and he's so attached to me. Ever since I found him, my days haven't been so boring. I've been looking forward to him growing up quickly so he can play with me... But he's gone. How could he just disappear like that? Sigh..."

Zen Master smiled and said, “The coming together and parting of all beings is all about ‘fate.’ The arising and ceasing of fate are all predetermined, so there is no need to be too attached. You found that little boy and raised him for several months. Perhaps you were repaying a debt from a past life or forming a good karmic connection. You will surely be rewarded in the future. When the fate ends, that will be the time when he disappears.”

Liuli asked, "Do you think I'll ever see him again? I really want to see him one more time. I wonder what he looks like now, if he's taller than me, if he's doing well, and if anyone is bullying him?"

Shi Chan smiled and said, "If fate allows, we will meet again."

Liuli frowned and said, "Then how do I know if we are still destined to be together?"

Zen Master Shi smiled and explained, “The Buddha said that the five aggregates are empty. In emptiness there is no form, no sensation, no perception, no mental formations, no consciousness; no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharma; no suffering, no origination, no cessation, no path. All things in the world are formed by the aggregation of causes and conditions. The arising and ceasing of causes and conditions are all illusions. If there is a connection, we will meet; if there is no connection, we will never meet. Why be overly attached to whether there is a connection or not? If he comes, treat him kindly; if he doesn’t come, just forget about him.”

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!