The next morning, after a good night's sleep, Liuli opened her eyes to the rising sun. She leaned against a tree trunk and dozed off for a while before stretching and letting out a lazy sigh.

She turned her head and saw that Shi Chan was still sitting cross-legged in the same place, with his hands on his knees in the meditation mudra, his eyes closed and his breathing steady.

She wondered whether he was asleep or not, so she got up to check. As she stood up, the clothes covering her body slipped off. She was startled, picked up the clothes, and recognized them as Shi Chan's monk's outer robe. A smile appeared on her lips, and her eyes softened even more.

She didn't rush to get up, but leaned against the tree trunk and tilted her head to carefully examine Shi Chan.

The warm morning sun shone down on him, casting a luminous glow on his face. His face was slender, with a pair of handsome, arched eyebrows. His eyes were closed, and his long eyelashes cast a small shadow on his face. Beneath his straight nose, his lips, neither too thick nor too thin, were slightly pursed, with a faint smile at the corners.

The more I look at this face, the more I like it.

Liuli smiled gently in the sunlight.

Just then, Shi Chan slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were warm and gentle, with a calm and composed expression, showing no trace of the confusion one might expect from someone who had just woken up.

Liuli asked curiously, "Little monk, didn't you sleep all night?"

Shi Chan lowered his eyes, coughed lightly, and replied, "Yes, this humble monk has been practicing Buddhism all night."

Liuli became even more puzzled and asked, "Why aren't you asleep?"

Shi Chan glanced down at her, shook his head with a wry smile. He hadn't slept all night; she was sitting there, and he just couldn't fall asleep. Helpless, he could only recite the Bodhi Sutra over and over again, reciting it all night long.

He stood up, straightened his clothes, bowed in a Buddhist gesture, and said with a smile, "It's already broad daylight, so this humble monk should take his leave. Take care, young lady."

Liuli's face immediately darkened, and she said unhappily, "Farewell! Farewell! All you know is farewell. Do you hate me that much? Can't you take me with you?!"

Shi Chan shook his head and said with a wry smile, "You flatter me, young lady. I don't dislike you, but I really can't travel with you. I hope you will understand."

Liuli was furious. She glared at someone else and said defiantly, "Then you can leave!"

After a long silence, Liuli turned around and saw Shichan standing there, looking conflicted. She asked, puzzled, "Weren't you leaving?"

Master Shi Chan clasped his hands together, looking troubled, and said, "Young lady, could you please return my monk's robe to me?"

Seeing his conflicted expression, as if he wanted to speak but dared not, wanted it but dared not ask, Liuli found it quite amusing and couldn't help but chuckle. After laughing, she straightened her face, gripped her monk's robe tightly, and said firmly, "I won't give it to you... I just won't!"

“Then…” Shi Chan hesitated for a long time, then said with difficulty, “Then this humble monk will take his leave.”

With that, he turned to leave.

"Hey..." Liuli called out to him as soon as she saw that he didn't even want his monk's robe anymore.

Shi Chan paused, but did not turn around.

Liuli was angry. She rolled her eyes and said loudly, "Little monk, if you don't want this robe anymore, I'll wear it one of these days, you believe me? And I'll wear it and show it off in front of your fellow disciples. If they ask me whose robe I'm wearing, I'll tell them the truth!"

Shi Chan trembled, turned around abruptly, and exclaimed in alarm, "Miss, you..."

Seeing that he believed her, Liuli suppressed her laughter and said with a straight face, "Didn't you say goodbye, little monk? Go on your way!"

Shi Chan was truly afraid that Liuli would keep her word, yet he simply could not travel with her, and he was in a great dilemma. After pondering for a long time, he clasped his hands together, bowed deeply, and earnestly said, "Miss, you have no grudge against this humble monk, so please don't make things difficult for me. I grew up in Bodhi Temple since I was a child; Bodhi Temple is my home. If one day I am expelled from Bodhi Temple for breaking the precepts, I will have no home. Would you, Miss, bear to see me homeless?"

He looked up and saw that Liuli's expression had softened, so he quickly continued earnestly, "Miss, please return the clothes to this humble monk."

Seeing his earnestness, Liuli softened a little. After hesitating for a while, she got up and handed him the monk's robe, saying in an annoyed tone, "Alright, alright, here you go!"

Shi Chan breathed a sigh of relief, took the monk's robe, bowed and said, "Thank you, young lady. I'll take my leave now. Please take care."

Having said that, he turned and left hastily, as if fleeing in disarray. As he walked, he draped his monk's robe over his shoulders, and a faint fragrance immediately filled his nostrils—it was her scent.

Shi Chan's heart trembled, his body shook, and his cheeks flushed red. He quickly took off his monk's robe again and held it in his hand, refusing to put it back on.

Liuli stood there with her arms crossed, her face sullen, and her lips pouting. She watched Shichan's hurried steps fade into the distance, and felt a deep displeasure in her heart.

Her eyes darted around, her mind racing. A moment later, a happy smile appeared on her lips, and in a flash of white light, she transformed into a snow-white fox, hopping and skipping towards Shi Chan.

Soon, the white fox, in the form of Liuli, caught up with Shichan and leaped onto his shoulder, her voice full of laughter, and said, "Little monk, can I follow you in this form?"

Shi Chan was taken aback and turned to look. He saw that the white fox on his shoulder was about a foot long, and a red rope with a jade pendant tied to it could be vaguely seen among the long, thin fur on its neck. Because he could not sense any demonic aura, it looked no different from an ordinary white fox.

Shi Chan paused for a moment, his eyes softened, a smile appeared on his lips, and he replied softly, "Okay."

The man and the fox walked away, laughing and chatting. Shi Chan listened to Liuli chattering on his shoulder, occasionally responding with a smile. They were so engrossed in their conversation that neither of them noticed the faint black light following them.