Chapter 11: They were like the women in his dreams...

The pavilion was silent. After Yuan Chaolu lowered his umbrella and entered, the only sound for a moment was the sound of the torrential rain falling.

Yuan Chaolu took another step into the pavilion, using the action of avoiding the splashing raindrops.

The ancient painting in her arms was found by her adoptive father when he was working as a muralist in a long-abandoned Buddhist temple cave in the Northwest. Yuan Chaolu took the painting with her when she left the Northwest, intending to pawn it for money when she was in dire need, but now she was going to use it for the Prince of Yan.

She should say something to initiate a conversation.

However, the Prince of Yan's aura was too intimidating, causing her to hesitate and struggle to utter a single word.

She stood on the eaves, watching the rain outside the pavilion grow increasingly torrential.

The rain enveloped the pavilion, making it seem as if only the two of them remained in the world, highlighting how close they were.

Her gaze was lowered, and she could only see the man's hand. Beneath the sleeves of his simple bamboo robe, the back of his hand was fair and the knuckles were distinct. On it was a jade thumb ring, which seemed to be used to draw a bow and control the string.

He lowered his eyes, his posture casual, and was tidying up the various books and documents on the table. He must have originally chosen this scenic spot halfway up the mountain to work.

Beside him, on the stone table, sat a glossy black cat with piercing golden eyes, soft fur, and a crimson ribbon around its neck, clearly indicating that it was not a creature from the countryside.

—It must be his pet.

However, Yuan Chaolu was truly terrified of cats and other felines. After just one glance, her face turned pale, and she subconsciously took a step back.

The cat seemed to sense her fear, raised its dark golden eyes, looked directly at Yuan Chaolu, and slowly stood up, walking over from the other end of the stone table.

A bead of cold sweat slid down Yuan Chaolu's neck, and his knuckles turned white as he gripped the calligraphy and painting.

She was skilled in animal taming and could even command and tame venomous pythons as usual, but among all kinds of birds, she was only afraid of wild cats.

While at Helan's house, she was imprisoned in a cage and subjected to "cat torture."

The room was pitch black, and the iron cage was cold.

Outside the cage were wild cats that had been starving for days, all ravenously hungry, their cries shrill. Their sharp claws scraped against the iron cage repeatedly, making a chilling sound. She had been locked in the dark room for days, suffering the extreme torture of being torn apart mentally every day.

Their bodies were so soft, it seemed they could slip through any crack and devour her flesh and bones bit by bit...

Helan Zhen said that if her brother hadn't stopped her, she would never have put that stray cat outside the cage and would have made her experience being torn apart to death by the cat.

Seeing this cat today instantly brought her back to the days at Helan's house. A chill and fear seeped from her very bones, causing her to tremble violently.

The dark figure suddenly leaped off the stone table and let out a meow.

Yuan Chao leaned against a pavilion pillar with her bare back exposed. At that moment, another gust of wind howled from behind, causing her skirt to flutter and the scroll of calligraphy and painting in her arms to slip from her grasp.

With a "whoosh," the scroll swept towards the stone table, causing it to overturn and tumble to the ground along with the writing brushes, ink, and books on the table.

The Xuan paper fluttered and danced around the two of them.

The chill of the stone pillar seeped into his back, instantly waking Yuan Chaolu. He took a few steps to the table, squatted down, and began to pick up the scattered scrolls.

Most of the documents were unaffected by the rain, but one scroll was blown to the side of the pavilion, where the wind and rain opened it, wetting several pages.

The calligraphy and painting he had carefully prepared were also stained with rainwater, and one corner of the ink became mottled.

"I'm so sorry..." She picked up the scattered scrolls one by one, and just as she was about to get up, she suddenly saw the person beside her also bending down and picking up the last scroll on the ground. The two of them then met each other's eyes.

What came into view was an exceptionally handsome face.

The young Prince of Yan was handsome and had an otherworldly air about him, like a majestic jade mountain, yet he carried an aloofness that kept people at arm's length.

The dampness condensed on his eyelashes and the ends of his eyebrows, adding a touch of coolness to his appearance.

It evokes the image of the sacred snow-capped mountains of the Northwest, which can only be admired from afar and are not to be desecrated.

This was the first time she had seriously examined the Prince of Yan's appearance.

The veil that had been floating before her eyes fell again, cutting off their gazes from each other, as if they had only met briefly.

Yuan Chaolu's heartstrings trembled slightly. Before she could recover, the figure had already stood up. She raised her hand and gently placed the scroll on the stone table.

The other party did not speak, but she clearly saw that at that moment the painting swept the books off his table, and he frowned, as if offended, with an extremely displeased expression on his face.

Today, not only did I manage to make friends with him through calligraphy and paintings, but I also damaged his things and got soaked in the rain, leaving me in a sorry state. All my initial plans have been disrupted.

He must have had a terrible first impression of himself.

Yuan Chao looked dejected, but quickly smiled and looked up, handing him the wet scroll.

“I am truly sorry for damaging your books today, young master. I apologize to you. This scroll contains… I think it is the ‘Document for Receiving the Ten Precepts’? If you don’t mind, I will find a brand new copy after I leave the temple this afternoon and return it to you another day, how about that?”

The Prince of Yan slowly raised his gaze from the Buddhist scripture and placed it on her.

Those eyes were slightly damp with rain, with long eyebrows that reached into the temples and upturned corners. When they looked people over, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible glint in their eyes.

Despite his inner turmoil, Yuan Chaolu still managed a smile.

The person in front of him said, "But this is a unique copy from the Dunhuang Mogao Caves."

Yuan Chaolu's smile froze. She glanced down at the Buddhist scripture and said, "Is it really that precious...? It was truly my oversight. Please wait a few days for me, young master, to find the best ancient book restorer in Luoyang and see if this book can be restored to its original state."

Someone of the high position of the Prince of Yan would not lack craftsmen for repairs, so why would he need her?

But Yuan Chaolu said, "Young master, rest assured, I am also a lover of Buddhism and cannot bear to see the Buddhist scriptures suffer such a loss. I will do everything I can to make amends. I also have some rare copies in my collection. Could I give you a set of rare copies as compensation?"

However, it would probably cost a lot of money to purchase it, and Yuan Chaolu felt heartbroken.

He remained silent, still scrutinizing himself.

“What do you think, young master? I know you are angry with me, but my painting has been soaked by the rain.”

Yuan Chaolu unfurled the scroll and showed him the painting "Asking the Way in the Night Rain of Longshan," but he only glanced at it and showed little interest.

Doesn't he like this painting?

Yuan Chaolu said, "To be honest, young master, I have been afraid of cats and tigers since I was a child. When I saw your cat just now, I was really stunned. I didn't hold the scroll tightly and it slipped from my hands. Please don't blame me, young master."

The young woman's voice was clear and melodious, with a gentle laugh in her tone.

A breeze blew, and the curtain in front of her face fluttered again, finally revealing her true face.

Xiao Zhuo opened his mouth as if to refuse and leave, but his gaze fell on that cheek and he paused.

The woman in his afternoon dream, whose face was hidden behind the thick fog, gradually became clear at this moment, revealing her skin, flesh, and bones, and gradually overlapped with the person in front of him.

It was as if the thick fog had dissipated.

A voice in his mind told him that his first encounter with that woman seemed to have happened on a rainy day, in a pavilion halfway up the mountain.

And this was by no means the last time the two would meet.

She would say, "See you in two days."

The young woman smiled gently: "Two days from now, at this Buddhist temple, I will meet you again, young master. I will first tell you about the progress of the Buddhist scripture repair. If it doesn't work, I will think of another way."

"Then it's settled."

As the curtain fell, her face was hidden behind the veil. She smiled, closed the calligraphy and painting, picked up her oil-paper umbrella, and walked out of the pavilion.

The curtain slipped from his fingertips, carrying with it a damp coolness and her delicate fragrance.

The rain pattered down on the oil-paper umbrella, making a crisp sound.

Before the person behind her could reply, Yuan Chaolu had already opened her umbrella and quickly walked down the steps.

We mustn't let the King of Yan go back on his word.

However, when she looked up, she saw a mountain path shrouded in mist and rain in front of her. Suddenly remembering something, she hesitated for a long time, never taking a step, and slowly turned around.

"This place is full of rolling hills. I am new here and have lost my way. I really don't know how to get down the mountain. It is getting dark now. Would you please take me with you?"

The rain curtain separated the inside and outside of the pavilion into two worlds. The rain raged around her, while he stood in the pavilion, looking at her through the thick rain and mist.

According to what she had heard, the Prince of Yan was a young man of fiery spirit and passionate heart, a spirited and ambitious young man. But today, the person before her was completely different, clearly extremely cold and indifferent.

It's probably because the Prince of Yan was extremely cold and distant to strangers at first meeting, but things naturally changed after they became familiar with each other.

She gripped the handle of the oil-paper umbrella tightly. "On the way here, I heard the howls of wild animals in the mountains. Now, with the torrential rain, I'm terrified."

If she had the whistle bone her mother left her, that would be fine, but she didn't have it today, and she felt uneasy being alone.

After a long while, receiving no response, Yuan Chaolu was about to turn around when she saw that tall, slender figure slowly walking out of the pavilion.

The Prince of Yan was dressed in a green robe, the sleeves of which were fluttering in the wind and rain, as if he wanted to blend into the green mountain mist.

“There are indeed wild animals in the mountains. I will take you down the mountain.”

He took the oil-paper umbrella from her hand.

The moment their fingertips touched, she felt his skin was extremely cold, and she subconsciously pulled her fingertips away.

Yuan Chaolu's heart skipped a beat, and he went down the mountain with her.

The plan went more smoothly than expected.

However, I can never feel at ease when he's around.

The sharp, pine and bamboo scent emanating from him felt like needles seeping into her body, causing her immense torment.

This person seemed to have a natural ability to give orders; his "Let's go" sounded like a command.

The mountain path down was slippery, and the two of them squeezed into a small space created by the umbrella, their clothes inevitably rustling against each other.

She heard a rustling sound in the bushes beside her and instinctively reached out to grab his sleeve.

The person beside him said calmly, "It's just a small beast."

Yuan Chaolu never let go of his hand, as if she could only relieve the fear in her heart by doing so.

Even through her clothes, Xiao Zhuo could feel the burning heat of her palm. He withdrew his hand without flinching and met the woman's bewildered eyes.

“I was really scared,” she said, reaching out again to grasp his sleeve, “but… thankfully your Buddhist scriptures didn’t get wet.”

She showed him the Buddhist scriptures she had been carefully guarding in front of her, her eyes shining, and she smiled.

Summer rain comes and goes quickly; as the girl stepped out from under the oil-paper umbrella, the sky suddenly cleared.

"Alright, I know the mountain path ahead now, I'll walk by myself."

Yuan Chaolu bid him farewell and turned to walk down the mountain.

Xiao Zhuo watched her figure disappear into the distance without lingering, then turned and walked up the mountain path.

A rustling sound came from the woods, and the shadow of a huge creature fell to the ground. Then, a spotted leopard emerged from the grass.

"Golden Lion," the emperor called out lazily.

The leopard nuzzled his hand affectionately with its head and let out a low growl.

The commotion in the forest just now came from this leopard.

This golden leopard was hunted by the current emperor when he was young and has been by his side for several years. This is why the Chanxu Temple does not need to be guarded.

The woman had been secretly watched by the Golden Lion all the way up the mountain when she reached the halfway point.

He escorted her down the mountain because of the Golden Lion.

Xiao Zhuo strolled up the mountain, casually brushing aside the grass, and the words of Abbot Ying Hui echoed in his mind.

According to the Ten Dreams Sutra, the Buddha once appeared in the dream of an emperor and gave him a harbinger of the future.

Is it a sign of the future?

Xiao Zhuo found it utterly unbelievable, a faint hint of mockery playing on his lips.

Xiao Zhuo really disliked outsiders getting close to him, and the woman he met today offended him in every way, which was definitely not what he liked.

As for her identity...

Later, I will have Zhong Changjun investigate.

He stopped thinking about it.

A man and a leopard gracefully ascended the mountain, their figures disappearing into the lush greenery.

A note from the author:

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Xiao Zhuo isn't Chao Lu's type, but Chao Lu is definitely Xiao Zhuo's dream girl. [Starry-eyed]