Dao Ci ultimately only recited a Buddhist chant.
Without saying anything more, he turned and left.
Qi Su hurriedly extinguished the campfire, picked up the grilled fish, and rushed after them.
The once proud yellow and white cat, which wouldn't even respond if called ten times, now meowed sweetly and followed behind like a sticky bean bun, impossible to shake off.
The aroma of roasting meat filled the air.
Dao Ci remained silent.
He was tall, and even in a monk's robe, he walked much faster than Qi Su.
He doesn't look like he's seriously ill.
It wasn't until we walked a dozen or so steps along the lakeside that a shadow resembling an owl finally descended from the woods.
"master……"
The man was dressed as a nightwalker, almost blending into the darkness from head to toe. Only his eyes stood out, like sharp blades.
They made no attempt to conceal their murderous intent.
This place is a forbidden area, and no outsiders ever come in normally. Therefore, the guards are the most relaxed.
To my utter surprise, a woman actually showed up here so brazenly today.
Qi Su: "Oh my, Master!"
She feigned panic and grabbed Dao Ci's monk's robe.
Dao Ci frowned.
Turning around, his cold, dark eyes fell on Qi Su's greasy fingers.
Even though he was usually as quiet as a Buddha statue, with very little emotional fluctuation, Qi Su noticed his displeasure this time.
She reluctantly let go of her hand.
"I didn't do it on purpose." (The "I didn't do it on purpose" part is a direct translation of the Chinese phrase.)
Dao Ci took off his outer robe and handed it to the man in black by the lake.
Qi Su's gaze fell on his slender, long fingers. No matter how many times she saw them, she always thought they were beautifully shaped.
"Retreat," Dao Ci commanded.
Without hesitation, the man in black vanished into the night in the blink of an eye, like the wind rustling through treetops.
He continued walking forward, his pace quickening slightly.
"Master, rest assured, I will never tell your secret to anyone." Qi Su followed in his footsteps.
This time, the monk stopped.
Qi Su then realized that he was actually very tall, and she only reached his shoulder.
Those deep, dark eyes fixedly swept across Qi Su's face.
The voice that came out of his mouth was as indifferent and detached as ever.
"I hope you will remember what you said."
Qi Su nodded.
"Of course, of course."
…
To show that she was in a good mood, Qi Su waved to the yellow and white cat that had been clinging to her side.
"Here you are, Bao'er. Here's some grilled fish for you. Remember to thank the master for his kindness."
Dao Ci's eyes narrowed, and he hurriedly called out.
"Buddha's Heart—"
The call faded into the cat's finally satisfied meowing as it swallowed its food.
Qi Su felt happy that the cat praised her grilled fish skills so much.
She wiped her greasy hands on the yellow and white cat.
Then, holding up his hands, which appeared to be clean, he said to Dao Ci:
“Master, look, I have reformed and turned to good.”
Dao Ci...
He looked down at the yellow and white cat.
For some reason, Qi Su sensed that he was in a terrible mood.
Even though Qi Su followed him all the way here through the secret passage, even though Qi Su scratched the greasy residue off his outer robe.
I've never been this unhappy before.
What's wrong? Is it worse for the cat to break its rules than for the cat to break them itself?
The yellow and white cat had no time to pay him any attention. It was busy biting the fish, praising Qi Su's kindness as it ate.
.
Dao Ci was in a bad mood, so he walked very fast on the mountain path from then on.
Qi Su initially thought about pursuing him.
She chased after it a few steps and that was it. That's all the love she had for it.
She trailed slowly behind until the yellow and white cat Buddha Heart finished eating the fish and was chasing after her feet.
Dao Ci had long since disappeared, and Qi Su was not in a hurry.
Why should she be in such a hurry?
Her secret was not discovered by anyone.
Not long after, the tree shadows swayed, and a shadow resembling an owl fell from the treetop.
It was still that same nameless person dressed in black, almost blending into the night from head to toe.
After staring at Qi Su for a while, and seeing that she had no intention of speaking, the man reluctantly stopped talking.
"Your master is asking why you haven't followed yet."
Qi Su: "I'm tired, I can't walk anymore."
Having received this answer, the man in black seemed to have completed his mission and vanished into the night in the blink of an eye.
Qi Su: ...
He gave the middle finger to the night sky.
Not long after, the man in black returned, hanging upside down from the tree, and said to Qi Su:
"Master wants you to hurry up."
Qi Su: "I couldn't walk anymore. He thought I was too slow, so he came over and carried me on his back."
The man in black disappeared again.
The third time, before the man in black could deliver the message, Qi Su had already seen Dao Ci under the tree.
The entrance to the secret passage is just ahead. If he goes in first, Qi Su might not be able to get in alone.
…
A white-robed monk stood beneath pine branches covered in a thin layer of snow, his slender fingers casually gathering a string of prayer beads.
His eyes were cold and distant as he looked down at Qi Su.
A night breeze swept by, causing the bare branches in the mountains to sway, and the cool starlight to flicker as well.
Dao Ci suddenly asked, "Benefactor, are you ill?"
Qi Su took a moment to come to her senses. "Ah, right." She belatedly asked, "You noticed?"
Not only Dao Ci noticed it, but even the man in black next to Dao Ci noticed it.
The young woman's skin was as white as snow, but her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness.
It looks like a fever caused by a cold.
The white-robed monk in front of the stone path seemed to have transformed back into the compassionate yet aloof master of Huatan Temple.
"Since you are sick, you shouldn't be wandering around tonight."
Qi Su's eyes flickered.
Damn it, I'm so delirious from the fever, I completely forgot to use that trick.
She closed her eyes and promptly fainted on the ground.
It's time to show my vulnerability. You should have said so earlier; all that walking up and down those mountain paths was for nothing.
Do they dare leave her here unattended?
Dao Ci:…
Man in black: ...
A moment later, the monk's cold voice rang out.
“Carry her on your back.”
Just as the man in black was about to hoist Qi Su up like a sack, Qi Su weakly opened her eyes.
"Can someone else carry me?"
"cannot."
Qi Su was very sensible. "Can we change positions? I don't want to be carried on your back, I want to be carried in a princess carry."
That should be acceptable.
.
Before exiting the secret passage, the man in black left.
Dao Ci turned slightly, turning to face Qi Su.
The secret passage was chilling.
His long, cold shadow was cast on the wall, completely obscuring Qi Su.
If you are still sick tomorrow, you don't need to come.
Qi Su chuckled softly.
"Oh dear, you make it sound like I can make my own decisions."
She didn't look up; her long eyelashes cast shadows on her face like raven feathers.
Dao Ci remained silent.
The two remained silent and returned through the secret passage one after the other.
The candles in the quiet room were half-burned.
The young novice monk Qingyan was fast asleep, lying on the table where Qi Su had been sleeping.
He was awakened by a scroll of scripture.
He stared blankly at Dao Ci and Qi Su standing in front of him.
Oh dear, how did I fall asleep so inexplicably...?
He sniffed with his delicate little nose, "Where's that smell of smoke coming from?"
The smell of fireworks? Qi Su sniffed her clothes.
Dao Ci remained expressionless, lifted his robe, and sat down on the prayer mat.
He instructed Qingyan.
"Fumigate her with sandalwood several times."
"Ah... Senior Brother, where did your outer robe go?" Qingyan wanted to ask. But he keenly noticed that his senior brother's expression was not good.
The atmosphere between me and the female benefactor in the room seemed rather strange.
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