But Song Ting carefully held his hand and said to him:
"Young master, if you wish to make any wish, you can tell me and I will grant it for you. You don't need to ask anyone for help."
Song Ting kept her head down, making it impossible to see her emotions on her face, but her voice trembled violently:
"My lord, as long as you need me, I will always protect you and stay by your side..."
"Alright." Chu Huaixu kissed the top of his head, confirming his promise, "I heard it, Buddha has heard it."
"So you can only keep your promise and stay by my side, otherwise I will be punished by not being able to reincarnate after death."
He couldn't even bear to punish Song Ting, yet he would punish himself for a promise that Song Ting couldn't keep.
There's no such logic in the world!
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Song Ting was startled by his vow. She looked up at him, her panic barely concealed.
Then he looked at Buddha and hurriedly begged:
"It doesn't count! What you said earlier doesn't count! If you're going to punish someone, punish me! Punish me and send me to hell! Don't punish you!"
Although the two were speaking in hushed tones, they still alerted the others, who occasionally cast disapproving glances their way.
Chu Huaixu took Song Ting's hand, pulled her up, and the two of them ran out of the hall.
Inside the main hall, incense smoke curled and scriptures were chanted, while outside, two people held hands, looked at each other, and smiled foolishly.
Chu Huaixu said, "Song Ting, you must remember your words. If you ever betray me, then I will be punished by having a miserable life."
What he said made no sense at all. If Song Ting really betrayed him, why would he care about what happened to him?
Song Ting wasn't usually talkative, but even he couldn't help but say to him, "Young Master, you're so stupid."
They can't even threaten people.
Chu Huaixu, whether he understood the implied meaning or not, simply smiled.
"Let's go. Although the old monk's chanting is boring, the snacks in this temple are exceptional and delicious."
He tugged at Song Ting: "After you've had a good rest, we'll go get some snacks!"
The young master was thoughtful and arranged for the two of them to sleep in rooms opposite each other. However, Chu Huaixu was still not satisfied. In his opinion, he should sleep in the same room as Song Ting.
However, since the Buddhist temple is a place of purity, and since it was arranged by the young monk, he did not insist and went to bed as soon as he entered the room.
Song Ting didn't have the habit of taking a nap, so when she was bored, she started flipping through the scriptures in her room.
Chu Huaixu did not believe in gods or Buddhas, and he was even less inclined to believe in them, because even if gods and Buddhas truly existed, they would never protect someone like him.
As Song Ting turned the pages of the scriptures, all she could think about was Chu Huaixu's face.
Buddha could not save him, nor could he save himself; only this person was his faith, his god.
But he was full of lies and was constantly deceiving his gods.
People like him are destined for hell.
"Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, what you said before is no longer true. I will bear all the sins and consequences alone. May you live a good life forever."
He prayed silently in his heart.
At that moment, I tasted a slightly metallic sweetness in my throat. I wanted to drink some tea to calm it down, but suddenly a churning, excruciating pain surged in my chest.
Song's vision went black, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.
The deep red blood that oozed from the corner of his lips looked even more shocking on his pale face.
Putting down the scriptures in her hands, Song Ting curled up on the bed, enduring wave after wave of excruciating pain, thinking that it would be great if she could faint from the pain.
Yet he remained conscious, the pain feeling like thousands of ants gnawing and crawling inside his body. He wished he could use a sharp knife to cut into his flesh and pull those ants out.
But his remaining rationality kept him alert, and all he could do was bite down on the blanket to keep himself from screaming.
The blood flowing from his mouth soon stained the thin blanket crimson.
It took about half an incense stick's time for the pain to gradually subside.
Song Ting looked as if she had been soaked in water; even the blankets were soaked with sweat.
With his still trembling hands, he unbuttoned his shirt—and sure enough, the small mole on his chest had darkened again.
He remembered that when he first met Chu Huaixu, the other party noticed this small mole.
At that time, Chu Huaixu kissed that spot very lightly and shallowly, his peach blossom eyes full of affection, and even his voice was hoarse and deeper than usual.
He said, "Song Ting, you have a small, light red mole here. It's so pretty."
After that, whenever the two of them did that kind of thing, Chu Huaixu always liked to kiss this spot.
The kisses were always gentle and tender, making Song Ting clearly feel that he was being cherished.
"My little Qingxiang is even beautiful with the mole on her chest."
It's just a mole. They all look pretty much the same, just black or red, bigger or smaller, lighter or darker in color.
But he could make even the most ordinary things sound amazing, making Song Ting blush under the covers and not dare to look at him.
At that time, Chu Huaixu was still a spirited young master of the royal family. Even though he was subordinate to Song Ting, he was in no way inferior in terms of his aura. On the contrary, he always made Song Ting blush.
Moreover, Song Ting knew in his heart that this was not a mole at all. This little red mole that Chu Huaixu had so tenderly cherished was actually just proof that he had been poisoned by the "Soul-Severing" Gu.
The color of the mole will gradually darken over time, and each darker layer will cause him to experience the same excruciating pain as before.
The moment the mark turns black will be the moment his soul departs.
He wasn't some homeless beggar at all; he was ordered to deliberately approach Chu Huaixu, and "Soul Severance" was the other party's method of controlling him.
Song Ting coughed up a mouthful of blood, then lowered her eyes and glanced at the mark again.
He doesn't have much time left...
As her strength gradually returned, Song Ting got up and changed into clean clothes, but she was troubled when she looked at the blood-stained quilt.
"Song Ting." It was Chu Huaixu's voice from outside the door.
Song Ting quickly folded the quilt, pretended to straighten her clothes, and opened the door for Chu Huaixu, acting as if she had just woken up.
Did I disturb your sleep?
Song Ting shook her head: "No, I just woke up."
"That's good." Chu Huaixu smiled and breathed a sigh of relief, then sniffed and walked around the room.
He seemed to notice something was wrong and asked in confusion, "Why does it smell strange?"
Song Ting's heart tightened, but she replied calmly:
"It seems no one has lived here for quite some time. Didn't you say you'd take me for some snacks, young master? Why don't we go now? I'm getting a little hungry..."
Chu Huaixu had no doubt about him at all. Hearing him say that, his attention was diverted, and he responded repeatedly:
"Let's go then! I already gave instructions to that young monk, he must have already prepared everything, we can eat as soon as we get there!"
"I love the Longjing almond shortbread here the most. It's not too sweet or greasy, and it leaves a lingering fragrance on your lips and teeth. I've been wanting to bring you here to try it for a long time..."
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