The Buddhist hall was extremely spacious, and only a single candle was lit in front of the Buddha statue at the very back, so the path that Liuli walked forward was still somewhat dim.
Zen Master Shi was sitting cross-legged on a prayer mat in front of the Buddha statue, lost in thought. Hearing the door open, he stood up and looked in the direction of the footsteps. In the darkness, he could vaguely see a slender figure slowly approaching. Because there was no candlelight, he couldn't see her face clearly, but he could tell she was wearing white and her figure was familiar.
Shi Chan's eyelashes trembled, and his breathing became slightly disordered.
She walked towards him step by step, and as her footsteps grew closer, her figure finally emerged from the darkness and reached the spot illuminated by the flickering candlelight.
Shi Chan's body trembled slightly, and the calm expression on his face shattered, turning into one of surprise and excitement.
Liuli came to Shichan, but for a moment she was silent and didn't know what to say. She just stared at him blankly.
Shi Chan stared at Liuli, and after a long silence, a look of bewilderment gradually crept onto his face. How could Liuli be here at this time? Perhaps this was just a dream. As always, she often appeared in his dreams, but she would disappear when he woke up, which often left him feeling lost and disappointed.
If what he sees before him is just a dream, then if he goes over and hugs her, it wouldn't be considered breaking his vow, right?
This thought occupied his mind, which was originally as calm as an ancient well. Then, driven by this thought, he slowly took a few steps forward to her and opened his arms to hug her.
The warm and fulfilling feeling in his arms was not at all like a dream; the feeling intoxicated him, and he was completely immersed in it and could not extricate himself.
"Liuli." His voice was very low and slightly hoarse, filled with boundless affection, making it sound extremely gentle, as soft as a pool of spring water. He held her tightly and said softly, "It's been so long, I... I missed you so much."
Liuli was taken aback at first, then she smiled sweetly, as if someone had poured a whole jar of honey into her heart. The sweet feeling spread from her heart to her whole body, spreading a feeling of joy throughout her body.
She hugged him back, buried her face in his chest, and closed her eyes tightly.
The fragrance at the tip of his nose was like orchids and musk, and it was the familiar scent of her. Shi Chan couldn't help but think to himself, "This dream is so real."
He smiled wistfully and said softly, "Liuli, I know this is just a dream, but being able to hold you like this... makes me very happy."
Liuli was stunned for a moment, and was about to retort, but then she thought better of it and decided to hug him for a while first.
Time passed little by little, and the red candle flickered as it burned. In the blink of an eye, only a small portion of the candle remained, and the candle wax dripped down and solidified around the candle.
Because the feeling in his arms was so warm, Shi Chan held Liuli tightly and refused to let go. He thought, "I'll just keep holding her like this until I wake up from this dream."
--
Outside the Buddhist hall.
A young monk on patrol came to the scene and saw the unconscious young monk on the ground. He was shocked and rushed over, squatting down and calling out in alarm, "Junior Brother Mingzhen! Junior Brother Mingzhen! Wake up, wake up!"
"Junior brother, wake up!"
He kept patting Mingzhen's body, and finally, Mingzhen slowly woke up, looking at him with a pair of blank eyes.
After a while, Mingzhen finally came to his senses. He rubbed his aching head and hissed in pain. Quickly, he put the pain aside and said urgently, "Senior Brother Mingling, you should hurry and find Abbot Uncle! A woman just came to the temple, and she looks exactly like that nine-tailed fox demon from a few days ago!"
"Really?" Mingling exclaimed in surprise, "Then where is she now?"
“She’s in the Buddhist hall,” Mingzhen replied. “This humble monk is watching over her here. Senior brother, please go and invite the abbot!”
"Okay." Mingling didn't dare to delay and hurriedly ran away.
About fifteen minutes later, Shi Ning arrived hurriedly with Shi Fan and seven or eight disciples. Shi Ning approached Mingzhen and asked in a low voice, "Mingzhen, what happened?"
Mingzhen clasped his hands in a respectful bow and replied in a low voice, "Sect Master, just now when I was on patrol, a woman invaded the temple. She looked exactly like that nine-tailed fox demon!"
"Where is she now?" Shi Ning asked, frowning.
Mingzhen replied, "In the Buddhist hall."
Shi Ning glanced at the Buddhist hall and said in a low voice, "Mingzhen, go and call all the disciples of the Shi generation here. Junior Brother Shi Fan, you all come in with me!"
"yes!"
Everyone responded, and Mingzhen turned and left, while Shi Fan and the others followed Shi Ning toward the Buddhist hall.
The group arrived at the entrance of the Buddhist hall. Shi Ning took a deep breath and prayed silently, "Shi Chan, I hope you won't disappoint your senior brother..."
After thinking it over, he pushed open the door of the Buddhist hall and went inside.
It was just past midnight when Shi Ning and the others entered the Buddhist hall. They saw the candlelight flickering at the very back of the hall, illuminating two figures embracing and casting several shadows on the ground.
Seeing this, Shi Ning looked up and sighed deeply, his face filled with sorrow. Shi Fan flew into a rage and shouted, "Brother Shi Chan!"
Shi Ning lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Light the lamps!"
"Yes." Apart from Shi Fan, the others dispersed and lit all the candles on the lamp holders in the Buddhist hall.
Shi Ning and Shi Fan walked forward step by step. At that time, Shi Chan had already released Liu Li after hearing the noise. He took two steps back, looked at Liu Li with a blank expression, and then turned his gaze to Shi Ning, who had a gloomy face, and Shi Fan, who had an angry face.
Shi Chan stared blankly as Shi Ning and Shi Fan stormed towards him, still believing he was dreaming.
It wasn't until Liuli grabbed his arm and said urgently, "Little monk, run!"
Shi Chan snapped back to reality, instinctively pulling his arm away from Liuli's grasp, and said in bewilderment, "Isn't this a dream?"
Liuli burst out laughing. She said, "Silly monk, this is no dream!"
She turned her head and saw Shi Ning and Shi Fan walking towards her menacingly, and her smile vanished instantly. She grabbed Shi Chan's arm again and said, "Little monk, run!"
A sudden explosion went through Shi Chan's mind. It wasn't a dream; it wasn't a dream after all. So he had done such a thing, and his two senior brothers had witnessed it...
Liuli tugged at Shichan's arm a few times, but he didn't move. Seeing that Shi Ning and Shi Fan were already close at hand, Liuli became very anxious.
Shi Chan was flustered and looked bewildered. He turned his gaze from Liu Li's delicate face to Shi Fan and Shi Ning, who were walking with her. In a moment of panic, his subconscious thought was to push Liu Li aside and say urgently, "Miss, you should leave quickly!"
Shi Ning's face darkened even further.
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