"Yu Xin!" she called out coldly.
Yu Xin raised an eyebrow, her rosy lips curving downwards in displeasure. Reluctantly looking over, she frowned and said pitifully, "Miss..."
Liuli said coldly, "Put your clothes on and find an empty meditation room in the backyard to rest."
“Miss…” Yu Xin said coquettishly, “You promised me you’d let me watch this monk all night long.”
"Hmm?" Liuli's face darkened.
Seeing that she looked like she was about to get angry, Yu Xin reluctantly straightened her clothes, stood up, and said pitifully, "Okay, I know..."
After saying that, she turned back every few steps, leaving with great reluctance.
As soon as he heard Liuli's voice, Shichan opened his eyes. His seven-jeweled kasaya disappeared quietly, and he looked up at Liuli with gentle eyes, calling out with a smile, "Miss Liuli."
The flickering candlelight illuminated Shi Chan's face, casting shadows that were both bright and dark. His long eyelashes cast a small shadow on his face, but could not conceal the gentle smile in his eyes.
Suddenly, Liuli recalled a scene from a distant memory: in a small village in Moyan Prefecture, she and Shichan sat facing each other across a table. Paper lay flat before them; she smiled at him, her hands supporting her chin, while he lowered his eyes, grinding ink with soft, rhythmic strokes. The candlelight illuminated his face, reflecting a soft, luminous glow.
Liuli's eyes became deep and unfathomable. She stood there looking at his face, and as she looked at him, her cold heart suddenly showed signs of warming up.
This faint warmth was like a glimmer of light in a starless, moonless night to Liuli's heart, which was as unyielding as an ancient iceberg. Its impact was negligible.
The next moment, a series of gruesome scenes of corpses strewn across Fox Plains flashed before Liuli's eyes. Then, she saw the image of Shichan plunging a monk's knife into her heart. The intense pain seemed to still linger, chilling Liuli's eyes.
Her face darkened, and she slowly walked over, kicking aside a prayer mat in front of Shi Chan, before sitting cross-legged to face him.
“Miss Liuli…” Shi Chan looked tenderly at her face so close to his, his gaze gentle, his expression almost one of infatuation. A gentle smile curved his lips, and he said in a low voice, “There is something I have been waiting to say to you, Miss… Seeing that you are still alive and well in this world fills my heart with joy.”
"Hmph! Hypocritical!" Liuli's gaze was icy as she said in a cold voice, "Monk, all these years I've wanted to ask you two questions. First, when you went mad and fell into demonic possession, I kindly saved you, so why did you kill me?! Second, my Nine-Tailed Fox Clan has always sought seclusion and has never provoked your Buddhist sect, so why did you lead people to wipe out my entire clan?!"
Shi Chan looked saddened. He lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "I was unaware of the tragedy on Fox Plain before it happened. And... the death of the young lady is the thing I regret most in my life. I have kept this remaining life, not to pay for the young lady's life, but only to atone for the sins I committed that day."
"Two months ago, when I first met you, young lady, I thought it was just a dream..." A smile appeared on Shi Chan's face. He looked up at Liuli and said gently, "Later, they said that there was a nine-tailed fox in this world who had not died. Only then did I truly believe that you were really alive, young lady. I was very happy. But then I heard that you had killed many people..."
Shi Chan lost his smile, his expression grave. He looked intently at Liuli and said, word by word, "This humble monk only wishes to ask you one question: can my death make you forget your hatred?"
Liuli gave a cold laugh and said in a chilling voice, "If you die, the hatred in my heart will be lessened by more than half!"
"Very well." Shi Chan smiled, his eyebrows curving into crescent moons, his eyes gentle and tender. He said softly, "If that's the case, then keeping my life will have served a purpose. Miss, please kill me. If this can lessen the hatred in your heart, that would be good. With less hatred, you will feel much lighter, and one day, you will understand that only when there is no hatred in your heart can you live a carefree and easy life."
Liuli's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked at Shichan's gentle smiling face. Her heart was filled with mixed emotions, and her feelings were in turmoil. She could sense that his words were sincere, and that his advice to forget hatred seemed to be not for the sake of Buddhism, but for her own sake.
Seeing that Liuli hadn't moved for a long time, Shi Chan's smile widened. He said, "This humble monk has always believed that you are still the kind-hearted girl you always were... It's alright, you don't need to be reluctant. Just do it. This life is something this humble monk owes you."
Enraged, Liuli said coldly, "You think I wouldn't have the heart to kill you? I hate you to the bone, how could I not have the heart to kill you?! Hmph, if you want to die, I'll grant your wish right now!"
Having said that, she stretched out her right hand and clenched it, revealing a dagger that shimmered with black light. The dagger was made of demonic energy, but its blade was sharp and emitted a chilling light.
Her gaze turned cold, and she aimed the tip of the dagger at Shi Chan's neck, then plunged it down!
Shi Chan neither dodged nor avoided, his eyes simply gazing tenderly at Liu Li, and even the gentle smile on his lips remained unchanged.
Just as the tip of the dagger was about to pierce Shi Chan's neck, but was only inches away from it, Liu Li's hand suddenly stopped.
Even though Liuli, after her rebirth, forgot all beautiful feelings and love, even though her love for Shichan was obscured by hatred and buried deep in the corner of her heart, covered by layers of negative emotions and impossible to detect, this single trace of love, which Liuli had never noticed, still prevented her from taking action.
The tip of the dagger trembled, and her glassy eyes were filled with struggle, her expression complex and unpredictable.
Time passed slowly, and the two red candles before the Buddha statue flickered, casting shadows on the solemn and dignified figure of the Buddha. The candlelight shone on the Buddha's eyes, reflecting the Buddha's gentle gaze as he silently looked at Liuli and Shichan.
"Young lady," Shi Chan said gently, with a smile, "Let's begin."
Liuli gritted her teeth, then gritted them again, but she just couldn't bring herself to stab him.
Suddenly, her hand recoiled, and the dagger vanished silently. She lowered her head, her eyes reddening, her expression furious. She couldn't bear the pang of reluctance in her heart, desperately trying to conceal her inability to bring herself to strike.
A moment later, she raised her head and said in a hateful voice, "I can't let you die so easily, I can't let you get away with this! I'll make you wish you were dead... Yes, wish you were dead! I, I..."
Liuli's eyes darted around, deep in thought. After a long while, her gaze settled, and she said bitterly, "I want you to lose what's most important to you, just like me, to suffer the same pain of losing a loved one, helpless and unable to do anything!"
“Miss Liuli…”
Liuli's eyes were red, and she looked extremely resentful with gritted teeth, but there was also a struggle and hesitation in her eyes.
Looking at Liuli's appearance, Shichan felt a pang of heartache.
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