Su Qinghe looked at him, her eyes full of mockery.
"All that talk about benevolence and morality is nothing but a shackle used to imprison people's hearts; this is the Buddha that people worship."
"No... I..." Wu Wang opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found himself speechless.
“What you say is absolutely right.”
An aged voice came from behind the hall, and then an old man wearing an earth-yellow monk's robe walked out.
"Master Host!"
Upon seeing the old man in the yellow robe, Wu Wang immediately called out softly and hopped over to him.
Su Qinghe looked in the direction of the voice and saw that the person who came had white hair and beard, kind eyes and a string of prayer beads in his hand. He looked very virtuous and respected.
"Did the host agree with what I said?"
Su Qinghe looked surprised. He had been a monk for decades and had even risen to the position of abbot. How could he have defected so easily?
The old monk nodded slightly and walked up to Su Qinghe.
“What you say is very true, benefactor. This humble monk has learned a lot.”
The old monk smiled and said, "Buddha is not omnipotent. There is much suffering in the world, and Buddha cannot save everyone from it all."
"But faith in Buddha is more of a spiritual sustenance, allowing people to still hold onto hope when facing suffering."
"...So what you said about it being ethereal and unreal is indeed true." The old man stroked his beard.
"Master?" Wu Wang looked at him blankly, thinking he had misheard.
My teacher, who taught me from a young age to respect Buddha, how can you say that Buddha is fake?
The old man patted his bald head and smiled.
"Don't be impatient. You've grown up in the courtyard since you were little and haven't gone down the mountain much. You've experienced little, so naturally you feel that everything is as peaceful as in the temple."
"Once you have the chance to go down the mountain and experience more, you'll understand."
After saying that, he looked at Su Qinghe and said, "For you to have such insights, you must have experienced many vicissitudes and seen through the world."
Su Qinghe shook her head noncommittally, "It's just that I've seen and experienced a lot of human suffering."
The abbot nodded knowingly, "In any case, this humble monk must thank the benefactor for allowing Wuwang to learn from this child."
Su Qinghe smiled slightly, "You're too kind, Master. I was just saying it casually."
Turning to look at the bewildered little monk behind him, Su Qinghe felt nothing.
She didn't intend to destroy anyone's faith; she was just stating the facts.
The abbot turned around, bowed devoutly to the Buddha statue, and said to everyone, "The time has come, and the temple will soon be closed for the night. Please hurry and offer incense, everyone."
Upon hearing this, everyone stopped pondering what Su Qinghe and the abbot had just said and lined up to quickly pay their respects.
After Qin Anmin finished bowing to his last husband, the group left the palace in high spirits.
Su Qinghe could sense that from the moment she stood there waiting until she left the hall, there was a subtle gaze watching her.
She searched for him once, but when she found out it was the little monk named Wuwang, she stopped paying attention to him.
After leaving Lingyan Temple, the group chattered away. Apart from Qin Anmin's loud voice, there was the sound of a group of men discussing what Su Qinghe had just said.
"My wife, did you have a very difficult life before?"
Ji Qingyu sullenly took Su Qinghe's arm, looked at her and asked softly, her eyes filled with pity.
Su Qinghe was amused by his appearance and gently pinched the tip of his nose with a light laugh.
"Yes, a little, but it's barely better than someone's butt!"
"What are you saying, my lady!" Ji Qingyu's face turned bright red. She let go of Su Qinghe's hand and ran after Qin Ange.
"Haha..." Su Qinghe laughed triumphantly, wondering if he would dare to pity her again.
Looking at Su Qinghe laughing so happily, and then at Ji Qingyu who had run away in embarrassment, Lin Xi shook his head helplessly.
"Why tease him, my lady? Yu-ge'er meant well this time. He was heartbroken for quite a while!" He gave Su Qinghe a reproachful look.
"It's funny!"
Su Qinghe grabbed his arm and gave him some support so he could go downhill with less effort, while Ji Yuan and Ling Feng were each helped by their servants.
The descent took much less time than the ascent. The group soon reached the halfway point, chatted for a few moments, and then boarded their respective carriages, traveling together down the mountain.
By the time they returned to the manor, it was well past noon. Fortunately, there were several plates of fruits and pastries prepared in the carriage, so the pregnant men didn't go hungry.
Zhang Fu received the news early on, and by then the food was already being served on the table, ready for Su Qinghe and the others to eat as soon as they arrived.
Perhaps the exercise increased their appetite, or perhaps they were genuinely hungry, but the men ate with great relish, leaving far less food on the table than usual.
"My lady, we'll head back now. Please take care and get some rest."
After sitting and drinking tea for a while, Lin Xi suggested going back for a nap, and the others did the same.
Su Qinghe naturally had no objections and nodded with a smile.
"Hmm, I'm a bit tired today. Soak your feet in hot water before bed, and remember to have someone massage your legs, otherwise they might hurt tomorrow."
“Especially you three, you’re already quite heavy, and if you’re not careful, your calves might swell up tomorrow,” Su Qinghe said to the three pregnant men.
"Um."
The group nodded, chatted for a few more minutes, and then left together, leaving only Ling Feng behind.
Su Qinghe looked at him. "What is it?"
"Mm," Ling Feng responded and sat back down.
"I've been away from the Seven Kill Pavilion for over a month now, and there's less than half a month left until the agreed-upon time. We need to set off."
Su Qinghe looked thoughtful. "Is the Seven Kill Pavilion headquarters far from Tianhe County?"
Ling Feng shook his head.
“It’s not far. If I were to ride a horse, it would only take six or seven days to get there, day and night. But I’m pregnant now and can’t ride a horse. Even if I take a carriage day and night, it will take several days to get there.”
“Okay,” Su Qinghe said in a deep voice. “Do you have any people available? I’m leaving, and someone needs to keep an eye on Lin Xi and the others.”
Ling Feng looked troubled upon hearing this.
"Yes, there are some, but only a dozen or so. If Qiu Shan sends more people, I'm afraid..."
He didn't say what he was going to say next, but Su Qinghe could guess it.
"Something is better than nothing. Send your men over today. Have An Ge take Lin Xi and the others to the Commandant's Mansion for a while. Your men can go with them and protect them secretly."
Seeing that she had a solution, Ling Feng breathed a sigh of relief, and his furrowed brows relaxed.
"Okay, I'll send a message in a bit. So, when shall we meet..."
He looked at Su Qinghe tentatively.
"We'll leave tomorrow after we see Lin Xi and the others enter the Commandant's residence," Su Qinghe said calmly.
Ling Feng was slightly taken aback, not expecting her to arrange it so early, even though they didn't have much time left.
"……Thanks!"
After a long pause, he lowered his eyes and spoke, feeling a strange, indescribable feeling in his heart.
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