"It's you!"
Upon seeing Su Qinghe's face clearly, Wu Wang's already flustered heart became even more panicked.
He involuntarily took a few steps back, his cheeks flushing red.
"Su, Benefactor Su... what are you doing here?"
Wu Wang kept glancing at the candlelight and then at the table, but never at Su Qinghe.
Dead memories suddenly resurfaced.
Su Qinghe remained calm, unlike him who was embarrassed.
"It's a long story. There are soldiers everywhere around Lingyan Temple now. I'd like to hide here for a couple of days."
Wu Wang was taken aback. "Those soldiers are here to arrest Benefactor Su?"
“Not entirely.” Su Qinghe shook her head and explained to him succinctly.
"The magistrate is plotting a rebellion!" Upon hearing this, Wu Wang covered his mouth in disbelief.
"What do we do then? Will the abbot and our fellow disciples die?"
He was in a panic, running around in circles.
"Amitabha! May the Buddha bless you... This disciple has spent his life observing vegetarianism and reciting Buddhist scriptures... Oh! And the abbot and my fellow disciples as well..."
He was completely flustered, his hands clasped together and he kept muttering to himself, but fortunately he remembered the soldiers outside and deliberately kept his voice down.
Su Qinghe felt dizzy from looking at it, rubbed her temples, and quickly pressed the person down.
“I told you, praying to gods and Buddhas is useless. Even if you pray all night, these soldiers won’t leave.”
"You might as well beg me instead of those gods who may or may not even exist. At least I'm alive and standing right in front of you right now."
After he finished speaking, Wu Wang stared at her intently.
"Please, if you had a way out, why would you be hiding here with me?"
Su Qinghe was at a loss for words.
After thinking for a moment, she plopped down in a chair. "Wait for the right moment."
"Just know that I'm here to save you."
Wu Wang bit his lip. Now that things were like this, what use was it for him to believe her or not?
"Then why did they arrest you?"
Su Qinghe was too lazy to answer his pointless question, and simply looked around the meditation room.
Seeing that Su Qinghe ignored him, Wu Wang pursed his lips and spoke again.
"What if they can't find you?"
"Will the worshippers who come to offer incense tomorrow also be arrested?"
"..."
Wu Wang bombarded him with questions, knowing they were all nonsense, but in this situation, he was flustered and just wanted to talk to someone.
Before, he was alone in the room and could only talk to himself. Now that Su Qinghe was there, he couldn't control himself at all.
Seeing that Su Qinghe remained silent, Wu Wang thought for a moment and changed the subject.
"Benefactor Su, have you had dinner yet?"
Hearing this, Su Qinghe finally looked up at him. "I've already eaten. What? You haven't eaten?"
If he hadn't eaten, she could give him some, and shut him up from his endless stream of nonsense.
Wu Wang was unaware that Su Qinghe had such thoughts, but seeing that Su Qinghe was finally willing to talk to him, he was happy and felt that he had found his direction.
You can't ask about treason, but you can chat about everyday things. This is the conclusion I came to after asking so many questions.
Then he became incredibly energetic, speaking fluently and eloquently.
"I've eaten too. But... I'm a little hungry now." Wuwang scratched his head.
"What did you have for dinner, Benefactor Su? Tonight, I had a bowl of vegetarian noodles, a steamed bun, and some dried radishes. Oh! The green vegetables in the bowl were also particularly delicious."
"It's just that Senior Brother Kongsang put in a little too little salt today, so it's a bit tasteless... And then there was lunch today..."
As Wu Wang spoke, he counted on his fingers. He remembered exactly how many pieces of radish he ate and how many vegetable leaves were in his bowl, and even included his dining experience that day. He was completely immersed in his memories.
Su Qinghe picked at her ear; she shouldn't have answered him.
After recalling all his stories, Wu Wang realized he had talked too much and awkwardly twirled the prayer beads in his hand.
"I was only thinking about what I was saying, Benefactor Su, I'm really sorry."
Su Qinghe waved her hand awkwardly. "It's nothing."
"The temple is a place of austerity, and the young chef can make such simple dishes taste so different. I really admire him."
Hearing Su Qinghe say this, Wu Wang's face turned even redder.
"The vegetarian food in the mountain temple is quite bland. I've been eating this since I was a child, and after eating it so much, I can naturally taste the difference. Surely you, Benefactor Su, can't get used to it?"
Wu Wang lowered his head, but couldn't help but secretly observe Su Qinghe's expression.
Su Qinghe did indeed look disgusted. "Well, I still prefer meat."
Upon seeing this, Wu Wang couldn't help but feel curious.
"It seems that people in the secular world really like to eat meat. I have never eaten it, and the temple never cooks it either. I have only smelled it a few times when I went down the mountain with my fellow disciples to buy meat. It smelled very good, but I don't know what it tastes like."
Seeing his curiosity, Su Qinghe kindly explained.
"Meat...there are many ways to cook meat, and they all taste different."
Su Qinghe thought for a moment,
"For example, braised pork belly has a reddish-brown color and a tender, glutinous texture; sweet and sour pork ribs are delicious, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside; steamed pork with rice flour melts in your mouth, rich but not greasy..."
Wu Wang listened attentively, his eyes filled with longing. He looked up, lost in thought, as if imagining the taste Su Qinghe had described.
Seeing this, Su Qinghe had an idea. Taking advantage of his inattention, she took out a piece of dried meat from her spatial storage.
"I don't have any of those things I mentioned earlier, but I do have some dried meat on hand. Since you're so curious, would you like to try some?"
As Su Qinghe spoke, she tossed the dried meat in her hand.
Wu Wang looked in the direction of the sound, his heart filled with panic, and he quickly waved his hand.
"No, no, no! This humble monk was only curious for a moment. As a monk, I am compassionate and should not kill. How could this humble monk eat meat!"
"Please keep it for yourself, Benefactor Su. Thank you for your kindness."
Su Qinghe smiled and continued to bewitch.
"It's okay to eat it once in a while, and didn't you just say you wanted to eat meat?"
"I remember the Buddha said something like this: In the three realms, the mind is the master. Those who truly observe their mind will ultimately be liberated. Those who cannot observe their mind will ultimately sink into suffering."
“Follow your heart, little master, don’t you think?” Su Qinghe teased.
Wu Wang frowned. "Is this sentence found in Buddhist scriptures?"
He muttered to himself, but dared not show it, for fear that Su Qinghe would laugh at him.
"But if the abbot finds out, he'll definitely punish me..."
Seeing that he was somewhat moved, Su Qinghe added fuel to the fire.
“Didn’t your abbot agree with what I said in the main hall that day? He even said it taught you a lesson! I believe he would agree with it now that he knows.”
When Su Qinghe mentioned what she said in the palace that day, Wu Wang was stunned.
The abbot greatly admired Su.
Thinking of this, Wu Wang unconsciously swallowed hard as he looked at the dried meat in Su Qinghe's hand.
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