Chapter 52 What is your relationship? Friends
"Haha...what a coincidence. Where are you from and what are you doing here?" Chang Xile asked.
"What about you?" Anping asked with a smile as he parked his bicycle aside.
Chang Xile showed him the suitcase he was carrying and said, "I'm going back to the dormitory to put my luggage away and then go to Changle Mountain."
"Going to Changle Mountain again?" Anping frowned and asked, "What happened?"
"I'm going to the temple to fulfill my vow." Chang Xile clasped her hands together in prayer. Then, remembering something, she smiled and asked, "You said you were going to visit the teacher. Did you see him at Changle Mountain?"
"Yeah." Anping smiled as he thought about it. "I gave him a gladiolus flower."
"Are you still getting in the car?" Daisy Gang leaned against the passenger door and waved to them.
Anping finally turned his attention to this "uninvited guest." He looked Dai Xigang up and down and reminded him, "No outside vehicles are allowed in the school."
Then he reached out and took Chang Xile's suitcase, motioning, "Let's go, I'll take you back to the dormitory."
"What about your bike..." Chang Xile glanced at it. The shared bike had already been returned. She couldn't help but wonder where on earth did this person get back from? It looked like it hadn't been used at all. She turned back and leaned slightly towards Daisy Port. "Thank you, you don't have to see me off."
Dai Xigang stood there, watching the two figures walk away side by side, his tongue poking his cheek. He couldn't stop thinking about "Dai Shanyan" speaking to him with that face, so much so that Chang Xile's image filled his dreams. He figured that instead of enchanting someone he didn't know in a dream, it would be better to meet her in person. Once he got to know her, his body would naturally be able to distinguish between these two completely different people.
But looking at them at this moment, I felt extremely depressed.
After Chang Xile put her luggage away and dusted off her hands, she slowly headed downstairs to look for directions to Changle Mountain. She spotted a boy standing by a tree outside the glass door of her dormitory on the first floor. He leaned slightly against the tree, dozing. When Chang Xile approached him, he opened his eyes, as if realizing something, and met her gaze.
"Why don't you go back?" Chang Xile asked.
"I want to see my teacher again." Anping's implication was obvious. He also wanted to go to Changle Mountain - with Chang Xile.
"Has it been five days since you last saw him?" Chang Xile was a little confused. No matter how good the relationship between teacher and student was, they shouldn't meet so frequently, right?
Anping lowered his eyes and said, "You go by yourself, aren't you afraid of getting lost again?"
Always be joyful and thoughtful.
Chang Xile thought it made sense.
So she immediately took advantage of the situation and strode forward: "Okay! Strengthening your relationship with your teacher is a beautiful thing! It's worth celebrating!"
She bought some apples and oranges at the fruit shop on campus. As for incense sticks, gold ingots and the like, there were vendors selling them at the foot of Changle Mountain.
Anping took the heavy object consciously, took out his cell phone to hail a taxi, but found that the person next to him paused again.
"Hey? Why are you still here?" Chang Xile asked.
Daisy Port never mentioned repaying the favor again. He thought for a moment and said, "Thanks to you, I carefully admired Prosit's bird's-eye view of laughter a few days ago. I really want to go and see the original scene in person."
Chang Xile also responded unconsciously, "That's right! Seeing it through a painting is a completely different experience than seeing it with your own eyes! When you look up at that huge stone statue, it feels like you're looking directly into its eyes."
Daisy Port opened the passenger door and invited, "I'm not very familiar with this area. Since we're going this way, why don't I drive and you give me directions?"
Chang Xile pondered for a moment, but couldn't think of a reason not to help, so he agreed: "No problem. But I'm a bit directionally challenged, so I'll probably have to rely on Anping for directions."
Daisy Gang turned his gaze to Anping's face. The corners of his lips, which had been slightly smiling, were now straightened, and his finger was still on the taxi button. Anping frowned and said, "I don't want to take his car."
Dai Xigang responded quickly: "Are you carsick? It doesn't matter. We can split up and meet up at the foot of the mountain." He looked at Anping, not hiding the malice in his smile.
Anping put on a cold expression as he put his arm around Chang Xile's wrist and led her to the back seat. Dai Xigang didn't seem to care much, as he closed the passenger door and returned to the driver's seat.
"Xile, I recently learned that Prosit's new work will be auctioned within a month. If the Dai family can get it by then, you are welcome to come and appreciate it." Dai Xigang held the steering wheel and glanced at Chang Xile through the rearview mirror.
Before Chang Xile could answer, he heard Anping laugh muffledly with his head down.
"What's wrong?" Daisy Port glanced at him and asked.
"The Dai family probably won't be able to get this painting." Anping answered truthfully.
"Really?" Dai Xigang laughed. "Is there something at the auction house that the Dai family can't get? That's really rare."
[You'll know when the time comes.]
An Ping didn't argue with him much, but just raised his lip slightly and started talking to Chang Xile again: "Do you like Prosit's paintings very much?"
Chang Xile nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling: "I like it!"
An Ping tilted his head slightly, thought for a moment, and then said to her, "But the works he put up for auction are the ones he wasn't satisfied with. If you really want to see them, actually..."
"Speaking of which, what's your relationship?" Daisy couldn't help but glance at them in the rearview mirror again. The backseat was spacious, yet the two of them didn't bother maintaining a safe social distance. They showed no shyness or resistance to the occasional physical contact caused by the vehicle's instability.
Are you a couple?
"We are from the same university, friends." Chang Xile answered naturally. She was still checking the map route on her mobile phone, leaving Anping alone looking at her with his eyes downcast.
"Oh... friends?" Daisy Port glanced at them deeply. He met Anping's gaze in the mirror for a second as he looked up. Where was the innocent look in his eyes as when he was interacting with Chang Xile? Now, those lake-blue eyes were cold, staring straight at him.
There was silence on the rest of the car ride. Chang Xile hadn't slept well the previous night because of the haunted incident. Before long, she was nodding her head, and Anping carefully helped her rest her head on his shoulder.
"Xi Le, should I..." Dai Xigang had barely begun to speak when he heard a shushing sound from behind. Chang Xi Le leaned unguardedly against his shoulder, their hair practically tangled together. An Ping had just lowered his finger from his lips and was silently gazing out the window, not even sparing Dai Xigang a glance.
Daisy Port just silently slowed down the speed to drive more steadily.
When they reached the foot of Changle Mountain, Chang Xile happily bought a stick of incense. She got back in the car and suddenly sighed to Anping, "I was just thinking, when I have enough money, I could make a golden statue of the statue of Lady Laughter. But I calculated how big her stone statue is, and I wonder how much material it would take. Sigh, I don't know when I'll be able to realize this wish." She sighed, and after talking to Anping, she saved her thoughts, letting this sudden idea, which was beyond her ability, drift away.
As usual, the car ended up on the road halfway up the mountain. After the three of them got out of the car with their belongings, Chang Xile pondered for a while.
She took out the super simplified version (optimistic version) of the map that the old Taoist priest had handed to her at that time, trying to find the location of Xiaoyu Temple.
But she studied it for a long time but didn't take the first step. Finally, Anping took the map and walked in a certain direction first.
Chang Xile suspected that if she and Daisy Gang really came here alone, they would probably get lost because the roads here were too winding.
Besides, they didn't know if they would encounter the same "ghost wall" as last time. Back then, Dai Shanyan had shown them the way to Xiaoyu Temple, but this time they had to find it on their own.
However, compared to the unspeakable difficulties encountered on previous climbs, today's journey was incredibly smooth. Anping led the way without any hindrance, even taking out the map only to check it after a long while. He was so relaxed that it felt like he was back home.
"Didn't you say you were going to see the teacher and it was on our way?" Daisy Gang asked when he saw Anping had been staying with them.
Chang Xile thought of this and turned to look at Anping. He just shook his head and said, "Teacher, I don't have a fixed residence. So I can't say I have a specific destination."
Yes, Chang Xile suddenly realized, remembering that Anping had said before that his teacher liked to travel around.
"Anyway, I'll just send you there first. I'm not in a hurry."
Along the way, Chang Xile carefully memorized the route and road signs. She also found a ribbon tied to the branch of an ancient tree.
This was where she, Yang Guisi, and Anping had separated the last time. However, this time, none of them got lost or fell behind. They arrived at Xiaoyu Temple without any problems.
Upon catching sight of the familiar temple from afar, Chang Xile immediately trotted forward a few steps, fruits and incense in hand. But he quickly noticed something was amiss. First, the plaque at the entrance of Xiaoyu Temple had clearly been cleaned, now shining brightly and standing perfectly straight. Furthermore, the vines that had once entangled the plaque had been carefully cleared away, completely different from the dilapidated state Chang Xile had observed the last time he visited.
The second strange thing is that this temple is a little too quiet.
After all, there is an old Taoist priest living in the temple. Whether he is cleaning the room or chanting scriptures, he will make some noise - and now is not the time to sleep.
Chang Xile took the lead and walked in. Dai Xigang looked around curiously, while Anping had a deep look in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.
The weeds and wildflowers in the courtyard were meticulously trimmed. There were even some flowers on the tribute table beneath the giant stone statue of Lady Laughter. Chang Xile reached out and touched them, declaring, "These are immortal flowers that never decay."
A premonition dawned on Chang Xile. He knocked on the door of the Taoist's lounge, but before he could put much force into it, the door creaked open.
There was only a wooden table and a bed frame left inside; everything else had been taken away.
Seeing this, Chang Xile quickly turned around, walked over to the tribute table, and wiped it with her hand. A thick layer of white ash appeared on her index finger.
It had only been a week since she last came to Xiaoyu Temple, but the thickness of the dust seemed to have accumulated for quite a long time.
Everything says one thing.
Chang Xile muttered to himself in disbelief, "This temple has been abandoned. When did it start?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com