Chapter 51 Chapter 51 No matter how good your temper is, you can't let others...
These days, Li Xuanbai practiced diligently from dawn to dusk, leaving the house at 11:00 AM each day and returning around 12:00 PM. Alone, she couldn't freely wander the mountain, so she spent her days reading storybooks in Lingjue Pavilion.
One day, at noon, she was pondering a chess book by the window when suddenly there was a knock on the door.
When the door opened, there was a green lamp next to Huide.
At the foot of the cliff, the mountain wind howled. A green lantern stood steadily on the narrow steps a few inches wide in front of the door. Under the azure sky, it saluted her:
"Miss Chu, the elder invites you to speak to the Bodhi Pavilion."
Inside the Bodhi Pavilion, Buddhist incense curled up, bead curtains hung quietly, and light gray smoke rose slowly, covering the image of Willow Guanyin on the wall.
Seeing her coming, Huide turned another page of the scriptures behind the pearl curtain.
"Meet the elder."
"Get up." He raised his hand. "Come in and sit down, girl."
When he said "come in", he meant that he wanted her to go behind the beaded curtain.
She folded her hands on her abdomen and pinched her hands nervously.
The green lamp lifted the bead curtain, and she stood quietly by the side. She lowered her head and went in, only to see that there was a small table behind the bead curtain. Huide was sitting on one side, and a cushion was placed opposite him. Tea had been poured on the table, and there was a teacup on the side, steaming hot.
Behind her, Qingdeng lowered the bead curtain. She stood in place, "Elder..." What's going on today?
Huide looked up and met her gaze for a moment, then actually smiled. "Please sit down."
She couldn't refuse, so she slowly knelt down on the mat.
Across from him, Huide touched the top of his bald head, still looking down at his book. "Miss, you've been visiting our mountain for over a month now. I wonder if you've gotten used to it?"
"As I'm used to, everyone on the mountain treats me very well."
"Xuan Bai has a flamboyant personality and a violent temper. I wonder if you've been getting along well with him while staying at Lingjue Pavilion these days?"
She lowered her head and said, "Yes."
"Well, I have something I'd like to ask you, young lady." He placed the scripture on the table and flipped through the pages that had been tucked under the book's back. "A few days ago, someone saw him climbing Sanqing Peak at night and even visiting Xingchen Pavilion at night. Do you know anything about this, young lady?"
Explore the Star Pavilion at night?
Nan Qiong Shuang was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "No. Has he ever visited the Xingchen Pavilion at night?"
Huide was silent for a long time, his loose and layered eyelids drooping under his thick and long eyebrows. It was unknown what he was thinking, but he was just fingering the rosary in his palm.
After a while, he let out a long sigh.
"That Li Xuanbai fellow is incredibly talented. I've always been overly partial to him, and this is all my fault. I spoiled him for a moment, ruined his foundation, and ultimately led to a disastrous mistake."
Nan Qiongshuang slowly tightened her five fingers in her sleeves, and she felt as if her body had become even colder.
...a huge mistake? What mistake? Is this a crime?
Wasn't he out practicing in high spirits this morning? He hasn't looked unusual these days.
Not only did he sneak into the Star Pavilion at night, but he was also caught? Where is that person now?
"...Big mistake?" She forced a smile, feeling her cheeks stiffen. "I don't understand. What big mistake?"
"A few days ago, he repeatedly took advantage of the cover of night to go up to the Star Pavilion alone to scout out the area. He was discovered by the disciples on the mountain and reported to me. I then sent someone to follow him, wanting to see what this traitor was up to."
"Unexpectedly, today during the day, I actually ran into this guy sneaking up to Sanqing Peak, entering Xingchen Pavilion, stealing the Tianshan Heart Sutra, and intending to escape down the mountain."
Nan Qiong Shuang was surprised for a moment, then lowered her eyes and said nothing.
"Fortunately, the man has been apprehended by me and is being tortured on the Lianlei Platform. The Heart Sutra has not been stolen and has been placed back in the Xingchen Pavilion for safekeeping. Miss, there is no need to worry."
No need to worry?
The corners of her lips curled up in a subtle, sarcastic arc. He was the gate, and she was the fish in the pond. How could the gate collapse while the fish in the pond remain unharmed?
"Elder, I haven't seen anything unusual from him these days. This incident is so sudden. Has the evidence been proven to be irrefutable and there is no injustice?"
Huide was silent and nodded sadly.
Nan Qiong Shuang's eyebrows knitted together for a moment. How could this be? He had been fine this morning.
Is this Huide cheating her?
She didn't know what to say for a moment, and hesitated, "I really don't know anything about it. I haven't seen him do anything abnormal these days."
But she thought to herself, "But why was she summoned here today?" The situation seemed to be settled, with little room for maneuver. Her plea was useless, and Huide certainly didn't want to hear her plead for him.
Could it be that he came specifically to inform her that Li Xuanbai was already being tortured on the interrogation table?
Why did he have to do this? Nan Qiongshuang still remembered the sinister look in Huide's eyes when he wanted to punish her to the Death Water Prison. This Huide was definitely not a kind person.
Why would he care about such trivial matters?
"It's natural that the young lady hasn't noticed. You don't know any martial arts. It wouldn't be difficult for Li Xuanbai to hide his skills from you." Huide straightened the wrinkles of his cassock at his knees. "In fact, I also suspected that the young lady was complicit in this matter and have been secretly investigating her for a long time. In the end, the young lady was found not to be involved in this matter. I am very relieved."
Nan Qiong Shuang lowered her eyes and pursed her lips slightly.
After checking her, she wasn't surprised. But, since he favored Li Xuanbai so much, how come he didn't seem to feel any pain at all now?
"After all, a few days ago, when Li Xuanbai sneaked up to Sanqing Peak, Yao Jie saw the girl outside Liangyi Pavilion."
Liangyi Pavilion?
Nan Qiong Shuang raised her eyes suddenly, and happened to see a pair of small, snake-like eyes under Huide's thick eyebrows. The pupils were small, almost animal-like, and they were fixed on her without turning.
At that moment, she felt as if two bloody holes were bitten by snake fangs on her body.
This old guy is definitely not a good person.
This kind of look was probably meant to test her today.
As for Li Xuanbai's theft of the "Tianshan Heart Sutra", the incident happened so suddenly that even she didn't notice it at all. She was afraid that there was something fishy going on.
She hurriedly got off the futon, knelt on the ground, and bowed her head respectfully. "Elder, I was indeed not involved in this matter, but there is one thing I need to report to you."
She said word by word, "This servant has never been to the Liangyi Pavilion."
"How could that be?" Huide raised his hand, motioning her to stand up. "Someone on the mountain did see her, saying she was making a wish and burning incense in front of the golden Buddha outside the Liangyi Pavilion. You just didn't know that was the Liangyi Pavilion, right?"
"No." She lowered her head even lower, almost knelt on the ground, "I have been staying in Lingjue Pavilion these days and have not been anywhere else."
"Young lady," Huide's voice was deep and drawn out, weighing down on her head. She felt like a person drowning underwater, trying to float up but being weighed down by a piece of driftwood, unable to breathe. "If you say that, then you are suspected of being an accomplice of the traitors."
"I am just being realistic."
Huide didn't speak for a long time.
Inside the Bodhi Pavilion, an eerie silence descended. The incense was still burning when suddenly a piece of it fell and shattered into the incense burner.
The mountain breeze blew gently into the pavilion, moving the coral bead curtain, and the beads collided with each other, making a slight clicking sound.
Nan Qiongshuang kept her head down and waited. When she thought, "It's time to speak up," the person sitting at the top still didn't say anything.
She didn't dare to act rashly, but just pressed her forehead against the cold stone floor more respectfully.
After an unknown amount of time, Huide sighed softly, "Young lady, please stand up." He raised his hand towards the small table and said, "Please sit down."
She didn't dare sit down, fearing that he would test her again, so she just stood up and continued to kneel on the ground.
Huide actually repeated, "Please sit down."
She took a deep breath, stood up carefully, and knelt respectfully on the mat.
Huide: "Miss, please have some tea."
She lowered her eyes. The tea was light green and as clear as solidified amber, with two or three tea leaves sinking to the bottom of the cup.
The tea had been poured on the table when she entered the Bodhi Pavilion just now, and it was already a little cold.
She held the lotus-petal white porcelain cup, and rubbed the rim of the cup with her fingertips as usual, but suddenly stopped.
Something is wrong.
There is powder on the rim of this cup.
Huide picked up the cup and took two sips, then picked up the teapot and filled the cup again. The clear tea was steaming hot.
She gave a barely perceptible smile. "Since I'm under suspicion, how should I cooperate with the investigation on the mountain? Who should I contact? Should I record my statement, or should I have someone specifically question me?"
"Don't worry, girl."
She shook her head, her eyes filled with pity and guilt, clutching her chest. "I'm just staying here temporarily, and I've already caused a lot of trouble these days. Now I'm suspected of being an accomplice of the rebels, and I'm truly anxious. I only ask the elder to have someone investigate me so that I can be cleared of the charges."
"Miss, there's no need to worry about these things. I'll naturally investigate what needs to be investigated." His tone became heavier, but he raised his hand again, "Miss, let's drink some tea first and talk."
She lowered her eyes to hide the sneer in them.
He wanted to use this method to harm her so blatantly that he didn't even bother to find an excuse to fool her.
This really means he doesn't take her seriously.
She agreed obediently, lowered her head and picked up the teacup, looked into his cunning little eyes, and said with a smile, "Thank you for the tea, Elder."
He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.
Huide watched her coldly as she finished drinking, put the cup down, and remained silent.
She laughed: "May I ask, Elder, why are you looking at...?"
Before she could finish her words, the rest was drowned out by her uncontrollable sobs and the surging blood. She begged for mercy, sobbing, "Elder..."
Huide was wearing a scarlet cassock and was counting the Buddhist beads in his palm one by one, without saying a word.
Across from her, she slumped over, stretched her neck and tried to breathe hard, but only a thick line of blood flowed from her lips, dripping down and staining her clothes.
*
A drop of crimson syrup suddenly dripped into the clear amber wine, slowly sliding to the bottom of the cup, leaving a blood-red trail.
His eyebrows suddenly twitched.
"Brother Jin, you should try this dish too."
A slender hand, painted with bright red nail polish, with a clear jade bracelet on the wrist, and a bowl of hawthorn syrup was handed to him.
"The name of this dish is 'Snow-Melting Mountain Red'."
Heng Huang held a cloud-like layer of silk shawl between his fingers, and placed his palms together on the sides of his face. He leaned his face against his hands like a well-behaved little animal and blinked his eyes. "Brother Jin didn't like it back then. Why don't you try it now?"
He looked at the pair of bright and tempting red water-drop earrings swaying under Heng Huang's ears, and his long eyelashes drooped.
At this time, the first thing that came to mind was that night when she was sitting on the steps, with lanterns scattered around, flickering, and she was in the middle, holding a bowl of hawthorn ice dumplings.
He laughed and said, "I've never liked hawthorn."
"Try it. Huang'er likes this the most, you can't not like it." She pouted and acted coquettishly.
He found it a little funny, "If the girl likes it, why should I like it too?"
"I just have to like it." She picked up the bowl, scooped a spoonful, and brought it to his mouth, "Brother Jin must try what I like, otherwise I won't like you anymore."
He couldn't help laughing for a while, "Don't like me?" So what, what is this little girl talking about.
Heng Huang thought that he could do nothing to her, so he doted on her and brought the white porcelain spoon to his lips again.
He just smiled, then tilted his head slightly to the side, "Gu really doesn't like this taste, girl, don't force me."
"No!" She stamped her feet, her almond-shaped eyes widening in a coquettish and angry expression. "Try it now. Otherwise, I'll try it first and show you."
As she spoke, she lowered her head, opened her red lips, and scooped the entire shiny hawthorn ball into her mouth.
Accidentally, a few strands of hair fell into the soup spoon and went into my mouth.
He looked cold and silently retreated a few inches to the side.
She raised her head and pulled the hair out of her mouth with her fingers, her eyes shining with excitement. "It's delicious! Not sour, but sweet. This is boiled with rock sugar, and then left to stand for four or five days. Look, the syrup is already so thick—"
He glanced at the shining hair on her temples, then lowered his eyes. There was now a circle of bright red on the white porcelain spoon, which was her lip balm.
He smiled without saying anything and shook his head.
Heng Huang extended the spoon a few inches closer, "If you keep doing this, I'm going to get angry!"
He laughed and suddenly remembered what Li Xuanbai said, "Only a good-tempered person like him can tolerate such lawless behavior."
What? Is this how a good-tempered person should be ordered around? If you need it today, you move it here today. If you need it elsewhere tomorrow, you move it somewhere else. When you're no longer needed, you put it at the bottom of the cliff to be punished.
My uncle-master sometimes really goes too far.
He shook his head and stood up, "Gu is not very drunk and cannot accompany the young lady any longer. Please allow me to go back and rest, Miss Heng and the elders." After saying this, he walked out of his seat and was about to leave, regardless of the surprised pleas to stay at the table.
Suddenly, someone pulled his sleeve.
He turned around and saw the person sitting next to him, his face full of grievance, panic, and unwillingness, with sparkling eyes. "What? Brother Jin, you don't listen to me now? Don't you like me anymore?"
He laughed, "Why, now everyone wants Gu to obey?"
After saying this, his gaze shifted to her pair of vermilion earrings for a moment, and he put up his sleeves and turned around with an expressionless face.
With his personality, he rarely likes someone too much, but he also doesn't particularly dislike anyone.
Over the years, there was only one person who could make him so irritated and disgusted with just one earring, and even make him hate anyone who wore similar earrings.
"We'll get married the day he gets married"?!
Is that kid Li Xuanbai crazy? How dare he say such outrageous things?!
He sneered, and all the guests in the room were so frightened by the look on the face of this distinguished guest, who was known for his good temper. They didn't dare to say a word for a moment, not knowing why they had failed to entertain him well, and could only look at each other in confusion.
He looked cold, bowed slightly, and said, "Excuse me, Gu." Then he walked away in front of everyone.
He also saw that Heng Huang had some feelings for him, but he didn't.
Girls are always more sensitive to reputation, and telling her directly would probably be too offensive. He would explain this to the Hengqing Nanheng Sect Leader tomorrow.
Then, return to the mountain tomorrow.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
