Chapter 45 Magpie on Branch (Part 5) A kiss.
Wen Kong could recall her scent with absolute certainty.
Its fragrance is warm and gentle, its beauty needs no adornment.
He had cultivated himself for many years, and the ability to perceive form as emptiness had become almost instinctive. When he encountered any form, he should first observe its emptiness and illusion. Why was it that at this moment, this first glance, this first thought, was neither form nor color, but instead aroused his sense of smell? The warm fragrance emanating from her hair and clothes seemed to penetrate his nose across the vast distance and the clamor of the crowd.
Wen Kong's thoughts flashed back to normal.
He was still chanting scriptures, so absurd that he felt ashamed. He turned around hastily, closed his eyes, and was almost angry with himself. Before him was a solemn Buddhist temple, with Buddhas from all directions looking down and thousands of believers standing in solemn silence. His delusions were truly out of place.
But the more they try to cover it up, the more it seems like they have something to hide.
Wen Kong turned his gaze back to her and nodded, indicating that he knew she had arrived.
Seeing his gaze fall on her again, Ye Mu rubbed her burning earlobes, her eyebrows curving into a smile. Not daring to make any big movements, she simply moved her body closer to the window, gently waving her small hand. Afraid of being seen by his colleagues, she used her other hand to cover herself, secretly greeting him.
It was like she was flirting with him.
Isn't that what flirting is all about? Under the watchful eyes of others, amidst the gaps in the rules and regulations, there are secret signals that only the two of you can understand.
His eyes were still so beautiful, like a cold pool after an autumn rain, so calm that they seemed to absorb everything.
But why does she seem a little angry?
Ye Mu knelt on the prayer mat, her mind racing. Why? Was it because she was late?
Isn't that because they can't choose the right clothes?
Although she didn't have many clothes at the moment, she wanted to dress more vibrantly since it was a rare occasion to meet someone. She tried on her few clothes over and over again, looked in the mirror repeatedly, and always felt that her hair bun wasn't quite right. She took it off and re-tied it, and before long, she wasted time.
When Ye Mu hurriedly reached the alley entrance, waiting to catch the cheap mule cart that was going the same way, a cold wind blew, and her arms felt empty. She suddenly remembered that she had left the gift she had given him at home.
Well, that was it. She had to go back to get it, but by the time she ran back to the street corner, panting, the mule cart was long gone.
Today's Dharma assembly was crowded with people but few vehicles, and she didn't know when the next one would be. She pinched her purse, but ultimately couldn't bear to rent a private carriage, and could only stand in the cold wind and wait anxiously.
She originally wanted to ask her mother and A-Jing to come to the temple together; renting a car would have been enough. However, her mother, upon hearing about the Buddhist ceremony, thought it would be crowded with people and waved her off. Zi-Jing was even more afraid of the monks' monotonous chanting. Fortunately, it was the beginning of winter today, and there were lively events to watch in the teahouses and theaters throughout the city.
Ye Mu then instructed her to be willing to spend money to hire a quiet private room so that she could accompany her mother to enjoy a good opera performance and rest for a day.
So she was left alone to wait in the wind for nearly half an hour, her nose turning red from the cold, before she finally squeezed onto a crowded old mule cart. By the time she arrived at Baoxiang Temple, the opening drum had already been sounded, and the Dharma assembly had obviously been going on for a while.
Yes, that must be the reason.
Ye Mu made a judgment in his mind: a person as punctual and disciplined as him must dislike people being late, especially on such a solemn occasion.
Thinking about it this way, his slight annoyance didn't frustrate her at all; instead, it warmed her heart. His displeasure at her being late—did it mean he was also looking forward to seeing her?
At least, he cares about her presence.
So Ye Mu looked up at him and smiled even more brightly, her dimples appearing on her lips.
Wen Kong's eyelashes trembled suddenly.
As if burned by that overly vibrant and bright smile, she quickly averted her gaze and lowered her eyelashes again.
She smiled at that young man in the same way that day on the bustling street, sunlight shining on her hair and the corners of her eyes, her smile flowing freely.
The lingering feeling that had gripped me since I returned that day tightened around me again, causing a dull, aching pain.
Wen Kong pursed his lips even tighter, focusing intently on chanting the sutra, immersing his entire mind in the dense Sanskrit characters. Whether they truly entered his heart or not, only he knew.
Under the west window.
The smile in Ye Mu's eyes faded slightly, and he withdrew his hand somewhat dejectedly, then knelt down properly again.
Master seemed unusually cold today. Was it not just because she was late? Was it because the Dharma assembly was solemn and he couldn't be distracted? Or had she done something to displease him again?
But she had clearly hidden that rebellious and presumptuous thought so deeply, never revealing it to him in the slightest.
The Dharma assembly was long and complicated, and Ye Mu's thoughts were also in turmoil. She thought for a long time but still couldn't figure out why he was angry.
When the intermission was over and the monks stepped down from the altar to rest, Ye Mu quietly got up and, following the shadows of the pillars, went around to the meditation hall behind the scripture hall.
Ancient cypress trees stand tall in the courtyard, and the stone path is quiet and secluded. From afar, one can see a reddish-brown figure standing at the corner of the corridor, talking quietly with an abbot.
Ye Mu stopped and waited behind a cypress tree, her eyes following him intently.
He was turned to the side, listening intently, occasionally nodding slightly. Sunlight streamed through the eaves, casting a soft shadow on the side of his high, straight nose, making his jawline appear even more defined and sharp.
After giving his instructions, the abbot clasped his hands in a respectful bow, then turned and left.
Wen Kong stood quietly for a moment before turning around. His gaze swept across the courtyard unintentionally, and he met the eyes of a pair of clear, bright eyes behind the cypress tree.
He paused in his steps.
Ye Mu immediately emerged from behind the tree, a smile playing on her lips. With her hands behind her back, she walked briskly to him, looking up at him, "Master."
Wen Kong lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the familiar ebony hairpin in her hair. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly before he said, "The Dharma assembly is solemn; Miss Ye should not wander around casually."
You can't hear any emotion in his voice.
“I know,” Ye Mu nodded readily, but then leaned closer, a hint of excitement in his eyes, “but I wanted to see you first and say a few words to you.”
He softened a little after she said that.
Did you come alone, or with others?
But when he spoke, his tone was somewhat cold and hard.
"I came alone," Ye Mu said frankly. "They all had things to do."
"Them?" Wen Kong lowered her eyelashes, wondering if the man who had been drinking tea with her included them.
Then Ye Mu asked, "Master, when will the chanting end? When are we going to release the lanterns? I heard that releasing lanterns at the wishing pool on the back mountain is the most effective."
She remembered him mentioning that after the Winter Solstice Dharma Assembly, there would be a custom of releasing lanterns in the temple to pray for blessings.
The light in her eyes stung his eyelids, but Wen Kong dared not look at her, his expression remaining calm. “If Miss Ye has any wishes, she may go there after the Dharma assembly. There are lay Buddhists on duty by the pond, and donations for lamps and incense are welcome.”
"Would you like to come with me?"
"This humble monk still needs to work with my fellow disciples to tidy up the ritual implements, and the incense in the hall also needs to be replaced..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wen Kong suddenly felt a warmth on his neck. Something soft and thick gently enveloped him. He looked down and saw it was an indigo-colored quilted collar guard.
Wen Kong's entire back stiffened for a moment.
The unspoken words turned into a puddle of water, leaving no trace.
"Bend down a bit, I can't reach the back."
The moment that soft, warm touch touched the skin on the side of his neck, a strange shiver suddenly shot up from his tailbone, almost making him want to back away.
But her body betrayed her thoughts, and following her words, "Bend down a little," she inexplicably leaned forward and bent down.
It was only after a moment of realization that she had come with her hands behind her back because she had something hidden there. However, he had been so focused on her smiling face that he couldn't notice anything else.
He cooperated perfectly with her movements, lowering his head and lowering his eyes, only able to see the light blue skirt, which was slightly tense due to her raising her hand, outlining a slender waist, like a willow branch sprouting in early spring, too delicate to be grasped.
Wen Kong turned and opened his eyes.
"Oh dear, don't move around," her gentle, intimate voice whispered in his ear, "If you keep moving like this, I won't be able to button my clothes."
Wen Kong obediently turned back and closed his eyes.
She tiptoed up, and the indigo quilted collar looped up, carrying the warm comfort of her palm, and gently rested on his neck.
And those words that were meant to seduce his mind, whispered in his ear, “The wind is fierce in the mountains in winter. You have to go to the main hall for morning prayers before dawn every day. The road from your little house is so long, and the wind goes straight into your collar. When it snows in a few days, the snowflakes will get into your neck. How cold it will be.”
Her breath was very close.
It was a scent somewhat like crushed flower petals, which forcefully invaded his territory, tickling his ears. She adjusted the position of her collar, her fingertips lightly brushing against the knuckles of his neck, which felt to him like a slow, agonizing torture.
Wen Kong's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched quietly, his pulse pounding. For the first time, he felt so clearly that he was a living, breathing man, not a monk with the pseudonym "Wen Kong".
His conscience and discipline were tearing him apart.
Wen Kong took a step back. "I'll do it myself."
"It's all done." Ye Mu saw his face turn red, and there was a hint of smugness in his eyes. She then lowered her head to catch his gaze. "Do you want to come with me? I heard the back mountain is very big with many forks in the road. Won't I get lost if I go by myself?"
“I will go with you.”
This time, he didn't make excuses.
“Master said there were other things to do,” Ye Mu said with a smile, “I’d better go ahead and find a kind-looking pilgrim to accompany me, so as not to delay your cultivation.”
“I’ll go with you,” Wen Kong repeated, completely unaware that he had been tricked. He only felt that the area covered by the collar around his neck, and even his heart, was burning hot.
After years of cultivation, he had entered a state of deep meditation, impervious to heat and cold, and free from desires and attachments. He thought his concentration was already remarkable, but the repeated heart-wrenching pains he experienced were all because of her.
A Buddhist verse says that all forms are illusory. His current emotional turmoil is nothing more than being attached to "form" and trapped by "appearance." Wen Kong can only regard Ye Mu's smiling face as a necessary test of "appearance" on the path of cultivation, a trial by the Buddha for him, so that he won't despise himself in his heart.
He was still worried that she would actually find a stranger to worship, so he said, "After the ceremony, wait for me at the back gate. I'll go with you to the wishing well to release lanterns."
In fact, Ye Mu was quite familiar with the back mountain.
In her previous life, she was not yet pregnant and was recuperating in the temple. When she felt depressed, she would often come to the back mountain. Whenever she was hurt by her mother-in-law's words and did not know how to refute them, she would climb the mountain and go all the way to the top.
Wen Kong was even more silent back then than she is now. She would only hear the neighbor's door creak open at the same time when she was exhausted and had just pushed open her own courtyard gate after descending the mountain.
Ye Mu then realized with a start that he had been following him at a distance.
She was initially terrified, but at that time she had great respect for him and dared not ask any more questions.
After several such attempts, she finally mustered the courage to ask softly through the courtyard wall when she heard familiar footsteps disappear behind the door, "Why is Master following me?"
Wen Kong's habit of answering every question is truly consistent across lifetimes.
He said calmly, "The back mountain is under my jurisdiction for patrolling. If someone dies, I will be held accountable by the government, which would be troublesome."
Right now, Wen Kong was still walking a few steps behind her, but he was talking more than he had in his previous life.
"Don't keep looking back, look at your feet, the moss is slippery."
"Watch out for horizontal branches."
"They crashed into a tree again."
This caused passing pilgrims to cover their mouths and suppress their laughter.
...It's better to talk less.
Ye Mu didn't mean to turn back, but the mountain path was deserted, and she was eager to talk to him. Every time she opened her mouth, she would unconsciously turn her head to see the expression on his face, and that's when she bumped into a tree trunk.
"If I turn back again, I'm leaving."
He actually learned to blackmail her.
This worked on Ye Mu. She said she could find other pilgrims to accompany her, but when he was about to leave, she was still reluctant to part with him. Ye Mu immediately looked at the mottled stone steps in front of him and hurriedly waved his hand, "No, no, I won't turn back."
But she didn't stop talking. Remembering her past life, she asked, "Master, is this back mountain still under the temple's jurisdiction? Are you in charge of it?"
“No,” Wen Kong said, not knowing where her strange question came from. “This mountain forest belongs to the imperial court and is not temple property.”
"Huh?" Ye Mu asked in surprise, forcibly suppressing the urge to turn around. "Then will I be under your jurisdiction from now on?"
“This is Yongye Official Mountain, which has special officials and soldiers to patrol it. The temple is just using the path and has no jurisdiction over it.”
"So that's how it is," Ye Mu finally understood.
In his past life, he was clearly just making excuses to brush her off. All that talk about jurisdiction and accountability was just a pretext to silence her questions.
Ye Mu suddenly stopped and turned around, almost causing the person behind him to lose control. The distance between them suddenly shortened to within two steps. He was about to speak when she spoke first, her brows furrowed in a cold glare, "You lying monk."
I lied to her several times!
These words came out of nowhere, and Wen Kong was naturally confused. "What did I lie about?"
Ye Mu couldn't explain, but his momentum had already been built up, so he pressed on with his righteous indignation, "I'm asking you, why were you so angry at the Dharma assembly just now?"
"I'm not angry."
"Look at you, lying again!" Ye Mu was even more convinced of her point now. Having lived with him through two lifetimes, she was already familiar with his expressions. She narrowed her eyes slightly, mimicking his facial expressions during the Dharma assembly. "If you're not angry, why are your brows furrowed like that? Why are your lips so tightly pressed together?"
Wen Kong fell silent.
Are you angry because I'm late?
"no."
"Is it because I didn't chant the scriptures properly that I'm angry?"
"no."
"Why is that? Tell me."
She pressed on relentlessly, the mountain wind tangling her skirt with his monk's robe, creating an ambiguous entanglement.
Hearing this, he was speechless.
He couldn't admit that the inexplicable irritability stemmed from witnessing her laughing and chatting with others in a street-side teahouse, and he couldn't bring himself to say that his anger was more a feeling of shame for his own loss of composure.
Under her clear and stubborn gaze, all explanations seemed pale and futile.
After a long pause, he spoke in a low voice, his tone drier than the mountain wind, "Okay..."
Wen Kong raised his eyes and met her gaze. His eyes were like a deep autumn pool shrouded in mist, concealing all the turmoil beneath. "...Just consider me a deceitful monk."
He admitted it, yet it was as if he admitted nothing at all, effortlessly deflecting all possible inquiries and questions.
Ye Mu's gaze swept over his face several times, but she couldn't see anything clearly. She pressed him with all her might, trying to expose his delusions, but it was like punching cotton.
She didn't know if he was good at avoiding things or if he was truly indifferent to everything.
The shattered cotton felt like a lump in Ye Mu's throat, making her lose all enthusiasm for releasing lanterns. Wen Kong even insisted on paying for her lanterns, which only fueled her anger.
“I can do it myself now. I have my own livelihood and can support myself. So please don’t send money to my house anymore,” Ye Mu handed the copper coins to the layman, took the lantern, and said the second half of the sentence, “so as not to cause any misunderstandings.”
What's the misunderstanding?
Wen Kong's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He didn't ask the question, but his gaze involuntarily fell down to the indigo collar around his neck.
Isn't this personal item more likely to arouse speculation and misunderstanding than a few cold, hard coins?
He tucked his hand back into his sleeve and asked another question, "Where do you make a living? Is it far from home?"
"I work as an accountant in a cosmetics shop." Ye Mu turned his back, leaned against the cold stone railing, and wrote on the lamp paper in the dim light, lying to him with his back turned, "Not far. The monthly salary is six taels."
Her back was slender, and her clothes were slightly fluttered by the wind, outlining her delicate features.
Wen Kong nodded.
After a while, he remembered that she couldn't see, and whispered, "You've always been someone who has your own ideas."
After Ye Mu finished writing, he carefully picked up the lamp paper and placed it into the lotus lantern. He then took the thin candle handed to him by Wen Kong and lit the lantern. The warm yellow light instantly filled the lantern.
At the wishing well, groups of worshippers are bending down to place lit lotus lanterns into the water. The lanterns cast shimmering shadows, carrying wishes, some bright and some dim, as they slowly drift toward the center of the well.
Ye Mu held the lamp in both hands and gently placed it in the water, her fingertips touching the cool pool water briefly before separating. The lamp swayed slightly, then steadily drifted away with the current.
"Master," Ye Mu looked at the monk beside him, "why aren't you letting go?"
"I have no wish."
Wen Kong lowered his eyes, or rather, his wish was too shameful to be spoken of, and should not even be seen by heaven and earth or the gods.
Just then, a tearful cry rang out, "Fourth Sister!"
Ye Mu turned around and saw her third sister, Ye Qing, lifting her skirt and running towards her. As soon as she saw her, tears streamed down her face. "It really is Fourth Sister! I thought you looked like her from afar, but I didn't even recognize you..."
She grasped Ye Mu's hand, tears streaming down her face: "Ever since you moved out of the mansion, I've worried about you day and night, always afraid you wouldn't have enough to eat or wear. Now winter is here again, and I heard from the servants that you and your third aunt haven't returned to the old house. Where have you been staying?"
Ye Mu's nose tingled slightly at her sincere concern. She pulled her aside to a quieter spot and whispered, "Third sister, don't worry. Mother and I are doing well. We've rented a quiet little courtyard and are living peacefully. Are you doing well at the manor, sister?"
She glanced at Ye Qing's back, where only two or three maids followed. "Didn't Second Madam come with you?"
She didn't address her as "Second Aunt," nor did she reveal her exact address. Those maids were well-informed and would surely report the meeting to Madam Zhou upon their return. She feared Ye Qing, being soft-hearted, wouldn't be able to withstand the questioning.
Ye Qing understood and wiped away her tears, saying, "My mother has come and is offering incense at the temple. She...she is pregnant and it is inconvenient for her to walk up this mountain path, so she asked me to make a wish on her behalf."
"Pregnant?" Ye Mu almost blurted out who the father of the child was, but she held back the words. Her third sister was unaware of the inside story, so she didn't want to frighten her. She suppressed her surprise and said, "Second Madam's health is quite good."
"I came to the temple with another worrying matter, and I was just looking for someone to discuss it with when I happened to run into you." Ye Qing's face was full of sorrow. She was about to speak when she glanced at Wen Kong standing quietly to the side and asked with a puzzled look, "And who is this?"
Wen Kong raised his palm and nodded slightly, knowing the situation: "This humble monk is the guide in the temple. Please continue your conversation, both of you." After speaking, he turned and walked into the shadow of the pine and cypress trees not far away, his figure quickly blending into the night.
"The monk who led the way in this temple..." Ye Qing looked in the direction he left, lowering her voice in surprise, "How could he be so ignorant of the rules? He was standing so close to you just now. When I came over, he even stood in front of me as if he was deliberately guarding against me."
Upon hearing this, Ye Mu's lips unconsciously curved into a smile.
"Don't mention him," Ye Mu said, taking Ye Qing's arm. "Tell me quickly, what exactly is troubling you?"
Ye Qing's expression turned serious. She leaned close to her ear, her voice filled with shame and indignation, "My parents... they actually want me to seduce the Crown Prince!"
"What?!" Ye Mu was genuinely surprised. His gaze fell on Ye Qing's round and cute face. His third sister was pleasing to the eye, but she was definitely not the kind of stunningly beautiful woman who could be seduced.
Fortunately, Ye Qing was quite self-aware. "What makes me suitable for that? Besides, I have absolutely no feelings for the Crown Prince! They're planning to arrange for me to make a chance appearance next month on New Year's Day when the Crown Prince accompanies the Empress Dowager to the temple to worship Buddha, so that the Crown Prince will fall in love with me at first sight..."
"You had already made this plan in your residence. We sisters were going to go together. Your looks are even better than mine. If the Crown Prince takes a liking to you, outsiders won't be able to tell the order. They'll just say that the Crown Prince has taken a liking to the Third Miss. We can then use this as an excuse to break off the engagement with the Duke of Nanguo's mansion."
“But now that you’re not in the manor, this burden has fallen entirely on my shoulders. My mother dragged me here today so that we could see which spot I would stand by the wishing well so that I wouldn’t look too dark or too thin, so that the Crown Prince would have a better chance of falling in love at first sight.”
Ye Qing grew increasingly worried as she spoke, stamping her foot and saying, "Fourth Sister, don't just laugh! Quickly help me think of a way to break this deadlock!"
Ye Mu was both amused and annoyed, and couldn't help but tease, "Second Grandmother has complete confidence in Third Sister."
"You're still making fun of me!" Ye Qing retorted angrily. "Mother is completely disregarding my reputation and my life. She's determined to go all in and gamble on the position of Crown Princess."
Ye Mu's smile faded, and he nodded seriously, "If this matter fails, we'll have no hope with the Crown Prince and will only gain a reputation for being frivolous; if the Duke of Nanguo's family cancels the engagement because of this, it will be adding insult to injury. Wouldn't we end up losing on both sides and only getting ourselves into trouble?"
The reputation of a woman from a prominent family is both incredibly important and incredibly fragile.
Ye Qing nodded repeatedly, her eyes reddening again, "That's exactly what they said! But I couldn't persuade them..."
Just then, a maidservant waiting nearby called out, "Third Miss, it's getting late. It's time to go down the mountain and return to the manor. Second Mistress must be getting impatient."
Ye Qing looked anxiously at Ye Mu, "What should we do?"
Ye Mu gently patted the back of her hand, "Good sister, don't panic. Just come on New Year's Day without worry. I have a plan."
Ye Qing had always trusted her resourceful fourth sister the most, and upon hearing this, she felt somewhat relieved. Only then did she follow the maids, turning back every few steps.
After Ye Qing's figure disappeared at the end of the mountain path, Ye Mu turned around and walked towards Wen Kong, who had been standing quietly in the distance.
The two walked silently down the mountain along the blue stone steps.
A mountain breeze began to rise, fluttering the sleeves of their clothes. Ye Mu was still deep in thought about what Ye Qing had just said, his brows furrowed in worry.
Wen Kong's question suddenly broke the silence, "What did you wish for?"
Ye Mu snapped out of her daze, turned around and looked at him. He was aloof and cold. Suddenly, she had an idea. She had to try to shake his heart. "Master can't listen to this."
"Why can't I hear it?" Wen Kong remained silent, increasingly suspecting that she and that man were having an affair. If it was something like her mother being healthy and well, why couldn't she hear it?
Xu's fate was related to that person, so he couldn't bear to hear it.
It's fine if you don't listen.
But what came out of his mouth was, "Tell me about it."
"It won't work if you say it out loud."
Wen Kong stood looking down at her, his face indifferent, his eyes deep and still as a cold pool, silently locking onto her.
"Alright, alright, I'll tell you. I'm most afraid of you looking like this." Ye Mu took a step closer to him, raised her face, and looked straight into his eyes. "I'm asking Heaven to help me kiss my master."
Her eyes curved into crescent moons. "Master, do you think it will work?"
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Author's Note: Thank you for reading and adding to your favorites! More to come in the next chapter [sunglasses]
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