Chapter 42: Resolving Karmic Bonds Through Scripture Recitation and Respect for the Deities—How Can One Alleviate Unresolved Feelings? ...
The carriage jolted, and Su Jinxiu, unable to contain her worry any longer, abruptly lifted the curtain.
Looking behind them, dust billowed, and several guards stood on either side, as if facing a formidable enemy. In the middle of the guards, Yi Ruxu and Xie Hongying were struggling to carry a mountain of incense, paper money, and offerings, which were piled higher than their heads and almost buried them.
Xie Hongying was being pressed down and was grimacing, frequently casting pleading glances at her.
Su Jinxiu's heart tightened, and she abruptly pulled down the curtain, turning around to glare angrily at Feng Chen opposite her.
Feng Chen, however, was relaxed, stretching his legs out in front of him, with one foot hooked around her calf, looking like a rogue who thought, "What can you do to me?"
He has not only become ungrateful, but has also learned to bully others by abusing his power!
"You!" Su Jinxiu's voice trembled with anger. "One of them is the second-place scholar in the imperial examination, and the other is a fellow scholar of yours. They will all be your colleagues in the future. How dare you treat them like this? What's the difference between this and parading them through the streets in humiliation!"
Feng Chen sneered: "Why wouldn't I dare? Feeling sorry for your lovers?"
Su Jinxiu felt that she could not communicate with him at all. She turned around and was about to ask someone to lift the curtain and get out of the car, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed by him. She stumbled and fell straight onto his lap.
Feng Chen immediately raised his hands to show his innocence, and said in a flippant tone, "Oh, so you really are a fickle woman. Having three isn't enough, you want to take me as your fourth?"
I've only ever heard of mistresses wanting to take over, never of a wife wanting to be demoted to a concubine.
Su Jinxiu was both ashamed and angry. She hurriedly tried to get up, but the carriage was cramped. In her panic, she bumped her forehead on the roof, hissed in pain, and sat back down.
As she rubbed her forehead, she heard the person behind her say slowly, "Oh, no, I shouldn't be the fourth one. Which one is this Wen Shiqin you're talking about? If he can mistake me for him, he must be quite handsome."
In his attempt to hurt others, he even included himself in the fabrication. She found it absurd and infuriating, and gritted her teeth as she retorted.
"Have you lost your mind?!"
Feng Chen was taken aback by the scolding. No one had ever dared to speak to him so harshly, especially not someone sitting on his lap.
Suddenly, the carriage jolted, and Su Jinxiu involuntarily swayed backward. The soft, warm touch made Feng Chen stiffen, and an uncontrollable surge of heat rose from his lower abdomen.
Su Jinxiu, sitting on his lap, felt it even more clearly. She was shocked by the strangeness and even more shocked by his shamelessness. She raised her hand and slapped him across the face.
First she sat on him, then she rubbed against him, and then he was slapped. His mind was a complete mess, and he no longer knew what the world was.
Feng Chen's already surging anger instantly flared up. He grabbed her by the neck and slammed her hard onto the carriage cushions. He then leaned closer, his voice hoarse: "How dare you be so insolent to me?!"
Su Jinxiu's breath hitched as she was being choked, but she just looked at him coldly, without the slightest fear in her eyes.
His large hands were covered with thick calluses from martial arts training, powerful enough to shatter stone, while her neck was slender and delicate, as if it would shatter at the slightest exertion.
But Feng Chen stopped.
He tried to find even a trace of fear or weakness on her face, but she just looked back quietly, her clear eyes reflecting his madness.
Su Jinxiu spoke with difficulty, her voice laced with sarcasm: "How shameless are you? You're already engaged, yet you still harbor such filthy thoughts towards me?"
Feng Chen was already embarrassed, and he didn't know why he had reacted so badly to her. Now, being mocked by her, he was instantly enraged. He grabbed her hand and pressed it down to his crotch: "Filthy? I have filthy things too, do you want to try? You started this fire, you put it out!"
The moment Su Jinxiu's fingers touched that spot, she turned pale with fright and hurriedly tried to pull away. But his strength was astonishing, and he firmly held her hand down. She trembled with rage, cursing wildly, but only repeating the words "bastard" and "shameless" over and over.
Feng Chen found it amusing and scoffed, "You can't even swear properly, yet you dare to come out and provoke us?"
He felt that touching her through her robes was ultimately ineffective, so he grabbed her wrist and tried to reach inside. Su Jinxiu struggled to free her other hand and slapped him away.
He was slapped so hard his face turned to the side, desperately suppressing his surging desire and anger, and turned back to sneer: "What are you pretending to be, this virtuous woman? You already have three men, what difference does one more make? Do you only settle down if I become your fourth man?"
He pressed the hand she was using to slap someone back onto his face, then pressed her other hand down on top of it, his voice low and menacing: "Keep slapping."
Su Jinxiu's eyes widened in shock, completely bewildered by his masochistic tendencies. She tried to pull her hand away, but he pressed it firmly against her cheek. The next second, he leaned down to kiss her. She kicked frantically, tears finally streaming down her face, pleading in a sob, "You have a fiancée! Don't do this to me! I've already forgotten you… I've already forgotten you…"
Seeing her crying so hard, her shoulders trembling, Feng Chen's heavy breathing gradually subsided.
He abruptly threw her aside and sat down in the corner of the carriage, far away from her.
Su Jinxiu curled up in a ball, hugging her knees and crying her heart out.
Fengchen knew he had made someone cry, and felt annoyed. He wanted to comfort them but didn't know where to begin. People often pretend to be busy when they're embarrassed, so he hurriedly changed the subject and reached into the carriage drawer.
He touched a Moho doll at the bottom and picked it up, pretending to admire it.
The female doll was endearing, with a rounded, flowing bun, like a soft, lop-eared rabbit. However, there was a dent in her body, as if waiting for another part to complete it. He examined it closely and saw the words "Qiaoqiao" engraved on the base in delicate, small regular script. He couldn't help but read it aloud softly.
As soon as she finished speaking, the crying stopped abruptly. Su Jinxiu looked up blankly, and Feng Chen's gaze darted back and forth between her and the adorable female doll, with a hint of inquiry and amusement.
Her name is Qiaoqiao?
Feng Chen then realized that he hadn't even asked her name; he had only heard others call her Qiao Niang. He didn't want to follow the custom, so he decided to call her that.
"Qiaoqiao..."
Su Jinxiu was already crying her heart out, and when he brought up the past, her tears fell like broken pearls.
What was his intention in bringing this up now? Was he mocking her, or showing that the past was nothing more than smoke in his mind? How could he be so heartless as to let go so easily?
She lunged forward to snatch the doll, shouting, "Give it to me!"
Feng Chen, puzzled, stepped aside and said, "This is my stuff, why should I give it to you?"
Su Jinxiu stubbornly tried to snatch it. He hid behind her, and she straddled him, reaching back. Her soft breasts bumped directly into his face. He was momentarily stunned by the fragrance, then grabbed her waist to stop her from moving. That strange feeling surged again, as if he were about to repeat the same mistake.
"Here you go!" he said hoarsely. "If you move again, I'll really do it to you! Crying won't help then!"
Su Jinxiu then received the Mohele, which she treasured like a precious gem, and sat back down in the corner.
Su Jinxiu had come to a realization: the one she truly loved was Wen Shiqin, the young man from the embroidery alley. Even if the world changed drastically, she could never resent such a person. Therefore, all the blame should fall on Feng Chen before her, and she refused to let the pure feelings in her heart be tainted by even a speck of dust.
Now, she can clearly separate Wen Shiqin and Feng Chen. Even though they were originally one, she still has to extract two completely different souls from them. Only by thinking this way can she feel a little better.
She gripped the Mohele tightly, her heart filled only with Wen Shiqin, with whom she had once shared genuine feelings, completely ignoring the despicable Feng Chen before her.
Love is not wrong, nor was the past wrong, so let love remain in the past and hate in the present.
Upon arriving at Xiangguo Temple, Su Jinxiu immediately disembarked.
Although the two men were terrified and their hands and feet were trembling, they still stepped forward and asked with concern, "Why is Qiaoniang crying?"
Seeing Feng Chen get out of the car nonchalantly, looking like a spoiled brat, Yi Ruxu, despite his usual gentle demeanor, rolled up his sleeves, ready to confront him. Su Jinxiu quickly stopped him, but Xie Hongying had already rushed forward. Su Jinxiu turned around and shouted, "Xie Hongying!"
Feng Chen slightly dodged to the side, but Xie Hongying had already pounced straight onto the carriage. Su Jinxiu quickly stepped forward to help him up.
Feng Chen scoffed, "Truly, everyone gets their share."
Su Jinxiu simply said, "Don't waste your energy on people who aren't worth it. Let's go."
Feng Chen was taken aback when he heard this, and it took him a while to realize that she was talking about him. He immediately followed with a gloomy expression, and the group entered Xiangguo Temple in this way.
This day was an auspicious time for prayer, and pilgrims flocked to the temple. Daughters mostly went to the Marriage Hall to pray to the Old Man Under the Moon, while young men went to the Hall of Fame and Success, hoping that the God of Literature would bless their studies, careers, and official success.
The three dispersed, each going their own way. Su Jinxiu kept her eyes straight ahead and headed straight for the Temple of the God of Wealth.
The hall enshrines the Five Manifestations of Wealth, a deity worshipped by the people. The five statues are arranged in a row, and the incense is very strong.
Su Jinxiu held incense and candles, then knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to the statue of the Five Manifestations of the God of Wealth. Her forehead struck the blue bricks with a dull thud. She closed her eyes and murmured, "May the God of Wealth have mercy and bless my Huayun Pavilion with abundant wealth, daily riches, and no worries about scarcity year after year."
Feng Chen had no intention of praying for blessings; he was just following along casually. Now, standing outside the hall, he found it quite novel to see her so respectful and devout to the God of Wealth, so openly greedy for money.
After Su Jinxiu finished her devout prayers and offered some fruits and incense, she turned and headed towards the main hall, not even sparing Feng Chen a glance.
Feng Chen followed silently behind her. Although Su Jinxiu did not stop him, she ignored him completely. When Feng Chen was feeling disheartened, he saw her whispering to the monks and nuns outside the hall before stepping into the inner hall.
He was surprised to see Su Jinxiu chanting sutras and mantras along with several monks, so he pulled over a young monk with a begging bowl beside him and asked him what was going on.
The young monk clasped his hands in prayer and replied, “Benefactor, this is the Mantra for Resolving Karmic Ties. If you recite it sincerely, it can resolve grievances, liberate karmic creditors, eliminate karmic obstacles accumulated over lifetimes, and is also beneficial for severing karmic ties and breaking free from entanglements.”
Help your karmic creditors and debtors to be saved...
Although they had only known each other for a short time, they had seen many of her friends, all of whom treated her with great care. It must be because of her gentle nature and upright character that she was so well-liked by everyone.
Who could have caused her to harbor such deep hatred?
Could it be...?
Is it myself?
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