Chapter 38 Prayer for Blessings: "Life and death, love and hate, are actually just a matter of a single thought..."
The fluffy gray smoke pierced straight into the leaden clouds, and after a moment, dissipated into the cold air.
Inside the tent, a half-used brazier was warming a large pot of strong liquor, which made a bubbling sound, then suddenly boiled, and then gradually calmed down, with the flickering firelight faintly visible.
Jiang Xu removed his armor, revealing a gaping wound on his left chest. Upon closer inspection, one could even see the bare white bone protruding. The military doctor was quite frightened and hurriedly continued to apply medicine meticulously. The dagger in his hand, having been dipped in strong liquor twice, scraped away the rotten flesh again and again. The eerie sounds caused Jing Yan to stop and stare.
"Did you find it?" Jiang Xu asked when he saw him return to report. The man's tone was unusually low, but aside from that low tone, he seemed quite ordinary.
Jing Yan respectfully asked, "Are you going to interrogate them yourself now?"
The medic took out wound powder from the medicine box and sprinkled it on the wound. The fine powder was instantly soaked in blood. Jiang Xu skillfully grabbed the other side of the bandage, tightened it slightly, and stared at the wound, seemingly lost in thought.
Several pieces of rotting flesh on the ground, like the dagger that had been thrust at him, emitted an eerie green glow. Now, upon closer reflection, they were remarkably similar to a type of poison he had previously encountered while guarding the border.
Once you've been poisoned by this kind of poison, you'll develop a strong resistance to it the second time.
Coming to his senses, Jiang Xu abruptly stood up, his breathing momentarily heavy, but he was adept at maintaining his composure, and no one noticed anything amiss. He nodded slightly and asked, "Has the news of my serious injury been spread yet?"
"It's already spread, outside..." Jing Yan thought of the information he had gathered and said cautiously, "It's quite a commotion."
"Quite a commotion?" Jiang Xu chuckled and nodded slightly. "Let's go."
A few miles behind the camp, Jing Yan led Jiang Xu down the winding stone steps. The torchlight flickered on the walls. From deep within the prison, the rustling of iron chains could be heard, occasionally punctuated by suppressed pleas for mercy and curses.
As you approach, the smell of burning wafts out, mingling with the roaring flames, creating a world completely different from the outside.
As soon as Jiang Xu stood still, Jing Yin, who was waiting beside him, immediately sent someone to splash water on several of the traitors to wake them up.
"How long has it been?" Jiang Xu looked at one of the assassins, who had somehow produced a short blade in his hand. He played with it lightly, tapping it on the table from time to time in a rhythmic manner, which inexplicably made people's hearts tighten.
Before he could finish speaking, a short blade pierced his neck, and blood gushed out, flowing down in several glaring red streaks. On his left, the other traitors, seeing this, all moved uncomfortably.
Jiang Xu stood up and walked a few steps to the other assassins, standing at a distance. The flames stirred again with his movements, making the man's figure look somewhat ferocious. "Insincere."
"Honeyed words, dagger in the heart." He took the longsword handed to him by Jing Yin, and gently sliced it across the throat of the assassin in front of him. The tip of the sword pressed against the first assassin's Adam's apple, and with a slight force, the blade pressed out a thin line of blood.
The assassin was so frightened that his whole body convulsed, but he couldn't utter a single word. He could only wait in despair for the sword to penetrate him.
Jiang Xu was oblivious and delivered a fatal blow to the throat, "He outwardly complies but inwardly defies."
Then, the third, the fourth, the fifth...
The frequency of the sword piercing the throat remained steady, and in less than fifteen minutes, the cell fell silent again.
Jiang Xu stood tall and turned to look at the assassin on the far left. He had already fainted from fright, and his whole body was still trembling uncontrollably in his sleep, as if he was muttering something.
Jiang Xu's gaze was icy, his thin lips were slightly pursed, and after a moment, he suddenly laughed twice, but the laughter did not reach his eyes at all. Even though Jing Yin and Jing Yan were already used to it, they did not dare to look at him for long.
A sinister smile, the sinister glint in his eyes reflected in the sword, sending chills down one's spine. He muttered to himself, his words almost nonexistent at the end, "People like you."
Even if one flatters and fawns, no matter how well one acts, it's only to gain a brief respite and protect the rest of the accomplices who are still hiding.
She repeated it again and again, eventually becoming skilled at it, in an attempt to deceive him.
You might even be deceiving yourself without realizing it.
But in the end...
"All of them... are not sincere."
......
*
October 24th is an auspicious day for travel.
On the appointed day, Shi Wan went to bed early and got up early for the next two or three days, took her medicine on time, and managed to replenish some of the energy she had lost before leaving home.
Upon arriving at the gate, a wooden four-wheeled carriage was parked at the entrance, pulled by two fine horses, and driven by an unfamiliar soldier.
In the past two or three days, Shi Wan has been busy during the day. If the mountain doesn't come to her, she goes to the mountain herself, and has done a rough check on the guards responsible for watching over her.
But the person in front of her, or rather, all of them, were still completely unfamiliar to her.
“Guard Wang.” Shi Wan remained calm, though her face showed unease as she casually twisted her handkerchief. “I was really worried, which is why I thought of going to the temple to seek peace of mind. Thank you.”
Wang Shiwei hurriedly said, "I don't deserve it." Seeing that he didn't respond, Shi Wan continued, "It's just... the journey to Fushou Temple isn't very far. I'm very grateful that you're accompanying me like this, but... won't this interfere with your plans?"
"My duty now is to take good care of Madam."
Upon hearing this, Shi Wan pretended to understand, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then casually glanced around, asking with a hint of doubt, "I've never seen these brothers before...?"
“A few days ago, I gave someone some tea, but I haven’t seen that little guard today.” Not only today, but ever since that tea, the soldiers in her courtyard have never appeared again. Instead, a new batch of even more taciturn and aloof soldiers have taken their place. Shi Wan specially sent two maids to try them out a few times, but they were like hard stones that had been transformed, without saying a word.
Wang Shiwei seemed not to understand what he was saying, and his tone was very businesslike. He simply nodded and said, "Those people have other arrangements. The incident happened suddenly, so they were urgently transferred. Madam, you don't need to worry about it."
Shi Wan remained expressionless, smiled, and changed the subject before getting into the carriage.
The wheels rumbled smoothly forward. Shi Wan remained silent the entire way. Two maids followed her as she drove, leaving her alone in the carriage, which saved her a lot of effort. Concentrating, she finally lifted the curtain and, as if admiring the scenery, carefully memorized the route along the way.
Half an hour later, Wang Shiwei reported that they had arrived at Fushou Temple.
The mountain gate, with its triple-eaved hip roof and brackets casting dappled shadows in the sunlight, and a plaque reading "Fushou Temple" hanging above the entrance, is quite impressive at first glance.
This place is much larger than the temple Jiang Xu brought her to last time.
The main hall faces west. After getting off the carriage, Shi Wan first went to the main hall to light an incense stick, bowed devoutly several times, and donated money for incense. Then she followed the young novice monk to the side room.
Located on the frontier, perhaps due to constant warfare and its unique geographical location, Fushou Temple enjoys a much higher concentration of worshippers than those in Jichuan and Huzhou.
When distinguished guests arrive, their rooms are naturally different from the adjacent side rooms. They are set far apart, standing independently in the mountain stream, with the babbling brook, peaceful and serene. In the late autumn, one can truly feel a sense of tranquility and Zen.
The only drawback was that, upon arriving here, Shi Wan's courtyard remained just like the mansion she had been in. Each entrance was guarded by two or three people, making it look exactly like some kind of army stationed here.
To make the whole show right, the prayer ceremony would take three whole days. Seeing that there was no way to proceed this way, Shi Wan had no choice but to change her approach and take Hua Hui and Hua Lan to the side hall.
A secluded courtyard.
Inside the meditation room, the wooden lattice windows were covered with mulberry paper, and the Buddhist scripture scrolls on the table were half-open. As Shi Wan approached with the novice monk, she smelled the scent of pine soot and ink as soon as she entered the room. Upon closer inspection, she could also smell the aroma of herbs.
Having nothing to do lately, she's been indulging in playing with these spices, and now she can actually smell them right away.
Coming to her senses, she saw a monk sitting upright on the left side of the table. Seeing her looking over, he smiled gently, bowed, and said, "Benefactor."
The candlelight on the offering table flickered twice.
Shi Wan subconsciously returned the greeting, her tone unconsciously becoming more respectful. "I just happened to be passing by, please don't take offense." After exchanging pleasantries, she was about to leave when, unexpectedly, the young novice who had led her there called out "Abbot" and then gently closed the door.
"Don't be afraid, benefactor. My name is Xuanling."
The abbot sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, holding prayer beads in his hand, his gaze lowered. His hoarse voice slowly rose amidst the rising incense smoke, “There is something obscure between your brows, benefactor, as if there are unresolved karmic issues.”
Everything outside the door seemed to be completely shut out. Shi Wan felt relieved to be there. Wang Shiwei and the others were watching her very closely, and all her attempts to test her during this period had been thwarted. She had been feeling quite frustrated.
"What does the abbot mean by this?" she asked. "My guards will probably come looking for me soon."
"If you are troubled, why not rest here for a while? This is a place where you can speak freely."
As Shi Wan was pondering, she suddenly heard the abbot say, "This humble monk is a disciple of Master Huiming. I have invited you here on my own behalf, at the request of my junior brother."
"Junior brother?" Upon hearing this, Shi Wan had a premonition in her heart. "Could it be... the Buddhist disciple Xuan Min under the command of the Prince of Jingbei?"
"Indeed, Junior Brother has extremely high comprehension, and that's why everyone calls him that."
Seeing this, Shi Wan finally sat down. "In that case, Abbot... is there something you wish to tell me?"
Unexpectedly, the person opposite him simply smiled and asked, "How is your health these days, benefactor?" His gaze swept over Shi Wan's chest, and he said in a deep voice, "Do not overthink things. Too many secrets are most harmful to your health."
Shi Wan's heart skipped a beat, and she asked seriously, "Abbot, what is this...?"
“Those who pry into the secrets of heaven will inevitably be punished.” He wrote a character on the unfolded paper, then handed it to her. The character that caught her eye was “莳”.
Shi Wan's heart sank to the bottom of ice, and then she heard the abbot continue, "The punishment from heaven is severe, and can result in death or, at best, illness."
"The affairs of the world are full of twists and turns, and they never stop. Once the medium is established, it cannot be reversed. If one insists on doing so, one will inevitably suffer the backlash, and there is no way to avoid it."
His voice remained unreadable, but when it reached Shi Wan's ears, it carried a chilling undertone, like the sudden downpour of rain outside the window: "Life and death, love and hate..."
"It's really just a matter of a single thought."
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Author's Note: The male lead is coming back soon! [Hands clasped in prayer]
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