Chapter 19019 Return to the Temple
Chapter 19
The room was pitch black. Yingji curled up in the quilt, the nightmare refusing to let her go.
Suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her body, and she opened her eyes suddenly and saw her mother's hateful face.
The mother pulled out the knife that had stabbed Yingji, and blood gushed out.
Yingji said nothing, covered her wound and dodged backwards.
Concubine An stared at Yingji as if she were an enemy. "Yu'er is my hope, my everything! If you destroy him, you destroy me! You destroy everything!"
Concubine An was hysterical: "When I was pregnant with you, a fox demon came to my door and kept saying that she had predetermined your face. I didn't understand at the time. It turns out that you are not human at all. You are the reincarnation of a fox spirit, right? A born vixen!"
Yingji lowered her head, pressing her hands against the wound on her abdomen, trembling with pain. Wanfei thrust the knife again, and she gritted her teeth and struggled to dodge backwards.
With a "clang" sound, the knife in An Fei's hand fell, and she fell heavily to the ground.
The Emperor of Duxue strode in from outside and glared at Concubine An: "I warned you not to kill her. Keeping her alive will be of great use to her!"
"What good is she? She's just a piece of trash that brings shame to the royal family!"
Yingji didn't listen to their argument. After they left, she climbed down from the bed and took some medicine and gauze to treat her wound. The pain eased a little, and she breathed a sigh of relief.
Kong Fan sat beside her and watched the cold sweat on her forehead from close range.
Yingji stood up with the help of the table and walked to the next room, where Mujin's coffin was placed. She pushed open the lid with great effort and took the scimitar from Mujin's hand.
She weakly climbed onto the bed, placed the tip of the knife under her pillow, and held the handle in her hand. She breathed a long sigh of relief and gradually fell asleep.
From then on, he never let go of the knife and could not sleep.
Kong Fan sat by the bed, watching Yingji's restless face as she slept. He had never understood why she was so relaxed and carefree during the day, yet so alert in her sleep.
He understands now.
All her laziness during the day was just a disguise, and she was on edge every moment of her life. Only at night, when she lost her disguise, did her anxiety become apparent.
Kong Fan closed his eyes and murmured a few words. He turned the Buddhist beads wrapped around his palm a thousand times.
At the palace banquet before the Beixuan royal family left, Yingji was summoned to perform a dance and was given a Beixuan dance costume by the Beixuan Emperor.
She lowered her eyes, her pale fingertips clutching her dance costume tightly. She finally took off her thick coat and put on her dance costume. In a tight, backless top and a transparent gauze skirt, she danced almost half-naked.
The dignitaries of the two countries sat around, drinking and laughing, their greedy and playful eyes fixed on her like poisonous snakes.
Kong Fan turned his eyes away, unable to bear to watch.
He raised his gaze to Yingji again, gazing into her eyes. Hers was calm, without any resentment or sorrow, let alone pleading.
Kong Fan suddenly remembered that she never asked for help.
Because she knew no one would save her?
Could it be that she was asking for help over and over again in her heart, hoping that someone could save her?
The Emperor of Beixuan Kingdom stumbled to his feet, grabbed Yingji's hand and pulled her into his arms.
The Emperor of Duxue stopped him from doing anything wrong and ordered Yingji to leave. Kongfan saw no love for his daughter on the Emperor's face, only the calculations of a businessman. He stopped because he wanted to use Yingji to gain greater benefits.
Yingji turned quietly and walked out of the bustling hall. She returned to her quarters, glanced at Bajiao, who was sleeping soundly beside the coffin, and casually pulled a blanket over her.
She returned to her room and locked it.
She sat in front of the bronze mirror, examining her face motionlessly. After a long time, she began to laugh, forcing different smiles at different angles.
She didn't like to laugh before.
Kong Fan didn't understand what Ying Ji was doing. He just thought she should put on more clothes because it was snowing heavily outside and she would be cold.
Yingji opened her dressing box and took out the few rouge and powder inside. These things were given to her by Xue Lingwei.
She looked in the bronze mirror and put on makeup seriously for the first time.
Kong Fan stood behind her, catching sight of her face in the bronze mirror, her eyebrows raised and her smile alluring. His heart skipped a beat. The person before him finally began to resemble the Ying Ji in his memory.
Yingji stood up, dug out her dress from the closet, and cut it short with scissors. From then on, she wore light gauze, revealing her slender waist and letting her long, snow-white legs faintly appear under the hem of her skirt.
Yingji pushed the door open and went out. The cold wind blew her red gauze skirt and the snow fell on her shoulders.
The palace maids all looked at her in surprise.
She suddenly turned her head, slowly raised her eyebrows and smiled at a group of guards passing by.
The originally neat team of guards now had some stopping and some moving forward, crowded together in a mess, some even fell down, but even after falling, their eyes were fixed on Ying Ji.
The smile on Yingji's lips gradually faded.
From then on, beauty was no longer her shackle, but her weapon.
Yingji walked for a long time and finally climbed up the Tingxue Mountain, where there was a Soul-Extinguishing Well. She stood beside the Soul-Extinguishing Well, staring at the pitch-black entrance.
She sat down, her legs dangling down the well, and then she lay on the edge of the well to listen to the desperate cries of the dead souls below before they died.
Although he knew she was fine, Kong Fan's heart still tightened. He stared at her nervously, fearing that she would jump down out of frustration or accidentally fall.
Falling into the Soul-Destroying Well, the soul will be scattered and completely destroyed.
Yingji lay curled up at the mouth of the well, motionless, as if asleep. Her slender figure looked so small and fragile in the snow and the strong wind.
"Princess—Princess—"
Yingji opened her eyes, looked down into the bottomless well again, then stood up and walked down the mountain.
She walked up to Basho and smiled at her.
Basho looked up at her and said, "They say the princess is going to jump into the well of soul destruction."
"Won't."
Basho asked in confusion, "Then what is the princess doing here?"
"Come find an answer."
Basho went to hold Yingji's hand and asked, "Did you find it?"
"Found it." Yingji nodded.
She looked back at the Soul-Destroying Well, the cool breeze causing her black hair to flutter, almost covering her face.
She murmured, "I refuse to accept my fate."
Then he repeated more firmly: "I will not accept my fate, never."
Yingji's frail figure teetered in the raging wind, gradually becoming ethereal and transparent. The air rippled, and her form completely shattered and dissipated. Kongfan was also driven out of Yingji's past.
When Kong Fan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his and Ying Ji's hands clasped together.
Slightly startled, he quickly withdrew his hand.
He looked up at Yingji. She frowned and rubbed her cheek against the pillow nervously, as if she was about to wake up soon.
Kong Fan gave her a deep look, then stood up and walked out.
He pushed open the door, and Xue Zhongyu, who was sitting in the courtyard, immediately came up to him with an anxious look on her face, asking, "How is it? How's Ah Ying?"
Kong Fan looked at Xue Zhongyu.
"You are such a..." Kong Fan held his breath, struggled for a long time, and finally said those words according to his heart.
"You're such a beast."
Xue Zhongyu was stunned.
Yingji coughed in the room, and Xue Zhongyu rushed in hurriedly, but before he reached the bed, he stopped and didn't dare to move forward.
"Aying, do you want some water?" he asked cautiously.
Yingji glanced at him, looked away, lay flat on the bed, closed her eyes, and recalled what happened before she fell into a coma.
Seeing this, Xue Zhongyu stopped disturbing him and quietly left.
Yingji gradually fell asleep and woke up to the aroma of meat. She opened her eyes and saw Kongfan put down the lean meat porridge.
"Are you awake? Get up and eat something." Kong Fan looked over and smiled gently.
Yingji got out of bed suspiciously and walked over. She picked up a spoon and started stirring the porridge. She scooped out the meat and asked in surprise, "Is it real meat, or did you conjure it up?"
"You should eat something nutritious to replenish your body."
Yingji stared at him for a moment, surprised, before picking up her lean meat porridge. It was perfectly cooked, the minced meat melting into the rice, and every mouthful was incredibly fragrant. It was piping hot without being too scalding, and each bite warmed her body. She devoured it mouthful after mouthful until she finished the entire bowl.
"Have a good rest." Kong Fan collected the empty bowl and left.
Yingji checked the jade coffin in the house, then got up and went next door to find Kongfan.
He is sewing again.
Yingji leaned against the door, looked at him, and asked, "Are you sewing it for me again?"
"yes."
Yingji walked over to take a look and immediately showed disdain on her face: "Cotton pants? I asked you to make me pants, but I didn't ask for cotton pants."
Yingji shook her head repeatedly in disgust: "Too ugly."
"Coarse linen clothes, thick jackets and cotton-padded clothes, Yingji looks good in anything she wears." Kong Fan didn't raise his eyes, his flawless fingers pinched the fine needle and threaded it through the cotton cloth.
Yingji looked at Kongfan in surprise. She moved closer to him, pressed her face against his, and smiled, "Monk, why are you so talkative today?"
"Aying..." Xue Zhongyu stood at the door, his face full of guilt.
The smile on Yingji's face vanished instantly. She took a deep breath, suppressed her nausea, and walked out, looking at him coldly: "What are you doing, dear brother? Acting infatuated, pretending to be completely bewitched by me?"
Yingji found it funny and laughed out loud.
She wanted to leave, but Xue Zhongyu grabbed her wrist.
"Aying...she is different from you. She is not a real princess. She followed her mother to remarry into the palace. If anything were to happen, my father would execute her without hesitation."
Xue Zhongyu walked up to Yingji. He owed her an explanation.
"She wants to marry, and the entire Beixuan Kingdom royal family is here. Nothing can happen to her, or it will cause a war."
Yingji chuckled.
"So?" she asked.
Xue Zhongyu opened his mouth, not knowing how to respond.
"So what if you have your reasons? You saved her and the Duxue Nation. Even if you saved the whole world, what does it have to do with me?" Ying Ji sneered, "I'm selfish and I benefit myself. If I don't benefit myself, no one will benefit me!"
"Do you think I will forgive you if you tell me your reasons, repent, and kneel down? Why? Impossible. Even if you die ten thousand times, I will never forgive you."
Yingji saw the pain in Xue Zhongyu's eyes, and she felt pleasure in her heart.
Xue Zhongyu handed the sword to Yingji with trembling hands. He said dejectedly, "I'll give you my life as compensation."
"Is your life so valuable?" Ying Ji smiled. "I don't want you to die so easily. It's quite amusing to see you trapped in pain. Don't worry, maybe one day I'll get bored and kill you, and make your death more interesting!"
Yingji's joy soon faded away, and she turned and left, feeling annoyed and not wanting to look at Xue Zhongyu anymore.
In the room, Kong Fan's hand holding the silver needle hung in the air for a long time.
Buddhism teaches that turning back is the right path and offering forgiveness to all living beings. But how can one forgive on behalf of the victim?
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Kong Fan made the cotton pants for Yingji and then took her away.
When Yingji heard him say "go back to the temple", she thought he was still going to take her to Qingxin Temple. She was thinking all the way about how to preserve her hair. When she arrived at the place, she found that it was not Qingxin Temple, but Pujia Temple - the first Buddhist temple in Chaoxi Kingdom, and also the place where Kongfan was ordained as a monk.
The high stone steps lead up to a seemingly endless path. A quaint temple sits on the top of the mountain, shrouded in mist.
The temple bells rang out quietly and long, and the echo lingered in the mountains for a long time.
The young monk sweeping fallen leaves in front of the temple turned around and saw Kong Fan. His eyes lit up and he raised his palm and said, "Master!"
Kong Fan nodded slightly without stopping.
Yingji followed Kongfan and turned back to wink at the little monk. The little monk was so stunned that his eyes widened.
Yingji smiled and quickly stepped forward, getting closer to Kongfan. She whispered, "How are you going to introduce me to your disciples after you bring me back? Are you going to say I'm your concubine, your woman?"
"Yingji." Kong Fan whispered, "Don't speak nonsense."
Yingji muttered, "I'm not talking nonsense."
All the monks they met along the way stopped what they were doing to welcome their abbot back.
Kong Fan walked into the treasure house, and Ying Ji leaned against the door, looking at him curiously.
Kong Fan grabbed something from a box, turned back to Yingji and handed it to her.
Yingji reached out and took a handful of the Sky-Moving Beads.
She was stunned.
The author has something to say:
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Babies, there are red envelopes dropped in this chapter~
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