The wilderness is silent.

A cold, almost whispering sentence quickly dissipated into the air and disappeared without a trace.

Like a wisp of fresh wind, a scroll of flowing clouds.

Without leaving a trace.

But this sound was like the sound of whale waves and crocodile waves rising up, with strong winds surging between heaven and earth, and waves covering the sky and the sun. Tanmaraka was in the middle of it, like a small boat, sailing alone in the wind and waves, watching the fierce waves coming over one after another.

Thousands of troops and horses are galloping and roaring, wanting to tear everything in the world into pieces.

Tanmaragha stood at the bow of the boat, his silk threads unmoving.

The waves swept over, hitting his shoulders, and seemed to swallow him up.

Suddenly, a bright beam of light broke through the dark clouds and enveloped him. Instantly, the wind stopped, the rain stopped, the sky became bright, and the raging waves turned into spring water, flowing past.

yes.

He heard his own voice, a faint yes, which resonated in his heart for a long time.

It had been so long that it seemed like it was deeply engraved there. No matter how calmly he restrained himself and how rationally he suppressed it, he actually said it so lightly.

Do you like me?

yes.

Knowing that everything is empty, one still sinks into it.

Beauty turns into dry bones, powdered women turn into skulls.

People are entangled with love and desire, and their hearts are turbid, so they cannot see the Way. You monks should give up love and desire. When love and desire are completely stained, the Way can be seen.

We should keep away from greedy thoughts and contemplate impure thoughts.

She was a close friend he met on his path of spiritual practice, and an opportunity bestowed upon him by the Buddha. They met by chance after traveling thousands of miles, and they should also part ways like a chance encounter in the end.

But he became greedy and obsessed, wanting to catch this beam of light and monopolize this moonlight.

Seeing her chatting and laughing with others, greedy and angry thoughts suddenly arose.

Love separates, hatred meets, and what you desire cannot be obtained.

Everything starts with love.

So he had to turn around and leave.

He was well-versed in the scriptures, and had a thorough understanding of the world. He had developed the habit of making plans before taking action since he was young. No matter what happened, he would have thought of the final outcome from the very beginning, and he would know the same thing the moment he was tempted to do something.

It's over before it even begins.

He knew the outcome and made a decision. He watched her leave, but he couldn't sit by and watch her get into danger. He arranged everything just to see her and make sure she was safe, but in the end, she still found him...

However, she only pressed him a few times, and he couldn't help but answer yes, with no secrets.

He wanted her to stay by his side, and he would not resist, because he never thought that being in love with her was something to be ashamed of...

But he didn't want her to know. This was his practice. He was a Buddhist disciple of the royal court and was suffering from illness. He would not live long. If he dragged her into it, she would only get hurt.

She still found out, asked, and he answered.

But in the capacity of Sultan.

The one she cares about is the Sultan, the one she is close to is the Sultan, and the one she asks is also the Sultan.

The Sultan is only a part of him.

No matter which one of him he was, he couldn't make any promises to her.

If she knew the truth...what would she think?

Hate? Hate?

He is a monk, but he wants to trap her in the world of worldly affairs and confine her to his own practice.

Tanmaraka lowered his head, a bitter smile appearing on his lips.

There are things in this world that he is not good at.

He didn't know what to do with her.

She suddenly appeared beside him and left suddenly, coming and going as she pleased.

He seemed calm and composed, but in fact, there were ripples on the water and the flags were fluttering in the wind.

The soft dawn light rose from the majestic mountains on the horizon. There was silence all around, except for the crackling sound of the burning fire.

It had been a night of heavy rain, and a chilly morning breeze blew by, causing the body in my palm to tremble slightly.

Tanmaraka came to his senses, pulled the dried felt beside the fire, wrapped Yaoying up, and touched her neck with his fingers. He picked up a handkerchief to wipe the wound on her forehead, pushed aside the felt, looked at her body, and frowned slightly.

Her cheeks and neck were covered with tiny scratches, and blood was oozing from the broken skin.

His fingers gently brushed across the wound, and she trembled in his arms, frowned and moaned a few times.

Tanmarajika withdrew his hand and stared at her for a long while.

Her eyebrows and eyes are beautiful, her nose is straight and curved, her face is delicate and bright, and when she puts on light makeup, she is so radiant that people dare not look at her closely. It is as if the water lilies in the Seven Treasures Pond are slowly blooming, shining with gold, silver and colored glaze.

He closed his eyes for a while and said nothing.

"Look at me."

Yao Ying heard the sound and struggled to get out of the felt. She coughed and spoke in a commanding tone, tightly grasping his collar, her knuckles turning white from the force, and looked at him with wide eyes. The morning light seemed to fall into her eyes, and a sharp light flickered in them.

"I just heard...you like me...don't try to deny it..."

Tanmarajiva had too many responsibilities and concerns. If she asked him directly, he would not answer, so she could only force him in this way.

"I heard it."

She spoke intermittently, with a fierce look on her face and slightly red eyes, not sure if it was because of the fever or something else.

Tanmaraka looked at her quietly.

She lay in his arms, her cheeks flushed, tears seemed to glisten in her eyes, and her lips were as white as paper.

Staring eyes.

A moment passed, yet it seemed like a long time had passed. Everything had changed, and he could only feel the warm and soft jade in his arms.

"Yes, the princess heard it."

Tanmarajiva sighed lightly, his expression solemn and dignified. He tightened his arms slightly, placed his hands on Yaoying's neck, leaned over, and slowly approached her.

Instantly, her nose was filled with his breath. He held her arms tighter and tighter, and the heat seeped through his clothes and spread to her body in waves.

The back of my neck where he was pressing felt hot, and the electric current was flowing through my cold skin, causing waves of numbness and shivers.

His embrace was solid, broad, and resolute, with all his emotions buried deep down.

Yaoying remembered that he was also so restrained when he hugged her last time, but his arms were clasped so tightly. Her heart was pounding and her whole body was shaking. She looked up at him, her throat so tense that she couldn't make a sound.

He was getting closer and closer, the hideous scars became clearer and clearer, his emerald eyes were as calm as the sea, and his warm breath fell on her face.

The smell of blood and damp water vapor was mixed with a faint scent of agarwood.

Breathing and breathing are closely intertwined.

For a moment, Yaoying thought Tanmarajiva was going to kiss her.

He looked at her, and when his plump lips were about to touch her cold lips, he suddenly stopped, stared at her for a moment, closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling violently, and his lips brushed across her cheeks, ears, and hair, and he slowly and tightly pressed her into his arms.

Even the Sultan cannot look down on her for her indulgence.

Yao Ying was held tightly by him, with her chin resting on his shoulder, unable to move. Then, something rubbed gently against her head.

A cool, soft kiss like cloud fell on her head and disappeared in an instant.

This kiss was so light, as if it was there and not there, like a dream.

There was a loud bang in Yao Ying's head, and all the blood in her body rushed to her head. She couldn't help but shiver slightly, her heart was filled with bitterness, and her nose felt slightly sour. She sighed, raised her hand, and pushed Tanmaragha away.

He was startled and came to his senses. Undercurrents surged in his eyes. He quickly withdrew his hand and was about to stand up.

"Don't move."

Yao Ying held his scarred face with both hands, looked at his ugly face, relaxed her brows, smiled, and walked forward.

The kiss landed on his cheek.

Her lips were soft and gentle, and she pecked him lightly on the cheek.

Tanmarajiva’s body was stiff and he was stunned, unable to utter a word.

For a moment, he even forgot to breathe.

His eyes fell directly on Yao Ying's face.

She had a smile on her face, rosy cheeks and a beautiful face, and her eyes were bright and charming.

"You kissed me first."

She said confidently.

Tanmaraka said nothing, and his hands, which wanted to hold her tightly in his arms, did not move.

In his more than twenty years of life, he had experienced too many trials and tribulations of life and death, but he had never been as helpless as he was at this moment.

Even so, his heartbeat was still slow, steady and calm - he was clearly aware that her love was for Sultan Gu.

In her eyes, he was different as a monk and as a regent.

Tanmarajiva subconsciously touched the Buddhist beads and stood up.

"I do have a crush on the princess..."

The morning breeze blew gently, and Tanmarajiva heard his own low voice ringing out with an indifferent tone.

"But I have already vowed that I will never marry in this life."

Yao Ying put away her smile, two scrutinizing eyes moved across his face, she fell back into the felt blanket, and coughed while covering her lips.

Feeling a slight warmth on her shoulder, Tanmarajiva immediately leaned over, pulled up the blanket to wrap her, tied a tight knot, and bound her in the blanket.

"I'll have your personal guard come over to look after you."

He said softly, stood up, turned and left.

The corners of Yao Ying's mouth twitched. She gritted her teeth in anger, sat up coughing, and tried to untie the knot he had tied.

"Princess……"

Tanmarajiva stopped walking, raised his head and looked up at the sky above.

It rained heavily last night. The clear sky was washed by the rain and was blue and clear. The morning glow had not yet dispersed. A red sun climbed up in the sky, and the golden sunlight spread over every corner of the canyon. There was no grass growing in the canyon, and the sky was full of flying yellow sand. He turned his back to her, and his back was lonely.

He sighed slightly, reached out, took off the headscarf circle by circle, and tore off the scar mask.

The morning light cast a golden glow over the canyon. The towering cliffs on both sides cast dark silhouettes. He stood in front of the canyon where shadows and sunlight met, with only his head with fuzzy light blue stubble exposed in front of her. His clothes fluttered in the wind, and his whole demeanor suddenly changed. He was no longer tough and fierce, but cold and indifferent, and his figure was graceful as if he was about to fly.

He stood there, his shoulders covered with the rosy glow, and his back, illuminated by the sunlight, appeared incomparably tall, majestic, and holy.

Yao Ying couldn't help but hold her breath.

She knew that as a Buddhist, he would not be honest with her, so she interrogated Sultan Gu. Only at this time would he relax a little and tell the truth.

Now, he untied his turban himself.

“I am not the Sultan.”

He still had his back to her. "I am Tanmarajiva, a Buddhist disciple of the royal court. My thoughts about the princess were just a momentary forgetfulness... Because the martial arts I practiced were a secret of the royal temple, I had been hiding it from the princess. I didn't expect it to turn out like this. I hope the princess will forgive me for misunderstanding me."

If you don't tell her the truth, she won't give up easily. She came to ask Sultan Ku whether he likes her, so she must be interested in him. If Sultan Ku rejected her as a person, she would be upset.

Only if she finds out that Sultan Gu is him, she will not be disappointed, and will be able to forget Sultan Gu and not be sad for too long.

He couldn't hide it from her any longer.

I don't want to hide it from her.

I kept it a secret from her just because I didn't want her to suffer any pain or trouble.

There was no sound behind him for a long time.

Tanmarajiva closed his eyes.

Sure enough, the man she fell in love with was Sultan Gu, a secular man.

He clenched his fists and walked away.

"Roga!"

A slightly angry shout was heard from the canyon.

Then, there was the sound of boots stepping on rocks.

Tanmarajiva pretended not to hear anything and continued walking forward. The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Suddenly, his arm was tightened by a pair of cold hands.

He came to his senses.

Yaoying ran breathlessly, her cheeks flushed, and she pulled his arm with a hint of anger on her face.

"Luo Jia, do you think I don't know that you and the Regent are the same person?"

"You think the person I want to ask is the Regent?"

"No, I was asking you that question!"

"I rushed here from Gaochang just to see you, Luo Jia."

She coughed as she spoke, her voice hoarse.

Tanmarajiva was stunned.

Yao Ying laughed angrily: "Master, do you think I would be equally close to and trust two men at the same time?"

"I knew you were one!"

"If you don't want to tell me, I will pretend that I don't know. In my eyes, whether you are a wizard or a regent, you are the same person. I have never made any misunderstandings."

She had always known that Tanmaraka and Sultan Kumar were one and the same person—a monk of high character and firm conviction.

He made her feel safe and at ease. She felt relaxed when she was with him and unconsciously forgot the difference between men and women.

Therefore, she never thought that he would have romantic feelings for her. No matter what identity he appeared in, she trusted and respected him very much and did not think about the special things he did to her in different identities.

If it was Bisa and Mobito who were so kind to her, she would have discovered their thoughts long ago, but he was Tanmaraka, and he always told her with his expressionless face that he took care of her only because he sympathized with her.

She didn't dare to think too much, for fear that she would blaspheme him.

All the melancholy, contradiction, sadness, worry, anger and anxiety that she had buried deep in her heart during this period of time came to her mind. Yaoying opened her mouth, thinking of the scene when she found him last night, and the scene in front of her eyes gradually became blurred.

Tears welled up in my eyes.

"You lied to me, Roga."

She didn't want to cry, but her voice sounded tearful.

"I have become your inner demon. Bisha said that you are depressed and your condition is getting worse because of me, right?"

She ended up causing him trouble.

Tanmarajiva stared at the sparkling tears on her eyelashes for a long time. He raised his hand, then retracted it and looked away.

"It's because I'm not a good monk and my mind is not at peace... The princess is not my inner demon."

He paused for a moment.

"It is my good fortune to meet the princess."

If I hadn't met her, it would have been nothing.

The encounter left a trace, making it difficult for him to let go.

Yaoying's throat tightened, and a faint warmth surged in from all directions, surrounding her.

He never considered her a problem, even when he was tormented by emotion.

She smiled slightly, and the tears between her eyelashes were crushed: "Master, it is the same for me."

"It is my good fortune to meet the mage."

Yao Ying let out a long sigh, chuckled, and the worry between her brows completely faded away.

"So, when I first discovered that the Master liked me... I was shocked and surprised... but I didn't feel disgusted at all. On the contrary, I felt an inexplicable joy in my heart."

Tanmaraka looked at her absentmindedly, without moving a muscle.