A few breaths of deathly silence followed.
Shen Zhiyi suddenly sighed very softly, lowered her eyes and said, "Nothing can be hidden from the master."
"My approach to the master was indeed for a specific purpose."
She took a small half-step forward.
The light shone through, illuminating her slightly upturned face as she leaned closer. The feigned innocence in her eyes faded, leaving only clarity and sorrow.
“My repeated bothering is not merely out of gratitude, but also because…”
She moved closer.
The paper was squeezed and the paperweight shifted slightly, revealing a messy, wet patch underneath.
"I beg the master... to save me."
She was standing way too close.
Yan Zhuoxu's eyes darkened, and he leaned back slightly to create some distance. "If you are referring to a weak constitution, this humble monk is powerless to help."
He wouldn't entangle himself with her for months.
Shen Zhiyi, however, remained undeterred and leaned forward again, saying, "The mountain road is currently blocked, and I don't know when it will be repaired."
“If the master does not agree, I will pester him every day.”
She lowered her eyes, her expression somber. "Even though this life is as fragile as paper and as cheap as grass, I'm still unwilling to accept it."
"If you, Master, find me annoying or tiresome, you may do as you would with your mistress and elder sister: bully me, humiliate me, or even drive me away or kill me..."
She lifted her eyelids again and stared at him intently.
"Either way, it's death."
"It's better to die in this golden temple than to die in the dark and gloomy back courtyard."
"To die beside the master."
The candlelight on the wall suddenly flickered.
Yan Zhuoxu's Adam's apple bobbed, his emotions fluctuating slightly: "How could this humble monk have broken the precept against killing?"
Why do you have to belittle yourself like this?
He looked at her pale and frail face, his brow twitched, and said, "Let alone flowers, trees, or even dirt and dust, to this humble monk, are no different from gold and silver treasures."
“You…” He met her eyes and said softly, “…very good.”
The sorrowful look on Shen Zhiyi's face faded, and she regained her radiance.
"So, Master is willing to save me?"
Yan Zhuoxu closed his eyes.
Whether in response to her or himself, he clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha."
"May Buddha have mercy."
He paused for a moment, then said, "Please go back first, benefactor."
"After I finish copying the Heart Sutra, I will go to see you."
Shen Zhiyi smiled sweetly, the lamplight casting a warm glow on her cheeks, making her look like a goddess.
She lifted the hem of her skirt and gracefully bowed, saying, "I await the master's arrival."
...
The moon and stars are sparse.
The entire temple was shrouded in night and gradually became quiet.
But a pair of hands with distinct knuckles gently and slowly knocked on the door.
Shen Zhiyi opened the door, beaming with a smile.
"Master, you've arrived."
Yan Zhuoxu's gaze paused as he looked at her smiling face.
He withdrew his hand, nodded expressionlessly, picked up his medicine box, and stepped into the house.
The maid had disappeared; she was alone in the room.
I just realized that this was inappropriate.
With a creak—
Shen Zhiyi closed the door behind him.
Yan Zhuoxu looked at the bright moon hanging outside the window and closed his eyes.
That's enough.
If the mind is at peace, what is there to fear?
He went to the table by the window, sat down cross-legged, and opened the medicine box.
Shen Zhiyi followed suit and sat down on the futon opposite him.
Zhang Xiaofang was standing between the two.
Shen Zhiyi looked at the handkerchief in his hand with some curiosity, "Master, are you not taking my pulse by thread today?"
Yan Zhuoxu paused slightly, and said in a clear voice, "Weakness is a chronic illness that has lasted for many years, and it must be examined by palpation."
Shen Zhiyi nodded.
She pulled up her sleeve, revealing a glimpse of her snow-white wrist, which she then rested on the small table.
Yan Zhuoxu's gaze fell on it for a moment.
The bluish-purple veins, delicate and small, are hidden beneath the fair and pinkish skin, surging with the purest desires.
His eyes sharpened.
Unfold the handkerchief and cover them completely.
Just as he was about to take her pulse, Shen Zhiyi said, "I'm not afraid to tell you, Master, but these past two days at the temple have been the most carefree time I've ever had since I was born."
"There's no need to deal with anything, and no need to be on edge."
“You see, the maid said she wanted to go for a walk, so I let her go without worry.”
“If we were at home, even if I agreed, she wouldn’t feel at ease,” she said with a smile.
Yan Zhuoxu's brow twitched slightly, and he lowered his eyes.
That's how it is.
He lowered his guard, gently lifted his eyelashes, and comforted her, saying, "It's never easy for a woman to survive."
"You are not as weak as you appear."
"A strong wind reveals the strength of the grass."
"As long as you remain steadfast and stay true to yourself, you will be able to weather any storms outside."
Even if we don't make it through, it's not a big deal.
"There's no need to be afraid."
Looking at his resolute and aloof face illuminated by the moonlight, Shen Zhiyi felt a warm feeling in her heart for some reason.
She smiled and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Master."
Yan Zhuoxu's heart skipped a beat.
He thought.
Perhaps he has too few days to save all living beings.
Otherwise, why would showing a little compassion bring him such pleasure?
Yan Zhuoxu pursed her lips, no longer pondering.
He raised his fingertips and placed them on her pulse.
A gentle pulse and warm body temperature, like a heartbeat, emanated through the silk handkerchief.
It's hard to ignore.
Yan Zhuoxu closed his eyes and concentrated, pinching and pressing with his fingertips, feeling the difference.
The moon was hidden behind the clouds.
The radiance was no longer as cold and aloof as before.
Instead, it carries a hazy, soft hue.
After watching him finish taking her pulse, Shen Zhiyi put away the silk handkerchief, leaned her elbow on the square table, and said, "I've heard that a doctor's way is inseparable from the four words: observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. Is that true?"
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