Chapter 36: Seeking Refuge in the Buddhist Temple at Night

Because Shengpingning is under the surveillance of immortal arts, every spell cast in this territory leaves a record. Consequently, the two could no longer use their cloud-riding techniques. Fortunately, as Hua Sheng had mentioned, the Daqian Zen Temple was not far.

Mieying was injured and exhausted from the journey. Hua Sheng could not help but say, "Xiao Qi, you are wounded. Let me carry you!"

Mieying felt a bit embarrassed. "I don't need that..."

"Just like your fourth sister said, stop talking nonsense! Look at the situation we're in—get on!" With that, Hua Sheng crouched down in the snow.

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Mieying did not refuse. As she leaned onto his back, she was suddenly poked by something in her coat. It was the Ruihua Treasure Mirror used for communication.

Mieying quickly pulled it out and said, "Right! Do you still have your Ruihua Treasure Mirror? We should have thrown it away. If we are being hunted, the Sacred Court has ways to track us through the mirror!"

Hua Sheng checked his pocket, found the mirror, and together with Mieying, buried it deep in the snow.

Afterward, Hua Sheng carried Mieying, trudging through the forest with heavy, uneven steps. He kept a cautious eye on the sky, ensuring they had not been spotted. After walking for a while, he noticed Mieying had fallen silent behind him and worried she might have fainted from blood loss.

While carefully navigating the path, he asked softly, "Mieying, the mountain path is a bit bumpy. Does your wound still hurt?"

"It’s fine... just keep going," she replied quietly.

Hua Sheng felt a bit relieved. Mieying rested her chin on his shoulder and asked in a low voice, "Hua Sheng, do you think I could be a heroine?"

"Huh?" Hua Sheng was stunned. "What do you mean? What heroine?"

Mieying did not answer directly, only saying, "No matter where you are, the position of the protagonist must be fought for by oneself, right?"

Hua Sheng slowed his pace slightly. "That may be true, but this isn't a play or a movie; why talk about 'heroines'? In your own life, you are obviously the protagonist!"

"But I want to be the heroine in someone else's life."

Sensing a hidden meaning in her words, Hua Sheng said, "You’ve just been injured; stop letting your imagination run wild."

Mieying did not stop, whispering against his shoulder, "Life is a very long journey. The characters one encounters at different stages may change. Besides oneself, the other main character in one's life can also change, right? Even the heroine of his story might not be the one who appeared at the very beginning. Many stories in this world are like that."

Hua Sheng lowered his head, pondering, and asked, "Is this 'heroine' role so important to you?"

"It's not a question of importance..." Mieying’s voice was faint, sounding weary.

"Then what is the question?"

Mieying mumbled sleepily, "Because I knew from the start that this position was meant to be mine, that is why I must take it back."

"This..."

"I have hesitated before, but now I have decided..." As she said this, Mieying’s head slumped onto his shoulder, and she fell asleep.

Hua Sheng did not wake her; he simply continued to carry her forward. Not every heroine in every story appears at the very beginning—he understood what she meant. He just didn't understand why she would suddenly say these things. Yet, her words gave him a sudden surge of confidence. In the empty, silent forest, he gathered his strength and continued his climb up the mountain.

After trekking for a while, he arrived back at the gate of the Daqian Zen Temple, which he had left only that morning. Mieying stirred awake, and after Hua Sheng set her down, he knocked on the gate.

Perhaps it was too late, for no one answered. Hua Sheng knocked again. After a moment, footsteps echoed from within.

Hua Sheng signaled for Mieying to step back. "The gate of this Daqian Zen Temple is quite magical! Stand back; it might be a revolving door or a sliding door—don't get caught."

With a creak, the gate opened a crack. Mieying tilted her head and said, "Isn't it just a pair of ordinary wooden doors?"

Hua Sheng looked and saw it was indeed just an ordinary door, with an old monk’s head peering through the gap.

"Benefactor, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"

Recognizing the guest-reception monk who had greeted them earlier, Hua Sheng said excitedly, "Master, it's me! It's Hua Sheng!"

The monk recognized him too, asking in surprise, "Benefactor, why have you returned less than a day later?"

"It’s a long story! I have an urgent matter to discuss with Master Ruokong! Could you please inform him for me?"

"Please, come in! Oh, and there is a female benefactor as well!"

Hearing this, Mieying whispered to Hua Sheng, "Look, look! He called me a heroine!"

Hua Sheng corrected her, "You're still half-asleep. The high monk called you a 'female benefactor,' not a heroine! Why are you so obsessed with that?"

Mieying stuck out her tongue. The monk quickly opened the gate, and seeing Mieying’s injury, he said, "Watch your step, it’s slippery. Please follow me to the guest hall to rest. I will go inform the Abbot immediately!"

As they walked into the temple, Hua Sheng spotted the Thousand-Era Incense Burner in the courtyard. The massive burner emitted a faint orange glow, illuminating the surrounding corridors and the snow on the ground.

With the monk leading the way with a lantern, Hua Sheng supported Mieying along the corridor. Though they had been gone for less than a day, so much had happened that the familiar temple felt like a lifetime ago.

Once inside the guest hall, the monk brought some crushed herbs and clean bandages. "These herbs are grown in the temple. Every year, during the three days the temple gates are wide open, we distribute much of it to help the people heal. It has miraculous effects on external wounds. You may use it with peace of mind."

After saying this, the monk departed. Hua Sheng looked at the herbs and asked Mieying, "I will apply the medicine for you, but I may need to loosen your collar. Is that alright?"

Mieying nodded. "That is fine. But you must not take advantage of the situation and peek inside!"

Hua Sheng’s face turned bright red. "What kind of person do you take me for!"

Mieying giggled. "I take you for a man!"

Blushing, Hua Sheng turned back the collar of her thin jacket, only to find the wound was indeed quite deep, though fortunately, it had not hit anything vital. He used a wet towel to wipe away the blood and carefully applied the crushed herbs. Mieying let out a soft groan as the medicine touched the wound.

"Does it hurt?" he asked with concern.

Mieying took a deep breath. "I’m fine!"

Hua Sheng quickly bandaged the wound. As he pulled her jacket back up, he caught a glimpse of the vibrant red Armillary Sash wrapped around her chest. Suppressing his racing heart, he immediately looked away.

Just as his hands pulled back, footsteps echoed in the corridor. A knock sounded at the door, and Hua Sheng quickly replied, "Please, come in!"

"Birds nest in the pond-side trees, the monk knocks at the moonlit gate. I suspected the benefactor couldn't bear to leave!"

Master Ruokong walked in, smiling, dressed in his brocade kasaya. Seeing that familiar, smiling face, the panic Hua Sheng had felt while being hunted immediately subsided. Master Ruokong, a true disciple of Tang Sanzang, possessed an aura that made one feel instantly secure.

Hua Sheng folded his hands in a helpless gesture. "Abbot Ruokong! If there were any other way, I would not dare disturb you in the middle of the night."

"It is no trouble. Staying up all night is quite the trend these days; I suppose I should keep up with the times!" Master Ruokong laughed. "Look at the changing weather today; it is a rare sight. Why don't you two stay for a few days to enjoy the scenery?"

Hua Sheng waved his hands. "You are too kind, Master! If we aren't careful, we might end up staying for another hundred days! To be honest, we have a very urgent matter tonight and must be on our way soon."

Master Ruokong looked disappointed. "What is the reason for such haste?"

Hua Sheng recounted the pursuit by Lu Dongbin in the Panxian Cave and the accusations of being a demon. After he finished, Mieying added, "Hua Sheng is not a monster!"

Master Ruokong said, "Of course he is not. Even if he were, after a hundred days of cultivation here at the Daqian Zen Temple, he would have long since been transformed into a Buddha by me."

"But Lu Dongbin and Lan Caihe of the Eight Immortals believe it, and I have no way to defend myself," Hua Sheng lamented.

Master Ruokong nodded. "I understand. But since Lu Dongbin himself has vowed to capture you, if you do not remain within the Daqian Zen Temple, I fear there is nowhere left in the Immortal Realm for you to hide. The Shengpingning Immortal Realm may seem vast, but even if you cast the smallest spell, the Sacred Court will track you immediately."

"Moreover, I don't even know if I am..."

Master Ruokong said meaningfully, "You need not obsess over it. While it is good to eliminate the demons of the world, if one side holds absolute power, who can guarantee that the gods will not do the same?"

Hua Sheng fell silent.

Mieying spoke up, "Abbot, we would like to seek help from a brother I am close to, but the snow is too heavy, and we cannot find our way. Could you please point us in the right direction?"

"Where does this friend of yours reside?"

"He lives at the Butterfly Spirit Villa!" Mieying blurted out.

Master Ruokong repeated the name, pondering for a moment before saying, "The Butterfly Spirit Villa is well-known in this area and is indeed not far. But if you walk, it will take at least two hours. If you do not use immortal arts, traveling through the snow on foot will likely worsen the young lady's injury..."

He thought for a moment more. "I will have the young monk Buxu guide you. He is sharp, level-headed, and Hua Sheng is already acquainted with him."

Hua Sheng immediately thought of the adorable little novice monk. "It is truly a burden to trouble a child so late at night."

Master Ruokong laughed. "He is quite energetic. Don't you know, Benefactor, that every parent's greatest headache is that children never want to sleep at night?"

Before Hua Sheng could even react to the joke, a frantic knocking sounded at the door. Without waiting for the Abbot’s permission, the guest-reception monk burst in, looking panicked. "Abbot! It's terrible!"

Master Ruokong asked calmly, "Compose yourself! What is the cause of such panic?"

The monk’s face was deathly pale. "It is a catastrophe! Lu Dongbin is at the gate with a youth, demanding to come in and make an arrest!"