Chapter 18: A Perfect Solution in This World (18)

Chapter 18: A Perfect Solution in This World (18)

When he finished washing the clothes and hung them to dry in the courtyard, Zhen Shan looked at the garment with a large tear and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Once it's dry tonight, I'll help Master Wuchen mend it."

Then, that night...

Rip!

The tear grew even larger!

Wuchen, who was sitting in the main hall reading Buddhist scriptures, heard the sound and lifted his gaze. His tranquil, light-colored eyes met those of the woman sitting beside him, staring blankly with her needle and thread, and the garment she had managed to tear even more!

Wuchen was taken aback.

"I...I..."

Zhen Shan's face flushed red as she lowered her head, too ashamed to look at him.

"Patron Zhen, let this monk take care of it," Wuchen said warmly, not blaming her at all.

"Wuchen Master, I'm sorry!"

Wuchen took the needle and thread from her hand, his brows gentle and a smile on his lips. "It's alright."

Zhen Shan slumped her shoulders, looking dispirited. "Wuchen Master, do you think I'm useless?"

"How could I? No one is perfect."

Zhen Shan watched as Wuchen skillfully mended the hole she had repeatedly torn. She tilted her head. "But to me, Wuchen Master can do anything."

He was even proficient in sewing – what a talented little monk!

Wuchen lifted his gaze, smiling warmly. "Monks cultivate through hardships and must do everything themselves. It's not that we can do everything, but we strive to be capable in all aspects."

Zhen Shan leaned her hand on the table, propping up her chin. "Compared to Wuchen Master, I'm practically useless with my limbs."

"Wuchen wishes to ask a bold question, if I may," he said.

In these recent days, Wuchen had developed a genuine concern for Zhen Shan, unlike at first when he had pitied her just as he did the sufferings of the world.

"Master Wuchen, are you wondering why I don't know how to do embroidery?"

"Wisdom has been presumptuous!"

Zhen Shan shook her head, a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips, whether in resignation or self-mockery, "Ever since I was young, my governess taught me that I was meant to become either a crown princess or an empress one day, to set an example for the world. Embroidery wasn't something I was supposed to learn."

Wuchen paused in his sewing.

Zhen Shan touched the fabric of her sleeve and chuckled, "If only I knew back then that mastering domestic skills would be more useful than learning all those royal etiquettes."

Silent for a moment, Wuchen suddenly asked a question that seemed entirely out of character for a Buddhist monk, "Is there any resentment in your heart, Miss Zhen?"

Zhen Shan was taken aback, not expecting such a question from Wuchen.

Realizing the inappropriateness of his inquiry, Wuchen put down the needlework and clasped his hands together, "Amitabha, Miss Zhen, it was wisdom's oversight."

Zhen Shan's eyes curved into a gentle smile, "I'm delighted that Master Wuchen is willing to ask me such a question. How could it be presumptuous?"

Wuchen was slightly startled.

Zhen Shan blinked. "This proves that Master Wuchen considers me a friend, not just an unfamiliar 'Donor Zhen,' right?"

Wuchen felt a weight lifted from his heart. "Donor Zhen and I share similar interests. It's a blessing for this monk to have such a friend."

Indeed, it was only natural for friends or fellow disciples to show concern for one another.

Wuchen held this thought in his heart.

Zhen Shan lowered her eyes and smiled. "I'm also very happy to have met Master Wuchen. Discussing Buddhism, learning medicine, healing the sick, and finding solace in these pursuits is far better than being trapped in the palace, fighting over a man. Life is much more peaceful than being confined to a single world. Therefore, I don't feel any regret; instead, I'm grateful for my current situation."

"Where there is gain, there is loss. Donor Zhen, your positive outlook will serve you well."

"Certainly," Zhen Shan replied with a bright, curved smile, her eyes sparkling with merriment, free of any gloom. "But, Master Wuchen, since we're friends, could you please stop calling me 'Donor Zhen' and use my given name, Wuxin? I really like that name."

"Very well, Wuxin!"

"Then, may I call you Wuchen in private?"

"Of course," Wuchen answered, feeling no discomfort, a hint of pleasure coursing through him as he nodded.

"Wuchen," Zhen Shan's phoenix eyes shimmered with a radiant glow as she softly spoke, savoring the moment.

"Hmm," a hint of a smile, unnoticed by Wuchen himself, graced his features.

Qiao'er, who had been observing their interactions from the side, noticed the crystal heart turning a shade redder. Combined with the previous changes, it was now a fifth filled with red.

She is indeed a queen!

Truly remarkable!

...

In the following days, Zhen Shan accompanied Wuchen as they traveled from one small village to another. The duration of their stay in each place was determined by the health conditions of the villagers nearby.

However, the herbs they carried were insufficient, often requiring them to venture into the mountains or forests for more.

As time passed, their interactions became more natural, and their companionship deepened with each step they took together. Zhen Shan was no longer as formal and courteous as before, while Wuchen had shed his initial politeness and aloofness.

Zhen Shan would often engage Wuchen in playful banter, to which Wuchen would respond earnestly or simply smile wryly. It seemed that both of them relished these days filled with warmth and contentment.

In the blink of an eye, winter quietly arrived, bringing with it increasingly biting cold.

Zhen Shan and Wuchen had virtually visited every small village in the vicinity of the capital.

With the harsh winter looming, they decided to return to the Guo Temple before the first snowfall.

However, on their way, they suddenly...

heard the clashing of weapons and sounds of combat.

Wuchen halted, taking Zhen Shan's hand and leading her into the shadows.

Before them, a group of black-clad assailants were encircling and attacking a convoy. The convey consisted of elders, women, and children, though it was guarded.

But the black-clothed attackers were clearly desperados, ruthless and devoid of empathy. They spared no one, not even the innocent and vulnerable.

Wuchen's brow knitted gently.

"Wuchen Master, what should we do?"

It seemed that Zhen Shan was witnessing such a gruesome scene for the first time. Even though she didn't scream out loud, her face had turned as pale as a sheet from fear.

Wuchen handed her a small porcelain bottle and soothingly said, "Don't be afraid. This contains a sleeping powder. If anyone approaches, sprinkle it on them."

Zhen Shan clenched the porcelain bottle. "Are you going to save them?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Then be careful. I'll behave and wait here for you."

Looking at the fragile woman before him, Wuchen noticed that despite her visibly shaken state, she still firmly supported all his decisions. Her clear eyes unconsciously softened, "Don't worry."

"Alright."

Zhen Shan watched as Wuchen moved swiftly, effortlessly intercepting the knife that was about to strike the elderly man. In a blink of an eye, he subdued the few assailants, rendering them incapable of causing further harm.

The young monk was not only profound in Buddhist teachings and skilled in medicine, but his martial arts were also extraordinary, bordering on divine.

Could it be said that he truly lived up to being a deity reincarnated?

Even as a mortal, he was so outstanding that it made others feel inferior.

That was why, despite being a monk, the green-clad maiden in the convoy had been captivated, her cheeks blushing and heart secretly swooning for him!

Zhen Shan gazed at the porcelain bottle in her hand, a hint of interest flickering in her beautiful eyes.

A slow and steady flow could indeed nurture feelings, but for a steadfast monk like Wuchen, who dedicated himself solely to Buddhism, she would never be able to have his whole heart even if she stayed by his side for a lifetime.

That heart would never fully belong to her.

Therefore, when the time called for a strong move, she couldn't afford to hold back.

Qie Er: "..." What does Empress want to do?

Why does it feel a bit chilly all of a sudden?

Illusion... perhaps?!