Nan Yu wasn't sure if she should tell Qu Jiaran about it. After all, it involved the Tan, Shen, and Nan families.
Qu Jiaran loved to get involved in others' affairs. Moreover, since it was related to herself, she might act rashly out of concern. Nan Yu was worried that the Qu family might get dragged into this mess.
So Nan Yu just casually replied, "I want to take a chance. Maybe I'll find it."
"That thing is already broken into two pieces. It can never be restored to its original state," Qu Jiaran said philosophically. "Yu Yu, one should look forward."
She thought Nan Yu was missing her father.
That might be one reason, but Nan Yu was actually thinking about the stone chamber left by Master Wen Jing.
Her intuition told her that there must be something hidden inside.
She didn't care about treasures, but she believed that there should be a cause for all the strange things happening recently.
"Don't worry. I've..."
Nan Yu gently patted Qu Jiaran's hand to comfort and thank her. But before she could finish her sentence, several sharp gunshots suddenly rang out.
At Changuang Temple.
The weekly religious service had been postponed to once a month because Tan Linyuan had to take care of Nan Yu and prepare for their wedding.
Although the frequency had decreased, Tan Linyuan was still very devout in every process. He would also sit in meditation and chant scriptures for a longer time.
Today, he spent a full five hours, remaining motionless throughout.
The old abbot of the temple, seeing that he rarely came, accompanied him.
After the service, the abbot stood up, bowed slightly, and put his hands together. "Qizhi, I haven't seen you for a while. You seem to have changed."
Qizhi was Tan Linyuan's Buddhist name.
It was given by Master Wen Jing. He said that Tan Linyuan's original name "Linyuan" had a bad meaning, implying being trapped. So he suggested the Buddhist name "Qizhi", which meant to abandon the past and gain freedom.
It was a good name, but few people knew it or called him by it.
Moreover, since Tan Linyuan was just a lay Buddhist and not a real Buddhist monk, this name was rarely used - unless one day he truly converted to Buddhism.
Tan Linyuan looked up, his eyes calm. "Abbot, are you blaming me for not coming to the temple often enough?"
"No. I'm just glad that you're now living like a real person," the abbot said sincerely. "Before, when I saw you in the temple, you seemed like a wisp of floating smoke."
Tan Linyuan didn't say a word.
The abbot observed his expression and then slowly said, "Now that you've started a family and a career, it's natural for you to be a worldly person. If you were still like smoke, you wouldn't be living a straightforward and happy life."
"Abbot, do you think I'm being headstrong?" Tan Linyuan asked. "None of the things I'm doing now were approved by Master Wen Jing. Don't you think I'm rebellious?"
The old people in the temple all knew Tan Linyuan's fate.
It wasn't a secret and there was no need to hide it.
The abbot shook his head. "One shouldn't be trapped in the past. It's not easy for you to take this step. I'm just a few decades older than you. I'm not in a position to judge you." He paused. "Moreover, it's better for you to have your own ideas than to accept your fate."
He said this sincerely.
Tan Linyuan put away his coldness, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled through his nose.
After a long time, he softly sighed, "Most of the time, I also wonder if I'm being too headstrong, making decisions that go against my fate."
This time it was the abbot's turn to be stunned. "Have you encountered something difficult to solve?"
The abbot was about the same age as Master Wen Jing. He had watched Tan Linyuan grow up and was like an elder who had taken care of him.
There was no need to be on guard, so Tan Linyuan told the abbot about all the strange things and disasters that had happened since he got married to Nan Yu.
Until he saw the abbot's expression becoming more and more tense.
Tan Linyuan rubbed his temples and smiled self - deprecatingly. "I took such a big risk, thinking I would finally get what I wanted. But now I'm living in fear every day, like walking on the edge of a knife. This life is even worse than when I first came to Changuang Temple."
The abbot looked solemn. After a moment, he said, "After more than ten years, you rarely need someone to help you solve your problems."
"It's because my understanding is not high enough. I haven't truly grasped the essence of Buddhism," Tan Linyuan said indifferently.
Seeing his nonchalant attitude, the abbot thought for a long time and then said, "If your marriage to Miss Nan really goes against your fate and offends the Buddha, have you considered stopping in time to minimize the losses?"
"It will be good for everyone, for Miss Nan and the child..."
Even as he said this, the abbot felt that it was cruel.
Tan Linyuan didn't get angry because of this. Instead, he smiled, his eyes becoming deeper, but there was a hint of pain in them.
"How could I not know how to make a choice? But once I've 'chosen', how can I 'give up'?" He pursed his lips, his voice bitter. "I'm just being selfish and headstrong, determined to defy fate with my life."
His voice gradually became lower. "If all the punishments could fall on me alone, I would be willing, even if I could never be reincarnated. But unfortunately, it will also affect - "
He didn't continue.
The abbot saw the pain flash across his face and felt even more heartache.
Tan Linyuan was like a child he had watched grow up. The abbot had seen all the sufferings and hardships he had endured.
Maybe fate had never been kind to him.
One couldn't help but wonder if the Buddha had ever shown a moment of mercy to this young man, at least giving him a perfect ending.
According to Buddhism, the abbot should have advised him to let go as soon as possible. But according to human feelings, he couldn't say such a thing.
After a long silence, the abbot raised his hand and twirled the Buddhist beads between his fingers. His voice was very vicissitudinous. "Qizhi, you already have the answer in your heart. You don't need my advice."
"I can't help you resolve this. I can only wish you to turn bad luck into good luck and be safe in all things - Amitabha."
Tan Linyuan let out a long breath. He felt a dull pain in his chest.
He was in a dilemma.
He held his breath and concentrated. After calming down, he said lightly, "Thank you, Abbot, for your teachings. Qizhi will remember them in his heart."
When he walked out of the Buddhist hall and stood in front of the threshold, he took out his phone and checked the time. He calculated that the auction should be over by now.
Tan Linyuan was about to drive to pick up Nan Yu.
Just then, his phone rang. It was the number of the bodyguard he had arranged.
Tan Linyuan suddenly felt a tightness in his heart and an indescribable panic.
The moment he answered the phone, there was a chaotic noise on the other end, along with screams and cries.
The bodyguard's voice was mixed in, and it was hard to hear clearly. "Mr. Tan, there was a shooting at the auction just now. We just got separated from Miss Nan..."
Tan Linyuan felt as if his legs had suddenly lost all feeling. He staggered and almost fell.
His ears also lost their hearing, and there was only a huge and sharp buzzing sound, which made his ears ache.
He swayed unsteadily, and the phone was hung up in a hurry.
Tan Linyuan looked up absent - mindedly. He happened to meet the gaze of the Buddha statue enshrined high in the Buddhist hall.
The stone Buddha statue was looking at him kindly at this moment.
Amitabha -