It was twenty li of official road from the capital to the Avalokitesvara Temple, and then a winding mountain path to reach it. The carriages stopped neatly halfway up Yufeng Mountain, and everyone got off in turn.
Song Yihuan put on her veil hat again to hide her face.
She held her younger brother's hand and stood beside the carriage. After Princess Ningqin, Ji Lingchuan, and Song Nanxin walked towards the temple above the steps, she quietly followed with her brother.
Princess Ningqin was of special status. Knowing that she would come today, the Avalokitesvara Temple announced that it would be closed for a day. So there was only their group of pilgrims on the whole Yufeng Mountain.
Lush bodhi and pine trees stood on both sides. The tree shadows cast a large expanse of shade on the open space outside the stone steps. The mountain breeze blew gently from all directions, sweeping away the heat and leaving only a cool feeling.
"Xuan'er, do you feel uncomfortable?" Song Yihuan asked, stroking her brother's hair.
Song Yixuan shook his head and smiled. "I'm fine, Sister Four. Let's go up too."
Song Yihuan reached out to carry him, but Song Yixuan refused. "Sister Four, I want to walk by myself."
Song Yihuan had no choice but to give up. She protected her brother and slowly climbed the steps one by one. The siblings smiled at each other from time to time. Although they walked very slowly, they had a kind of happiness that only the two of them could understand.
Song Yihuan had been to the Avalokitesvara Temple once. At that time, her stepmother was pregnant with Xuan'er. Because she had been depressed all year round, she was very weak. In order to pray for her stepmother and the baby in her womb, Song Yihuan managed to sneak to the temple to offer incense and light a blessing lamp for her.
However, the Buddha failed to bless her stepmother. She died in childbirth, leaving the siblings alone. And the baby born with great difficulty was diagnosed with a heart disease at birth, which completely disappointed Marquis Ding'an. He never cared about them again.
Since then, Song Yihuan no longer believed in gods and Buddhas.
Lost in thought, Song Yihuan didn't notice the road in front of her. Suddenly, she bumped into a solid chest, and her veil hat was knocked askew.
She instinctively took a step back, forgetting that there were steps behind her. She missed her footing and let out a scream as she fell backwards.
The next moment, a strong arm reached out to hold her waist and pulled her back, saving her from rolling down the stone steps.
After standing still, Song Yihuan's heart was pounding. She looked up in a daze and met Ji Lingchuan's deep, sharp eyes.
Ji Lingchuan stopped in front of the temple gate and didn't take another step forward.
He had killed countless enemies in the border areas and had never shown mercy. His body was filled with blood and killing aura. Entering the sacred Buddhist land would be a desecration of the Buddha. So today he just came along and didn't plan to go into the temple to worship.
He had explained the reason to Princess Ningqin in advance. Seeing his firm attitude, Princess Ningqin had no choice but to let him be.
Because Ji Lingchuan had asked about the fragrance on the carriage, Song Nanxin didn't dare to stay with him alone. She supported Princess Ningqin and led a group of servants directly into the temple.
No one noticed Song Yihuan and Song Yixuan at the end of the line, not even Ji Lingchuan.
Until he felt a soft object bump into him and heard a familiar scream. He turned around and saw Song Yihuan missing her footing and falling backwards. Before his brain could react, he had reached out and grabbed the woman's slender waist, pulling her back.
The woman bumped into his arms due to the inertia. His palm was tightly pressed against her waist. Even through the clothes, he could feel how soft her waist was. A familiar, faint apricot blossom fragrance wafted from her.
It was the faint fragrance of newly blooming apricot blossoms.
Ji Lingchuan was stunned and forgot to let go of her for a moment.
During the collision, the veil hat on the woman's head had fallen off and rolled down the steps.
Without the veil hat, the woman's face was completely exposed in front of him.
The sunlight filtered through the branches and danced on her curly eyelashes. Her amber pupils were crystal clear in the sunlight. After climbing the steps, her cheeks and nose were slightly flushed, and a thin layer of sweat had oozed out, making her face look like a ripe peach. Frightened, she slightly opened her red lips. From his angle, he could see her cute, delicate teeth.
Ji Lingchuan's eyes darkened, and a strange restlessness welled up in his heart. The hand on her waist tightened unconsciously.
At this moment, a scream rang in his ear.
"Sister Four, are you okay?"
Ji Lingchuan suddenly came to his senses. But the woman in his arms was pushed away forcefully. She took several big steps back in a panic, knelt down on one knee, and apologized in a low voice. "I didn't mean to bump into you, Brother-in-law. I hope you won't take my rudeness to heart."
The soft touch on his palm and the faint apricot blossom fragrance still lingered, but his arms were empty.
Ji Lingchuan looked at the woman who was several meters away from him, calling him "Brother-in-law" one after another. The restlessness in his heart grew stronger.
He suddenly remembered what Song Nanxin had said on the carriage about the mysterious disappearance of the perfume.
The path was so wide. Why did she have to bump into him? Was it an accident or on purpose?
Ji Lingchuan's eyes were full of warnings. He said seriously, "Don't walk with your head down and be distracted. If you get hurt in this sacred Buddhist land, you will not only disappoint the princess's kindness in taking you out of the mansion, but also make it difficult for your elder sister."
Song Yihuan knew it was her fault, so her apology was very sincere. But when she heard Ji Lingchuan's words, she felt a little angry.
What did he mean? It sounded as if she had deliberately bumped into him. Who told him to stand in the middle of the path?
Seeing his sister being scolded, Song Yixuan walked over and held Song Yihuan's hand. He said softly, "Brother-in-law, don't be angry. Sister Four didn't do it on purpose. Please forgive her."
With her brother beside her, Song Yihuan restrained her temper and became more humble. "Brother-in-law is right. I promise there won't be a next time."
After saying that, regardless of Ji Lingchuan's reaction, she pulled her brother's hand and walked into the Avalokitesvara Temple.
As soon as she stepped into the temple gate, Song Yihuan saw Song Nanxin looking out with a gloomy face. She secretly thought that she was lucky to have run away in time and not been discovered by her elder sister that she had contact with Ji Lingchuan. She took the initiative to step forward and called out, "Sister."
Seeing her, Song Nanxin quickened her steps. "Why did you walk so slowly?"
Suddenly noticing something, Song Nanxin frowned. "Where's your hat?"
Meeting her elder sister's scrutinizing gaze, Song Yihuan said calmly, "A gust of wind blew just before we entered the temple, and the hat was blown away."
Song Yixuan thought that the hat had actually fallen off after his sister bumped into his elder brother-in-law. But he was always smart. He blinked and echoed, "Yes, yes. It was a very strong gust of wind."
Song Nanxin snorted and looked Song Yihuan up and down. She asked angrily, "Didn't I give you a dress and some jewelry the other day? Why didn't you wear the clothes and jewelry I gave you when you went out?"