The hooves of the horses kicked up dust. The summer was unbearably hot. Before long, fine beads of sweat began to form on Meng Ruyi's nose. Song Huaizhi tilted his head slightly and caught sight of the glistening sweat on the girl in his arms. Only then did he realize that he had set off in too much of a hurry.
"Are you hot?" Song Huaizhi frowned and murmured softly, "If it's too hot, then..."
"I'm fine. Really," Meng Ruyi said, turning her head to wipe the sweat off on his shoulder. "We should hurry. The situation is urgent. We can't afford to delay."
Hearing this, Song Huaizhi could only sigh inwardly and tightened the reins.
The White Horse Temple wasn't far from the academy. Riding at full speed, they arrived there in less than half an hour.
They dismounted. Chuixue showed the token in his hand to the young monk standing at the gate and whispered a few words. Then he turned to signal them, saying, "Miss Song, Young Master Meng, I'll take you to find Mr. Lin."
Apparently, Mr. Lin often came here, so Chuixue, who served him, was very familiar with the way. Leading them through many turns, they finally reached a small courtyard.
Suddenly, Meng Ruyi remembered that Mr. Lin's wife and daughter had passed away early. So, perhaps he came to the temple not only to visit the abbot, who was his good friend, but also to seek inner peace.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but lower her eyes.
"Let's go," Song Huaizhi said, standing at the door. Watching Chuixue gently knock on the door, he instinctively took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat off Meng Ruyi's face, then his own. He skillfully put the handkerchief back into his sleeve.
Tang Xiyi, who saw this inadvertently, thought, "..."
Before long, they heard footsteps inside. The door opened, revealing Mr. Lin's face.
"You're here," he said, seemingly not at all surprised. He opened the door and let them in. "Come in."
There was a small table in the courtyard with several stone benches already set up.
A monk in a vermilion robe was sitting there, holding Buddhist beads in his hand. When he saw them enter, he stood up, put his hands together, and said, "Please sit down, benefactors."
He seemed quite old, with the marks of time all over his eyes and wrinkles covering his face. But his gaze when looking at them was still clear, gentle like a spring, showing a kind of detachment after being baptized by the world.
Meng Ruyi was startled by his gaze. It seemed that his eyes lingered on her for a moment.
She sat down.
Mr. Lin continued, "This is the situation. By now, I'm afraid only you can take action."
"Amitabha," the monk sighed deeply and nodded. "I certainly won't just stand by and watch."
Meng Ruyi felt relieved. She exchanged a look with Song Huaizhi, thinking the matter was finally over. She let out a long - awaited sigh of relief.
Unexpectedly, the next moment, they heard Mr. Lin sigh, "How can such a cruel person become a monarch?"
"Mirror, we've known each other for many years. We don't need to say those perfunctory words to each other," Mr. Lin looked up at the sky. It was a clear day with no clouds in sight. "If he comes to power, then..."
The last words turned into a long sigh, which made everyone present tremble.
Tang Xiyi originally thought he was just tagging along. He didn't expect Mr. Lin to talk about such an important matter right in front of him without any hesitation. Suddenly, he stiffened up. He instinctively twitched the corner of his mouth but failed to put on a relaxed expression.
It seemed he had boarded a pirate ship this time.
"All things in the world have their own destinies," Mirror said, his expression unchanged. Looking at Mr. Lin, he continued, "But success depends on people. A monarch should be the one that the people look up to. If a monarch is immoral, then he will surely reap what he sows."
For some reason, Meng Ruyi always felt that Mirror glanced at her again when he said, "All things in the world have their own destinies."
What was he looking at?
Meng Ruyi held her breath. She could only hear her heart pounding like a drum. All the blood in her body rushed to her heart, making her fingertips cold.
"Alright, I'll leave first," Mr. Lin stood up and bowed to Mirror.
"Wait,"
Just as they were about to leave, they heard Mirror speak. "Miss, would you like to listen to a few words from me?"
Meng Ruyi stopped in her tracks immediately. She turned around abruptly and looked at him.
"I'd like to," she heard her own voice, cold and a bit dazed.
Then she motioned for Song Huaizhi to go first and sat back down at the small table.
Song Huaizhi's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything.
"All things in the world go through cycles of birth and death. I'm sure the benefactor has found the answer," Mirror sighed as they were about to leave the small courtyard.
Song Huaizhi hesitated for a moment but then stepped forward without hesitation and left.
Meng Ruyi looked at Mirror, her mind in turmoil.
Did this master in front of her know about her strange experiences? Was Mirror really a highly - enlightened monk?
Wouldn't she be exposed then?
All kinds of thoughts welled up in her mind, but Meng Ruyi still tried to maintain a calm expression on her face. She said to Mirror, "Master Mirror, I don't understand. What do you want to tell me?"
"Miss," Mirror looked at her intently, his eyes kind. "I know you have many doubts."
[!! What's this new plot? What doubts? From Yu Yu's expression, something's really wrong! Who is this master?]
[No way. This isn't a traditional script. Could it be that the next moment the master will ask Yu Yu if she wants to cultivate immortality?]
[Come on, your imagination is out of control, guy upstairs.]
The barrage of comments on the screen somewhat alleviated Meng Ruyi's nervousness. She smiled and said to Mirror, "Master Mirror, I don't understand. Can you clear up my doubts?"
Hearing this, Mirror shook his head. "This is your karma. I can't interfere."
What was cause? And what was effect?
There was a thick fog in front of her. Meng Ruyi seemed to be on the verge of grasping something, but she knew nothing at all. It was like being in a forest where the path was unclear. She could only see the outlines of the things around her but didn't know where the end was.
"Miss, I asked you to stay not for any other reason," Mirror said, seeing the expression on Meng Ruyi's face. "I haven't seen such a firm mind for a long time, so I couldn't help but sigh."
Meng Ruyi was stunned and looked at him.
Mirror just smiled. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened, showing an expression that Meng Ruyi couldn't describe.
He handed the Buddhist beads in his hand to Meng Ruyi and continued with a smile, "I wish the miss to forge ahead bravely and find her own destiny. This is just a small gift. We're fated to meet today, so I give it to you."
Meng Ruyi reached out and took the string of Buddhist beads. Putting them on as Mirror instructed, she found that they fit perfectly.
"Shh -"
Mirror put his index finger on his lips and smiled at Meng Ruyi. "Many people come to the temple to pray for marriage. There's no hurry. I'm going to the palace now."
"If the miss is interested, you can offer a stick of incense."
Then he stood up and escorted Meng Ruyi out.
Meng Ruyi opened the door and saw Song Huaizhi standing under a tree in the distance, looking at her from afar.
Taking a few steps forward, she seemed to faintly hear Mirror muttering a Buddhist chant.