CH 30

Huò Wēi Lóu’s wrist seemed to be as hard as iron; although Bó Ruò Yōu’s delicate fingers proved to have little effect when it curled around him, her eyes were filled to the brim with intermingling shock and anger. The gentleness on her countenance disappeared instantaneously, and she appeared rather cold and imposing.

Huò Wēi Lóu put down her hemline with a rustle, “When benhou saw your get-up in the morning, [I] already knew that it was inappropriate, and originally assumed that you wouldn’t be able to persist for too long, but you actually endured through the entire journey.”

Bó Ruò Yōu relaxed her grip on Huò Wēi Lóu’s hand, quickly gasping for air again. It was too painful, she was really in too much pain; it was to the extent where she could feel the skin that had been rubbed off, and how the blood from the injury was sticking to her undergarments, only to be forcibly peeled apart just now.

A teardrop was still hanging at the corner of her eye, and her face proceeded to lower when she heard Huò Wēi Lóu’s words as if she was blaming herself, but she was still pursing her lips with some stubbornness. Huò Wēi Lóu stared at her for a second before he hauled her from her saddle to his front.

Bó Ruò Yōu’s weight was close to a hundred, but Huò Wēi Lóu’s arm strength was shocking since he managed to make her sit sideways on his horseback as effortlessly as blowing dust away. He urged his horse to trot a few steps as he shouted, “Bring over the ointment—”

He had served in the military since he was a youth, was later titled as Marquis Wuzhao and controlled the embroidered emissaries. For the bigger part of the year, he would always run around for Emperor Jianhe, and consequently, the preparations he had at hand whenever he was travelling were very thorough. Soon after, a bottle of ointment was handed to Huò Wēi Lóu.

Huò Wēi Lóu looked left and right before bringing Bó Ruò Yōu to the forest at the side on the horse.

There was a pine forest at the side of this road and Huò Wēi Lóu moved deeper into the foliage by thirty metres or so before he stopped the horse in front a scattering of bluestones. Then, he flipped off his horse and held onto Bó Ruò Yōu’s waist to haul her down.

The word ‘haul’ was used only because he really did not feel much weight in his hands. Just as Bó Ruò Yōu’s feet touched the ground, he proceeded to loosen his hands, and she staggered, nearly falling down again. Huò Wēi Lóu raised his hand, revealing the ointment that was lying in his palm. “Apply the medicine quickly.”

Bó Ruò Yōu blinked owlishly as she looked at Huò Wēi Lóu, which caused Huò Wēi Lóu’s brows to furrow, “You have some medical knowledge, could it be that you also want benhou to help you—”

Without waiting for him to finish speaking, Bó Ruò Yōu grabbed the ointment and started to limp behind the bluestones.

Huò Wēi Lóu stood at the side of the bluestones, his expression indecipherable.

He was not surprised that Bó Ruò Yōu was injured; let alone a pampered and delicate lady, even new soldiers who had just stepped on the battlefield had to go through this experience before their muscles scabbed over and formed calluses, which spared them from the same degree of hardship. It was not that there were no methods to take tender care of her, it was just that he had been in power for many years and the people following him were also iron-blooded men; to make him, the dignified Marquis Wuzhao, worry and trouble himself over such a trivial matter, well, there really wasn’t any reason for him to go so far.

The moon’s splendour was quiet and serene like water, casting down the dark shadows of the leafed canopy. The smell of pine rosin assaulted his nose, but Huò Wēi Lóu kept catching a whiff of another kind of floral fragrance. He knew that this was Bó Ruò Yōu’s bodily fragrance.

For a moment, the image of the bloodstains on her moon-white undergarments emerged in his mind again. Although this small injury was not worth mentioning to him, Bó Ruò Yōu was a girl, she was wearing an agonised expression just now, and she even shed a tear.

Rather than describe her as sad and beautiful in her grievance, she was very restrained instead, and it was more than likely that she was not even aware that she was crying. However, the way she gritted her teeth and endured the pain made him remember some snippets of the long past, of uproars and pervasive blood air.

Suddenly, amidst the silence where a pin drop could be heard, the rustling of female clothing which was incomparably distinct suddenly rang out. The pair were only partitioned off by a rock, and he was naturally cognizant of what Bó Ruò Yōu was doing right now.

Turning his head, Huò Wēi Lóu stared at the gigantic bluestone that was nearly one person tall, the depths of his eyes glinting with uncertainty.

Bó Ruò Yōu’s injury was in a private area, and when she thought about how Huò Wēi Lóu had casually hoisted her skirt like he was lifting a hanging screen, anger surged from her heart. Who would believe that the impressive Marquis Wuzhao who was famous for his fighting prowess, would actually be this improper!

Bó Ruò Yōu applied the ointment as tears sprung from her eyes, but she remembered that there were people waiting outside, so she did not dare to delay. She finished applying the medicine while gritting her teeth, causing more cold sweat to sheet her body. Very quickly, she limped out from the bluestone again.

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When she came out, she discovered that Huò Wēi Lóu was unexpectedly gone.

The forest was quiet, the moonlight limpid. Even though she was slightly angry at Huò Wēi Lóu, he did give her medicine and bring her into the forest instead of leaving her to fend for herself. Now that his person was gone, she could not help but panic in her heart.

“Can [you] still walk?”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s voice rang out from another direction.

Bó Ruò Yōu looked over swiftly. When she saw that Huò Wēi Lóu was holding a waterskin, she immediately understood that he went to fetch some water just now. Bó Ruò Yōu nodded as Huò Wēi Lóu came to a stop in front of her, his brows wrung together, “Even if it was beyond [your] limits just now, were [you] just going to grit your teeth and endure?”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s face lowered, only feeling that she was slowing everyone down.

Huò Wēi Lóu simply offered her waterskin before taking out another medicine pill with an indistinguishable colour and lustre, “Eat it.”

Bó Ruò Yōu raised her head to peer at Huò Wēi Lóu before she swallowed the medicinal pill with two mouthfuls of cold water in one smooth motion. A hint of satisfaction seeped into Huò Wēi Lóu’s countenance, then he turned and walked to the horse’s side to hang the waterskin before flipping onto the horse.

He was seated on an entirely glossy black, tall and divinely spirited horse that was at the peak of its health, and it was currently snorting through its nose. Although it had been galloping for the entire day, it did not show the slightest sign of fatigue. Huò Wēi Lóu sat on its horseback, all tall and lofty, and when he saw Bó Ruò Yōu walking past him to head outwards, he said impatiently, “Where are you going?”

Bó Ruò Yōu halted in her footsteps to look back at him. Narrowing his eyes, he urged his horse two steps forward, and upon reaching Bó Ruò Yōu’s side, he leaned over and scooped her up, thus hauling her to his front. Bó Ruò Yōu’s pupils dilated, her words hitting the tip of tongue, but she heard Huò Wēi Lóu speak first: “Are you planning to walk to Famen Temple on your own?”

He was already whipping his horse forward as he spoke, and the pair exited the forest very quickly. During that period of time, all the embroidered emissaries had gotten off their horses to rest, and it was a rare chance to take a breather. Upon seeing the pair come out, Fu gonggong greeted them in a hurry, “What’s wrong? Yōu Yōu is injured?”

Bó Ruò Yōu felt slightly stifled, “Min’nü—”

“Stupid to the extreme,” Huò Wēi Lóu interrupted with palpable displeasure.

Fu gonggong’s brows raised, his eyes shifting, “Then… Hou’ye is…”

“Let’s continue in such a manner. The night is already deep, and it will be hard to find a place to rest [our] feet.” Huò Wēi Lóu lowered his eyes after saying that, and like he had expected, Bó Ruò Yōu was hanging her head down. From his perspective, he could only see her lashes fanning out from her eyelids to form shadows underneath. Her emotions could not be perceived from her eyes, but the tip of her nose was pale from the cold, her thin lips were tinged green, and her mouth corners were tightly pursed.

Huò Wēi Lóu hit the horse and sped forward, and Fu gonggong and the embroidered emissaries followed suit by getting on their horses. Bó Ruò Yōu’s horse was freed from any burden, so it became happier instead.

This was the first time Bó Ruò Yōu was this close to a man; even the foster father who had raised her for more than ten years only hugged her when she was a child. Hence, when she was enveloped in Huò Wēi Lóu’s valiant aura which was akin to a lofty mountain, her breathing became lighter by three parts.

She was seated sideways in front of Huò Wēi Lóu, back and shoulders rigid, and her visage stretched taut. Owing to how she did not dare to lean on Huò Wēi Lóu, her body was straightened like a wooden pestle. Without any reliance or place to settle, she jolted and swayed with the horse, and not a moment later, she heard Huò Wēi Lóu said in a chilly voice: “Is benhou going to eat you or something?”

Bó Ruò Yōu only felt her scalp numb, “Min’nü is stupid—”

Huò Wēi Lóu essentially felt that Bó Ruò Yōu was using his words to silence him, and he unexpectedly barked out an irritated laugh in response. His gaze lowered again to see Bó Ruò Yōu’s brows and eyes drooping down a little, and her delicate ears and fair neck were exposed to him. His phoenix eyes squinted slightly, and in the next second, he raised his hand to pull the hood of her cloak over her head, instantaneously covering her whole head in a firm and thorough fashion before he adjusted her posture in his arms, so that there was less of a swaying and rocking hard figure in front of him.

Bó Ruò Yōu did not utter a word, and he could not see her demeanour, nor did he know what expression she was making. He only sensed that the person in his arms was tense at first, but she did not have the strength to keep it taut for a long duration, so her body proceeded to soften and lean into his chest.

When the cloak covered her, Bó Ruò Yōu exhaled in relief immediately, as if it was a curtain that blocked out Huò Wēi Lóu’s aura. With this curtain, her body and mind relaxed by half. Huò Wēi Lóu’s chest was broad and warm, and while his entire person appeared gloomy and callous, his arms were neither loose nor tight as it wrapped around her, protecting her in its confines, which inexplicably brought her peace.

Bó Ruò Yōu sighed in the bottom of her heart. Forget it, forget it, what could she do? He was ennobled as Marquis Wuzhao, and he saved her life; she should not excoriate him for his improper conduct, and she feared that raising a woman’s skirt hem was no different from taking off a man’s clothes in the depths of his heart.

After persuading herself for a short while, Bó Ruò Yōu leaned into Huò Wēi Lóu without any burdens and started to laze off secretly. Disregarding everything else, she could at least endure through the night with Huò Wēi Lóu bringing her along.

The pair were riding the same horse and they were travelling through the night, so Huò Wēi Lóu decreased the galloping speed slightly. After a smaller part of the double-hour passed, Huò Wēi Lóu realised that Bó Ruò Yōu was leaning even closer to him, and upon listening in carefully with rapt attention, he discovered that her breathing was soft and drawn-out, she actually— fell asleep!

Huò Wēi Lóu: “……”

Huò Wēi Lóu felt like he was going to laugh out of anger because of Bó Ruò Yōu once more. Just  moments ago, she looked utterly unwilling, and now she was leaning on him and sleeping without any qualms, she truly had a courageous spirit!

Involuntarily, Huò Wēi Lóu reduced the horse’s speed more before he raised his eyes to look at the bright moon at the side of the sky. Suddenly, he felt like he hadn’t hastened on his journey like this in a very long time; even when there were stars out at night, he would be travelling at double speed, since all the cases were of paramount importance. He did not know what toil was, and the people that followed him, gradually became cast iron as well. He lowered his eyes again, the person in his embrace was not forged out of iron, and not just that, he came to learn that women being delicate and boneless was not said in jest.

Huò Wēi Lóu’s arms constricted even more.

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When Bó Ruò Yōu eventually woke up, she could already see the light of day breaking out of the clouds, since they were currently passing through a mountain summit. Just as she rubbed her sleep hazy eyes, she saw the morning sun spilling out from the horizon, like a bright red smear that ignited the sovereign dawn clouds, the continuous green jade mountains, and the distant, wide and open plains. In that moment, everything in thirty thousand fathoms was illuminated.

Bó Ruò Yōu pulled down her cloak, raising her face to welcome the multicoloured lights of sunrise, “How beautiful—”

“Where is its beauty?”

“The morning sun is like fire, the mountains and rivers are pure and quiet, and we can admire it from the summit. It must be the work of Gods that can make the human heart and soul tremble, I have never…”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s awe-filled praises broke off, her complexion becoming slightly rigid all of a sudden. Huò Wēi Lóu issued an “oh”, indescribably dark and contemplative, “Never what? Why did [you] stop talking?”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s hot breath landed on the top of her hair as he talked, which caused a wave of numbness to go down her back. She must have become muddled in her sleep, she actually forgot that she was on Marquis Wuzhao’s horseback. What “we”, what “I”, she was honestly too impudent!

Bó Ruò Yōu tensed her neck as she said cautiously, “Min’nü… has never admired the sunrise. Although she frequently sees the morning sun, standing on the summit among a range of mountains widens the field of view, and it is vastly different.”

She straightened her body as she spoke, and her tone of voice was bereft of its excitement. 

Huò Wēi Lóu said faintly, “How is it different?”

His manner of speaking was unfluctuating, but it gave the impression that he was testing her, like he was searching for a gap in her speech. Bó Ruò Yōu was nervous for a moment, “Apart from the meteorological features of the Heaven and Earth being the work of Gods, min’nü is capable of having the heart to admire the scenery because Great Zhou and its people are peaceful and prosperous; with regards to the calmness of the seas and the limpidness of the rivers, the contributions that Hou’ye has made cannot go unnoticed, min’nü feels rather fortunate for the common masses of Great Zhou.”

Huò Wēi Lóu let out a short laugh, “Smoothing the whiskers and patting a horse’s bottom, was it Hè Chéng who taught you that?”

Bó Ruò Yōu blinked her eyes, “Min’nü is speaking from the bottom of her heart.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s voice relaxed by three parts as he opened his mouth to sneer faintly, “A young woman like you, what do you know of a country’s prosperity and the commoners’ peace?”

Bó Ruò Yōu could not resist raising her eyes to look at Huò Wēi Lóu, and Huò Wēi Lóu happened to lower his eyes to glance at her as well. Their eyes met, their breaths intermingled, and the shocked Bó Ruò Yōu quickly lowered her eyes again. However, she composed herself and said: “A young woman like min’nü might have experienced the early passing of her parents, but she has grown up smoothly; the skills that she learned are not ordinary, but it has been put to full use as well. Min’nü is neither from great wealth nor high nobility, but she knows contentment, peace, and happiness; she does not blame the sovereign king above, nor does she detest those close and adjacent; now she rides on top of the Marquis’ horseback, with the heart to admire the broad and mighty morning sun, while feeling content for the people of Great Zhou because of it, isn’t that precisely because the country is prosperous and at peace?”

Huò Wēi Lóu did not utter another word of scrutiny or ridicule.

Noticing that he was keeping his silence, Bó Ruò Yōu could not resist raising her eyes to peer at him. From her lower perspective, Huò Wēi Lóu’s facial features were handsome, resolute, and without competition; his phoenix eyes were staring at the horizon in a profound manner, the red clouds reflecting into the depths of his eyes, like the magnificent mountains and rivers that had also fallen into his eyes.

Like it was within his grasp.

Before Bó Ruò Yōu had the time to retract her line of sight, Huò Wēi Lóu had already lowered his eyes to look at her, “If everyone thinks like you do, then the country would truly be prosperous and at peace.”

Bó Ruò Yōu was not in a hurry to lower her gaze this time around as she stared back at Huò Wēi Lóu instead. It had always been difficult to discern emotions in his eyes, but at this moment, she seemed to catch a glimpse of the boundary of those profound depths. Without any preamble, she opened her mouth and asked: “Has Hou’ye read the Lotus Sutra?”

Huò Wēi Lóu did not know why she was asking this question, and he merely arched his eyebrows as he asked: “When benhou was serving in the military, corpses floated up the battlefield by the hundred thousand, do you think benhou would cultivate in the path of Buddhism?”

Bó Ruò Yōu was not deterred by his words. Rather, she continued to speak in a calm and unhurried manner, “There is a line in the Lotus Sutra that goes, ‘To pass on one lamp to all lamps, and ten thousand lamps will all be bright at the end’. Hou’ye’s wish is the same.”

Bó Ruò Yōu’s beautiful eyes were like stars, bright and glittering. When she was having reservations, the bottom of her eyes seemed to be contaminated with the thin vapour from the Lancang River, or it was like the moonlight that had been caged by smoke, thus making it indistinct. However, when she was free of reservations, and utterly devoted to you, those eyes were akin to a clear, deep pond, of which the bottom could be perceived; it could only, and would only, hold you alone.

Huò Wēi Lóu was rendered speechless. In the next moment, he abruptly raised his hand to cover Bó Ruò Yōu’s eyes, and in the moment after that, he brought the hood up and covered her head again. His whip raised, and he galloped down the mountain like an arrow leaving the bowstring!

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They spent the entire day rushing on the road, and by the time the sun was lowering, the group entered a small town. The hour was still early but continuing further would mean that they would miss this place, and it was unknown where the next small town was, so they would inevitably have to travel through the night again. Hence, without needing Fu gonggong’s persuasion, Huò Wēi Lóu commanded everyone to rest here.

At this point, they had already left the boundaries of Qingzhou and entered Luozhou. This inn was larger than the Laifu Inn, and the embroidered emissary booked seven to eight empty rooms on the second floor, with Bó Ruò Yōu staying in the room at the end of the corridor that was next to Huò Wēi Lóu’s room like before.

Let alone Bó Ruò Yōu, even the embroidered emissaries looked visibly fatigued after hastening on their journey for two days and one night, to say nothing of Fu gonggong who was bemoaning about the soreness of his waist and back. In the entire group, only Huò Wēi Lóu was tall, straight, hale and hearty.

Bó Ruò Yōu entered her room once they reached the inn. The medicine that Huò Wēi Lóu gave was superb, and the journey today was not as torturous as the first. However, being jolted on horseback was more uncomfortable than being on a horse carriage for the entire day; Bó Ruò Yōu did not dare to be careless because she was following along to conduct post-mortem autopsies for Huò Wēi Lóu, and she would be delaying her duties if she fell ill on the road.

Therefore, after partaking her dinner in the evening separately and doing a simple wash-up, she informed Fu gonggong that she was going to rest and went to bed.

When Huò Wēi Lóu received Fu gonggong’s report, he scoffed lightly, “She was the only one who slept last night.”

Fu gonggong sighed, “Is Hou’ye attempting to use Yōu Yōu like a man? Speaking of which, perhaps it would be better to source a horse carriage for her.”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s steeled expression did not change, “Rejected, Lín Huái has already arrived, it can’t be delayed any further.”

Fu gonggong was slightly vexed, “Then it would be better for Hou’ye to continue bringing Yōu Yōu. One fears that things will turn for the worse if she’s allowed to ride a horse, and if she collapses in exhaustion, Hou’ye won’t have anyone to use then.”

Huò Wēi Lóu hummed faintly in response, as if he wasn’t exactly willing but he had no other alternative.

Bó Ruò Yōu slept until the skies were dim and the earth was dark. When she woke up at dawn on the second day, she felt like she had recovered most of her vitality, and after partaking in breakfast, the group prepared to set off again. Internally, Bó Ruò Yōu thought that Huò Wēi Lóu had only carried her for the road because there was no other alternative, but now that she had rested up for the entire night, she probably had to ride the horse on her own, which was why she wore two undergarments.

When she came out, however, Huò Wēi Lóu beckoned her on his horseback, “Not coming over yet—”

Bó Ruò Yōu stopped in front of him, “Hou’ye, today min’nü can…”

“Quit squandering.” He said, leaning over and fishing up Bó Ruò Yōu again to place her in front of him.

Bó Ruò Yōu hesitated momentarily, but she did not dare to say more when she saw the other embroidered emissaries looking at her. As the horse galloped out of the inn, she donned her hood in an extremely tactful manner.

Since the horses rested for the night, their gait was even faster. As opposed to his last trip, Huò Wēi Lóu did not enter Luozhou City and headed directly for Xixia Mountain instead to economise some time. By the time they reached the foot of Xixia Mountain, the night had just fallen.

Having known that Marquis Wuzhao would arrive today, there were quite a few people waiting at the bottom of Xixia Mountain. Since Famen Temple was no longer holding the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference, even its mountain gates had closed early on, hence the bottom of the mountain was cold, quiet, and without a single Buddhist worshipper when Huò Wēi Lóu arrived.

From afar, everyone noticed that there was something in front of Huò Wēi Lóu, and they were all cognizant of Huò Wēi Lóu’s innate disposition, so they initially assumed that Huò Wēi Lóu was bringing some kind of object with him, but once the horse drew closer and they gradually made out a human figure, their expressions changed slightly.

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And when Huò Wēi Lóu’s horse stopped in front of them, thus exposing the beautiful lady in Huò Wēi Lóu’s embrace, all of them widened their eyes in shocks without any exceptions, and it was still Lù Kē, the captain of the armed calvary among the embroidered emissaries who had arrived five day earlier, that reacted the fastest, and he immediately stepped forward to give his salutations. 

“One pays his respect to Hou’ye, the journey must have been strenuous for Hou’ye.”

Huò Wēi Lóu got off the horse and threw the reins to Lù Kē first, then turned around to see Bó Ruò Yōu getting off the horse cautiously, so he proceeded to hold her waist and put her on the ground.

Lù Kē’s eyebrows twitched a few times, “Hou’ye, the other officials have arrived, as well as Great Master Jìng Míng.”

Once those words landed, the people standing behind him came forward to bow.

The Ministry of Justice’s Assistant Minister Lín Huái, who was cooperating with Huò Wēi Lóu to handle this case, was the first to step forward, “One pays his respect to Hou’ye—”

The three people behind him followed suit. They were all middle-aged men, and while their characters were different, they were clad in luxurious clothes.

The final person wore a solemn expression, and his suit of kasaya marked him as the current Head of Famen Temple, by the name of Jìng Míng. “Amitabha, Benefactor must be weary from travelling so far, this poor monk offers his respectful welcome after a long time.”

Huò Wēi Lóu did not practice Buddhism, nor did he believe in the Buddha, so he merely nodded in response.

Afterwards, he looked towards Lù Kē and Lín Huái, “What are the conditions in the Temple like right now?”

Lín Huái replied, “Xiaguan arrived yesterday, and has inquired about most of the circumstances. However, since the day is already late right now, and Hou’ye is somewhat fatigued from the entire journey, perhaps some rest is in order first?”

Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes did not stray away, “Is Lín daren still unaware of benhou’s practices?”

Lín Huái was established during the New Year, and while he occupied the position of Assistant Minister, the current Minister of Justice had the intention to retire due to his old age, which meant that Lín Huái was basically cemented as the Ministry of Justice’s next Minister. It goes without saying that he can be considered as a high official in the Imperial Court, but even then, he was no different from Hè Chéng in Huò Wēi Lóu’s eyes.

Without missing a beat, Lín Huái smiled apologetically and said: “Yes, xiaguan is muddled, Hou’ye please enter the Temple.”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded before bringing his entourage into the Temple. There was a mountain gate installed at the foot of the mountain, and just looking at this alone was enough to perceive the vastness of Famen Temple, especially from its majestic and towering decorated archway where a horizontal inscribed board from the Imperial Family, stating the three characters ‘Famen Temple’ in iron calligraphy and silver curved strokes, which looked incredibly imposing in style. Upon going through the mountain gates, there were ninety-nine stone steps, and everyone lined up to make the ascent before eventually reaching the main entrance of Famen Temple. 

Famen Temple was located on the halfway point of Xixia Mountain, its Buddhist Halls and Pagodas building up in an uninterrupted chain while half-leaning on the mountain structure itself. The Changming Pagoda, which was situated at the highest point, was reportedly a site that enshrined and worshipped a Buddhist relic as well. Although the night colours had enveloped the entire Xixia Mountain, the highest pagoda bearing the altar lamps was still brightly lit, and from the distance, it was rather meditative.

Once they stepped through the Temple doors, they saw that there was incense burning at the front, albeit quietly and unadorned, and not a single monk could be seen practising religiously. Lín Huái was walking beside Huò Wēi Lóu as he said: “The Temple has already been closed for half a month, and it is rather quiet right now. All of the monks are inside their monastery, and since they do not have any imperial orders or duties attached to their person, their comings and goings are far and few between.”

Huò Wēi Lóu directly asked: “Where are the skeletal remains?”

Lín Huái said: “At a side courtyard in the west.”

Huò Wēi Lóu did not need to elaborate further before Lín Huái started leading him westwards. The Temple Head, Lù Kē and the rest trailed after the conversing pair, whereas Bó Ruò Yōu was beside Fu gonggong, though a few steps behind. She was wearing a cloak and her countenance was restrained, but even despite that, the people walking at the front would still turn back to look at her from time to time.

Fu gonggong was smiling with crinkled eyes as if he did not mind, but his attitude only encouraged them to guess what Bó Ruò Yōu’s identity was.

After following the corridor within the temple to head west, they reached the place where the skeleton was being stored very quickly.

Although it was called a side courtyard, it was just a brand-new Buddhist Hall that was not being used yet. Once they entered the courtyard entrance, Lín Huái stated: “This area was used to extend a building in Famen Temple last year, for the purposes of allowing the monks to attend scripture lectures and practice religiously on normal days, it is being used to store the skeleton for the time being.” After giving a pause, Lín Huái added, “Féng daren’s corpse has also been placed in a wing-room here.”

Huò Wēi Lóu nodded faintly, reaching the front of the brightly lit central hall in a few strides. Before he stepped through the doors, however, he immediately caught sight of a two- to three-metre-tall golden statue of an honoured monk placed inside the central hall in a lonesome manner.

He halted in his footsteps, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly, “This is—”

Lù Kē came forward and said: “Hou’ye, this statue of Mahākāśyapa was modelled ten years ago, and a month prior, the Temple was planning to re-paint the honoured monk’s statue for the Ten Thousand Buddha Conference, but when they were moving it, the statue toppled over and the base split open. It’s suspected that it contained Great Master Jìng Kōng’s skeletal remains, and it was only discovered when it dropped out of the golden body.”

Standing at the back, the tips of Bó Ruò Yōu’s brows creased.

The Buddha statue was inside the Temple for ten years, receiving the kneeling and praying of worshippers daily, but inside… actually hid the skeletal remains of an indistinguishable person?!

In an instant, the solemn and dignified Buddha became strange and sinister.