Chapter 694: Chapter 553: Let Me Tell You a Story

"Senior Brother Que Yin..."

The moment Xiao Mo stepped through the main gate of Sikong Temple, Xujing, who was diligently sweeping the entrance, saw his Senior Brother had returned. He immediately scooped up his broom and ran over happily.

"Senior Brother, you went to officiate a wedding for some newlyweds today. Did everything go smoothly?" Xujing asked.

"It went quite smoothly. The host family didn’t have any complaints about me," Xiao Mo said with a faint smile, handing the packed food container to Xujing. "Here are the vegetarian dishes you wanted. They taste great, especially the eggplant hotpot. It’s the chef’s specialty, and it’s incredibly flavorful."

"Thanks, Senior Brother!" Xujing took the food container and was about to run into the temple, but Xiao Mo suddenly grabbed him by the back of his collar.

"Leaving so soon?" Xiao Mo pointed to the fallen leaves scattered on the ground. His tone was gentle, but it left no room for argument. "Finish sweeping first."

"Oh..." Xujing could only place the food container carefully to the side. He held his broom and swept back and forth absentmindedly, his mind entirely focused on finishing as quickly as possible.

"Sweep it properly," Xiao Mo said, shaking his head with a sigh. He didn’t say anything more, simply turning and walking slowly into the temple.

After passing through the temple’s front hall, Xiao Mo arrived at the Abbot’s courtyard. He respectfully put his palms together and bowed. "Abbot."

"Mm."

Abbot Yuan Kong, who was reading a Buddhist Scripture, set down the text and looked up, smiling at his most prized disciple.

"Normally, officiating a wedding shouldn’t have kept you this late. Could it be you went off to have some fun? You even have the faint scent of a woman on you... Don’t tell me you went carousing?"

"I wouldn’t dare."

Xiao Mo shook his head and answered truthfully.

"It’s just that on my way up the mountain, I saw a young woman who had fallen down a slope and sprained her ankle. She had trouble moving, and it was already getting late, so it wasn’t easy to call for help. I ended up carrying her home on my back."

"I see." Yuan Kong nodded, his voice full of trust, not doubting his disciple’s words in the slightest. "Is the young woman’s injury serious?"

"It’s not serious," Xiao Mo said. "I left her some of our Sikong Temple’s liniment for sprains. She should make a full recovery soon."

"That’s good." Yuan Kong gently stroked his beard and instructed, "The evening session is about to begin. Go and prepare, then head to the main hall to chant the scriptures. Don’t be late."

"Yes, Abbot." Xiao Mo bowed with his palms together and withdrew.

...

「Nightfall.」

After the last worshipper was seen off, the gates of Sikong Temple were closed.

All the monks proceeded to the main hall, where they sat on their prayer cushions and chanted the scriptures in unison, performing their unfailing daily evening session.

As the chanting of a hundred monks from Sikong Temple drifted out, echoing through every corner of the monastery, the pure, white moonlight spilling from the night sky seemed to be dyed a faint gold.

Tonight, however, as Xiao Mo chanted, his lips moved with the words of the scripture, but his mind couldn’t help but drift back to the woman he had met that afternoon.

He thought of her every frown and every smile.

He thought of every word she had said.

He thought of the past... of all the little moments he had spent with Jing Ci.

Without realizing it, the chanting from his lips gradually faded to a stop.

Without realizing it, he slowly opened his eyes.

The moment Xiao Mo opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the Abbot’s face, wearing a kind smile.

About half an incense stick later, the chanting of the other monks also gradually subsided until it stopped completely.

With the evening session complete, the monks rose one by one, bowed to the Abbot with their palms together, and concluded their day of practice.

Only Xiao Mo did not leave, remaining quietly kneeling beneath the statue of the Buddha.

Before the Buddha statue, one old and one young man sat facing each other.

"This is quite a rare sight." Abbot Yuan Kong looked at Xiao Mo, his tone gentle and composed. "In all the years since you were a child, this is the very first time you’ve let your mind wander while chanting."

"I was distracted. I ask for the Abbot to punish me." Xiao Mo lowered his head, his voice tinged with shame.

"Hehehe... You are a man, not a true Buddha. Since you are human, what does it matter if you lose focus once? What is there to punish?"

Master Yuan Kong gazed quietly into his disciple’s eyes, his expression full of tolerance.

"Today, you traveled to Yuncai Village to officiate a wedding and also rescued a young woman. You must be tired. After your evening meal, go and get some rest."

"Yes, Abbot." Xiao Mo rose and bowed. "I will take my leave now. You should also rest early, Abbot."

"Mm." Yuan Kong hummed softly, watching as Xiao Mo turned and left.

Only after his disciple’s back had completely disappeared from view did Yuan Kong slowly close his eyes, shake his head gently, and let out a low sigh.

Returning to his own courtyard, Xiao Mo sat down on a stone bench and tilted his head back, gazing at the tranquil night sky.

The bright moon hanging in the sky seemed to reflect the woman’s face.

’I really didn’t expect Jing Ci to find me so quickly.’

’This is a good thing...’

’But it’s also a bad thing...’

...

"All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, like dew or a flash of lightning; thus should you view them."

"He who sees me by my form, who seeks me in sound, treads a deviant path and cannot see the Tathagata."

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, the morning light filtered through the latticed windows of the main hall, falling upon the Buddha statue and the shoulders of the monks.

Just as he did every other morning, Xiao Mo sat in the main hall, eyes closed, chanting the scriptures.

After the morning session ended, Xiao Mo did not need to head down the mountain to run errands today.

His duty was to receive visiting worshippers in the main hall, interpret their fortune sticks, and answer their questions.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.