In the Moonlight

When Yaoying awoke, the cave was shrouded in mist, steam swirling in the air.

Her body was stiff and aching, every movement accompanied by the cracking of joints. She couldn't suppress a few soft moans as she gradually tried to move her arms.

As she lifted her arm, her shoulder brushed against a warm, firm chest.

Yaoying froze, her eyelids fluttering open.

Tanmoroqie sat cross-legged beside her, wearing the Kasaya she had dried by the fire. Holding a cloth, he was gently wringing out her damp hair that trailed in the hot spring water.

Daylight streamed through the cave opening, filling the space with floating golden light.

Bathed in the brilliant glow, his slender fingers carefully smoothed her hair. With lowered eyes and a devout expression, he appeared as solemn and serene as when he delivered Sutra lectures from the high altar of the temple under the gaze of thousands of devotees.

Untouchably sacred.

Yaoying held her breath, remaining perfectly still. The memory of him removing his Kasaya and standing naked last night flashed through her mind, bringing an inexplicable sense of guilt and warmth to her cheeks.

Unaware she had awakened, Tanmoroqie continued focusing on drying her hair. His distinct knuckles moved through her thick black tresses, his face calm, his jade-green eyes clear as water.

The stone cave was deeply silent, save for the faint rustle of her hair rubbing against the Buddhist beads on his wrist.

A slight shiver ran through Yaoying. After staring at his sharply defined profile until she felt dizzy, she softly called, "Master..."

As she spoke, she realized her throat was dry and painful, as if scorched by fire.

Leaning over the stone platform, she coughed. Suddenly, a cool touch lifted her chin—Tanmoroqie's slender fingers parting her hair to raise her face.

He looked down at her, brows slightly furrowed. Setting aside the cloth, he lightly touched her cheek with two curved fingers before quickly withdrawing.

Yaoying trembled. "I must have caught a chill last night."

Tanmoroqie's gaze drifted downward, settling on her form. She wore his gray Monk's robes, the collar and sleeves loose and draping, subtly revealing her delicate figure and the soft curve of her snow-white chest.

He averted his eyes and made to stand. Yaoying quickly pressed his arm.

"Master, I'm fine."

Shaking her heavy head to dispel the dizziness, she leaned closer to examine Tanmoroqie's leg. "Don't get up and walk yet, Master. Is your leg better?"

He looked pale, and his leg didn't seem fully recovered.

As Tanmoroqie sat beside her, her movement brought her flush against his chest. Through the Monk's robes, the sensation of skin against skin was strikingly clear—her body soft as the finest cream.

He shifted slightly backward.

Yaoying rolled up the hem of his robe and trousers, carefully inspecting his leg. She pressed gently a couple of times, feeling some improvement from the night before, and let out a long sigh of relief before looking up.

"Does it hurt?" she asked softly.

Sunlight filled the cave, and the wind gently stirred.

Tanmoroqie gazed calmly at Yaoying for a long moment before shaking his head.

"It's nothing."

Yaoying raised an eyebrow, studying his composed expression. It was impossible to tell whether he had truly improved or was merely enduring.

For someone like him, accustomed to chronic illness, suffering had become routine.

Tanmoroqie stood anyway, his back straight, speaking with gentle firmness: "You have a fever and need medicine. I'll take you out."Yaoying rose to her feet, feeling a wave of dizziness as her legs went weak. The stone platform was slick with moisture, and as she took a step, her foot slipped, causing her to sway unsteadily.

Her elbow tightened as Tanmoroqie’s cool hand grasped her arm.

“Don’t fall,” he said calmly.

Yaoying hummed in acknowledgment, leaning against his arm for support. She glanced down at the monk’s robes she wore, surveyed her surroundings, and finally fixed her gaze on the clothes she had shed by the brazier the night before.

“Dharma Master, wait—I need to change out of these robes,” she murmured.

Tanmoroqie followed her gaze but remained silent. Guiding her to a corner, he helped her lean against the rock, then reached for her dried garments one by one, handing them to her before turning his back.

Yaoying gathered the clothes and retreated behind the rock.

Tanmoroqie stood steadfast by the stone, his gaze unwavering.

From behind him came faint rustling sounds—the whisper of monk’s robes being untied, the soft friction of fabric as she dressed, the gentle thud of a sash falling to the ground—all drifting through the hazy mist.

Tanmoroqie stared at the cave wall, his mind drifting to the mural Subduing the Demons in the temple’s rear hall. In it, youthful and alluring demon women, perfumed and seductive, tempted the Buddha to disrupt his spiritual practice. With a mere touch of his divine power, the enchanting maidens transformed into withered, skeletal crones, humiliated and retreating in shame.

The illusions in his dreams, too, would crumble to dust.

But the one standing behind him now was no illusory demoness.

Illusions wielded countless tricks, yet they remained hollow.

Her mere presence was his desire.

“Dharma Master, I’m ready,” Yaoying said softly, her voice hoarse and punctuated by a few coughs.

Tanmoroqie snapped out of his reverie and turned around.

Yaoying emerged clutching the Kasaya, her steps unsteady as she rubbed her temples. “Dharma Master, I feel a bit dizzy,” she murmured.

Without a word, Tanmoroqie extended his arm.

Yaoying instinctively grasped the sleeve of his Kasaya, leaning against him for support.

As they exited the stone cave, Yaoying instinctively cast a wary glance toward the depths of the narrow passage.

“A Li has gone out,” Tanmoroqie said. “Did it frighten you last night?”

Her mind foggy with fever, Yaoying tightened her grip on his sleeve and nodded, recounting her return to the Holy City. “Yesterday, Bore said he had something important to give me. While waiting by the courtyard wall, I accidentally wandered into A Li’s yard. It seemed angry, and as I tried to avoid it, I stumbled into this passage…”

At this, she looked up at Tanmoroqie. “The Regent once showed me the secret passage. I wandered around and somehow ended up in the stone cave.”

“It must have been Bore’s oversight,” he replied calmly.

Yaoying averted her gaze and muttered under her breath, “Call him over as soon as we’re out! Let’s see what important thing he had for me that made me wait so long… and why he was so secretive, forbidding me to bring my guards…”

Perhaps due to her feverish haze, her tone carried an uncharacteristic petulance.

Tanmoroqie’s brow twitched slightly as he lowered his gaze.

She leaned against him, her dark hair brushing his arm, trusting him completely.

Ahead lay steep stone steps. He slowed his pace, waiting for Yaoying to keep up.

“I intruded upon you last night, Princess…”

Yaoying shook her head. “I was the one who barged in and disturbed you, Dharma Master. There’s no need for you to feel troubled. Rest assured, I will never speak of the hot spring in the stone cave.”

Her tone sounded almost indifferent.

Tanmoroqie fell silent.

The passage grew quiet.

They moved forward through the dimness, surrounded by stillness, their breaths intertwining in the silence.After passing through several flights of stairs, faint light gradually seeped from ahead—they were nearing the exit.

Yaoying glanced at Tanmoroqie and said, "Last night, the Dharma Master mentioned feeling unwell during your illness and wanting someone to stay with you..."

Without even blinking, Tanmoroqie replied, "Just delirious ramblings from sickness. The Princess need not take it seriously."

Yaoying rolled her eyes, stared at him for a long moment, then uttered a weak "Oh."

Bi Suo was waiting in the side hall at the secret passage’s exit. Hearing footsteps, he stepped forward.

The hidden door opened, and Tanmoroqie and Li Yaoying emerged one after the other.

Bi Suo swiftly glanced over both of them.

Tanmoroqie supported Yaoying as they walked behind the Felt Curtain and said, "No one will come here. Rest for a while, Princess. I’ll have someone prepare medicine."

Feeling dizzy and unsteady, Yaoying sat down as instructed. "My guards are waiting outside Wang Temple..."

"I’ll send someone to inform them. Don’t get up—take the medicine first."

Tanmoroqie paused.

"You’re still weak and taking the physician’s pills... Wait until you’re better before leaving."

Bi Suo, who had followed them into the room, sighed silently upon hearing this.

Though his expression remained impassive as he spoke, he seemed unaware of how gentle his tone was when urging her to stay.

Yaoying hesitated.

Tanmoroqie did not press her.

After a moment’s thought, she nodded.

Without another word, Tanmoroqie turned and left the side hall. He wrote a prescription, ordered his guards to brew the medicine, then stood on the front corridor with his hands behind his back, letting the wind blow over him for a while.

She would leave eventually—sooner or later made no difference. Delaying would change nothing.

Yet when she nodded, a faint ripple stirred in his heart.

He descended the long steps.

"Summon Bore."

...

Bore arrived as summoned. When he saw Yaoying in the side hall, before she could speak, he complained, "Where did you go last night, Princess? Didn’t I ask you to wait? I searched everywhere for you! I thought you’d grown impatient and left the city."

Seeing his serious expression and sensing he wasn’t shirking responsibility, Yaoying didn’t mention the leopard incident. Instead, she asked, "What did you want to give me? The messenger said it had something to do with Yuanjue?"

Bore looked embarrassed, glanced around, and stammered, "I knew the Princess was leaving... Last night, I sent the others away, planning to give it to you quietly. Who knew you’d disappear! Afraid others might see, I had to take it back to my room and hide it."

Yaoying was puzzled. "What is it? Why can’t others see it?"

Bore flushed red, glared at her, and spoke incoherently, "You’ll know when you see it, Princess. Don’t ask me—I know nothing! It’s just something you’ve wanted for a long time... Since you defended the Holy City and performed a great service, I decided to secretly retrieve it for you... Wait here, Princess. I’ll go fetch it from my room."

He turned and hurried off. Shortly after, he returned to the side hall clutching a tightly wrapped bundle, cautiously scanned the area to ensure no one was outside, then carefully unwrapped it.

Layer by layer, the wrappings revealed an exquisitely crafted treasure box.Bore pushed the jeweled casket toward Yaoying, then withdrew his hand as if scalded, his expression pained. "Yuanjue told me you greatly desired this bronze Buddha. It was seized from Princess Manda’s possession—likely nothing wholesome... After a year of devoted spiritual practice, you shouldn’t touch such filth! But the Buddha Prince said everyone follows their own path. Since you’ll soon leave the Holy City and won’t enter the monastic life, remaining in the secular world, your preferences are your own affair. As you won’t return, and Yuanjue and I have shared this acquaintance with you, we gift it to you. Keep it."

He then adopted a stern expression. "Remember to uphold your virtue and use it for righteous purposes—unlike Princess Manda."

"And never tell anyone it came from Yuanjue and me!"

Yaoying’s lips twitched.

So Bore had asked her to wait in seclusion yesterday specifically for this bronze Buddha.

She gazed at the casket, shaking her head with a wry smile, when hurried footsteps echoed at the entrance. A guard rushed in without awaiting announcement.

"Princess! I’ve been searching for you all night! A letter from Gaochang!"

Yaoying rose immediately, taking the letter. Her nose stung abruptly, hands trembling with emotion—she’d never mistake Li Zhongqian’s handwriting!

"Prepare the horses!"

...

Soon after, Tanmoroqie returned to the side hall, carrying a bowl of steaming medicine.

Bi Suo stood guard at the entrance, hesitating as he saw him approach.

Tanmoroqie glanced at him, stepped inside, pushed aside the felt curtain, and looked toward the long couch.

It was empty. The brocade quilt had been thrown aside, a hair ribbon lying on the carpet.

She was gone.

Tanmoroqie walked to the couch, set down the medicine bowl.

Bi Suo remained by the door. "Your Majesty, the princess just left. She hasn’t exited the city yet."

Tanmoroqie stayed silent, picked up the ribbon from the carpet, and walked out to the balcony, gazing toward the temple gates.

The crimson sun rose in the east, illuminating the staggered pagodas and halls of the temple, their tiled roofs reflecting golden rays. Several riders galloped down the main street leading from the temple, charging toward the city gates amid billowing dust.

A breeze swept through, fluttering Tanmoroqie’s kasaya. The ribbon coiled around his hand lifted in the wind, suddenly slipping through his fingers.

The vermilion silk ribbon danced lightly on the breeze, floating beyond the corridor.

Tanmoroqie raised his hand.

The ribbon had already drifted far away.

Time and again he had let her go; time and again she had returned.

This time, he asked her to stay, and she agreed to linger a few more days.

Yet in the brief span of brewing a bowl of medicine, she had vanished—so hastily, without even a farewell.

Like a dream, a phantom, a bubble, a shadow; like morning dew, a flash of lightning—nothing more.