The maid approached and whispered to Chen Xi, "Madam, this monk says he isn't very fluent in Chinese. He came from the Western Regions."
Chen Xi replied, "That's alright. I only asked him to chant scriptures and pray for blessings."
Truthfully, given Chen Xi's status, she could easily request eminent monks from Bao Xiang Temple to chant scriptures for her—it was merely a matter of the chanting monk receiving some silver. She simply noticed this elderly monk was in straitened circumstances. The reception monk smiled and said, "This Venerable Jiepo is responsible for cleaning the Mahavira Hall."
In other words, he helped refill the oil lamps and swept away dust—hardly a monk deeply versed in Buddhist teachings.
Chen Xi nodded with a gentle smile. "The Venerable One may chant the scriptures."
The elderly monk seemed to understand and pressed his palms together in agreement.
Chen Xi instructed her maid to give a pouch of silver to the reception monk, who initially refused out of deference but eventually accepted after persistent urging. Chen Xi also bowed politely, regardless of whether the monk understood, and said courteously, "I trouble you, Venerable One."
As she was about to leave, the elderly monk called out to her, retrieving a blessing plaque from his sleeve and offering it to her.
Chen Xi was puzzled, but the old monk merely smiled, pressed his palms together, and uttered a phrase in Sanskrit.
The reception monk explained, "This is a wish-fulfillment talisman. If the madam places it by her pillow while sleeping, it will aid in peaceful rest."
Chen Xi examined it. The worn paulownia wood had lost its luster, its edges smoothed by years of handling, inscribed with Sanskrit characters she couldn't decipher.
After returning, she turned it over a few times before finally placing it by her pillow.
That night, she dreamed long and deep.
When Chen Xi awoke, she felt groggy. Sitting up, she found her surroundings strangely unfamiliar.
She couldn't quite pinpoint what was odd.
The room was pitch black. Even without candles, it shouldn't have been this dark.
Groping for the outline of her shoes, she slipped them on and stood up.
Her body seemed to move of its own accord. Drawing back the curtains, she saw the sky outside was still dark. Looking down, she realized she was standing at a great height.
Startled, she wondered—how could she be so high up?
A rustling sound came from beyond the door, and she walked toward it.
She saw a man with his back to her, fiddling with something.
Hearing her approach, he asked indifferently, "You're still here?"
Chen Xi heard herself reply, "I won't leave until you give it to me." Then she grew confused—what was she asking for?
He turned around, holding a tray. "I didn't prepare breakfast for you."
"I'm not hungry."
"Skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach."
As he stepped out of the shadows, Chen Xi felt an inexplicable sensation upon seeing him.
Though his features were entirely different, she was absolutely certain—this was him... it had to be him...
He sat with perfect posture, eating methodically without a sound. The bearing of someone well-trained.
Ignoring her, he finished his meal quickly, picked up his coat, and said, "I'm returning to base. Stay or leave as you please." After a pause, he approached her, leaning down to murmur, "Little spy, go back and tell your Federation Chairman—the item isn't with me."
"And next time, I won't go easy on you."
He opened the door and left. Anxious, Chen Xi rushed to the window. Below, a strange vehicle waited with someone inside.
She shouted, "What's your name?"
The man looked up at her, but the night was too dark—she couldn't make out his expression.
He spoke a few words, but Chen Xi couldn't hear them clearly.Later, she stayed in that strange world for a long time—tall buildings, cars, men and women everywhere.
The next time she encountered him was at the mouth of an alley. Chen Xi saw him standing there smoking and walked over to him. "Does your discipline allow that?"
He lowered his head to shield the flame, the flicker of the lighter briefly illuminating his sharp profile.
Perhaps he didn’t remember who she was. He paused before frowning and saying,
"You’re such a hassle. Just play along."
He murmured three words, then suddenly pulled her close. "You’re acting up again. Didn’t we agree not to argue anymore…?" His tone was gentle.
Chen Xi, with her back to the entrance, suddenly noticed someone passing by—someone who seemed to glance in their direction.
Once the person was gone, he immediately released her and dashed back. Soon, he returned with armed men. "Left side! Don’t let them escape!"
A long time later, he came back in high spirits. "Let me treat you to a meal!"
He took her to a secluded club. During the meal, he asked, "Little spy, did you ever get what you were after?"
Chen Xi shook her head and asked, "What was it?"
He said, "So you didn’t get it. That’s for the best. Young people like you should just go home and work properly, not meddle in things that harm others and betray the country."
Chen Xi said, "You still haven’t told me your name."
"Oh." He was indifferent, still toying with the lighter. "Just a name…"
Someone called him outside. The door was left ajar, and Chen Xi saw him speaking with a strikingly beautiful woman, their voices hushed.
Gradually, that world began to blur, and chaotic sounds rose around her.
He pushed the door open and walked back in, smiling at her. "If you really want to know, then I’ll tell you. My name is—"
The rest of his words were lost to her.
When Chen Xi woke up, she saw the familiar ceiling again, the glazed ram’s horn palace lantern glowing, her maid keeping watch beside her.
"Madam, you were having a nightmare! I called for you so many times before you woke up… Should I have the kitchen prepare some barley soup for you?"
Chen Xi sat up, her head splitting with pain.
"Why did you wake me for no reason?"
"You were talking in your sleep…" the maid whispered. "Something about… a name…"
Suddenly remembering the talisman, Chen Xi reached under her pillow but found nothing. She lifted the pillow to search—still nothing. She asked the maid, "Where’s the wish-fulfilling talisman?"
The maid was genuinely frightened, stammering that she didn’t know.
Chen Xi turned the room upside down but found no trace of the talisman. It had vanished into thin air.
She went back to Bao Xiang Temple to seek out Master Jipo, hoping to ask about that strange place and who that man really was. There were so many things she wanted to know. But the reception monk regretfully informed her, "Master Jipo, after all, was quite old. She passed away in meditation a few days ago."
When she asked about the talisman, the reception monk also shook his head. "That was Master Jipo’s protective charm, never parted from her. Yet that day, she gifted it to you. I found it strange too… How could it just disappear? Perhaps you should search more carefully?"
Knowing further questions were pointless, Chen Xi left, feeling a deep sense of loss.
So there really was such a bizarre place. What connection did that place—and that man—have to her?She had always remembered this incident, suspecting it was just a dream. In her dream, there had appeared a person who looked completely different from Chen Xuanyue but felt strikingly similar.
Later, Chen Xi began to believe in Buddhism, thinking that the Buddha was the best after all.
A year later, she gave birth to a boy, and her husband, now the Marquis of Dingyang, was overjoyed.
When the child turned three months old, she carried him back to the Chen Family for a visit. Gu Jinzhao was delighted for her, and Chen Xi herself, gazing at her son’s tender face, felt deeply content. When she saw Chen Xuanyue again, she hesitated for a long time, wanting to ask him something.
Chen Xuanyue, stopped by her, asked, “Is there something you need?”
“It’s not exactly important…” she stammered.
He sighed. “I have urgent matters to attend to. Could you be clearer?”
She heard her daughter in the side room chatting with Gu Jinzhao, competing with Xuanjing over a rattan ball—the children were lively and noisy.
Seeing that she still hadn’t spoken, Chen Xuanyue thought for a moment and said, “If it’s something important, tell Mother. She can relay it to me.”
The face before her overlapped with the one in her memory—they seemed so alike, yet there was something undeniably different.
Suddenly, Chen Xi understood.
She simply smiled. “It’s nothing. You may go.”
She turned and walked away. This time, she wouldn’t ask again.
It was just a dream, after all. Why dwell on it too much?
Some things were better left unknown.
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