Chapter 52: Chopped Pepper Fish Head (Part 3)
Leng Yue’s response of “I’ve thought about it” was uttered with equal seriousness, carrying an air of “let’s have a proper talk.” Jing Yi was momentarily taken aback, his interest piqued even further. Apart from still holding Leng Yue tightly, his level of earnestness was no less than when he faced the emperor in the palace.
“What would you do?”
Leng Yue leaned forward slightly to set down the chicken leg in her hand, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, and then gently dabbed the grease from the corner of Jing Yi’s mouth. With her phoenix eyes narrowed softly, she said in a warm tone, “Of course, I’d bury you, then remarry with your family fortune. With that wealth, I suppose the number of suitors lining up for me would outnumber the soldiers in the Northern Frontier army camp.”
“...”
Just as a triumphant smile began to curl at the corner of Leng Yue’s lips, Jing Yi leaned in and kissed her.
His kiss was neither hurried nor slow, neither deep nor shallow—like a warm breeze brushing against her face. It melted away her smile and left Leng Yue utterly softened.
“I’ll be buried with you... How about I accompany you in death?”
Jing Yi looked at his wife, who was still catching her breath from his kiss, and shook his head with an innocent, well-behaved smile. “No.”
“Then what... do you want?”
Jing Yi gently pressed a kiss to the space between her eyebrows—earnest and lingering, as if sealing an unbreakable vow. When he lifted his head, he still wore the same silly, obedient grin, like an adoring puppy.
“If I die someday, could you not hire anyone to perform rites for me? Don’t erect a memorial tablet, don’t burn incense or paper money for me. Just toss my body into the unmarked graves outside the city... Don’t even bury me. Just find a relatively clean spot and leave me there.”
Leng Yue had just recovered from his kiss and was still thinking of how to teach him a lesson when she heard him utter these words with that foolish smile. She couldn’t help but stare blankly. “Why?”
Jing Yi pouted. “I don’t want to be reincarnated.”
“Then what do you want to do?” Leng Yue shot him an exasperated glare. “Become one of the wandering souls?”
“Mhm.”
“...Mhm?”
Leng Yue stared blankly at Jing Yi’s serious expression. It was the first time she had ever heard of someone in the prime of their life aspiring to become a wandering soul.
Jing Yi’s smile softened, losing a bit of its playfulness but gaining overwhelming contentment. “If I become a wandering soul, I can be with you all the time. And you won’t even have to see me—isn’t that perfect?”
Leng Yue was stunned. The softest part of her heart felt as though it had been gently pricked by his deeply satisfied smile—a tender, aching sensation that softened her voice. “Who said I was annoyed by you...”
The satisfaction on Jing Yi’s face instantly doubled. “So you agree?”
Leng Yue pressed her lips together and didn’t answer. She merely lifted her eyelids and glared at him sharply, saying irritably, “You told the Old Master to stay away from the Imperial Astronomers, but I think you should too! If you keep learning this nonsense from those charlatans, why don’t you go find the Seven Fairies and live with them instead!”
Jing Yi shook his head with utmost seriousness. “I’ve already married the Queen Mother of the West. Why would I need fairies?”
“...”
Leng Yue initially wanted to elbow him into speaking like a normal person, but as she raised her arm, her gaze fell on his face, which had grown thinner these past few days. Her heart ached, and she couldn’t bring herself to do it."You..." Leng Yue sighed softly, her voice softening as it mingled with the faint aroma of food, carrying a distinctly earthly warmth. "The wound on your leg hasn't fully healed yet. Be careful after entering Anguo Temple, and remember to change the dressing..."
"Mhm."
Leng Yue raised her hand to caress Jing Yi's face, which had grown more strikingly handsome with his weight loss. She had always loved his appearance, ever since she could first remember. As a child, unaware of shyness, she would stare directly at him face-to-face. Looking back now, she wondered if Jing Yi had thought she suffered from some foolish ailment in her youth.
Now, she would rather he gain some weight and become healthier—whether he remained handsome or not hardly mattered.
"You've just recovered from illness, and you're not truly becoming a monk. Don't bother with those abstinence rules. If you crave something to eat, just slip out and have it. If you want home-cooked meals, I'll save some for you every time. After all, your qinggong is excellent—no one will notice you coming and going..."
Jing Yi allowed Leng Yue's slightly calloused hand to stroke his cheek, responding with a soft smile and a nod.
As if suddenly remembering something, Leng Yue paused, her brow furrowing slightly as she looked puzzled at the man holding her as if she were some priceless treasure. "Wait... You've practiced qinggong for so many years. How come I never saw you use it before we married?"
Jing Yi's smile turned bittersweet, his gaze acquiring a trace of the unique grievance of a wronged wife. "I couldn't bear to waste it."
Leng Yue loosened her caress, lightly pinching a bit of his cheek with two fingers, saying with feigned annoyance, "What do you think qinggong is? Some consumable resource that diminishes with use?"
"Qinggong itself isn't consumable..." Jing Yi endured her pinching, his expression growing even more aggrieved. "But before we married, seeing you was harder than having an audience with the Emperor. No matter what method I used to invite you, you never responded. I could only rely on chance encounters. If I was lucky enough to see you once, it would never last more than half an hour. When I had to leave your side, I couldn't even bear to walk away normally, let alone use qinggong..." Having said this, Jing Yi pursed his lips and concluded firmly, "You simply found me annoying."
As he spoke, he held her even tighter, as if afraid she might vanish without a trace if he loosened his grip.
Leng Yue felt a warmth in her heart. She wanted to laugh but didn't dare.
There was only one reason she had consistently refused Jing Yi's invitations—it was too dangerous.
She was well aware of how notorious her reputation in the capital had become as a woman who infiltrated military camps and joined the government offices. She could eventually grow accustomed to the gossip, but at that time Jing Yi was still the Crown Prince's study companion. Serving the ruler was like accompanying a tiger—the slightest flaw in his reputation could not only ruin his official career but potentially cost him his life, even implicating the entire Jing family.
Had he not joined the Dali Temple as an official six months earlier, Leng Yue would have likely reconsidered carefully before deciding to marry him.
His own recklessness and mischief were his own affairs, just as her choice to serve in the Ministry of Justice and risk her life was hers alone. But Leng Yue absolutely refused to let him bear any stain because of her. After all, the Crown Prince would eventually grow up, and Jing Yi wouldn't remain a study companion forever. If they waited, even the most fervent rumors would eventually tire people out. There would be plenty of time to meet him openly then.However, Leng Yue had no intention of telling him these things.
It was all old history, water under the bridge. The rice was already cooked—why talk about the seedlings?
"Listen carefully, I haven't finished yet..." Leng Yue released his cheek, her voice softening but growing more serious. "Prince An deliberately avoided mentioning Zhang Lao Wu's matter—there must be some hidden complexity. You must stay vigilant... But don't be afraid. If the monks bully you, I'll tear down the temple. If Wang Tuo bullies you, I'll conquer Goryeo and turn it into a vegetable garden for our court."
Jing Yi silently smiled, his eyes crinkling as he nodded. After nodding, he waited for Leng Yue to continue, but she remained silent, simply gazing at him as if she had said all she wanted to say. Unable to hold back, Jing Yi finally asked the question he most wanted to hear.
"What if I miss you?"
Leng Yue pursed her red lips, lowering her head to press her slightly warm cheek against Jing Yi's chest. Through his clothes, she secretly planted a light kiss over the red mark near his heart, offering no reply.
Jing Yi's voice took on a plaintive tone. "I miss you already. What should I do?"
Leng Yue closed her eyes, her slender neck bowing even lower, still silent.
Unable to free his hands, Jing Yi could only nuzzle the top of her head with his chin, his voice growing even more mournful. "I miss you so much it hurts my wounds... it hurts terribly..."
Leng Yue couldn't hold back any longer. She opened her eyes, her face flushed crimson, and glared at him fiercely. "You're already holding me, yet you're still here just thinking? Serves you right if it hurts!"
"..."
The next morning, just as Prince An had predicted, Jing Yi overslept soundly.
Rushing frantically to Anguo Temple, Jing Yi vaulted over the tall courtyard wall just in time to see Abbot Qingguang standing alone beside a well in the courtyard, thoughtfully staring at the well mouth sealed tightly with a thick wooden plank, as if deeply absorbed in contemplating Buddhist teachings.
Jing Yi thought that since he was already late, he should make a dignified appearance before the old monk to salvage some face for Xiao Jin Yu, who had arranged his visit.
So, aiming for the thick plank covering the well, Jing Yi leaped gracefully downward.
When he was more than halfway down, the abbot, as if suddenly enlightened by something, slapped his forehead and abruptly lifted the plank...
Thus, the moment the abbot opened the well, he watched helplessly as a snow-white figure plunged into the water with a "splash."
By the time Jing Yi was fished out of the well, the young novices who had rushed over to help were staring at him as if witnessing the Buddha's manifestation. The abbot's usually serene face had stiffened with twitches.
"Patron Jing... are you alright?"
"I'm fine, fine..." Wrapped in a robe donated by a portly monk, Jing Yi forced a smile and waved his hand. "The well water is quite sweet, just a bit gritty. Hehe..."
The abbot's mouth twitched again.
"Patron Jing."
A handsome young monk who had been standing beside the abbot took two steps forward, stopping before Jing Yi with a humble smile.
Jing Yi recognized this monk—one of the abbot's prized disciples, around his own age, with the dharma name Shenxiu.When he was a child and came to the temple with his mother to offer incense, he secretly climbed a pear tree in the temple, fell from it, and cried loudly while clutching his buttocks. It was this Shenxiu who squatted nearby, laughing so hard he nearly convulsed.
Now, he had grown up, and Shenxiu had grown up too. Shenxiu looked at Jing Yi, who was in a far more miserable state than back then, and smiled with an expression full of compassion.
Shenxiu slightly bowed his head, placing his palms together as he addressed Jing Yi, "Patron Jing descended from the heavens at the very moment our master attained enlightenment in the Buddhist teachings. The master says Patron Jing possesses innate wisdom and a connection to the Buddha, and intends to accept you as a disciple..." As he spoke, Shenxiu meaningfully glanced at Jing Yi's bare, glistening head, "I wonder if Patron Jing has any intention of entering our monastic order?"
Jing Yi looked at the abbot, and the abbot looked at Jing Yi. As their eyes met, Jing Yi understood the profound meaning in the abbot's gaze.
The slope had been laid out—now, donkey, hurry up and come down.
Jing Yi gritted his teeth and squeezed out a word filled with overwhelming gratitude, "Yes!"
The abbot nodded slowly, recited a Buddhist chant, and said in a measured tone, "Then let us prepare for the tonsure ceremony..." As he spoke, the abbot thoughtfully looked at the dripping wet Jing Yi, then at the innocent well, pondered for a moment, and solemnly declared, "Patron Jing has a connection with the well. This old monk shall bestow upon you the dharma name Shen Jing."
Hearing the synchronized, weighty chant of "Amitabha" from all the monks, Jing Yi suddenly wondered whether Leng Yue's words from last night—that if the monks bullied him, she would come and tear down the temple—still held true.
【Mini Theater】
Little Jing Zi [with tearful eyes]: Senior Brother Shenxiu, for the sake of your shameless mockery of me back then, can we swap dharma names?
Shenxiu [with a gentle smile]: No, I exist precisely to shamelessly mock you, Junior Brother Shen Jing.
Cold Queen [munching on melon seeds]
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