Chapter 555: Destroying Four Void Temple

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Over these three days, Tushan Jingci came to Four Void Temple every single day, carrying a food box, bringing Xiao Mo pastries she had made with her own hands. After delivering the pastries, Tushan Jingci did not leave the temple right away, but wandered around exploring the grounds.

She seemed to hold an endless fascination for this place where Xiao Mo had grown up from childhood, wanting to understand every last corner of it thoroughly. Beyond that, whenever Xiao Mo was interpreting fortune signs or performing readings for visitors, and one of the pilgrims happened to be illiterate, Tushan Jingci would step in on her own initiative to help, writing down their birth details for them, assisting Xiao Mo, and then sitting quietly to one side listening.

If Xiao Mo was sweeping the temple grounds, Tushan Jingci would pick up a broom and help him clear away fallen leaves and dust.

Gradually, Tushan Jingci no longer stopped at bringing Xiao Mo pastries.

Every noon or evening, she would also bring him vegetarian meals she had prepared.

Though Xiao Mo felt this really was not appropriate and had declined many times, it made little difference.

If Xiao Mo refused to eat, Tushan Jingci would simply refuse to leave, insisting on watching him finish it with her own eyes before she would go.

Over time, because Tushan Jingci came so often, and always went straight to Xiao Mo, the other monks at the temple all took notice and so, whenever Tushan Jingci arrived, she no longer even needed to ask. The monks would tell her where Xiao Mo was on their own initiative.

"Abbot, is this... really all right?"

One day, when Tushan Jingci had come again, one of the temple's elders finally could not hold back any longer, walked up to Abbot Yuankong, and asked quietly.

Everyone understood what was happening.

Anyone with eyes could see the woman's feelings for him plainly.

"Has this lay benefactress stolen anything?" Yuankong asked his fellow monk.

"No, she has not." The elder shook his head.

"Has this lay benefactress taken anything by force, then?" Yuankong pressed further.

"No, she has not done that either." The elder shook his head again.

"Since this lay benefactress has neither stolen nor taken anything by force, nor done anything else improper, and has even taken it upon herself to study the Dharma and help sweep the courtyard and do whatever small tasks she can for our Four Void Temple."

Yuankong paused briefly, his gaze calm as he looked at the elder.

"Then what problem could there possibly be?"

The elder had nothing to say in response.

Yuankong said no more either, turning his head to look toward a tall, upright figure not far away.

The young man in the monk's robe was standing on the open ground beside the lotus pond, patiently explaining a passage of scripture to the villagers gathered around him.

Beside him, the woman in linen clothing sat quietly on a small stool, her hands folded on her knees, listening quietly.

Only it was unclear whether she was truly listening to the sutra with attention, or simply focused entirely on the man before her.

Half an hour later, once Xiao Mo had finished teaching, Tushan Jingci stayed behind for "after class," wanting to ask Xiao Mo about "the principles of Buddhism."

And at that moment, Abbot Yuankong approached Xiao Mo at an unhurried pace.

"Abbot."

"My respects to the abbot."

Xiao Mo pressed his hands together and gave a respectful bow.

Tushan Jingci, standing at Xiao Mo's side, also gave a graceful bow in kind.

"Quyin," Yuankong said, looking at his disciple with a kindly expression, his tone earnest.

"This master has been needing to annotate and organize some of the temple's scriptures these past days, and I am afraid I will have little time to spare. Your medical skill has always been fine. From today, take my place going down the mountain to attend to those seeking medical care."

Once Yuankong had finished his instruction to Xiao Mo, he turned his gaze toward Tushan Jingci, his tone warm and sincere.

"Miss Jingci, my disciple here happens to lack an assistant for his rounds down the mountain. I have noticed you coming to help around the temple often these past days, and you seem to have grown fairly familiar with my disciple already."

"If the young lady would not mind, might you be willing to assist my disciple? Four Void Temple can pay the young lady thirty coins a day, as a small compensation for your trouble."

"Of course I would!" Tushan Jingci agreed immediately. "Many thanks, Abbot!"

"There is no need for such courtesy, young lady."

Abbot Yuankong smiled kindly.

"Since the young lady agrees, then it is settled. Quyin, you must take good care of her as well. Do not let her do everything for you. Do you understand?"

Xiao Mo wanted to decline, but seeing the look in his master's eyes, he knew there was no refusing.

"Yes... this disciple understands."

At the same time.

Tushan, Crescent Moon Peak.

The Tushan Grand Elder Tushan Meng sat alone in her study, going through a thick stack of dossiers, her expression as still and heavy as water.

The entire study was filled with an unaccountable stillness, as though even the air itself had frozen in place.

Tushan Hongxia stood quietly before the Grand Elder, not daring to breathe too loudly, her hands lowered, her heart uneasy.

These dossiers were ones she had brought, information from the border region between the Demon Realm and the Western Regions.

After a long while, Tushan Meng finally set down the dossiers in her hands, raised her head slowly, and looked at Tushan Hongxia. "The Holy Woman has already seen Xiao Mo, has she not?"

"Yes, Grand Elder."

Tushan Hongxia let out a helpless sigh and answered honestly.

"Ever since the Yuezhuo hidden realm collapsed, we had always assumed Xiao Mo's body and soul had already been destroyed together."

"So at the time, even when the Holy Woman devoted such tremendous effort to trying to find Xiao Mo's reincarnation, none of us paid it too much mind, thinking it a futile effort."

"But who could have known..."

Tushan Hongxia paused, a note of helplessness in her tone.

"Somehow Xiao Mo's soul truly did undergo reincarnation. And the Holy Woman genuinely found him. What are we to do about this now?"

"Ha ha ha." Tushan Meng gave a light laugh, her tone unhurried. "There is no need to rush. I am not worried, so why should you be? And in my view, Jingci finding Xiao Mo's reincarnation may not necessarily be a bad thing at all."

"Do not forget, Xiao Mo has no memory of his previous life. At this moment, he is nothing more than an ordinary member of the human race, and a compassionate monk, no less."

"And Jingci is our Tushan's Holy Woman. She represents not only herself, but the whole of Tushan, and indeed the majority of the Demon Realm."

Listening to Tushan Meng's words, a light suddenly flickered in Tushan Hongxia's eyes, as though she had grasped something all at once. She asked in a lowered voice, "You mean..."

"Over these years, though our Ten Thousand Demons Alliance has already absorbed the majority of the Demon Realm's kingdoms and sects, the human faction has been quietly developing while we remained locked in internal conflict."

"Compared to a few decades ago, their strength has grown considerably, and there are even cultivators from the Ten Thousand Laws Realm infiltrating the Demon Realm to lend them support."

Tushan Meng rose to her feet, clasped her hands behind her back, and paced slowly through the room, her tone unhurried.

"One must settle internal affairs before dealing with external threats."

"The human and demon races are as incompatible as fire and water."

Tushan Meng stopped walking, turned her head, and looked at Tushan Hongxia, the corner of her mouth curving upward slightly, a meaningful smile rising to her lips.

"What do you think? If a few demon tribes, blinded by rage, were to lose control for a moment and destroy Four Void Temple, and then, while they were at it, slaughter every village and town around Four Void Temple entirely clean... that should count as a perfectly ordinary occurrence, should it not?"