Chapter 106: Chapter 78: Watching the Tides Rise and Fall, the "Buddha" Mother Peacock
The examination hall doors were open, with soldiers still on duty outside.
Zhou Jihai, appearing mature beyond his years, walked among the crowd, yet only regained his childlike demeanor upon reaching Li Xuan’s side.
"Brother, how did the exam go?" he asked eagerly.
Li Xuan replied casually, "It was alright. How about you, Jihai?"
Zhou Jihai seemed quite confident and also said, "It was alright."
...
...
That evening, Li Xuan returned to Green Willow Pavilion, and upon seeing Rose, who was dressed in a "style reminiscent of the Inca Princess," he felt his scalp tingle slightly.
The petite maid in purple had a small circle of peacock feathers in her black hair, looking from a distance like a crown of feathers.
Li Xuan couldn’t help but purse his lips and lowered his head. Although he was cautious at heart, Rose’s appearance was still quite amusing.
"Don’t laugh, sir!" Rose ran up, playfully patting Li Xuan’s arm, then pouted and said, "I’m so worried."
"By the way, young master, how was the provincial exam?" She changed the topic.
Li Xuan replied, "It was alright."
After speaking, he continued to ask, "Have you practiced the worshiping ritual recently?"
Rose said troubledly, "No, ever since I found out this ritual had a malign influence, I stopped using it long ago."
"Don’t use it."
Li Xuan yawned.
Rose went to boil some water. After the young master bathed, she massaged his back, and then she also slipped in...
A night of spring dreams, with the autumn leaves quietly drifting outside the door.
...
...
The yellowed, withered leaves fell into the stream, causing ripples on the water’s surface.
A young nun sat under a tree on a high mountain, cross-legged in meditation.
Though there was a waterfall cascading in the distance, rumbling loudly, she felt unprecedented calmness.
The events before she became a nun were already a thing of the past, like a fleeting dream.
Occasionally, she would think of that handsome youth who once played music alongside her, the one who almost became her husband.
But that was in the past.
The young nun lowered her hand, her fingertips touching the icy autumn water.
The autumn water rippled, with patterns spreading at her fingertips.
Even her reflection in the water was blurred.
Recalling the past brought joy, but all worldly matters are ultimately empty...
Only by returning to the nature of emptiness can one find true joy.
A smile appeared on the young nun’s delicate face.
These days, she had been very happy. Both her master and Sister Jingzhu treated her well.
Amidst the woven thoughts, the nun suddenly felt something and tilted her head to look, only to see a figure drifting down the stream, seemingly drowning.
Startled, she quickly got up and ran over for a closer look, finding a woman in a gray robe floating face-up in the water.
The woman appeared older, her face ruined, seemingly severely injured and unconscious.
She was being carried by the current towards the waterfall not far away.
The nun hesitated no longer, quickly jumping into the water to embrace the woman, bringing her ashore in a disheveled state.
Seeing her soaked clothes and cold body, the nun hastily gathered wood and dry leaves to build a campfire.
After some time, the Purple-tailed Flood Dragon Monarch slowly opened her eyes, looking around with barely detectable breath.
Suddenly, she sensed something, shifted her gaze and found her clothes had been taken off, but she was covered with a warm outer robe, which seemed to be from Xinci Temple.
Jing Miao, the young nun, was drying the wet clothes on branches over the campfire. Hearing the noise, she turned back to meet the gaze of the Purple-tailed Flood Dragon Monarch and said, "You’re awake?"
Saying this, she ran over to carefully tend to the rescued woman.
Monastics should always maintain a compassionate heart.
Under the ancient Buddhas were not only tranquility but also coldness, yet rescuing this person brought her a sense of closeness to others.
This closeness warmed her.
As if sensing her goodwill, the Purple-tailed Flood Dragon Monarch also gave a faint smile, her gaze shifting again to the waterfall nearby.
"You... saved me..." a hoarse voice escaped from the Purple-tailed Flood Dragon Monarch’s lips.
Jing Miao, the young nun, said, "Benefactor, speak no more, rest well. I will go and make some hot water for you."
With that, she turned and went about her chores busily.
The Purple-tailed Flood Dragon Monarch watched her back, her expression softening slightly.
...
...
Several days later.
Cyan Wood Province.
The state soldiers wiped out the bandits, returning triumphantly.
Compared to the rabble of the bandit army, the state soldiers were indeed elite.
In this battle, the state soldiers used both surprise and regular tactics, using surprise troops on the frontlines, while the main force circled behind to reclaim the towns that the eagle bandits had previously conquered.
This battle saw victories on multiple fronts, with corpses strewn across the fields. However, the state soldiers suffered only two to three thousand casualties. Despite previous skirmishes, there were still nearly twenty-five thousand state soldiers.
These twenty-five thousand soldiers were now stationed at the north gate of State City in Cyan Wood Province.
The general leading this army was Sheng Chuanxiong, a confidant of Liang Shigu.
Sheng Chuanxiong naturally knew of the General’s plan.
His general, after receiving the secret letter from the "Grand General" Wang Baxian, began fishing.
So, even though bandits were rampant nearby or distant Buddhas appeared, he remained inactive to slowly reveal the big fish behind the scenes.
By the time the net was ready to be cast, the general had already arranged everything.
Now, Sheng Chuanxiong had achieved success in this battle, but there was no news from the General’s side.
While Sheng Chuanxiong was contemplating, he suddenly saw dozens of scattered horsemen frantically returning from afar.
Those horsemen were in a sorry state.
Recognizing them as the elite troops that went east with Liang Shigu, Sheng Chuanxiong rushed to meet them, immediately asking, "Why are there only a few of you? Where is the General?!"
The leading rider lifted his face, wanting to speak, but the words choked in his throat, hoarse and silent.
Sheng Chuanxiong looked at the others, who were the same.
He quickly had them led to their tents, summoned the army’s doctors, and provided care.
After a while, one rider, his complexion slightly better, finally spoke, "The... the General is dead. The... the fiend monks and nuns of Xinci Temple welcomed... welcomed the Demon Buddha."
