Inside the cave, the flickering flames lit up the surroundings as the campfire crackled and popped.
A few people had hunted a wild deer, now roasting it over the fire.
Xu Ming and the others ate with great relish, their faces shiny with oil as they chatted casually, throwing out words here and there.
On the other side, Shi Xin softly chanted a Buddhist mantra, her eyes closed.
Unable to stop them from eating meat, Shi Xin could only close her eyes, seeking inner peace by not looking, and silently performing rites to help the soul of the deer move on.
Once Xu Ming and the others were full, they discussed and decided on the watch schedule.
Each group consisted of two people.
Xu Ming and Shi Xin were paired for the first watch, while the other four were split into two groups to take the middle and late watches.
At first glance, it seemed like a considerate arrangement for Xu Ming and Shi Xin since the first watch was typically the least tiring.
However, Xu Ming felt they had done this on purpose. After all, once the first watch ended, they’d naturally be more tired and fall asleep more easily.
Moreover, since they didn’t need to wake up again for another shift, they could sleep through the rest of the night uninterrupted.
This setup gave the others the perfect opportunity to act.
But Xu Ming didn’t mind. He was simply waiting for them to make their move. If they didn’t, he might actually end up spending half a year as a monk in the Western Regions.
“Brother Xu, Shi Xin, we’ll leave the first watch to you. We’re going to rest now. Once it’s time, we’ll come take over,” Wang Mingshan said politely to the pair.
Xu Ming cupped his hands in a respectful gesture. “Please rest assured, everyone. We’ll stay vigilant, and if there’s any disturbance, we’ll wake you immediately.”
“Good.” Wang Mingshan and the others nodded seriously, then each found a spot in the cave and laid down to sleep.
Xu Ming and Shi Xin sat by the entrance, keeping watch and scanning their surroundings.
The night breeze rustled the leaves, creating soft, whispering sounds.
Above, the bright moon hung high in the night sky, surrounded by scattered stars that cast a faint silvery glow over the forest.
“I don’t understand something,” Shi Xin said, turning to Xu Ming.
Lately, whenever Shi Xin had a question, she would ask Xu Ming.
In her eyes, although Xu Ming was not a follower of Buddhism, he possessed great wisdom.
“What’s troubling you?” Xu Ming yawned, chewing on a blade of grass.
“You’ve already reached the state of fasting from food, so why do you still kill for meat just to satisfy your cravings?” Shi Xin asked earnestly.
“What else would we do?” Xu Ming found her question a bit redundant. “At our level, we don’t need to eat ordinary food to survive. The only reason to eat anything at all is to enjoy it. Otherwise, why bother?”
Shi Xin shook her head. “Whether it’s a deer or a blade of grass, life is precious and hard to come by. Should we really take a life just to satisfy a fleeting desire?”
Xu Ming chuckled. “I want to eat, so I eat. If the deer didn’t want to be eaten, it should’ve trained itself into a spirit beast or become stronger than me. If that happened, not only would it escape being eaten, it might even eat me instead.
This is a world where the strong prey on the weak. I’m no saint. I don’t show mercy to people, let alone animals.”
“So, are you sure you won’t take a bite?” Xu Ming asked, grinning. “I can roast a few pieces for you. I’m pretty confident in my skills—you might actually like it.”
“No!” Shi Xin shook her head so vigorously that she resembled a rattle drum, her stance firm.
“Since you enjoy eating meat, I can’t stop you, but as a disciple of Buddhism, I won’t touch it!”
Her resolute expression had a surprising hint of adorableness.
Xu Ming couldn’t help but feel tempted to tease her again.
“You know, you refused to eat it earlier because it was alive. But now it’s dead, and I killed it—not you.
Even if you don’t eat the meat, it’ll just go to waste and eventually rot.
So why not eat it? That way, it at least serves a purpose.”
“This is my principle,” Shi Xin replied firmly.
“Heh, so this is your so-called ‘steadfast refusal to eat meat’?”
Xu Ming’s tone was laced with indifference.
“You monks, all because of your devotion to Buddhist precepts, refuse to eat meat, thinking it would betray your faith if you did.
But to me, it’s just like the saying: ‘Meat and wine pass through the stomach, yet the Buddha stays in the heart. The lotus blooms on both ends, traveling freely and purely.'”
Shi Xin’s pupils constricted, and a surge of spiritual energy rippled faintly around her.
Xu Ming was startled, realizing he might have gone too far again. The things he’d just said seemed to have shaken her inner state of mind.
He hadn’t meant to say so much.
But Shi Xin was just too pure, too untainted—like the pristine white of the world’s first dawn.
Xu Ming found himself unable to resist leaving a mark on her, a smudge of dust at the very least.
In the end, it was his damn destructive impulse.
When something reaches a state of absolute perfection, human nature tends to drive you to want to ruin it, to tear it down.
“If the world learns this, it would surely lead to the demonic path,” Shi Xin muttered after a long silence.
Gradually, her spiritual energy calmed, not only settling down but becoming even stronger than before.
“Not bad,” Xu Ming said, relieved that the momentary panic had passed. It seemed she had figured things out and hadn’t been led astray by him. Instead, she had made a small breakthrough in her cultivation because of her clarity of thought.
“Indeed, you’re right, Miss. You make a good point,” Xu Ming nodded and then clamped his mouth shut, not daring to say another word.
He couldn’t afford to push his luck anymore. If something happened to Shi Xin, his mother would have a field day dealing with him.
Shi Xin also stayed silent, simply sitting beside Xu Ming and watching the forest quietly.
When their shift was over, Xu Ming and Shi Xin went to rest, and Wang Mingshan and Bai Zhan took their place.
But both Xu Ming and Shi Xin only pretended to sleep.
During their watch, Wang Mingshan and Bai Zhan didn’t make a move against Xu Ming, much to Shi Xin’s relief.
Similarly, Xu Ming felt a sense of relief as well.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on freёwebnoѵel.com.
Deep down, Xu Ming actually hoped to lose this time.
If he ended up winning again, Shi Xin might truly lose it.
Please, I beg you! Don’t make a move! Just leave us be!
But it seemed Xu Ming’s prayers went unanswered.
In the latter half of the night, Zeng Rong and Xu Sheng exchanged a glance and slowly began making their way toward Xu Ming and Shi Xin.