Chapter 185: The Monk

When Huli brought the clothes into the tent, it happened to be just as Xiao Zhen'er finished drinking the soup. Seeing Huli enter, Xiao Zhen'er hurriedly put down the soup bowl, pulled both hands back into the blanket, and nervously twisted the bedsheet with her fingers. She looked precisely like a child caught in the act of stealing candy.

Glancing at the empty bowl, Huli understood immediately and handed Xiao Zhen'er's garments to her: "Third Princess, your clothes. Change first, and I will step outside."

Taking the empty bowl with him, Huli walked out with a knowing smile. Seeing Huli approach from a distance—and spotting the empty bowl in his hand—Liu Ling'er said in disbelief, "She actually drank the soup? After all, it was brewed from that kind of thing. Didn't Xiao Zhen'er ask anything? It couldn't be that you drank it yourself!"

Recalling how Xiao Zhen'er had been entirely consumed by shyness at the time and had no mind left to ask questions, Huli felt rather displeased upon being thus suspected by Liu Ling'er. He retorted, "Your Highness the Virtuous Prince's Consort, you do not trust me. A true man never goes back on his word once spoken."

Liu Ling'er raised an eyebrow: "Huli, did your father not instruct you before leaving? Along this journey, are you supposed to listen more to the Virtuous Prince, or more to me?"

Recalling his father's parting instructions—*When you follow the Virtuous Prince, more importantly, you must obey the commands of the Virtuous Prince's Consort. We are disciples of the Law, and she is our superior; even if she tells you to die, you must not blink*—Huli instantly deflated like a punctured ball. "Consort, I was wrong. The broth was indeed drunk by me, and it had nothing to do with the Third Princess."

"Mmm, you have a promising future. I'm rooting for you!" Liu Ling'er had already guessed that Huli was speaking insincerely, but this was precisely the effect she wanted.

Since Xiao Zhen'er's body was unhindered, the journey continued as usual. That night was spent in the wilderness once more, though to prevent any unexpected incidents, Liu Ling'er shared a tent with Xiao Zhen'er.

The next morning during breakfast, Xiao Zhen'er looked at the exquisite pastries before her and found herself completely unable to eat. For some inexplicable reason, the bowl of broth she had drunk yesterday came to mind, making the pastries in her mouth taste increasingly like chewing wax.

Her unusual behavior was caught by Liu Ling'er, who considerately asked, "Third Princess, why is your appetite so poor? Could it be that yesterday's snake venom has not been entirely cleared?"

Xiao Zhen'er shook her head. "It's not that. The Consort's medical skills are superb, and I had completely recovered by yesterday. It's just that today's pastries somehow feel far less palatable than the broth I had yesterday."

"What!" Liu Ling'er abruptly stood up, her lovely eyes wide open as if she had just witnessed something incredible. She muttered to herself, "No wonder! Huli wasn't lying to me yesterday! It seems I wronged him!"

Xiao Zhen'er asked curiously, "Lying about what? What did you wrong him for?"

Liu Ling'er's delicate face scrunched up. "Here is what happened: yesterday, Huli cooked a pot of fresh snake broth, and then he ladled out a bowl for you to drink. Afterward, when I saw him come out of your tent holding only an empty bowl, I asked him whether you drank it or he did. He insisted you drank it, but I didn't believe him. In the end, he even admitted to drinking it himself!"

Xiao Zhen'er froze in place, then grabbed the hem of Liu Ling'er's skirt and asked with a tangled expression, "Consort, exactly what kind of soup was that yesterday?"

"Snake broth, of course! Didn't you find it fresh and delicious? Huli specially dug up wild vegetables and other seasonings for it. Although I didn't eat any, I could tell just by the smell that it was good. You have no idea—your honest guard, Afu, ate half a pot of snake meat all by himself. Huli almost got into a fight with him over it!"

Liu Ling'er spoke with a smile, but upon hearing this, Xiao Zhen'er's expression changed drastically. Covering her mouth, she stumbled away and began retching violently beside the tent.

Xiao Yixiao ran over and patted Xiao Zhen'er on the back. "Third Sister, what is wrong with you? Why are you suddenly nauseous early in the morning?"

Xiao Zhen'er retched for a long time, bringing up nothing except some sour water. Naturally, the snake broth eaten yesterday morning had long since been digested by her organs; there was no way any of it remained for her to vomit up today.

Raising her head, Xiao Zhen'er whimpered, "Second Brother, Huli is bullying me! He tricked me into drinking snake broth yesterday, it was so disgusting!"

As it happened, Huli was walking past. Xiao Zhen'er shot him a vicious glare, her eyes practically launching daggers at him. If looks could kill, Huli would have died a hundred times over.

Throughout the day, because of the snake broth incident, Xiao Zhen'er refused to give Huli a single pleasant look. Every time she saw him, she would stare at him with those innocent big eyes of hers, making Huli feel as though he were a villain who had committed countless unpardonable crimes.

The more Liu Ling'er watched, the more she felt that Huli and Xiao Zhen'er were like star-crossed enemies from a past life, destined to be adversaries in this one. However, this was not something she cared to meddle in; right now, she would thank the heavens if she could just ensure her own safety and Baili Xian's.

By that afternoon, they finally reached a somewhat populated area. From time to time, villagers could be seen busy with spring plowing, and seeing this greatly lifted the spirits of everyone in the carriage.

Having not seen other people for two or three days, anyone would feel a sense of warmth upon suddenly encountering so many. Where there are people, there is trade, and finding another carriage would surely be much easier then.

Since it was only just past noon and time was ample, Liu Ling'er and her group continued forward sharing a carriage. After about an hour, they arrived at the foot of a mountain.

The mountain was covered in lush green pines, and halfway up the slope stood a temple—quite large and remarkably eye-catching. Ordinarily, all of this had nothing to do with Liu Ling'er's party, but right in the middle of the road they were taking stood a Buddhist monk.

Afu pulled the reins to stop the carriage, and Huli called out, "Master, who are you? Why are you blocking our path?"

Seeing the carriage come to a halt, the monk took two steps forward, pressed his palms together, and chanted leisurely, "Amitabha."

Then, the monk introduced himself without prompting: "This old monk is the abbot of Huaqing Temple, with the Dharma name Bukong. Entrusted by an old friend, I have boldly come to intercept the carriage of the Virtuous Prince and the Virtuous Prince's Consort, as well as the Second Prince and Princess of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Might you all care to visit the temple for a brief moment, while I explain matters clearly?"

The four people inside the carriage exchanged bewildered glances. They had never met this abbot before, yet he was able to call out their identities in one breath. It was genuinely spine-chilling.

The abbot had a benevolent countenance with thick, elongated earlobes. Perhaps from living in the temple day after day and breathing in the atmosphere, he bore a striking resemblance to the Buddha himself. Looking at such a face naturally brought a sense of peace, making it hard to imagine that the abbot would wish them any harm.

Having finished speaking, the abbot did not wait for Liu Ling'er and the others to ask questions; he simply turned and walked up the mountain, paying no heed to whether they would follow or not.

The four inside the carriage exchanged a look, and Baili Xian said, "Why did this abbot know our names, and even know that we would be traveling past here together? Could it be that our whereabouts have been monitored all along? Though this abbot looks harmless, we cannot afford to lower our guard."

The others nodded and then cautiously followed behind the abbot as he led them toward Huaqing Temple.