Puding thought he could be very strong, acting with the compassion of the Buddha in his past lives, yet that eunuch’s torture was intensely devastating to his mind and spirit.
He had overestimated himself, and underestimated him as well.
“Rest assured, in due course, I will surely seek justice for you.” Cradling him in his arms, Xiaobai wanted to transfer more of his body’s warmth to him to soothe his wounded heart.
Puding’s gaze was unfocused, and his unfocused pupils lacked much of their former liveliness.
The future he couldn’t see it clearly, truly couldn’t see it at all!
Gently stroking his severed finger, Xiaobai bit down hard on his lower lip, his eye sockets turning crimson while the corners of his mouth trembled slightly.
“I truly want to go kill him right this instant!”
“No! You mustn’t! If any mishap were to befall you, I could never forgive myself for as long as I live!” Reaching out, Puding pressed down tightly against Xiaobai’s arm.
Closing his eyes with force, Xiaobai opened them again a moment later, his lips parting slightly as he lifted his gaze to survey the night sky outside the window. His expression was incomparably sorrowful, as dark and devoid of light as the night itself: “Rest assured, I will not let him lay another finger on you!”
Puding found it somewhat hard to believe. How could he possibly defeat Pei Yaoguang? He was undoubtedly just comforting him.
Seeing straight through his thoughts, Xiaobai remarked, “You’re definitely thinking, ‘How on earth do I have the ability to deal with him?’”
Nodding in response, Puding urged, “Do not act rashly!”
“Since I’ve said so, I naturally have a way!” Gripping his shoulders tightly, Xiaobai cast a firm, powerful gaze into his eyes.
Meeting Xiaobai’s gaze, it seemed to be telling him: Don’t be afraid! I can protect you!
“Thank you! You are this poor monk’s only friend in this lifetime the most important friend!”
“You are also the most important person in my life!”
Gazing into one another’s eyes, they offered each other the warmest look, as though their entire bodies were being warmed by a radiant sun.
Xiaobai’s words acted like a settling pill for his heart, bringing him considerable peace of mind.
Before long, the Ninth Highness received the carrier-pigeon message sent by Xie Qingyi. Unfolding it, he read the plain black text on white paper, which instructed and urged him in just a few brief sentences to take special care of Puding and warn Pei Yaoguang not to harass him further.
Xie Qilian immediately burned the letter paper to ashes and summoned Pei Yaoguang without delay.
Upon receiving the report from the little palace eunuch that he had been summoned, Pei Yaoguang felt a lingering sense of puzzlement why would the Ninth Highness want to summon him?
Entering the imperial palace and stepping into the grand hall, Pei Yaoguang bowed in a salute: “This subordinate pays respects to Your Highness. I wonder what pressing matter has prompted Your Highness to summon me?”
Xie Qilian spoke with polite courtesy: “Lord Pei need not stand on ceremony.”
Straightening his posture as he sat upright, he continued, “It’s nothing terribly significant.” Pausing briefly, he added, “I share some private ties with the An’guo Estate, and since the An Estate Heir renounced secular life to cultivate at Xishan Zen Temple at an early age, I am hoping… that Lord Pei can extend a bit more care toward Dharma Master Puding of Xishan Zen Temple.”
Hearing this, Pei Yaoguang narrowed his eyes. Lowering his head slightly, his mind raced at lightning speed.
Why would the Ninth Highness suddenly bring this up? Could that monk have mentioned something to the Ninth Highness?
With no time to ponder further, he bowed and replied, “Please rest assured, Ninth Highness; this subordinate will definitely take good care of Dharma Master Puding.”
“With Lord Pei’s words, I can rest assured! If there is nothing else, you may withdraw.”
Ever since being summoned by the Ninth Highness, Pei Yaoguang’s heart had grown increasingly disgruntled. He hadn’t expected that monk to actually share connections with the Ninth Highness—it was truly unexpected.
It appeared he would need to properly win over the Crown Prince; only by doing so could victory be firmly secured.
Throughout these past days, because Puding’s leg injuries had yet to fully heal, Abbot Huiru had excused him from all duties, instructing him to focus entirely on quiet recuperation.
Huiru had inquired whether he needed to meet with his father and mother, but Puding directly refused, reasoning that to prevent his family from worrying, it was better not to inform them.
Even if they were told, it would serve no purpose; instead, it would only cause his parents to harbor added sorrow, inevitably plunging them into daily gloom and dejection.
During the daytime, Puding rested quietly by himself in bed, and when meal times arrived, monks would deliver food to him.
At all other times, he remained alone inside his monastic room, chanting Buddhist sutras to cleanse all afflictions and bitterness from his heart.
Eliminating boundless karmic obstacles, delivering his karmic creditors and enemies, and transferring all accumulated merit back toward Pei Yaoguang, he prayed solely that his karmic obstacles might be eradicated, that he would lay down the butcher’s knife at an early date, and that he would conduct himself solidly as an upright human being.
Since he had devoted himself single-mindedly to cultivation, he needed to emulate the Buddha’s compassion and forbearance.
He had once heard his master’s Dharma instruction: one must transfer merit back toward your enemies and those you detest the most. Although the person to whom you direct your merit remains unaware of it, the karmic creditors around him and all sentient beings with karmic affinities to him are entirely aware of it. These invisible forces can benefit sentient beings, transforming bad karmic affinities into favorable ones. All invisible forces projected outward by an individual will ultimately circle back to reward oneself.
Puding firmly believed that one day Pei Yaoguang would undergo a transformation, because he steadfastly believed that the Buddha’s words were never false! The Buddhist scriptures were true and unwavering!
During this period, Xiaobai visited more frequently than usual, personally taking care of Puding every single night.
He would prepare the medicinal herbs for Puding, and since Puding’s legs were inconvenient for travel and it was inconvenient for Xiaobai to show his face too openly, Puding took his medicinal baths inside the bathhouse every single night.
Initially, Puding felt somewhat bashful, particularly when stepping out from the water, which always made him feel rather unaccustomed. Gradually, however, he grew accustomed to it and ceased feeling awkward.
Tonight, having just finished his medicinal bath, Puding walked unsteadily on crutches over to the luohan couch.
In a milky, babyish tone, Xiaobai said, “Come, let me check your pulse and see how your body is recovering.”
Puding figured there wasn’t much change, assuming it was no different from usual.
“Have you felt any abnormalities on ordinary days?”
Puding felt somewhat shy: “Not really, it’s just like always.” Pausing briefly, he added, “It’s still completely limp!”
Casting a sideways glance, Xiaobai retorted, “I’m asking you about your entire body have you sensed any changes at all?”
Pondering thoughtfully, Puding replied, “Er… my lower abdomen occasionally feels a current of Qi flowing through it.”
With that, Xiaobai retrieved a dark-fabric pouch from his pocket. Unfolding it, he revealed a neat arrangement of silver needles varying in thickness.
“Uncover it!” Pinching a long, thin silver needle between his fingertips, he seated himself upon the couch.
So this was… going to acupuncture him? Puding recalled Xiaobai mentioning previously that complete recovery would also require accompanying acupuncture treatments.
“Hurry up! It’s not like I haven’t seen your…” Xiaobai remarked with a huff of annoyance.
Hardening his heart, Puding hastily untied the sash, closed his eyes, and thought: Fine, this poor monk places himself entirely in your hands…
Compared to when they first met, it looked noticeably sturdier and more lustrous.
Pressing down lightly with his fingertips, Xiaobai murmured, “Mhm, sufficient Qi.”
Moving his fingertips an inch downward, he massaged lightly for a moment: “Recovering nicely.”
Puding’s face flushed with a crimson tide why did it feel as though Xiaobai was toying with him?
“Aren’t you going to perform acupuncture?”
Glancing sideways at him, Xiaobai sneered, “What’s the rush? I was merely checking you over!”
A moment later, Xiaobai administered acupuncture into his Qihai, Guanyuan, Fushe, Zhongji, and Qichong acupoints respectively.
“Wait for a quarter of an hour.”
Being left exposed like this right in the dead of winter brought an onslaught of piercing cold, causing Puding to sneeze violently.
The upper tips of the silver needles trembled slightly along with his body.
Seeing this, Xiaobai pulled the quilt he had been using over to cover his thighs: “Apologies, it was my oversight.”
“It’s nothing.” Closing his eyelids, Puding emptied his mind.
After a long while, Xiaobai’s calm voice drifted over: “You must be freezing, right? It’s all turned blue-purple here.”
The next instant, enveloped by a wave of heat, Puding’s frame stiffened, unsure of where to place his limbs.
Turning his head sideways, Xiaobai exhaled warm breaths against him, puff by puff…
Puding felt as though an electric current was coursing through his entire body, turning his face as red and swollen as a monkey’s backside.
All the blood in his body had rushed to a single spot.
He actually… at present, this seemed to be the only available method for providing warmth!
“It’s fine, I’m much better now,” Puding rasped out in a hoarse voice, managing to force the words past his throat with great difficulty.
Pausing with a downturned lip, Xiaobai muttered, “You think I wanted to do this? I was just seeing how pitifully frozen you were! Relax, I have zero interest!”
Once Xiaobai extracted the silver needles one by one, Puding finally let out a long breath of relief, instantly feeling as light as a swallow.
“In a few more days, you will start experiencing… the reactions a man ought to have.”
The corners of Puding’s lips curved slightly upward.
This was a rare smile he had produced following the torment inflicted by Pei Yaoguang.
Just go ahead and secretly be happy about it! Who knows whether you, monk, are truly pure-hearted and free of desires, or if you’re like this because of some hidden ailment…
Leaning in close abruptly, he twitched his nose and asked, “Xiaobai, why don’t you take a bath as well?”
Realizing only then that he hadn’t bathed in days and emitted a faint, sour stench, Xiaobai scratched the back of his head with a trace of embarrassment: “Oh, alright.”
“Am I also heading to the bathhouse?”
“That’s right, it’s more convenient for you.”
In the blink of an eye, Xiaobai vanished without a trace.
After a long while, noticing Xiaobai still hadn’t returned, Puding grew suspicious and made his way into the bathhouse leaning on his crutches.
Daring not make a sound for fear of causing some unexpected disturbance inside, he scanned the surroundings neither the water surface nor the floor held any sign of a person. Emboldened, he called out softly: “Xiaobai, Xiaobai…”
Panic suddenly gripped Puding’s heart with anxious urgency oh no! Could something have happened to him?
Walking up to the edge of the pool and crouching down to peer closely across the water surface, a slender arm suddenly shot out and yanked him straight down into the water.
Splash water flew in all directions.
Poking his head above the water, Xiaobai burst into a hearty laugh: “Did I scare you? Haha…”
“Y-You… how dare you pull such a prank! This is a Buddhist temple after all; how can you toy with me like this?”
“So what if I toyed with you? Did I break the monastic precepts?”
Stammering in his defense, Puding muttered, “I literally just changed into this monk’s robe, and now I have to change into another one.”
“Anyway, you monks have so many robes what’s there to worry about?”
“I… I already have a leg injury, and yet you’re still bullying people!” Puding grumbled with a tone of grievance.
Smoothing down a lock of dark hair cascading over his shoulder, Xiaobai replied, “I was bored out of my mind, so I just teased you for a bit.” Leaning in close abruptly with a hoarse voice, he added, “I take meticulous care of you every single day what’s wrong with teasing you a little?”
Under the moonlight, a clear radiance fell across Puding’s brows and eyes, rendering his features ethereally serene and limpid.
Bathed in the moonlight, he appeared even more delicate and frail than during the day, possessing an exceptionally gentle bone structure.
“Monk, have you ever cherished someone in your heart?” Xiaobai asked out of the blue.
Stunned for a moment, Puding replied dumbly, “None.”
“Then in this lifetime, who is the person you care about the most?”
Lowering his eyelashes with sorrow shadowing his brow, his voice broke: “There is. When I was young, I played with a companion catching crickets, and he even gifted me his most beloved cricket…”
Xiaobai instantly froze, his pupils staining with a rosy blush as he thought silently to yourself: Huisheng big brother, I never expected you to still remember me! That cricket actually allowed you to…
Regrettably, he was currently unable to acknowledge Puding. Remembering this once more, a wave of melancholy churned within Xiaobai’s chest.
Noticing his sorrowful expression, Puding asked, “What’s wrong with you?”
Lifting his eyes with a shallow smile, he replied, “Nothing, I just didn’t expect you to remember even a cricket so clearly!”
“Although it was just a cricket, to his young self, it was his most beloved treasure!”
A warm current flowed into Xiaobai’s heart to think there existed someone this sentimental and loyal to bonds in this world.
Overcome with emotion, he threw his arms around Puding in a tight embrace.
Puding panicked instantly: “Y-You… what’s wrong?”
“I suddenly feel that you’re a pretty decent person,” Xiaobai choked out slightly.
The physical warmth was transmitting gradually.
After a moment, Puding clearly sensed a wave of heat slowly seeping inward and spreading across his entire body. His chest grew damp, muggy, and hot, while his cheeks turned brilliantly red.
He shoved Xiaobai away: “Exercise some restraint for two grown men to be hugging and holding each other like this, what system of manners is this?”
Xiaobai did not respond, leaving the atmosphere somewhat awkward.
Suddenly, a light sound of footsteps echoed from outside. Xiaobai dove swiftly beneath the water, while Puding stripped off his wet monk robe and called toward the outside: “Who is there?”
A monk barged in unexpectedly: “Amitabha, so Senior Brother was still bathing this late.” Hearing some movement inside the bathhouse and suspecting rats, he had walked right in.
“Then I won’t disturb Senior Brother any further.” Joining his palms together, he backed out of the room.
The moment the monk departed, Xiaobai popped his head out from the water, his three thousand strands of dark hair weaving a graceful arc as water droplets splattered wildly about.
Puding took the full brunt of the splash across his face.
Staring quietly at Xiaobai, he felt as though he resembled a lotus emerging from the clear water. His gentle, refined profile, coupled with a row of pristine white teeth appearing intermittently as his lips parted and closed, resembled the snow flurries of early winter.
Arched dark eyebrows, rosy sunset-like glow, ice-like skin and jade bones—seductive yet entirely devoid of vulgarity, striking the absolute perfect balance.
“What is it?” Xiaobai wore a look of utter perplexity.
Pudding coughed lightly: “Hurry up and leave, lest someone else comes back!”
With those words, he stepped out of the pool. His monk robe, thoroughly soaked through with water, clung tightly to his frame, outlining his slender yet tall torso. His buttocks possessed smooth, graceful curves with a slight upward tilt, swaying gently as he walked plump, rounded, and firm.
Xiaobai’s prominent Adam’s apple rolled involuntarily. Patting his own cheek lightly, he quickly reined in his focus and departed the bathhouse in a flash.