Thunder rolled across thousands of peaks, rain shrouded countless mountains, and the entire Wan’en Temple was wrapped in misty rain.

In the Dust Mirror Garden of Wan’en Temple, bell sounds flowed gently.

Because of the many pilgrims, Wan’en Temple had renovated many lodgings, some requiring little silver, others much more, but the Dust Mirror Garden located behind the temple gates in the mountain could not be bought with any amount of silver.

This place only received imperial relatives and nobles from scholarly official families.

In the Xiaguang Hall, the sound of chanted sutras drifted faintly, with wisps of Buddhist incense surrounding the great hall. The ancient temple with its blue lamps on the rainy night seemed like an otherworldly realm.

In the fine rain, a figure gradually appeared, breaking this tranquility.

This person came through the rain, crossed the bamboo bridge, and walked to the hall’s entrance.

It was a handsome young man with a golden crown binding his hair, his clothes slightly wet from the rain. Just as he reached the hall’s front, a tall man in green clothing emerged from inside, wearing a long sword at his waist, his expression stern.

Pei Yunying brushed away the raindrops from his body and was about to walk in, but Xiao Zhufeng stopped him with one hand.

Xiao Zhufeng said, “His Highness is discussing scriptures with Master Jinchen.”

Pei Yunying sighed: “It’s been an hour, they’re still not finished?”

Xiao Zhufeng said woodenly with his handsome face: “Buddhist scriptures are abstruse, Buddhist dharma is solemn, Prince Ning accumulates virtue and merit…”

“Enough, Xiao Er,” Pei Yunying rudely interrupted his friend’s words, sneering, “Good deeds are easily ruined, good people often face slander. You’re saying this even to me.”

Xiao Zhufeng was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice: “The Empress Dowager has been unwell lately, His Highness is transcribing sutras with his blood to pray for her blessings…”

Pei Yunying made an “oh” sound: “So that’s it.” He glanced at the hall door again and sighed languidly: “Being the emperor’s brother isn’t easy either.”

The two men stood before the hall entrance, the rain falling like hemp strands under the eaves, dreary and desolate, looking like two black stone statues standing before the hall.

Pei Yunying watched the rain for a while, then suddenly spoke: “Tomorrow at the Blue Lotus Assembly, are you going to light lamps?”

“Tomorrow morning I must accompany Prince Ning down the mountain.”

Pei Yunying just stared at the rain curtain: “I thought you would light lamps to pray for her blessings.”

Hearing this, Xiao Zhufeng’s expression slightly changed, and after a moment he spoke: “I heard you went to see her last night, how is she?”

Pei Yunying was silent, and after a moment, he sighed and said seriously: “Xiao Er, why don’t you just kill Mu Sheng? That way, you might still have a chance to be my brother-in-law in this lifetime.”

Xiao Zhufeng calmly said: “She wouldn’t be happy about that.”

“True.” Pei Yunying said, then fell silent again. After a while, he smiled and patted his friend’s shoulder, saying nothing more.

Only the lonely night rain continued without end.

…

Rain at night in the temple always seemed somewhat desolate.

But desolation was better than eeriness.

In a room in No Worries Garden, Ke Chengxing touched his shoulder, feeling a bit cold, and got up to close the window.

His servant Wan Fu was crouching on the ground, organizing the sutras he had hand-copied.

Whether it was overthinking or truly effective, since Ke Chengxing had arrived at Wan’en Temple, he hadn’t encountered Lady Lu’s ghost again.

In fact, from the day he decided to come to the Blue Lotus Assembly, Lady Lu’s ghost seemed to recognize the gravity of the situation and wasn’t as rampant as before, not entering his dreams nightly as in the past, and he had managed to sleep through two whole nights.

Therefore, Ke Chengxing viewed Wan’en Temple as his lifeline.

Even the fiercest ghost would be like a mouse seeing a cat before Buddha. Ke Chengxing sat at the table where monks had already brought exquisite vegetarian dishes. He had been anxious for several days and had grown thin, but now his heart was gradually easing, and his long-lost appetite returned. He picked up his bowl and chopsticks and began eating heartily.

As he ate, Ke Chengxing thought of Lady Lu.

Since Lady Lu’s ghost had appeared, he had forced himself not to remember his dead wife – those nightmares were frightening enough, and Ke Chengxing didn’t want to bring more suffering upon himself. But now, in this ancient temple under Buddha’s protection, in such a solemn and pure place, he finally dared to openly recall Lady Lu’s face in his mind.

Ke Chengxing’s feelings for Lady Lu had been love at first sight.

He had gone to the county to collect old debts from his father’s pottery business when he encountered bandits on the road. His carriage was hijacked, the driver was fatally wounded trying to save him, and after fleeing for several li, he suddenly found himself in a strange wilderness with nowhere to turn for help.

It was nearly evening then, with no one passing by, and wild beasts were known to eat people in the wilderness. Just when Ke Chengxing was feeling desperate, Lu Qian, returning home from studying at the academy, passed by in his carriage. Seeing Ke Chengxing’s difficult situation, he offered help and took him back to Changwu County.

That was when Ke Chengxing met Lu Rou.

Lu Qian brought him back to the Lu family, and seeing him in such a pitiful state – robbed of his money and penniless – they took him in. Ke Chengxing wrote a letter to Sheng Capital asking his mother to send someone to fetch him. During those days waiting for the Ke family to come, Ke Chengxing got along well with the Lu family.

Ke Chengxing still remembered the day he first saw Lu Rou.

He had just escaped death, covered in mud, in a terrible state. Lu Qian supported him to a house, and looking at the simple door before him, he couldn’t help but frown.

The county town was small, and the street-side houses looked poor. Such a roof made of mud and dry grass would be fine without rain, but when it rained, it would inevitably leak.

Just as he was thinking this, Lu Qian had already called into the house: “Father, Mother, Sister!”

A clear female voice came from inside, and then from the pitch-black house walked out a young woman.

This woman wore her hair in a cloud bun with only a carved wooden hairpin, dressed in a lotus-colored cotton floral dress. Her long eyebrows were graceful, her gaze gentle. Though wearing simple ornaments and cotton clothes, her beauty could not be concealed. Even the dilapidated little house seemed to become radiant because of this beauty.

Ke Chengxing was so stunned by Lu Rou’s beauty that he couldn’t speak.

He hadn’t expected such a beauty to exist in such a small town.

He fell in love with Lu Rou at first sight and kept watching her while staying with the Lu family. Lu’s father was a teacher, with only one son and one daughter. Lu Rou’s brother Lu Qian studied at the academy and could take the imperial examinations in two years. Though Lu Rou was a woman, her father taught her as others would teach sons – literacy, poetry, books, and etiquette no worse than scholars in Sheng Capital.

Ke Chengxing became increasingly interested, and after Ke’s family members came to take him back to Sheng Capital, he told Old Madam Ke about wanting to marry Lu Rou. Old Madam Ke initially disapproved, believing the Lu family’s humble background wasn’t worthy of the Ke family.

At that time, Ke Chengxing knelt before Old Madam Ke and insisted: “Mother, though the Lu family is poor now, their second son Lu Qian is studying at the academy and is said to be doing well in his studies. He has a great chance of passing the imperial examinations in the future, and once he does, the Lu family will have official status.”

“For us merchants, it’s so difficult to form marriage ties with official families. If we were to marry a daughter from a better family, such daughters are usually spoiled. I stayed with the Lu family for half a month; their daughter is gentle and considerate, acts thoughtfully, and is educated, knowing proper etiquette. Once she enters our family, she surely won’t make unreasonable demands, and because of her humble background, she will inevitably show us respect. Isn’t that ideal?”

Old Madam Ke found his reasoning not without merit and was somewhat moved. So she sent people to Changwu County to inquire about the Lu family’s reputation and received reports of their upright character. Unable to resist her son’s persistence, she sent a matchmaker to the Lu family.

The marriage arrangements went very smoothly.

Though Ke Chengxing came from a merchant family, he was handsome and elegant, refined and moving – judging by appearance alone, he could pass for an official’s son. During his days at the Lu family, he had also made every effort to appear gentle and courteous, humble like a gentleman, and the Lu family had a good impression of him.

Moreover, the fourteen loads of betrothal gifts adequately expressed the Ke family’s sincerity.

In short, Lu Rou successfully entered the Ke family.

How could Ke Chengxing not be satisfied with such a lovely wife? Besides, Lu Rou was not only beautiful but also understood propriety and knew when to advance or retreat. The clan members all secretly envied him for marrying such a capable helper.

Until that day at Fengle Tower…

A gust of wind outside slammed against the window with a “bang,” startling him from his thoughts.

The distant night was silent, the mountain temple like a crouching enormous beast in the continuous rain.

Ke Chengxing raised his head, shuddered, and asked Wan Fu who was cleaning up nearby: “What time is it now?”

Wan Fu looked at the water clock in the room and answered: “Almost midnight.”

“So soon?”

Ke Chengxing’s expression tensed as he stood up: “Get the things ready, we’ll set out now.”