Thunder echoed through a thousand peaks, rain painted ten thousand summits—the entire Wan’en Temple was shrouded in misty rain.

In the Chenjing Garden of Wan’en Temple, bell sounds flowed like water.

Due to the numerous pilgrims, Wan’en Temple had renovated many guest quarters—some requiring little silver, others requiring much. Only the Chenjing Garden located behind the temple gates on the back mountain could not be bought with any amount of silver.

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

From within Xiaguang Hall came the faint sounds of chanting scriptures, with curling Buddhist incense winding around the great hall. Ancient temple with green lamps, night rain growing dim—it truly resembled a secluded realm of the mortal world.

Yet in the fine rain, a human figure gradually appeared, disrupting this tranquility.

This person came through the rain, crossed the bamboo bridge, and walked to the front of the hall.

It was a handsome young man with a golden crown binding his hair, his body slightly dampened by rain. As soon as he reached the hall entrance, a tall man in green robes emerged from within the hall, a long sword at his waist, his expression cold and stern.

Pei Yunying brushed the raindrops from his body and was about to enter, but Xiao Zhufeng blocked him with one hand.

Xiao Zhufeng said: “His Highness is debating scriptures with Master Jingchen.”

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

Xiao Zhufeng spoke with a wooden handsome face: “Buddhist scriptures are profound, Buddhist dharma is solemn, Prince Ning is virtuous and accumulates merit…”

“Forget it, Xiao Er,” Pei Yunying unceremoniously interrupted his friend’s words, scoffing: “Good deeds often fail easily, good people often receive slander. You’re even saying this to me.”

Xiao Zhufeng fell silent for a moment, his voice lowering somewhat: “The Empress Dowager has been ill recently. His Highness petitioned with blood to personally copy scriptures and pray for the Empress Dowager’s blessing…”

Pei Yunying said “Oh”: “So that’s how it is.” He glanced at the hall entrance again and sighed leisurely: “Being the emperor’s brother really isn’t easy either.”

The two stood before the hall entrance, rain threads like hemp under the eaves, desolate and rustling. Looking over, they appeared like two upright black stones standing before the hall.

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

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

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

Hearing this, Xiao Zhufeng’s expression stirred slightly. After a moment he spoke: “I heard you went to see her last night. Is she well?”

Pei Yunying fell silent. After a while, 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 said calmly: “She wouldn’t be happy.”

“True.” After Pei Yunying finished speaking, he fell silent again. After a while, he smiled, reached out to pat his friend’s shoulder, and said nothing more.

Only the lonely night rain continued endlessly.

…

Night rain in the temple always seemed somewhat desolate.

But desolation was better than eeriness.

In a room within Wuhuai Garden, Ke Chengxing touched his shoulder, feeling some coldness, and rose to close the window.

The servant Wan Fu squatted on the ground, organizing the scriptures he had hand-copied.

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

In fact, from the day he decided to come to the Blue Lotus Festival, Lu Shi’s ghost seemed to recognize the danger and wasn’t as rampant as before. Unlike previous days when she entered his dreams nightly, he had rarely slept two full nights.

Therefore, Ke Chengxing regarded Wan’en Temple even more as a lifeline.

Even the most vicious malevolent ghost, upon seeing gods and Buddhas, would be like a mouse seeing a cat. Ke Chengxing sat down at the table where monks had already delivered exquisite vegetarian dishes. He had been anxiously disturbed for several days and had grown quite thin. Now that his heart gradually relaxed, his long-lost appetite reappeared, so he directly took bowl and chopsticks and began eating heartily.

As he ate, Ke Chengxing thought of Lu Shi.

Ever since Lu Shi’s ghost appeared, he had forced himself not to recall his deceased wife. Those nightmares were frightening enough—Ke Chengxing didn’t want to seek additional suffering. But now, being in an ancient temple with Buddha’s protection, in such a solemn and pure place, he finally dared to openly recall Lu Shi’s appearance in his mind.

Ke Chengxing’s feelings toward Lu Shi were actually love at first sight.

He had gone to the county to collect old debts from his father’s kiln ceramics during his lifetime. On the journey, he encountered bandits who robbed his carriage. The coachman was fatally injured trying to save him, and after he escaped several li, he suddenly found himself in unfamiliar wilderness with no one to turn to for help.

By then evening was approaching, no one passed by the area, and there were often incidents of wild beasts eating people in the wilderness. Just when Ke Chengxing felt despair, Lu Qian, returning home from academy travels, passed by in his carriage. Seeing his difficult situation, Lu Qian offered assistance and brought him back to Changwu County together.

It was then that Ke Chengxing met Lu Rou.

Lu Qian brought him back to the Lu family home. The Lu family, seeing his pitiful state—robbed of money and left penniless—took him in. Ke Chengxing wrote a letter to the capital, asking his mother to send someone to fetch him. During those days waiting for the Ke family’s people to arrive, Ke Chengxing got along quite well with the Lu family.

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

He had just escaped death, covered in mud from head to toe, utterly disheveled. Lu Qian helped him to the front of a dwelling, and looking at the crude door before him, he couldn’t help but frown.

The county town itself wasn’t large, and the houses facing the street looked truly shabby. This kind of roof made from mud and dry grass was fine when it didn’t rain, but if it rained, it would inevitably leak.

As he was thinking this, Lu Qian had already shouted toward the door: “Father, Mother, Sister!”

A clear female voice came from within, and immediately afterward, a young woman emerged from the pitch-black house.

This woman had her hair arranged in a cloud chignon with only a carved wooden hairpin inserted among her hair. She wore a lotus-root colored cotton floral jacket and skirt. Her long eyebrows were graceful, her gaze gentle and distant. Though her hairpins were of thorn and her skirt of plain cloth, they could hardly conceal her beauty. That shabby little house also became bright because of this beauty.

Ke Chengxing was immediately so amazed by Lu Rou that he couldn’t speak.

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

He fell in love with Lu Rou at first sight. While staying at the Lu family, he constantly paid attention to this woman. Lu’s father was a teacher, with only one son and one daughter in the family. Lu Rou’s younger brother Lu Qian studied at the academy and could take the imperial examinations in two more years. Although Lu Rou was a woman, Lu’s father taught his daughter as other families taught their sons. Her literacy, poetry, books, and etiquette were no worse than students in the capital.

Ke Chengxing became increasingly moved. After the Ke family’s people came to take him back to the capital, he spoke to Old Madam Ke about wanting to marry Lu Rou. Old Madam Ke initially disagreed, believing that the Lu family’s background was too poor to match the Ke family.

At that time, Ke Chengxing knelt before Old Madam Ke and insisted: “Mother, although the Lu family is poor now, the Lu family’s second son Lu Qian is currently studying at the academy. I heard that his academic achievements are quite successful, and he has a great chance of passing the imperial examinations in the future. Once he succeeds, the Lu family will also have official status.”

“For us merchants, how difficult it is to form marriage connections with official families. If we were to marry a woman from a better family background, that woman would likely be spoiled by her family. I stayed at the Lu family for more than half a month. The Lu family daughter is gentle and considerate, thorough in her actions, and has read books, knowing some propriety. If she truly enters our family door, she certainly won’t make unreasonable demands. And because of her humble family background, she’ll inevitably show us three parts reverence. Wouldn’t that be very good?”

Old Madam Ke, hearing his words were not unreasonable, became somewhat moved. So she sent people to Changwu County to inquire about the Lu family’s reputation and character, receiving reports that the Lu family’s character was upright. Since she really couldn’t overcome her son’s persistence, she found a matchmaker to propose to the Lu family.

The marriage was arranged very smoothly.

Although Ke Chengxing came from a merchant background, he was born handsome and elegant, refined and charming. Just looking at his appearance, saying he was an official family’s young master wouldn’t be excessive. During those days at the Lu family, he had also tried his best to appear gentle and courteous before the Lu family, modest like a gentleman. The Lu family all had good impressions of him.

Moreover, those fourteen sedan chairs of betrothal gifts were enough to express the Ke family’s sincerity.

In short, Lu Rou smoothly entered the Ke family’s door.

Having obtained such a delicate wife, how could Ke Chengxing be unsatisfied? Moreover, Lu Rou was not only beautiful but also understood propriety and knew when to advance and retreat. The clan’s younger generation all secretly envied him behind his back for marrying such a virtuous helper.

Until that day in Fengle Tower…

A strong wind outside blew the window shut with a “bang,” startling him from his thoughts.

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

Ke Chengxing raised his head, shivered, and asked Wan Fu, who was tidying 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 became stern as he stood up: “Take the things. We’re setting out now.”