Chapter 74: Monks Are Not to Be Underestimated

Shen Xian gazed at her. She stood there, as if she would never fade, still pure and gentle, her smile blossoming like a flower. Just as she had ten years ago.

Shen Xian was momentarily lost in thought.

Is it possible?

Back then, no matter what she wanted or did, she would always ask, “Brother Shen Xian, is it okay?”

Shen Xian never refused her.

But today, Shen Xian would refuse.

He smiled and shook his head. “I’m sorry, it’s not possible.”

As he spoke, he crouched down and gently, carefully fastened the bracelet around Qingqing’s neck.

Qingqing didn’t understand who the woman before her was; her wide eyes were full of confusion. But soon, her attention was drawn to the golden beads, which she stroked lovingly, unable to let go.

The gaze of the woman, once his first love, fell on Qingqing.

This little girl has such a noble air.

Some children are born with an aura of distinction; at a glance, you know their parents are extraordinary.

Qingqing was one of those children.

Her first love thought to herself, “Her mother must come from a wealthy family, and surely she’s beautiful too!”

“What a lovely child. She is…?” she asked.

Shen Xian replied, “My… daughter.”

At his words, she was obviously stunned.

After years apart, Shen Xian already had a child?

“And her mother?” his first love looked around, searching.

“She had something to do today and couldn’t come. I brought her out to play,” Shen Xian explained.

She nodded, her gaze lingering on the string of golden beads, and she spoke with a hint of regret, “My grandmother is a devout Buddhist, as you know. She loves these kinds of things. Her birthday is next month, so… would you be willing to part with it? I can pay you.”

She had always been this way.

In her mind, money could buy anything, even a person’s dignity.

Shen Xian smiled and shook his head, “No, my daughter likes it very much. Her happiness is more important than anything.”

The onlookers couldn’t help but show envy in their eyes.

What a good father—something worth ten million, given to his child simply because she liked it.

Looking at Shen Xian’s clothes, nothing was particularly expensive, just a set of sportswear worth no more than five hundred. He didn’t seem to belong to the wealthy elite.

“You’re still angry, aren’t you?” she drew closer, quietly watching him.

Compared to ten years ago, Shen Xian had grown more resolute, his eyes deeper.

He was truly handsome.

She sighed inwardly. If only he had the family background to match, perhaps they could have been together.

But there are no “ifs” in this world.

Her sense of class had reached a staggering degree. Under her father’s influence, the belief in marrying within one’s social circle was deeply ingrained.

The security guard could only marry the cleaning lady, the factory worker only the factory girl, the teacher only the nurse…

And whoever married her, must be one of their own.

“It’s been ten years,” Shen Xian said. “There’s no point talking about hate anymore.”

Did he hate her?

Yes, intensely. She had neutered his emotions, deprived him of the ability to love another.

He still couldn’t piece together his shattered self.

She shook her head, fixing her gaze on him, as if gaining the upper hand. “No, you can’t let it go. I know you. You always cling to the past, to every grievance and wound, unable to embrace a new beginning. But people can’t stay trapped in the past. Life must move forward. To walk out of sorrow with dignity is true courage, isn’t it?”

Shen Xian looked at her with biting sarcasm. “See, this is exactly what I dislike about you. You enjoy driving me mad, watching calmly, then standing on moral high ground saying I’m trapped in the past, emotionally unstable. After that day, I had neither love nor hate, and no complaints. I’m simply telling you, I understand now.”

With that, Shen Xian took Qingqing’s hand and headed down the mountain from the Golden Mountain Temple.

The crowd understood. This couple, once loving, now strangers to the extreme.

“Shen Xian, perhaps we could talk again. Ten million would be enough for you to live well,” she said.

Her grandmother had mentioned this bracelet for a long time. If she could present it on her birthday, surely she’d be thrilled. If she was pleased, she might grant her some shares—shares worth over a billion.

“No need,” Shen Xian replied.

She grew anxious, chased after him, grabbing his sleeve. “This means a lot to me. Please, understand, just this once?”

Shen Xian used to fall for this trick.

But now, he shook her hand off.

“Understanding you is just making things harder for myself,” Shen Xian’s eyes were calm.

Facing her again, perhaps his heart would stir, perhaps he’d feel unwilling, perhaps he’d think things shouldn’t be this way between them.

But Shen Xian knew, it could only be this way.

Tears shimmered in her eyes, making her look pitiable. “You’ve changed. You used to indulge me.”

Shen Xian merely watched her performance in silence. No one knew better than he how skilled she was at acting.

She could appear infinitely tender.

Shen Xian felt a surge of irritation and sneered, “When you say I’ve changed, you mean I’m not acting according to your wishes.”

With that, he picked up Qingqing and walked down the mountain.

No one saw the sorrow in his eyes.

He would never turn back to love this woman, no matter how reluctant, no matter how unwilling.

Those crushed once will doubt all love.

She watched Shen Xian’s retreating figure, her gaze growing cold.

So even the ox and horse have learned to rebel?

This feeling was very unpleasant.

Shouldn’t oxen and horses be obedient?

Qingqing sat on Shen Xian’s shoulders, hugging his head, looking around, everything was so new to her.

Shen Xian suddenly realized it was much more comfortable to be with children.

Some adults looked like people, but weren’t people at all.

“Daddy, I want that.” Qingqing pointed to a jade Buddha on the brochure, about the size of an egg, a deep, vibrant green.

It was the treasure of Solitary Mountain Temple.

Here was called Ten Thousand Buddha Lake, the distant mountains called Ten Thousand Buddha Mountain, with thriving Buddhist incense.

Solitary Mountain Temple was seeking a new couplet. The original couplet had been taken overseas to another Solitary Mountain Temple, so they needed a new one.

The reward was a jade Buddha.

Shen Xian knew nothing of jade or antiques, only that the Buddha was beautiful.

“Are you heading to Solitary Mountain Temple?” Master Xu Zijian, a renowned scholar, saw Shen Xian looking at the brochure and asked.

“My daughter wants it, so I thought I’d go take a look,” Shen Xian replied with a gentle smile.

Xu Zijian said, “Perfect, we’re heading the same way. Let’s take the yacht together.”

Shen Xian considered and nodded.

Solitary Mountain Temple sat on Solitary Mountain Island in Ten Thousand Buddha Lake; to reach it, you had to take a boat or a yacht.

A yacht ride cost eight hundred per person for a single trip, and the journey took ten minutes.

“I’ll cover it,” Xu Zijian offered.

“Let’s split the cost,” Shen Xian said.

Xu Zijian paused, then nodded, “That works.”

From this, it was clear Shen Xian wasn’t the type to take advantage of others.

Hearing Shen Xian was off to Solitary Mountain Temple, many bystanders followed to join the excitement.

“What’s your surname?” Xu Zijian asked.

“Professor Xu, just call me Xiao Shen,” Shen Xian replied.

“The couplet requirements at Solitary Mountain Temple are stricter. I’ve tried many times, but none were accepted. Do you have confidence?” Xu Zijian asked.

Shen Xian’s smile was gentle. “We’ll see when we get there.”

Behind them, his first love boarded her own yacht. “Let’s go to Solitary Mountain Temple. If I can’t get the golden bracelet, I must get that jade Buddha, no matter what!”

A bodyguard cracked his knuckles. “Should we just take it by force?”

She glanced at her strong but simple-minded bodyguard and spoke coolly, “The monks at Solitary Mountain Temple may be vegetarians, but they’re not soft.”

“If you speak to them of literature, they’ll speak literature with you.”

“If you reason with them, they’ll reason with you.”

“But if you don’t reason, they’ll show you their fists.”