Lin Xingwan and the others arrived at the foot of the mountain where Lin Yin Temple was located at three in the afternoon.
Although the place was more than sixty kilometers away from the city, it did not affect its flourishing incense.
"There are so many people here," Lin Xingwan couldn't help but sigh.
"Of course, Lin Yin Temple is particularly effective for matchmaking. Ninety-nine percent of those who come here to pray for marriage can get married and fulfill their vows within three years." Liu Mengqin's face was full of longing. Lin Xingwan thought it was too exaggerated. If it were really that effective, there wouldn't be so many lonely men and women in society now.
They arrived at the cable car station, bought their tickets, and got on. Three young girls, who looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, sat opposite Lin Xingwan and Liu Mengqin. Their faces were full of youth and vitality.
"I heard that Monk Bùluàn is on duty today. I wonder if we can get his autograph and listen to his lecture. I saved up for a long time to afford this trip. I never thought there could be such a man in this world."
"The hope is probably slim, after all, we're arriving so late. But just to catch a glimpse of Monk Bùluàn would be fulfilling a wish."
"I watch Monk Bùluàn's videos every night. I feel like I gain a different understanding of life with each viewing."
... The three girls raved about the 'Monk Bùluàn' they were talking about, filling Lin Xingwan with curiosity about who this Monk Bùluàn was.
Soon, the cable car arrived at the entrance of Lingyin Temple. Countless pilgrims came and went, a sea of black heads stretching as far as the eye could see. Most astonishingly, about fifty meters away from Lin Xingwan and her companions, numerous people were sitting on the ground, as if participating in some mysterious and ancient ritual.
"Monk Bùluàn is giving a lecture, quickly, let's run over there." The three girls standing next to Lin Xingwan and Liu Mengqin rushed forward. Liu Mengqin couldn't suppress her curiosity either. "Xingwan, let's go and see too."
So, the two of them also walked forward. Soon, they reached the outer edge of the crowd. Trying to push through was like dreaming. However, their position allowed them to see a monk surrounded by the crowd in the very center. He sat under a hundred-year-old Luohan pine, with a broom beside him. Although his face was unclear, his clear and unique voice seemed capable of dispelling inner restlessness and washing out human kindness.
"Parents are the Buddhas of this world; why travel thousands of miles to worship sacred mountains. Marriage is destined by heaven; marrying the wrong bride to the wrong groom. This humble monk is but an ordinary person, unable to glimpse heavenly secrets or control greed. The hour is late today, I hope all benefactors return home early and travel safely."
With his words, the monk surrounded by the crowd picked up his broom and turned to head in another direction. Many pilgrims sitting cross-legged on the ground had red eyes, some even shedding tears. Monk Bùluàn's words today seemed to have found a pure land for their restless hearts. Reflecting on their lives from birth until now, they realized that much beauty had been overlooked.
"I've always been thinking about living a better life in the future, and I work hard every day towards that goal. Little do I know that every day I have now is the youngest day of the rest of my life."
"I hope my parents are healthy. I've bought them many good things over the years, and even prayed to various deities. In reality, being by their side is the best gift."
"Monk Bùluàn is truly a living bodhisattva, awakening those in a dream with a single sentence. Our happiness or unhappiness in life, our happiness or unhappiness in marriage, is ultimately up to us. Appearance arises from the mind; fate is created by oneself."
... Lin Xingwan looked at the people filled with emotion and couldn't help but glance again at the departing Monk Bùluàn. His back was slender and faint, as if a stronger gust of wind could blow him over. Yet, even from his back, he exuded an aura of pride in the heavens and earth, standing aloof.
"If this monk did live-streaming, he'd be a huge hit. Look at everyone around him crying their eyes out because of his words. It's a shame he's not in sales, he'd make a fortune." Liu Mengqin clicked her tongue in amazement, then pulled Lin Xingwan towards the temple to pray for marriage. The process was simple: kneel, make a wish, and offer some incense money. Some people also drew lots, but drawing a lot cost twenty yuan, and interpreting it cost fifty yuan.
Lin Xingwan wasn't interested in these things, but Liu Mengqin was preoccupied with what the fortune teller had said. "Xingwan, the fortune teller told me I have a 'peach blossom calamity' coming soon. What could that be? Why don't you try drawing one too?"
"I'm not interested in these things. If I draw a good lot, I'll be happy, but if it's bad, it will affect my mood. I think I'm doing pretty well right now, and there's nothing I need to wish for." Lin Xingwan shook her head. Instead of wasting her energy on such matters, she'd rather work hard and be down-to-earth. What she wanted, she would achieve one by one.
Just as Lin Xingwan finished speaking, her gaze was drawn to a stone more than three meters high. There was a crack in the middle of the stone, revealing a dazzling pink crystal inside.
"This stone looks very valuable. Won't it be stolen if it's left here?" Lin Xingwan walked closer to the stone, and it seemed even bigger. Its diameter was at least five or six meters!
"Regarding your immature idea, our country has a mature legal system. Take a look at the cameras around you." Liu Mengqin tilted her chin. Lin Xingwan glanced over, and in just one direction, six cameras were clearly visible. Lin Xingwan: "..."
Liu Mengqin continued to explain, "This stone is called the 'Marriage Stone.' Legend has it that it fell from the Moon Palace in the heavens. As long as you place your hand on the stone, close your eyes, and ask who your other half will be, when you open your eyes, they will appear before you."
"That's too fake, it's just a scam." Lin Xingwan found this even more ridiculous than drawing lots.
"Try it, it doesn't cost anything anyway," Liu Mengqin urged. Lin Xingwan smiled, and finally closed her eyes, silently reciting, 'Who will be my other half?' In the next second, a slightly surprised male voice fell from above her head.
"Miss Lin, what are you doing here?" Lin Xingwan suddenly opened her eyes and, upon seeing Dongfang Junze, her foot slipped due to extreme shock, and she fell directly into the pool beside the stone. The bone-chilling water was unbearable in winter. Lin Xingwan's bones ached from the cold. As the surrounding pilgrims cast curious glances at her, she felt utterly humiliated.
#I wish I could turn into a turtle in the Wishing Pool# She didn't know what to do. Suddenly, a strong force pulled her, and a black suit jacket was draped over her. Lin Xingwan was then scooped up in a princess carry and carried away in a certain direction. It was Dongfang Junze who carried her.
"If you don't want to fall, hold onto my neck." The man, with his thin lips pressed together, looked straight ahead. He wasn't walking anymore; it was more like running. The temperature on the mountain was already low, and the water in the pool was mountain spring water, bone-chillingly cold. If not treated immediately, the cold would enter her body.
Liu Mengqin stared at the scene in dumbfounded astonishment. It wasn't until Dongfang Junze and Lin Xingwan's figures disappeared that she stammered in surprise, "Secretary Chen... Secretary Chen... Mr. Dongfang carried Xingwan away? Did I see that correctly?" The fact that Lin Xingwan touched the Marriage Stone and Dongfang Junze appeared was already outrageous. Now, with them leaving in such a manner, Liu Mengqin couldn't help but overthink.
Chen Yuchu smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Our executive is very kind-hearted." As expected... when the young master encountered matters related to the young madam, his intelligence dropped to negative.
Lin Xingwan was carried by Dongfang Junze all the way back to a quaint courtyard. He kicked open the door, and the entire room was filled with mist. A massive pool was steaming, with four dragon heads at its corners spewing hot water, and extravagant flower petals floating in the pool. Dongfang Junze carried Lin Xingwan into the pool. She felt her entire body enveloped by the warm water, and the bone-chilling cold gradually receded. Her trembling body finally began to stabilize.
As the physical pain subsided, the emotional pain became clearer. Lin Xingwan realized belatedly that Dongfang Junze was sitting in the pool, and she was being held on his lap. The water level reached his chest, and the buttons of his shirt had been undone at some point, revealing his firm chest muscles. The seductive aura was undeniable.
"Feeling better now?" Although Zhou Jinbai wore a mask, his icy eyes were filled with concern. Lin Xingwan's heart pounded. She was too close to the man in front of her. Forget about the cold; she felt like her whole body was burning.
"I'm feeling better, thank you, Mr. Dongfang." Lin Xingwan said, then struggled to escape from Dongfang Junze's embrace. However, the grip around her waist was too strong. Lin Xingwan could only say with a flushed face, "Mr. Dongfang, please let me go."
"Let's soak a little longer. I promise I won't do anything," Zhou Jinbai couldn't possibly leave her at ease. She was so clumsy, how could she fall into the pool? However, Lin Xingwan was stubborn. "Mr. Dongfang, you are a man of noble character, and I naturally know you wouldn't do anything to me. But as a married woman, being held by another man makes me feel like I'm letting my husband down. So please, let me go."
The man looked at the shyness in her eyes replaced by coldness, and finally let her go. *Silly wife, aren't I your husband?* "The water depth varies. You stay here and don't move around. You need to soak for at least half an hour." After giving these instructions, Zhou Jinbai got out of the pool.
As the man's back disappeared behind the flowing curtains, Lin Xingwan's heart suddenly felt empty. But why would she feel a sense of loss because of Dongfang Junze's departure? She clearly had someone she loved, her husband Zhou Jinbai! Was she a fickle woman? With this realization in her mind, Lin Xingwan even scooped up some water and splashed it on her face.
When Lin Xingwan emerged from the pool, she saw Liu Mengqin sitting by a fireplace in the courtyard, drinking juice. She looked incredibly relaxed. Seeing Lin Xingwan, Liu Mengqin beckoned to her. Lin Xingwan sat down opposite Liu Mengqin and found a steaming cup of brown sugar ginger tea placed in front of her.
"Drink it quickly, to ward off the cold," Liu Mengqin urged Lin Xingwan. Lin Xingwan then drank the brown sugar ginger tea in one gulp.
"Xingwan, be honest with me, are you involved with Dongfang Junze?" Liu Mengqin could no longer suppress her curiosity. After Lin Xingwan was carried away by Dongfang Junze, she had thought of many things. If Ge Xuan Temple's casting in "Immortal Path" was initially due to his qualifications, then all the subsequent good things happening were too coincidental.
Lin Xingwan almost choked on the brown sugar ginger tea she was drinking. "Sister Qin, what nonsense are you talking about? What could I possibly have with Dongfang Junze?"
"If you didn't have something going on, why would the Dongfang Corporation suddenly give the agency rights for the construction industry to the Lin family? And Dongfang Junze has saved you multiple times. When you fell into the pool today, you didn't see how anxious Dongfang Junze looked. I'd believe you if he said you were the woman he loved most."
"Dongfang Junze is just a very kind-hearted person. There is nothing ambiguous between him and me. Sister Qin, I would never do anything to betray Jinbai. Even if others don't believe me, you are my friend, and I hope you won't say such things again." Lin Xingwan's expression turned cold. This was the first time she had spoken to Liu Mengqin so seriously. "Although my husband doesn't have a family background as good as Dongfang Junze's, nor is he as outstanding, I love my husband and will be loyal to him."
Liu Mengqin looked crestfallen and changed the subject. "Dongfang Junze wants us to stay in this house tonight. I heard there's a very luxurious bath here. I'm going to enjoy it too." With that, Liu Mengqin walked towards where Lin Xingwan had come out.
Zhou Jinbai's phone rang, and Lin Xingwan quickly answered. "Wife, you should have arrived by now?"
"We have." Hearing Zhou Jinbai's voice, Lin Xingwan suddenly felt wronged. "I wish you were here with me."
"What's wrong, wife?" Zhou Jinbai asked. "Did something happen? Why do you sound so down?"
"It's nothing, I just think the scenery at Lin Yin Temple is beautiful. It feels a bit regrettable without you by my side." Lin Xingwan actually wanted to tell him about falling into the pool, but thinking about everything that happened afterward, she decided not to, afraid Zhou Jinbai would misunderstand.
"Then shall I come over now?"
"No need, Sister Qin and I will leave tomorrow. We can come together next time. I'm a bit tired, I'm going to sleep." After hanging up the phone, Lin Xingwan went to her room to sleep.
Meanwhile, standing in another independent courtyard, Zhou Jinbai casually placed his phone on the table and instructed Chen Yuchu, who stood before him, "Hao Manqing can be released now."
"Yes, Young Master." Chen Yuchu acknowledged the order and quickly left.
About ten minutes later, in a corner of Rongcheng, a horrifying scene was unfolding.