"A virgin body? How miraculous?" Mrs. Zhang's mouth hung open, clearly she had only just learned this.
Zhong Li lay on the bed, initially considering the conversation between Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li as mere idle chatter. But upon hearing Mrs. Li speak and the mention of Baolin Temple, a flicker of doubt arose in her heart.
To reshape a virgin body, how was that possible? This wasn't something modern medicine could reconstruct in a woman.
She sat up, deciding not to sleep. Throwing on an outer garment, she sat beside them, waiting for Mrs. Li to continue.
Mrs. Li and Mrs. Zhang had intended to frighten her. They hadn't expected this woman to act so out of the ordinary. Seeing them looking as if they had more to say, they were at a loss.
"Continue," Zhong Li urged after a long wait when they fell silent.
Mrs. Li gave a dry laugh, her eyes darting around as she said, "But to reshape a virgin body, the conditions are quite stringent. It requires passing a trial set by the Buddha."
"What kind of trial?" Mrs. Zhang asked.
Mrs. Li replied, "I'm not entirely sure of the specifics. I heard that late at night, a place within Baolin Temple is filled with the sounds of ghostly wails. Only women who can endure such torment will be blessed by Buddha and have their virgin bodies restored."
"Is that so..." Mrs. Zhang pondered, then asked, "Since we are at Baolin Temple now, will we also hear such strange noises?"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li's expression suddenly tensed. She yanked the quilt over her head and said, "Then hurry and sleep! If you sleep through the night, you won't know anything."
With that, she shot Zhong Li a glance and feigned closing her eyes as if to rest.
Seeing her like this, Mrs. Zhang also grabbed the quilt and pulled it over herself, intending to rest.
Zhong Li, seeing their behavior, knew they had given up since she wasn't falling for their scare tactics. She reluctantly abandoned her quest to learn more about Baolin Temple's secrets, pursed her lips, and got out of bed to extinguish the lamp again.
She picked up the oil lamp cover from the table. Just as she snuffed out the flame, planning to sleep, she suddenly heard a faint sound of suffering.
"Mmm...呜呜..."
Zhong Li thought she had misheard. She halted her half-finished movement, held her breath, and listened intently.
In just a moment, another sound followed, this time clearer than before. If one listened carefully, they could discern the length and pauses of the sounds.
"呜呜...嘶..."
Zhong Li's brows furrowed, her eyes filled with disbelief. Before she could listen further, deafening screams erupted from the dormitory.
"Ah! A ghost!"
She recognized the voices as belonging to Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li.
Zhong Li's lips tightened. She took out a flint from her怀 and relit the oil lamp.
When her gaze fell upon the bed, she saw Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li huddled together, trembling. Their snot and tears mixed, soaking their clothes and bedding. They looked utterly pathetic.
"There's a ghost, it's crying!" Mrs. Zhang, seeing Zhong Li's expressionless face, assumed she hadn't heard. She pointed towards the window to alert her.
Zhong Li, however, let out a cold scoff, "Shut up!"
Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li froze.
At the same moment, another sound echoed. This time it wasn't a mournful whimper, but a crying sound, akin to a cat in heat, its pitch sharp and piercing.
"Wow...呜呜..."
Startled, Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li turned pale. Just as they were about to scream again, Zhong Li reacted faster. She took out two socks from her shoes and stuffed one into each of their mouths.
"Mmm... mmm..."
Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li were silenced, their tears flowing freely. They were simply too terrified.
"Are you scared?" Zhong Li observed them, noticing their earlier bravado had completely vanished.
Mrs. Zhang removed the sock from her mouth, tears welling up, and asked Zhong Li in a low voice, "Miss Hua, aren't you afraid?"
"What is there to be afraid of?" Zhong Li retorted, explaining, "There are no ghosts in this world. There must be something amiss. If I'm not mistaken, that last sound was the cry of an infant."
"A baby's cry? How is that possible? This is a temple," Mrs. Li said, her eyebrows knitting together in disbelief.
Zhong Li walked over to her and casually pulled out a handkerchief, stuffing it into her hand. She gestured for her to wipe her face and said, "What's impossible about it? Didn't you just mention something about Miss Zhu's affairs?"
"I made that up... no, pfft." Mrs. Li, realizing her mistake, spat twice and said, "I just heard rumors, and it can't be believed."
"Why can't it be believed? You spoke of it, and it happened right afterward?" Zhong Li questioned.
Hearing this, Mrs. Li looked as if she wanted to slap herself twice. "I... I just exaggerated a bit. I didn't expect..."
"Exaggerated? So Miss Zhu's affairs are true? Tell me exactly what happened," Zhong Li seized on Mrs. Li's words and pressed for details.
Mrs. Li had initially disliked Zhong Li, but now she was beside herself with worry, afraid of being called a jinx. After a long hesitation, she said, "The legitimate daughter of Lord Zhu, Zhu Jie, was like an older sister to me in childhood. When Lord Zhu's official position was the same as my father's, we used to play together.
Later, as Lord Zhu's position advanced, my father began to curry favor with him. Zhu Jie, along with other noble ladies, rarely interacted with me anymore.
Last year, Zhu Jie's situation became the talk of the entire noble circle. Lord Zhu began to interact with our Li family again. At first, I thought Lord Zhu, cherishing old ties, wanted to maintain his previous relationship with my father.
But then I realized I was overthinking it. He did so only to find my mother."
"What did he want with your mother?" Zhong Li asked.
Mrs. Li replied, "My mother is from the Shurong Kingdom."
Hearing Mrs. Li's words, Zhong Li recalled Consort Rong, who was still confined in the cold palace. She had a general idea of what Lord Zhu was trying to do.
Mrs. Zhang, having little experience, did not understand Mrs. Li's meaning and asked, "What's wrong with the Shurong Kingdom?"
Mrs. Li glanced at her and stammered for a long time before managing to utter, "My mother knows some secret methods for childbirth and abortion."
"So, Lord Zhu wants to secretly... the child in Zhu Jie's belly..." Mrs. Zhang made a throat-slitting gesture.
Mrs. Li nodded, confirming her guess.
Mrs. Zhang shuddered a few times and said, "You don't know, Buddha says there is cause and effect, karma and retribution. Lord Zhu will be repaid for this."
"Hush," Mrs. Li made a shushing gesture, telling her not to speak carelessly.
"What happened next?" Zhong Li looked at Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Li. Seeing they were still a bit frightened, she walked to the oil lamp and stirred the wick a few times.
Mrs. Li felt the room grow brighter and her courage increased. She said, "Although my mother knew these things, she knew that doing such things often invited retribution, especially affecting future generations. So, she pointed Lord Zhu to a path."
"What path?" Zhong Li had a rough idea, but she still hoped to hear it from Mrs. Li's lips.
"She told Lord Zhu to find Abbot Jiyuan here at Baolin Temple. He would have a way."