Chapter 384: Paint Her Outline

The sweeping monk shook his head and said with a smile, “Not at all. Those women were so madly in love that they collectively forced this immortal lord into marriage. The immortal lord, with no other choice, married them all. In perfect harmony, they all ascended to immortality together. It is said that even now, the immortal lord and her (?)¹ wives remain deeply in love.”

This sounded a little far-fetched to Abbess Jiunan. Having been born into a royal family, she was well aware of the chaotic life in the royal harem. Hearing the sweeping monk speak of a harmonious and blissful harem seemed utterly impossible to her, and she let out a cold snort.

“How could that be? There’s no such thing as a harmonious harem.”

“Not so. Those women were so obsessed, that none of them were willing to give up on the immortal lord.”

Abbess Jiunan was even more astonished, unable to comprehend how the immortal lord had managed it. The sweeping monk, noticing the abbess was finally somewhat intrigued, continued his explanation: “The reason I’m telling you this story, is not to discuss the immortal lord, but rather to highlight that, like Benefactor Wenxin, this immortal lord possessed a peach blossom golden body. And it is said that peach blossoms have the power to turn people into captives of love.”

Abbess Jiunan shuddered. She looked at her own golden aura, finally understanding why there were traces of peach blossoms on it. While the story might be exaggerated, it was true that Ye Wenxin’s peach blossom aura was able to taint others’ golden bodies. If Abbess Jiunan’s will had been a bit weaker earlier, she might have lost herself in that game of pain.

Abbess Jiunan had a lingering fear, acknowledging that she had underestimated the umbrella sword’s master due to her own preconceived notion.

“Regarding Miss Wenxin, Junior Brother Shimie has also mentioned quite a few of her Azure Wings Sect anecdotes. If Junior Sister Jiunan still heeds my advice, I suggest you give up any thoughts of the umbrella sword.”

Abbess Jiunan’s expression changed, and she asked seriously, “Could it be that even the umbrella sword has…”

“The umbrella sword itself is an inanimate object, so the peach blossom golden body cannot taint it. The two ghosts hiding within the umbrella sword, however, are likely to fall victim sooner or later.”

The sweeping monk slightly widened his eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that the person in front of him was his junior sister, he definitely wouldn’t reveal any more details.

“Well, this monk needs to get back to sweeping.” The sweeping monk saw that Abbess Jiunan appeared to have endured a real ordeal, picked up his broom, and left.

Abbess Jiunan watched the sweeping monk’s retreating figure, and bowed in gratitude. She then returned to her room, looked at the wardrobe full of garments, and changed out of her red dress into a monk’s robes, restoring her true appearance as Abbess Jiunan…

At the end of the day, when Ye Wenxin saw Abbess Jiunan again, she noticed that the second peach blossom mark she had left on Abbess Jiunan’s aura had completely disappeared. She never intended to capture the abbess, so she didn’t pay it much mind.

Abbess Jiunan acted her usual self, but she showed some reluctance to sit still. As soon as she finished eating, she eagerly stood up and invited Ye Wenxin for a stroll around the Southern Dipper Temple.

After the previous experience, Gu Xiangsi kept a close watch on the abbess the entire time. However, Abbess Jiunan no longer had any intention of accepting the troublesome Ye Wenxin as her disciple, and was wary of a third spanking. Noticing that Ye Wenxin and Gu Xiangsi were silent, Abbess Jiunan continued, “The Beast Taming Garden has sent a reply.”

Ye Wenxin finally looked up. “Oh? What does it say?”

Abbess Jiunan handed over the letter. “They have postponed the Spiritual Beast Tournament, and will fully support Yangzhou City.”

Ye Wenxin glanced at the letter, noting the densely packed characters. The letter began with a mention of Zhu-zhu. After reading a few lines, Ye Wenxin recognized the tone as that of Xuan Luofei, likely penned by Xi Mengxuan or another disciple from the Beast Taming Garden.

In the letter, Xuan Luofei inquired about Ye Wenxin’s current situation at the Southern Dipper Temple, asking whether she was eating well, sleeping enough, and other daily concerns. Ye Wenxin almost laughed out loud, but considering Xuan Luofei was just that kind, she merely smiled slightly, her features relaxing.

Abbess Jiunan, recalling the sweeping monk’s words, felt mixed emotions. Realizing that the letter’s author, the Beast Taming Garden’s Head Senior Sister, was likely one of Ye Wenxin’s lovers, she teased, “I was curious about who Zhu-zhu was. It turns out that’s your nickname.”

Ye Wenxin, in a good mood, shook her head and explained, “No, Zhu-zhu was the spirit beast Senior Sister Xuan had raised.”

“Huh?”

Abbess Jiunan was quite surprised, not understanding why Ye Wenxin would be using the name of a spirit beast.

Ye Wenxin clarified, “Later, someone ate that spirit beast. She said I was the spirit beast’s reincarnation, so she has been calling me Zhu-zhu ever since.”

Abbess Jiunan’s expression grew even more complex. She seemed puzzled why Ye Wenxin was somewhat pleased when mentioning the beast being eaten. However, her interest had waned, and she was now more focused on how to get Ye Wenxin to willingly return the umbrella sword.

As they continued to walk through the courtyard, Ye Wenxin was a bit absent-minded after reading the letter, and wasn’t really in the mood to discuss Zen with the abbess. Abbess Jiunan was accustomed to silence, and the two of them simply wandered around the courtyard.

The young Gu Xiangsi was naturally unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the older generation. She watched as they just strolled around, and had some mysterious conversation. Then, they would walk and stop occasionally without saying anything, before facing somewhere lost in thought. Eventually, unable to tolerate it anymore, Gu Xiangsi excused herself to run off and play with Wang Cuihua.

Now, Ye Wenxin and Abbess Jiunan were the only ones in the courtyard. Ye Wenxin had lost interest in the Southern Dipper Temple, and was preoccupied with thoughts about Yangzhou City’s situation. The memories she had inherited from Celestial Master Zhong were urging her to quickly deal with the hidden threat, the Jiangshi King.

She let out a sigh, which finally gave Abbess Jiunan a topic. “Why the sigh, Benefactor Wenxin?”

Ye Wenxin turned to Abbess Jiunan but didn’t reveal the true reason. “Just thinking about someone.”

The concept of ‘someone’ was quite vague, but essentially, Ye Wenxin didn’t want to discuss her troubles with the abbess. Instead, she opted to talk about something monastic people were least familiar with—romance.

“Oh? Then perhaps you can tell me, Benefactor. This nun might have a way to help.”

However, Abbess Jiunan’s mind drifted back to what had happened with Ye Wenxin when she had disguised herself as Ah Jiu. Ye Wenxin had mentioned seeking her out again, so perhaps she had developed some feelings after their brief parting.

It was very underhanded, but Abbess Jiunan simply had no honest way to retrieve the umbrella sword from Ye Wenxin. Given Ye Wenxin’s strong prudence, and the fact that even the Bright Mirror Formation hadn’t affected her, Abbess Jiunan decided to use Ah Jiu’s identity to shift the situation in her favor.

Ye Wenxin quickly picked up on Abbess Jiunan’s meaning and, recalling the experience of disciplining ‘Ah Jiu’, couldn’t help but rub her hands together. She continued, “I’m thinking of someone I met briefly, but I find myself missing the time I spent with her.”

Abbess Jiunan, pleasantly surprised, barely restrained the urge to immediately reappear as Ah Jiu before Ye Wenxin. However, she was still Abbess Jiunan, so she replied, “And where is this person from? Perhaps this nun can offer some assistance.”

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Footnotes:

1. 1. I put a question mark here, because I’m not sure if this is actually a ‘her’. Author often typos 他 (he) with 她 (she). ↩︎