Chen Shi’s words had hardly left his mouth when Black Pot, who was sitting in the wooden cart and nibbling on a stead bun, suddenly shivered with alarm, hurriedly stuffed the bun into its mouth, and stared at Ying Ruming with wariness.
A silent gloom began to swirl around it, ready to back up Chen Shi at any mont.
The wooden cart, oblivious and foolish, continued to stuff its mouth with food, blissfully unaware of the impending danger.
Ying Ruming chuckled, "Bread? Where is there bread? There are only hot, soft stead buns. Would you like to eat one?"
Chen Shi gazed into her eyes as if to discern her authenticity but was unable to glean anything from her gaze. He laughed, "I heard that the solid-gold statue in Gongzhou has been hollowed out by mycelium and that the demon endangering Gongzhou has escaped. Knowing that Zen Master Ku and Monk Wu Chen have entered Gongzhou and not having seen you, Master Ying, I suspected that you might be that demon. Thus, I decided to bluff you. Please don’t take offense, Master Ying."
Ying Ruming peered into his eyes, as if she wanted to see into his soul, but what she saw was a demon even more formidable than herself.
After a mont, she snickered, "I wouldn’t be offended. As a renunciate, I embrace the ’all is emptiness’ principle. Why would I be upset? I went to Gongzhou because I received news of my brother Zen Master Ku’s death, and so I rushed over to tend to the aftermath."
She gracefully swept a lock of hair behind her ear, inadvertently allowing her sleeve to slip down, revealing her smooth, fair arm.
Chen Shi, unmoved by the allure, fixed his eyes on the entrance of the pub, "If ’all is emptiness’, why bother with affairs after death?"
Ying Ruming’s chest rose slightly, and her clothing seed to beco a bit more sheer. With a light smile, she said, "The body is but a bag of flesh, and while it remains in this world, such matters must be attended to."
Chen Shi looked at the bustling pub and said, "Reading too much Buddhist Law, can a demon beco a Buddha?"
Ying Ruming turned to him, and Chen Shi roared with laughter, "I was rely testing you! Look how scared you got!"
Ying Ruming giggled, "And what did your testing reveal?"
Chen Shi shook his head, "Nothing at all."
Black Pot heard a ’pop’ above its head and lifted a paw to touch it, only to find a mushroom had grown there, chilling it to the core.
The wooden cart was even worse, with ’pop, pop, pop’ sounds erupting as it quickly beca covered in little mushrooms!
Terrified, Black Pot prayed its young master would stop his testing.
Chen Shi inquired, "Does Great Baoguo Temple have female cultivators too?"
Ying Ruming, seeing that he was unmoved by her charms, thought to herself, "His spiritual cultivation is good... Wait, could it be he is still ignorant of the matters between n and won? Was my prior conduct re folly perford for a blind man?"
She pursed her lips and smiled, "If ’all is emptiness,’ why distinguish between male and female?"
Chen Shi earnestly replied, "As long as we reside in the mortal world in this bag of flesh, we naturally must distinguish between male and female."
Ying Ruming locked eyes with him, her earlier words now echoed by Chen Shi in response to her!
Chen Shi held her gaze.
Black Pot plucked the mushrooms from the cart and stuffed them into its mouth, its heart pounding as it watched them.
Chen Shi suddenly burst into laughter, "I was only teasing you, Master Ying. Don’t be excited."
Ying’s earlier seriousness vanished into laughter, "You really scared there!"
Black Pot clenched its teeth, plucked the mushroom from its head, and shoved it into its mouth, watching the two of them with a fierce gaze.
The wooden cart quietly sprouted limbs, picking the mushrooms off itself and tasting them. Finding them quite pleasant, it picked more and ate them.
Just then, Monk Wu Chen strode out of the pub, cheerfully saying, "Master Ying, Mr. Chen, I’ve managed to get another al. Let’s eat together!"
Chen Shi pulled a small round table from the cart, set it up in the shade of a street corner tree, and took out a few small stools, "Black Pot, co down and eat too."
Black Pot shook its head like a rattle, its ears slapping against its face.
Chen Shi did not insist, and the three sat down to enjoy the vegetarian dishes obtained by Wu Chen. Although simple, the food was still quite tasty.
Chen Shi asked, "Monk, why are you still in Xinxiang and not back at Great Baoguo Temple?"
Monk Wu Chen replied, "Master Ying said that I still possessed worldly desires and needed to polish my resolve in the mundane world so that my Buddhist Law and the Great Wheel Ming King Golden Light Mantra could advance further."
Chen Shi looked at Ying Ruming in surprise, "Master Ying is also versed in Buddhist Law and the Great Wheel Ming King Golden Light Mantra?"
Ying Ruming smiled, "Following the death of my brother Zen Master Ku, I am considered the foremost authority on the Great Wheel Ming King Golden Light Mantra in this age."
Chen Shi raised his brows, "I’ve heard the demon from Gongzhou sucked dry Zen Master Ku’s golden body with its mycelium. Surely its proficiency in that art rivals Master Ying’s, doesn’t it?"
"Snort!"
Monk Wu Chen choked and coughed loudly, his face turning red.
Ying Ruming t Chen Shi’s gaze with a smirk that was almost but not quite a smile.
Chen Shi continued eating, laughing heartily, "I was only jesting earlier! Eat, Master Ying."
Ying Ruming ground her teeth and smiled mischievously, "If one jokes too much, it could be deadly. Once, soone made a joke while eating and died. Can you guess how?"
Chen Shi leaned in, curiosity brimming in his eyes, "How did he die?"
"Curiosity killed him!"
Ying Ruming burst into laughter, "Isn’t that hilarious? Ha ha ha ha!"
Chen Shi joined in, laughing so hard that he cried.
Monk Wu Chen quickly changed the subject, "I am staying in Xinxiang because I’ve been recognized. After recognition, I can be considered a senior monk who can travel freely making things much more convenient. Mr. Chen, on the day results were posted, I saw your na atop the list, even above the children of influential families."
Chen Shi knew he was always mindful of status, undoubtedly thinking better of him because of his high ranking, and so he said, "What are your plans after your recognition, Monk?"
Monk Wu Chen replied, "I will follow Master Ying through the provinces, to experience local customs and refine my will."
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