Before long, the door opened from within. A monk-dressed man came to answer it, sizing her up from head to toe with an indifferent expression. "Amitabha. Whom does the benefactor seek?"
Meng Anli politely said, "May I ask if Meng Shiwan is here?"
The monk immediately broke into a smile. "You're looking for Shiwan? What is this female benefactor to her?"
"I'm her elder sister."
"I'll take you inside."
"Thank you."
This was a Buddhist Academy.
Just beyond the entrance stood two Vajra statues with eyes glaring wide.
Further in were Apsara statues draped in colored ribbons, graceful and light-bodied, some playing pipa behind their backs, others holding musical drums.
Beyond that, the Eighteen Arhats stood displayed on either side. On both sides were the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats, the Medicine Buddha Hall, and the Maitreya Buddha Hall. At the very back stood the Mahavira Hall.
Only behind the Mahavira Hall was the interior of the academy.
The monk who had led her in had been enthusiastically explaining everything the entire way.
Seeing how vastly his attitude had changed before and after, Meng Anli knew it was Meng Shiwan's doing.
She could not help wondering—what exactly had Meng Shiwan done?
Even the gatekeeping monk treated her this way.
"This is the Zen courtyard where Shiwan stays."
Meng Anli followed the direction of his finger and looked over.
Within the scenic Zen courtyard stood a Zen room open from north to south.
Around thirty meditation cushions had been placed inside the Zen room.
Class had not yet begun, and everyone was gathered together in twos and threes.
At the very center, surrounded by many male disciples, was Meng Shiwan.
They looked at her with worshipful eyes as they asked her something.
She slightly raised her chin. "That's called explosives. Give me enough raw materials, and what I make will be powerful enough to destroy an entire city."
Like a bolt from the blue, it split open the memories Meng Anli had deliberately suppressed.
She remembered!
The day before the Crown Prince and Meng Shiwan's wedding.
The Crown Prince had come to see her.
She had begged the Crown Prince to let her go, but he had said that she deserved to die for bullying Meng Shiwan.
She had questioned why the feelings they had shared for over a decade could not measure up to the feelings he had shared with Meng Shiwan for two years.
The Crown Prince had said Meng Shiwan was the most extraordinary woman he had ever met.
Her mind was full of strange and wonderful ideas.
She could make explosives.
She had also created skin cream that could make fairies even more beautiful.
Sanitary Napkins for monthly use.
Body wash for bathing.
Shampoo for washing hair, and through Mo Ziqian's business connections, she had made him so much money that his coffers overflowed.
She could help him achieve his grand ambitions.
He had said she was like a rat in a gutter, not worth even a single strand of Shiwan's hair.
Her father and brothers had already done so, and Meng Shiwan would come from time to time to curse at her, mock her, and belittle her.
A Yao had died too.
Even her last hope had demeaned her until she was worth nothing.
He had even personally stuffed her into the Jade Bottle. She only remembered that the Jade Bottle had dissolved her pain, forgetting the Crown Prince's humiliation—and forgetting this crucial piece of information as well.
Fortunately, she remembered it all now.
Fortunately, it was not too late.
Meng Shiwan, so this was your advanced knowledge and technology.
In this life, I will never allow you to grow stronger.
"Shiwan, your elder sister has come to see you!" the attendant monk called loudly.
Meng Shiwan's face instantly turned pale.
She turned her head stiffly. When she saw Meng Ying's face, she let out a heavy sigh of relief.
Then her eyes filled with undisguised disdain, yet she ran over cheerfully.
"Big Sister Xiao Ying, how did you get here?"
Meng Anli said, "Mother, she..."
"Big Sister Xiao Ying, did your mother send you here?"
Hearing this, the attendant monk curiously asked, "She isn't your biological elder sister?"
"Mhm. She's a maid who grew up with me, as close as sisters. Her mother is my wet nurse."
When the attendant monk looked at Meng Anli again, his gaze carried deeper meaning.
He advised Meng Shiwan, "Shiwan, you're pure and kind, but you should still keep your distance from maids. After all, some people use your name to swindle others and raise their own status."
Meng Shiwan affectionately took Meng Anli's hand. "She wouldn't~"
The other disciples also came over and began praising her again.
"Shiwan is truly kind, treating a maid as her own sister."
"But you can't be too good to a maid."
"From what the attendant monk said, is she using Shiwan to elevate her own status?"
"She wouldn't~" Meng Shiwan deliberately tightened her face, looking adorably pouty in just the right way. "Don't talk about Big Sister Xiao Ying like that. I'll get angry."
Meng Anli could not suppress her physical reaction; her chest churned.
She pressed her lips together, stopping herself from vomiting.
Otherwise, Meng Shiwan would use it as an excuse to make a fuss again.
Meng Shiwan looked at her with smiling eyes. "Big Sister Xiao Ying, wait a little while first, okay? We're about to study. Once we're done, I'll play with you."
"Mhm."
Meng Anli retreated to the doorway.
The attendant monk snorted, flicked his sleeve, and left.
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