At the Zhou Kingdom's Minister of Rites' mansion.
Early that morning, Yan Ruxue had just woken and stepped out of her room when she saw her maid Xiao Chun approaching with a basin of water.
"You're awake, miss. I was just about to wake you so you could wash up." Xiao Chun set the basin of warm water on the stone table in the courtyard.
"Is something happening today?"
Yan Ruxue smiled.
Ordinarily, Xiao Chun would not wake her, much less this early.
"Have you forgotten, miss? Madam said yesterday that she was taking you to Hundred Lantern Temple to pray for blessings."
"That's right. It slipped my mind."
Yan Ruxue remembered. Her mother was a devout Buddhist and often visited Hundred Lantern Temple to worship.
Especially since her mother had heard that the Buddha Girl from Leiruo Temple in the Western Regions had arrived at Hundred Lantern Temple during her travels.
Her mother was going not only to pray for His Majesty's blessings with her, but also to meet the Buddha Girl, whose mastery of Buddhist teachings was said to be profound.
Since ancient times, all those who cultivated Buddhism throughout Myriad Laws Under Heaven had been men, never women.
This Buddha Girl alone was the exception.
Rumor had it that she possessed a Seven-Orifice Exquisite Heart, which let her sense others' joys and sorrows and even read their thoughts.
She had once been hailed as the person most likely to attain the Buddha Ancestor Realm.
But a Debate of Buddhism and Daoism a thousand years ago had shattered her Buddhist heart, giving rise to countless strands of worldly longing.
For the thousand years since, the Buddha Girl had traveled the world, seeking to understand her true heart.
Rumor held that the day she finally understood it would be