As they spoke, the wine and food arrived.
Although he thought little of this pair of "swindlers," Su Dawen still had professional standards. He had done nothing suspicious to the food, and the wine had been properly warmed.
The meal was simple, but Jing'en still eagerly reached to tear off a chicken leg—only to suddenly remember something. He glanced at Zhou You's face, sheepishly withdrew his hand, then tore off the chicken's rear instead and popped it into his mouth, chewing with relish.
Zhou You did not know whether to laugh or cry, but then he suddenly asked a question.
"Say, mon... never mind. Master Chen, I've been meaning to ask. Your order has all those strict rules, but judging by you... how come you seem to eat anything, meat included?"
Jing'en answered through a mouthful of food.
"Oh, that's other people. We practice the rule of the three pure meats... Right, Young Master Zhou, you know what those are, don't you?"
"...Meat from an animal you didn't see killed, didn't hear killed, and that wasn't killed for you?"
"Wrong. It's meat I didn't kill myself, didn't witness being killed, and didn't hear being killed."
"...How the hell is that any different from simply ignoring the rules?"
Jing'en swallowed his food, then answered earnestly.
"There's a world of difference—at least we can't become butchers, can we?" Zhou You said nothing and simply stared at him, until Jing'en grew embarrassed enough to speak again.
"All right, what we actually practice at Rosy Clouds Temple is that meditation isn't about sitting or lying down, and the Buddha resides in one's own heart. As long as we act with compassion to help the world, we can treat all those rules as so much hot air—besides, this meat really is delicious... Right, Young Master