Just as he was about to change the subject, Su Ziji's gaze suddenly paused, settling on a Small Spirit Pagoda not far away.
The pagoda had only three tiers and was built of stone, standing barely half a person's height. It could hardly be called grand among the surrounding spirit pagodas. What truly caught Su Ziji's attention was its name.
A name was inscribed on the pagoda, though it was not particularly conspicuous. Only a close look revealed the four characters: Jade-Clear Spirit Pagoda.
"This is...?" Having examined the name, Su Ziji could hardly help thinking of the deceased prince of the Kingdom of Lin. He looked at Bianxuan, a trace of surprise on his face.
Bianxuan gazed at the spirit pagoda for a long while before saying quietly, "It is just as you guessed, Duke of Dai."
"Though he had many faults and could certainly be called debauched, he... he was once my friend. I have no other abilities. All I could do was gather his remains and pray privately for my old friend."
Su Ziji had taken Lin Yuqing's head back with him, leaving the body on the riverbank. Afterward, the Kingdom of Lin had not even asked about him, and none of his friends had collected his remains. Yet Bianxuan alone had gathered Lin Yuqing's remains, built a Small Spirit Pagoda in private, and prayed for him often?
This did surprise Su Ziji, but on reflection, although Bianxuan acted on behalf of his sect, perhaps he had indeed invested some genuine feeling in his friendships.
The highest art of deception was to deceive even oneself. This monk Bianxuan had once cultivated a broad circle of friends and discussed chess and poetry with someone like the prince of the Kingdom of Lin. If all of it had been