It was exactly noon when Jun Wangchen returned home. Shen Luoying was overjoyed to hear he was back and immediately headed into the kitchen, preparing a lavish spread that filled the entire table.
Ji Ruyu helped her throughout. After more than twenty days apart, she seemed better than before, and her strength had reached the late Black Tier. A natural smile graced her face, replacing her former uncertainty about life.
It seemed that assigning her to protect his mother in secret had been good for her, too.
At the table, Shen Luoying and Ji Ruyu were like a pair of curious children, asking Jun Wangchen every so often what he had been doing in Beijing.
Unable to withstand their questions, Jun Wangchen had to give them a detailed account, though he made most of it up.
After all, matters concerning the Mythic Heavenly Palace were classified, and his superiors did not permit him to disclose them lightly.
After lunch, Ji Ruyu helped Shen Luoying in the kitchen, while Jun Wangchen drove his Porsche 911 to Zi Hanyan's home.
He hadn't seen her in over twenty days, and he really did miss her.
It was one in the afternoon when he arrived at Purple Jade Into Mist Villa. Zi Hanyan was reading in her bedroom. After more than half a month apart, she seemed a little more mature, radiating a distinctly feminine charm.
"That night, I listened to sacred chants until dawn, not to seek enlightenment, but to find a trace of your presence."
"That month, I turned every prayer wheel, not to deliver souls, but to touch your fingerprints."
"That year, I prostrated myself and embraced the dust, not to worship Buddha, but to nestle against your warmth."
"That lifetime, I searched a hundred thousand mountains, not to earn a