When Chu Xingchen returned, he saw Yuankong standing beside the pool with his head lowered in dejection. The candied fruit in his hand had probably come from Chen Baiqing.
Chen Baiqing was reading beside the pool.
She simply did not seem inclined to pay the little monk any attention.
Chu Xingchen asked in puzzlement, "What brings you here?"
Yuankong looked back. Seeing that it was Chu Xingchen, he answered frankly:
"My senior brother wants your Śarīra. He wanted to come talk to you."
Chu Xingchen nodded in understanding. Without saying anything more, he headed straight for the main hall.
He pushed open the doors and saw Li Yingling sitting with her head lowered in silence, while Yuanjing beside her wore a regretful expression.
Clearly, the negotiations had fallen through.
Hearing the doors open, both looked over.
Li Yingling rose of her own accord and gave her seat to Chu Xingchen.
Chu Xingchen stepped forward, closed the doors behind him with spiritual power, and looked at Yuanjing.
"Yuankong told me. You want the Jialan Śarīra?"
Yuanjing reached out and touched the handwritten manuscript on the table. "I am willing to offer a top-tier heart sutra from the Central Province Buddhist Sect in exchange."
Chu Xingchen frowned slightly at that. A top-tier Buddhist heart sutra?
What use did he have for that?
After taking the seat of honor, Chu Xingchen refused without hesitation:
"We don't need this. First, it wouldn't serve much purpose. I'm not planning to open a temple. Surely I can't recruit nothing but monks just for this heart sutra?"
"Second, Abbot, I imagine you're offering this heart sutra on your own authority? For something I don't need, I might end up getting entangled with the Central Province Buddhist Sect. What's in it for me?"
"Surely not its value as