Deep in the rear courtyard of Fruitful Accomplishment Temple, winter snow covered the ground outside the quiet Chan Room. Inside stood a small clay stove, with taro simmering in a pot and giving off a faint aroma of food.
The Zen Child sat on the couch, reading by an oil lamp.
He held two volumes in his hands: one was the late emperor's collected poems, the other the Half-Garden Menu.
There was no knowing how he could read two books with such utterly different contents at once, nor why he still needed lamplight.
Suddenly sensing something, the Zen Child looked up at the oil lamp.
The next moment, a tiny blossom of flame burst from the lamp's perfectly trimmed wick, neither too short nor too long.
Tiny though it was, it was still beautiful, moving to behold.
"A celestial maiden scattering flowers?"
The Zen Child felt a little surprised. Could some martial uncle have come out of the Pagoda Forest to expound the scriptures to the disciples?
His seniority in Chan Buddhism was extremely high. Not just in Fruitful Accomplishment Temple, but across all seventy-two ancient monasteries on the Chaotian Continent, only a handful were qualified to be his martial uncles.
He suddenly remembered Zhao Layue's letter, then sensed that it should be coming from the Vegetable Garden. His expression changed slightly, and he summoned the monk Du Hai to the Chan Room.
Apart from him, only Du Hai, the head of the Discipline Hall, knew Liu S sui's origins within Fruitful Accomplishment Temple.
"Go to the Vegetable Garden yourself and take a look..."
After some thought, the Zen Child said, "Don't disturb that little fellow."
Liu S sui stepped out of the house and saw Little Lotus standing in the cold wind in a single padded jacket,