The wandering monk was completely taken aback by what Qiguan Yuan said.
His gaze was unconsciously drawn to the red thread in Qiguan Yuan's hand.
The red string was wrapped around Qiguan Yuan's fair fingers, gleaming faintly red in the setting sun.
Something's not right about that red.
The wandering monk had been hanging around the entrance of Fallen Fate Chan Monastery for several years, and he had touched the red thread on that Tree of Fate countless times.
Those red threads were just ordinary cotton threads. After fading, they turned into a dull, grayish-white color. They would flutter in the wind and fall apart in the rain, just like the red woolen threads you usually buy.
But the one Qiguan Yuan held was different.
He couldn't pinpoint exactly what was different.
He was feeling guilty, but he was still putting on a brave face.
The fan started waving again, faster than before, and the wooden beads on his wrist swayed and tapped together.
"What do you know?" The wandering monk raised his chin, trying to make his voice sound confident.
"This humble monk has cultivated himself at Fallen Fate Chan Monastery for many years and has seen countless people. You are so young, and you only have a superficial understanding of the ways of marriage. To presume to teach others is far too arrogant."
Qiguan Yuan leaned against the rock, his fingers slowly circling the red thread.
He waited until the traveling monk finished speaking before looking up at him.
Those peach blossom eyes were still smiling, without a trace of displeasure at being offended.
"That's quite a coincidence." Qiguan Yuan's voice wasn't loud, just enough for the wandering monk and the few guests around him to hear. "I own about ten temples, all of which are Yue Lao Temple. I happen to have some insights into this matter."
He paused, tilting his head slightly. "You want to discuss the Dao with me?"
The wandering monk stopped waving his fan.
Ten temples.
He had been swindling people at the entrance of Fallen Fate Chan Monastery for several years, but he couldn't even get a room in the temple. He had to go back to his rented house in town to sleep at night.
He owns ten temples.
He couldn't tell whether Qiguan Yuan was telling the truth or bluffing, but looking at Qiguan Yuan's calm and collected demeanor, and then at the glowing red thread between his fingers...
I don't know why, but I felt incredibly panicked.
We can't afford to mess with them.
The wandering monk closed his fan, clasped his hands together, and put on an expression of a sage who wouldn't stoop to the level of ordinary people. He shook his head and said, "Very well, very well. We are not destined to be together. Further words are pointless. This humble monk takes his leave."
After saying that, he turned and left.
They left more than twice as fast as they came; they slipped away incredibly quickly.
Shen Yuzhou sat on the stone bench beside him, still clutching the "Prescription for Resolving Love Tribulations" that the wandering monk had just given him.
He stared in the direction where the wandering monk had disappeared, stunned for a full five seconds, before slowly turning his head to look at Cheng Yanqiu beside him.
"Is my two hundred yuan gone?"
Cheng Yanqiu leaned against the locust tree trunk and gave him a reassuring look. "Obviously, a sucker."
Shen Yuzhou looked down at the yellow paper in his hand, then looked up at the direction where the wandering monk had disappeared, and finally folded the yellow paper twice and stuffed it into his pocket.
He briefly mourned his two hundred dollars for about a second, then patted his pants and stood up.
"Let's go visit the temple."
Cheng Yanqiu watched his spirited figure walk towards the main hall and felt quite admiring.
This person just lost two hundred yuan, was upset for about a second, and is now back to normal.
Sometimes she envied Shen Yuzhou's mindset; even if the sky were to fall, he would probably think that it wouldn't hit him.
The other guests also dispersed in twos and threes.
Qiguan Yuan didn't go on the tour; he had already seen most of it and wasn't very interested.
He got up from the stone and walked alone to the most secluded corner of the Zen temple, where he stood in front of the half-dead Tree of Fate.
The trunk was only as thick as a bowl, the bark was cracked and peeled up in several places, revealing the whitish wood underneath.
The tree canopy is sparse, the leaves are yellowish with curled edges, and some leaves have small holes from insect bites.
The red threads hanging on the branches have faded to pink, and some have been knotted up by the wind.
He slightly bent his knees, lightly touched the ground with his feet, and landed silently on the lowest branch, as if lifted by the wind.
The branch was as thick as an adult's arm and looked like it couldn't support a person's weight, but it didn't even wobble when he stepped on it.
Qiguan Yuan found a comfortable spot, leaned his back against the trunk, bent one leg and placed it on a branch, while the other leg dangled down. He closed his eyes and pretended to sleep.
The live stream camera followed him up the tree. The photographer stood under the tree and shot upwards, in which Qiguan Yuan half-hidden among the branches and leaves, his red robe contrasting with the withered yellow leaves.
Pei Yubai did not follow.
He stood under the tree and watched Qiguan Yuan for a while. Qiguan Yuan closed, and his body was moving faster than usual.
Pei Yubai then realized that Yuanyuan was most likely not asleep.
He turned and walked into the temple.
I encountered an old monk sweeping the floor below the bell tower; his gray robe had faded from washing.
Pei Yubai asked him if the temple had tea.
The old monk put down his broom, put his hands together in a gesture of respect, and said, "Yes, what kind of tea would you like, benefactor?"
Pei Yubai thought for a moment and said, "I brought tea leaves; a pot of hot water will do."
The old monk said, "There is a teahouse behind the temple. Please follow me."
Pei Yubai followed the old monk to the teahouse and took out a small tin can from the bag his assistant had handed him.
The tin can was opened, revealing tightly packed tea leaves, dark green in color, with a very thin sheen of oil.
Dragon cakes are whiter than snow.
He had noticed that Qiguan Yuan liked to drink this, so he bought some and repackaged it into small jars to carry with him.
At the time, he didn't know about the relationship between Qiguan Yuan and Long Tuanshengxue; he just prepared it because Qiguan Yuan liked it.
Later I learned that brewing this tea always evoked a layer of indescribable emotions.
His tea-brewing technique is professional; it's based on etiquette he learned in elementary school.
With the addition of Xiu Yun Yin's memories, brewing tea was not unfamiliar to him.
Pei Yubai poured himself a cup and tested the temperature; it wasn't too hot to drink, just right.
The canopy of the Tree of Fate began to change the moment Qiguan Yuan leaned against it.
Starting from the thinnest branch at the top of the tree, a leaf that was originally curled and yellowed slowly unfurled.
The curled edges seemed to be gently smoothed by an invisible hand, the wormholes on the leaf surface began to disappear, but the surrounding leaf tissue was replenished.
After that leaf finished changing, the next leaf next to it also began to unfurl.
Then there's a whole branch tip, and then a whole branch twig.
The change spreads from the top of the tree downwards, very slowly, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, but it is definitely happening.
The faded red threads hanging from the branches have also changed.
Red slowly seeped from the pinkish-white thread.
The red color converged from both ends of the line towards the middle, and once it was full, the entire line became bright, radiating the same red light as the Dust-Settling Red Cord on Qiguan Yuan's finger.
Among the tourists under the tree, a young girl stopped in her tracks.
She was just passing by, intending to go to the main hall, but when she got to the Tree of Fate, she suddenly felt that something was different.
She turned to look at the tree, stared at it for several seconds, frowned, and asked her friend, "Isn't this tree different from the one we saw before?"
My friend looked up and said, "What's different? What's so special about a tree?"
He pulled her along as they continued towards the main hall.
The number of viewers in the live stream was so large that even though most people's attention was on Qiguan Yuan, a few sharp-eyed people noticed something else.
[Did you guys notice that the Tree of Fate where Yuanyuan slept seems different from before?]
[I think so too! Weren't the leaves yellow when I looked at them just now?]
[Yes, I remember it very clearly, because the photographer just gave the tree a close-up, and I saw a lot of wormholes on the leaves. Now it seems like there are fewer wormholes?]
[Wait, now that you mention it, I feel the same way. And isn't the red thread hanging on the tree a little brighter than before?]
Don't be so suspicious, it's just a matter of lighting; the angle of the setting sun has changed.
[Can light change whether leaves curl or not? The leaves were curled at the edges just now, but now they're flat.]
[Anyway, as long as Yuanyuan looks good, the tree doesn't matter.]
More and more people are discussing trees, but most are still watching Qiguan Yuan.
This is a picture so beautiful it could be used as wallpaper. Who cares about the tree? Of course, they're looking at the beautiful woman!
Qiguan Yuan was indeed not asleep.
His consciousness entered the Tree of Fate the instant it touched him.
There is no spirit or consciousness in this tree; it is just an empty shell.
He cleared away the Buddhist vows in his mind and found a path leading to the northwest. He traced that path back up to the Tree of Fate in the Heavenly Realm.
Lu Zhao was squatting under the Tree of Fate the Heavenly Realm, arranging the red threads.
A voice rang directly in his mind.
Lu Zhao.
Lu Zhao almost dropped the red thread in his hand. "Senior?"
"Come down to the mortal realm." Qiguan Yuan's voice directly entered his consciousness. "I am in the Dunhuang region of the Northwest, at Fallen Fate Chan Monastery. Do not land directly around me; stay away and come over."
Lu Zhao didn't ask any more questions. He gathered the red thread in his hand and put it into his sleeve, straightened his robe, and chose a secluded sand dune on the outskirts of Dunhuang to land behind.
People in the live stream were still discussing whether the tree had changed or not.
Qiguan Yuan suddenly opened his eyes and looked straight out of the temple.
The photographer noticed the change in Qiguan Yuan's gaze.
He panned the camera in that direction, and on the distant sand dunes, a red figure was slowly walking this way.
He walked at a moderate pace, his steps steady. His red robes fluttered slightly in the wind.
As he got closer, the photographer could see his face clearly.
Unlike Qiguan Yuan's stunning beauty that makes people unable to look away, he has regular and delicate features, with a youthful vigor between his brows, but a calm and composed demeanor.
The photographer looked down at Qiguan Yuan in the tree and asked, " Teacher Qiguan, is that your friend? May I take a picture?"
Qiguan Yuan's gaze fell on the red-clad figure in the distance. "You can wait until he gets closer before taking the picture."
After he said that, the curiosity of the viewers in the live stream was completely piqued.
Who is it?
When Lu Zhao arrived at the temple gate, the first thing he saw was a Tree of Fate, and then he saw Qiguan Yuan sitting on a branch.
He strode closer, stopped under the tree, looked up, and called out, "Senior!"
His voice was clear, with the bright tone unique to a young person.
The sound also drew the attention of those watching the live stream, and at that moment, Lu Zhao walked into the frame.
[This little brother is so cute!!]
[Another handsome guy has arrived. What a lucky day!]
[He's so handsome, oh my god! He's not the same type as Yuanyuan, but he's still so cute.]
[What an adorable young man!!!]
[He's also wearing ancient costume, and it's red just like Yuanyuan's. What's their relationship?]
Qiguan Yuan jumped down from the tree.
"Take a look at this tree." Qiguan Yuan towards the Tree of Fate behind him, his tone casual. "You probably don't need me to teach you how to do it."
Lu Zhao then shifted his gaze from Qiguan Yuan to the Tree of Fate.
The Power of Marriage in the northwest is weak, and as the current Yue Lao, this area within his jurisdiction has never been properly guided.
Now that we need to channel the Power of Marriage to the Northwest, we naturally need an anchor point.
It seems this Tree of Fate represents the anchor point chosen by Senior Qiguan.
He nodded, walked over, and placed his palm on the tree trunk.
Just then, Pei Yubai returned with tea.
He saw another person under the tree, a boy in red clothes placing his hand on the Tree of Fate, eyes closed, expression serious.
After glancing at Lu Zhao, Pei Yubai turned his gaze away and called out to Qiguan Yuan, " Yuanyuan."
Qiguan Yuan turned around, his gaze falling on the tray in his hands.
The steam rising from the white porcelain teapot and cups quickly dissipated in the dry air.
The fragrance of Longtuan Shengxue drifted on the wind, very faint, mixed with the sandalwood scent in the temple.
"Where have you been?"
Pei Yubai placed the tray on the stone table. "Would you like some tea? I've brewed some Dragon Ball Tea."
Qiguan Yuan sat down at the stone table.
The stone benches were shaded by trees, and they felt cool to sit on.
Pei Yubai poured him a cup of tea; the tea was pale yellow and clear.
Qiguan Yuan picked it up and took a sip; the temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.
Pei Yubai tea tasted just like the one he remembered—a long-lost flavor.
Pei Yubai sat down opposite him and poured himself a glass as well.
The two sat at the stone table drinking tea, Qiguan Yuan's gaze would occasionally drift toward the Tree of Fate.
Pei Yubai followed his gaze and saw Lu Zhao still under the tree, his palm pressed against the trunk, motionless, his brows slightly furrowed.
After a while, Lu Zhao finally made a move. He took half a step back, his sleeves moved without wind, and his right hand emerged from his sleeve, a pale golden light shining from his fingertips.
Qiguan Yuan put down his teacup, slowly extended a finger, and gently pushed the camera lens of the photographer next to him aside.
The camera tilted, shifting the focus from Lu Zhao to the red wall of the Zen temple. The cameraman said, "You can't take pictures now."
The viewers in the live chat were holding their breath, waiting to see what the boy in red would do, when suddenly the screen went skewed.
Just as I was about to complain.
Qiguan Yuan's face was suddenly thrust into the camera without any warning.
Seemingly knowing what they were about to post, he said, "Okay, we won't watch. It's not suitable for children."
The impact was so strong that many people almost dropped their phones.
[Ahhhhhh, so close, so close!]
[Look good, good, good, good, whatever you say is good]
[Don't look, don't look, we're good babies]
[Whatever Yuanyuan says goes]
The audience can't see it.
But the photographer could see it!
He stared in shock at Lu Zhao's actions.
Lu Zhao's Power of Origin flowed into the trunk of the Tree of Fate through his palm.
The pale golden light penetrated the tree bark, causing the tree trunk to tremble slightly, and the leaves on the crown to shake violently.
Then countless red threads shot out from Lu Zhao's sleeves.
It spread out and instantly covered the entire trunk and branches of the Tree of Fate.
The red thread wrapped around the tree more and more tightly, and the entire Tree of Fate was enveloped in a flowing red light.
The photographer is holding the lens at an angle.
He swallowed hard. He... wouldn't be silenced, would he?