Chapter 6: Little Thunderclap Monastery (1)

After dinner in the evening, Wu Rui’an returned to the coffin shop he had rented. After a quick bath in the eerie backyard, he climbed into bed and went to sleep.

In the following days, during the day, he would eat at the pharmacy, and in his free time, Wen Yao and Di Jiang would keep him company with conversation, making life somewhat tolerable. However, once night fell and he lay alone on Zhong Xu’s bed, even in his dreams, he couldn’t help but think about the wreaths, paper figures, incense, and coffins downstairs. He often woke up startled in the middle of the night.

Only when he opened the window and saw the warm candlelight glowing from Di Jiang’s bedroom across the street did he feel slightly reassured.

Thus, Wu Rui’an moved his bed next to the window. When he couldn’t sleep, he would sit up, lean on the windowsill, and gaze at the opposite side. Occasionally catching glimpses of Di Jiang’s silhouette brought him immense joy.

This was enough to make him happy for an entire night, allowing him to sleep soundly until morning.

One night after finishing her bath as usual, Di Jiang prepared to burn a pellet of calming incense but discovered that the burner still contained remnants of jasmine-scented cypress pellets from earlier in the day. She first emptied the burner, then opened the window to air out the room.

To her surprise, as soon as she opened the window, she saw Wu Rui’an leaning on the opposite window, gazing at her with a satisfied expression.

Clearly startled by the sudden opening of the window, Wu Rui’an blushed and quickly covered his eyes with both hands, exclaiming, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!” As he spoke, his fingers parted slightly, just enough to glimpse Di Jiang and see through her translucent garment, revealing her bare chest.

Di Jiang suddenly realized she was only wearing a thin, nearly transparent robe. Her figure was faintly visible beneath the gauze, almost tangible.

Her face flushed red, and in her panic, she immediately closed the window with a loud bang that even shook the signboard of the medical clinic downstairs.

After closing the window, Di Jiang calmed down somewhat, too lazy to burn the calming incense, and turned off the lights to go to bed.

Lying in bed, her chest rising and falling unevenly, she felt a fire within her heart with nowhere to vent.

Tonight, she had opened the window herself and hadn’t dressed properly—how could she blame the Prince?

Sigh... Di Jiang, don’t be deceived by worldly rules. Embrace your nature, align knowledge with action, and don’t be bound by trivial conventions.

With these thoughts, Di Jiang soon drifted into a dream.

Meanwhile, Wu Rui’an was even more excited and found it hard to contain himself. He tossed and turned all night without sleeping, finally drifting off deeply just as dawn broke.

The next day, Wu Rui’an woke up at noon. As soon as he opened his eyes, he quickly washed up and rushed to the pharmacy to wait, hoping to have lunch with Di Jiang.

However, upon arriving at the pharmacy, he only saw Wen Yao and Shuxiang eating in the backyard. There was no sign of Di Jiang.

“Where is your manager?”

“The manager might still be asleep,” Wen Yao said while chewing food. “Your Highness can go upstairs and check. Make yourself at home.”

Wu Rui’an understood and gave Wen Yao a mysterious smile before heading upstairs towards Di Jiang’s room.

Knock, knock, knock—”Manager Di, it’s time to get up. The sun is already high in the sky.”

There was no response from inside, so he knocked three more times. After a long while, there was still no reaction.

He then tried to push the door gently, not expecting it to swing open easily.

The bed was clean and tidy, but there was no one on it. Di Jiang was no longer in the room.

“Where did your manager go?” Wu Rui’an hurried downstairs and asked.

Shuxiang and Wen Yao looked at each other and both shook their heads, saying, “We don’t know.”

“Didn’t you see her leave?”

“She often comes and goes mysteriously. Don’t worry, she’ll be back soon.” Wen Yao invited Wu Rui’an to sit down and personally fetched bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen. The three finished lunch, each lost in thought.

In the afternoon, the pharmacy remained devoid of customers. Wu Rui’an played chess with Shuxiang all afternoon, narrowly winning each game by a single piece, which greatly surprised Wen Yao.

“Shuxiang’s chess skills are unparalleled in the world, yet I never expected Prince Wu’s skills to be even greater.” Wen Yao gave a thumbs-up and praised repeatedly.

Shuxiang, sitting opposite, remained sullen and muttered, “Your Highness humiliates me like this, though it’s unnecessary.”

“Oh? How did I humiliate you?” Wu Rui’an was taken aback.

“You could have won by a larger margin.”

Wu Rui’an laughed heartily and said, “It’s just a game. Why take it so seriously? Winning or losing doesn’t matter much. Strategic planning and decisive victories over great distances are my true pursuits.”

“Your Highness has excellent chess skills. Shuxiang admits defeat.” Shuxiang clasped his hands together and retreated to his room, feeling dejected.

By this time, night had fully fallen, and the city entered curfew, yet Di Jiang still hadn’t returned...

Thus, Wu Rui’an spent a day filled with boredom, followed by another, and then a third, with Di Jiang still missing.

Early on the third morning, Wu Rui’an could no longer sit still and decided to report to the authorities to enlist their help in finding her.

Wen Yao hastily stopped him, saying, “Your Highness, please reconsider. If you go to the authorities, it will surely alarm even your mother, the Empress. How will you explain this?”

“How I explain it is my business. If your manager is accidentally captured by someone, how can I find peace?”

Wen Yao pondered for a moment, biting her lower lip, and said, “I know where the manager is!”

“You know?” Wu Rui’an frowned suspiciously. “If you know, why didn’t you say so earlier?”

“I wasn’t sure...”

“Where? Take me there quickly!”

“Wait!” Wen Yao shrank back. “I only know that whenever the manager feels troubled, she stays there for a few days. But this shop can’t be left without a resident doctor. So I won’t go. I’ll point you in the right direction, and you can go by yourself.”

“Are you sure she’s there?”

“Eighty percent sure...”

“Then tell me the address, in detail!” Wu Rui’an urged.

Wen Yao immediately called for Shuxiang, and after some discussion, Wen Yao drew a map while Shuxiang annotated it with words. In no time, a treasure-like map was handed to Wu Rui’an.

“Xiao Leiyin Temple?” Wu Rui’an’s face darkened. “I’ve only heard of the Great Leiyin Temple in the Western Paradise. When did our Taiping Prefecture gain a Xiao Leiyin Temple?”

Wen Yao chuckled awkwardly and said, “Anyway, it’s just a temple. Follow the map, and you should arrive by afternoon.”

“Thank you.” Wu Rui’an glanced at the map roughly and knew the temple was ten miles south of the city. Not too near, but not too far either. Thus, he set off alone in a hurry.

Wen Yao dared not go because a genuine, enlightened monk resided there—not a fake charlatan.

Wen Yao only dared to act tough among familiar circles. When faced with real experts, she trembled even at the thought of looking at them. After visiting once, she never wanted to go again.

Shuxiang felt the same, though not out of fear but dislike.

He disliked the atmosphere and scents there, always sensing a pervasive melancholy in the air that made him feel suffocated and sad.

Following the map, Wu Rui’an exited the city through the Anhua Gate on South Street and proceeded south along the main road.

The road was bustling with people, possibly due to early summer when the weather warmed up, bringing numerous travelers from around the world. Lines of carriages queued up, loaded with goods, and some Western Huji also entered the city with merchant caravans.

Some Huji, upon seeing Rui’an, flirted openly, trying to charm him with coquettish gestures. But Wu Rui’an had no interest in other women now.

He focused solely on studying the map, fearing taking a wrong turn and getting lost in the wilderness.

Especially after turning right at the Ten Mile Pavilion outside the city, gradually, human presence began to dwindle, and the roadside phoenix trees were slowly replaced by bamboo groves.

“It should be correct.” Wu Rui’an compared the bamboo drawn on the map with the surrounding bamboo forest and felt reassured.

According to the map, after crossing this bamboo grove and traveling three miles south, near a small mountain and beside a stream, lay Xiao Leiyin Temple.

By this time, the sun had set, and the sky grew dark with no moon or stars—it was a pitch-black, windy night. Besides being unable to discern directions, occasional wolf howls echoed through the mountains.

Wu Rui’an patted his pocket and realized he hadn’t brought anything for self-defense, not even a dagger—he was utterly unarmed. Originally planning to reach the destination by afternoon, he hadn’t anticipated still being in the mountains at night without even a lantern for illumination, causing him some anxiety.

But then he thought, what if Di Jiang, a young woman, had been in such a place for two days and might have already been eaten by wolves?!

No, alive or dead, I must find her. Even if she has been eaten, I will bury her in my tomb.

With this determination, Wu Rui’an gathered his courage and ventured into the depths of the bamboo grove in the dark.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the sky became dotted with stars, and the bright North Star hung clearly in the northwest, guiding his way.

Wu Rui’an carefully watched his steps, counting each bamboo plant to avoid tripping over stones or rotten wood.

Upon exiting the bamboo grove, he indeed spotted a small stream. The babbling brook sounded especially melodious in the silent night.

Having walked all day without drinking water, Wu Rui’an, thirsty, paid no heed and directly scooped a handful of water from the stream to drink.

The stream water was chillingly refreshing, indescribably sweet. Wu Rui’an sat contentedly by the stream. Just as he raised his head, he saw a young maiden sitting on a large rock across the river, waving at him.

She appeared suddenly, her face alluring, coyly inviting.

The woman wore a loose, translucent gauze dress, resembling Di Jiang’s undergarment. Her exposed chest was prominent, and even the two points were clearly visible.

Her smooth thighs peeked out from beneath the hem of her skirt, and her bare feet dangled in the stream, playing with the water casually.

After amusing herself, she jumped off the rock and into the stream. The water reached her calves, wetting her skirt. The plain white gauze clung to her, accentuating her flawless legs even more.

Under the starlight, she waded through the stream and soon stood before Wu Rui’an.

Only then did he realize that the person resembled Di Jiang exactly, except her features were more seductive and enchanting.

She suddenly embraced Wu Rui’an’s neck, her crimson lips parting and caressing his ear. Her breath was fragrant as orchids, and her legs slowly wrapped around his waist.

Wu Rui’an felt his throat dry and his heart race inexplicably.