Spiritual energy resurgence? My former empress wife has also revived!

The moon rises above the branches, while below the mountain, lanterns are just beginning to illuminate the night.

The young girl held the strings of the zither, her head tilted to the side, looking at the little monk beside her with a mixture of hope and fear.

Qin Zijun's heart trembled slightly.

He wasn't some wooden puppet, nor was he a monk who had never left the mountain and was unaware of the ways of the world.

He has lived through many lifetimes in the "Book of Immortals Through Ten Thousand Generations," and has witnessed the vicissitudes of human life.

Over the past eight years, how could he not know the girl's feelings?

The girl didn't bring it up, and Qin Zijun pretended not to understand, maintaining an ambiguous relationship.

But today, the girl mustered her courage and, though her words were tactful, silently conveyed her true feelings.

Qin Zijun remained silent.

He didn't want to lie, nor did he wish to lie, to deceive this poor girl.

Under Jiang Zhi's anxious gaze, Qin Zijun finally nodded slowly: "This humble monk does like Miss Jiang."

"What kind of preference?"

Jiang Zhi's eyebrows curved into crescents, and the corners of her mouth turned up as she asked impatiently.

Qin Zijun looked up at the ancient temple, hesitated for a moment, and sighed softly: "This humble monk has indeed developed romantic feelings for Miss Jiang."

"Miss Jiang and this humble monk are like... childhood sweethearts."

Jiang Zhi was overjoyed, her smile as bright as a newly blossoming flower, as beautiful as a peach blossom, her lively eyes seemingly filled with mist, her stunning beauty unable to match the shyness of a young girl.

Qin Zijun stared at that stunningly beautiful face, somewhat stunned.

The girl bowed her head, the guqin played a melodious tune, and even more beautiful voices sang in the mountains:

"The mountain has trees, and the trees have branches; my heart is pleased with you, and you already know it."

"The spring breeze of the past brought only rain, but today, our hearts are united in spirit."

The music ended, but the lingering sound remained.

She looked up at him, the mountain breeze was crisp, and it seemed she couldn't suppress the emotions in her heart, so she said something she immediately regretted:

"Little monk, would you be willing to renounce your vows and take me away from the State of Yan?"

Qin Zijun was stunned; he hesitated.

He is not a person with high comprehension, much less a genius.

So far,

He has lived through dozens of lifetimes in the "Book of Immortals Through Ten Thousand Generations," and this lifetime is the one in which he has the best aptitude.

In all his previous lives, he was just an ordinary person for most of them, without any talent for cultivation.

In his luckiest lifetime, he had just completed his inner core cultivation when he was accidentally killed in a fight.

The Book of Immortals allows Qin Zijun to acquire different talents through luck.

However, his consciousness remains focused on himself, and his understanding remains unchanged.

Qin Zijun could only rely on her tenacity, like "grinding an iron pestle into a needle".

Since I am not a genius and my comprehension is not high, I will use my long life to experience the state of mind and understand the realm of cultivation. Even a slow bird will eventually reach its destination.

Good aptitude can greatly reduce the requirement for comprehension.

Going from 0 to 1 is always the hardest.

According to Qin Zijun's plan, in this life he would rely on his own talent to cultivate to a higher realm as much as possible.

As long as he has reached that level and experienced that level.

In his next reincarnation, reaching that state again will be much easier for him.

Even now, if his aptitude is ordinary in the next life, he is confident that he can cultivate to the level of Outer Realm again.

therefore,

Qin Zijun was unwilling to give up her cultivation.

His qualities are those of a Buddha, and he cultivates Buddhism. How could he abandon the Great Way for a woman?

This woman, in particular, is deeply entangled in karma, and he might very well have his entire path destroyed because of her.

Seeing Qin Zijun's hesitation, Jiang Zhi knew his answer.

The girl sighed softly, her voice a mixture of sadness and relief.

Qin Zijun clasped his hands together, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Miss Jiang, I have already pledged myself to Buddha in this life."

He didn't mention the afterlife, as that would be an insult to the girl's sincere feelings.

Jiang Zhi forced a smile: "Is that so? Then you've really lost out, little monk."

"What did this humble monk lose?"

"If you, little monk, are willing to elope with me and leave the Yan Kingdom with me, I will... I will give in to you today and give you my most precious first night."

"Miss Jiang, please don't joke like that."

Jiang Zhi, holding her zither, stood up from the pine tree: "Yes, I was just joking with you. How could I possibly do something so disgraceful to a woman's virtue?"

"Besides, that would only hurt you, and I don't want anything to happen to you because of me."

"Actually, I came here to tell you that my father has arranged a marriage for me, and I'm getting married soon."

Qin Zijun felt a sudden pang of pain in his heart. He lowered his head and said, "This humble monk congratulates Miss Jiang."

"Pfft~"

The girl couldn't help but chuckle, and said reproachfully, "...What's there to congratulate me on?"

The smile on her face gradually faded, and Jiang Zhi made up her mind: "In order to prevent my future husband's family from saying that I am not a virtuous wife, I always secretly meet with a young monk."

"After this, I won't come to see you as often."

"I know you have great talent, little monk. Master Liaochen said you are a born Buddha, with a very high level of spiritual attainment."

"I don't understand these things, but I do know that you can live a very long time, hundreds of years, even thousands of years."

"So you have to promise me that you will live well, that you will live forever, and that you will become the most powerful person in the world."

"I believe you can do it, because you're the little monk I like."

"You are the first person Jiang Zhi has ever loved in her life, and you will be the only person she ever loves. I..."

The girl gritted her teeth, enduring the pain to keep the tears from falling, and quickly left.

Watching the girl's desolate figure disappear into the distance, I saw that she was wearing a purple dress and a white coat.

The two grew further and further apart.

Qin Zijun knew that they might never see each other again in this lifetime.

He whispered, "Miss Jiang..."

Back at the temple, sitting before the Buddha, Qin Zijun couldn't calm her mind.

……

Spring has passed and winter has come; another two years have gone by.

In the past two years, Qin Zijun has not seen Miss Jiang again.

this day,

A wedding procession from the State of Qi arrived in the capital of the State of Yan.

This is an army of five hundred men, clad in armor, disciplined and solemn.

The leading general was named Qi Xingyan, who enjoyed the deep trust of the ruler of Qi.

He made great contributions to the State of Qi, annihilating several small states surrounding Qi, and was known for his massacres of entire cities, earning him a notorious reputation.

To recognize his achievements, the ruler of Qi bestowed upon him the royal surname.

The fact that Qi would send him to welcome the bride shows how much they value Jiang Zhi.

When the army entered the capital, the surrounding people glared at them angrily.

At some point, a rumor spread throughout the Yan Kingdom that it was the Yan princess who sacrificed herself to bring about the current temporary peace.

The State of Yan was located in the north, and its people were known for their fierce and unruly nature. Many men of Yan felt ashamed, and some even secretly cursed the ruler of Yan, saying that he was incompetent and sold his daughter for personal gain.

Even they knew that even if they sold the princess to the State of Qi, the State of Qi would not let the State of Yan off the hook.

However, the ruler of Yan, for the sake of his own temporary wealth and glory, humbled himself like a dog.

Qi Xingyan merely sneered at the angry stares of the Yan people and ignored them.

When you come back here again, that will be the time for you to cry and beg for mercy.

The main gate of the Yan Kingdom's palace was wide open.

The King of Yan greeted him with a fawning smile, saying, "General Qi, you must be tired from your journey!"

Qi Xingyan held the Yan king in utter contempt. Seated high on his horse, he looked down and asked, "Where is the princess?"

The king said, "My daughter is currently in her own room."

"In that case, let the princess ride in the sedan chair and return to Qi with me. We cannot keep our king waiting too long."

The King of Yan hurriedly said, "General, according to the etiquette of Yan and Qi, the wedding procession can only take the bride away seven days later."

Qi Xingyan frowned, but he knew that this was a matter of etiquette and national dignity.

The most important matters of state are military affairs and sacrifices; even he dared not overstep them.

He nodded, squinting as he said, "In that case, this general will wait here for seven days."

"However, I have heard in Qi that the princess of Yan has been having secret rendezvous with monks. I will send someone to investigate whether the princess is still sensible."

"After all, this concerns the reputation of the Qi royal family."

These words enraged the Yan officials present, as they were a blatant trampling on the dignity of the Yan state.

The King of Yan, however, did not pay any attention and instead said, "This matter is of great importance and should be investigated."

"However, please rest assured, General, my daughter has been taught the virtues of women since childhood, and it is impossible for her to have committed such a mistake."

Qi Xingyan said coldly, "Whether the princess makes a mistake or not is not up to you, Your Majesty, but depends on the facts."

He gestured with his eyes, and a nanny who had come with the army followed the people from the Yan Kingdom palace to the princess's bedroom.

Soon,

When the nanny returned, she reported, "General, the princess's virginity mark is still intact; she is still a virgin."

Qi Xingyan nodded in satisfaction, the murderous intent hidden in his eyes fading away.

If the princess loses her virginity and ruins the king's important affairs, he might have to send troops to attack the temple and cut the monk who broke the precepts into a thousand pieces.

……

Kongxiang Temple, a separate courtyard in front of the Buddha.

As always, Qin Zijun sat cross-legged under the tree, striking a wooden fish and chanting Buddhist scriptures.

Beside him, an old orange cat with white beard lay quietly, enjoying the afternoon sun.

At this time,

Qin Zijun heard deliberately heavy footsteps coming from outside the courtyard.

He stopped playing the wooden fish, opened his eyes, and saw his master, Master Liaochen, walking towards him.

"Master, has something you need from your disciple?"

Qin Zijun clasped her hands together, bowed, and asked.

Master Liaochen looked at his most prized disciple, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to him.

Qin Zijun took it with a puzzled look, staring at him in confusion.

"This is a letter from the female benefactor who used to frequently visit you, sent by your master."

"That female benefactor said that I should give you the letter a month later, but I couldn't bear to do it."

"She left before I agreed, so giving you the letter in advance doesn't mean I'm breaking any rules or lying."

Qin Zijun gripped the letter tightly in her hand.

Since their parting two years ago, Miss Jiang has never returned to Kongxiang Temple, and Qin Zijun has never seen her again.

He thought that their relationship had come to an end.

Qin Zijun chanted a Buddhist prayer and asked, "Master, did Miss Jiang say anything else?"

Master Liaochen slowly shook his head: "She sent someone without saying anything. However, that female benefactor is getting married in seven days."

After her master left, Qin Zijun went back into the house, removed the lacquer seal, and opened the letter.

The letter contained only ten neatly written characters—

"I wish to find one heart to share, and stay together until our hair turns white."

There, in the place of the 'heart', is a girl's lip print, bright red like blood.

Qin Zijun slowly closed the envelope.

He went to the Buddhist temple, knelt before the Buddha, and knelt there for seven days without eating or drinking.

Seven days later, he suddenly got up and went to the main hall to see Master Chen.

Qin Zijun knelt down and clasped her hands together.

Master Liaochen seemed to have been prepared for this.

Qin Zijun kowtowed three times heavily, and said firmly, "Master, this disciple does not want to be a monk anymore."