Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
He had worked at the Temple of Heaven for many years and heard many stories about old temples. The stories in the forbidden city attracted the most attention.
Someone said he saw shadows on the wall in the rain. Another person said he heard people laughing in a palace at night. There were all sorts of stories, including the ones related to the Temple of Heaven.
âI must have gotten it wrong!â The guard walked back with a torch. He subconsciously looked up before walking away.
Oh my god! He was shocked. A man was standing on top of Qinian Palace. He was surrounded by moonlight. His whole body was shining. He looked like a god.
Plump!
The guardâs knelt down and said, âAmitabha, amitabha!â
Wang Yao had a wonderful feeling while standing on top of Qinian Palace. The aura was very active there. He felt he could reach the sky from that spot. He enjoyed being showered by the moonlight and light from the stars. He felt he was changing and upgrading. It was a feeling he couldnât describe.
A sudden sound brought him back to reality.
What a shame! Wang Yao sighed.
He looked toward the noise and saw a person kneeling on the ground with a torch.
âI must have scared the hell out of him,â Wang Yao said.
He jumped from the other side of Qinian Palace.
The guard kneeling on the ground didnât dare look up or get up. When he finally got up to look around, the figure on top of Qinian Palace had disappeared.
Although he was not an academic person, he was familiar with the buildings in the areas. He knew how tall exactly each building was. Qinian Palace was 124 feet tall. No one could reach its top without assistance from special devices unless he was not a human being.
Then, what is he? The guard was sweating with fear.
Wang Yao didnât immediately return to the hotel after he left the Temple of Heaven. Instead, he went to the Temple of Earth. He wanted to find the feeling back but failed.
What a shame!
He knew it was absolutely by chance to gain insight into the world. Last time, he had a feeling of understanding the universe when he was on the Great Wall. This time, he didnât know when and where he would gain the insight of the universe again.
Time to go.
He went back to the hotel. It was peaceful overnight.
The night guard who worked at the Temple of Heaven resigned the next day.
âWhy?â his superior asked. He wanted to keep this devoted old staff member.
âI saw a god or a ghost,â the guard said.
Whatever he thought he had seen, he didnât think he should continue to work there. He didnât want to lose his life.
Wang Yao went to the Wu familyâs house again to provide the same treatment to the old man.
âIâve done everything I can. Iâm leaving in the afternoon,â Wang Yao said.
âOK.â Wu Tongxing didnât say much this time.
âYou are not going to say goodbye to Miss Su?â Chen Ying asked with a smile after hearing Wang Yao was leaving.
âIt is not necessary,â Wang Yao said.
âI think sheâll get upset about it,â Chen Ying said.
Wang Yaoâs flight was in the afternoon. Chen Ying and Chen Zhou came to see him off.
As soon as he boarded on the plane, a person came to the cottage where he stayed. It was Su Xiaoxue.
âNo one is in?â She was disappointed to see the locked door.
I should call Chen Ying.
âSee? What did I say?â Chen Ying said with a smile when she saw Su Xiaoxueâs number on her phone.
âWhat? Dr. Wang has left? When?â As expected, Su Xiaoxue was disappointed.
âJust now,â Chen Ying said.
âWhy didnât he tell me he was leaving?â Su Xiaoxue asked.
âDr. Wang asked me not to tell anyone. He didnât want to bother anyone. Iâm sorry,â Chen Ying said.
âNever mind.â Su Xiaoxue hung up the phone.
âMiss Su, where would you like to go?â asked her maid, a woman in her 40s.
âNowhere. I want to go home.â She suddenly lost all interest.
âOK,â the maid said.
On their way back home, they bumped into a young man with a shiny smile.
âXiaoxue, I was going to visit you at home. Where have you been?â Guo Zhenghe asked with a smile.
âJust walking around.â Su Xiaoxue was not in the mood to talk to Guo Zhenghe. Plus, she didnât like him at all.
Why didnât Dr. Wang say goodbye to me? Is it because Iâm too annoying? She couldnât stop thinking.
Noticing that Su Xiaoxue was not in a good mood, Guo Zhenghe didnât continue to talk with her. He just quietly walked her home.
âZhenghe?â Song Ruiping was a bit surprised to see him.
This young man is so purposeful. Heâs been coming too often!
Guo Zhenghe had no intention to hide his interest in Su Xiaoxue.
âMom, Zhenghe, Iâm tired. Iâm going back to my room,â Su Xiaoxue said.
âOK,â Song Ruiping said.
âTake care,â Guo Zhenghe said.
Su Xiaoxue didnât stay in the living room to have a chat with Guo Zhenghe, who visited her often. She went back to her room and sat in front of the window doing nothing.
Guo Zhenghe didnât stay for long.
âThat kid has changed,â Song Ruiping said.
After Guo Zhenghe left, Song Ruiping asked, âWhatâs wrong with Xiaoxue?â
âDr. Wang has left,â the maid said.
âWhat about Chen Ying?â Song Ruiping asked.
âShe took Dr. Wang to the airport,â the maid said.
Song Ruiping nodded. âI see.â
She went to see her daughter and found Su Xiaoxue gazing out the window, looking preoccupied.
âMom?â She returned to herself when she heard her mother coming.
âWhatâs on your mind?â Song Ruiping sat next to her daughter and gently asked.
âMom, do you think Iâm annoying?â Su Xiaoxue asked.
âOf course not,â Song Ruiping immediately said. âMy daughter is nice and pretty, like a fairy or a genie. Everyone likes you. You will never annoy anybody in this world.â Song Ruiping smiled.
âBut, I donât think so,â Su Xiaoxue said.
âDo you want to get out of Beijing?â Song Ruiping asked.
She knew her daughter wanted to travel. She was happy to take her around. After all, Su Xiaoxue had been stuck in bed for so many years. Fortunately, she was tough enough not to break.
Song Ruiping had consulted a few professionals about her daughterâs mental health. She was told it was normal for Su Xiaoxue to have mood swings after suffering from a horrible disease for a number of years. It was already amazing that Su Xiaoxue didnât become crazy after having such a horrible experience. She would gradually get better.
Song Ruiping believed it was good for Su Xiaoxue to travel around to meet different people.
âYes,â Su Xiaoxue said.
âWhere would you like to go? Iâll come with you,â Song Ruiping said.
âI want to go to Sanqing Mountain, Dragon Tiger Hill, and Wudang Mountain.â Su Xiaoxue said.
âWhat?â Song Ruiping was surprised.
All three places were famous Taoist places. In fact, the place Su Xiaoxue wanted to go most was Wang Yaoâs village. Maybe it was because she had read a lot of the Taoist scriptures that she turned to the next best choice.
âGood, Iâll go with you,â Song Ruiping said with a smile.
Wang Yao arrived in Haiqu at night. He found he had a few missed calls, all of which were from Professor Lu. He called him back.
Professor Lu was anxious because Wen Wanâs condition declined rapidly.
âIs she still looking after her mother?â Wang Yao asked.
âYes,â Professor Lu said.
He was very worried. He and Wen Wanâs siblings all tried to convince her to stop looking after her mother, but she wouldnât listen. She insisted to stay with her sick mother. Even a healthy person would be exhausted after taking care of a patient for some time, let alone she was sick herself.
âHas she taken the Nine Herbs pills?â Wang Yao asked.
âSheâs taken all of the pills,â Professor Lu said.
Initially, the Nine Herbs pills were useful for Wen Wan. However, Professor Lu found she looked worse day by day. He was worried and had gotten angry with her the day before.
âDo you want to die before your mother? Are you gonna let your mother watch you die?â Professor Lu asked.
Wen Wanâs siblings were also angry at her. They didnât want to lose two family members at the same time. Wen Wan eventually agreed to accept treatment. She broke down as soon as she arrived at the hospital.