Many children, many blessings: Stealing the offspring of powerful figures to cultivate immortality.

The sound of the wooden fish drum lasted all night, only stopping after the last muffled thud before dawn.

Jiang Yining sat on the futon without moving, with Wu Bao resting her head on her lap. Her face was a little healthier than yesterday, and her breathing was more even.

The three Bodhi beads are stored in a storage ring, slowly absorbing merit and vow power; they are not in a hurry to be used.

The second night came quickly; a breeze picked up in the side courtyard, rustling the leaves of the Bodhi tree.

Jiang Yining settled the five treasures on the couch, wrapped them in a velvet blanket, and then turned around to set up a small red clay stove next to the blue stone platform under the tree.

She withdrew her semi-saintly aura, took off her purple-gold robe, and wore only a plain white dress, her hair haphazardly tied into a bun with a wooden hairpin.

He pulled over a low stool and sat down, then picked up a palm-leaf fan and gently fanned the stove opening twice.

The flames licked the bottom of the earthenware pot, and the medicinal liquid churned.

She stirred the medicine with a white porcelain spoon, spreading it evenly. Her eyes were gentle, a stark contrast to the ruthless and decisive half-saint outside.

At that moment, the jade pendant at his waist lit up.

"Mother, did that bald monk give you any trouble today?"

The baby's soft, sweet voice came from the jade tablet, with the sounds of Feng Liuyun and Ao Lin arguing in the background.

"No, Mother, how could you let others bully you?"

"That's good, otherwise I'd go and smash a few holes in his temple."

Jiang Yining shook her head helplessly; this violent and bloodthirsty nature...

Go to bed early.

The jade pendant went dark.

Jiang Yining shook the palm-leaf fan, and the medicine bubbled and gurgled, its bitter and fishy smell mixed with a hint of sweetness.

The door to the adjacent side hall was tightly shut. Fan Chenxin sat cross-legged on a futon, a newly replaced Bodhi rosary hanging on her left wrist.

The chanting was deep and resonant, and the wooden fish was struck with measured precision.

The aroma of herbs seeped in through the cracks in the window, a scent tinged with the acrid smell of ordinary fire, rough and primitive, completely out of place with the tranquility of the Buddhist temple.

His fingers paused as he moved the beads, and he moved the next one slower.

Uncontrollably, divine sense reached out, and the residual divine laws within the Five Treasures' bodies stirred slightly as the medicinal fragrance permeated the air, like a sleeping snake turning over.

Fan Chenxin opened his eyes, not noticing a dark sweat stain on the back of his moon-white monk's robe.

I got up, pushed open the palace door, and stepped into the night.

Only one lantern was lit in the side courtyard, and the flickering firelight under the Bodhi tree cast a warm glow on the woman's plain white dress.

She sat hunched over on a small stool, idly fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan.

"donor."

Jiang Yining didn't turn around, and continued to wave her palm-leaf fan as usual.

"Boiling medicine with any kind of fire is time-consuming and produces many impurities."

Fan Chenxin twirled his prayer beads and took two steps forward, the hem of his moon-white monk's robe sweeping across the steps.

"As a semi-saint, your spiritual power is pure. If you use your spiritual power as a catalyst and combine it with the Nirvana True Fire to purify it, you can make medicine in an instant. The medicine's potency will be ten times greater than that of ordinary fire. Why bother with such a clumsy method?"

"The spiritual power is too domineering."

Jiang Yining used a white porcelain spoon to scrape the rim of the jar, removing the excess liquid and returning it to the jar.

"Wu Bao's soul is as brittle as paper now. When half-holy spirit power is poured in, it first disperses her soul."

"Although ordinary fire is warm, it is extremely inefficient and cannot remove the residual fire toxins from medicinal materials."

"Fire poison?"

Jiang Yining turned to look at him: "I stirred it for half an hour, using a combination of gentle and forceful techniques. The fire poison has long since dissipated with the steam. If you don't believe me, Master, smell it for yourself."

Fan Chenxin didn't reply; there was indeed no burnt or bitter smell in the medicinal fragrance.

A leaf drifted down from the Bodhi tree and landed on the lid of the earthenware pot, its edges curling up from the steam.

Fan Chenxin stared at the leaf for two breaths, then uncontrollably took three steps forward to the stove.

He looked down at the earthenware pot, golden light swirling in his eyes, an instinctive means of investigation.

The medicinal juice is dark red, with a moderate viscosity and a fine, oily sheen on the surface.

His brow furrowed.

The vitality in that medicinal liquid was so pure that it couldn't possibly be produced by ordinary fire.

Although the water in the Merit Pool is sacred, it carries the karmic ties of Buddhist vows, which can be a burden on the souls of Wu Bao, who have been corrupted by the divine realm.

This slowly simmered medicinal liquid has a gentle and lasting vitality, like grass growing from the soil, firmly rooted.

"This prescription shouldn't be any worse than the one the master knows, right?"

"This world is full of wonders, just like everything in the temple. We don't know about it, and the master doesn't know about many things outside either."

Jiang Yining put the palm-leaf fan aside, picked up the earthenware pot, and poured the medicine into the bowl.

The dark medicinal liquid flowed into the white porcelain bowl, steaming hot. She turned around, holding the bowl, and met Fan Chenxin's gaze.

Something flickered on the edge of wavering in those calm, still eyes.

"What you say makes sense, benefactor. It was I who was attached to appearances."

He took half a step back, his pale monk's robe brushing against the edge of the stove and getting covered in ash.

"The master's robe is dirty."

"It's alright."

"I still need to brew medicine tomorrow night. If you want to come and see, just come in. You don't need to wait in the shadows."

Fan Chenxin stopped holding the prayer beads, her fingertips pressing a shallow mark on the Bodhi beads.

Jiang Yining carried the bowl into the house, paused at the door, and didn't turn around.

"The master's wooden fish drum sound was three beats faster tonight than last night."

These words lingered in Fan Chen's mind all night, and on the evening of the third day, he ended his chanting half an hour early.

He spun the newly replaced Bodhi prayer beads three times on his wrist, then got up, pushed open the door, and walked towards the side courtyard.

When they arrived under the Bodhi tree, Jiang Yining was already seated.

It was still that small red clay stove, that palm-leaf fan, and that plain white robe.

"They're here."

Jiang Yining didn't even raise her head, fanning herself with a palm leaf fan.

"Sit down, don't stand, it'll block the wind."

Fan Chenxin stood on the opposite side of the bluestone platform for a while, then walked around to the other side of the tree and sat down, three steps away from the stove.

"What was added to today's medicine?"

He only realized he shouldn't have asked the question after he asked it.

"I added half a Soul-Nourishing Lotus. Wu Bao had a dream last night, and his soul was a little unstable."

Jiang Yining stirred the medicine, the white porcelain spoon clinking against the side of the jar.

"The Soul-Nourishing Lotus is cold in nature and clashes with the Nine-Tailed Fox's heart blood. It needs to be simmered for two hours to fuse with it."

"The benefactor has considerable knowledge of pharmacology."

"I'll learn anything for my daughter."

The medicinal liquid in the earthenware pot was bubbling. Jiang Yining fanned it a couple of times with a palm-leaf fan, and the flames went down a bit before slowly returning.

"Master, you've been practicing Buddhism for so many years, have you ever thought about this question?"

"Please speak, benefactor."

"You say that the obsession with offspring is a burden that causes suffering and easily breeds inner demons."

"Then let me ask you, when your parents gave birth to you, raised you, and sent you to the mountain to be ordained as monks, what were they feeling?"

Fan Chenxin stopped moving the beads.

"Buddhism emphasizes severing worldly ties, so your question is meaningless."

Whether it's meaningful or not is up to me.

Jiang Yining put down her palm-leaf fan, stood up, walked to Fan Chenxin, and looked down at him.

The shadow of the linden tree covered half of her face, while the other half was warmed by the light from the fireplace.

Tell me, when your parents saw you off, were they smiling or crying?

"donor."

"Don't try to fob me off with Amitabha Buddha."

Fan Chenxin leaned back half an inch, his back against the Bodhi tree trunk, and moonlight shone through the leaves onto his pale face.

"This humble monk was abandoned at the mountain gate as a child and does not know who his parents are."