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

The moment Fan Chenxin supported Jiang Yining's arm, Xuan Bei's gaze was like two blunt knives slashing at her.

The purification incense array in the side courtyard was still running wildly, the thick sandalwood incense carrying the power of precepts and vows pouring into Jiang Yining's body.

Wu Bao let out a soft whimper in her arms, and the dark golden law between her brows was throbbing wildly from the impact of that will power.

Jiang Yining steadied herself, raised her hand and gently patted Wu Bao's back. The Myriad Spirits Divine Tree in her dantian was like a bottomless mouth, desperately absorbing the incense and prayer power surging in from the air, transforming it into chaotic life force to protect Wu Bao's soul.

However, the incense and vows are mixed with precepts and karma, like countless fine needles piercing deep into the meridians. The sacred tree can transform into Buddha's light, but it cannot block the scorching of karma.

A thin line of blood seeped from the tip of her drooping left finger, dripping down her index finger onto her sleeve, where it was absorbed by the dark fabric.

"Mother, it hurts." Wu Bao clutched at her clothes, his illusory fox tail tightly wrapped around her wrist.

"It doesn't hurt." Jiang Yining lowered her head and kissed Wu Bao's forehead, her purple-gold eyes full of tenderness, her voice as soft as if she were soothing a cradle, "Mommy's here, nothing can scare you."

Wu Bao's brow gradually calmed down, the dark gold patterns were suppressed by the chaotic vitality, and the little girl's breathing became long and even again. She snuggled in her arms and fell asleep.

Fan Chenxin had already put his hand back into his sleeve. He stood two steps away, watching Jiang Yining's profile as she coaxed the child with her eyes crinkled, and then he saw the bleeding hand hidden in her sleeve.

He turned and strode towards the outside of the side courtyard.

The core of the Purification Incense Array is on three bronze cauldron-sized incense burners. Blue smoke billows out from the burner openings, and the Buddha's light mixed with the pungent aura of karma permeates the entire back mountain.

Mingzhao stood guard by the incense burner. When he saw Fanchenxin approaching, he put his palms together in a gesture of respect.

"Buddha's disciple, the chief monk instructed that this battle must continue day and night."

Fan Chenxin didn't look at him. Her gaze swept over the piles of incense powder in the three incense burners, and her expression darkened.

"The original recipe given by the head monk was three parts purification incense and seven parts bodhi wood chips. Who changed the ratio?"

Mingzhao lowered his head.

"It was personally prepared by the abbot. He said the original recipe wasn't enough, so he changed it to seven parts Pure Karma Incense and three parts Precepts Agarwood."

Seven parts pure incense, three parts submerged in precepts.

This combination of cause and effect enters the meridians, burning them, and will in turn stimulate the remaining poison in the divine realm.

Fan Chenxin stood before the incense burner, his moon-white monk's robe stained yellow by the smoke. His hand, which had been moving the prayer beads, stopped at the third bead and did not move.

"It's off."

Mingzhao raised his head, his face full of difficulty.

"Disciple of the Buddha, the abbot's decree..."

Fan Chenxin reached out and covered the mouth of the first incense burner. A layer of golden Buddhist light pressed down, and the flames hissed out, the blue smoke dissipating in mid-air.

He went to the second lamp, then the third, and covered each one with his palm, extinguishing the flames one by one.

All three incense burners went out, and the rich fragrance that had filled the back hill began to dissipate.

Mingzhao's face turned pale.

"Disciple of the Buddha, this is a violation of the precepts..."

"This humble monk knows." Fan Chenxin withdrew his hand, a red mark left on his palm by the embers. He didn't even look at it and turned to walk back.

After taking three steps, heavy footsteps sounded behind him, and Xuan Bei had already appeared there without him noticing.

"Fan Chenxin, do you know what you are doing?"

Fan Chenxin stopped in her tracks, turned around to face her grandmaster, clasped her hands together, and bowed.

"Master, the incense formula has been altered, which is harmful to that child."

"I modified it myself." Xuanbei's voice was as deep as a bell. "The karmic burden on that woman is heavier than ever before. If you don't suppress it with strong incense, your Dao heart will be eaten away by her sooner or later."

"Is the chief protecting me, or is he hurting a child?"

Xuanbei leaned on his staff, his withered fingers gripping the tip tightly.

These words, spoken by Fan Chenxin, resonated with him even more than the sound of the bells ringing from the back mountain.

For 120 years, this child has never questioned any of the temple's rules.

"Go to the Great Buddha Hall and recite the 'Severing Karmic Ties Sutra' three times in front of all the monks." Xuanbei closed his eyes, his voice leaving no room for negotiation, "Prove your innocence, or I will report to the abbot today and strip you of your position as a Buddhist disciple."

Fan Chenxin stood still, his moon-white monk's robe fluttering in the night wind. His handsome face revealed no emotion, but the prayer beads on his wrist were clutched in his palm, the beads clinking together with a very faint sound.

"Your disciple obeys."

He walked towards the main hall, and as he passed the side courtyard, he didn't stop, but his gaze involuntarily swept over the courtyard.

The courtyard gate was half open, and Jiang Yining stood by the gate holding Wubao, having stood there for an unknown amount of time.

She didn't say anything, but reached out her hand the instant he passed by.

In his palm was a dark brown pill, radiating a gentle spiritual energy fluctuation—a meridian-protecting pill, of excellent quality.

Fan Chenxin looked down at the pill, then at her pale face and the faint bloodstains on her sleeve.

She herself was bleeding from her meridians, yet she gave him the elixir.

"The master's hand got burned."

Fan Chenxin reached out and took the pill. His fingertips touched her palm, which was icy cold; her hand was even colder than his.

He opened his mouth, as if to say something.

"Go ahead." Jiang Yining had already turned and walked into the house without looking back. "Don't keep that old monk waiting."

The courtyard gate closed in front of him. Fan Chenxin stood there for a long time, clutching the meridian-protecting pill, before finally putting it into his mouth.

The warm medicinal properties dissolved, like a hand gently stroking his scalded palms and surging blood from within, delicate and comforting.

He walked toward the main hall, where prayer cushions had already been laid out and the monks stood with their eyes downcast.

He knelt down and began to recite the "Sutra on Cutting Off Ties".

The scriptures flowed from his lips, each word telling how to sever worldly ties and how to break free from karmic connections.

But his mouth was still full of the slightly bitter aftertaste left after the protective pill had dissolved.

It was late at night, past midnight.

The window of the side courtyard was silently pushed open from the outside, and a tall, slender figure with a sharp aura jumped in.

Gu Qinghan landed silently, his frosty eyes gleaming coldly in the darkness, his gaze immediately falling on Jiang Yining on the couch.

She leaned against the soft pillows with her eyes closed, her breathing shallow and unsteady, while Wu Bao slept peacefully in her arms.

Gu Qinghan walked to the edge of the bed and squatted down, pressing his fingers against her wrist, which was hanging over the edge of the bed.

As the pure Yang true essence probed into his meridians, his expression gradually turned cold.

Her meridians were burned in seven places, all left by the karma of incense offerings. These were new injuries sustained today, and she hadn't treated them all night.

"Ning," he called her in a low voice.

Jiang Yining opened her eyes and saw that aloof and handsome face so close to hers. She raised an eyebrow.

"You've been using a VPN again."

"Your meridians have been burned through, yet you still have the mind to care how I got in." Gu Qinghan's voice was extremely low, and the pure Yang true energy in his palm had begun to flow along her meridians, repairing the cracks caused by karma inch by inch.

Jiang Yining leaned against the pillow without moving, letting him do as he pleased.

"The incense array has been destroyed."

"I know." Gu Qinghan pressed his fingertips against the inside of her wrist pulse, and as his true essence penetrated, he left behind a very faint sword aura, almost invisible to the naked eye, embedded deep in the texture of her skin. "This layer of sword aura hangs on the pulse point. Any external Buddhist light or causal power that forcibly invades will be devoured by it."

Jiang Yining looked down at her wrist; beneath her fair skin, a faint, frosty white glow could be seen, like thin ice forming on a river in winter.

"This is your second attempt."

"Not enough." Gu Qinghan stared at her wrist, the sword aura imprinted on the most vulnerable spot of her pulse like his signature. "If anyone dares to damage your meridians again, this sword aura will act on my behalf by your side."

Jiang Yining didn't respond to that, but instead turned her head to look at the five treasures in her arms.

"Don't wake her."

Gu Qinghan withdrew his hand, sat by the bed for a while, tucked the blanket around her with his fingertips, and then left through the window, as silently as he had come.

The following evening, by the Merit Pool.

Fan Chenxin walked over carrying a purple-gold alms bowl. He had changed into a new moon-white monk's robe, and the prayer beads on his wrist were also new. However, the dark circles under his eyes were a bit deeper.

He recited the "Severing Ties Sutra" for a whole day, his voice hoarse but still steady.

When they arrived at the side courtyard, Jiang Yining was sitting on the veranda feeding Wu Bao medicine. The white porcelain bowl was brought close to the little girl's mouth, and Wu Bao wrinkled her nose and swallowed it one mouthful at a time.

Fan Chenxin handed over the alms bowl.

"The water in the pool today has been blessed by the scriptures."

Jiang Yining took the alms bowl with one hand, while supporting the back of Wu Bao's head with the other.

Just as she raised her wrist to receive the alms bowl, her sleeve slipped slightly, and the faint, frosty white sword energy on her wrist flashed briefly in the twilight.

Fan Chenxin's gaze fell on it, and she stopped moving the beads.

He recognized it as the aura of pure Yang sword intent, exactly the same as that of the man who broke in that night.

Jiang Yining noticed his gaze, but neither covered it up nor offered an explanation.

Fan Chenxin withdrew her gaze, squatted down, and poured the Buddha's light into the medicine bowl. The golden light fell into the medicine liquid, which was softer and denser than usual, as if something else had been added.

Jiang Yining held the bowl and fed Wubao. When the medicine entered his mouth, Wubao did not frown. Instead, he closed his eyes comfortably.

Hidden within that layer of Buddha's light was a faint protective power, not the public blessing of the Merit Pool, but the power of Brahma's own heart.

Jiang Yining didn't point it out.

"Wu Bao, please thank the master."

Wu Bao raised its little head, and its illusory fox tail peeked out from under the blanket, swaying innocently. One of its tail tips gently touched the prayer beads hanging beside Fan Chenxin's knee.

The bead swayed slightly as it was rubbed by the fox's tail, making a soft rustling sound.

Fan Chenxin froze, as if she had been nailed to the spot by that light touch.

Wu Bao's voice was soft and sweet, yet tinged with timidity.

"Thank you, Uncle Baldy."

Fan Chenxin looked down at the prayer beads that had been gently touched by the little fox tail, and suddenly realized that even a soft heart can hurt.