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

Time flies, and another four years have passed.

The royal palace of Yan was a complex of palaces and courtyards.

In the study, the current ruler of Yan sat wearily in the main seat, rubbing his forehead and lowering his eyes slightly.

Before him stood the eldest prince, in his early twenties, his face contorted with rage, addressing his father:

"Father, my sister has been going to Kongxiang Temple for the past few years and has become close to a young monk there."

The King of Yan said calmly, "I know."

He glanced at his eldest son, the Crown Prince of Yan, and said calmly, "Your sister is also of age, and her heart is just beginning to stir with love."

"I've seen that young monk a few times. He is indeed handsome and charming, which makes women fond of him. Your sister is also a girl, so it's perfectly normal for her to be close to that young monk."

The eldest prince gritted his teeth and said, "Father, that's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean? Do you think your sister is unfaithful at such a young age, having an affair with a monk before marriage?" the King of Yan sneered.

The eunuch standing to the side with his head bowed was startled.

It's not a good thing to overhear the king and crown prince discussing such private royal matters in the palace.

If the king and the crown prince react in time, he might lose his life.

The eunuch was on the verge of tears, but dared not move.

The eldest prince looked shocked, seemingly unable to believe that his father would utter such insulting words to his sister:

"Father, that's my sister, your daughter! How can you insult and humiliate her like this?"

"I believe my sister will not do anything wrong, and I believe the master of Kongxiang Temple is highly virtuous and will not be seduced by beauty."

"What I want to say is that the master who has a close relationship with Wang Mei is Abbot Liaochen's most valued disciple, a born Buddhist."

"The founder of Kongxiang Temple helped Emperor Taizu conquer the Yan Kingdom, and the princess is engaged to the King of Qi. If Qi finds out, it will probably be detrimental to that master and Kongxiang Temple."

The eldest prince has always been known for his virtue and kindness.

At this moment, he was not concerned about his sister's reputation, but rather the safety of the monk he had never met and the Kongxiang Temple.

Kongxiang Temple and the Yan Kingdom's royal family have maintained a close relationship for hundreds of years. The eldest prince also knew that the born Buddha had a bright future and did not want his sister to delay him and cause him death.

How could the stubborn King of Qi not be furious if he knew that his future empress was close to a monk?

The King of Yan tilted his head back, closed his eyes, pinched his brow, and sighed softly, "Crown Prince, speak your mind. I'm listening."

The eldest prince clenched his fists and suddenly slammed his hand on the desk in front of him, startling the eunuch standing beside him.

The eldest prince's face was contorted with rage. He gritted his teeth and said, "Father, are all the men of Yan dead? Do we need a woman to sacrifice herself to save them?"

"Since the State of Qi is so arrogant, the State of Yan has agreed to Qi's request today and will marry off the Queen's sister to them, so that we may have a peaceful night's rest."

"But the State of Qi harbors wolfish ambitions and will surely come to annex our State of Yan in the future. Today they cede five cities, tomorrow ten. How can our State of Yan not perish!"

"presumptuous!"

The eldest prince's words enraged the ruler of Yan.

The eunuchs beside him were trembling with fear.

The King of Yan's fingers trembled as he pointed at the eldest prince and roared, "Do you think I don't know these things?"

"But the State of Qi is ten times stronger than the State of Yan, and the ruler of Qi is a True Lord of the Cave Mystery Realm, while Qi also has many True Immortals of the Outer Realm!"

"For the State of Yan to fight against the State of Qi is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. If I don't marry my daughter to him, the State of Qi is truly capable of slaughtering all the people of Yan. What do you know!"

The eldest prince, his neck stiff with humiliation, blurted out, "What do I know?"

"I understand, Father. You're just afraid that the Yan Kingdom will fall in your hands. As long as the Yan Kingdom survives while you're alive, why would you care about ceding territory or selling your daughter?"

The king angrily swept the teacups and porcelain bowls off the desk and onto the floor with a loud crash.

"Get out! Get out of here!"

The eldest prince gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

Just as he was about to step out of the study, he heard the choked voice of the King of Yan behind him: "Crown Prince."

The eldest prince stopped in his tracks.

"You are a good son and a good elder brother, but your character is not suited to be the ruler of a country."

"But these things are not important."

"Of course I know I've wronged my daughter, and I even pushed her into the abyss with my own hands, which is why I didn't stop her."

"Perhaps this is a bit unfair to Kongxiang Temple, but as long as Zhi'er is happy, I don't want to care about anything else."

"If a girl doesn't have someone she likes in her life, wouldn't she have lived in vain? She only has... two years left."

Hearing his father's deep sigh behind him, the eldest prince walked out of the study dejectedly.

He paused for a moment as he crossed the threshold.

A beautiful young woman in a purple dress, with exquisite features and stunning beauty, stood gracefully before them.

"Brother Wang."

Jiang Zhi called out softly.

The eldest prince opened his mouth, then stammered, "You...you heard everything?"

Jiang Zhi nodded gently.

The eldest prince wanted to say something, but ultimately covered his face in shame and left.

To be the crown prince of a country and yet sell his sister for personal gain is truly disgusting!

Jiang Zhi watched her brother's figure flee as if he were running away, then glanced at the study with the door closed. She sighed softly, but in the end, she didn't go in.

He hurried back to his residence in the deep courtyard of the palace.

Jiang Zhi gazed sadly at the withered branches and fallen leaves in the courtyard, the ground covered with ginkgo leaves.

She had already understood what her father and brother had said back when she was fourteen years old.

She simply didn't want to think too much about it, clinging to girlish fantasies and always acting on her own whims.

But hearing her brother's and father's words today was like a wake-up call, completely waking her from her dream.

"How could I harm the young monk because of my own selfish desires?"

"If I truly love him, I should wish him a better life, even if I'm not by his side."

"Xiao He has a bright future ahead of him and will surely become a great monk who will be remembered in history. I should not hinder his path."

The girl gripped the hem of her sleeve tightly, her nails digging into her palms, finally making up her mind.

……

Another autumn has arrived.

In the secluded courtyard, Qin Zijun sat cross-legged, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures.

A few red leaves fell from the branches and landed on his broad shoulders.

A fat old cat was curled up next to him, occasionally exposing its belly, rolling left and right.

In this year, Qin Zijun was already twenty-two years old in this life.

For the first ten years or so, he made rapid progress and completed the exterior shots.

Now, many years later, Qin Zijun is still quite far from becoming a True Lord of the Cave Profound Realm.

"At my current pace of cultivation, just as my master said, I'm afraid I won't achieve the 'Dongxuan' level until after I'm thirty."

Qin Zijun felt a little unwilling.

Such a speed of cultivation is unimaginable even in the entire cultivation world.

Entering the seventh cave realm means truly entering the upper three realms, like the founder of Kongxiang Temple, who can establish his own sect.

"Little monk~"

A girl's sweet voice suddenly came from behind.

Qin Zijun opened her eyes and looked toward the bamboo gate in the courtyard.

A young girl in a purple dress and a white coat, carrying a bamboo basket, leaned against the door and smiled sweetly at him.

An eighteen-year-old girl is in the prime of her life.

Her stunningly beautiful face and graceful curves resembled a blooming gardenia, stirring even the Buddhist heart that Qin Zijun had cultivated in this lifetime.

A fragrant breeze wafted towards them, and the young girl moved with light, graceful steps, transforming into the fragrant breeze as she approached.

Those incredibly bright eyes fell on the fat cat beside Qin Zijun.

The woman squatted down, poked the cat's belly with her finger, and said with a coquettish smile, "Hua Hua, you're so fat already, don't you know how to move around?"

Qin Zijun smiled and said, "When we adopted it, it was already quite old."

"It's over ten years old now, an old cat, so it doesn't like to move around much."

Jiang Zhi took out the cooked chicken from the bamboo basket, tore off a few pieces, and fed them to the cat.

The cat only ate a few bites before lying down and refusing to move.

Jiang Zhi pouted and said reproachfully, "You're so greedy, you don't even like eating meat anymore."

Qin Zijun laughed and said, "It's all Miss Jiang's fault for spoiling it, which is why it developed this bad habit."

He then noticed that the girl was carrying a guqin (a seven-stringed zither) on her back and asked curiously, "Why is Miss Jiang carrying a guqin?"

Jiang Zhi rolled her eyes at him: "Little monk, you're so silly. I'm carrying this zither because I want to play it. Would you like to... listen to me play a piece for you?"

Qin Zijun readily agreed.

"However, Miss Jiang, there is actually a zither in the temple, so you didn't have to carry it here yourself."

Jiang Zhi paused for a moment, her face flushed, and she looked around before saying, "I... I'm not used to playing unfamiliar instruments."

Seeing the mischievous look on Qin Zijun's face, she knew perfectly well that he was just teasing her. She raised her little fist and punched him a few times, scolding him playfully, "Little monk, you're bullying me again!"

Qin Zijun smiled and let her hit her.

Gradually, the force of her punches became lighter and lighter. Gazing at the handsome face in front of her, Jiang Zhi's heart fluttered even more.

But thinking about the purpose of this trip, a sense of gloom rose in his heart.

She forced a smile and said, "I can go back a little later today. Shall we wait until evening and go up the mountain to play the piano?"

Qin Zijun noticed the girl's sadness, but he didn't ask any questions. He simply nodded and said, "I'll do whatever Miss Jiang says."

The young monk continued chanting sutras, with Miss Jiang by his side, and the fat cat lying between them.

As Miss Jiang gazed at the profile of the young monk chanting sutras, she gradually became entranced.

……

evening,

Qin Zijun, carrying her zither, climbed up a pine-covered rocky area with Jiang Zhi.

They stood on the mountain, with the capital of the Yan Kingdom below them, where thousands of lights shone and smoke rose from chimneys.

Ignoring the coldness beneath her, Jiang Zhi placed the guqin on her knees, sat cross-legged, and stared blankly at the surging crowd in the distance.

"Little monk, do you know why my name is Jiang Zhi?"

"This humble monk does not know."

"Because my mother loved gardenias the most, she named me Jiang Zhi. I like this name, and I also like gardenias."

The girl gently plucked the strings, trying out the sound.

A few notes, like the sound of a clear spring, drifted through the mountains and forests.

Qin Zijun stood beside her, looking down at the girl's beautiful face, silently circulating his magic to drive away the mosquitoes that approached her.

That girl playing the zither...

Suddenly, he asked, "Little monk, do you like gardenias?"

Do you like gardenias?

She wasn't asking about flowers.

What she asked was, "Do you like me?"