That wretched vixen has disguised herself as my wife!

Fang Zhiyi, like him, looked up at the eyes of the Bodhisattva statue, her gaze as clear and gentle as the moonlight.

"But when I cut open the child's heart, it was beating incredibly hard. She really wanted to live, perhaps for her friends."

At this point, Fang Zhiyi suddenly smiled:

"It's so wonderful to have such a burning desire to live..."

Her voice grew softer and softer, almost like a murmur.

"Because someone is doing everything they can to keep her alive."

Jiang Jingming looked at her and said casually:

"Did you see the look in that boy's eyes? Even if you offered your life for his today, he wouldn't hesitate."

"Too."

Fang Zhiyi paused slightly, then smiled softly:

"Even if it's just for this person, I have to live on. I have to live on and go to farther places with him to see a wider world. My heart beats with this thought in mind."

"Yes."

Jiang Jingming nodded:

"Sometimes I feel it's easy to kill someone, but other times I feel that with such a heart, no matter how difficult fate is, there will eventually be a turning point... That's why she met you."

He changed the subject, but Fang Zhiyi blinked, refusing to take credit for it.

"No, her turning point was meeting you; I was just a frail doctor passing by."

Jiang Jingming almost laughed, so he took a step closer and looked down at her:

"Did you save people because of me?"

"if not?"

Fang Zhiyi nodded seriously:

"Didn't I say that if you bribe me, I'll follow you and save the people you want to save?"

"..."

Her words successfully triggered a long-forgotten memory in Jiang Jingming.

On the rooftop of Shulan City, a pot of amber light, and a teasing joke about a kiss.

Jiang Jingming regretted getting so close just now; the two were so close that they could hear each other's breaths, and the familiar, faint scent of herbs lingered in his mind.

"Just kidding."

As a result, Fang Zhiyi once again revealed the same cunning, fox-like smile as before.

She turned around and clasped her hands together in prayer before the Buddha statue:

“Amitabha, Amitabha. This is a pure and sacred place, yet you, benefactor, have such impure thoughts. This is truly inappropriate.”

Aren't all these distracting thoughts your own doing?

Jiang Jingming mentally complained, but after thinking for a moment, he followed her example and clasped his hands together.

"By Guanyin Bodhisattva, there is a Buddhist saying that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Miss Fang has already saved countless lives, and the pagoda has been built to a great extent. May you bless her so that she may have all her wishes fulfilled and everything go well for her."

"..."

Fang Zhiyi's gaze fell on him, and she paused slightly.

Moonlight streamed down through the cracks in the dilapidated temple, brushing past the Buddha statue's brow, as if the Bodhisattva were bowing his head, quietly gazing at the two people standing side by side.

Does Jingming also believe in gods and Buddhas?

Fang Zhiyi turned around, leaned against the offering table, and tilted her head to look at him.

"I didn't believe it before."

Jiang Jingming shook his head; in modern times, he was a staunch materialist.

"But having traveled far from home and seen so much, I've come to think that there might be such a thing as destiny. Besides, even if a wish doesn't come true, saying auspicious words is still a good idea."

"Too."

Fang Zhiyi smiled faintly:

“In fact, when I was at my lowest point, I knelt before the Buddha and begged for protection.”

"When?"

After asking the question, Jiang Jingming realized it was inappropriate, so he shook his head to indicate that she didn't need to answer it.

Fang Zhiyi was most desperate when she discovered that her parents had been killed and left Forget-Worry Valley to wander the world alone.

Just thinking about such a situation makes one feel that although the world is vast, there is nowhere to go and nowhere to find refuge.

Fang Zhiyi smiled even more as she watched him nervously shake his head.

“That time, I was also desperate. I just wished someone could save me, but in the end, neither the gods nor Buddhas paid attention to my pleas. Along my journey, I have seen countless people, and all living beings are trapped in a sea of ​​suffering. Since the gods and Buddhas sit high in the heavens, I think they probably cannot see the suffering of living beings.”

She paused, her gaze as clear and gentle as moonlight.

"Since Buddha won't save me, I'll save myself."

"..."

Save yourself?

These words are truly inspiring.

As Jiang Jingming thought about this, he suddenly realized that the reason Fang Zhiyi was so serious about trying to save the little bear was because she had noticed something.

Although they were complete strangers, they both possessed a heart that refused to compromise—hearts so similar.

"If I could fulfill my lifelong vow to save the world, the Buddha would be worshipping me in front of my hall."

Fang Zhiyi leaned against the offering table, a faint smile on her lips.

At this moment, her expression was so gentle that it seemed to melt into the moonlight, but the words she spoke were enough to make heaven and earth and even ghosts and gods stand in awe.

Jiang Jingming was slightly taken aback, and then felt that she was bathed in moonlight, and there seemed to be a compassionate Buddha-nature in her eyes and brows.

No wonder the people of Fengling City were shouting that a god had descended to earth; Fang Zhiyi's mere presence was enough to captivate all living beings.

Moreover, what she did was indeed a life-saving act, and for those whose lives she saved, she was practically no different from an immortal.

The immortals may be far away in the clouds, but she is truly standing right in front of you.

As Jiang Jingming thought this, he couldn't help but reach out and poke her face, as if to confirm that she was really there.

"I am not a fairy from the Jade Terrace, I will not ride the wind back to the moon."

Fang Zhiyi let him poke her face, and just smiled teasingly.

Her bone structure was exceptionally good, like it was carved from white jade, and her skin had a slightly cool feel to it.

Jiang Jingming's fingers lingered on her face for a moment, and Fang Zhiyi had no choice but to reach out, take his wrist, and lead him to the other side of the dilapidated temple.

Did you take your flute with you when you went out?

"Ah."

Jiang Jingming nodded.

Since it was made by Aqing herself, he carried it with him at all times, and like Wujiu, it had become something he never parted with.

“There is a zither here.”

Fang Zhiyi bent down and pulled the dusty guqin out from under the clutter, rolled up her sleeves, and carefully wiped the instrument.

The zither, like the dilapidated temple, looks quite old. It appears to be made of paulownia wood, and the strings hang loosely due to years of neglect.

Fang Zhiyi wiped the dust off the zither and tried plucking the strings.

“Zheng”.

The clear and melodious tone was like that of a calm, ancient well that had remained still for thousands of years.

"It's a fine instrument."

Fang Zhiyi sighed softly:

"How did I end up being abandoned here?"

"Perhaps it was donated to the temple by some musician in the past."

Jiang Jingming thought for a moment and deduced a certain possibility.

According to the customs of Zhongzhou, donations to temples do not necessarily have to be incense money; they can also be valuable items.

A fine instrument that a famous musician often carries with him is highly sought after by wealthy and famous people, making it very valuable.

However, judging from the current state of this instrument, it probably has no history and was abandoned in this temple, where it didn't even encounter a thief with malicious intent.

If it happens to be a rainy day, it might be chopped down and used as firewood by people who come in to take shelter from the rain.

Fortunately, it was also quite lucky, as it first encountered Fang Zhiyi, a person who recognized its value.

......

Fang Zhiyi sat down cross-legged and began to rewind the strings one by one.

Jiang Jingming simply sat down next to her and watched her fingers dance.

The moonlight cast her shadow, making it seem as if butterflies were fluttering from between her fingers.

"You learned to play the piano from your mother, didn't you?"

Jiang Jingming rested his chin on his hand, trying to make conversation.

Fang Zhiyi didn't look up, but simply nodded and said "Mm".

"Does she play the piano very well?"

"She used to be a courtesan in a wealthy family, and her playing skills were probably quite good. Later, she met my father, and he redeemed her from her servitude—of course, in exchange for treating the young master of that family."

Fang Zhiyi was talking when she suddenly laughed:

“My mother said she secretly complained to my father that the young master of that family always bullied her and forced her to kneel on the abacus and play the zither all night. So when my father was about to leave, he also poisoned him, so that he could only walk with a limp for the rest of his life.”

"Oh."

Jiang Jingming smiled upon hearing this; it was indeed in line with the Ghost Doctor's style.

If it were him, he would probably choose to beat that kid up openly and honestly.

"Later, my mother said that she was forced to learn the piano since she was a child. If she played a wrong note when she was a child, she would be whipped severely. On the day she left with my father, she made up her mind never to touch the piano again and never to think about the past."

"and then?"

Jiang Jingming was quite curious.

"Then, she said she didn't know why, but when she was with my father, she always wanted to play the piano for him. It was as if she had so much to say, but didn't know where to begin. After thinking it over, she realized that only the sound of the piano could express her feelings."

When Fang Zhiyi talked about these things, her smile was gentle, carrying a faint warmth:

"So she played the piano again. This time there were no mischievous glances from others, nor did she have to worry about the harsh criticism from the listeners. Only her lover was by her side. The spring sunshine was just right, and the years were gentle."

"very nice."

Jiang Jingming imagined that scene and nodded approvingly.

"When she taught me to play the piano, she probably felt the same way, so I always felt that the piano I learned from her could only be played for a special person."

After Fang Zhiyi finished speaking, the last string of the zither was wound up.

She stood up, holding the zither, and reached out to take Jiang Jingming's wrist.

Before Jiang Jingming could understand what she meant, she pulled him out of the dilapidated temple.

Outside the door, the moonlight shone like water on the ground. The moon in the desolate countryside always seemed bigger and brighter than the one in the city, as if it were about to fall from the sky.

The wind blew across the river, creating waves that lapped against the bluestone riverbank. Fang Zhiyi sat cross-legged by the river, the moon slowly rising behind her.

Jiang Jingming looked at her figure reflected in the moonlight, and for a moment he felt a little dazed, as if this scene was an absurd yet beautiful dream.

She placed the worn-out paulownia wood zither flat on her lap, lowered her eyelashes, and lightly brushed the strings with her fingertips.

The sound of the zither was like the babbling of a spring, or the deep blue of a still pool, as if it came from ancient times.

A thousand years ago, under the moonlight, there must have been someone standing alone, playing such music.