“The little boy and the little girl...”

“The two of them played together, and went to the academy together to study.”

“Gradually, the little girl and the little boy both grew older. The little girl became more and more beautiful, and grew into a graceful young maiden. There were many people around her who liked her.”

“Was the little girl in the story even prettier than you, Miss?” Xiao Mo smiled faintly, his tone carrying a hint of teasing.

“Well...” Tushan Jingci’s eyes curved with delight, and she lifted her chin proudly. “As pretty as me!”

The moment the words left her mouth, the woman noticed Xiao Mo seemed to be laughing at her. A faint blush could not help rising across her cheeks, and she said petulantly, “What? Am I not pretty?”

“You are,” Xiao Mo said with a nod, his tone sincere.

“Really?” Tushan Jingci leaned a little closer, her eyes looking straight at Xiao Mo, carrying a trace of scrutiny and expectation. “You’re not just brushing me off, are you?”

“Those who have left worldly life do not tell lies.” Xiao Mo pressed his palms together, his expression open and calm.

“That’s true...” Tushan Jingci straightened her slender waist and nodded as though comforting herself. “Monks generally don’t lie.”

“Then, Miss, what happened later to that woman and that book boy?” Xiao Mo asked, following along with the story.

“Later...” A nearly imperceptible loneliness flashed through Tushan Jingci’s eyes, but she quickly pressed it down. A gentle smile surfaced once more in those beautiful fox eyes.

“Later... many people did not agree to let them be together, but that woman liked him anyway. She was dead set on being with him.”

“In the end, they overcame every obstacle and truly ended up together.” As she spoke, a glow of anticipation rose in Tushan Jingci’s eyes, as though she were telling a beautiful ending she believed in without the slightest doubt.

“After that, they married, lived in seclusion among the mountains and forests, no longer concerned themselves with worldly affairs, and even had a whole litter of fluffy little foxes.”

“Does the story end there?” Xiao Mo asked.

“It ends there.” Tushan Jingci tilted her head slightly. “What’s wrong? You don’t like this story?”

“That is not it.” Xiao Mo shook his head, his tone gentle. “I simply feel... this story seems a little too simple.”

“What’s wrong with a simpler story? If the ending is good, isn’t that the best kind of story? Doesn’t a monk think so too?” Tushan Jingci pursed her little mouth, a touch of small dissatisfaction in her tone.

“You are right, Miss.” Xiao Mo lowered his eyes and answered softly. Only, no one knew what those calm eyes were thinking. “A simpler one is quite good too.”

“All right, I’ve finished telling my story. Now it’s your turn, monk...” Tushan Jingci looked at him with a bright smile. “Courtesy should be returned. You have to tell me a story too.”

“What kind of story would you like to hear, Miss?” Xiao Mo asked softly.

“Well...” Tushan Jingci lifted a small hand and lightly pressed it against her soft pink lips. She tilted her head and thought about it seriously, then answered in a light, cheerful voice, her brows and eyes curved with a smile, “Anything is fine.”

“Then I will also tell you a simple story, Miss.” Xiao Mo smiled faintly.

“All right, all right.”

Tushan Jingci immediately sat up straight, both small hands obediently placed on her thighs, her eyes fixed on Xiao Mo without blinking, like a child listening earnestly in class.

“Monk, you have to tell it properly. If the story is not good, you’ll have to tell me another one.”

Xiao Mo only smiled faintly. He organized his words in his heart, then slowly began.

“Once upon a time... there was an old monk. A thief came to his temple and stole some things from it. The monks were very angry and wanted to catch the thief, but the old monk had a good temper and did not say much. He thought that since the things had been stolen, then so be it.”

“But after that one time, unexpectedly, that thief came a second time, then a third, then a fourth...”

“That thief kept coming to steal, and he came more and more often. In the end, even the good-tempered old monk could endure it no longer.”

“On this day, sure enough, that thief came again. And the old monk had long since been sitting inside the temple, waiting for him.”

“Through a door, the old monk said to the thief, ‘Please put your hand through the crack in the door. Whatever you want, I will give it to you.’”

“When the thief heard that, he was delighted. He thought this old monk was truly easy to deal with. Not only had the old monk not grown angry after being robbed so many times, this time, he was even taking the initiative to give him something.”

“And so, the thief put his hand through the crack in the door.”

“At that moment, the old monk grabbed his hand and began beating it hard with a staff. As he beat him, he chanted to him—take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha.”

“The old monk wanted the thief to chant along with him.”

“But that thief was very stubborn, and would not chant no matter what.”

“When he refused to chant, the old monk refused to let him go, and continued beating his hand—take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha.”

“The thief was beaten until it hurt so badly he truly could not stand it anymore. Helpless, he could only shout along, ‘Take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha.’”

“And that is the story of the Buddhist scriptures’ Three Refuges.”

When Xiao Mo finished, he pressed his palms together.

“Three Refuges?”

After listening to the story, Tushan Jingci laughed softly. Her gaze shimmered as it moved, and her voice carried a touch of playfulness and tenderness.

“Monk, you have Three Refuges there, but I have a Four Refuges here. I wonder if you want to hear it?”

“Four Refuges?” Xiao Mo frowned slightly, his eyes filled with confusion as he asked softly.

“Mm.” The woman nodded lightly. Her soft pink lips curved faintly. “Here. Monk, hold out your hand. I’ll teach you.”

Although Xiao Mo’s heart was filled with doubts, he still did as she said and held out his hand, palm facing up, placing it steadily in front of her.

Tushan Jingci reached out with her fair, slender little hand and lightly took Xiao Mo’s wrist, pulling his hand over and setting it firmly on her soft, shapely thigh. In a gentle voice, she said, “I’ll recite one line, and you repeat one line. All right?”

“Please recite, Miss,” Xiao Mo said with a nod, his tone mild.

“Take refuge in the Buddha.” Tushan Jingci lightly raised her jade-like hand and tapped his broad palm, neither too softly nor too heavily. Her slender hand brushed over him like silk.

“Take refuge in the Buddha,” Xiao Mo repeated, word by word.

“Take refuge in the Dharma,” she recited next, tapping his palm lightly again, her movement gentle yet carrying a trace of stubborn seriousness.

“Take refuge in the Dharma,” Xiao Mo repeated again.

“Take refuge in the Sangha.” Tushan Jingci lightly bit her soft lips.

“Take refuge in the Sangha.” Xiao Mo’s monk’s robe was suffused with pale moonlight.

“Take refuge...”

The woman lifted her eyes. Flickering candlelight was reflected in those beautiful fox eyes. Her tender lips opened and closed softly, as though a thousand words were caught in her throat.

“Miss Jingci.”

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