Chapter 846: The Venerable Buddha Carries My Precepts for Me!

Chapter 846: Chapter 846: The Venerable Buddha Carries My Precepts for Me!

"This isn’t how I imagined this going at all..."

Yuankong lay on the ground, staring up at the swirling snow as he muttered.

Qian Qing took a deep breath. Her heart was still a bit agitated, but far less than she had expected. She walked steadily to Yuankong’s side and looked down at him, still sprawled on the ground:

"Then how did you imagine it? Like when we were kids?"

"Could it be?" Yuankong asked.

San Dong said nothing, silently covering its eyes.

The next moment, Yuankong’s pained groan rang out.

Qian Qing demanded sharply:

"Who taught you that saying goodbye means leaving a note on the pillow with half the ink missing, scribbling who-knows-what in tiny characters you can barely read?"

"Well, I was running out of ink. I had a lot to say, so I wrote it smaller."

"And it didn’t occur to you that I might not be able to read what you wrote? I thought you were going off to die! Aren’t you a Golden Core cultivator? You could have carved it into the floor and I’d have given you credit for ingenuity."

"The room was rented... carving into the floor would have been rude."

"And scribbling that goodbye note like that was somehow more polite?"

"I thought you’d be able to read it. After all, I raised you myself."

"Huh?! Then guess what I want to do right now?"

"...You want to hit me?"

"You guessed right!"

Another groan of pain from Yuankong.

San Dong quietly opened its eyes after the sound, watching Yuankong curl up on the ground, his face twisted in agony.

It hadn’t realized Qian Qing had such a completely different side.

Qian Qing exhaled softly: "Alright, Golden Core Lord, stop acting. I’m just a tiny mortal — how could I possibly hurt a great Golden Core cultivator like you? Get up."

Yuankong didn’t move, still lying there with a pained expression.

"Then don’t get up." Qian Qing snorted coldly and stood to head inside. "And you call yourself a monk who doesn’t speak false words — you should have been expelled from the Buddhist sect long ago."

The next moment, Yuankong flipped upright and hurried after Qian Qing, protesting:

"I really didn’t speak falsely — how is that a lie? I genuinely just wanted to lie on the ground a bit longer."

Qian Qing walked into the courtyard without further acknowledging him, turning her gaze to San Dong on her shoulder and speaking more gently:

"Call Qinghe."

"Oh..." San Dong nodded immediately.

San Dong had originally thought that since Qian Qing cared about Yuankong so much, she would go soft, shed a few tears, and it would get to fiercely berate Yuankong on her behalf...

It hadn’t expected Qian Qing and Yuankong’s reunion to play out like this.

For a moment, it didn’t know who to pity.

But thinking it over, San Dong was closer to Qian Qing and had a better relationship with her. Even though Yuankong had taken a beating, San Dong was still firmly on Qian Qing’s side.

Yuankong squeezed into the courtyard, trailing behind Qian Qing:

"I had originally planned to come sooner, but then Sect Master Chu dragged me off to work for Great Thunder Temple. I wasn’t supposed to be back this soon, but something seems to have happened in Western Jambudvipa, and the Venerable Buddha returned to the Great Thunder Temple."

"The matters in Southern Zhanbu Continent were put on hold, so I finally had time to come back. It did delay quite a bit, though."

Qian Qing’s tone returned to normal as she replied:

"It wasn’t really a delay. Things are good here. I’m comfortable."

Yuankong smiled: "I’m at ease about Sect Master Chu."

Qian Qing nodded, leading Yuankong into the small garden.

Qinghe would first gather at the Peak of One Big Happy Family, then transform into its flood dragon form to carry San Dong and Qian Qing to dinner. In Qinghe’s words: if you don’t ride me at least once, you’ll probably try to skip the bill after eating.

Sometimes Qian Qing couldn’t tell if Qinghe was genuinely naive or cleverly calculating — the twists and turns in that mind were surprisingly many.

Yuankong looked at the silent Qian Qing, thought for a moment, and said:

"I went to Daoxuan Temple. I walked through the entire trial, and chatted a bit with the little monk standing at the gate. He said he remembered you very well."

Qian Qing looked over: "I know. He said there must be something wrong with my head."

"Ahem..." Yuankong coughed twice, then thought before speaking. "He said you were very persistent."

Qian Qing let out a soft laugh but didn’t reply.

Yuankong also raised his gaze, looking in the same direction Qian Qing was watching.

In just a moment, he understood what she was looking at.

A flood dragon was tearing through the sky, weaving through the air, and only upon reaching the Peak of One Big Happy Family did it transform into a streak of rainbow light.

Qinghe, sporting its dragon horns, locked its delighted gaze onto San Dong:

"Treating me to dinner at Baiwei Ju?"

"Mm." San Dong nodded, then glanced at Yuankong beside them and said, "But we need to bring one more person."

Qinghe turned to look at Yuankong, frowned, studied him for a moment, then said with puzzlement:

"You look familiar... Buddha Son Yuankong?"

"You remember me?" Yuankong was somewhat surprised. Naturally, he recognized Qinghe — it had been present at Li Yingling’s birthday celebration. After all these years, Qinghe’s appearance hadn’t changed.

Qinghe grinned smugly: "Of course I remember. Qinghe大人’s memory is excellent."

Back then, Xie Lingyu had specifically told the story of Yuankong and Yuanjing — a rather touching tale. Qinghe’s memory of it was still quite vivid. The little monk’s features, now grown up, still rang a bell.

It was just a shame — he had been a bit cute as a child, but growing up had made him look rather ordinary.

"I know him. Bringing him along is fine." Qinghe nodded, then remembered something and quickly added, "But this monk better not think about riding on Qinghe大人’s back. I hate monks."

Yuankong immediately said: "I wouldn’t dream of it. I’m a Golden Core cultivator — I can fly on my own."

Qinghe nodded with satisfaction: "Good."

————————

Tianyan Sect. Baiwei Ju.

Two people, a small flower spirit, and a flood dragon in human form had claimed the largest table.

A table that could seat twenty was covered with dishes.

San Dong and Qian Qing sat on one side, Yuankong on the opposite side, and Qinghe in the middle.

"The food’s all here — why aren’t you eating? If you don’t eat, don’t blame me for finishing it all."

San Dong chewed meat in its mouth, speaking through a mouthful, unsure whether the meat was properly chewed before it slipped down with a swig of spirit fruit juice on the side.

Flavor didn’t have to be savored — but eating less was a genuine loss.

San Dong didn’t eat much, and Qian Qing could only nibble on these richly nourishing dishes. So the bulk of this massive table of food was, predictably, heading into Qinghe’s stomach.

After the one suggestion, Qinghe said nothing more, happily shoveling food into its mouth with a smile.

Who cared if the atmosphere was a bit awkward — nothing was more important than eating!

Qian Qing took a deep breath, then picked up her bowl and chopsticks and started eating.

Yuankong looked at Qian Qing. Seeing her now, she really was still that same little girl from years ago.

He smiled a breezy smile and picked up his bowl and chopsticks to eat.

After all, this kind of food was genuinely hard to come by normally.

In just a moment, Qinghe’s shocked voice rang out:

"What the—! You damn monk! Didn’t your abbot teach you the precepts?! How are you eating meat?! Slow down, you bastard!"

Yuankong wiped his mouth with his sleeve and replied with righteous conviction:

"I’m a Buddha Son — the Venerable Buddha carries my precepts for me! When have I ever gotten to eat this good? Let me have more!"