A Farm Girl: Three Acres of Fertile Land Can Be Exchanged for a Country

Regardless, she will always remember the monk who sat in the cabin back then.

He was surrounded by rotting corpses and a chaotic crowd, the air thick with smoke and the light dim.

He sat alone in the crowd, dressed in a monk's robe, like a beautiful jade hidden among stones, chanting scriptures in a low voice, saving the souls of the dead.

Xu Yun is right; they should have the well-being of all living beings in their hearts.

She was just one of the masses, and she was not worthy of making him stop and linger.

After the tonsure ceremony was completed, Xuyun went to the well to wash his hands.

Wutong went in with a dustpan and broom to sweep the hair. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Wenxin with a clean bald head, kneeling on a prayer mat, chanting something to the Buddha statue.

She took a deep breath, fought back her tears, quickly swept her hair clean, and fled as if escaping a disaster.

Xu Yun agreed to take care of Duan Fufeng, and Wutong and Wenxin went down the mountain the next day.

Wenxin was wearing a tattered monk's robe and a hat on his head, under which was a clean and fair face.

Fearing disrespect to the Buddha, Wutong wore his own outer garment over the monk's robe, making him look like a bear, and went down the mountain with him.

After several trips, she became more and more familiar with the mountain path. She knew how to avoid many dangerous places without needing any warnings from the exit.

The two walked for a long time, but remained silent the whole way, exchanging no more than three sentences each day.

"Have a meal."

"sleep."

"We're on our way."

When Wutong saw the road leading out, it was no different from a person about to starve seeing a steamed bun.

She quickened her pace and ran out, looking left and right. She saw some tents standing in front of the woods in the distance and suspected that they belonged to Li Deming and his guards. She greeted Wenxin and ran over to them.

Wenxin followed slowly behind, lost in thought.

Upon arriving outside the tent, Wutong saw two men chopping wood, and another man feeding the horses. The horses hadn't traveled in a long time and were well-fed and healthy, their coats glossy.

Wutong walked over, hooked the horse's head and nuzzled it, then asked the man, "Where is Lord Li?"

"Lord Li has gone hunting with his men... You are..."

Wutong laughed and said, "Don't you recognize me?"

The man thought carefully for a moment, then his eyes widened, and he slapped his forehead, saying, "You are... the King?"

The wutong tree nodded.

He shouted.

"Quickly! The King has come down from the mountain! Summon Lord Li back immediately!"

The Great King is coming down from the mountain? That sounds a bit like Sun Wukong...

Wutong reluctantly accepted this awkward description and was ushered into the tent by the man to wait for Li Deming to return.

Soon after, Wenxin arrived, and the two sat facing each other across a table. A guard came to pour them tea, unaware of the change in their relationship, assuming they were still as close as before, and said:

"Why did Master Wenxin shave his head? Your Majesty, why didn't you stop him?"

Wenxin awkwardly turned her face away. Wutong picked up her teacup, took a sip, and casually said, "He was a monk to begin with, what's the big deal about stopping him from shaving his head?"

"That's true, but what will you do after you get married?"

"Get married?" Wutong almost choked on her tea.

The guards had discussed their relationship quite a bit in private, almost concluding that they would become husband and wife. Wutong had been gone for so long that the guards had forgotten her identity and, without thinking, blurted out those two words. Realizing their mistake, they shuddered and quickly said:

"I always talk nonsense... You all have your tea, I'll go outside and take a look."

The guard put down the teapot and hurriedly ran away. The tea choked Wutong and went into her trachea. She coughed several times, but her trachea was still painful and itchy, making one wish they could stick a brush in and stir it up.

Wenxin turned her head to the side without making a sound, wanting to pat her back, but ultimately gave up the idea and silently drank her tea.

After struggling for a long time, the discomfort finally disappeared. Soon, the sound of rapid, chaotic hoofbeats came from outside the tent, as if many people were riding back to camp.

Immediately afterward, the curtain was lifted, and a tall, familiar figure rushed in, stopping in front of Wutong, looking around, and asking:

"Where is the prince?"

“He’s still on the mountain,” Wutong said.

Li Deming looked disappointed, realizing he had misunderstood. When the guard informed him that Wutong had come down the mountain, he assumed it was Duan Fufeng who had woken up and they had come down together, but he hadn't expected it to be just Wutong and Wenxin.

"Then why did you come down the mountain?" he asked, puzzled.

Wutong explained her reasons for going down the mountain to purchase supplies, then glanced at the guard and lowered her voice to say to Li Deming:

"I have something to discuss with you, Your Highness. Would you mind if we spoke privately?"

Li Deming understood, and immediately ordered everyone to leave, closing the curtain tightly, leaving only the three of them in the tent.

Wutong didn't shy away from asking her honest opinion, and spoke frankly:

Master Xuyun said he could not save Duan Fufeng.

Li Deming had just sat down in the chair and hadn't even had time to raise his head when he heard this, his body swayed as if he was about to fall.

This news must have felt like the sky was falling on him... Wutong reached out to help him, but he shook his head, brushed her hand away, and asked, trying to remain calm:

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you take the prince down the mountain? Since he can’t be saved, I’ll send him back to the Southern Frontier as soon as possible, even if…” He suddenly choked up, covered his face with one hand, and his shoulders kept shaking. After a long while, he continued, “Even if he dies, he can’t die outside. I want to send him back to Lingyun Mansion.”

Wutong didn't want to tease him, and said seriously:

"Although he couldn't save them, he told me about another way."

"What method?" Li Deming's eyes lit up as he looked at her eagerly.

Wutong told him the whole story about Penglai Immortal Island, including the part about Xuyun when he was young.

Li Deming was naturally wary, and even though she spoke so earnestly, he refused to believe her, stubbornly insisting that it was just a rumor.

"There are no immortals in this world... That old monk is probably famous, but he can't save people and is too embarrassed to do so, so he deliberately lied to you to avoid trouble from the Southern Frontier."

Wenxin, who had been silent until now, said, "Master is not that kind of person."

Li Deming glanced at him sideways.

"He could even drive you down the mountain, what kind of person do you think he is?"

"you……"

Although Wenxin had some complaints about his master, he absolutely could not accept being insulted and immediately decided to beat Li Deming into submission.

Seeing this, Wutong quickly stepped between the two and said to Li Deming:

“You might not believe it, but I do. As long as there’s a way to save him, I’m willing to try.”

Li Deming stared at her blankly, his clenched fists loosened, his body gradually relaxed, and he leaned back in his chair dejectedly.

"And I am no different... If Your Highness were still awake, he would be overjoyed to hear you say that."

Does Duan Fufeng ever have happy moments?

Wutong tried hard to recall, but couldn't remember his smile, not even once.

What a pitiful man. What good is being the King of Southern Xinjiang? He has never had a happy day.