I am not Ximen Qing.

"Hey, why are you putting a flower crown on me?"

"Tingting, put on the flower crown and become the flower goddess among flowers."

"I was feeling a little sleepy just now, what were you doing secretly again?"

"I swear to God, I didn't do anything,"

"I didn't do anything, and for no reason a bunch of flowers grew on my head."

"They also think it looks better on your head,"

"You're just trying to coax me."

"I'm not kidding you, the flowers are even more beautiful because of you. You are the goddess of flowers!"

"nonsense,"

"Tingting, didn't you notice just now? This place is more beautiful because of you."

"Let's go,"

"Why haven't you seen enough yet?"

"We have to go even if we haven't seen enough."

Feeling refreshed, they ran straight up the stone steps to the stone bridge, and ascended the steps once more, returning to their romantic world. Together, they knelt and prayed to the Maitreya Buddha.

"make a wish"

"I know, and I am devout and do not speak falsehoods."

The four Heavenly Kings on both sides of the hall—Virudhaka, Vaishravana, Dhritarashtra, and Virudhaka—hold swords and lutes, their fierce and angry expressions lifelike, embodying the Buddhist concepts of the lion's roar and the wondrous eye of Dharma. Looking at the majestic aura of the four Heavenly Kings, who would dare not be sincere?

"You dare to bully me? They are my protectors!"

"Tingting, if anyone dares to bully you, I'll..."

Standing behind Maitreya Buddha, Weituo, the guardian deity of the monastery, holds his sacred implements, his imposing presence unassailable, a testament to the purity of Buddhist sanctuary. However, it has become fashionable for devout men and women, troubled by love and romance, to seek solace in temples. Yet, the true secret of love and romance in this world lies in Buddhism. While this isn't the western wing of Puji Temple, in this era of widespread Buddhist influence, the most serene places among temples, monasteries, and various other shrines have become popular spots for romantic photo opportunities. Continuing from the hall where Maitreya Buddha and Weituo reside at the mountain gate, one encounters bell and drum towers on either side. In front of the main hall on the central axis stands a stone tablet carried on the back of a turtle. This sacred object is indispensable in any ancient temple with a rich history; the tablet, like a stone record, narrates the temple's origins. The fact that the temple has remained intact through the Ming and Qing dynasties is truly remarkable!

Tingting still loved to lean on the railing, gazing at the koi carp swimming freely in the Golden Pond beneath the stone bridge. Besides butterfly dreams, there were also koi carp dreams, love dreams, romantic dreams, daydreams—a sense of déjà vu. The absence of fish in the Golden Pond at the mountain temple was as absurd as a deep pool without a dragon. Zhang Sheng and Tingting were caught in a dreamlike illusion, a time-space distortion. The mountain temple was a place of Buddhist spiritual practice; even the most intense love would be purified by the blessings of Buddhist scriptures, becoming as pure as the beauty of the Heart Sutra. Buddhism doesn't oppose love and romantic love; it purifies them. Tingting said, "What a pity! If spring could last forever, that would be wonderful." Zhang Sheng asked her why. "Silly," she replied, "where could be more beautiful than the blooming flowers of the mountain temple?" Beautiful women who didn't want to be reborn into the mortal world would find liberation through Buddhism, blooming as part of the flowers every spring.

"Tingting, I had a dream. Was I a fish here in my past life?"

Zhang Sheng shamelessly recalled the dream he and Bai Hua had been lost in together. Beside the ruins of the pagoda, at the foot of a cliff, there was a pavilion with a pond, which had the charm of a lakeside pavilion, but it was just a lotus pond pavilion. The lotus pond pavilion was built according to the shape of the cliff, and one could sit in the pavilion and watch the fish.

"It's true, in my past life I might have been a fish in this golden pond, but the fish in your dreams are all mermaids, so maybe it wasn't me."

"Tingting, you've become enlightened! You've gained the ability to see in the past and future! You can even foresee your past and present lives! You're not a fish in a golden pond, that's not high enough. You should at least be a jade maiden from the Jade Pool who has descended to earth in love!"

"how about you?"

Zhang Sheng racked his brains. Thankfully, he'd read comic books and remembered the most memorable part of Journey to the West: Tang Sanzang, Tingting wasn't the White Bone Demon; the Bull Demon King, Tingting wasn't the Jade-Faced Fox; Tang Sanzang wasn't bad, was he? She wasn't the Pipa Demon!

"I remember now, I'm the Yellow-Robed Monster from the 27 Constellations who even gave you the inner elixir and relic, the one the Jade Emperor demoted to tend Laozi's fire, my Soul Family! How about it, Soul Family? I love you to death, Soul Family!"

"How cheesy! Who's your soul master? Keep making things up! Am I your soul master? That's hilarious!"

"Yes, the Soul Family."

"You're so shameless! Don't you have any shame at all? You stink!"

"I'm just thick-skinned and shameless."

She chuckled, realizing that the rain had cleared and the sun was shining. To be so carefree and disheartened in the mountain temple, amidst the towering ancient pines and cypresses, was far too unserious.

"Let's stop fooling around, we need to get into the main hall. I need to think this over."

Namo Dipankara Buddha,

Namo Bhaisajyaguru Buddha,

Namo Shakyamuni Buddha

Homage to the Buddhas of the past, future, and present.

Namo Pure Joyful Buddha

Namo Vairocana Buddha

Namo Ratnaketu Buddha,

Namo Maitreya Buddha

Namo Amitabha Buddha

Namo Amitabha Buddha

Namo Amitabha Buddha, who guides you to the true Buddha.

Namo Vajra Indestructible Buddha

Namo Ratnaketu Buddha

Namo Dragon King Buddha.

Namo Amitabha Buddha,

Namo Ratnacandra Buddha,

Namo Amitabha Buddha.

Namo Varuna Buddha,

Namo Narayana Buddha

Namo Merit Flower Buddha

Namo Merit Flower Buddha,

Namo Sudatta Buddha

Namo Chandana-prabha Buddha,

Namo Mani-dragon Buddha.

Namo Wisdom Torch Illuminating Buddha

Namo Hai De Guang Ming Buddha

Namo Amitabha Buddha

Namo Compassionate King Buddha,

Namo Virtuous Buddha,

Namo Guangzhu Yanfo (Homage to the Buddha of Great Power and Majesty).

Namo Golden Flower Light Buddha

Namo Amitabha Buddha

Namo Wisdom Victorious Buddha

Namo World-Supreme Light Buddha

Namo Sun and Moon Light Buddha

Namo Sun and Moon Jewel Light Buddha

Namo Wonderful Sound Buddha,

Namo Changguangzhuang Buddha,

Namo Avalokiteshvara Buddha.

Namo Victorious Buddha

Namo Sumeru Light Buddha

Namo Mahavira Buddha,

Namo Golden Ocean Light Buddha

Namo Mahabodhi Buddha

Namo Caiguang Buddha,

Namo Chandana Merit Buddha

Namo Victorious Fighting Buddha

Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva

Namo Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva,

Namo Manjushri Bodhisattva,

Namo Samantabhadra Bodhisattva,

Homage to the Pure Ocean Assembly of Bodhisattvas,

Namo Lotus Pond Assembly Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

Homage to all the Bodhisattvas of the Western Paradise.

Namo 3000 Jieti Great Bodhisattvas

Namo 500 Arhat Bodhisattvas

Namo Bhikshu Yiseni Bodhisattva,

Homage to the Bodhisattva of Immeasurable Dharma from the Heavenly Edge.

Namo Vajra Great Bodhisattva

Namo Pure Altar Messenger Bodhisattva,

Namo Eight-Treasure Golden Body Arhat Bodhisattva

Namo Eightfold Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva

"Tingting went to the Mahavira Hall to worship Buddha,"

"My mind was too chaotic, I need to calm down,"

"Reciting so many Buddhist scriptures,"

"Yes,"

"Tingting has such a strong sense of ritual,"

"I'm reciting the Buddha's name, not chanting scriptures,"

"Is there a difference?"

"Reciting the Buddha's name directly brings a faster response,"

"What kind of sensation?"

"Go and pray yourself."

How do you remember that?

"I can memorize things very quickly; I can memorize a text in twenty or thirty minutes."

"I don't want to memorize so many Buddha names, I'd rather worship Buddha and get a feel for it," said Shakyamuni Buddha, Ananda and Kasyapa, Manjushri, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, the Eighteen Arhats, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, Sudhana, and the Dragon Girl.

"Luckily, we didn't anger Buddha. Let's go."

"Where to go?"

"Go to the Arhat Hall to find the Arhats from your past and present lives, and draw out your Dharma Protector Arhats. It seems that here, there are Dharma Protector Arhats of Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Qianlong."

Finding the Dharma Protector Arhat among the 508 Arhats is truly difficult! The mad monk and Ji Dian, in a short while, also encountered Shakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, as if they had returned to Shakyamuni Buddha's Jetavana Monastery more than 2000 years ago, listening to the Buddha's teachings.

"Can you sense it?"

"Yes, I have absolutely no worries anymore. I feel so clear-headed, comfortable, and at ease."

"Let's go to Shuiquan Courtyard to listen to the spring."

The winding paths and stone steps are all marked by dampness. The ancient trees and rocky cliffs of Xiangshan, stretching for 30 miles, are almost entirely sculpted by the masterful hand of moss. The cliffs gleam because of the moss, and the trees possess an antique charm. Today, moss is ubiquitous on Xiangshan Mountain, and people cherish its rarity. Strolling along the bluestone slabs, one wonders if the stones are from Fangshan or Xiangshan. They must be from Fangshan; almost all the stones in the Forbidden City originated from Fangshan. Sometimes, one might hypothesize that the stubborn stone in *The Story of the Stone* was from Fangshan, not Changbai Mountain. The stones were not just from Kunlun Mountain, nor were they the stubborn rocks from Nanjing's Stone City. The stone used by Nuwa to mend the sky had already entered the Forbidden City, whether it was the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, or the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Furthermore, the Hall of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, the Hall of Earthly Tranquility, the Hall of Literary Glory, the Hall of Military Prowess, the Six Eastern and Western Palaces, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Hall of Nourishing Nature, the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, the Palace of Longevity and Health, the Hall of Summer Harmony, the Hall of Joyful Longevity, the Imperial Garden, and the Garden of Compassion and Tranquility all required stone materials. Not to mention the useless, wasteful stones used for carving beams and painting rafters, like the wasteful stones of Mi Wanshan. Then Shi Tao and the Eight Great Masters appeared. All of these ideas came about because of stones. The melody of the guqin, "High Mountains and Flowing Water," evokes the image of Bo Ya and Zi Qi gazing east and west. At the foot of the mountains, near and far, are secluded courtyards, almost all inhabited by Manchu bannermen, remnants of the old regime, and the training grounds of the "Ten Perfect Elders of Xiangshan." These places offer respite from the summer heat, military training, and leisurely pursuits like tea tasting and brewing. Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering" is a testament to the joy of raising a cup and enjoying the flowing wine. Like a dream, one can breathe in the air of Xiangshan, even the air at its foot seems to contain countless Buddhist scriptures and teachings cultivated in a past life. Song Yu is far from satisfied with the land of Kyushu; his heart has grown wilder. He wonders what state his relationship with his girlfriend is in. Compared to Song Yu's girlfriend, Tingting possesses a more refined and elegant air, like a goddess from the mountains and rivers of Sichuan and Wushan, with skin as white as snow and as smooth as jade. Her jade-like arms stretched out to release the melancholy and restlessness in her heart. The girl was beautiful, charming, and sexy, often trapped in the painful illusion of loving dreams and reality, her body possessing the triple personality power of the devil, Faust, and Dionysus.

"What are you thinking about? You're already here, why are you still spacing out?"

It was Tingting who pulled Zhang Sheng out of his emotional turmoil once again.

"Tingting, you have such an amazing imagination!"

"It's not that I have a vivid imagination, it's that you're someone I can't understand,"

"What's there to not see through?"

"What were you thinking about just now? You looked so lost and disoriented."

"Tingting, look! What is this? What is this? What is it? Is it a tree spirit?"

Countless wishing plaques hang from the tree branches, inscribed with the hopes and dreams of lovers. Those who make wishes are usually deeply in love, enjoying a sweet and romantic moment, and it's an impromptu act. Love is something we only miss when it's gone, and we can't stop longing for it. That's why we have Bai Juyi's "Song of Everlasting Regret," Yuan Zhen's "The Story of Yingying," and Wang Fuzhi's "The Romance of the Western Chamber."

"It's called the Three Lives Tree. When the locust tree withers, a cypress tree grows from it, and when the cypress tree withers, a ginkgo tree grows from it. That's why so many people come here to make wishes. What are we? Can we be as evergreen and eternal as the Three Lives Tree?"

"We must be like this living fossil ginkgo tree, together forever, for countless millennia."

"What a pity, I didn't buy a wishing charm."

Before her lay Ouyang Xiu's "Record of the Drunken Pavilion," a winding path hidden among layered rocks and shimmering stones. The strangely shaped rocks, arranged in an orderly fashion, possessed both form and power amidst the chaos, settling gracefully along the winding path. Looking back at the Canglang Pavilion, the essence of Chinese landscape painting was fully captured within. Without the pavilion and the rocks, the spirit and form would be lost. The sound evoked Su Shi's "Record of Stone Bell Mountain." She closed her eyes, listening intently to the celestial sounds! The Zen-like natural sounds of "Record of the Little Stone Pool," unpolluted by the city, were the purest music. There was a cave with statues of Amitabha Buddha, Avalokiteshvara, and Mahasthamaprapta—the three Western Saints—and she devoutly bowed, chanting, "Namo Amitabha Buddha, Namo Avalokiteshvara, Namo Mahasthamaprapta." Bowing to Buddha at least cleansed the mind, bringing tranquility. At least for the moment, the beauty of escaping the troubles of pursuing the sounds of music was present. Looking out over the cave, pine and cypress trees grew on the cliff face, their forms resembling soaring dragons. Above, on a platform in a mountain hollow, stands a Dragon King Temple. Below, piled stones are arranged in a pleasing, orderly fashion, with winding paths and streams hidden among the rocks, sometimes visible, sometimes concealed. The natural landscape is captivating; the spring water is crystal clear, its gentle murmur indescribable. Where the clear spring water tinkles, the current gurgles and surges. Here, the flowing stream, clear and expansive, transforms into a pond. The pond is paved with bluestone slabs, divided into three sections. The water is so clear that no fish can be found, only moss on the bluestone steps—a verdant tapestry of nature's beauty. The pond is filled with green algae, a soft, fuzzy layer, swaying beneath the surface. A red wall blocks the opening, isolating the Water Spring Courtyard from the outside world. Below the red wall, besides the strange rocks, there is a bamboo grove, some swaying gently, others reminiscent of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, a scene of ethereal beauty. Is this what love is like? He'd long forgotten Catwoman and Birch, seemingly as shameless as she said, finding solace in her endless, lingering love and romance. Being a philandering playboy seemed quite pleasant; what's wrong with being her playboy? A playboy's world is just a collection of girls. She really fantasized about being Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt—a symbol capable of devouring Caesar. Antony, the goddess of love and desire...