This scoundrel is a bit of a swordsman.

Xiao Xingchen suddenly understood. So that's how it is. The Great Qian Dynasty has four regions, and there are so many different interpretations within them. It seems Chen Miao came to Yong'an with her father when he took up his post, and then entered the Eastern Palace.

"Thank you, Master. Your words are like a wake-up call. The outside world is truly wonderful."

"Haha, that's right. I suppose the Tang Dynasty you mentioned is some remote mountain valley. How can you know about world affairs if you don't come to Yong'an? I understand."

Xiao Xingchen smiled ingratiatingly. While he was talking, the ceremony had already ended, and the Chen family members were walking towards the side room with their entourage. Seeing this, he had a thought. If the Chen family members could testify, it would probably be easier for people to believe that he had been carried away by a tiger.

"Master Juewu, it is getting late. May I stay the night? I am reluctant to leave as I have not yet experienced the Buddha's light of your temple. I would like to stay here a few more days."

"That's possible, but... we'll have to charge for meals. You know, our temple has high expenses and is quite poor."

The senior monk replied earnestly, which suddenly enlightened Xiao Xingchen. So, it was about money. Indeed, no matter where you are, you can't escape worldly desires.

“No problem, my attendants are right at the door, they won’t fail to give you the guidance you need.”

"You're a promising student. Then just go directly to the side room and give me your name when you get there."

"I see!"

For some reason, Xiao Xingchen felt that the scene was somewhat familiar. It seemed as if he was being sold something and then had to give the salesperson's name so that the salesperson could get a commission. Master Juewu should probably share some of his fees, right?

Has temple marketing here become this advanced? Monks are even getting commissions; it all seems rather incongruous.

After parting ways with Master Juewu, he explored the temple alone. Master Juewu was very efficient; his information was quickly relayed to the monks. Passing monks greeted him warmly.

"Damn it, why do I feel like such a blockhead?"

No wonder he had this misconception; every monk who saw him had his eyes light up, the kind of look one would give a fat sheep, as if to say, "Stop right there, let me slaughter you."

What struck him as odd was that while he had expected Xia Buyu to incorporate some modern elements into the temple's design, he had clearly misjudged the situation; the temple bore absolutely no resemblance to anything from his previous life.

He couldn't even tell that this looked like an arms factory.

After a brief tour of the temple, he decided to send the page away first.

He first sent his page to the temple to pay the silver, and then he sent Xiao Dong away as quickly as possible. This took a lot of effort, as the page was truly loyal and wouldn't leave no matter what he was told. Finally, he had no choice but to tell the page that he was about to rise to prominence and that his past experiences in the Xiao family would become a stain on his reputation, so the page had to disappear.

Either leave now and live a peaceful life somewhere no one knows you, or wait for him to make his move, and when he does, it will be fatal.

These words terrified Xiao Dong, because they were not mere idle talk. No one of any standing would allow their past misdeeds to be exposed, especially since the page knew almost everything about Xiao Jianren's sordid deeds. Moreover, based on his understanding, Xiao Jianren was truly capable of killing to silence witnesses.

After making these points clear, he then sent the page away.

After this intimidation, Xiao Xingchen believed that the pageboy wouldn't appear anytime soon. That was for the best; saving a life was an act of kindness. As long as the pageboy remained, his staged death would always have flaws. Of course, the best solution would be to kill him to silence him, but killing... he couldn't do it right now, and even felt an extreme aversion to it.

"who are you?"

Suddenly, a pleasant female voice rang out behind him.

Hearing that familiar voice, Xiao Xingchen smiled bitterly. It's true what they say, enemies are destined to meet. Xiao Jianren had put in a lot of effort on Chen Miao; he'd been lustful from the very first sight of the Crown Princess and had relentlessly pursued her ever since. If it weren't for Chen Miao's status, he guessed she wouldn't have lasted until the wedding before being cruelly taken away.

This also made Xiao Xingchen feel a slight aversion to this woman; she was indeed a femme fatale.

"I was just passing by and asked to stay the night. I apologize for disturbing your enjoyment, Miss. I'll be leaving now."

Xiao Xingchen gave a perfunctory reply and turned away immediately. He had absolutely no desire to have anything to do with Chen Miao. In his memories, he had discovered many contradictory things that couldn't be verified, but he still felt that Chen Miao was not simple. For someone like her, staying away was the best choice.

However, Chen Miao clearly didn't want to let him go. For some reason, she felt she had seen this young man somewhere before, which aroused her suspicion. So, after making the arrangements, she deliberately slipped away.

"How can you be so rude? I'm asking you a question, and you just walk away. Are you afraid of me?"

"Scared? Not at all, I'm just afraid of trouble," Xiao Xingchen paused, then slowly returned.

"Hehe, little brother, you seem to be lying. I can tell from your face that this isn't the first time you've seen me. Can you tell me where we've met before?"

"How could that be? I come from a small town deep in the mountains. How could I have ever seen such a beautiful young lady as you? I just get shy when I see pretty girls. Oh dear, I'm so embarrassed."

The affected expression and flippant tone made Chen Miao's face darken.

"How come I never knew someone as shy as you could say such blunt things? And you're telling me you're shy?"

Xiao Xingchen decided not to leave and turned around to look Chen Miao over again.

The girl's youthful innocence paired with a light green dress, and her slender figure that rivaled even the biggest stars of her past life, were striking. The ancient hairpin in her hair added to her elegance. If she remained silent and stood there quietly, Xiao Xingchen would feel that she was simply perfect.

But once she opens her mouth, her mischievous personality comes out; those big, bright eyes seem ready to trick someone at any moment.

Chen Xiu wasn't going to give her that chance; smooth talk was his forte.

"Maybe this is just how people from our area express shyness. We say things like, 'What can I do for you, miss? If there's nothing else, let's part ways. Men and women shouldn't be too close. It's easy for people to overthink if a man and a woman are alone together.'"

"Then you're overthinking it, this is a Buddhist temple,"

"A monk? He's a monk at work, but after get off work he gets married, has children, eats meat, and kills animals. Miss, don't be fooled by a monk's appearance. Monks are human too, and humans have emotions and desires. That so-called 'form is emptiness' is all nonsense. Be careful, in my hometown, being a monk is just a profession."

"Don't tarnish Buddhism! This is the Silent Temple, a sacred temple of the world!" Chen Miao quickly turned her head to look around, and only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that no one was eavesdropping. She was truly frightened by the man's words.

"The Holy Temple? You believe that?" Xiao Xingchen revealed a disdainful expression. What a load of bull! If they pulled out those super weapons from the armory, just thinking about it would be exciting.

A temple that reveres Buddhism and chants scriptures suddenly carrying explosives to blow up a bunker—even TV dramas wouldn't dare to depict such a thing, yet Xia Buyu did it. He shook his head slightly, about to leave, when Chen Miao suddenly spoke.

"It seems you have some knowledge. I was really going to shut you up when I saw your dissolute behavior, but I'll forgive you for what you just said. I need a servant, and I think you'd be perfect."

"You're crazy!"

Xiao Xingchen was utterly speechless. Did he feel like he was doing odd jobs?

"Hey, how can you talk like that? Making you a servant is an honor. Do you think just anyone has the chance to be a servant in the Chen family? Hey, don't go! Stop right there!"

Before Chen Miao could finish speaking, Xiao Xingchen turned his back on her and left on his own.