CHAPTER 76: CHAPTER 76: FOUR SOUL-SEARCHING QUESTIONS FLUSTER THE YOUTH

The main hall’s presence is just different, unlike the secluded small temples, not only are many tourists coming and going, but there are also quite a few Taoists mixed in among them.

At this time, it was nearing dusk, the tangerine glow of the sun spilled over the temple doors, blending the laughter of couples, the chatter of tourists, the chirping of birds, with the distant ringing of bells, creating a lively earthly scene, imbued with a hint of worldly flavor, and lacking a bit of solemnity.

"This is the last bit of incense, let’s light them all here," Qin Guanglin had already put away his umbrella, he shook the remainder of the small half tube of bamboo incense in his hand and said to He Fang.

He Fang nodded, having specifically saved this place for last and without any more fuss, he pulled Qin Guanglin towards the hall.

Photography was prohibited inside the hall, couples mostly just took a quick look before leaving, only a few middle-aged and elderly tourists were kneeling there to pray, the two of them holding incenses appeared quite distinct from those around them.

Waited until the people in front of them stood up, Qin Guanglin and He Fang stepped forward, readjusting their weary expressions to a more serious mien as they lit their incense, repeating an action they had done countless times that day.

He Fang had mentioned praying for relatives, so Qin Guanglin solemnly accompanied her in burning incense and kneeling to pray, without uttering a single complaint along the way, this last one was particularly meticulous, strictly following the procedures and earnestly performing three loud kowtows, and upon rising, he pressed his hands together in prayer and bowed deeply, taking two steps back before turning around.

Even if the gods and Buddhas did possess power, they could not protect everyone, the many worshippers could only compare who among them was more devout, in hopes that the divine gaze might linger on them just a little longer.

"We’ve worshipped all the deities on the mountain," Qin Guanglin said somewhat sentimentally, who would have thought he, a borderline atheist, would have such a day?

Both knees were a bit sore, and he presumed He Fang must be even more tired, the thought made him feel a bit distressed–if only he could take her place.

He Fang squeezed his hand firmly, "I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself tomorrow."

"Get some rest," said Qin Guanglin as he prepared to head back with her, it was getting late, and they were both exhausted with no mood left to enjoy themselves.

"Wait here for a moment," she said suddenly, letting go of his hand and heading toward the back door of the main hall. Qin Guanglin had no idea what she was up to, so he stood there, took a sip of water, and patiently waited for her.

After quite a while, just as he was about to go look for her because she hadn’t returned, He Fang finally came from the back door and extended her hand to him as she approached.

"Here, wear this."

"What?" Qin Guanglin was curious as he received it and took a look, "An Amulet?"

A yellow piece of talisman paper folded into a triangle, he could still see the red ancient characters written on the back.

"Yes, keep it close and don’t lose it," He Fang stopped him from unfolding it to look, "Don’t mess with it, just wear it like this."

"Okay."

Qin Guanglin casually stuffed it into his pocket, took He Fang’s hand, and started heading outside, "Are we all set then? Time to go back."

He Fang frowned at his nonchalant manner, "Put it in your wallet."

"Okay, in the wallet," Qin Guanglin complied, took the Amulet out again, and put it in his wallet, then showed it to her, "Is this okay now?"

"Keep it with you all the time. If I find out you’ve lost it... you’re not allowed to touch me for a month, not even hand-holding," He Fang seriously warned him before following him outside.

"Do you have one?"

"I don’t need it."

"I’ll get one for you, where can I find it?" Qin Guanglin turned around, thinking that, useful or not, having one was always better.

He Fang pulled him back around, "Let’s just go back, I’ll get one tomorrow."

Her feet ached from a day’s fatigue, she just wanted to get back quickly, take a shower, and lie down properly.

Seeing her tired form, Qin Guanglin had no choice but to drop the idea, "Okay, we’ll talk about it tomorrow."

A few steps in the direction of descending the mountain, he bent over in front of He Fang, "Come on."

Without any objection, He Fang lightly jumped up and leaned on Qin Guanglin’s back, wrapping her arms around his neck and climbing up a little, before lightly kissing him, "You’re so good."

"I’m like a royal..." Qin Guanglin thought for a moment but couldn’t figure out what kind of bodyguard this would be, so he simply asked her, "A royal what?"

"Royal boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend sounds awful, say it again."

"Royal automatic humanoid car."

"That sounds bad too, say another one."

As the mountain road twisted endlessly, Qin Guanglin carefully carried He Fang down the path, occasionally exchanging a few words with her. Whenever he felt tired, he would let her walk on her own for a bit before continuing to carry her.

In this intermittent fashion, it was already dark by the time the two reached the bottom of the mountain. Fortunately, there was no shortage of cabs in the area, and they managed to hail one almost immediately.

Once in the car, both let out a sigh of relief. They hadn’t really rested the whole day, and only now did they start to relax.

"Let’s just have dinner today," He Fang leaned on his shoulder and closed her eyes to rest. "It’s too tiring to go back out after returning."

"Okay," Qin Guanglin agreed. His back and legs were sore, and he didn’t want any trouble.

"Let’s keep it simple," she added.

He thought for a moment. "How about lamb stew buns? They’re quite nourishing, and it’s good to replenish our energy."

"That works." He Fang had already figured out the reason behind Qin Guanglin’s nosebleed that night, which wasn’t really related to the stew buns. She teased, "Just don’t overdo it again."

"Don’t worry, I’m really exhausted now, so it’s a good time to recharge."

They chatted quietly all the way and soon arrived at the same small restaurant they had visited on the first day. By now the peak dining hours had passed, and the place was sparsely populated with a few scattered customers.

The plump owner sat at the chair by the kitchen doorway and stood up to greet them when they entered. "Have a look, what would you like?"

Qin Guanglin pointed at a picture on the wall. "This lamb stew bun, two bowls, plus a fried bread."

From their last visit, they knew how much bread came with one bowl, usually enough to fill up a person. But he would still need an additional fried bread to be satisfied.

"Okay, please wait a moment," the owner responded and went back into the kitchen to get busy. After a short time, he popped his head out and asked, "Will you be breaking the bread yourselves?"

"No, just do it for us."

Breaking the bread themselves had been fun on their previous visit, but now both of them were half-dead from exhaustion and were in no mood for it.

He Fang sat slumped in her chair, too lazy to even speak. She fiddled with her phone, swiping with her fingertip, and then nudged it slightly towards Qin Guanglin. "Look."

"Look at what?"

Curious, Qin Guanglin peeked at the screen, which showed the silly photo of them in checkered shirts they’d taken at the amusement park, and it was on the MMS page. A thought struck him and he suddenly remembered He Fang’s conversation about sending a photo to her dad the day before.

"You sent it to your dad?" He took the phone to look, and indeed, the recipient was He’s Daddy.

"I sent it last night." He Fang’s lips slightly curled up at the corners. "Did you see what he said?"

Qin Guanglin had already seen He’s Daddy’s reply and felt a sense of impending doom, grabbing his hair in frustration. "Why didn’t you pick a better one to send? No, we’ll take another one to send later, this won’t do."

"Is this the boyfriend you found? This kid looks so foolish."

"Who is this?"

"What does he do?"

"The more I look, the dumber he seems. How did you find someone like that?"

These were the four consecutive questions He’s Daddy sent in the text message, making Qin Guanglin want to rush home and throw away that damn checkered shirt.

The more he looked at it, the more he felt it was unsightly!