Chapter 136: Girl's Emotions
Although it may sound a bit impolite, but there's no other choice now.
Qiao Wan sighed and accepted her fate.
With nothing else to do, she decided to pick up the magic book on the table that she hadn't finished reading and continue studying.
The large amount of demonic energy has been mostly under control. The problem now is how to harness that energy for oneself. This magic book can be considered as a primary school textbook published by the demon realm, with her uncle Mei Kangping personally overseeing the revisions.
Even in poverty, education should never be neglected, and even in hardship, children should not suffer.
Mei Kangping, who is now the real person in charge of the demon realm, believes this deeply and personally dedicates time to education despite being busy. Considering the intelligence of various newly born demons, the language and sentences used in this magic book are very straightforward and easy to understand, ensuring that every demon can read it.
Just as she finished reading the first two lines, there came a knock on the door.
Qiao Wan looked up from the magic book and asked, "Who is it?"
A masculine voice from outside the door, resonating like a majestic and noble bell, replied, "It's me."
Qiao Wan felt a tingling sensation on her scalp.
"Senior... senior?"
Venerable One Miaofa furrowed his brow, his voice deep. "Are you feeling well?"
Normally, it wouldn't be necessary for the Venerable One of the Great Hall of Light to personally inquire about the health of a junior like Qiao Wan. However, upon hearing this information from Buping's disciple about the overwhelming demonic energy emanating from Qiao Wan, Miaofa frowned and decided to approach the dilapidated wooden hut and ask.
Qiao Wan's muscles instantly tensed, gripping the demonic book tightly in her hand. She awkwardly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Senior. I am fine now."
There was a moment of silence outside the door.
Qiao Wan looked at the wooden door and felt an enormous pressure.
Although Qiao Wan had known Venerable One Miaofa for over twenty years, she still had a clear understanding of the dynamics between them.
The other person is a highly respected Buddhist monk, with a title of Venerable One, and Qiao Wan is considered a junior in terms of seniority and the head of Buping College. Miaofa is willing to come and "visit" the sick person, so it would be proper and reasonable for her to open the door and invite the senior in for a cup of tea.
But thinking is one thing, actually doing it is another thing!!
Qiao Wan hugged her head even tighter.
After all, she is pretending to be sick, and if her act is discovered, she will definitely be exposed and criticized without mercy, definitely!
In an instant, Qiao Wan understood the meaning of being stuck in a difficult situation. With a firm resolve, she continued to stumble and struggle with her words: "I am fine, there's no need for the senior to go through the trouble."
Miaofa asked, "Is it evil energy?"
Qiao Wan subtly replied, "Not exactly."
I don't know if it's because the other person is concerned but not grateful, or because of the obvious avoidance of the girl in the room, the person's expression turned angry and dark.
Miaofa has always been ruthless and dominant. If the disciples under the Great Hall of Light were inside this room and mysteriously closed the door, he could easily break it and walk in.
But inside this room is Qiao Wan, a woman. She is not a monk under Miaofa, just a younger member of the opposite sex whom he has had some contact with, but not very familiar with. Even though he sees no distinction between men and women, he should still consider their gender differences.
Although Miaofa has interacted with Qiao Wan many times over the past twenty years, he still can't quite figure out what she is thinking. In his dreams, the girl has always shown no additional expression changes on her face, but her actions and behavior have always been appropriate and respectful. Today, however, is the first time she has shut others out.
But no matter how stiff Miaofa's expression may be, he can't possibly be angry with a younger girl. Besides, there is still the matter of the illusion of the inner demons.
It all comes down to his unsettled mind, which allowed the inner demon to take advantage.
A slight thought can lead to various actions.
Miaofa has seen with his own eyes a girl crying, sobbing uncontrollably, struggling for breath. He realized that Qiao Wan was not much different from other girls, except that she could endure more.
Unable to ignore the young person in front of him, Venerable One Miaofa closed his eyes and patiently continued speaking.
With the words at the tip of his tongue, he paused and asked again in a steady tone.
"But is it because of the illusion created by the inner demon?"
Miaofa's mention of this matter caused Qiao Wan to tremble all over, even though she couldn't see the Buddhist outside the door. A loud noise echoed in her ears and her face turned red.
Stammering, Qiao Wan hurriedly replied, "Respected senior, you are overthinking. It is not because of the illusion created by the inner demon."
Not this answer either?
The unexpected response furrowed Miaofa's brow. "Then why did you avoid me?"
Since it was not evil energy nor an inner demon illusion, Miaofa furrowed his brow and pondered, unable to understand why Qiao Wan was avoiding him. It was unlike her character.
Sensing the sudden silence outside the door, Qiao Wan's heart started to beat faster, and she anxiously asked, "Did...did I anger you, senior?"
Miaofa replied coldly, "It is your slight ailment, not mine. Why would I be angry because of you?"
Even if she were to die from her illness in this room, it would have nothing to do with him.
The next moment, seeing that there was still no sound from inside the door, Miaofa's face stiffened, and he sternly commanded, "Why haven't you opened the door yet?"
Qiao Wan fell silent for a moment.
Her experiences with Ma Huaizhen and Elder Martial Brother told her that the senior outside the door was definitely angry!
At this point, if she didn't open the door, it would be impolite no matter what.
Having no other choice, Qiao Wan gritted her teeth and reluctantly walked forward to open the door for Miaofa.
The door creaked open, and Qiao Wan instinctively looked up, but quickly averted her gaze.
When the door opened, a young girl stood obediently in front of the door, her head lowered, and her bangs covered her face, hiding her expression. Her pink butterfly hairband hung lifelessly.
Seeing Qiao Wan like this, Miaofa's face turned even darker, and he sternly...
didn't become fierce.
After all, this disoriented and soulless appearance is too attention-grabbing.
Miaofa paused for a moment and then changed her tone to cold and stern: "Seeing you like this, it's a pity that you have to open the door and see a doctor."
Qiao Wan shuddered and quickly composed herself, shaking her head: "N-no... I didn't mean that."
But mainly because she was too embarrassed.
Qiao Wan silently covered her face in her heart.
How could she possibly speak out the truth about why she didn't want to open the door?
Unconsciously, she had developed some strange thoughts about Miaofa, which was really shameful.
But now that the door was already open and under the pressure of those intimidating eyes, Qiao Wan stiffened slightly and gathered the courage to lift her eyes.
In any case, let's just go with the flow for now.
But the Buddhist stood in the backlight, with a faint halo of Buddhistic light radiating behind him. It was truly an inviolable radiance, shining upon all beings.
It felt like seeing a Bodhisattva in a temple, causing Qiao Wan's lips to twitch. The slight discomfort in her heart subtly dissipated, and she approached, bowing and offering tea, "Senior, please."
After Miaofa sat down, Qiao Wan walked to a lower seat and sat down.
Miaofa: "Earlier, that disciple Buping said you were feeling unwell. What exactly is bothering you?"
This was just an excuse she used before to evade Miaofa, but now that Miaofa asked it directly, Qiao Wan's inner alarm bells rang loudly.
Should I just make up something? Qiao Wan hesitated.
But that thought was immediately extinguished by Qiao Wan.
In the practice of Buddhism, there is a concept called the "Bright Wisdom of Medicine." Anyone deserving of the title Venerable One in the world of cultivation is highly accomplished, free from afflictions, untainted by ignorance, and possesses vast wisdom.
When it comes to feigning sickness, Qiao Wan didn't believe she could deceive Miaofa.
Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment, her face filled with worry. She hesitantly said, "Maybe it's just an old illness flaring up, feeling a bit uncomfortable."
As a cultivator, there are always some small old injuries, so there's no reason to doubt her words.
Miaofa glanced at the young girl in front of her and said, "Do you really think I have the leisure to worry about these trivial matters with you?"
After all, the Venerable One of the Great Hall of Light couldn't possibly be so narrow-minded as to argue with a junior.
Qiao Wan silently complained, realizing that the junior in front of her was fixated on the idea of "overturning the superior."
And since there was no time to worry about these trivial matters, why did she have to open the door to him?
With this thought in mind, her mouth moved faster than her brain, and she blurted out, "I'm really fine, there's no major problem with me. You, as a senior, have many important matters to attend to, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to bother you."
After speaking, Qiao Wan couldn't help but sneak a glance at Miaofa's gaze.
This subtle movement couldn't possibly escape the eyes of a Buddha.
The girl quietly lifted her eyelashes and asked in a soft voice, immediately making Miaofa burst into laughter.
Miaofa's face turned dark, almost mirroring the anger of the inner demon.
"Since you know that I have worldly matters to attend to, why don't you quickly explain the situation? So that I don't waste all my time on just you."
Qiao Wan scratched her head, rolled up her sleeves, casually revealing a scar and whispered, "Here."
Miaofa asked, "Only here?"
Qiao Wan insisted, "Just this spot."
Qiao Wan hesitantly reached out her hand, wanting to stroke it lightly, "Senior, I was indeed rude just now. I didn't understand your concerns."
Miaofa coldly glanced at her, said nothing, and started healing her injury. However, the previously cold and stern aura around him visibly relaxed.
When his gaze fell on Qiao Wan's arm, he paused for a moment, then quickly looked away.
Her arm couldn't be called fair and delicate.
Her forearm muscles slightly bulged, with smooth lines, and layers of scars from cuts, sword wounds, and burns overlapped on her arms.
The speed of healing old injuries was far behind the speed of new injuries being inflicted.
In fact, Qiao Wan had struggled before. She had bought many beauty and skincare elixirs from the popular Eight Treasures Pavilion. Pei Chunzheng, Elder Martial Brother, and Ma Huaizhen had also given her healing ointments.
The desire for beauty is inherent in humans, especially for a girl. Having clean, smooth skin on her arms without any blemishes was undoubtedly the ideal state.
However, the magical tools in the cultivation world were constantly advancing. The old injuries on Qiao Wan's body were too stubborn. Even the renowned rejuvenating elixir from the Eight Treasures Pavilion couldn't help. After all, she couldn't focus all her attention on beauty and skincare. Seeing that her skincare routine had no effect, Qiao Wan had decisively pulled down her sleeve, out of sight, out of mind.
And now, her injured arm was exposed in front of Miaofa, which made Qiao Wan blush slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Indeed, she had a resolute personality.
Miaofa looked away and lowered his gaze: Perhaps she could truly become a good sword.
This thought flashed by, and he immediately focused his mind on helping Qiao Wan heal her injuries.
The warm light of Buddha seeped into her skin as it patiently searched for the root of the problem, causing a complex expression to appear in Qiao Wan's eyes.
Before she knew that the esteemed Venerable One Miaofa stuck in her dream was famous, she had actually heard many rumors about Venerable One Miaofa.
Most of these stories were colorful and entertaining, such as Venerable One Miaofa dealing with certain female demons in a scandalous and refreshing manner. When she went on missions or had free time, Qiao Wan would intentionally sit down and listen to one of these stories, and even throw a few low grade spirit stones as a reward.
Of course, besides these popular scenes that the people enjoyed, there were also rumors about Venerable One Miaofa giving teachings and sermon to ordinary folk. Venerable One Miaofa would open the Great Hall of Light every year and month, providing medical treatments for ordinary mortals, and so on.
In Qiao Wan's impression, this Venerable One Miaofa is a high-ranking monk in Buddhism who is often misunderstood because of his stunning beauty and aura of self-control. Despite being beautiful, he is different from those deceitful monks as his focus is solely on the path of Buddhism.
Although he has achieved personal liberation from suffering, he willingly continues to endure the hardships of the world, weathering its ups and downs, and using his own experience to guide others towards liberation from suffering.
Because of this, the subtle heartbeat of infatuation becomes even more hesitant and difficult to express before such great compassion.
No matter how you look at it, this subtle girlish thought can only be described as "dead." Qiao Wan tightly pressed her lips.
Perhaps due to a subtle change in her mindset, Qiao Wan shivered as Miaofa's fingertips touched her exposed skin, causing her face to heat up once again, both embarrassed and ashamed.
The person in front of her is a Buddhist monk who takes care of her, but she's confused about this love thing.
The subtle change was immediately noticed by the monk in front of her.
Miaofa glanced at her and asked, "What are you afraid of?"
Qiao Wan felt a bit embarrassed and said, "It's nothing, just a little uncomfortable."
The girl lowered her head, revealing a fair neck. A pink hairband was placed among her dark hair. She looked calm and polite, but her face was a bit red.
Miaofa closed his eyes and felt a bit uneasy himself. His face turned black.
From blocking him from entering just now, to now...
This troublemaker is really confusing.
Putting her thoughts aside, Qiao Wan touched the Bodhi beads in her sleeve and took a deep breath, trying to focus.
Now is not the time to overthink.
Besides, she's still too young to have romantic feelings.
Cen Qingyou is still waiting for her.
Now, the most important thing is to become stronger and defeat Sun Tao College.
Let's beat them!
