Chapter 128: Mindfulness or Indifference
Qiao Wan was surprised that Miaofa had arrived so quickly.
And to her surprise, Buping College was also found in the mustard seed space!
Although she had reassured herself earlier that there was nothing awkward, now that she was face to face with Miaofa, Qiao Wan felt tense and didn't know what to do with her hands.
Someone who has reached the level of Miaofa naturally emits a bit of pressure. A clear and righteous Buddha light enveloped his entire body, almost everywhere.
Qiao Wan gathered her courage and lifted her eyes.
Their eyes met, and she clearly saw those deep blue eyes.
Just like the Buddha in her mind's dream.
They were also deep blue, majestic, and their gaze swallowed their tongue, from the tip to the root.
Qiao Wan's eyes flickered and her heart skipped a beat, so she quickly lowered her head again.
As a result, after handing over the things, her eyes successfully didn't know where to look.
These thoughts were just a blink of an eye, and after a second, Qiao Wan found herself feeling dry-mouthed and nervous, just like usual. She bowed and obediently called out, "Senior."
The disciples of Buping were all confused and couldn't figure out why Venerable One Miaofa had come. Their school couldn't possibly invite such a respected Buddha.
The disciples were too clueless, and Li Pan frowned unhappily. He quietly scolded, "Hurry up and pour the tea!"
The young man who was called happened to be Meng Wenliang. Li Pan gave a low shout, and Meng Wenliang woke up like he was just coming out of a dream. He blushed a little when he saw the monk in front of him, and quickly turned around to pour the tea.
Li Pan had already prepared the seats for the host and guests, so he invited Miaofa to sit down. "Venerable One, please."
Miaofa followed the invitation and sat down.
Considering that she still held the position of venerable on top of her head, Qiao Wan decided to stay.
However, she was a special case. Besides being a venerable, she was also a disciple of the academy. So, Li Pan was the one to handle all the formalities.
Qiao Wan gripped the sickle in her hand and placed it on her lap, then sat down as well.
Li Pan calmly observed the monk in front of him and spoke softly, "Venerable One, what brings you to our humble sect today?"
She started feeling a bit hot.
Unbeknownst to her, sweat had soaked her back. The fabric on her back was tightly pressed against it. Qiao Wan tightened her grip on the sickle, lowered her head, and looked around, listening to the two seniors above using official language.
Although her heart was so nervous that it felt like it could jump out of her throat, Qiao Wan couldn't help but glance upwards.
As she did, her gaze met Miaofa's gaze.
Qiao Wan took a deep breath and gripped her sickle a little tighter, surprised to realize that she hadn't noticed before how aggressively her senior's gaze was.
Miaofa, with his stern expression and intimidating gaze, always seemed a bit hostile. He had always had an aggressive aura.
But Qiao Wan remembered the gentleness, compassion, and patience hidden beneath that sternness when her senior had entered her mind. She had always known that her senior was a kind and gentle person, so she instinctively ignored the aggression in the monk's demeanor.
Qiao Wan shivered, feeling an even greater pressure suddenly.
Meanwhile, Miaofa and Li Pan exchanged some small talk, and finally the conversation turned to Qiao Wan.
"There is still one matter," Miaofa said calmly, "I have something I want to discuss with Qiao Wan."
Li Pan pondered for a moment, asking, "Senior?"
Here it comes!
Li Pan glanced at Qiao Wan.
Qiao Wan startled and straightened her back, as if being called upon by a teacher in class. Nervously, she stood up.
"Elder."
It's so hot.
Qiao Wan couldn't help but shiver as Li Pan's gaze fell on her face. She straightened her back even more, trying not to show any signs of strangeness.
Li Pan's gaze circled around Qiao Wan and Miaofa, then turned to Miaofa, nodding in agreement.
His gaze then turned towards the door. As the young boys and girls squeezed and pushed against the doorframe, their heads cautiously peeking out, they instantly froze and looked up at the starry sky.
"Why didn't they notice how bright the sun is today?"
Ignoring this, Li Pan calmly shifted his gaze back and respectfully bowed to the Buddha in front of him, saying, "Please."
Miaofa replied in a solemn tone, "Please."
As he walked past the door, Li Pan finally glanced over and took in the stiff and awkward figure of the Buping disciples. "Let's go."
Let's go, let's go, let's go!
Meng Wenliang felt a shiver and hurriedly followed behind, unable to resist looking back at the house.
He couldn't help but feel that something was off between Qiao Wan and the Venerable One from the Bright Hall. Was it just his imagination?
Inside the house, only two people remained.
Suddenly, Qiao Wan felt her mouth getting even drier. She glanced and saw that the tea in the teapot was almost empty. Hurriedly, she walked over, picked up the teapot, and went to make more tea.
Halfway there, Qiao Wan silently realized that something wasn't quite right.
Had she forgotten about the senior?
It seemed like she had.
Unconsciously, the pressure of the Buddha's light behind her felt even heavier. Qiao Wan turned around and pointed at the teapot, stuttering, "Se-senior, there's no more water in the teapot, I'll go pour some."
After speaking, she quickened her pace.
She ran ahead.
The entrance was just within reach! Qiao Wan's face lit up, but right as she stepped over the threshold...
Bang!
She bumped into something hard!
Qiao Wan fell backwards, her grip on the teapot loosening. It clattered and fell to the ground.
In a hair's breadth, Qiao Wan swiftly reached out to grab the teapot, but someone else was even faster and skillfully caught it before her.
The teapot from Buping College looked very plain, made of coarse porcelain. But it was a set of tea utensils specifically used for entertaining guests. Though it seemed plain, at least it was wiped clean.
After looking at the teapot in her hand, Miaofa casually placed it on a nearby tall stool.
Qiao Wan looked up to see what had bumped into her just now.
A golden light flickered at the entrance, dazzling in the sunlight.
Perplexed, Qiao Wan tentatively reached out and touched it.
It burned!
It was a barrier!
She turned her head to look at Miaofa in front of her.
There was no way out, she couldn't leave.
The room was very quiet.
Feeling the scorching barrier behind her, Qiao Wan swallowed nervously, plucked up her courage, and gestured towards the teapot that the Buddhist practitioner had set aside. She asked, "Sen... senior... don't you drink tea?"
Calculating the time she had known Miaofa, it had probably been more than ten years.
Qiao Wan's thoughts were all over the place.
She didn't expect her senior to be so tall, probably close to 6 feet.
The more nervous Qiao Wan felt, the more her thoughts ran wild like an untamed dog, never to return.
Just then, the Buddhist monk fell silent for a moment, and finally spoke.
His voice was still as clear and refreshing, as if it carried the light of Buddha and echoes.
"I've said," Miaofa frowned deeply, "that I would come to apologize to you."
Qiao Wan struggled to respond, "S-senior...there's no need to apologize to me."
It seemed to be getting hotter.
Qiao Wan took a step back, and a drop of sweat formed on the tip of her nose.
The girl swallowed saliva, scratched her head, and said, "Actually, I don't really mind."
Miaofa keenly sensed something different and said in a deep voice, "You don't mind?"
"Yes," Qiao Wan nodded nervously, "Senior, you also know. After all, we are all cultivators, and we don't pay too much attention to gender in this aspect."
The world of cultivation was a place where women were treated like men and men were treated like mules. Everyone was busy fighting and killing every day.
Even in a mortal kingdom, it was like a time of "chaos and decay". After all, there were flying swords everywhere, and even walking was worrisome because of the possibility of righteous justice falling from the sky. How could this society be stable?
Isn't it said, "If the granaries are full, the people will know etiquette"? The question now is whether we can survive smoothly. Who would focus on these tedious and useless feudal rules?
Qiao Wan said, "With the senior, we are even now."
Venerable One Miaofa exclaimed, "Do you really think so?!"
Qiao Wan replied, "Yes, I don't mind. We had some previous interactions in the sea of consciousness..."
Under the stern gaze of the Venerable One, Qiao Wan's heart pounded rapidly. Her voice got smaller as she spoke and she licked her lips, pointing to a nearby tall stool. "Could the senior pass me that?"
Venerable One Miaofa followed Qiao Wan's gaze and saw the teapot that she had almost dropped just now.
The monk frowned and silently used a special light, handing it to Qiao Wan.
Holding the teapot and something in her hand, Qiao Wan felt a little relieved and calmed her mind. She glanced at Miaofa and knew that she couldn't avoid it. She decided to have a good talk with the monk and explain things clearly.
Although not a Buddhist practitioner, it was well-known that the monks liked to trouble themselves. They couldn't help but take a few more glances at women and get into trouble even if they accidentally took a sip of alcohol.
Qiao Wan thought that she couldn't let Miaofa trouble himself like this. She felt conflicted because this whole situation was a misunderstanding and she felt guilty.
There was no way to hide anymore. Qiao Wan took a deep breath and said, "The inner demons are obstacles that cultivators must face during their practice. The things in the sea of consciousness dreams were not intentional from the predecessors."
In short, blame everything on the inner demons!
Miaofa asked, "You don't mind?"
Venerable One Miaofa spoke sternly, "If you didn't mind, why did you cry before because of feelings between men and women?"
It was clear that he didn't really believe her.
Pei Chunzheng said.
Remembering the embarrassing past when she cried with tears and snot, Qiao Wan felt ashamed and looked down, holding the teapot in her arms tighter. "Senior... it's not the same."
The Buddhist remained silent for a moment, perhaps realizing that he had put pressure on this junior in front of him.
It was his fault all along, and had nothing to do with Qiao Wan.
Miaofa spoke coldly, his voice a bit stiff, "Actions speak louder than words. We're both men, no difference."
Qiao Wan lifted her head and finally understood.
Venerable One Miaofa, perhaps, had really misunderstood her. He thought she was pretending not to care, but she really didn't mind!
If she wanted to resolve this matter soon, she should probably express something and punish Miaofa a little. But... what could she possibly punish Miaofa with! Thinking about this, Qiao Wan felt embarrassed.
Qiao Wan thought for a while but couldn't come up with anything to do for the respected senior in front of her.
