Chapter 218: 226. The Reason for Staying

226. The Reason for Staying

Morning dining hall.

Half of the seats in the hall were filled, and quite a few new diners looked sideways curiously, attracted by the movement in a corner of the hall.

However, they were not too surprised, just thinking that the pair of strangely matched but surprisingly pleasing men and women were a young couple quarreling, breaking up and getting back together.

"Sit down, Ru Shixiong."

Ouyang Rong opened his mouth slightly, looking sideways at the junior sister who didn't know where she had popped out from.

Hearing this casual remark that made him tremble, his right eyelid jumped fiercely.

Sit?

Sit with my life.

His lacquer-black eyeballs rolled upward, looking at the felt hat above.

Xie Lingjiang seemed to react, silently withdrawing the clean hand that was pressing on the dog head.

She sniffed again, turned around, and walked toward the table in the corner, picking up the monk's robe, night-luminescent pearl, and other items placed on the stool.

But the next instant.

Ouyang Rong, who wanted to sit, ran away without a word.

Under the strange gazes of everyone, he rushed out of the morning dining hall, running desperately toward the Compassion and Tian Jiyang Institute like a rabbit escaping for its life.

Xie Lingjiang didn't even bother to turn her head, walked back to the original seat in the corner, bent down to pick up the monk's robe, night-luminescent pearl, and other items, and even patted off the dust.

She turned her head.

Seven breaths later.

On the lawn one hundred meters away from the morning dining hall, the rabbit-like black-robed young man was kicked flying by his butt.

The felt hat on his head even left his head, flying out three meters.

With an "ouch," Ouyang Rong fell into a dog-eating-shit posture.

A certain person suddenly somewhat regretted climbing up hungry to eat this last morning breakfast of pickled radish.

Ouyang Rong lay on the lawn full of dew, rubbed his face with his hands, as if rejoicing that he hadn't fallen on his handsome face.

Good fellow, this kick from the junior sister had the flavor of the flying kick she gave when she first met him and mistook him for a thief stealing the senior brother's pearl.

Ouyang Rong turned over, supported the ground with his two hands from behind, looked at Xie Lingjiang, who was biting her lips and narrowing her eyes, walking over slowly, and said with a brilliant smile, making a ha-ha:

"Eh, why did the junior sister come too? Haha, what a coincidence, are you also eating morning breakfast?"

Xie Lingjiang walked silently between Ouyang Rong's two spread legs,

Stopped,

Squatted down,

Hugged her knees with both arms,

As if covering her bulging chest that was squeezed and deformed.

Her squatted body leaned forward slightly, pursing her lips and sniffing, staring at him with a tight face:

"Run, Ru Shixiong."

Ouyang Rong's face turned bitter, looking left and right, avoiding her sorrowful, hidden little eyes.

"Why did the junior sister return early? Didn't you say after the fifteenth of this month..." he sighed and asked.

Xie Lingjiang lowered her head, buried her face in her knees, and without a word, stuffed the monk's robe, night-luminescent pearl, and other items into Ouyang Rong's arms with force.

Ouyang Rong was stunned.

The aggrieved junior sister buried her head deeply, silently took off the skirt knife at her waist, and with a light "bang," patted it on the senior brother's chest along with the scabbard.

"They are all your things, take them, don't even think about denying it!"

Her voice when she was angry still carried a bit of the previous soft, crying tone, sounding milky and fierce.

Like a little cat with morning temper, meowing at its owner.

Ouyang Rong looked down at the things in his arms, wanting to speak but stopping.

Finally, he turned his face away, looked toward the direction of the Compassion and Tian Jiyang Institute not far away, and asked silently:

"How did the junior sister know I would go there? Did someone report it, or... do you have some external object sensing left on me?"

One squatting, one sitting.

Four eyes met.

The hem of Xie Lingjiang's red dress, like Ouyang Rong's black robe, was dampened by the dew.

At this moment, she didn't care about these, squatted and hugged her knees, looking at him, word by word:

"I won't tell you, but remember, no matter where you go, I can catch you, don't even think about hiding from me... and running away."

Pausing, Xie Lingjiang turned her side face:

"The kick just now was kicked on behalf of Aunt Zhen and my father, you... are you alright."

Ouyang Rong frowned and nodded, with a serious face:

"Yes, this kick hit my dead point, my vitality was greatly damaged, and I am leaking from the side, needing someone to block it..."

"Dead point? What is this?" Xie Lingjiang was stunned, her pretty face suddenly revealing an urgent expression, extending her two hands, her eyes looking at his body with heartache and self-blame.

Ouyang Rong waved his hand, raised his head to reveal a difficult expression, and his tone was deliberately relaxed and free:

"Don't worry, I happen to know one person who can block this dead point. Junior sister, hurry and invite Master Venerable Shan Dao for me; he can work miracles and cure me. I can still hold on for a while, you hurry, I will wait for you right here..."

Xie Lingjiang nodded, "Okay."

Ouyang Rong lowered his head, sighing on the surface, but happy in his heart, but the next moment, he discovered that the junior sister in front of him was motionless, still squatting in place.

Looking up, Xie Lingjiang was looking at him with a tight face:

"Has the vitality leaked from the dead point, why hasn't the Ru Shixiong died yet?"

Ouyang Rong stammered: "How... how could it be so fast? Junior sister, don't joke."

"That's fine, I will wait for you to finish leaking, hurry up." Xie Lingjiang nodded and said.

Ouyang Rong:?

You are waiting for "Ru Shixiong to die well and open champagne," right?

His mouth twitched.

Eh, the junior sister is becoming less and less cute, not as serious, old-fashioned, naive, and easy to deceive as before, and I don't know who brought her bad.

Just as Ouyang Rong was heartbroken, Xie Lingjiang suddenly asked:

"Is the Ru Shixiong a banished immortal who descended to the world?"

Ouyang Rong was startled, "What banished immortal?"

Xie Lingjiang looked at the jade-hilted white sandalwood knife that the senior brother had not taken over and was sliding to his hand, pursed her lips, and asked softly:

"What is going on with the purple light surging from your eyes?"

Ouyang Rong was calm: "What is the junior sister talking about?"

"It was said by the monk who remained in the underground palace called 'Pure Land'."

Xie Lingjiang raised her finger and pointed to the monk's robe, night-luminescent pearl, and other items in Ouyang Rong's arms:

"I just rushed there and saw the clothes you wore, and the precious night-luminescent pearl you once gave me, all placed messily on the lotus pedestal in the center. I even thought... thought the Ru Shixiong had left."

Ouyang Rong understood immediately; no wonder the junior sister looked like she had cried, her expression somewhat haggard and sorrowful...

It was just that the next moment, he was speechless again.

After finishing his psychological work yesterday, it was already dawn when he was ready to leave; Ouyang Rong heard the familiar morning bell ringing outside the underground palace.

He suddenly thought, should he taste the pickled radish in the morning dining hall one last time.

After all, he would never be able to eat it again after going back.

At least that was how he explained it to himself.

In fact, Ouyang Rong also understood that the wisest approach was to immediately redeem the "Return, Come Back" fortune.

If he could go back, then cut off;

If he couldn't go back, then dispel the thought as early as possible and make plans early.

However, if a person could be absolutely rational, then there would not be all kinds of complex things in this world.

Before leaving the Plum Forest Courtyard the day before yesterday, Ouyang Rong's outburst of indignation while watering the cymbidium.

At this moment, as he got closer and closer to the "Return, Come Back" fortune.

The original anger in his heart gradually cooled and dimmed, like being placed in the red-hot soldering iron water.

It was a certain reluctance to part that was at work.

Making him closer to the finish line, the more he subconsciously looked for "one last excuse."

Because people sometimes need such an excuse to let their hearts rest temporarily.

Even if this excuse is clumsy and inferior.

It is also in this back-and-forth wandering that one can pierce through the original heart and grow up suddenly at some point in the future...

So at that time, Ouyang Rong withdrew his hand, temporarily took off the grey monk's robe, changed back into the black robe and felt hat, climbed out of the underground palace, and went to the morning dining hall with ease, preparing to taste the unique pickled radish one last time.

It was just that Ouyang Rong didn't expect to run into Xiufa on the way, and was pulled by the little novice monk early in the morning to investigate the strange sound of the Buddha statue in the scripture copying hall.

So Ouyang Rong tossed and turned in the scripture copying hall again, hungry until his chest was pressed against his back, before the chattering Xiufa let him go, and he returned to the morning dining hall to eat.

Then he was caught by the inexplicably appearing junior sister.

Now that he thought about it, he should have left the Pure Land Underground Palace, and the junior sister arrived right after, and the two just missed each other.

It was just that he was pulled to the scripture copying hall and delayed for a while, and when he returned to the morning dining hall to eat, he was bumped into by the junior sister who had left the Pure Land Underground Palace in disappointment.

Ouyang Rong couldn't laugh or cry.

He looked down at the night-luminescent pearl and put it back into his sleeve.

This pearl was actually deliberately left by him on the lotus pedestal, not dropped carelessly.

And this was not any night-luminescent pearl, but a sarira burned by high monks.

Ouyang Rong felt that this was also returning to the original owner, placing it back in the underground palace.

So when he was preparing for the aftermath under the mountain before, he did not leave this pearl to Ye Weilai, Xie Lingjiang, or Su Guoer and others.

Ouyang Rong raised his head again and said seriously:

"The monk in the underground palace is not a remaining monk, but a crazy monk, named Buzhi... named Xiuzhen, who is Xiufa's senior brother.

"Next to the underground palace is the Compassion and Tian Jiyang Institute that accommodates sick, disabled, and crazy people. Xiuzhen can't stay on the ground for a moment, likes to run into the dim underground palace, saying that it is the Pure Land or something, and says so to everyone who approaches.

"Master Venerable Shan Dao and Xiufa and others can't do anything about him, so they let him be.

"So, don't take Xiuzhen's words seriously, junior sister."

Xie Lingjiang raised her eyebrows and looked at Ouyang Rong. A moment later, she nodded and said:

"No wonder. This monk also said that you are in the mural of the underground palace..."

Ouyang Rong nodded, "He really raises me high."

Xie Lingjiang looked directly into Ouyang Rong's eyes:

"However, the Ru Shixiong explained so much, but still didn't say why he suddenly wanted to resign and live in seclusion, leaving without saying goodbye."

Ouyang Rong stood up, and Xie Lingjiang also stood up.

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes and patted the grass roots on his clothes:

"Can't it be that I am tired, admire the Dao and think of seclusion, learn from Tao Qian before, hang up the seal and resign, and return to the countryside?"

Xie Lingjiang shook her head: "The Ru Shixiong's style of doing things has nothing to do with the 'loneliness and inaction' of the Daoist school. You are not such a person?"

Ouyang Rong asked: "Then in the junior sister's eyes, what kind of person am I?"

"Correct heart and sincere intention, unity of knowledge and action."

"Unity of knowledge and action?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head and smiled self-deprecatingly:

"I cannot bear this word. If I were really united in knowledge and action, I would not know that I must go, yet still hesitate, delaying action with various excuses."

Xie Lingjiang was serious:

"Doesn't this show that the Ru Shixiong is united in knowledge and action? Because even if the Ru Shixiong has a hundred reasons to want to go in his heart, as long as there is still one reason to stay, the Ru Shixiong will find it difficult to part with it. This is the original heart of an innocent child, which cannot tolerate half a bit of guilt."

Ouyang Rong smiled and asked back:

"Then tell me, what other reasons do I have to stay?"

Xie Lingjiang picked up the skirt knife and extended it.

A skirt knife, placed horizontally between Ouyang Rong and Xie Lingjiang.

Xie Lingjiang raised her hand, signaling Ouyang Rong to take the knife again, and the words in her mouth sounded quite secondary:

"Ru Shixiong, now the thousands of common people in Longcheng County need you! Need you to stand up!"

Ouyang Rong laughed and shook his head: "Junior sister, don't mess around."

"I am serious!"

Xie Lingjiang took a deep breath and said with a full face of seriousness:

"I was almost angered by you just now and forgot. I rushed to find you because I learned a big event from Immortal Lady Yuzhi, ten thousand urgent!"

Ouyang Rong was startled, looking at the junior sister's expression, it didn't seem like she was specifically looking for an excuse to keep him, so he couldn't help but ask:

"What ten thousand urgent?"

Pausing, his face was somewhat dazed:

"Wait, Immortal Lady Yuzhi is awake? Could it be that she confessed the Liu family? That's fine, human evidence and material evidence are all there, junior sister, you take Liulang to arrest and copy the house, no need for me to come."

Xie Lingjiang immediately shook her head and said suddenly:

"Ru Shixiong, there is a bad news, and a worse news. Which one do you want to hear first?"

"Ah?"

Ouyang Rong was startled.

Here it comes! Sorry for being half an hour late! ===== CHAPTER 219 =====