Chapter 095
Chapter 95: I Get It, I Am Not Worse Than You, Ancient Buddha’s Chosen
“Do not ignore me, Xiao Man!” The black blur stuck to her heels, stubborn as a bur. Xiao Man stopped short so suddenly she almost stepped on him. Looking down at the meowing trouble at her feet, she tugged at the corner of her mouth and said with open teasing: “Did you get fatter again? As a Heart Demon you eat desire and wicked thoughts, and you still eat human food. No wonder you are round like a ball.”
She added, voice cool: “Even if you had a human body, I would not like you.”
She paused and twisted the knife: “Do not ask me why. Go find the reason yourself.”
“Meo-ow! Xiao Man, that is too much!” Tuan Tuan exploded, every black hair standing on end until he looked like a walking dust brush. He hopped in place, tail spinning like a propeller. Xiao Man could not be bothered to answer. She turned and left without a speck of hesitation, leaving the black cat to whirl and fuss, grumbling: “It must be because of that wooden Lin Qing Xuan! That stupid Buddha’s Chosen! Ahhh! You are both bullying me! You teamed up to bully one little cat!”
He scraped the ground with a paw, watched Xiao Man’s back grow small, then drooped in defeat. [Whether she likes it or not, I am sticking to her anyway, humph.] With that thought, he darted after her again on his stubby legs.
Xiao Man rested for half the morning. In the afternoon she had to start on the chores in Lin Qing Xuan’s courtyard. That is the life of a worker. As long as you can still breathe, you get up and keep working.
First stop, Lin Qing Xuan’s study, the quietest place in the Lin Manor and one of her biggest workloads. She went in like she always did, putting scattered papers and brushes back in place, then taking a cloth to carefully wipe the bookshelves. She stacked the copied scriptures one by one, neat as tofu blocks.
Next she went to Lin Qing Xuan’s meditation room. It always smelled of sandalwood, cool and calm. At the incense burner, she gently emptied the used ash, cleaned it out, and added fresh sandalwood. A spark caught, and new smoke curled up, making the room even more peaceful. Lin Qing Xuan was not forgetful; he always put away the scriptures in the meditation room himself, which saved her work.
Last stop, Lin Qing Xuan’s bedroom. It was the most private place and made her the most uneasy. With a blank face she straightened the bedding, folding it sharp and square. She swept the floor clean, then lifted a feather duster and brushed dust off the ornaments on the display shelf.
While wiping the small table by the bed, she caught a few old books in the corner of her eye. They were what Lin Qing Xuan had been reading lately: Relic Affinity Treatise, Record of Spirit-Linking to the Unseen, and Chapters on the Mustard Seed Holding the Profound.
The titles grew more mystical one after another. Xiao Man’s finger slid over the cover of Record of Spirit-Linking to the Unseen. She opened it and read a few pages. “Spirit-linking” came from “hearts linked as one,” meaning a special feeling between souls. But the more she read, the more it felt like showy words that explained nothing, all fog and no facts. Pure theory fluff.
Her head throbbed. After a few chapters she tossed it aside in disgust and picked up Chapters on the Mustard Seed Holding the Profound instead. “A mustard seed holds Mount Sumeru” was a metaphor she knew, a Buddhist image saying a tiny mustard seed can contain gigantic Mount Sumeru. She read on, line by line. The book said that within a tiny Relic Pearl lie subtle rules that can hold souls from other worlds.
This was interesting. Xiao Man’s eyes lit up. Did this not explain why her soul from another world could form an Empathic Link with Lin Qing Xuan’s Sarira Relic? That made more sense than “hearts linked as one.”
She kept reading, forcing the book through her modern knowledge. The “mustard seed” could be seen as its own space, or in modern words, a parallel universe. In the modern world she died, her soul left her body but did not vanish. It was pulled into a Mustard-Seed Space, a parallel universe, and finally descended into the ten-year-old Xiao Man. As for the Empathic Link with Lin Qing Xuan, it was because the Relic Pearl inside him had “infinite capacity.”
A thought popped up: [What if another soul from another world appears? Could it also link with Lin Qing Xuan through the Sarira Relic’s capacity?] The more she considered it, the more likely it seemed. And if that soul was a pretty young woman…
The corner of Xiao Man’s mouth curved in a cold smile. She was about to switch books and keep studying when a clear male voice sounded behind her: “Are you reading Chapters on the Mustard Seed Holding the Profound?”
Xiao Man was absorbed in reading. The sudden voice made her fingers jerk and almost drop the book. Seeing Lin Qing Xuan, her temper flared at once. She glared and snapped: “Can you please make some noise when you walk? Trying to scare me to death?”
“Oh. I will be more careful next time,” he said, but his eyes stayed fixed on her. He took a step, wanting to take her hand. His love was overflowing, too strong to hide, like he needed to stick to her all the time to breathe.
Xiao Man moved fast, turning her body so his hand touched only air. She shot him a warning look: “What are you doing?”
His hand hung there, then retreated, embarrassed. He cleared his throat and tried to bring the talk back: “I can explain the ideas in this book for you…”
“Heh,” Xiao Man cut him off with a cold laugh and said: “I can read it myself, thanks. My knowledge is not worse than yours, ancient Buddha’s Chosen.”
She knew Lin Qing Xuan already understood she was an Otherworldly Soul through Transmigration, so she saw no need to hide it. [Fine, cards on the table. I am done pretending.]
Lin Qing Xuan’s gaze turned serious and locked onto her: “Then how do you see the Empathic Link between us?”
“How else? Because of the Sarira Relic. Look here,” she said, handing him the book and pointing to a line. “It says, ‘inside the Relic Pearl are subtle rules that hold souls from other worlds.’ So I am thinking, what if another otherworldly soul appears?”
Xiao Man lifted her head and met his eyes, her words edged with thorns: “If that soul is a sweet, pretty young lady, I think you would be even happier, Eldest Grandson Young Master.”
His heart stabbed at the sharpness. The light in his eyes dimmed: “Xiao Man, I am not like that.” He rushed to prove himself, even raising a hand: “I have only you in my heart, I promise. I swear to the Buddha.”
“No need,” Xiao Man said with an easy wave, a smile on her face that felt like giving up. “I know perfectly well you are a virgin.”
“Ah?” Lin Qing Xuan froze. He clearly had not expected something so direct. “Xiao Man… what do you mean?”
“Exactly what it sounds like,” she said, completely unbothered now. “I am in a very bad mood these days. You, and your Heart Demon Cat, do not mess with me.”
She was truly fed up. [Why? Why do all these messy problems hunt down a poor, weak girl like me?] She wanted to scream at the sky.
Lin Qing Xuan’s hearing was sharp. He caught that thought clearly, the words “poor, weak girl” landing heavy in his chest. Looking at Xiao Man’s impatient face, the way she forced herself not to show fear, his heart ached. This time he did not try to answer. He only made a quiet promise inside: no matter now or later, he would protect Xiao Man. He would make sure she never felt pitiful again and never had to pretend to be hard.