From Evil Sect Leader to Doctor

Xu Chunliang escorted Ye Qingya all the way to her studio downstairs, stopped, and said, "Sister Qingya, you should rest early."

Ye Qingya nodded and said, "You should head back early, too. By the way, don’t mention my return to anyone else for the time being."

"Understood."

After watching Ye Qingya enter the building, Xu Chunliang finally left.

Since this wasn’t a business trip, Xu Chunliang didn’t choose to stay at the Dongzhou Beijing Office. He wasn’t short of money and saw no need to take advantage of public resources.

Although Chen Qianfan warmly invited him to stay at the Qianfan Group’s office, Xu Chunliang politely declined. First, he didn’t want to take advantage of Qianfan Group, and second, the place was too far from the city center.

He chose a hotel near Shuimu. Right after May Day, there would be intensive training at the Europe Business School, and since he was here, he might as well stay until the training was over. Unexpectedly, this trip to the Capital City not only allowed him to be a student but gave him the chance to assume the role of a teacher too.

Just as Xu Chunliang entered the hotel lobby, Pu Jian called to ask if he’d ever been to Du Yun Temple.

Xu Chunliang found it odd why he suddenly asked about this place. After asking, he found out someone had commissioned Pu Jian to help restore Du Yun Temple, with the condition that a professional ancient architectural restoration team be hired to make the old look new again.

Xu Chunliang immediately guessed who the client was: "Mo Han asked you?"

Pu Jian chuckled, a bit embarrassed, "I can’t hide anything from you. She said the temple was in disrepair, so she spent some money to ask me to help find someone to fix it up."

Xu Chunliang said, "I have been there once."

Hearing this, Pu Jian became interested, "Are you free tomorrow? Come with me to Du Yun Temple? I haven’t really dealt with monks much before."

Xu Chunliang had nothing particular to do anyway, as he was scheduled to substitute teach at Shuren the day after tomorrow, so he agreed.

Early the next morning, Pu Jian arrived in a Subaru Forester to pick him up. Also in the car was Ge Guangming, a self-proclaimed expert in ancient architecture restoration, who was said to have previously undertaken restoration projects for the Forbidden City and Confucius Temple.

Xu Chunliang was skeptical; they said you can’t judge a book by its cover, but Ge Guangming looked too ordinary, from appearance to clothing, emanating a rustic simplicity devoid of any cultural aura.

Ge Guangming proactively shook his hand, palms full of calluses, typical of laborers, someone specifically engaged in physical labor.

Pu Jian made a simple introduction for the two of them and urged them to get in the car quickly. According to the location sent by Mo Han, that Du Yun Temple was over a hundred kilometers away.

Just before getting in the car, Xu Chunliang received a call from Ye Qingya; she had prepared the teaching materials ahead of time and asked if Xu Chunliang needed them. If he did, he could find time to stop by her studio to pick them up.

Xu Chunliang said he was just about to go to Du Yun Temple and would likely return very late today.

Ye Qingya had never heard of Du Yun Temple.

Xu Chunliang briefly explained, and upon hearing about the many exquisite cliff carvings at Du Yun Temple, Ye Qingya became interested and offered to join Xu Chunliang to explore.

Since Ye Qingya offered, Xu Chunliang naturally couldn’t refuse, especially since there was still space in the car.

Pu Jian, upon hearing that Ye Qingya wanted to come along, was a bit surprised, especially since Qiao Rulong was still hospitalized in Dongzhou, and Ye Qingya had left him to return to the Capital City; their relationship didn’t seem that great.

But he didn’t suspect anything between Xu Chunliang and Ye Qingya, knowing that Ye Qingya was Xu Chunliang’s god-sister.

Xu Chunliang specially reminded Pu Jian that Ye Qingya was only going to burn incense and pray for blessings. When they met Ye Qingya, just pretend not to know her, and don’t mention today’s events to anyone.

Pu Jian drove to Ye Qingya’s studio to pick her up, which delayed them a bit.

Xu Chunliang remembered that the last time they went to Du Yun Temple, it took over three hours, though it was snowing then; this time it went much smoother, with Pu Jian taking just over an hour to reach the place.

Pu Jian and Ge Guangming initially thought the car could drive right up to the Du Yun Temple entrance, but upon arrival, they realized the task was not easy. They still had to walk over half an hour on a mountain path from the parking area to Du Yun Temple.

Halfway through, Ge Guangming was already moaning, "This job is impossible; the road isn’t passable by car. Do they expect us to carry the building materials up manually?"

Pu Jian said, "Don’t jump to conclusions yet; let’s take a look firsthand first."

Xu Chunliang suspected that this task came with some hidden benefits; otherwise, why would Pu Jian go through so much effort to help Mo Han?

Ye Qingya wanted to come along primarily because she dreaded staying alone. After getting back last night, she had been unable to sleep; she thought that by returning to the Capital City and isolating herself in her studio, she could calm down, but it only made her more troubled.

Today’s outing was also a bit of an attempt to clear her mind.

Seeing her pale face and weary expression, Xu Chunliang guessed she hadn’t slept well last night and handed her a chocolate bar to replenish her energy.

Ye Qingya said, "Have we already left the Capital City area?"

Xu Chunliang said, "I’m pretty bad with directions. Last time I came, it was snowing, so the environment looks completely different now, but the direction should be correct."

Entering the wooded area along the rugged mountain path, the sound of flowing water could be heard. Turning past the mountain rocks ahead, a clear spring cascaded down, throwing up beads and splashes. By the spring, a monk in gray robes was fetching water, scooping it with a ladle into a bucket.

Xu Chunliang recognized that the monk was the mute monk from Du Yun Temple.

Ye Qingya said, "Chunliang, do you know the story of the ancient temple hidden deep in the mountains?"

Xu Chunliang shook his head.

Ye Qingya spoke as they walked.

Emperor Huizong of Song, Zhao Ji, loved calligraphy and painting. He established and managed the world’s earliest Royal Painting Academy. This outstanding artist founded a painting school, taught personally, established an examination system for painting and calligraphy, set and graded the exams himself, and cultivated artistic talent, creating a unique style of that era.

The examination standard of the academy at that time was: complete in both intent and technique. He set a painting topic for the students called "An Ancient Temple Hidden Deep in the Mountains."

The topic seems clear and evocative, but truly capturing it in a painting wasn’t easy.

Some painted an ancient temple on a mountainside, some deep within the forest. Some depicted the temple completely, others only a corner or a piece of broken wall... These were considered the best painters of the Song Dynasty.

Zhao Ji reviewed painting after painting but found none satisfactory until one caught his eye. Studying it carefully, Emperor Huizong nodded repeatedly and praised it, exclaiming, "This is indeed the masterpiece!"

People gathered to look and found that the painting had no temple at all. It depicted towering mountains with flowing waterfalls. By the spring, an aged monk was fetching water. Just this one image of a water-carrying monk subtly and profoundly expressed the theme of "An Ancient Temple Hidden Deep in the Mountains."

This painting was ingenious in conception. A monk fetching water naturally suggested he needed it for cooking or laundry, implying there must be a nearby temple. The monk, being old, had to fetch water himself, suggesting the temple was dilapidated. The mountains, without a visible temple, precisely depicted the hidden aspect of the theme. Compared to those showing a part of the temple, this better captured "An Ancient Temple Hidden Deep in the Mountains."

Those artists who didn’t win weren’t lacking in skill but in originality.

Pu Jian listened intently: "This story is very philosophical. I often think others can make money with the same business, but I can’t. It’s not that I lack ability, but my perspective is wrong."

Ye Qingya smiled serenely, "Everyone is different, so of course they see the world differently."

The mute monk saw Xu Chunliang and greeted him with a toothy smile, remembering that Xu Chunliang was the one who cured Master Tonghui.

Xu Chunliang said, "Has the master been well?"

The mute monk grinned, "Abba! Abba!"

A recent downpour had caused a mountain flood, destroying two halls of Du Yun Temple.

When they arrived, Monk Tonghui was on the rocks drying scriptures.

Seeing Xu Chunliang, Tonghui exclaimed joyfully, "Donor Xu, what brings you here?"

Xu Chunliang laughed, "Is the master not welcoming me?"

Tonghui said, "Not at all, Miss Mo said someone would visit today, but she didn’t mention it was you."

Xu Chunliang introduced Pu Jian and Ge Guangming to Tonghui, who stepped forward to pay his respects.

Tonghui invited them to the cave for tea, but Pu Jian waved his hand and said, "Let’s first check the damage to this temple. This gentleman here is a restoration expert, having worked on the Forbidden City and the Confucius Temple. It took a lot of effort to bring him here."

Tonghui expressed his gratitude repeatedly.

Xu Chunliang smiled, "Master Ge is considered a national craftsman, ensuring no issue in restoring Du Yun Temple."

Ge Guangming, though not well-read, could tell Xu Chunliang was mocking him. How could he be considered a national craftsman? Tonghui took Ge Guangming to inspect the damaged areas, with Pu Jian naturally following as a mediator.

Xu Chunliang didn’t go along but took Ye Qingya to visit the Great Hall.

Ye Qingya lit three incense sticks and knelt before the Buddha.

Seeing her devoutness, Xu Chunliang didn’t disturb her and quietly left the hall.

The mute monk waited for him at the entrance, gesturing. Xu Chunliang didn’t understand his meaning, pondering it when Ye Qingya emerged and softly said, "The master is asking what you like to eat."

Xu Chunliang replied, "I like eating meat and drinking wine; will he prepare that?"

Ye Qingya almost laughed. She surprisingly understood sign language and communicated with the mute monk, telling him that guests follow the host’s lead, they would eat whatever was prepared. Arriving at this ancient mountain temple, Ye Qingya felt much better, temporarily setting aside worldly worries.

The mute monk pointed towards the cave, indicating they could first visit the cliff stone carvings.

Xu Chunliang led Ye Qingya over, who initially came with the intention of unwinding. But upon seeing the calligraphy on the stone carvings, she was immediately captivated. Most of these carvings were recently made, Xu Chunliang told her, crafted by Monk Tonghui himself.