Ex-Wife is a Big Villainess
Chapter 573 - 287: You Wrote Me a Divorce Letter_2

Chapter 573: Chapter 287: You Wrote Me a Divorce Letter_2

Yan Changqing subconsciously reached for the flask at his waist, then remembered he had already given it to Jiang Shouzhong and the others.

At that moment, a young monk tossed a flask over.

Catching it, Yan Changqing wore a peculiar expression.

The monk Wu Qing, shyly scratching his head, chuckled and said, "The abbot likes to drink on the sly, and I’ve had a taste myself and found it quite pleasant, so I stashed some away."

Yan Changqing couldn’t help but smile, unscrewed the flask, and sniffed.

He then tossed the flask back.

"Ask away,"

said Yan Changqing.

The monk Wu Qing hastily caught the flask with both hands, steadied himself, and asked, "Your sword, what can it cut through?"

"What do you think?"

Yan Changqing threw the question back.

The monk Wu Qing tilted his head and pondered seriously for a moment before replying, "A strand of hair."

Yan Changqing burst into laughter.

The monk Wu Qing looked at him puzzled: "Don’t you believe it, Mr. Yan?"

Suddenly, Yan Changqing swung his hand and executed a slash with his sword.

The Sword Qi, like a shining silver serpent, soared and brought a series of tides with it.

However, the sword qi, which should have grown increasingly ferocious, started to weaken rapidly and by the time it reached the young monk, it was as soft as cotton, merely cutting off a thread on the kasaya.

The monk Wu Qing revealed a smug smile: "Now do you believe it, Mr. Yan?"

Yan Changqing said indifferently, "One flower, one world, enlightenment is in my heart. For someone so young to have comprehended the supreme Buddhist method ’Observing the Boundless Wonderful Dharma’ with its concept of ’one flower, one world’ is indeed impressive. No wonder you were chosen to be the next Buddha’s disciple."

The Observing the Boundless Wonderful Dharma Sutra is one of the four great odd tomes in the world.

It stands alongside the "River Map Celestial Volume," the "Three Lives Longevity Skill," and the "Shentu Yin-Yang Records."

As early as half a year ago, Wuchan Temple had found the "Observing the Boundless Wonderful Dharma Sutra." The struggle for the title of Buddhist leader, which had prevailed for over two hundred years, was almost concluded with certainty.

The "one flower, one world" of the Observing the Boundless Wonderful Dharma Sutra is a kind of spatial technique.

It silently isolates the surrounding space, forming a world of its own. Any person’s techniques used here would be affected, with no lethality.

Hearing what Yan Changqing said, the expression on the monk Wu Qing’s face changed.

In the next moment, the thread snipped off fell slowly onto the lake’s surface and exploded with a bang. Countless fine and sharp sword glows, like silver serpents breaking free from shackles, ravaged from the center of the explosion.

Amidst the crunching sounds, the space around shattered into countless fragments, as if a mirror had been broken.

Terror appeared on the face of the monk Wu Qing.

Suddenly, a sigh was heard, and a figure stood in front of the young monk.

It was an elderly monk.

The elderly monk brought his palms together and bowed his head slightly.

The Sword Qi slashed through his kasaya, leaving scars, and blood kept seeping from the corner of his mouth.

Only after the rampant Sword Qi ceased did the pale-faced elderly monk take a breath, weakly bowing to Yan Changqing: "Thank you, Mr. Yan, for showing mercy."

Yan Changqing didn’t care to look at him and plunged into the depths of the lake.

——

It was almost through a path of bloodshed that Jiang Shouzhong and the two with him finally escaped to safety.

Although Yan Changqing’s liquor-fueled sword was immensely powerful, it had to be sustained by the Yin-Yang Yuan Qi within Jiang Shouzhong’s body.

When the Yuan Qi was exhausted, Jiang Shouzhong, like an ancient well drawn dry, quickly lost consciousness.

A hazy memory spread like a fog.

In the memory,

Anhe Village was as tranquil as ever, like an old woman asleep.

The girl in red dress sat alone by the babbling river, gently cradling her delicate cheeks in her hands, her gaze piercing through the sparkling ripples, staring blankly at the fish swimming freely in the river.

Her figure elongated in the lingering sunlight, forming a serene yet slightly lonely image.

Splash!

A pebble fell into the water.

Splashes arose.

Some droplets landed on the girl’s face, and some wetted the hem of her dress.

Jiang Shouzhong thought the girl would, as usual, jump up startled, first glaring at him angrily, then taking off her embroidered shoes to scoop up river water, and chasing him in a playful squabble.

But this time, Hong’er only glanced at him and then continued to daydream.

The man, disbelieving, threw another stone.

Yet the girl’s reaction remained the same.

Bewildered, Jiang Shouzhong sat down beside her and asked, "What’s wrong? Are you unhappy about something?"

Qu Hongling rested her forehead gently against the man’s shoulder and said softly, "Jiang, if one day I regained my memories and had to leave you, would you hate me?"

Jiang Shouzhong was taken aback, a faint smile appearing on his lips:

"Of course not, as long as you are happy, it is okay if I feel sad. But Hong’er, could you really bear to leave me behind?"

Qu Hongling shook her head forcefully, hugging the man’s arm with a smile and said,

"Of course, I can’t bear it. That’s why, no matter what, I will never leave Jiang. I’ll always be with you forever."

Jiang Shouzhong pinched the girl’s cheek.

Just then, he suddenly noticed a teardrop welling up in the corner of her eye.

It was like a tiny diamond, nestled on the girl’s delicate, jade-like cheek, beautiful yet mournful.

"It’s alright. I won’t blame you," he said tenderly, gently wiping away the teardrop.

The occasional breeze over the river surface gently brushed the hair of the two of them, also dispersing their reflections in the water.

...

Jiang Shouzhong opened his eyes.

He found himself in a desolate cave.

The girl in his arms was sleeping lightly.

Staring at the face of the girl that was both familiar and somewhat foreign, Jiang Shouzhong felt a sensation of estrangement wash over him, as if from a different lifetime.

This face, it carried too many memories of the past.

Every inch of her skin, every line of her features, had appeared countless times in his dreams.

But now, as it was truly in front of him, it also felt like there was an indescribable distance—as if a thin mist stood between them, untouchable.

He couldn’t fully believe this was reality instead of an illusion.

Jiang Shouzhong blankly stared at the girl in his embrace, allowing his complex emotions to churn within his chest.

That was when he noticed a crystal clear teardrop at the corner of the girl’s eye, like a tiny diamond.

Memories intersected with reality...

Subconsciously, he reached out and gently wiped away that tear.

The girl’s eyelashes trembled, and she opened her eyes.

"Jiang..." she murmured softly.

Each murmur seemed to flow slowly from the depths of her soul.

Now she, like the man, was in an indescribable state of dreamlike bewilderment. Everything had happened so suddenly, so unbelievably.

When she became certain that the man before her was not an illusion but was truly there, a surge of intense emotions overwhelmed her, and she hugged him tightly.

"Jiang, is it really you?" she asked, tears intertwining in her eyes.

The warm and solid presence of his body made her feel almost suffocated yet so deeply comforted.

"Is Hong’er dreaming?"

"Jiang, do you know how much Hong’er missed you?"

"..."

However, despite his body involuntarily trembling under the impact of the girl’s passionate emotions, Jiang Shouzhong’s expression remained indifferent.

Even though he couldn’t help but want to hold the girl tight in his arms.

"You sent me a divorce letter," he said softly, with a hint of self-mockery and irony.

Qu Hongling was stunned.

The girl lifted her tear-streaked face, choked up and said,

"Jiang, I know you’re upset about my sudden departure. It’s all Hong’er’s fault. But Jiang, you’ve always been in Hong’er’s heart..."

Jiang Shouzhong looked at her as if questioning, "You sent me a divorce letter."

"That’s because Hong’er didn’t want Jiang to get hurt. If I knew earlier, I would never have done that... Jiang, can you forgive Hong’er, please?"

The girl’s heart was torn with guilt.

Jiang Shouzhong remained silent.

The girl clenched his clothes in her hands, slowly lowered her head, and sobbed with a sense of loss,

"So, Jiang, you won’t forgive me... right?

Jiang, I didn’t expect you to marry another woman. Have you... stopped liking me?"

"You... sent me a divorce letter," Jiang Shouzhong reminded her once more, seemingly venting the resentment in his heart.

You’ve already sent me a divorce letter, why care if I marry another woman?

The girl’s mouth corners dipped slightly, like a fine crack appearing on delicate porcelain.

After a few seconds of silence, the eyes brimming with tears could no longer bear this burden, and she burst into loud crying.

Li Nanshuang, who had gone out to search for water and came back empty-handed, reached the cave entrance, heard Qu Hongling’s crying, and quickly trotted over to her, placing the empty liquor flask under the girl’s chin, saying,

"Cry more, don’t waste it, or we’ll die of thirst here."

Qu Hongling was taken aback and cried even harder.