As the voice faded, Jing Yin paced to his side. Her eyes, starkly divided between black and white, held a faint shade of reproach.

Zong Shou could only sigh helplessly and turn his head. There, in the girl's hand, was an exquisite lunchbox.

Without guessing, he knew it contained food, and medicinal broth.

The broth was perhaps acceptable; the Abbess Shui Yue’s mastery of medicine was indeed profound, perhaps even surpassing Xuanyuan Yiren’s.

Though she had examined his pulse several times, she could not cure the agony of his marrow-burning affliction.

Yet, she had formulated a prescription that could alleviate the pain and suppress the self-immolation of his vital blood-marrow.

For him, the effect was minor, but still better than nothing.

As for the food, Zong Shou had already reached the Spirit Realm; the boundary of abstinence was long past. He was like a small cosmos unto himself, self-sufficient.

Let alone one or two days, even a hundred years without food or drink would be inconsequential.

But this little nun refused to believe it, insisting that her Master, though also at the peak of the Heaven Realm and practicing abstinence, still required the nourishment of three oxen per meal. A gravely ill person, she reasoned, required even more sustenance to replenish the body.

Thus, every day, precisely three meals of medicinal liquid and food were delivered without fail.

Zong Shou was speechless and could only let her be.

This girl had only just begun her cultivation; she still viewed the world through the lens of an ordinary person, completely lacking any concept of the Spirit Realm or immortals. In her eyes, perhaps her Master was the most formidable being.

How could he, Zong Shou, be equated with ordinary cultivators? Even the meals of the girl's Master, the Chan Master Xiao Yue, consuming the equivalent of three oxen, were for the purpose of rigorous cultivation.

When forging the body through the Martial Path, the expenditure was enormous. Zong Shou had undergone the same experience; he had been unbearably hungry then, wishing he could devour everything in sight.

After failing to dissuade her once, Zong Shou stopped explaining. It wasn't laziness or disdain, but rather a private delight in observing her diligence.

Taking the food box, Zong Shou opened it and immediately downed the medicinal broth in one gulp.

It seemed the formula had been significantly improved. As it entered his abdomen, a wave of icy coolness rose through his chest and belly.

The scorching words that had been relentlessly assaulting his spiritual orifices were instantly suppressed.

Zong Shou’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Indeed, Chan Master Xiao Yue knew that the blood of the Lu family flowed within him.

Had she not known the true 'cause' of his malady, it would have been impossible to concoct such a precise remedy.

Recalling the graceful, somewhat ethereal middle-aged nun he had met half a day prior, and then thinking of this girl, a veritable glutton who consumed three oxen daily, Zong Shou let out a wry laugh.

During his body refinement, Kong Yao and Ruo Shui had also been anything but demure. However, thanks to the Demon-Bane Pills refined by Xuanyuan Yiren, just one pill was equivalent to the nourishment of one ox, with even better results.

“A pity. Though she excels in medicine and pharmacopoeia, she seems ignorant of the art of pill refinement. Otherwise, she could likely have become a Master Alchemist.”

Setting down the bowl, Zong Shou’s gaze drifted to the vegetable dishes.

There were only a few simple vegetarian dishes, their presentation mediocre, yet unexpectedly, they stirred a keen appetite.

Zong Shou picked up a piece of dried tofu skin, placed it in his mouth, and savored it slowly. Then, an expression of pure, satisfied enjoyment appeared in his eyes.

He possessed a deep appreciation for fine cuisine and had even researched it extensively. Yet, at this moment, he had to admit that this girl’s cooking was far superior to his own—and held another mystery. Every dish seemed imbued with the essence of the 'Dao.'

This was the very reason Zong Shou had abandoned his protests and tacitly accepted her offerings. For him, the food this girl prepared was an unparalleled delight.

Jing Yin watched him with strange eyes, silent, the light flickering in her star-like gaze. She hesitated, as if on the verge of speaking, before finally asking, “Benefactor, is it truly that delicious? But my fellow disciples all say my dishes taste a bit… strange. They can’t quite say what is strange about them.”

Hearing this, Zong Shou couldn't help but chuckle, thinking that of course the dishes were strange.

The tofu, which should have been steaming hot, soft, smooth, and fragrant, felt intensely cold and incredibly resilient in the mouth. How could it not be strange?

He couldn't fathom how Jing Yin had managed to infuse the laws of profound coldness and resilience into the food itself.

It offered a unique, almost alien savor.

For anyone else, even if they found the taste exquisite, the texture alone would cause them to recoil.

If one's cultivation had not reached a certain realm, how could one possibly appreciate its wonder?

Yiren proved the Dao through alchemy; this girl demonstrated the Dao through food—truly extraordinary.

Zong Shou had tasted every kind of delicacy imaginable, yet he had never encountered this specific category of cuisine, and it was utterly captivating.

He had been puzzled before, but considering that this girl could stir the forces of karma and destiny with a single utterance, he was no longer surprised.

“It is delicious!”

Those few concise words nearly sent the girl beside him leaping with joy.

Zong Shou then looked contemplatively at Jing Yin’s smooth, shaved head.

The Jing Yin of the Cloud Realm had already renounced her monastic life by the time she joined him. Seeing the nun version of Jing Yin in this world was certainly endearing.

“You are only sixteen, in the prime of your youth. Why shave your head so seriously? To be a nun means adhering to strict precepts; you can no longer speak of romance. What is the appeal?”

“Benefactor, why do you say that?”

Jing Yin frowned slightly, feeling Zong Shou’s words were unexpectedly pedantic, yet he appeared to be around the same age.

“Although the rules of our Buddhism forbid marriage, they never prohibit intimacy between men and women. However, Jing Yin is already prepared to take the final vows here, to remain eternally with the Boundless Origin Buddha, serving him for a lifetime, with a pure body.”

Only then did Zong Shou realize that the customs of Buddhism in the (Cang Ling Realm) seemed different from those in the Cloud Realm.

In the Cloud Realm, cultivators generally sought to break ties with the secular world and leave their sects. The Daoist schools were manageable, but Buddhism required adherence to various strict rules. This world, however, seemed to lack such a stipulation.

That was right; the rigid rules of Buddhism in the Cloud Realm must have been influenced by Confucianism.

In its early days, Buddhism was even regarded by some as a 'heretical cult.'

A closer examination of the sutras would reveal that this religion did not shy away from matters of male and female connection; rather, it actively promoted them.

Otherwise, there would be no Venerable Buddha of Bliss—

As he listened further, Zong Shou felt a wave of speechlessness. Why did he feel as if he carried profound sin?

To allow such a lovely, blossoming young girl to dedicate her entire being to serving 'him' felt utterly contrary to natural law.

“The Boundless Origin Buddha? The future Buddha of the Buddhist faith?”

Zong Shou chuckled darkly, “I heard of him in the Outer Regions, but for this figure, the Buddhist faith hasn't even confirmed who his true embodiment is. It’s uncertain if he will ultimately attain the position of the Future Buddha. Perhaps by now, he has already perished. Why waste a life on such a vague and illusory Future Buddha—”

He stopped mid-sentence. He saw that Jing Yin’s expression had become intensely displeased, her beautiful eyes blazing with anger.

She seemed poised to sharply rebuke him but managed to hold back. Jing Yin’s demeanor was unusually cold and stern.

“Benefactor’s words, Jing Yin chooses to pretend she never heard them. The Future Boundless Buddha is the decree of all Buddhas; there can be no mistake. How dare you profane him?”

Her voice carried a distinct chill: “Even if what the Benefactor says is true, Jing Yin has absolutely no regrets and is willing to accept it as is—” (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to cast recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.) RQ