Chapter 3

Tan Yin rose and brushed off the dust, continued to bow, and did not change a single word in what he said: "Your Highness, the Great Monk, please come ashore and loosen your garments"

The maids found him to be somewhat frivolous, yet not unpleasant in character. Moreover, the face of the passerby was a false one, which left more room for imagination. They could not help but feel a sense of closeness to him, and for a moment, they were reluctant to leave. One person was in the water while a group was on the shore, chatting and laughing, creating quite a lively atmosphere

"If you don't leave, then I will." She stood up and turned to leave, "I won't care if you sleep in the water for a year."

The grand monk sighed and said, "In this way, you come down, and I will go up"

Before she could finish her words, a splash of water was thrown over her, soaking half of her body. The monk, with a smile on his face, tilted his head in the water to look at her, his eyes filled with mischief: "Little Ji, it's so hot today, come down and have some fun in the water"

Tan Yin looked at his left hand, slowly, his gaze softened

Tan Yin observed the current situation and estimated that there would not be a single moment of stillness. She simply spread her handkerchief on the green stone by the shore, sat down gracefully, and while enjoying the scenery, waited for the mischievous monk to come ashore on his own.

After enduring countless hardships, she finally arrived here, and nothing will move her anymore

The grand monk laughed heartily by the pond, splashing water everywhere without a hint of embarrassment. The maidens on the shore were in a panic, trying to pull him up, but he was having too much fun, splashing water on anyone who came close, leaving everyone drenched like drowned rats

Tan Yin respectfully supported his arm, but unexpectedly, he suddenly turned and grabbed her wrist. Following that, with a pull, Tan Yin lost her balance and, before she could let out a scream, was yanked and fell into the pond with a splash.

The little maid, who was watching in a daze, weakly tugged at the sleeve of the person next to her and softly asked, "Is that... is that Lord Tanghua's face?"

The high monk, with pointed ears, heard her words early and snorted: "Let me tell you a secret, Tanghua's face is a copy of mine"

Tan Yin showed no reaction, yet the other maidens became secretly excited. No one had ever seen the true face of the Grand Monk; every newcomer to Fangwai Mountain would be deceived by his various masks. There were those who had inquired of other immortals about what the Grand Monk truly looked like, and even asked Tang Hua, but even Tang Hua shook her head in ignorance. In the vast expanse of Fangwai Mountain, no one had ever seen his true appearance; he had indeed protected himself very thoroughly.

He wiped his hand across his face, instantly changing his appearance. It was still unremarkable, yet completely different from his previous look. With another wipe, he revealed yet another distinct face. In one breath, he changed his face more than ten times, astonishingly without repeating any; each one was as ordinary as the next. Not only the maidens on the shore, but even Tan Yin was left somewhat dumbfounded—how many masks was he wearing on his face?

... ... Chick? What kind of address is this? This esteemed monk seems rather lacking in the demeanor of an immortal! The maidens expressed their indignation.

The grand monk laughed heartily, rubbing his fingers across his face, and with a blink, he transformed into the face of an ordinary passerby. He winked at the young maidens, saying: "The face of His Highness the grand monk is a priceless treasure, which the little girls do not appreciate"

The high monk cast a glance at her, remaining completely still, his demeanor cold. Since she had known him, he had only ever smiled or acted playfully and mischievously; such a cold expression had never appeared before.

He said, "Come down, and I will show you."

The monk looked at her and said, "Girls should occasionally be a bit more delicate. No matter the situation, you should show some reaction. Who are you putting on a deadpan face for?"

Smile a little, smile a little! He is still being mischievous

The grand monk stroked his chin and smiled: "How is it? Is my face not handsome?"

The grand monk laughed heartily and clapped his hands, saying: "Isn't the taste in the water quite good?"

He silently submerged, and indeed saw Tan Yin weakly struggling in the water, not knowing how much water she had swallowed. He swam over and grabbed the back of her collar; her wildly flailing hands finally found something to grasp, and she immediately held on tightly. The monk quickly lifted her to the surface, but her frantic grip nearly tore his clothes apart. A drowning person possesses an extraordinary strength, and she clung to his clothing so tightly that he was almost unable to catch his breath.

Tan Yin pondered for a moment and then said, "Please come ashore and loosen your garments, Your Highness the Great Monk."

The young maidservants, seeing that he spoke frivolously and acted mischievously, no longer held him in much awe. One of them, emboldened, said: "Believe you? Only ghosts would believe you!"

Is he overthinking it

He extended his hand, pretending to come up.

It was uncertain whether she could hear him as he helped her jump onto the shore. Tan Yin felt her hands and feet firmly touch the ground, and suddenly her whole body went limp and collapsed. She opened her mouth to vomit, gushing out a lot of water, gasping as if she were about to die.

"Stay away from me," she said softly, her voice gentle. The words were harsh, yet her tone did not resemble that of someone scolding. "Keep your distance, you scoundrel."

Tan Yin coughed violently for a while, and finally began to calm down. She slowly sat up, tidied her damp hair slightly, and then said in a hoarse voice: "Your Highness, the Great Monk, please return to the Hexagonal Hall and loosen your garments"

Tan Yin floundered in the water, like a panicked cat; she could not swim! This pond is so deep! In her fright, she flailed her arms wildly. The shore was not far away, but for her, a non-swimmer, her frantic struggles not only failed to bring her closer to the bank but instead pushed her further away. To make matters worse, the depth of the pond was unknown; she would surface for a moment, then sink down to drink water, her feet completely unable to touch the bottom

The monk angrily swam to the shore and glared at her: "Is that all you can say?"

Tan Yin hesitated as she raised her eyes to look at him; his dark robe was soaked through, his hair was disheveled and stuck to his face and body, still dripping with water. It was likely that she herself was not in a much better condition.

"Little Ji, do you want to see my true face?" The monk was having a great time by himself, splashing around in the pond, and when he looked up at her and smiled, his plain brows and eyes unexpectedly exuded a hint of charm

She had not taken a few steps when a sound of footsteps came from behind her. The grand monk indeed caught up with her, smiling as he gently tugged at her sleeve and said, "Sister Ji, I was wrong. I was just joking with you. Please don't be angry. Come on, give me a smile."

The maidservants held their breath as they watched him raise his hand, slowly peeling away an extremely thin layer of dough from his chin. He built up the suspense, deliberately revealing it very slowly, taking a long time to finally expose a chin that was as smooth as jade and beautifully shaped. Gradually, he revealed his lips and nose, each feature exquisite. While the maidservants were stirred with emotion, they couldn't shake off a sense of familiarity.

The grand monk fell to the ground in a stunning manner, and she laughed even more joyfully, walking and laughing at the same time, never having laughed like this in her entire life, not even knowing how long she would continue to laugh.

The grand monk saw that Tan Yin was unmoved, and could only sigh again: "Well, I shall take off my mask now; I do not believe you can remain so stubborn after seeing my face"

The grand monk made a face at her and laughed, "Come down quickly! Do you want me to show you a face-changing game?"

Tan Yin indeed smiled, her brows and eyes relaxing, resembling a white lotus quietly blooming

I vaguely heard the great monk saying in my ear: "Why are you so stubborn? Would calling for help cost you your life?"

Tan Yin looked at him with a rather amused expression, truly amazed that there are such rogues in the world who can change their faces as easily as one eats a meal

This sentence seems to have been mentioned before, and someone has also spoken to her about it.

Tan Yin remained still, quietly watching him

A few newly arrived maidens had never seen such a scene, and they were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Suddenly, one of them remembered that the great monk had a maidservant nearby, and hurriedly went to find Tan Yin. One of them was almost in tears, tugging at Tan Yin's sleeve and choking out, "Sister, look... what should we do?! If other immortals see this, will we be driven away?"

The noisy pine pavilion quieted down, leaving only the sound of water flowing gently

However, there is truly no trace of doubt in her life. She was born in Yuancheng, her parents passed away early, and she was raised by her uncle and aunt. Earlier this year, her uncle and aunt also passed away due to illness, which is why she came to Fangwaishan. Investigations have been conducted regarding her parents, including her uncle and aunt, and even her ancestors for eight generations, with no points of suspicion found. She is indeed the most ordinary girl from the most ordinary family.

Yesterday, when Tan Yinren arrived at the Hexagon Hall, a brief account of her life and deeds also reached him. The fox clan has a history spanning nearly ten thousand years; if there were no sense of vigilance, they would likely have been exterminated long ago. For reasons he could not articulate, he harbored suspicions about Tan Yin. Her demeanor was too calm, her actions too quiet. At the age of seventeen, she was neither particularly young nor old, yet her behavior was not what one would expect at her age

Oh dear, will someone die? He leaned against the stone by the shore, watching the gradually calm water surface. It seems she has never surfaced again; could it be that she truly sank? After all, she was a beauty. Drowning after swallowing a bellyful of water would likely not be a pretty sight, what a pity.

There are indeed such uninteresting people in the world

The grand monk joked with the young maidens, yet his peripheral vision was on Tan Yin. Half of her body was still wet, a few strands of long hair clung to her cheek, and she was hidden in the shadows of the tree, appearing both quiet and lonely

The sun gradually slants to the west, and the maidens by the pond also gradually disperse. After all, they came to Fangwai Mountain to work, not to indulge in infatuation. It is normal to occasionally steal a glance at the beauty of the immortals, but to spend the whole day doing so would be truly foolish.

The grand monk tucked his damp long hair behind his ear and waved at Tan Yin in the water, saying: "Xiao Ji, I have been soaking in the water for over an hour, can you bear to see this?"

He simply did not know whether it was better to jump ashore in anger or to roll in the water laughing while holding his belly. After holding it in for a long time, he let out a long sigh, propped his chin up, and looked at her with a serious expression, advising her earnestly: "Xiao Ji, I tell you, if a girl is too boring, men will not like her, especially someone like you. Forget it, help me ashore."

Tan Yin gently patted her hand and said softly, "It will be fine, don't worry."

"Let go..." The high monk's face turned pale, "You are going to strangle me to death."

What qualifications does the culprit have to say such a thing! Tan Yin coughed, his eyes turning red, staring at him intently

The grand monk raised his hand, and the entire mask was cast aside, sunlight pouring directly onto his face. In an instant, the beautiful scenery of the garden dimmed, and the maidens gasped in shock, covering their mouths, as silence lingered for a long time.

She walked to the shore, politely clasped her hands in greeting, and said: "Your Highness, the Great Monk, please come ashore and loosen your garments"

Recalling how he had just pulled her into the water, leaving her to struggle and flail without any response from him, her anger gradually rose. It had been many years since anyone had dared to toy with her like this. However, she could not lose her temper; she had to endure. His left hand, clad in a black silk glove, was also soaked, and it seemed he had no intention of taking it off to wring it out.

Tan Yin's eyebrows did not move at all, as water droplets fell from her chin onto her clothes. She did not wipe them away, and still spoke in a gentle and refined manner: "Your Highness, the Great Monk, please come ashore and loosen your garments"

The high monk seemed to have no intention of lending a hand; he smiled as he watched Tan Yin struggle in the water, ultimately sinking, leaving only a long trail of bubbles on the surface.