Capítulo 16: Flashback: The Cave (3)
As her laughter faded, the cave grew quieter as they both settled into their respective spots and slipped into a comfortable silence.
Zhang Wei watched Mei Lin with a mixture of surprise and shock. Her posture had straightened and she had unconsciously adopted a meditative stance. She cultivated freely, as if she were alone, with no defence against his presence whatsoever. Her spiritual energy was perhaps the purest one he had ever seen.
The more time he spent with Mei Lin, the more he realized that there was more to her, new parts of her that contradicted what he had already known about her. She truly seemed like a Buddhist, at least for that short while she was cultivating.
Zhang Wei couldn't take his eyes off her. He found watching her cultivate almost soothing. The night pearl cast a soft glow on her face, highlighting her delicate features. He couldn't help but think once again that her beauty was wasted in the secluded life of a nun.
After a while, Mei Lin opened her eyes and met Zhang Wei's gaze. He brushed aside his wonder and tried to behave like he normally would "I have to admit, I'm surprised by your ability to cultivate the Buddhist way with your... attitude."
Mei Lin smiled faintly. "My cultivation is pure, despite my attitude. Even Mother Superior is sometimes surprised by my progress."
Zhang Wei's curiosity was piqued. "How is this even possible?"
Mei Lin said, her tone more sombre. "As Buddhists, we believe in enduring suffering as the path to enlightenment. It may sound self-serving, but I believe truly, that no one in the world suffers more than I do. I feel suffocated with even the basic identity of a nun. And you said it before, I desire worldly comforts but I can't be allowed them. I want to leave the temple but I have immense attachment to my cultivation. I can't bring myself to voluntarily ask for excommunication, no matter how much I desire to get out of that wretched place."
Zhang Wei shook his head. "That's a contradiction."
"It is," Mei Lin agreed. "But these contradictions themselves perhaps help me greatly with my cultivation. The more I suffer, the more I grow."
Zhang Wei felt a pang of sadness at her words. "That's... a difficult path."
Mei Lin nodded, her expression solemn. "It is. But as the saying goes, 'If I don't go to hell, who will?' It's a reminder that we must bear the burdens of the world to bring about salvation. Deny what we want the most, to even enter the path of enlightenment."
Zhang Wei looked into her eyes as if searching for something "That seems like a brutal way to achieve enlightenment."
"I can't deny it," Mei Lin said quietly. "But for me, it is the path I've chosen."
"Do you ever doubt it?" Zhang Wei asked gently.
"All the time," Mei Lin admitted, "But that doesn't mean I'll stop walking it. You need to experience suffering to understand it and then ultimately break free from it."
Mei Lin sighed at Zhang Wei's sombre mood. She always why she ended up telling him all those thoughts she usually kept hidden, only for him to fall into this sad mood that was difficult to shake him out of.
"Scholar Zhang?"
Zhang Wei hummed in response, still lost in contemplation, the weight of their earlier conversation lingering.
"Don't take my words so seriously." She patted his head, "My view on life has always been twisted."
Zhang Wei nodded but then looked away, still lost. Mei Lin decided to lighten the mood further.
"Speaking of contradictions," Mei Lin began, a playful smirk forming on her lips, "I caught two of my Shimeis kissing each other the other day."
That caught his attention. Zhang Wei's eyes wide with shock. "What? Seriously?"
Mei Lin laughed at his reaction, being happy that he had finally snapped out of that state. "Yes, seriously. They were in one of the storage rooms with the door wide open. I almost walked in on them with a basket of laundry."
"And what did you do?" Zhang Wei asked, clearly intrigued.
"Well, I didn't want to interrupt, so I quietly backed away," Mei Lin said, her eyes twinkling. "For a second, I thought about warning them about their carelessness, They should have at least closed the door."
"Wow," Zhang Wei said to himself. "The allure of the forbidden."
Mei Lin agreed. "Yes, yes. Natural feelings and desires don't mysteriously vanish because of our vows."
Zhang Wei replied, "The more you suppress something, the more it ends up fighting back. It's like mortals building a dam. Past a limit, it will overflow."
Mei Lin nodded. She smiled wistfully. "Later, I secretly investigated their chastity marks. My conclusion is that kissing doesn't affect it."
Zhang Wei laughed at her, "Kissing won't affect the mark, you cloistered little nun. It's common sense."
Mei Lin's eyes narrowed playfully. "Common sense, you say? That too coming from an inexperienced Taoist."
Zhang Wei laughed. "Experience or not, it's just knowledge. Even aesthetic life can't keep the basics of human interaction hidden. Trust me, the chastity mark is not going to vanish over a kiss."
Mei Lin rolled her eyes dramatically. "You sound so sure that I wonder whether you are a Taoist or a mortal."
Zhang Wei leaned in closer, whispering, "My sect doesn't prohibit marriage. We Taoists understand the nature of human relationships. We're not blind to the ways of the world."
Mei Lin sighed, shaking her head. "You Taoists and your worldly wisdom. Fine, I'll take your word for it. But it does make me wonder..."
Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow. "Wonder about what?"
Mei Lin smirked. "Maybe I should warn those nuns to be more discreet. Or better yet, extort them a little for my silence to add to my escape fund."
Zhang Wei burst out laughing, shaking his head. "You fake Nun."
Mei Lin's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Hey, a girl's got to have a backup plan, right?"
Zhang Wei wiped a tear from his eye, still laughing. "This is why I can't believe you, of all people, are a Buddhist."
REFLEXIONES DE LOS CREADORES 
PirateSasha
PirateSasha Mei Lin’s reaction to the kissing novices mirrors the surprise at stumbling upon unexpected office romances. You pretend you never see it and keep it a secret from your colleagues. But your BFF, who works in another company and has never seen them, gets all the tea.
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