Chapter 400 - 205: Li Zhi, I...
Chapter 400: Chapter 205: Li Zhi, I...
"Uh... and besides!"
His voice suddenly rose as if he’d grasped a life-saving straw. "That stuff about it being a ’Holy Land of Marriage’ and ’super effective for couples’—that’s all just word of mouth! You know?"
Shen Yuan spread his hands, giving her a ’you-get-it’ look.
"To put it bluntly, it’s just because a ton of young couples go there! When more people go, the sample size gets bigger. Then the few couples that actually work out come back and spread the word, embellishing it a bit."
"And hey, presto! It seems super effective! It really has very little to do with the temple itself! It’s just survivorship bias!"
"Maybe... maybe the reason Faxi Temple is so effective is because you’re supposed to go as a guy and a girl?"
Shen Yuan said this while watching Li Zhi’s expression. Seeing that her face was still taut but she hadn’t immediately started cussing him out, he grew a little bolder and muttered tentatively.
"Look... we... we might not be like those clingy, lovey-dovey couples... but... but..."
Shen Yuan steeled himself and blurted it out, practically squeezing his eyes shut.
"Our... decade-plus... uh... childhood-sweetheart... relationship! That has to count... count as a special kind of relationship, right? Th-this definitely falls within... you know... the ’effective’ range, right? Huh?"
Li Zhi’s cheeks were already beet red. Hearing Shen Yuan’s twisted logic, which only made things worse,
especially that line about "childhood sweethearts counting as a special relationship," a wave of fury mixed with immense shame and the thought, ’This fucking idiot is hopeless!’ shot straight to her head!
"You fucking idiot, Shen Yuan!!! What kind of garbage are you thinking?! Who’s in a special relationship with you? I think you’re just itching for a beating!!!"
The girl’s explosive shriek echoed in front of the hotel, drawing curious glances from a few passersby.
She felt her blood pressure skyrocket, wishing she could just send this spouter of nonsense to the next life—physically!
And in fact, that’s exactly what Li Zhi did.
Seriously, if she didn’t give him a good thrashing, Li Zhi felt she wouldn’t be able to think straight.
If she couldn’t think straight, she wouldn’t be happy.
If she wasn’t happy, she might develop nodules.
And if she developed nodules, then Shen Yuan deserved to die.
Seeing the look in Li Zhi’s eyes, Shen Yuan immediately tried to explain. "I just said we should go to a temple! I didn’t mean anything else, Li Bao! Peace and quiet! I’m just after some peace and quiet!"
"Peace and quiet my ass! I think your mind is just full of filthy thoughts!"
Li Zhi didn’t listen to his explanation at all, her hand shooting out to grab the soft flesh at Shen Yuan’s waist.
This was the "finishing move" Li Zhi had practiced countless times since childhood.
"OWWW—!!!"
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!! Have mercy, Li Bao!"
Shen Yuan’s body immediately contorted.
"I hope it hurts you to death!"
Showing no mercy, Li Zhi not only didn’t lessen her grip but actually tightened it. Her other hand wasn’t idle either, as she started pounding on his shoulder.
"Going to Faxi Temple to pray for marriage, are we? Making a devout wish, are we? A special relationship, is it?!"
Each phrase was punctuated by a punch or a pinch.
"THUMP!" "HSSS—!" "OWWW—!"
Right there in front of the hotel, Shen Yuan put on a magnificent performance of scrambling away while covering his head.
Just as their battle reached its peak, a clean, white rideshare car pulled up smoothly to the drop-off area of the hotel’s portico.
Shen Yuan and Li Zhi’s movements came to an abrupt halt at the sudden appearance of the vehicle.
"Let’s go, let’s go. Get in the car."
The rideshare car drove smoothly through the somewhat noisy city streets. Gradually, the scenery outside the window took on a deep green hue as lush mountain forests began to dominate the view.
About half an hour later, the vehicle slowly decelerated, turned onto a relatively secluded mountain road, and finally stopped at the edge of a parking lot with a sign pointing to the entrance of Faxi Temple.
After they got out of the car, a gust of air, completely different from the city’s, instantly flooded their nostrils.
The unique temple scent—a mixture of incense, pine needles, and the faint fragrance of damp earth—silently announced their arrival.
Shen Yuan got out sideways, and as his feet touched the ground, he subconsciously reached up to rub his "brutally ravaged" waist and shoulder, grimacing in silent pain.
He looked up, his gaze traveling past a few stone steps to the flying eaves of the temple gate, which was nestled among the verdant trees.
Li Zhi followed right after, getting out on the other side.
The cool morning mountain air, carrying a hint of moisture, washed over her, dissipating much of the heat from their earlier tussle.
The girl subtly straightened the hem of her clothes, her gaze not immediately landing on the temple or on Shen Yuan.
Instead, with a deliberate Concentration that suggested she was inspecting her surroundings, she surveyed the nearby parking lot and the path ahead.
The blush that had been ignited on her cheeks back at the hotel by the implications of Faxi Temple had not yet completely faded. Set against the backdrop of the verdant mountains, it appeared as a faint crimson hue, though she tried to conceal it with a cool, stern expression.
They had gotten out on the outskirts of the Faxi Temple parking lot, not at the main temple gate.
They needed to walk up a wide, but not particularly long, flight of stone steps.
The path was lined with dense, ancient trees. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled, swaying spots of light on the ground.
The air was so tranquil it felt almost sacred. You could clearly hear the rustling of leaves in the wind, intermittently mixed with the faint, melodious chime of a distant bell.
Shen Yuan finished rubbing his shoulder, seeming to have regained some of his spirit.
He cleared his throat, trying to break the slightly stagnant atmosphere that had settled after they got out of the car. In a deliberately casual tone, he pointed toward the stone steps above them.
"Ahem... Li Bao, shall we head up?" That "Li Bao" was uttered with a hint of caution, as if he were afraid of striking another one of the girl’s sensitive nerves.
Li Zhi finally turned her gaze back to land on Shen Yuan.
"Dumbass. Don’t you give me that grin. We’re not done yet."