142: Chapter 142 Lingyin Temple

"The nights in Hangzhou seem to glow on their own," she said.

Hu Tian followed her gaze. The reflections of the lights on the surface of West Lake indeed looked as if they had grown out of the water; it wasn't light cast downward, but rather light that seeped out from within—warm, gentle, and just the right level of brightness that made one want to linger a while longer.

"When I was a child, there was a poem in our textbook called 'Drinking on the Lake, First Sunny Then Rainy'."

Zhou Waner paused, "But when I recited those two lines, I had no idea what West Lake actually looked like. I just knew it was beautiful and empty. Once I finished reciting it and passed the exam, that was it."

"Now you know."

"Mm, now I know."

She chuckled, her voice very low, "Some things have to be seen with your own eyes to count."

A gust of night wind came again, blowing fine ripples across the distant water. The light reflections shattered along with them, then slowly gathered back together.

The two of them sat on the balcony like that. There wasn't much conversation, but there didn't need to be. The view of West Lake held their silence for them, held it quite perfectly, not making one feel empty, but instead giving a sense of contentment, as if everything that needed to be said had already been spoken.

As the night deepened, Zhou Waner pulled her arms in. Hu Tian saw this, got up, went inside to turn the air conditioning down a few degrees, and then brought out a spare thin blanket, draping it over her legs. She didn't refuse, just looked up at him.

That night, the light reflections flowed on the water for a long time.

In the latter half of the night, their affection grew intense. The curtains were drawn; outside, West Lake was still bright, but inside the room, only the sound of each other's breathing remained, lingering and deep, as if all the words they couldn't say during the day had been spoken in a different way.

Passionate and lingering, until the dead of night.

The next morning at eight o'clock, the alarm clock rang.

Hu Tian woke up first, turned to the side to press the phone screen off. Zhou Waner hadn't moved yet, only her eyelashes fluttered slightly, then she turned over and buried her face in the pillow, her voice muffled, "What time is it?"

"It's eight."

"...Sleep for five more minutes."

"Checkout time is at twelve; you can sleep as much as you want."

She didn't say anything else, but less than two minutes later, she sat up on her own, her hair messy. With sleepy eyes, she squinted at the curtains; a sliver of light was filtering in from the edge, and the sky outside was already quite bright.

After washing up and packing, they went downstairs to checkout. The receptionist politely confirmed the room number and handed over the bill. Hu Tian took it, scanned it, signed it, and the two of them carried their luggage out of the lobby.

The sun was already out. West Lake was a different color in the morning light, the surface shimmering with a faint silvery glow. It looked more expansive than at night. In the distance, people were jogging by the lake, and some elderly people were sitting on the shore with fishing rods. There weren't many people in the lake area in the early morning; it was quiet, as if the whole city hadn't fully woken up yet.

"Last night we saw the night of West Lake, now we are seeing the morning of West Lake."

Zhou Waner stood at the hotel entrance, squinting at the sunlight for a moment, "It's different."

"Both are beautiful."

She didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth curved up.

The two put their luggage into the trunk. Hu Tian started the car, set the destination on the navigation, and drove toward Lingyin Temple.

Setting off from the side of West Lake, the road wasn't far, but because it was the weekend, there was already significant traffic. Many people were out, and the parking lot signs on both sides of the road had been changed to "Full" early on. At several intersections, vehicles were lined up, moving slowly inward.

Hu Tian wasn't in a rush, moving slowly with the traffic. Zhou Waner leaned against the car window, watching the trees along the road outside. The shadows of the trees hit the glass, moving past piece by piece, dappled and beautiful.

"The incense at Lingyin Temple is very expensive," she suddenly said.

"I know."

"Have you burned incense there before?"

"No, I just read the guides."

Zhou Waner laughed, "You, you always check the guides so thoroughly no matter where you go."

"If you don't check guides when you go out and rely entirely on guessing where you're going, is that really traveling?"

"Some people think that's called being spontaneous."

"Spontaneity won't help you find a parking spot."

Zhou Waner was amused by his words, covering her mouth. Her laughter wasn't loud, but it was genuine. Her eyes curved, shining a bit in the sunlight.

The car went around a bend, and signs for Lingyin Temple appeared on the road ahead. The surrounding mountains gradually came into view, covered in dense forest that blocked out most of the sky, a deep, dark green. The air faintly carried that unique chill of the mountains, mixed with the scent of pine and damp earth—not strong, but very distinct.

Lingyin Temple is located west of West Lake, with Beigao Peak behind it and Feilai Peak in front. The terrain is quite secluded, wrapped by mountains and forests. Walking in gives one a feeling of being cut off, slowly stripping away the noise of the city and leaving behind a composed silence.

A dozen cars were waiting in line at the entrance to the scenic area parking lot. A guide wearing an orange vest stood at the intersection, waving a small flag to direct traffic. Hu Tian joined the queue, moving forward bit by bit with the car in front. After waiting for nearly twenty minutes, he finally saw a car pull out, leaving two spots open in the parking lot.

The guide directed them in. Hu Tian parked the car, turned off the engine, and pulled the handbrake. The two got out. Zhou Waner stood by the car door, stretching her shoulders, and looked around. The parking lot was almost full. Tourists were coming and going: families with children, groups of young people, and older couples carrying cloth bags containing incense, walking very calmly.

"Quite a lot of people," Zhou Waner said.

"It's the weekend, after all." Hu Tian put the car keys into his pocket, "Let's go."

The two followed the parking lot signs toward the exit. After leaving the parking lot, there was an uphill path paved with stone slabs. Tall camphor trees were planted on both sides of the road, their crowns intertwined, blocking out most of the sunlight overhead. On the ground, there were only scattered spots of light, swaying and moving with the wind.

There was a queue at the ticket gate, not too long, but it still required a few minutes of waiting. Hu Tian had bought the tickets in advance on his phone. The two walked over, showed the QR code to the staff to scan, the ticket gate opened, and they walked in one after the other.

Once inside the scenic area, the stone walls by the road were covered in moss—dark green, with fine textures, as if carefully painted on by time, feeling damp to the touch.

From deep within the forest came the faint sound of chanting, drifting over with the wind. It was intermittent, barely perceptible, but even those few broken syllables were enough to make one quiet down, and their footsteps slowed down unconsciously.

"Did you hear that?" Zhou Waner softened her steps and listened intently.

"Mm."

"In a place like this, having more people around doesn't feel like a disturbance," she said. "Everyone has their own reason for coming here, and without interfering with each other, it's actually a kind of unspoken understanding."

Hu Tian didn't speak, just looked at the path ahead. The stone slabs had been stepped on for so many years that the middle was already worn smooth and shiny, while the sides still had their original rough texture, with varying shades of color, revealing a sense of settled antiquity in the green light of the forest.

The two continued walking inward. Feilai Peak had already vaguely appeared in their line of sight ahead. The grotto statues carved into the mountain were flickering in and out of view amidst the tree shadows. Looking from afar, they were silent and solemn, as if they had been waiting for something there for hundreds of years, without any impatience.

The grotto statues of Feilai Peak gradually revealed their complete outlines from the shadows of the trees. The large and small niches on the mountain wall were carved along the terrain. The statues had varied expressions; some had lowered brows, others had slightly curved lips. After being weathered for hundreds of years, the details were no longer so distinct, but instead, they possessed an indescribable sense of peace, as if all their sharp edges had been slowly ground into the stone.

Zhou Waner stood below, looking up for a long while, "Are these all from the Song Dynasty?"

"Most are from the Five Dynasties and Song periods, though some were added in the Yuan Dynasty," Hu Tian said from the side. "The most famous statue of Maitreya is on the west side of Feilai Peak, the one with an open mouth laughing; it's a work from the Five Dynasties period."

Zhou Waner turned her head to look at him, "Have you studied this?"

"I've just read a little bit."

The two walked inward along the stone path by the stream below Feilai Peak. The stream was not deep, clear enough to see the pebbles at the bottom. The sound of the flowing water was fine and even, overlapping with the intermittent chanting drifting from deep in the forest. Surprisingly, there was no sense of discord; instead, it felt like two sounds that were meant to be together.

After passing Feilai Peak, the mountain gate of Lingyin Temple appeared ahead. Tall camphor trees stood on both sides, and the inscription on the plaque above the gate was ancient and simple. The flow of people entering and exiting gathered here, then dispersed again. Their footsteps varied in weight, but no one spoke loudly, as if upon arriving at this place, they naturally lowered their voices.

Entering the mountain gate, the Hall of Heavenly Kings was right ahead. The incense burner in front of the hall was already filled with incense. Smoke drifted out from the opening of the burner, gathering in a cluster in front of the hall, and dispersed to both sides with the wind, carrying a heavy yet non-irritating scent of incense that made one's eyes sting a little, yet didn't make one want to leave.

The stall selling incense was located by the corridor on one side of the Hall of Heavenly Kings. Hu Tian walked over and asked about the price. The young monk giving the quote spoke in a calm tone, saying the most basic bundle of incense was three hundred and eighty.

Zhou Waner said in a low voice from the side, "This incense is really expensive." Her voice was very small, not complaining, just stating a fact.

Hu Tian bought two bundles, one for each. When giving change, the young monk put his hands together and whispered, "Amitabha." Hu Tian nodded, took the incense, and handed it to Zhou Waner.

When the incense was lit, smoke emerged from the tips, a thin wisp, bluish-gray in color, curling upward, and dissipating in mid-air. The two stood in front of the incense burner, following the people around them, holding the incense in their palms, pressing their hands together, and bowing their heads.

Hu Tian didn't think too much, just stood there, waiting quietly for a while.

Zhou Waner was beside him, her eyes closed, her lips moving slightly, though it was unknown what she was saying in her heart.

The incense was inserted into the burner, and the two stepped back and continued walking toward the Grand Hall.

The Grand Hall is the core building of Lingyin Temple. The hall doors were open, and pilgrims were coming in and out. The Buddha statues inside were tall and serene, their gold-leaf surfaces revealing a heavy luster in the dim, yellow light—not flashy, but once you looked, you couldn't tear your eyes away.

The two stood in the hall for a while, followed the crowd around for a circle. When they came out, the sun had already shifted a little to the west. The temperature hadn't changed much, but the angle of the light had, shining on the stone floor, making the shadows stretch slightly longer.

"There are the Medicine Buddha Hall and the Huayan Hall behind," Zhou Waner said, looking at the map on her phone, "Should we go?"

"Let's walk around."

The two walked backward along the stone path. The further they went, the fewer the tourists. By the time they reached the backyard area, the crowd had almost dispersed, and it was much quieter. The surrounding trees were denser, and the light was dimmer. The stone lanterns by the road were covered in a thin layer of moss, and one could tell at a glance that no one had touched them for a long time.