Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 15

The sound of the bells was faint and distant, the Buddhist chants melodious, the stream gurgling, and the wind rustled softly through the tree branches, occasionally interspersed with the crisp chirping of birds.

When the three of them emerged from the rear hall, Master Huineng had already begun his lecture on the scriptures. So many devotees were listening that the crowd spilled out from the scripture hall to outside the main hall.

Lu Sheng held Tangtang and stood at the edge of the crowd. The Master on the high platform had completely white hair but was still vigorous, with bright, soulful eyes and a calm, detached tone.

After standing and listening from afar for a while, Tangtang fell asleep on Lu Sheng’s shoulder.

Qi Zhenshu wanted to take the child, but Lu Sheng shook her head, handed the cloth tiger to her, and whispered, “She wakes easily when she just falls asleep. I’ll give her to you when she’s in a deep sleep.”

She looked up at the sky. They would arrive at the county seat just in time for lunch if they went down the mountain now, so she asked, “Shall we go back?”

Qi Zhenshu nodded. Lu Sheng turned around and walked ahead with the child in her arms.

“All forms are illusory. If one sees that all forms are not forms, one sees the Tathagata. All sentient beings and all things have their forms, but what is seen is not the true form; what is seen is only the surface form; what is seen is not the complete form; what is seen does not contain prejudice; realize the truth within the illusion, discern the fundamental form through the illusory form…”

Upon hearing this, Qi Zhenshu’s footsteps paused slightly, then she quickened her pace to catch up with Lu Sheng.

After exiting the mountain gate and walking for a while, Lu Sheng saw that Tangtang was sleeping soundly, so she handed her over to Qi Zhenshu. But the little person, who had been sound asleep, woke up the moment she was placed on her mother’s shoulder.

“Amma.” (Mother)

Tangtang opened her eyes in a daze, her voice soft and sweet, clinging tightly.

“Oh, is the little one awake?” Lu Sheng gently smoothed the wisps of hair on her forehead.

“Amma, carry me.” The little girl mumbled again, her eyes half-closed.

“Alright,” Lu Sheng replied, smiling as she reached out to take her.

Qi Zhenshu didn’t let go, instead patting Tangtang’s back and saying to her, “Amma is tired. Mother will carry you, let Amma rest.”

The original body was not physically active and didn’t have much strength. Lu Sheng was indeed a bit tired from the walk this morning.

She had insisted on carrying Tangtang a little longer just now, wanting her to sleep more, and she hadn’t expected Qi Zhenshu to notice.

This person seemed cool and indifferent, as if she didn’t care about her, but she was actually paying attention to her, wasn’t she?

Thinking this, Lu Sheng’s heart filled with joy, and the smile between her brows deepened.

Da da da da, the sound of hooves approached from far to near. The sound indicated it was coming down the mountain.

Lu Sheng turned her head and saw the exquisite carriage from the morning. She tugged at Qi Zhenshu’s sleeve, and the two of them moved toward the side of the road, waiting for the carriage to pass first.

“Amma, a little bird,” Tangtang said, pointing to a tree by the side of the road.

Lu Sheng looked up and saw two blue-tailed gray magpies perched on a pine tree overhead. “Sweetheart, those are magpies.”

“Magpies.” The little girl repeated Lu Sheng’s words, her head turning in a circle. She then pointed to a tree on the cliff face, “What about that one?”

The carriage drove past them.

“That is a…”

Following the direction Tangtang pointed, Lu Sheng’s words caught in her throat as her peripheral vision caught a black shadow. She instantly turned pale with shock.

Boom—a loud noise. A huge boulder rolled down the cliff face ahead.

“Look out!”

Lu Sheng shouted, quickly grabbed Tangtang, seized Qi Zhenshu’s arm, and pulled her toward the cliff wall behind them. She then took a step forward herself, turning to shield Qi Zhenshu and Tangtang.

The stone landed and hit the carriage, which overturned with a loud crash.

The spot where the boulder fell was some distance from Lu Sheng and the others, but debris still flew toward them. One stone fragment happened to strike her calf, making Lu Sheng gasp in pain.

Qi Zhenshu hadn’t been looking at the birds with Lu Sheng and Tangtang. The moment she heard the boom, before she could even look up to check, Lu Sheng had pulled her bodily against the rear cliff wall, sheltering her in her arms.

Lu Sheng held Tangtang with one hand, carefully protecting her between the two of them, and raised her other hand to shield Qi Zhenshu’s face.

In the moment of greatest crisis, this person would resolutely stand in front of her and Tangtang, protecting their safety.

Qi Zhenshu’s heart stirred. Ten thousand thoughts flashed through her mind, only to vanish in an instant, bringing sudden enlightenment.

All forms are illusory.

Seek only the cessation of illusion, do not search further for the truth.

In this moment, Qi Zhenshu was genuinely certain that Lu Sheng had changed, and changed for the better. As for why she had changed—whether it was genuine repentance or some other ridiculous reason—it no longer mattered.

What was important was that the current Lu Sheng was a mother who would sincerely love and protect her daughter. That was enough.

“Sweetheart, are you okay? Were you scared?”

After confirming that no more debris was falling, Lu Sheng’s first concern was Tangtang.

Qi Zhenshu recovered and quickly took Tangtang to check her over. She breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that the child was unhurt.

Everything that happened was too fast. The little one had been protected in Lu Sheng’s arms the whole time. Although she couldn’t see the scene outside, the deafening roar still frightened her.

“Amma, Mother.” Her soft voice carried a slight sob.

“It’s okay, darling, it’s okay.” Lu Sheng gently patted her back to soothe her. “Don’t be afraid, Sweetheart. Our Tangtang is the bravest little one in the world, right?”

The little girl sniffled and replied in a muffled voice, “Mm-hmm.”

“Since Sweetheart is so brave, Amma will take you to eat something delicious as a reward later. What would you like to eat?”

Lu Sheng guided her to think about a question, distracting her attention.

“I want to eat that flower cake.”

Her words worked. Tangtang temporarily forgot her fear and began to think about her favorite treats.

Tangtang was referring to the osmanthus cake sold at the pastry shop. Lu Sheng had bought it once the day before yesterday, and the little one loved it.

“Alright, we’ll go buy Sweetheart’s favorite osmanthus cake later.”

After comforting Tangtang, Lu Sheng looked up at Qi Zhenshu and asked in a low voice, “How are you? Are you hurt?”

Qi Zhenshu was slightly startled.

Lu Sheng had used her body to shield them just now, so how could she be hurt?

“I’m fine.” Qi Zhenshu pressed her lips together slightly and shook her head.

She had heard Lu Sheng’s muffled groan just now and wanted to ask if she had been hit by a flying stone, but before she could open her mouth, she heard Lu Sheng say, “Watch Tangtang for me. I’ll go check the situation over there.”

After she finished speaking, without waiting for Qi Zhenshu to reply, she simply patted Tangtang’s little head and quickly turned to walk toward the carriage.

This section of the mountain road was halfway up the mountain, and the path was narrow and rugged, with no vendors or passing pilgrims.

The boulder hit the front of the carriage, shattering into two pieces. The horse and the coachman were crushed underneath the stone and were already lifeless.

The carriage was made of sturdy material. Although the frame was broken from the impact, it provided a slight buffer against the crushing force of the giant stone, but the debris happened to block the carriage door.

When Lu Sheng walked over, there was no movement inside the carriage. She quickly climbed onto the carriage and lifted the curtain on one side to look inside.

The three people she had seen that morning were inside, but all were unconscious. The woman and the maid had head injuries. The young girl was held in the woman’s arms, and no obvious external injuries were visible on her.

Lu Sheng crawled in through the window and first checked the breathing of the three. She let out a sigh of relief when she found all three were alive.

The window was narrow, allowing only one person to pass through, and the doors were completely blocked by stones.

Lu Sheng was momentarily at a loss, unsure how to rescue the people inside.

“You, cough, cough, cough, how are you…” The unconscious woman woke up.

“Your carriage overturned. I happened to be nearby and saw it, so I came over to check,” Lu Sheng explained.

“Thank, thank, cough, cough, cough.” The woman nodded understandingly, forced a smile, and then hurried to look at the young girl in her arms, “A-Ling, cough…”

“She’s not injured, just fainted. Don’t worry. Your maid is also fine.”

The woman struggled to sit up. Blood was seeping from the wound on her head. Lu Sheng quickly took out a handkerchief to press against the wound for her.

“You’re injured, so don’t move recklessly for now. Is there any particular place on your body that hurts?” Lu Sheng withdrew her hand and instructed, “You need to keep pressure on the head wound, or it won’t stop bleeding easily.”

The woman was slightly startled. She raised her hand to press the wound and shook her head with a hint of embarrassment.

The carriage interior was fitted with soft padding, which acted as a cushion when it overturned. Apart from the bump on her head, she only had minor soreness on her body, which wasn’t serious.

The light inside the carriage was dim, so Lu Sheng didn’t notice the woman’s shyness. She pondered, “The carriage door is blocked by stones. I’ll go see if I can find someone to help.”

“Thank you,” the woman lowered her eyes slightly and thanked her softly.

“It’s nothing.” Lu Sheng said, and was about to climb out the window.

The woman called out to her, asking softly, “May I ask for the young lady’s name?”

“Lu Sheng.”

Lu Sheng thought she had something to tell her, but she only asked her name. She found it a bit strange but didn’t dwell on it.

“Thank you, Young Lady Lu, for saving my life.” The woman’s brows slightly relaxed, and her eyes filled with light. She gazed unblinkingly at Lu Sheng and slowly said, “My name is Lin Shuqing.”

Hearing her say this, Lu Sheng finally realized. She waved her hand, “Madam Lin, you’re too kind. It was just a small effort; it’s not a life-saving grace.”

After saying that, she crawled out of the window. She was completely unaware that after hearing her words, Lin Shuqing was stunned for a long time. When she recovered, her eyes were filled with disappointment.

It turned out she was the only one who truly remembered.

Lin Shuqing felt a lump in her chest and coughed heavily. The long-unfamiliar metallic taste spread at the back of her tongue.

Lu Sheng climbed out of the carriage and saw Qi Zhenshu leading three monks over.

Qi Zhenshu was holding Tangtang. Not wanting her to see the bloody scene under the stone, she stopped at a distance.

Lu Sheng nodded to her and addressed the hastily approaching monks, “There are still three people in this carriage. I trouble the masters to help push away this large stone.”

“Amitabha, the benefactor is too polite.”

With that, the monks rolled up their sleeves and worked together to push the broken stone away.

Lu Sheng lifted the carriage curtain. The other two people inside had also woken up, so she helped them out of the carriage.

Lin Shuqing and the maid had minor injuries.

The young girl was unharmed, but she was overly startled by the great disaster. She clung tightly to Lin Shuqing and refused to let go, her gaze blankly fixed ahead, lost in thought.

A falling rock on the mountain killing people was no small matter. After the monks pushed the stone away, they rushed back to the temple to inform the head master.

The head master hastily led a few monks down the mountain, sent someone to report to the authorities, inquired about the Lin family’s address to send someone to notify their family, and arranged for the three, the mistress and her servants, to return to the temple to wait.

Seeing that the temple was handling the aftermath, Lu Sheng didn’t stay any longer and went down the mountain with Qi Zhenshu to return home.

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