After Marrying the Aloof Beauty, I Totally Fell for Her - Chapter 21

Chapter 21 – Real If You Believe, Nothing If You Don’t

After walking for over an hour more, every time they came across a pavilion, An Ning either said she wanted to enjoy the scenery or claimed she was tired. In the end, she kept dragging Mu Yan to walk a bit and rest a bit. By the time they reached the Yun Kong Temple halfway up the mountain, it was already close to 1 PM.

“Teacher Mu, let’s rest here and grab something to eat,” An Ning suggested. She had always lived on a regular schedule, and by now, she was genuinely hungry.

The Yun Kong Temple didn’t have a long history. It was built temporarily by the Yun City government to increase the appeal of the mountain when Yun Kong Mountain was about to be designated a national-level tourist site. But since it relied on a large city, the construction was rather grand. Inside the temple surrounded by red walls, multiple buildings were scattered in elegant layout—red bricks, yellow tiles, intricate eaves and painted beams—carrying a sense of traditional charm.

Upon entering the temple gates, they saw a large incense burner at the center of the stone-paved courtyard. A nearby iron frame was filled with red silk ribbons, and three thick incense sticks stood upright in the middle. Many tourists were purchasing thin incense sticks and prayer ribbons from a nearby offering shop, earnestly praying in front of the burner.

An Ning and Mu Yan weren’t particularly interested in such things. An Ning found a temple guide near the entrance and asked where the dining hall was. The two of them bought a set of vegetarian food prepared for visitors and sat at a stone table outside the hall, eating some bread as a light meal.

“Mmm, this is actually pretty good.”
An Ning was truly hungry. She nodded approvingly as she stuffed big bites into her mouth.

In contrast, Mu Yan was far more composed. She sat across from An Ning, tearing the bread into small pieces and eating slowly without even touching the side dishes.

Lunch hour had passed, and there weren’t many people around the dining hall. In the quiet afternoon, the two sat facing each other under the thick shade of ancient trees, eating silently. The atmosphere felt unexpectedly warm.

Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long.

“Unbelievable, unbelievable…”

Just as An Ning was halfway through her meal, a strange muttering voice came from beside her.

With her mouth full of bread, she looked up blankly and saw a chubby monk in full robes standing next to their stone table, his beady eyes staring at her while he murmured indistinctly.

Is he talking to me?

An Ning swallowed her bite of bread and asked doubtfully, “Um, Master, is there something you need?”

The moment she spoke, the monk’s eyes widened like a robot receiving a command. He took one big step forward and plopped down right beside her.

An Ning: “…”

Maybe she shouldn’t have responded.

She gave the monk an awkward smile and was about to continue eating when he suddenly spoke.

“I see great fortune surrounding you, young lady. A great joy is coming your way soon.”

“Uh…”

Even someone as dense as An Ning realized she’d run into a fortune teller. But she wasn’t sure how to reject him. It didn’t feel right to just tell someone to go away.

“Hmph.”
Mu Yan let out a soft laugh from across the table. An Ning quickly looked to her for help, only to find a playful glint in the woman’s dark eyes as she addressed the monk.

“What kind of great joy?”

Then she glanced at An Ning. “You just eat.”

“Oh, okay.”
Feeling reassured, An Ning lowered her head and focused on her food, ignoring the monk.

The monk’s beady eyes flicked over, and he immediately realized Mu Yan was the one in charge between the two. He had initially thought she looked well-dressed and hard to deal with, which was why he targeted An Ning first. But now that Mu Yan had spoken up, he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity and turned his attention toward her.

The two looked about the same age, but this one gave off a far more mature vibe—probably sisters traveling together. Most women cared about romance, so that was the angle to go with.

“This young lady is surrounded by a pale pink aura. Within two months, you will meet a fine man—handsome, successful, a real catch!”

“Pfft—cough, cough, cough!”
An Ning, who had been eating quietly, choked so hard she nearly fell into her bowl.

Pale pink aura? A golden bachelor? What do those have to do with me?

She imagined a cloud of pink mist swirling around her and felt a chill down her spine.

A cup of water slid in front of her. An Ning looked up to see Teacher Mu pulling her hand back, her playful expression gone completely.

Is she angry?

An Ning quietly sipped the water and offered a silent two-second prayer for the monk who was still rambling on.

Most of the time, Mu Yan’s anger wasn’t easy to spot. It was only through recent days of interaction and An Ning’s natural intuition that she could tell at all.

Like now—Mu Yan’s tone remained calm.

“What kind of fine man?”

“Oh, he’s quite something! Eight feet tall, dignified features, works in politics. But…” the monk paused and suddenly put on a heavy expression.

Here comes the trap.

An Ning thought this guy’s scam routine was incredibly clumsy—even she could see through it.

Neither of them responded, but the monk had thick enough skin to keep talking.

“But this man is destined to attract many bad romances. If you want to hold on to him, you’ll have to use some… methods.”

Who wants to hold on to him?!

With a magician’s flourish, the monk pulled out a red prayer bead bracelet from his robe. “These beads were offered before Guanyin herself for forty-nine days. Wear it, and your love will never fade. Since fate has brought us together today, I’ll only charge you a base cost—just 999 yuan. What do you say?”

You’re calling it a gift, but it’s 999?!

An Ning didn’t even know how to respond anymore. She turned to look at Mu Yan.

The woman calmly adjusted her sleeve and replied evenly, “We’re already married.”

An Ning: “…”

She watched as the monk’s previously squinted eyes instantly bulged as wide as saucers, like a frog that had just been stepped on.

Oh god, that’s hilarious. No, don’t laugh!

But Mu Yan wasn’t done. Her tone remained composed.

“So, are you going to turn yourself in, or should I call the police right now?”

“T-this… what kind of talk is that?”
The monk scrambled to his feet, wiping sweat from his forehead. “Even if this humble monk was mistaken, there’s no need to—”

“What kind of monk are you?” she cut him off before he could finish. “Buddhism teaches that the world arises from the mind. A disciple who spies on others’ fates is already breaking precepts. And lying? That sends you straight to the tongue-pulling hell.”

Though her voice wasn’t loud and her tone not particularly stern, the monk was already trembling and stammering. He simply clasped his hands together and turned to flee.

Mu Yan didn’t stop him. “Go ahead. I’m calling the police now. If you can make it down the mountain before they arrive, I’ll admit you have divine powers.”

The monk wasn’t giving up yet. He turned to run—but before he could get far, someone grabbed his arm and yanked him back, making him stumble.

He turned around and came face to face with a gentle-looking girl—the same one he’d targeted first. Her smile was as mild as ever, but her grip on his arm was like iron, completely unbreakable.

“Lying to people is wrong. You’d better come with us to speak with the real monks here.”

In the end, two legitimate monks from the temple reported the incident to the police and escorted the “fake master” down the mountain.

“Thank you both for helping us rid the temple of a threat,” said one of the monks.

Turned out this fake monk was a repeat offender. He’d been preying on people around Yun Kong Temple for years, ruining the temple’s reputation. His capture even drew the attention of the abbot, who personally invited them to the main hall and offered thanks according to Buddhist tradition.

“This small statue was gifted by Master Miaokong of Yuanjue Temple. It won’t attract luck or ward off evil perfectly, but it does possess some spiritual energy and may offer a little protection from harm. A small token—please accept it.”

“Thank you.”
Mu Yan didn’t refuse. She returned the bow and left the temple with An Ning.

“Here.”
Just outside the gates, Mu Yan casually handed the jade statue to An Ning.

It was a finely carved white jade statue of Guanyin. The jade was smooth and luminous, clearly not a cheap mass-produced item.

“I can’t accept this.”
An Ning quickly shook her head. If it hadn’t been for Teacher Mu, she wouldn’t have had the courage to confront the fraudster, let alone catch him. Besides, wasn’t this statue supposed to protect people from misfortune?

An Ning didn’t believe in these things, but she still thought it was a good omen and that Mu Yan should keep it.

“I don’t need it.”
Seeing that An Ning wouldn’t take it, Mu Yan stuffed the statue into her backpack pocket.

Wait, does that mean I’m the one more prone to accidents?

An Ning let out a helpless laugh. “Teacher Mu, do you actually believe in this stuff?”

The woman walking in front of her paused, then turned around and looked at her.

That glance was so deep and distant that An Ning felt it wasn’t directed at her, but at someone from long ago—through her.

“If you believe, then it’s real. If you don’t, then it’s not.”
Mu Yan turned back and continued walking up the path.

If it really can protect you… then believing in anything is worth it.