short series

Buddha's Moon & Mortal's Dust

share time: 2025-10-17 00:38:34

Qingyue, a young monk at Jingci Temple, has guarded the pagoda for ten years, untouched by the mortal world. Until Shen Yangchen, a dancer fleeing a forced marriage to a powerful lord, stumbles into his room covered in wounds. He meant to drive her away, but his heart wavers when she smiles and hands him an osmanthus cake. They secretly plant an osmanthus tree under the pagoda, watching the moon over the Buddha statue every night—Qingyue teaches her to recite sutras, she teaches him to dance with a sword tassel, even the pagoda's bells smell of mortal warmth. But the lord's men eventually storm the temple: Qingyue is beaten and loses a leg protecting her, while Yangchen is dragged back to the manor. Later, Qingyue is expelled from the temple and becomes a beggar. On an osmanthus-scented night, he finds Yangchen, bloodied and dying—she killed the lord but was poisoned. Collapsing beside their osmanthus tree, Qingyue cradles her cold face and sobs: "If I'd known… I'd never have become a monk…"

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