Visa On Arrival Chapter 8

Zen Meditation

Chen Rong got up early and was already finished getting ready, carrying the fresh scent of someone who had just washed up.

She turned around to see the person on the bed still curled up under the covers, sleeping soundly.

Qi Ranyue had shrunk herself into a small ball, wrapped tightly in the quilt, with only half her face and the hand her head was resting on visible.

Her hair was scattered messily across the pillow, with a few stray strands sticking up and fluttering gently with her steady breathing.

Chen Rong sat down by the edge of the bed, causing the mattress to sink slightly.

Looking at her like this, the corners of Chen Rong’s mouth couldn’t help but curl upward. She reached out and gently rubbed her cheek with a finger; it was soft.

“Time to get up,” she said, her voice kept very low. Seeing no reaction, she lightly patted her shoulder.

A muffled groan came from inside the quilt. “What time is it?”

After a while, she finally opened her eyes and looked at her blearily. Her eyes hadn’t focused yet, and her face was filled with a mix of grumpiness and grievance.

“It’s already five o’clock. We have to be at the Zen meditation room before six. No being late.” Chen Rong’s voice was very soft, her fingers lingering by her ear as she gently smoothed down that stray strand of hair. “You can’t sleep anymore.”

Waking up at 5:00 AM, her eyes were so tired she could hardly keep them open. Who would have thought that after all those times staying up late scrolling through her phone or pulling all-nighters for assignments, she would be waking up early just when she would usually be getting ready for bed?

Qi Ranyue came out of the bathroom with water droplets still clinging to her face. With her eyes closed, she relied on memory to grope her way to the bed and sit down. Then she just sat there motionless, her eyes still tightly shut.

“I’ll comb your hair first.”

She didn’t say anything, her eyes remained closed, and only the slight movement of the corner of her mouth served as a response.

Chen Rong combed from the roots to the ends, every movement gentle.

Once the hair was smoothed out, it draped over her shoulders with a soft luster.

She put the comb down, using her ring and middle fingers to catch the strand of hair at her forehead, tucking it gently behind her ear. Her pinky finger naturally slid across her cheek during the motion.

Her fingers lightly touched her ear.

The moment her fingertips brushed the edge of the auricle, Qi Ranyue instantly dodged away and snapped her eyes open. Her body shook, and she waved her hand.

In that instant, it felt as if an electric current had surged from the tip of her ear, traveling all the way down her neck. A tingling sensation exploded beneath her skin; her back stiffened for a moment before going soft again.

Chen Rong noticed.

Her ears were very sensitive.

As if on purpose, the hand hanging in mid-air returned, her fingertips lightly touching her earlobe again.

Qi Ranyue practically recoiled.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Rong looked down at her, a knowing smile in her voice.

“It tickles,” she said, closing her eyes again and frowning slightly, telling the truth. “Don’t touch my ears. It’s so tingly; I just got goosebumps all over.”

Chen Rong just watched her.

Her gaze started from her brows and eyes, followed the bridge of her nose downward, bit by bit, finally stopping at her lips.

They were a pale pink, possessing the natural flush of someone who had just woken up. There was a small cupid’s bow on the upper lip and a full lower lip.

She froze there.

One second.

Two seconds.

The air suddenly became very quiet—so quiet she could hear her own heartbeat, thumping heavier and heavier.

She looked away.

Her voice was a bit raspy.

“Okay.”

Qi Ranyue sat obediently with her eyes still closed, leaning softly against her.

Chen Rong gathered the hair with her fingertips, and with a turn of her wrist, she wound the long hair into a loose bun at the back of her head. A few stray hairs hung down, revealing the fair curve of her neck, which she secured with a black hairpin.

She stepped back to look, then stepped forward again, using her fingers to gently loosen the hair at the crown to make the style look softer.

“Done.”

The low bun was loosely fastened at the back of her head, the strands slightly voluminous. It was a lazy yet gentle look that perfectly complemented the slenderness of her nape.

It was too early; the mountains were still shrouded in morning mist, and the sun hadn’t come out yet.

During Zen meditation, one cannot move or make any sound; one can only silently count the frequency of their own inhalations and exhalations.

In truth, by the end of the meditation session, the numbness in the legs was secondary. The main difficulty was controlling the stray thoughts. When the mind wanders and cannot focus on the body, the body naturally begins to sway.

After meditating for an hour, the two of them emerged from the Zen meditation room.

The sun had fully risen, filling the entire courtyard with light. It passed through the long corridor and fell onto the floor; through the partitions, it even gave off a sense of “holy light.”

No one else in the courtyard was awake yet.

They sat down in the corridor.

A large yellow dog wagged its tail and strolled past slowly.

Accustomed to the scorching afternoon sun, she hadn’t expected the 7 AM sun to feel so warm and comfortable against her skin.

At 7:30 sharp, they went to eat breakfast.

Breakfast consisted of multigrain porridge, steamed buns, and some vegetarian dishes.

Perhaps because the gap between dinner and breakfast had been so long, they found this meal to be delicious.

They returned to their room to rest for a while, not expecting an uninvited guest to grace them with its presence.

A calico cat dove straight into Qi Ranyue’s arms the moment they met.

Rather than saying Zen meditation brought inner peace, it was more accurate to say that the time spent at the temple allowed one to rebuild their inner order.

Three meals a day, meditating, and sutra copying—a disciplined and fulfilling life. It was like a spiritual spring cleaning. One couldn’t run or hide from reality; one could only face the mess in their mind head-on. Once those thoughts were straightened out, the world became clear.

Four days had passed, moving from initial excitement to a gentle attachment.

On this final afternoon, they tacitly agreed not to go anywhere else.

They stood by the railing of the mountain temple, looking at the mist-shrouded valley below and the rolling mountains in the distance.

Qi Ranyue leaned one hand on the railing and propped her chin with the other, gazing aimlessly at the distant ridgeline. The wind surged up from the valley, lightly blowing her hair.

They chatted idly about this and that.

Before she could react, her wrist was grasped by Chen Rong.

“?” Qi Ranyue looked at her with a puzzled hum, her gaze shifting to her own hand.

Chen Rong didn’t look at her, keeping her head down.

Her other hand took a bracelet out of her pocket and gently slid it onto her wrist.

Once it was on, she let go and turned to look at the distant scenery.

Seeing that she didn’t speak, Qi Ranyue kept watching her with bright eyes full of surprise.

After a moment, she finally spoke, her voice slightly scattered by the wind:

“I had the master bless it. May you be safe and successful in everything.”