Today was the weekend, and Sophia didn’t have to work. She went to the clinic to find Leo, hoping he could take her to the outskirts of the city to relax and release some work stress.
Leo had to cancel his plan to go to the Seven Stars Sword Sect and, upon Shiloh’s recommendation, took Sophia to Coiling Dragon Temple.
Coiling Dragon Temple was more like a market with a temple than just a temple.
After arriving at their destination and parking the car, the two of them held hands and strolled around nearby.
There was a huge difference between strolling through a market and strolling through a shopping mall.
Shopping at a mall was tiring, but strolling through a market felt warm, especially when two people leaned on each other. It felt like time was passing more slowly.
Women like Sophia probably had never been to this kind of rural street market before, so everything felt new and exciting to her.
Away from the competition of the mall, away from the tricks and deceit, even though the surrounding noise of vendors shouting was constant, it didn’t bother them.
Sophia stopped at a small stall and watched with interest as the skillful stall owner molded clay figurines.
The clay figurines were lifelike and exquisite, pleasing to the eye.
“Miss, would you like to buy a clay figurine?” The stall owner continued working with his hands and smiled up at her.
“How much are the clay figurines?” Sophia asked.
“Twenty each,” the stall owner replied.
“I’ll buy two, this one, and this one.” Sophia took out money from her bag as she spoke.
Sophia held one clay figurine in each hand, one was a cute boy and the other was a playful girl. She turned around to give one to Leo but found that he was nowhere to be seen.
She looked around, scanning the crowd, but couldn’t spot him.
Sophia started to feel a bit anxious and was about to take out her phone when she heard a mischievous voice behind her, “Hey, beauty, looking for this handsome guy?”
Sophia turned around and saw Leo suddenly appearing behind her, holding two strings of candied hawthorn in his hand, offering one to her.
“Try it, it tastes pretty good.”
Sophia took a bite gently, then handed the clay figurine in her hand to Leo. “This is for you.”
Leo took the clay figurine and smirked, “Such a cute figurine. It seems like we should prioritize the great work of procreation between us.”
“You have no shame!” Sophia blushed, snatched the candied hawthorn from his hand, and walked ahead, leaving Leo behind.
Sophia enjoyed the sweetness of the candied hawthorn in her mouth, and her heart felt sweet too.
Leo watched the figure ahead of him, lost in thought for a few seconds, then hurriedly caught up.
At the end of the market, there were inclined stone steps leading to the renowned Coiling Dragon Temple nearby.
It was said that Coiling Dragon Temple had been around for a thousand years, and the monks inside were true practitioners of asceticism. The temple not only had no donation boxes but also prohibited the presence of money.
The monks in the temple ate only one meal a day, consisting of vegetables they grew themselves, living a completely self-sufficient life.
Although the temple was not large, the incense burned brightly. As the two climbed the steps, they were surrounded by a continuous stream of worshippers.
It wasn’t until they entered the Great Buddha’s Hall that Leo felt his eyes light up.
Although Coiling Dragon Temple appeared a bit humble from the outside, the Great Buddha’s Hall was magnificent and solemn, exuding an imposing aura.
Following the local customs, Sophia decided to pay respects to the Buddha.
Inside the main hall, there was a lingering scent of incense that had a special fragrance. As it entered their noses, it calmed the restless mind.
While Sophia was worshipping the Buddha, the chanting of the monks filled the air.
Leo noticed that Sophia respectfully placed the incense in the censer and then bowed three times in a solemn manner, with her hands clasped together and her eyes slightly closed, as if she was praying for something.
This serene, solemn image was a far cry from Sophia’s usual image as a powerful businesswoman, and Leo couldn’t help but be captivated for a moment.
After they left the Great Buddha’s Hall, Leo took the opportunity to curiously ask, “What were you praying for just now?”
“Guess,” Sophia mysteriously blinked her eyes.
Leo sighed and said, “Come on, if I could guess, I wouldn’t have asked you.”
Sophia took the initiative to hold his hand and affectionately said, “Silly, if you speak out loud about praying, it won’t work.”
After the two had their vegetarian meal at Coiling Dragon Temple, Sophia’s playful mood remained, and she asked, “Where should we go next?”
Leo looked at the time and the sky, then replied, “Let’s go to Coiling Dragon Mountain behind the Temple to aid digestion. Let’s go!”
The two held hands and arrived at the foot of the mountain, looking up at the endless stone steps. Sophia hesitated, “It’s so high. If we climb up and come back down, it’ll be dark.”
“Having a fear of difficulty is not like the style of CEO Sophia,” Leo deliberately teased.
“Hmph, we’ll climb. Whoever complains of tiredness first is the loser!” Sophia said stubbornly and started climbing ahead.
Leo followed closely, but soon realized that he had once again underestimated his physical stamina. By the time they were halfway up, he was panting heavily, exhausted.
Sophia wasn’t doing much better, but determined not to be defeated, she always managed to climb two steps more than Leo.
Seeing the situation, it seemed that if they climbed to the top and came back down, it would truly be dark.
Leo’s eyes flickered, and he decided to take a shortcut. He took out a talisman from his body, activated it, and quickly climbed to Sophia’s side, panting, “In order for you to enjoy the beautiful scenery, I’ve decided to go all out. Come on, I’ll carry you up!”
“I may not be well-read, don’t try to deceive me,” Sophia teased.
Without saying a word, Leo directly lifted Sophia onto his back and, amidst her screams, rushed upward. Finally, the two reached the mountaintop, and Leo naturally embraced Sophia in his arms.
The sun had already dipped below the mountain, dyeing the sky with a crimson hue, evoking a poetic line: “The setting sun is infinitely beautiful, only because it is near dusk.”
Sophia nestled in Leo’s embrace, gazing at the breathtaking sunset view on the mountaintop, feeling a bit infatuated and intoxicated.
“It’s so beautiful. If only it could stay like this forever,” Sophia murmured softly.
Leo gently kissed her forehead, feeling that at this moment, it was the most serene state of mind he had experienced lately.
With the beautiful scenery before their eyes and the beautiful woman in his arms, what more could he ask for? Beautiful sights eventually fade away, but their hearts had already become tightly intertwined.
When the setting sun completely disappeared, the two kissed each other…
It’s unknown how much time had passed before they slowly separated, then leaned against each other, sharing intimate words. Time passed by like a gentle breeze around them, but they were unaware of it.
It wasn’t until nightfall that they started to descend the mountain. After coming down, they strolled through the night market for a while, and Leo asked a local for recommendations on good places to eat. The local recommended the Coiling Dragon Hotel.