On this particular night, Qin Xuan remained immersed in his cultivation within the Pearl of Jing Shui. This place boasted the densest concentration of spiritual energy in Jing Shui City, making it an optimal site for his practice.
The following day, Qin Xuan attended classes as per his routine. However, this time around, he carried with him a distinctive notebook.
Once the class concluded, the school was instantly transformed into a hubbub of activity. Students swarmed about, and the once-tranquil campus now resembled a tempestuous sea. The clamor during the break was so deafening that it seemed capable of turning the entire school upside down.
"Seek out Xiao Wu!"
Qin Xuan made his way to Xiao Wu's classroom and rapped gently on the door.
In a flash, silence descended upon the classroom. In the front row, Xiao Wu was engrossed in perusing her Buddhist scripture.
At the sound of someone calling for her, she lifted her gaze slightly.
Upon spotting Qin Xuan, Xiao Wu was visibly taken aback. She then proceeded to the classroom doorway.
"What's the matter?"
Qin Xuan proffered a diary to Xiao Wu. The tome was a good two fingers thick.
"What's this?"
Xiao Wu was utterly astonished and glanced up at Qin Xuan.
"A Buddhist scripture!"
Qin Xuan, having already pivoted on his heel, shoved his hands into his pockets and sauntered off.
A Buddhist scripture?
Contained within a diary?
Even with her typically composed demeanor, Xiao Wu couldn't help but find the situation rather bemusing at this moment.
She hadn't placed much stock in this proffered Buddhist scripture. In her mind, Qin Xuan was merely jesting. After all, she had never encountered a Buddhist scripture penned within a diary. Moreover, what sort of remarkable Buddhist scripture could Qin Xuan possibly possess?
She set the diary aside, making no move to open it.
After returning to his classroom, Qin Xuan opened his textbooks as was his wont. By now, he had virtually committed all the high school knowledge to memory. Almost as an afterthought, he completed a couple of test papers. His average score was a mere ten points shy of a perfect mark. As for the differential, it stemmed from the disparity between modern science and the profound concepts of the Green Emperor in the Immortal Realm.
Qin Xuan had no intention of amending those concepts. When it came to the boundless expanse of the cosmos and its myriad ways, how could the contemporary scientific understanding hold a candle to his?
In the evening, as the students of the school spilled out like a surging tide, Xiao Wu returned home to confront the emptiness of her abode.
Throughout her high school years, she had predominantly lived in solitude, residing in a rather agreeable villa in Jing Shui City.
Although her mother had emerged from the Buddhist temple in recent times, she had yet to offer her any companionship. Years of loneliness had inured Xiao Wu to her situation. With the Buddhist scriptures as her sole companions, she had scarcely felt any sense of isolation.
Having dispensed with the school-assigned homework, Xiao Wu quietly retrieved the Buddhist scriptures and seated herself on the windowsill to pore over them intently.
She had lost count of the number of times she had delved into these scriptures. Each rereading invariably yielded fresh insights. Once she had finished with the scriptures, Xiao Wu tiptoed softly over to the bedside.
There, the diary Qin Xuan had given her came into view.
"Could there really be a Buddhist scripture within this diary?" A flicker of curiosity kindled in Xiao Wu's otherwise placid eyes. She gingerly opened it.
The calligraphy within the diary was as fluid as flowing clouds and water, yet it exuded an unmistakable air of dominance. Each character seemed to strike at Xiao Wu's heart like a resounding hammer blow, leaving her momentarily breathless.
"To think that Qin Xuan's handwriting is so exquisite! Has he been practicing calligraphy since childhood?" Xiao Wu murmured sotto voce, a look of astonishment suffusing her delicate features.
She had beheld the works of a renowned calligrapher in the past, but compared to the script in this diary, that artist's efforts paled in insignificance.
The disparity was truly staggering. Before long, Xiao Wu embarked on reading the translated Buddhist scripture contained within.
Merely a few pages in, and Xiao Wu's normally composed countenance was awash with emotions ranging from astonishment to sheer shock.
She pursed her lips, seemingly ensnared by this ostensibly ordinary diary. The further she delved, the more profound her astonishment grew, as if she had stumbled upon something utterly inconceivable.
By the time she had perused the entire diary, the night was well advanced.
Xiao Wu's eyes were smarting with fatigue, but she could not quell the excitement roiling within her.
"Where on earth did Qin Xuan procure this Buddhist scripture?"
She was like a famished maiden wandering through a world replete with sumptuous delicacies. For the first time, her eyes, hitherto as calm as still water, betrayed a glimmer of avarice and longing.
The equanimity she had painstakingly cultivated since childhood had crumbled in the face of this unassuming notebook.
This night, the light in Xiao Wu's room burned on.
The following day, for the first time in her life, Xiao Wu sported two faintly darkened eye sockets. From the moment she left home until she arrived at school, a smile had been perpetually plastered on her face.
Many onlookers were dumbfounded by her appearance.
Some astute observers also noted that Xiao Wu was no longer clutching her customary Buddhist scripture. Instead, a notebook had taken its place.
To Xiao Wu, this notebook seemed even more precious than her erstwhile scriptures.
"What's amiss with Xiao Wu today? She appears to be possessed." Whispers began to circulate within the class.
As one of the school's prized beauties, Xiao Wu was always a focal point wherever she went. And with her current state of disarray, she was all the more conspicuous.
"Could it be that she's smitten?"
"How could that be? Xiao Wu in love? You must be joking!"
"I suspect it's not Lu Yunfan. Look at that diary in her hand. Perhaps it's a love token."
Instantaneously, the class's chatter centered squarely on Xiao Wu.
The moment the first class ended, Xiao Wu could scarcely contain her eagerness and hastened out of the classroom. A few students, their curiosity aflame, surreptitiously trailed behind her.
They were eager to uncover what had so thoroughly discombobulated Xiao Wu.
Soon, Xiao Wu arrived at the door of Qin Xuan's classroom.
"Is Qin Xuan here?" Xiao Wu clutched the notebook, her eyes scanning the crowd in search of Qin Xuan's form.
"Goodness, it's Xiao Wu. What brings her here?"
"Is she seeking Qin Xuan?"
After a brief lull, the classroom erupted into an uproar.
Qin Xuan, who had been seated in the classroom with his eyes closed, meditating, couldn't help but crack a faint smile upon hearing Xiao Wu's voice.
He opened his eyes and slowly made his way to the classroom door.
Qin Xuan took in Xiao Wu's slightly darkened eye sockets and the diary she held as if it were the most precious of jewels. His smile broadened.
"Qin Xuan, where did you get this Buddhist scripture?"
Xiao Wu blurted out the question, her eyes brimming with impatience. Gone was the composure she had previously displayed.
"How does this Buddhist scripture compare to the one you had before?" Qin Xuan elected not to answer directly but instead posed a query with a knowing smile.
Xiao Wu was momentarily stupefied, and a blush crept up her cheeks.
Previously, when Qin Xuan had mentioned giving her a Buddhist scripture, she had dismissed it as a trifle. But now, having beheld this scripture, she realized just how invaluable it was.
The Buddhist scripture she had studied before paled in comparison to the profound realm described in this new one. In a nutshell, it was akin to the chasm between Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism.
"Vastly different. It's like the difference between Hinayana and Mahayana Buddhism. Qin Xuan, where on earth did you get this Buddhist scripture?" Xiao Wu finally regained her composure, but her astonishment was still palpable.
Although this Buddhist scripture was written in a diary, it was an absolute treasure for any devout Buddhist practitioner.
"From here!" Qin Xuan pointed to his head, then turned around, presenting his back to Xiao Wu. With his left hand in his pocket, he gave a casual wave with his right.
"As long as you think it's good. What I, Qin Xuan, bestow can't be ordinary things."
Xiao Wu stood rooted to the spot, her expression shifting several times. Eventually, she clutched the Buddhist scripture tightly and took her leave.
Before long, a bombshell of news swept through the entire school.
The school beauty Xiao Wu was allegedly in love, and her paramour was none other than Qin Xuan, who had been spurned by Mu Xue'er!