"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei put his palms together. "Patrons, what matter brings you to seek an audience with this humble monk?"
"Divine Monk, please save us!"
Zhao Xiaocha immediately pulled the young man down to his knees before Xu Lei. "I beg you, please save my husband."
Xu Lei was confused. After all, the young man walked perfectly fine and didn't look like he was at death's door.
Of course, as a Divine Monk, Xu Lei would never show his confusion. He simply maintained the air of a lofty master.
「A short while later.」
Zhao Xiaocha and the young man awkwardly explained the situation to Xu Lei.
It turned out that only after their marriage did Zhao Xiaocha discover the young man was naturally impotent, completely unable to consummate their union.
Only then did she understand why this family had taken an interest in a simple country girl like her, a tea-picker.
She was, naturally, very distressed about it.
Although the young man was kind and treated her well, she had married a man who couldn't perform his husbandly duties. On top of that, she had to endure the neighborhood gossip and finger-pointing, with everyone saying there was something wrong with her womb because she couldn't bear children.
However, his parents had long since consulted many physicians about the young man's condition, but no one could cure him.
They had already lost all hope.
But Zhao Xiaocha remembered the person whom Physician Lu and the others had declared certain to die, only to be saved by Xu Lei using a method of exchanging blood for life.
So, clinging to a sliver of hope, she brought the young man to Longyuan Temple to ask for help from the Divine Monk, Xu Lei.
After he understood the situation, Xu Lei was a bit speechless.
'I can't believe Zhao Xiaocha ran into such a ridiculous situation.'
But Xu Lei wasn't a real miracle doctor.
It was impossible for him to treat a condition like this.
「Ten minutes later.」
"Amitabha Buddha."
Xu Lei sighed. "Life is a vast ocean, and all living beings suffer."
He obviously couldn't treat this kind of condition.
The Lord County Magistrate might have been infertile, but he was still capable of performing his husbandly duties.
Although according to the Lady of the County Magistrate, his performance was rather weak.
But he was still a man in that respect.
It was just that his "seed" was the problem, making it impossible for her to get pregnant.
But now, Zhao Xiaocha's husband was completely incapable.
How could Xu Lei save him? He couldn't.
"Even the Divine Monk can't do anything?"
The young man's face was pale, his expression one of despair. "I'm sorry, Xiaocha. It's my fault. I... I was against this marriage from the start.
I knew marrying you would only harm you. But my parents... If you're truly miserable, then when we go back... when we go back, we'll get a divorce.
But even so, you'll still carry the name of a married woman. In the end, our family has wronged you."
Zhao Xiaocha's expression was grim as well.
Her husband's family had shown great kindness to her own.
And her husband was their only son.
This was why his parents had been so insistent on him marrying someone.
If they divorced now, both families would lose face.
Moreover, Zhao Xiaocha would be a divorcée.
In a pre-modern world like this, would she ever be able to find a good match again?
It was hard to say.
Besides, her husband's family had given quite a generous bride price to marry her.
The bride price in this pre-modern world was a substantial thing.
After all, in this world, when a woman married, she truly belonged to her husband's family.
She really did become part of their household.
The wedding had already been held, too.
Everyone thought she was living a happy life.
If she divorced now, it would create a lot of messy situations that would be hard to resolve.
And besides his inability to perform his husbandly duties, there was nothing else wrong with her husband.
If she married another man, there was no guarantee she would be treated this well.
"Divine Monk, is there really nothing you can do?"
Zhao Xiaocha pleaded again, "Your Divine Power is vast. I beg you to help us."
"If you two are unwilling to divorce," Xu Lei said, "then the only solution is to come to the temple and pray for a child."
"Pray for a child?"
The young man said, "Me... with my condition... what good would praying do? Could the Buddha really bestow Magical Power and cure me?"
"Of course not," Xu Lei said. "But it can allow you to have a healthy child. And as long as you two say nothing, the child will be born to the both of you.
No one else in this world will ever know.
Monks do not meddle in worldly affairs."
The young man was no fool.
Hearing this, he immediately understood the implication.
He was tempted.
To be honest, he had been born this way; there was nothing he could do about it.
He didn't really care whether he had a wife or not.
He was just afraid of the strange looks others would give him.
Afraid of his parents being gossiped about by the neighbors.
Afraid of people saying his family line would end with his generation.
"What? What... what does that mean?"
Zhao Xiaocha's face changed drastically. She shook her head repeatedly. "No, how is that possible? I... I... I'm still a virgin..."
Xu Lei said nothing.
Because he saw the expression on the young man's face, he knew that, in the end, Zhao Xiaocha would most likely come to Longyuan Temple to pray for a child.
After all, the young man's parents had spent a considerable bride price to marry Zhao Xiaocha into their family.
And they did so with full knowledge of their son's physical condition.
It was even possible that the young man's parents had already made some plans of their own.
'Perhaps one day they'd drug Zhao Xiaocha, or maybe they'd manipulate her into finding an acquaintance to 'borrow a seed' from, or something of that sort.
In the history of ancient Earth, this sort of thing happened all the time.'
Xu Lei hadn't expected that the Zhao Xiaocha he had met would encounter such a bizarre fate.
Of course, no matter what plans the young man's parents came up with, none would be as good as praying for a child at Longyuan Temple.
After all, finding someone among the common folk would likely lead to future complications.
"Then... let us think about it some more," the young man said after a moment. "Should we go back first? Xiaocha, what do you think?"
"You can have a vegetarian meal at the temple first," Xu Lei added. "Then you can meditate for a while and contemplate your decision in this Buddhist Holy Land."
「Another two hours passed.」
When the young man went to the latrine, Xu Lei called Zhao Xiaocha aside to give her a word of warning.
He warned her to be careful of her father-in-law and mother-in-law.
If her in-laws didn't intend for Zhao Xiaocha to come to the temple to pray for a child, they would probably resort to even less savory methods.
Zhao Xiaocha should either go back and get a divorce, or she had to be very careful.
Otherwise, she might wake up one day to find her innocence already gone.
Zhao Xiaocha's expression changed slightly.
She hadn't thought that far ahead.
Because her father-in-law and mother-in-law seemed like good people.
They treated her very well.
But now she also understood that if she didn't get a divorce, she would have to face this problem eventually.
"Little Divine Monk, is praying for a child at the temple really... reliable?"
Zhao Xiaocha asked, "Once a monk leaves the temple, does he forget everything? He won't cause any disturbance at all?"
"Naturally."
Xu Lei nodded. "The reason the Buddhist Sect has the practice of the Seed-Sowing Zen Master is precisely to solve these kinds of problems.
It is to prevent the various tragedies that arise from the folk practice of 'borrowing a seed.'
To prevent sin from occurring is, in itself, a meritorious deed.
Of course, whether to divorce or not is your own choice.
You must think it over carefully and make a sound decision.
After all, even if the temple can give you a child, you will still have to live with a husband like him for the rest of your life.
This is no joke.
You must consider everything carefully.
Of course, if you cannot get a divorce...
my Buddha is merciful.
He will naturally not refuse to help."
Having given his warning, Xu Lei didn't interfere any further.
'Although, deep down, Xu Lei actually hoped Zhao Xiaocha would come to pray for a child.
If that happened, Xu Lei would definitely be the one to perform the Charitable Giving for Zhao Xiaocha.
He had never performed Charitable Giving for a virgin girl before.
The thought alone was a little exciting.'
But this was about Zhao Xiaocha's life, so in the end, the decision had to be hers.
If she wanted a divorce, Xu Lei would certainly support her.
She was the first young woman Xu Lei had met since arriving in this world, and he genuinely hoped she could have a good life.
That was why Xu Lei wouldn't interfere with her decision.
He only warned her about the potential dangers and harm she might face.
Zhao Xiaocha said nothing more.
She just sat in meditation, striking the wooden fish.
「Another two hours later.」
Zhao Xiaocha came to find Xu Lei once more.
"Little Divine Monk, I... I don't actually want a divorce."
Her eyes glistened with tears, her expression a mix of anguish and conflict. She spoke in a delicate voice, "If I leave, my husband... he'll be too pitiful.
And, a lot of things would become very difficult to handle.
Back then, his family showed great kindness to mine.
I can't be heartless.
Actually, my husband's family has been very good to me.
The reasons... they are many and difficult to explain in detail.
In short, there are many reasons why I can't really choose to get a divorce.
But... my virginity... to just give it away to some stranger?
I just can't get over that in my heart.
Divine Monk, can you please enlighten me.
What on earth should I do?"