Ch 70: Transmigrated to become a Koi Husband

This ancient temple appeared to have been around for quite some time.

From the outside, the bright red gate and surrounding walls had a slightly muted color, and the stone steps leading up to the entrance were meticulously cleaned.

Qin Zhao stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at the monk from afar, confirming that the monk was indeed speaking to him.

An old acquaintance?

Could it be that he had visited this place before?

Or perhaps… had Xiao Yu been here in the past?

Suddenly, Qin Zhao remembered that when Fang Tianying had spoken about the origin of the koi fish, he mentioned that the little fish had once been raised by a high monk at a temple.

Could this be the same temple?

Qin Zhao’s gaze darkened slightly, but after a brief moment of hesitation, he started climbing the stone steps.

Whether the monk was referring to him or Xiao Yu as the old acquaintance, it seemed necessary to go inside and investigate.

Qin Zhao was led into the temple by the monk.

From the outside, the temple looked unremarkable, but the interior was surprisingly well-maintained. After passing through the red gate, they entered a spacious courtyard. In the center stood a large incense burner, and on either side were corridors and a bell and drum tower, both of which were spotlessly clean.

The monk’s name was Jing chen, and though he appeared to be about the same age as Qin Zhao, he was already the abbot of the temple.

As they walked, Jing chen explained the history of the temple. It was called Yun Guan Temple, built over six hundred years ago during the previous dynasty. Its location, deep in the mountains, meant it didn’t attract many pilgrims. Most visitors were from nearby villages, coming to offer prayers, or travelers passing through.

Jing chen led them to a quiet courtyard and, with hands clasped, said, “The time for the temple’s vegetarian meal has passed, but I will instruct the kitchen to prepare some food for the gentleman. This is a simple mountain temple, so the offerings are humble. I hope you won’t mind.”

Qin Zhao returned the bow. “I wouldn’t dare trouble you. I appreciate the hospitality.”

Jing chen was about to leave when Qin Zhao called him back. “There’s one thing I don’t understand. Earlier, you mentioned an old acquaintance. Could you clarify what you meant by that?”

Jing chen simply smiled and nodded. “Your heart is as clear as a mirror. Why ask more questions?”

“… Please rest for now. I’ll return shortly.”

Unable to get a straight answer from the monk, Qin Zhao let it go for the moment.

As he prepared to enter the courtyard, the fish basket in his hand moved slightly. He looked down and met a pair of round, clear eyes.

The little koi wagged its tail and spoke in a human voice, “Have we already entered the temple? Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Now that they were inside the temple, it meant Jing Li could only maintain his fish form during their stay.

Qin Zhao had intended to wake him before entering the temple so he could revert to his human form, but the abbot had arrived too quickly. Qin Zhao explained what had happened to Jing Li, who tilted his head in thought.

“An old acquaintance?” the little koi asked. “Have you been here before?”

Qin Zhao shook his head, having no memory of ever coming to this place.

“I think he was referring to you,” Qin Zhao said.

“Me?”

Jing Li glanced around, and strangely enough, he did feel a sense of familiarity with the place.

Could this really be where the original koi had once lived?

Jing Li said, “Let’s go inside and take a look.”

Qin Zhao walked into the courtyard.

It was a serene and elegant little courtyard, and in one corner, a young monk, about seven or eight years old, was sweeping the ground.

Directly facing the entrance was the main building, which was large and slightly taller than the adjacent side rooms. The eaves were covered with glazed tiles, giving it an imposing and majestic appearance.

In the center of the courtyard was a lotus pond. Even though it was still winter, the lotus leaves in the pond were lush and abundant.

At the center of the lotus pond, a lotus flower was quietly blooming, though its shape was quite different from that of an ordinary lotus.

Qin Zhao approached the lotus pond, and the little koi in the basket poked its head out to examine the strangely shaped lotus flower. Just then, a young voice called out from behind them, “That’s a twin lotus.”

Startled, Jing Li quickly ducked back into the basket. Qin Zhao turned around to see the young monk, who had been sweeping earlier, now standing beside them.

The young monk placed his hands together in greeting and said, “You must be the honored guest that my master spoke of. I’ve already prepared your room, and you may go inside to rest.”

Qin Zhao asked, “Lotus flowers usually bloom from June to August, but it’s only February now. Why is this one in bloom?”

“You may not know, sir, but the lotus flowers in this pond bloom all year round. It’s quite mysterious.”

The young monk, quick-witted and eager to talk—perhaps due to the quietness of the temple and the lack of people to speak to—couldn’t stop once he started. “I’ve heard that this has been happening in the lotus pond for the past five years, but I’ve lived at Yun Guan Temple for three years and this is the first time I’ve seen a twin lotus. Master always says that everything has a spirit, so maybe the pond sensed the return of an old acquaintance and is welcoming them.”

Another mention of an “old acquaintance.”

Qin Zhao’s gaze shifted slightly, and he instinctively looked down, meeting the confused eyes of the little koi in the basket.

Before Qin Zhao could voice his question, the young monk eagerly said, “Please follow me.”

He led them into the main building. The interior was meticulously arranged, with a faint scent of incense in the air. It didn’t look like a typical room for hosting travelers; it felt more like a meditation hall for a senior monk.

Qin Zhao placed the fish basket on the table, and the little koi, taking advantage of the monk’s distraction, poked its head out again.

This place felt incredibly familiar.

The lotus pond outside, the arrangement of the room—it all made Jing Li feel as though he had been here before. They hadn’t even looked inside yet, but Jing Li could already predict what the inner rooms would look like.

It was too strange…

Up until now, Jing Li had never had any memories of his previous life as a fish. He had thought that perhaps, being a simple koi, there hadn’t been much to remember.

But now, in this place, long-buried memories were slowly resurfacing.

And it didn’t feel like they were just the memories of his former self as a fish—it felt like they were his own memories.

He felt as if he had lived here.

“Please, have some tea,” the young monk said, offering a cup. Jing Li, startled, was about to duck back into the basket when the young monk leaned closer with a smile and said, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t you remember me?”

Jing Li: “…”

The young monk thought for a moment and then said, “Wait here for a moment.”

The young monk turned and left the room. Not long after, he returned, carrying a transparent vessel filled with water.

The vessel was round, narrow at the top and wider at the bottom, and the monk was struggling a bit to carry it. The bottom was lined with some water plants and smooth stones. Placing it on the table, the monk said to Qin Zhao, “You can put the little koi in here. It used to love sleeping in this.”

Qin Zhao didn’t move, instead asking, “The old acquaintance you mentioned earlier, is it referring to this little koi?”

The young monk nodded, “Yes. The lotus pond you saw earlier is called the Lingli Pond. The little koi used to live there, and I was the one taking care of it.”

“Lingli Pond…” Qin Zhao glanced down at Jing Li, who looked back at him with a puzzled expression and shook his head.

He couldn’t remember.

Qin Zhao let out a silent sigh and gently lifted the little koi from the basket, placing it into the transparent fish tank.

The tank offered a great view, and as soon as the little koi entered the water, it joyfully rolled over and darted into the water plants.

The young monk leaned over the tank, watching with interest, his face beaming with joy. “It still loves being in there.”

The little koi swished its tail happily in the water.

Qin Zhao asked again, “If it used to live here, how did it end up lost outside?”

The young monk’s mood dropped. “It was my fault for being careless…”

He explained, “Last March, the Grandmaster passed away, and my master took over as the abbot. During that time, there were many affairs to handle in the temple, and I didn’t visit the pond for a while. By the time everything settled, the little koi was already gone.”

“But my master taught me the principles of karma and fate, saying that if we were meant to meet again, we would.”

“I never expected it to actually return.”

“But…” The young monk squinted at the little koi through the glass, frowning slightly. “It seems like it’s gotten a bit… chubbier?”

“!!!”

The little koi tilted sideways, nearly bumping into the glass wall of the tank.

Annoyed, it waved its fins in protest, glaring at the monk.

I’m not fat!

The young monk chuckled and tried to calm it down. “Alright, alright, I know you haven’t gotten fat. I was just worried you weren’t eating or sleeping well while you were out in the world…”

Watching the interaction between the monk and the little koi, Qin Zhao’s gaze darkened slightly, his heart a mix of emotions.

The young monk had other duties to attend to and didn’t stay long. He soon said goodbye to Qin Zhao and left.

The little koi played in the water for a while, feeling the nausea and discomfort from earlier finally fading away. It was thoroughly enjoying itself.

But Qin Zhao remained silent the whole time.

Jing Li noticed his unusual behavior. He swam out from the water plants and softly asked, “Qin Zhao… are you unhappy?”

“No,” Qin Zhao said, placing his hand against the glass, gently tapping the little koi’s head through the tank. “You’ve returned to where you belong. I’m happy.”

“You’re lying,” Jing Li said. “You’re not happy.”

After being together for so long, Jing Li could easily pick up on Qin Zhao’s subtle emotional shifts.

He floated to the surface and motioned for Qin Zhao to put his hand out. As soon as Qin Zhao did, Jing Li gently leapt up and kissed his fingertip.

Qin Zhao looked at him without saying a word, so Jing Li leapt again and kissed him a second time.

The little koi bounced around in the water, splashing droplets everywhere.

Qin Zhao couldn’t help but chuckle. “Alright, stop messing around.”

“This isn’t messing around; I’m trying to cheer you up.” Jing Li was out of breath from all the bouncing around. “You don’t really think I’m going to stay here, do you?”

The smile on Qin Zhao’s face faded slightly.

Jing Li continued, “I do feel like this place is familiar, maybe I did live here before. But I have a home now. We’re married—you’re not going to leave me here and make me live on vegetarian temple meals, right?”

Qin Zhao: “…”

Is the focus really on the vegetarian meals?

Amused and helpless, Qin Zhao reached out and gently patted the little koi’s head. “I would never leave you behind. I’m sorry for overthinking things.”

Jing Li responded, “That’s more like it. Stop worrying about nonsense.”

“But,” Jing Li added, “there is something we can’t ignore.”

“What is it?” Qin Zhao asked.

“If you really are the koi that was lost from this temple, then bringing you back here means returning you to your rightful place.”

Jing Li froze in place, his fins momentarily forgetting to move.

Qin Zhao had a point.

The young monk might not have known, but they had pieced together enough information to realize that the little koi had likely been smuggled out of the temple amidst some chaos. Regardless of how it happened, the koi’s rightful ownership should still belong to Yun Guan Temple.

If Qin Zhao insisted on taking him away, it wouldn’t be much different from the thieves who had stolen him in the first place.

Realizing this, Jing Li’s fins drooped, clearly dejected.

He had thought that his string of bad luck had finally ended, only to find out that even a simple stopover at a temple could turn into such a mess. How ironic.

Qin Zhao reassured him, “Don’t worry. I’ll speak with the abbot and arrange to buy you back.”

Jing Li nodded, though he still felt down.

If only I didn’t get seasick…

If not for the seasickness, they would still be on the boat, arriving in Jiangling tomorrow morning without all these complications.

Since Jing Li couldn’t change back into his human form at the moment, he stayed quietly in the fish tank. Qin Zhao paced around the courtyard for a while before returning inside.

By now, dusk had fallen, and the sound of temple bells echoed through the mountain, long and resonant.

“This courtyard, apart from us, seems completely empty,” Qin Zhao said.

Jing Li poked his head out from the water plants. “So what? You like peace and quiet anyway, isn’t this perfect?”

“It’s not that it’s bad—it’s too perfect.” Qin Zhao furrowed his brow slightly. “Temples usually have guest quarters to accommodate visitors. I just went to check, and there are several guest rooms next to this courtyard, all empty. Don’t you think that’s a bit odd?”

The guest rooms were unoccupied, yet they were given this excellent secluded courtyard.

Was it merely because Qin Zhao had brought back the little koi?

Qin Zhao found the situation suspicious.

Before he could think further, there was a knock at the door.

Qin Zhao opened it to see the monk, Jing chen, entering with a tray of food.

Jing chen bowed to Qin Zhao and said, “Thank you for your patience. The meal is ready.”

Qin Zhao returned the bow. “Thank you, venerable master.”

Jing chen nodded, but his gaze lingered on the fish tank, where the little koi was eyeing the food with eager anticipation. His eyes flickered with surprise, though he quickly concealed it.

Qin Zhao didn’t notice this and said, “Please wait, venerable master. There is something I would like to discuss with you.”

Jing chen came back to his senses and said, “Please speak, sir.”

Qin Zhao spoke frankly, “It was purely by coincidence that I arrived here today. I had no idea this koi originally belonged to Yun Guan Temple. Now that fate has brought us here, I would like to formally purchase this little fish from you. Please name your price.”

In truth, even if Qin Zhao left the koi here, Jing Li could find a way to escape and make his way to Jiangling to find him. However, that would not be the honorable thing to do, and Qin Zhao would never choose such a path.

“Sir, your integrity is admirable,” Jing chen said. “However, this koi is not actually the temple’s property. It was left here in someone’s care. If you wish to purchase it, I’m not the one you should negotiate with.”

Qin Zhao frowned slightly. “Who is its original owner?”

Jing chen didn’t answer right away. Instead, he glanced at the little koi in the water and gently said, “It may not even remember, but this little fish hatched here five years ago.”

Jing Li was stunned.

“It was originally just a fish egg,” Jingchen continued. “According to my master, the previous abbot of Yun Guan Temple, the egg had been in the Lingli Pond ever since he became the abbot. No one knew where it came from or how long it had been there.”

“Then, five years ago, a distinguished guest passed through Yun Guan Temple and stayed here for a while.”

“This guest heard about the mysterious fish egg and decided to stay in this very courtyard. That night, the egg hatched, and this little koi emerged.”

“Ever since it hatched, the fish became attached to that guest. The guest stayed at the temple for over half a month, and the little fish followed him everywhere, refusing to leave him alone. My master thought the fish and the guest had a special connection, so he gifted it to him.”

“The guest grew fond of the little koi but had pressing matters at the time. He entrusted the temple to care for the fish, promising to return within three years to retrieve it.”

“This fish tank was a gift from the guest before he left. It had always been kept in this room,” Jingchen explained with a smile. “Interestingly enough, the little fish would often sneak into the tank to play whenever Minghui wasn’t paying attention. It seemed to understand that the tank was a gift from its owner.”

The monk’s gentle voice stirred something deep within Jing Li. A distant memory began to surface.

“… Why are you so clingy, little fish? Are you mistaking me for your mother?”

“Such a bold little thing. If you dare jump onto my bed and soak my clothes again, I’ll have you cooked and served for dinner.”

“You really want to follow me that badly? I can’t take you with me right now. Stay here for now, and I’ll come back for you in a few years.”

Jing Li couldn’t remember who the person was—neither their appearance, their build, nor their voice. He only knew that from that moment on, he had been waiting for that person, day after day. Time and again, he leapt out of the Lingli Pond, sneaking into the room and jumping into the fish tank the person had left behind.

It was as if, by doing so, the person would suddenly return, stroke him, and smile at him.

But that person never came.

No one ever came to find him.

Jing Li sank to the bottom of the water, gently swaying his fins, feeling a growing sense of discomfort in his heart.

Qin Zhao gazed down at the little koi in the water, seeming to understand something. In a low voice, he asked, “Why didn’t that person come to retrieve it?”

Jing chen calmly responded, “Because that honored guest passed away three years ago.”

By now, the sun was setting, and its golden light streamed through the doorway, casting a warm glow over the room. Yet Qin Zhao’s face appeared particularly pale. He closed his eyes for a moment, his voice hoarse, “That person… was Prince Rong?”

Jing chen nodded, “Yes.”

For a while, the room was steeped in silence. After a long pause, Qin Zhao let out a soft laugh. “So that’s how it is… I see…”

His words seemed like a sigh of realization and a sudden clarity.

Qin Zhao respectfully cupped his hands and gave a deep bow. “Thank you, Master, for informing me. I understand now.”

Jing chen nodded slightly. “Please enjoy your meal. Tomorrow morning, I will have a disciple escort you down the mountain.”

“Alright.”

Qin Zhao was about to escort him to the door when Jing chen suddenly paused and turned back. “Oh, there’s one more thing…”

He returned to the fish tank, rolled up the sleeves of his monk’s robe, and reached into the water, directly lifting the little koi out.

Jing Li hadn’t yet processed everything he’d just learned. It wasn’t until his body was out of the water that he instinctively began to struggle.

But firm hands held him in place.

Qin Zhao frowned. “What are you doing, Master?”

“Rest assured, I won’t harm it,” Jing chen explained. “The temple cares for many koi, and I am well-versed in their habits. I noticed earlier that this koi seems to have something unusual going on with its body, so I wanted to take a closer look.”

Qin Zhao’s expression tightened. “Something unusual with its body?”

Recently, Jing Li’s health had returned to normal, but Qin Zhao still vividly remembered how unwell he had been. Despite all of Qin Zhao’s attempts to check his pulse, he hadn’t been able to detect any issues. Now that he thought about it, perhaps it was because this little koi’s body wasn’t human, and any problems wouldn’t show up through traditional pulse diagnosis.

Maybe Jing Li shouldn’t have been examined by a human doctor but by someone who understood fish better.

Jing chen handed the koi to Qin Zhao. “Please hold it still for me.”

Jing Li, his body tightly gripped, could only move his tail in a futile struggle.

What was the need for this checkup? He felt perfectly fine!

“Don’t move,” Qin Zhao gently but firmly held him in place, pressing him into his palm. “You’ve been feeling unwell recently. Let the master take a look at you.”

As soon as Qin Zhao finished speaking, a foreign hand pressed against Jing Li’s abdomen.

Jing Li didn’t like being touched by anyone other than Qin Zhao. He squirmed and wriggled, trying to escape, but Qin Zhao held him down with more force, preventing any movement.

The hand pressing on his abdomen also applied more pressure.

Was Qin Zhao just going to stand there and watch someone else touch him like this???

Was he even still his husband???

Filled with anger and frustration, Jing Li immediately bit Qin Zhao’s finger the moment Jing chen withdrew his hand and jumped back into the water with a splash.

The little koi dove headfirst into the clump of water plants, leaving only a bit of its bright red tail visible, still swaying back and forth in displeasure.

Qin Zhao could almost guess the string of insults likely running through the little koi’s mind. Shaking his head helplessly, he asked, “Master, did you find anything unusual with it?”

Jing chen nodded. “Indeed, I did.”

At this, the little koi’s tail stopped swaying.

Jing chen calmly continued, “It’s not an abnormality—it’s pregnant.”

Wait, what? The little koi thought he was fine, and after all that unnecessary touching, it turned out he was just…

Just…

P-Pregnant?

Jing Li suddenly straightened up from the water plants, staring in shock at the monk before him.

The monk placed his hands together in a gesture of respect and, in a composed tone, said to Qin Zhao, “From what I can tell, this koi will give birth to its fry in no more than three months. Congratulations, sir.”