Chapter 50

Blossoms in the Moon Palace

When we returned to Su Zhao, Susu was so upset about our impending marriage that he cried for days and nights, refusing to come out of his room. My brother and I took turns trying to comfort him, and Xi He even tried to cheer him up by acting cute and clingy, but nothing seemed to work.

Finally, Xi He couldn’t take it anymore. She yanked the covers off him and roared, “Stop crying, you big baby!” Shocked, Susu finally forgot his original intention. After getting past Susu, it was my second sister’s turn.

She had been strongly opposed to our marriage, but after being reminded by Kong Shu of how I had fainted when my brother died, she softened her heart and finally agreed. With that, my brother and I could finally relax and start preparing for the wedding.

A month later, as the sky began to lighten, a silver moon hung high in the sky. Cranes soared through the clouds, and peach blossoms were in full bloom all over the mountains. Wearing a phoenix crown and a cloud-like gown, I climbed hundreds of stone steps to the altar at the top of the mountain.

The high priest and his attendants stood waiting, and my brother, also dressed in wedding attire, stood with his back to me, looking up at the statue of the divine being and saying softly, “I have waited for this day for many years.” Then he turned around and gave me a gentle smile.

“Starting today, I can no longer call you brother,” I smiled softly from behind the beaded curtain of my phoenix crown. “Your servant, is that alright?”

“As long as Weiwei is happy.”

We smiled at each other, just like we did when we were kids and had done something naughty together. In Su Zhao, I had met and parted with Chen Zhi. I never thought that one day, I would be making a lifelong vow here.

Halfway through the wedding ceremony, I glanced at the towering statue of Cangying Shen, the supreme water god, who was our family’s deity in Su Zhao. However, except for my sister and me, no one else knew that he had personally come here and transformed into the statue like a child.

Of course, no one knew that the real Divine Lord Yinze was actually a young man. I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen him.

I remembered forty-one years ago, we had also stood in this mountain filled with peach blossoms. At that time, I was still a young and reckless girl, just like Xi He. I had arrogantly pointed at Yinze and declared that he was mine.

Not long after that, he had given me a ring and said that no matter what, he would marry me. At that time, I was even more straightforward and bold than I am now. When I heard his confession in his gentle smile, I would cry like a kitten and throw myself into his arms, saying emotionally that I liked him too much and didn’t know what to do.

But now, I don’t even dare to go to the divine realm to see him again. That’s why I feel a deep sense of nostalgia whenever I see those young and fearless children. It reminds me of my passionate and brave self a hundred years ago.

Time flies so fast. Yinze, it’s been a hundred years since we last met. How are you doing?

Finally, I’m getting married. Unlike our youthful promises, my husband is not you. But it’s about as we expected back then, isn’t it?

No, after so many years, do you still remember me? As cold as you are, you’ve probably forgotten what I look like. I want to say that I have too, but I know that’s a lie.

Although I can’t forget, I can fade the memory. Youthful passion, deep love, heartbreak, vows... No matter how deeply I felt, it’s not as good as a lifetime together.

I looked up at my brother, who was smiling gently in the spring breeze, and smiled softly too. From now on, he would be the only one in my life.

On my wedding night, after the ceremony, I couldn’t sleep. The habit of drinking at midnight that I had developed over the decades was hard to break. I took a pot of wine and flew out of the Purple Tide Palace on a water current to the Luo River. Su Zhao had seen countless familiar faces disappear over the millennia.

The world was ever-changing, but the moonlight remained the same. Tonight, the moonlight was like water, reflecting in the golden goblet. The peach trees swayed in the spring breeze, shaking off a carpet of petals. As the petals were blown away by the wind and turned into dust, I reached out to catch them, and the beautiful scene before me seemed like a dream, blurring my vision.

In the moonlight on the Luo River, I saw a figure in dark blue. He was holding a dark umbrella, and the brim was lowered very low, as if he was also admiring the moon.

I thought I had seen wrong and was afraid that if I blinked, I would only see the lonely moon. I held my breath and stared ahead, watching his robe flutter in the evening breeze and his long black hair fly like willow catkins. This wasn’t the first time I had seen his phantom, and I knew it wasn’t him. Besides, it had been forty years since I last saw him, and it was time to forget...

However, just looking at this figure made my heart ache.

I didn’t have time to be surprised, to hide, or to laugh at my own uselessness. I only realized one thing: seeing him in person was more painful than missing him.

I forced my tears back, but I still sniffed. Then, hearing his voice, he raised the brim of his umbrella and looked at me from afar.

“Wei’er?” he was startled, his smile as cold as a spring. “It’s your big day, and it’s late at night. Why are you wandering outside?”

I quickly closed my eyes, trying to calm myself. However, for no reason, tears flowed out of my eyes like countless little crabs, winding their way down my chin. Even though my scalp hurt from crying, I didn’t make a sound until he stepped towards me on the water and used his umbrella to shield me from the falling petals. “It’s a good day. You should be happy. Why are you crying?”

My vision was blurry, and I could only shake my head gently. I couldn’t answer him.

“I didn’t expect to see you today...” His eyes softened, and he said softly, “Our Wei’er is getting more and more beautiful. It’s a pity that every time you’re with me, you get so sad.”

“Don’t say it.”

I looked at the umbrella he was holding again and confirmed that it was the one I had given him. Every time I met him in a dream, he would hold this umbrella. And he didn’t have the jade ring on his finger. Now, I had a rough idea. This Yinze must be an illusion created by the real Yinze, who had gone back in time to see me many times. And I had no idea where the real Yinze was or what he was doing. What was even worse was that I had a bad feeling about the real Yinze’s whereabouts. I was afraid that I would regret it. I said, “Yinze, I’m married to Chen Zhi now.”

“I know. You two grew up together, and you were always meant to be together. It’s only natural that you’re finally together now. Congratulations. I wish you two a long and happy life together.”

He replied calmly. “Perhaps it’s meaningless to say this now, perhaps you won’t listen, and you might not even hear me... Even if you’re just lying to me, even if you love someone else, even if it’s unfair to Chen Zhi...” I closed my eyes and said through my tears, “In my whole life, I’ve only loved you.”

I waited for a long time for a response, but there was none. I saw another shower of flowers fall, and he said, “Wei’er, no matter how deep our feelings are, we are ultimately destined to be apart.”

Although he said it indifferently, his hand holding the umbrella handle tightened, and his knuckles turned white. He turned around and walked towards the Luo River.

I chased after him and shouted, “Yinze, I know you still love Shang Yan, but I don’t know why, but I always feel that you have some other reasons. So, I’m just telling you my feelings today. After tonight, I will forget all about you. Because I’m married to Chen Zhi now, and I can’t think about you anymore, but I really want to know, did you ever feel anything for me? Was there ever a moment when you saw me as Wei’er, not Shang...”

Before I could finish, I had already caught up with him, but I was speechless because of shock. He had no expression on his face, but his face was full of tears.

“Yinze...” It was the first time I had seen him cry, and although he said nothing, he still looked as cold as ever. But I was even sadder than he was, and I couldn’t help but cry. “You said you loved me, is that true?”

He just looked at me coldly with tears in his eyes, then wiped away my tears. He never answered my question. At that moment, I wanted to hold his hand so much, but I knew that if I touched him, he would disappear like smoke.

I could only clench my fists and look at him fiercely, demanding, “Answer me! Tell me that you were lying, that you were just playing with me, that you want me to give up on you, that you want me to forget you completely!”

However, no matter what I said, he didn’t speak. In the end, I said so many hurtful things to him: “You’re a bastard, you just abandoned me and Xi He, and you don’t care about me or her for all these years. Do you know how I’ve been living? Do you know what it’s like for a child to not have a father? Every time Xi He went to sleep, I would cry until it hurt a hundred times more than anything you’ve ever felt! It’s all because of you, you bastard...” These words were a double-edged sword. As I stabbed him with them, I stabbed myself even harder.

English Translation

Chapter 50: Blossoms in the Moon Palace

“I couldn’t speak anymore. How could I be so foolish? Knowing that he wasn’t real, I still...”

Suddenly, he lowered his head and kissed me.

There was no warmth in the kiss, and I couldn’t feel his presence. I could only see him getting closer, feeling his breath and faint spiritual energy. Then, golden specks of light scattered around him. A shower of golden fire spread out like countless fireflies, instantly flying up to the heavens and the earth, and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

None of my previous encounters with Yinze’s illusion had been as painful as this one. Unable to capture his figure anymore, I suddenly felt like I had said goodbye to him forever. I knelt on the ground and cried out, “Yinze, you heartless man! Why don’t you explain? Come back! Tell me everything clearly...”

The cold wind choked me, and I couldn’t say another word. My thoughts were a complete mess, turning into tears.

Later, Chen Zhi found me and brought me back to the bedroom. When I realized who I was leaning on, I felt both despair and self-blame. I wanted to erase him from my memory.

However, we received good news. In the middle of the night, there was a rare heavy rain. It was the first heavy rain in decades, accompanied by thunder and lightning, and the cheers of all living beings in the six realms and nine heavens. Such good fortune came so quickly that I couldn’t quite adjust to it.

The next morning, Chen Zhi and I went out to see the rain. As we passed the window, I saw an ink-black umbrella there, with some rainwater in it. Chen Zhi said, “I didn’t see you take an umbrella when you went out last night. Is this someone else’s?”

I stared at the umbrella, and suddenly, everything around me became quiet, and my heart beat slower.

If it weren’t for the water on it, I would have thought that I hadn’t given it to my departed love sixty-one years ago.

The rain continued for a whole month, pouring down relentlessly, as if the god of the sea was giving his life to bring rebirth to the six realms. During that month, thousands of dragons emerged from the sea every day, covered in clouds and mist, dancing with the thunder and lightning. The sight was so magnificent that no painting could capture it.

Finally, the drought ended. Everything revived, the rivers flowed again, and the dry sea returned to its original vastness. That autumn, the harvest was plentiful, and wherever you went, there was a scene of prosperity.

On the first day of the heavy rain, I wanted to share this good news with Susu. However, I don’t know if I went too late or if it was fate, but when I went to Susu’s room, he was gone, leaving only a lotus flower in the pond.

The rain fell on the lotus, creating ripples. No matter how much I called out to him, he never turned back into human form. Later, I found a letter in his room, with only one line written on it: “Su has reached the end of his spiritual energy. I wish to become a lotus and stay by your side forever.”

The following year, Chen Zhi, Xi He, and Xuan Yue and I went to the Qinglong Heavenly Realm to play. I heard that the Divine Lord Yinze had returned to the divine realm and had no plans to return to the mortal realm. He had dismissed all the people in the Cangying Mansion, and in two years, even the mansion would be demolished. So, when we returned to Tian Shi City, we no longer had to face the awkwardness of meeting him again.

When we arrived in Tian Shi City, it was the scorching month of July, and the sky was filled with blazing sun and endless waves. Xi He was so fascinated by the beautiful scenery of the immortal realm that she rode Xuan Yue around the city. Although the immortals had seen many things, they couldn’t help but take a few extra glances when they saw a little girl riding such a large divine beast.

After getting married, I was busier than ever, and Xuan Yue had almost become Xi He’s pet. However, when we returned to Tian Shi City, Xuan Yue looked at me differently. I knew he remembered many things, and so did I. It’s just that the past is in the past, and there’s no need to mention it again. I held Chen Zhi’s arm and visited some old friends, and then we went back to the Fa Hua Cherry Orchard.

Although we had missed the best time for cherry blossoms, the flowers were always in bloom here. Chen Zhi and I had a drink together and talked about the past.

“That was the first time I...” Chen Zhi seemed a little shy, and he covered his mouth and cleared his throat. “Anyway, I knew then that you had rejected me.”

I just nodded and smiled, without answering.

“Actually, I know you feel guilty about it,” he paused, as if he had noticed something unusual about me. “You’ve always had feelings for Master.”

I looked at him fixedly, not knowing how to respond. But he never wanted to embarrass me, and immediately continued, “Weiwei, I don’t mind if you have feelings for him. He is our master, and he is like a father to me. So, I won’t force you to forget him. You don’t have to forget him ever.”

When he said that, I felt even more ashamed. “Chen Zhi, I...” I can’t be as magnanimous as you. And I can’t forgive myself either.

“It’s just that, since we’re husband and wife, I just hope that you can leave a place for me in your heart, so that I can take care of you in the future, and accompany...”

Before he could finish, I covered his mouth. “No matter if we’re husband and wife or not, you’re the person I’m closest to.”

He smiled lightly and took my hand, kissing the back of my hand respectfully. “Then I’m satisfied.”

We stayed in the Fa Hua Cherry Orchard until dusk. As night fell, we decided to leave. On our way, we passed the Floating Tu Sea, which was more crowded than usual. I remembered when I was a child, I had come here with Yinze. At that time, I was still his disciple, and he was very strict with me.

At that time, there was a fortune-teller named Peach Blossom Buddha who told our fortunes. However, this time, we stayed for several days, but no matter where we went in the Star Sea, whether it was day or night, we didn’t see that old, frivolous Peach Blossom Buddha again.

In the vast sea of clouds, there was only a mad poet drinking, occasionally reciting a recently popular poem called “Floating Tu Sea”:

Floating Tu beings, Floating Tu people, Floating Tu souls on the Floating Tu Sea.

Peach Blossom Buddha crosses the clouds, laughing and asking passersby about their fate.

The Vermilion Bird soars nine miles high, the divine tortoise visits the White Tiger City in autumn.

I don’t know where the Azure Dragon has gone, only seeing the vast Red Dust Sea.

The flying mirror doesn’t know the hatred of the Luo River, and the new moon mercilessly reveals half its disk.

The old friend is gone from the White Emperor Grass, and the starry sea has laughed at another spring.

For the past few days, I’ve heard all sorts of rumors about the disappearance of Divine Lord Yinze, but they were so absurd that I didn’t believe any of them. It was only a line from this poem, “I don’t know where the Azure Dragon has gone, only seeing the vast Red Dust Sea,” that made me pause for a moment.

There was one rumor that said Divine Lord Yinze had dissipated into the vast universe, transforming into rivers and seas. The torrential rain that lasted for a whole month last year was proof of this.

Of course, I didn’t believe a word of it. These people didn’t know Yinze. He wasn’t a savior who cared about the world. On the contrary, everything he did was motivated by his own selfish desires. Even when he took me and Chen Zhi as his disciples, it was only for the woman he loved. So I was sure he had simply returned to the divine realm and was living happily with Shang Yan.

When I returned to the Azure Dragon Heaven this time, I finally realized that without Yinze, Tian Shi City had no place for me. After visiting my old haunts once, I hardly ever came back. After that, I was busy helping my second sister establish diplomatic relations, using my connections to build up the prestige of Su Zhao. Among them were the Hongxue Kingdom founded by a disciple of the Snow God, the Bo Fu Kingdom that lived on millet, and the “Pearl of the Desert,” the Liuhuang Fengshi Kingdom.

Therefore, we had a new festival called the “Snow Festival,” which was held on the fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, inviting the disciples of the Snow God to Su Zhao to pray for snow, hoping for a good harvest. This custom continued for more than two hundred years.

Under my second sister’s rule, Su Zhao entered another prosperous era. History recorded our era as the “Luo Shen Dynasty.” Although my second sister was the Empress of Su Zhao, I had made great contributions to protecting Su Zhao, and our mother river was the Luo River, so the people of Su Zhao and the neighboring countries respectfully called me “Luo Shen.”

Of course, my married life was also very smooth.

Two hundred and twenty-seven years later, at the age of three hundred and twenty-eight, I was an old woman with wrinkles and gray hair, and I needed a cane to walk. For someone else, such an old woman would probably be a lonely widow, but I still had a young immortal gentleman who loved me just as much. I was lucky, but it was also a bit difficult for Chen Zhi.

Aging was a terrifying thing, and I had always been afraid of it. I was afraid of the separation caused by the huge difference in appearance. But Chen Zhi told me that he loved Luo Wei, and as long as Luo Wei was still alive, no matter what she became, he would never leave her. At the time, I thought it was just a sweet nothing, and I didn’t take it to heart, but he actually did.

Thinking about it now, if it were him who was aging, I think I could do the same.

The flowers bloomed and withered, and the years passed. In the blink of an eye, another spring had arrived. It had been a hundred years since my sister passed away. Now I was the nominal Empress of Su Zhao, but her son held real power. I had already retired from the court, and every day I spent my time tending flowers, feeding birds, and chatting with Chen Zhi and Xuan Yue.

One night, under the solitary moon, as I was leaning against a screen, Chen Zhi happened to return from the immortal realm, and I met an old acquaintance at the gate of my palace.

“Luo Wei, it’s been a long time,” the Divine Lord Ling Yin smiled frivolously at me. “I didn’t expect you to be so radiant even in your old age. It’s truly admirable.”

I had been highly respected in Su Zhao for a long time, and no one dared to speak to me like that. But for him, no matter how old I was, I was just a little ghost. Leaning on my cane, I smiled faintly. “Oh? What brings the Divine Lord to Su Zhao?”

“I don’t really have anything important to do. I just observed the celestial phenomena tonight and realized that you won’t live much longer. There are some questions I need to ask.”

“What questions?”

“For the past two hundred years, have you thought about the Divine Lord?”

My heart skipped a beat, and I narrowed my eyes. “There are many Divine Lords in the upper realm. How do I know which one you’re talking about?”

Divine Lord Ling Yin sighed softly. “You really can’t tell. You’re just as cunning as ever. You know who I’m talking about, Divine Lord Yinze.”

I leaned on my cane and walked slowly down the moonlit steps, looking up at the huge round moon in the sky. “Su Zhao is also known as the Moon Palace, and the moonlight here is truly beautiful, don’t you think?”

“Indeed. But that’s not an answer to my question.”

“The moon and the sea, they are the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen,” I gazed at the moon and smiled softly. “It’s just that, no matter how bright the moonlight is, no matter how hard it tries to illuminate the sea, it can’t explore the depths of the sea. The moon and the sea have nothing to do with each other, and the best outcome is to simply look at each other from afar.”

Divine Lord Ling Yin was silent for a long time, then said, “...You still think about him from time to time, don’t you?”

This was a pointless question. I just quietly looked at the moon and didn’t answer.

Divine Lord Ling Yin sighed deeply. “So, his sacrifice was worth it.”

“Sacrifice? What did he sacrifice?” Old wounds reopened, and I sneered coldly. “The person who spent my life with is not him.”

“But if he hadn’t sacrificed himself, you would have disappeared long ago, and you wouldn’t be able to spend your life with anyone.”

I was stunned and turned to look at him in confusion, “What do you mean?”

“He told me not to tell you about this and to let you live a good life. But seeing that your life is coming to an end, I thought I should tell you.”

A terrible premonition hit me, and I gripped the head of my cane, my fingers trembling. “You... you’re saying...”

Actually, I wasn’t so foolish as to not realize something was going on, but I didn’t want to know when I had become so foolish, and I didn’t dare to believe that he would put me in such an important position. So, I would rather remain ignorant.

Half an hour later, Divine Lord Ling Yin turned into a cloud and left.

I finally realized that I was truly old and was about to die. My frail and withered body could no longer bear such a blow. I walked back to the moonlit steps, wanting to find a place to lean on, but I couldn’t walk anymore, so I pressed down on the head of my cane, trying my best not to fall.

However, the moment I thought about Yinze, I couldn’t calm down.

My cane trembled uncontrollably, leaving marks on the ground. I closed my eyes and my chest heaved violently several times as I swallowed a mouthful of blood. Then, I waved my sleeve and performed the technique of ‘Water-Changing Shadow’.

In an instant, the earth shook, stones and sand flew everywhere, flowers and leaves fell, and the giant moon moved farther and farther away from us.

Finally, Su Zhao, passing through countless clouds of smoke, sank into the sea.

I had devoted so much to Su Zhao all my life, but in my old age, I did something incredibly selfish. The moon was far away, but the sound of the sea was getting closer. I fell on the moonlit steps and lost consciousness.

When I woke up, it was still the same night, and I was lying on the bed in my palace, but I was too weak to sit up. Sensing some movement, Chen Zhi rushed over and sat by the bed. His eyes were very red, as if he had been crying. “Weiwei, are you alright?”

“Mm,” I replied weakly. “Aren’t you supposed to come back in seven days? Why did you come back early...”

“The Divine Lord had some urgent matters, so I came back early.”

Hearing the word “elder brother,” I looked at him a few more times. Sure enough, there was a light red thread around his waist, where the small ice sculpture of a deer that I had given him used to hang. It seemed that he had discovered the melted ice sculpture and had rushed back immediately. I had kept this secret from him for over two hundred years, and I thought it was time to tell him. I smiled faintly. “Chen Zhi, did you notice that whenever you lie, you like to call yourself ‘elder brother’?”

He was slightly startled and smiled helplessly. “You’re really amazing. You’ve kept this from me for so many years.”

The moon outside the window became very small, no different from any other moon. It was a warm spring night, and the world was full of vibrant life. I could hear the waves lapping against the shore and the wind blowing through the city. If I could go out tonight, I could probably see the breathtaking sight of the moon and the sea that I had missed so much. But I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to last that long.

I wanted to tell Chen Zhi so much that I wanted him to scatter my ashes in the sea. But Chen Zhi cherished me so much, and I couldn’t be so selfish. I just continued to talk to him with difficulty, talking about the excitement of our first meeting as young people and our childhood follies.

Finally, I felt a little tired and said, “Chen Zhi, I’m a little hungry. I want to eat some lotus root cake.”

“Okay,” he bit his lip, his eyes redder than before. “I’ll have someone make it for you.”

We had known each other for so many years, and we understood each other very well. He could have easily asked someone else to do it, but he went out himself. He probably knew that I wanted to be alone for a while. He kissed me on the forehead and went out.

“Chen Zhi,” I called out to him as he stopped. I smiled at his back. “Thank you.”

He stood still for a moment without turning around, then opened the door and walked out.

After the door closed, I took out something warm from my bosom. In the moonlight, I could see its shape clearly: it was a jade ring, but compared to the first time I wore it two hundred and sixty-eight years ago, its appearance had changed a lot. I remembered that there used to be intricate carvings on the ring, but now it was smooth and round from being worn so much, just a plain ring.

“Woof...” Xuan Yue poked his head in through the window.

“Xuan Yue... good boy, let me be alone for a while...” I said weakly.

Xuan Yue seemed to sense that I was about to leave, and his eyes were filled with sadness. He flapped his wings and reluctantly flew away.

People often say that time is the greatest thing in the world, because it can easily wash away all love and hate and fade all pain. Looking at the nine heavens and four seas, and the six realms of reincarnation, nothing can withstand the passage of time. Even the strongest emotions will fade and disappear under its test.

This is what I always told young children: “Don’t think that what you’re experiencing will last forever. As time goes by, you’ll realize that the person who stays with you until the end is the right person.”

I had followed that advice, and I had truly spent my life with Chen Zhi. It was the best choice we could have made.

To grow old together and share a common life. There are so many beautiful words in the world that describe such a simple thing, but they make me feel so sad.

I once read a poem that said, “To hold your hand and grow old together.”

Those are probably the saddest eight words in the world.

From the age of forty-two to three hundred and twenty-eight, I had loved him for two hundred and eighty-six years. In such a long time, the time we had truly spent together was less than a year.

After I left him, for those two hundred and eighty-six years, I had been so carefree. I had a happy family, many grandchildren, and I could even completely forget about him, as if he had never been in my life.

But who knew that for those entire two hundred and eighty-six years, I had loved him every day.

It’s ridiculous to talk about love at this point. Because I’m too old to love, and I’ve deceived myself to the point where I don’t even realize it. Because I knew he was heartless, and if I uncovered the truth, it would only hurt me more. It’s like a shell, always hiding its most vulnerable and real part in a place where no one can see it.

When I heard what Divine Lord Ling Yin told me, I was truly grateful that he hadn’t told me earlier. Because if I had known earlier, I probably wouldn’t have had the courage to live until now.

Such a heavy feeling, who would want to bear it?

Yinze, you really can’t blame me this time. After all, I’ve always been the loser between us. I thought you were heartless, and I’ve become like this. Now that I know the truth, you know I’ll hate you. I hate you for not giving me a chance and for letting me go with you.

All rivers flow into the sea. That’s the law of nature. You are the god of the sea, and you can contain all the rivers in the world. Why couldn’t you tolerate a small stream like me and let me return to your embrace?

The most beautiful thing in life is knowing that you love someone as deeply as they love you.

The most painful thing in life is knowing how deeply you love someone.

It’s all because of you.

The pink peach blossoms framed the window like a thick curtain. Outside the window, a round moon hung high in the dark blue sky. There were the Seven Mansions of the East and the Azure Dragon Heaven, with countless stars twinkling around the moon. It reminded me of the first time I walked through the Floating Tu Sea two hundred years ago, when I was a young girl and had my heart stolen. I hadn’t felt that kind of excitement in a very long time.

Translation and Analysis

Note: The text is rich in symbolism and emotion, drawing heavily from Chinese culture and mythology. The translation aims to capture the essence of the original while remaining faithful to the nuances of the language.

Translation:

“I wish this feeling could be as light as those early spring blossoms.

That way, I could simply treat you as a simple, regrettable dream from my youth, a beautiful dream that I carelessly missed.

I was so young back then. My ‘Master,’ whom I used to call so naively, was still within my reach.

I remember that spring, you looked at me with a disdainful smile when I had adorned myself with peach blossoms like a flower fairy.

I remember that night in the Floating Tu Sea when I caught a glimpse of you looking back, and from that moment on, I was yours forever.

Now, my eyes are weary, and I know my spiritual energy is about to dissipate. My grip on the jade ring is loosening. With a soft “ding,” the ring fell to the ground. The sound was as delicate and clear as a blossoming flower petal. Soon, this delicate sound was covered by the roar of the sea.

Finally, after two hundred and eighty-six years, I heard your voice for the first time.

And you, can you hear the sounds here?

As my eyes closed, a dreamlike rain of flowers floated past, leaving fleeting images in my final thoughts. The surrounding scenery seemed like the Floating Tu Sea, like the Fa Hua Cherry Orchard, and even more like my hometown, Su Zhao. I didn’t know where I was, but I saw a vast blue sky, falling flowers, and my reflection in the flowing water, transformed into the way I looked two hundred years ago: with twin ponytails, snow-white skin, and green hair, my eyes were young and lively, and I had a naive and silly smile on my face.

Just as I was surprised at my own appearance, I heard someone calling behind me, “Wei’er.”

I turned around and saw a young man with clear brows and bright eyes standing in the clouds above the Floating Tu Sea. His indigo robe fluttered in the wind, and his smile was as cold as ice, yet beautiful. And the peach blossoms were like snow, writing countless years of longing. I waved to him and called out joyfully, “Master! Master!” Then, I lifted my skirt and ran towards him without hesitation.

For a hundred years, the moon has smiled in my dreams, and I have said goodbye to Su Zhao with peach blossoms on my face.

Yinze, can you hear me? The flowers in the Moon Palace are blooming.

[The End]