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Chapter 1: Pledging Spring Clothes to Paint the Flowing Years
Howling, screeching, black ominous winds swirled around her.
The first day of the seventh lunar month, the night of a hundred ghosts.
She looked at the hideous faces of the eight divisions of ghosts around her, her heart fearless and brave, filled only with an intense, wine-like affection.
Xiuyuan...
Moving among the ghosts, she strenuously ran towards the human world.
Perhaps she ran too fast and too desperately, or perhaps it was a fantasy, but the howling ominous winds distorted the surrounding scenery. The images beside her swirled and merged like a palette, then coalesced into...
“For all... eternities... parted... from... you.”
Desolate tears, a mournful face—was this the Shuimian Yue of her dreams, or was it her five hundred years ago?
“I have never resented anyone,” the girl in the baseball cap smiled faintly. “Besides, Dad, Mom, Auntie, and Uncle have all been very kind to me.”
Her smile overflowed with endless loneliness; in her previous life, she had longed so, so, so much for family affection.
And then, as a human in her second life, she finally received the long-awaited emotion. But almost simultaneously, she understood the truth that happiness is most easily shattered...
“The general, outnumbered, was forced onto Meteor Mountain, carrying his wife... and jumped off the cliff...”
“Impossible... impossible...”
“Father! Mother!”
The roars echoed continuously in her dreams for the next ten years. She had thought hatred would be her sole purpose from then on, but unexpectedly, looking back, she met...
“Qingqing.”
Those phoenix eyes, curving to bring forth spring.
The light and shadows on either side coalesced into the trajectory of her life. She ran against the wind, running past her previous life, chasing her current one.
Unbeknownst to her, tears had turned cold.
In the past, she would sacrifice her life for many people, but now, she would only live for one person.
Only for that person, ah...
Her soft lips parted slightly like a blooming flower, her bright eyes revealing an ineffable determination.
She must live.
Endless darkness swallowed the world. In this month, the barrier between the yin and yang realms opened wide.
“Mm! What a fragrance, ah.” In the procession of night-traveling spirits, the scent-eating ghost excitedly licked her bluish-purple lips.
It was clearly the scent of lotus, yet unlike any she had tasted before. That pure, sacred aroma truly whetted her appetite!
With her white eyeballs wide open, she ran greedily towards the source of the fragrance.
“Where are you going?”
She was stopped by a Rakshasa companion before she could get close.
“Let go!” The scent-eating ghost impatiently waved her hand, her mind and nose filled only with the lotus fragrance.
So eager to eat, so eager to eat.
“Do you want your soul to be scattered?”
“Gak?” The scent-eating ghost looked at the handsome Rakshasa in confusion, frowning with resentment.
Damn it! Why doesn’t this guy look like a ghost at all!
“There’s a kind of fragrance that’s taboo for ghosts; surely you know that.” The ghost who didn’t look like a ghost chuckled.
Bastard, smiling so handsomely, who are you trying to seduce? She wasn’t that shameless魅鬼 (flirtatious ghost).
Thinking this, the scent-eating ghost flung off the Rakshasa’s grasp: “Nonsense, of course I know! I specialize in eating scents!” Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide, her pale eyeballs bulging, “Could it be... that, that, that is...”
“A celestial being.”
The hundred ghosts, some ugly, some even uglier, hurried forward. Only they remained in place.
“Celestial being...” The scent-eating ghost mumbled, looking towards the source of the fragrance.
They started at the same time, but now they walked two different paths. The person in the distance was bathed in soft, warm silver light, and the pure lotus fragrance wafted more clearly with her running.
This was a celestial being, truly making her feel ashamed of herself.
Withdrawing her gaze, the scent-eating ghost sighed: “Oh, never mind, never mind. Let’s go to the Rouge Pavilion in the human world and have a feast!” After a few steps, she stopped again. “Let’s go, Rakshasa.” She waved, but her old comrade didn’t come over.
“Seriously.” She ruffled her messy hair. “Stop looking. Even if you’re considered handsome among ghosts, a celestial being won’t take a liking to you.”
The tall figure remained still.
“Hey! You...” When she saw his distant eyes, the tirade she had prepared suddenly vanished.
There was no obsession in the Rakshasa’s eyes, but rather... a very complex emotion, so complex that her heart faintly ached.
“Hmph.” After a long moment of stillness, the Rakshasa suddenly turned around. “It’s still the same.”
“Gak?”
“Let’s go, fool.”
“Who was staring blankly just now!” The scent-eating ghost rolled her eyes. “Hey! Wait! Why are you walking so fast? Did you see a ghost or something?!”
His black ghost robe billowed in the wind, and a fiery red flashed across the Rakshasa’s eyes for a moment.
Lord Xianyue, do you remember what you said to me a thousand years ago?
“Phoenix Master, stop the war. The Buddha is merciful; Xiangxiang will definitely return.”
In the end, after countless reincarnations, you and Azure Dragon were still destined to be separated.
And although I found Xiangxiang, she...
His fierce ghost face wrinkled up. The scent-eating ghost glared at him fiercely: “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a ghost before?!”
She had already forgotten.
“Don’t look at me like that, it’s creepy.” The scent-eating ghost shivered and hurriedly jumped away.
With a bitter smile, the Rakshasa turned his head and looked into the distance.
On the heavenly road, that person rushed forward with bowed head, the light-colored ends of her hair gradually disappearing into the night.
Who did the Buddha truly pity?
Lord Xianyue.
Her bangs fluttered in front of her forehead. She stood beneath a fiery red phoenix tree, momentarily forgetting how she came to be there.
Right, at that time she saw a white light, and thought that just by passing through it, she could return to her original place, just like before.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a lifeless gray.
A gray sky, gray ground, a deathly silence.
This place was once a battlefield.
Somehow, such a sentence appeared in her mind, surprising even herself.
Just then, wind blew from behind, carrying brilliant red petals. So dazzling, so alluring, as if mocking the gray world.
She turned around and saw a phoenix tree, its canopy dense like a cover, standing abruptly in the wilderness. The fierce wind swept the fallen flowers, like a burning, scorching flame.
In the fiery blossoms, a man’s back emerged. Though only a transparent illusion, it appeared so real. He held a woman in his arms; her dangling slender hand explained everything.
“Who did the Buddha truly pity? Lord Xianyue.”
Her heart fluttered.
Before she could sigh, the illusion finally transformed into a phoenix reborn from fire, soaring into the sky with a sorrowful cry.
Flowers fell like rain. She gazed thoughtfully, fallen petals covering the ground at her feet.
Beyond her sight, a round, jade-like phoenix tear quietly drifted away in the wind.
“Shhh... shhh...”
The soft sound amplified infinitely in the world. She raised her eyes, her gaze passing through her hair dyed with “red rain.”
“Master Liaowu?”
She had indeed returned!
Her tightly knit brows subtly relaxed. She lowered her gaze, partly concealing her surging emotions.
“Welcome back.” The great monk bowed, touching his prayer beads.
She smiled through tears, her gaze flowing like spring water across the ground.
“Lord Xianyue.”
Time seemed to freeze at this moment. She slowly raised her head. Amidst the fiery red covering the landscape, the old man before her appeared faded, as if his form had lost its color.
“Revisiting old grounds, the vast sea has turned into mulberry fields.” The bloody battles of a thousand years ago had, in a blink of an eye, transformed into resplendent, fire-like fallen blossoms. The great monk sighed softly against the wind.
In distant time and space, how many destinies were overturned by the war between the celestial and Asura realms?
“In those days, your parents defied heaven to be together. Their intense, ultimate love conceived you, born frail and destined to be pure of heart and free from desires. Clouds in the blue sky, water in the bottle, passing through a rain of flowers without a stain—this is the first principle of Mount Sumeru... ‘Nature Zen’.”
Ying...
A deep Buddhist bell rang from the vast sky. The falling flower rain instantly stilled, and the wandering wind ceased.
“Afterward, though you fell into a love tribulation, in the final battle between the two realms, you avoided a catastrophic end by allowing your soul to scatter. You sacrificed yourself to achieve the Great Way—this is the second principle of Mount Sumeru... ‘Enlightenment Zen’.”
The frozen petals instantly fell to the ground. The crimson on the ground seemed like a hot liquid that wouldn’t fade even after a thousand years. On that day, the world was similarly bleak. That woman was gently embraced by two brothers, and the blood overflowing from her chest soaked the barren soil, nourished the cracked tree roots, and dyed a tree of white flowers red.
And then, she quietly withered beneath the tree.
“Entrusted by others, this old monk descended to this world specifically to guide your spirit. In this life, you were reincarnated with memories, experiencing all seven emotions and six desires, enduring joys and sorrows. Several times in dreams, past events were reflected as if in a clear mirror.” He composed himself slightly, Liaowu smiled faintly, his gaze imbued with a compassion that transcended human understanding. “The so-called love that begins unknowingly all stems from past causes, just like you, Lord Azure Dragon, and Lord Scarlet Dragon.”
His compassionate gaze wove a net, like a snare of heaven and earth, leaving no place to hide.
“You are a child who defied heaven. Because you lacked one of the seven souls compared to ordinary people, you could not be reincarnated and had no rebirth. After death, your only fate was for your soul to scatter. But those two found your broken soul fragments. Lord Azure Dragon used a golden lotus to complete that missing soul for you, and Lord Scarlet Dragon descended into the underworld and used his reverse scale to forge your destiny lamp. Only then were you able to return to the six paths and be reborn as a human, and thus, a bond was sown into your destiny.”
“Do you understand now, Lord Xianyue?” Those old eyes were bottomless, though filled with the light of wisdom, they revealed no trace of emotion. “So-called love is merely being trapped by the heart, unable to find release, a persistent plea.”
“Let go of all attachments to form, let the mind not pursue things, and all realms become empty. This is the third principle... ‘Karma Zen’. Those who attain these three principles enter the second realm of Mount Sumeru... the ‘Form Realm Heaven’.”
Ying...
A distant Buddhist bell dispelled the long-standing gloom. The distant scenery slowly unfolded like ink wash, first merging into the water, then transforming into clouds. Looking further, mountains stretched endlessly. Golden light, ten thousand feet high, flowed boundlessly from the peak of Mount Sumeru. At the foot of the mountain, the Seven Fragrant Seas shimmered, and seven golden mountains stood encircling the sea. To the east, colored glass; to the west, a pure land. The eight legions of devas and nagas appeared and disappeared among auspicious clouds, and the sounds of heavenly music swelled from all directions.
“Do you remember that divination stick, Lord Xianyue?”
Mount Sumeru was shrouded in layers of clouds, its location unknown to the human world. The beautiful heavenly music, like a jade pillar striking a clear porcelain bowl, contained a gradually fading yet boundless tranquility.
“Walking on frost and snow, laughing at past lives, vast as the sea and high as the sky, free to roam. Free to roam, free to roam, how can one speak of roaming in three thousand worlds?” Liaowu gazed faintly, his eyes filled with composure. “Understanding cessation does not mean extinction, seeking emptiness brings forth new life. One should cultivate the non-abiding dharma until one becomes nameless. Freedom is letting go. Only by letting go can one break free from the fate of the six paths of reincarnation and attain the eternally unchanging mysterious mind state. Do you understand, Lord Xianyue?”
Beneath her bangs, her lips curved gently, as beautiful as the white clouds on Mount Sumeru.
Seeing this, Liaowu waved his sleeve in the air, and where the wind rose and clouds cleared, a golden light stretched directly from the mountaintop to her feet.
“After a thousand years, Xianyue finally guided the divine Kun back onto the right path. Now, with merits complete and the three vehicles unified, she ascends to the Sixth Heaven of the Form Realm.”
Surging clouds and smoke poured down along the divine path, and in an instant, she vanished into the white mist.
It was over.
Liaowu sighed softly.
The Sixth Heaven of the Form Realm, the Pure Heaven of Ultimate Light, a pure land without desires or needs, without male or female forms. Only there can you exist forever, Lord Xianyue.
________________________________________
Yuexia mused, thinking of whom? And who thought of her?
As he turned, the great monk inadvertently glanced at the divine path. Fiery phoenix flowers burst through the mist, and light-colored strands of hair fluttered in the wind. She, who should have ascended to heaven, now stood rooted to the spot, the golden lotus of the Azure Dragon’s tether visible on her smooth forehead.
“Xianyue, Lord...”
“From the very beginning, you were mistaken, Master.” She raised her long eyelashes, her beautiful eyes clearer than ever before. “Standing before you is not Lord Xianyue, but I. Even having glimpsed my past life, even with the hardships of this present life, I am still myself. I will not abandon my heart out of fear of pain, nor will I doubt present affections because of past rights and wrongs.”
She came from the thick mists of clouds and smoke, yet no cloud or water stained her clothes.
“If we choose to give up for the sake of eternal indulgence, it merely proves our inner fear. What we fear is not the chains of destiny, nor the entanglement of suffering, but ourselves. Because we doubt how much courage we possess when facing hardship.”
Hearing this, the old monk’s eyes widened abruptly.
“If the heart is strong enough, even in hell, one can traverse thousands of miles.”
He stood there stunned, for a long, long time, with only this single sentence echoing in his mind. When he recovered, the woman had already departed into the distance.
“Xian...” Liaowu began to speak, but then fell silent.
In his memory, his old friend’s daughter didn’t possess such a strong heart. No, that person was not Lord Xianyue.
A faint sigh came from behind the phoenix tree. Liaowu slowly lowered his gaze: “You heard everything.”
“She has grown up.” The man behind the tree smiled gracefully, his smile bearing an indescribable resemblance to hers.
“But she can’t go back,” Liaowu said, gazing at the figure gradually fading into a black dot in the ancient battlefield, his compassionate eyes holding a hint of worry. “Although her earthly body is tethered with a soul-stabilizing jade, everything is futile if the poison cannot be cured. And ‘Ephemeral Bloom’ is a curse of the Phoenix clan, and the blood tears that break the curse have been missing since the Phoenix Master’s nirvana.”
“Hmph,” the blood-stained man slowly opened his eyes, his crescent-moon shaped eyes gleaming. “Then let him go find her.”
“You wouldn’t!” Liaowu exclaimed, watching a golden dragon soar into the sky from beneath the phoenix tree. The currents it stirred up transformed into wind, scattering the fallen crimson petals across the ground.
“Ao Lu!”
If we choose to give up for the sake of eternal indulgence, it merely proves our inner fear.
Even in hell, one can traverse thousands of miles.
Zhizhi, do you know? The destiny we carefully followed is precisely what our daughter is overturning. If we hadn’t clung to eternal love back then, could we have avoided the tragedy of two generations?
Now, I no longer seek eternity, only to be your husband and wife for this one lifetime.
Riding the wind, the air currents brushed past his dragon scales. He kept his eyes open as he crossed the boundary between gods and humans, resolutely plunging into the night of a hundred ghosts.
“Heavenly Dragon!” The dazzling golden light made the ghosts shiver and tremble. The green-faced, fanged monsters scattered in panic.
“Mama!” The scent-eating ghost squinted her pale eyes and hid behind a solitary grave. “Rakshasa! Here! Here!” She waved at a certain furiously enraged ghost.
Upon finding her, his heart was at ease. Rakshasa’s brows unfurled; his earlier ferocity seemed but an illusion.
Just as the scent-eating ghost was about to lament his swift change of expression, she saw the golden dragon make a swift turn and swoop down towards the direction Rakshasa had come from.
“Look out!” The scent-eating ghost crawled out from behind the grave and grabbed his lapels.
“Xiangxiang...”
A golden whirlwind enveloped the two ghosts, sweeping them towards the reincarnation path of the underworld, sweeping them...
The purple dust is too much to trace; gazing across the horizon for a kindred spirit.
Vast changes endured for a promise, let us ride dragons and cranes to Pengying.
On the wilderness, Yuexia walked alone.
________________________________________
A thousand years of lakes and seas, ten thousand miles of clouds and mountains, half a smoke-shrouded hermitage at the foot of the green hills.
Passing horse caravans stopped to rest: “Boss, eight bowls of mung bean soup!”
“Coming right up!”
“It’s really hot.” A rough hand wiped sweat from a brawny man’s forehead. The men kicked their stools and sat down.
“Isn’t it? Like a heated kang in June. Even in the mountains, it’s incredibly steamy.”
“Customers.” The tea shop owner approached with a copper kettle, a solicitous smile on his face. “Mung bean soup, chilled with mountain spring water, to help you cool off.”
“Ha, that’s refreshing.” The men roughly wiped their mouths. “Fill ‘em up again!”
A few fat fish! The boss rolled his eyes, seizing the opportunity to bring out a few plates of stir-fried snacks: “Judging by your accents, gentlemen, you’re not from around here, are you?” He figured a few more words with them, heh, might mean a few more bowls or plates.
“We’re from Qiuting, going to the coast for goods.”
“Qiuting, that’s not very close to Yundu.” The boss subtly placed fresh peaches on the table.
“Not far, just two days’ journey.” The men suspected nothing, picking up peaches and biting into them.
“I hear Yundu is paved with silks and satins, and even the road bricks are inlaid with gold,” the tea shop owner gestured, his exaggerated expression pleasing the resting customers.
The leader of the men wiped away tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes: “If I remember correctly, your Yongzhou has always been Yong territory. It was only conquered by General Han last year. Don’t you hold any resentment towards our Qing Kingdom?”
“Look at you, sir, how could we?” Dead wife, where’s the wild chicken, why isn’t it served yet? Hiding his impatience, the tea shop owner winked and smirked, “We’ve wanted to be people of the Qing Kingdom for more than a day or two. I hear our King is eight feet tall, with eyes like copper bells. A mere hum from him scared the Yong King into wetting his pants!”
“Hahahaha!”
Rough laughter shook the mountain forest. Inside the simple thatched hut, travelers chatted animatedly, lively with tales from all corners of the world.
“Although, Boss, you haven’t seen the world, what you just said is truly right. Is there anyone in this world who doesn’t submit to our Qing Kingdom!” The big man slapped the table, making the plates and bowls jump. “When we go to foreign lands for business, as long as we show our Qing Kingdom household registration, who dares to disrespect us?”
Although the foreigners in the thatched hut were displeased, they had to admit the fact of the Qing King’s dominance.
“The King has only been enthroned for two years, and the territory has expanded so much. Perhaps in another two years, even Liang Kingdom’s North Sea will belong to our Qing Kingdom!”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Seeing the man speaking enthusiastically, the tea shop owner seized the opportunity to bring out a jar of Huadiao wine. “In another two years, our Qing Kingdom will have everything, lacking nothing.”
“You can’t say that.” A Liang merchant suddenly spoke up. “There’s one thing your Qing Kingdom is sorely lacking.”
“Hm?” The big man raised an eyebrow, revealing his fierce demeanor.
The Liang merchant beckoned the frightened owner, asking loudly, “Is the original name of this mountain ‘Tan Mountain’?”
“Yes, yes,” the owner nodded repeatedly.
“I heard that every early summer, wild epiphyllum would bloom all over the mountain. How come not a single one can be seen now?” The Liang merchant asked knowingly, provocatively glancing at the neighboring table.
“It’s...” The owner glanced at the horse caravan, then at everyone.
Because the Qing King had a strange quirk, epiphyllum flowers were eradicated throughout the entire country.
To make him tell the truth in front of Qing people—wasn’t that asking for trouble!
Thinking this, the words caught in his throat turned into a foolish laugh: “The mung bean soup is gone, I’ll go get some more, go get some more.” A perfect excuse to slip away!
“Hey...” The Qing man who had stood up sat back down dejectedly. Who could blame him when someone hit a sore spot?
“In two more days, it’s Hanshi Festival again,” someone in the thatched hut whispered.
“It’s been two years since the Queen passed away, hasn’t it?”
“Mm, truly a Queen of meager fortune; she died the very night she entered the palace.”
“Perhaps it’s because the King’s aura was too overpowering, shaking her down, ah.”
“No, no, it’s because the wedding was too close to the Ghost Month. The night of a hundred ghosts spirited away the Queen’s soul.”
“No, no, it’s...”
In the corner, a man wearing a hat quietly drank tea. The silence surrounding him kept the oppressive heat and the gossiping chatter at bay.
“Have you heard? There’s a forbidden place in the palace.”
“Forbidden place?”
“Mm.” The informant smugly opened his fan, sporting the air of a second-generation rich kid. “A distant uncle of mine is a palace steward. He told me that after the Queen passed, her wedding palace was sealed off. Every first and twenty-ninth day of the month, the King goes there alone and forbids anyone from following. And also...”
The second-generation rich kid drew out his words to build suspense, and everyone eagerly leaned in.
“The King also renamed that palace ‘Liuyuan’.”
“Liuyuan?” The shopkeeper, holding his copper kettle, appeared from nowhere.
“Liuyuan, Liuyuan, to keep the Queen’s soul.” The second-generation rich kid rolled his eyes triumphantly and continued, “I heard it’s covered with talismans from reclusive masters. Every first and twenty-ninth, the Queen returns and meets with the King.”
Everyone was listening with great interest when the man sitting in the corner quietly stood up: “Check, please.”
That voice, like a cold spring, extinguished the triumphant expression on the second-generation rich kid’s face. He waved his fan irritably, deliberately raising his voice: “This young master isn’t lying! Everyone in the palace knows about the Queen’s soul returning. I heard that on those two nights, the Queen even sings! Something about ‘mountains green, waters clear and serene’—it’s a folk tune from the Queen’s hometown!”
The second-generation rich kid yelled, startling a tree full of cicadas.
Not far away, a tall figure subtly paused. Slowly, the person looked up, and beneath the brim of his hat, a pair of phoenix eyes rippled faintly.
A song of clear wind arises, two years of searching across mountains and seas.
On the twenty-ninth night of the Hanshi Festival, the moonlight is perfectly clear.
“Dong...”
The hollow sound of a bell, like ripples starting in the middle of a river, spread in circles from the Qing Palace endlessly.
“Tap... tap... tap...”
The palace walls stood silently. A master and servant quietly paced, the stifling summer heat mixed with a faint sorrow made it hard to breathe. The bright yellow dragon robe flashed past a corner, then rippled softly like a gentle breeze.
Liuyuan.
He didn’t know when, but the peach blossoms in his eyes had faded, replaced by three parts melancholy and seven parts desolation.
It had been two years, and the pain in his chest was still vivid. Hmph, that night two years ago entered his dreams daily, how could he forget it?
His peach-blossom eyes held resentment and hidden hatred, glaring fiercely at the two characters “Liuyuan.”
Good, good.
His hands behind his back clenched tighter and tighter, veins almost bulging.
Good, good, Qingqing, you are—
Distant hazy mountains, scattered lingering sunset, the sky gradually darkened. One, two, the palace lanterns were first lit.
His bright yellow long sleeves slowly fell: “Liuyao.” His tone was soft, and he stood backlight, making his expression indiscernible.
Sigh, it’s always like this.
With his face down, Liuyao sighed repeatedly in his heart. He took a set of keys from his person, carefully inserting them into the four bronze locks on the door.
That night, Yundu was so quiet there wasn’t a trace of human breath. The bustling streets were now just shadows. After midnight, it would be the night of a hundred ghosts. At this moment in Liuyuan, the moonlight was like silk. Ling Yiran sat alone on the edge of the bed, his smooth black hair unbound. His plain long robe held less of its aggressive dominance and more of the melancholy of a night’s quiet dream.
As it is, so it is; since there’s no turning back, it’s better to forget each other.
He thought forcefully, completely unaware that he was gently stroking the wedding kerchief she had left behind.
I will, I will forget, I will.
Unexpectedly, the summer wind brought a wave of longing, and the fingers caressing the kerchief became even softer.
Qingqing.
Fulfillment only makes one miss more; falling into oblivion happens the moment one lets go.
Behind the curtain, Liuyao couldn’t remember how many times he had sighed tonight. Silently, he blew out the candles and exited the bedchamber. Tonight’s moon was somewhat slender and solitary, making one feel sad.
“Two years have passed.” Walking to the tree, he sighed, looking up. “Time clearly passes quickly, but looking at the King, it feels as if time has never flowed. Don’t you agree, Master Lin?”
He waited for a long time without a reply. Just as he thought he had come to the wrong place, he heard a hoarse voice from the tree: “No.”
“Hm?” Liuyao paused to listen.
“A long time,” the voice from the tree trembled faintly. “A long time has passed.”
He had intended to get some fresh air, but it only made him feel more suppressed. Liuyao turned his face away, deliberately changing the subject: “No tactless people tonight, I hope?”
It wasn’t that he liked to worry, but there were too many overly clever women in this palace. Last year, Concubine Chen Zhaoyi, eager for favor, somehow found out that the Queen had sung and played music on Dream Lake. She even bribed a palace attendant to sneak into Liuyuan on June 29th and imitate the song.
And then, alas...
The Queen was the pure land in the King’s heart.
“Master Lin, this time, don’t say a person, even a ghost shouldn’t be let in.” As he spoke, he seemed to remember something, shaking his head urgently. “No, no, no, if she returns, even a ghost’s shadow must be kept, must be kept.”
Lin Chengbì was about to speak when he felt an overwhelming killing intent arrive with the wind. His hairs stood on end instantly.
“My Lord!”
Scattered moonlight adorned the abyssal night. The jade curtain swayed with lingering resonance, emitting a beautiful soft sound.
“Long time no see.” Ling Yiran sat poised on the edge of the bed, looking at the uninvited guest with a half-smile, as if he hadn’t seen the palace guards and bodyguards fallen like broken-winged butterflies on the floor. His demeanor remained arrogant and haughty. “Duke Ding.”
Snow on the mountain, wind under the moon. His phoenix eyes were like a cold pool. Gazing at the wedding kerchief in the man’s hand, Ye Jinglan’s voice grew cold: “Where is she?”
Ling Yiran stared in disbelief, glaring fiercely, resentfully at the person before him: “Good, good,” he said, almost gnashing his teeth. He first curved his lips slightly, then couldn’t suppress a burst of laughter: “Good! Good! You are good, ah!”
“My Lord!” Liuyao, who had fallen to the side, looked worriedly at the murderous Ye Jinglan, and in his desperation, blurted out, “Duke Ding! Duke Ding! Actually, Her Highness...”
“She’s with me.” The laughter abruptly ceased. Ling Yiran reined in his madness, his peach-blossom eyes holding a solemnity they had never possessed before.
“My Lord...”
“I had originally promised,” Ling Yiran slowly stood up, stepping down from the bed one step at a time, “to let her live happily ever after with you, and then declare to the whole country that the Queen had died due to ill health. But in the end,” a red smile curved his lips, he smiled frivolously, “I changed my mind.”
Before his words finished, a golden light sliced through his flesh.
“Where?” His voice was like ice, Ye Jinglan’s breath held in a suppressed calm. His astonishing presence seemed to solidify the summer night.
“Defeat me, and I’ll tell you.”
Beneath the moon, the two stood divided, with different moods but the same resolve.
Unexpectedly, Ye Jinglan lightly twirled the Midnight Sword, blood drops flying from its blade, embedding themselves in Ling Yiran’s eye corner like bloody tears.
His phoenix eyes gave a deep glance, then rode the wind away.
You were afraid he couldn’t bear the news of your death, so you hid it from him, couldn’t bear to let him know. But what about me?
Qingqing, how cruel your heart is.
His black hair, like tangled algae, spread around him. Ling Yiran looked at the night sky, a cold laugh escaping his lips.
I will make your Duke Ding kneel at my feet and submit, and then I will tell him where you are.
Duke Ding.
One moment, his peach-blossom eyes seemed to smile; the next, his pupils suddenly deepened.
Let’s go to hell together.
In the third year of the Warring States period, the Marquis of Mianzhou returned to Shuiyue Capital with the Sage Emperor’s Seal.
“He who possesses the Emperor’s Seal possesses the world”—this saying was ancient. Could the Marquis of Mianzhou contend with the Qing King? The world was full of doubt.
Amidst the rumors, the Azure Dragon Cavalry were already armed and armored. In the twelfth lunar month, they breached Laoguan, pushing deep into Jingji territory. At that time, Qingyi sent troops to rescue, and King Yi, in pursuit of great merit, mobilized half of his kingdom’s forces. Yet, when they reached Chengyuan, no enemy troops were seen. Both kingdoms then realized they had fallen into a trap; Yijing Xuandu had already become Mianzhou City. King Yi’s foundation was centuries old, yet his kingdom fell in an instant. For a time, the Divine Kun stirred, and both North and South were shocked.
Later, a diviner said: “The Divine Kun has lacked dragon energy for five hundred years. However, since the second year of the Warring States period, the stars have faded, and in late summer, the constellations Shen and Shang appeared together in the sky. Two dragons contending for supremacy—this is Heaven’s will.”
Records of the Warring States: Records of Mianzhou
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Beneath her feet, yellow sand stretched endlessly, a vast wilderness reaching beyond sight.
How long had she walked? How many years?
“Xiuyuan.” A soft murmur escaped her lips, a thought so thick it couldn’t dissipate.
Wind and dust stirred her skirts, swirling. She recovered from her brief distraction and continued forward, then heard...
Splash... splash...
The sound of water?
Her pupils brightened with a jade-like luster. Yuexia ran wildly against the wind.
Splash, splash
A serene blue coastline, clouds and sky elegant like a painting. The refreshing morning breeze carried a hint of the sea, gently dispersing the thick mist on the island. A fiery red phoenix tree thus appeared between heaven and earth.
The morning light flowed gently like water, softly caressing the small figure beneath the tree.
“Xiao’er!”
A shout made a flower fall. The little one brushed the phoenix flower from his forehead and slowly sat up from the ground.
“Feng Linxiao! Bring your brothers over quickly!”
Another fallen flower. The little one sighed helplessly, then walked to the beach, twisting two tender little ears, one in each hand.
“Ow, ow, ow.”
“Big brother, be gentle, be gentle, please.”
Taking small, short steps, the two-year-old twins cried out behind him.
“Gentle?” The little boy, barely twice their age, showed his canine teeth, smiling with unusual childlike innocence. “Then I’ll be gentler.” He suddenly applied more force to his grip.
“Mama!”
In a moment, three handsome and adorable little children walked hand in hand into the small building, truly a picture of brotherly kindness and immense affection.
“Good morning, Great-Grandpa. Good morning, Papa, Mama.”
“Xiao Ya, why did you call Mama just now?” The slightly plump little bird, though much more composed than four years ago, still had bright and lively eyes.
The youngest child pouted, about to complain, when the eldest beside him laughed: “Nothing, he was just scared by a bug, right, Xiao Ya?”
The expression, “a smile hiding a knife, a needle in cotton,” made Xiao Ya’s hairs stand on end. He touched his slightly hot earlobe, stammering a nod: “Mm, Big Brother helped Xiao Ya get rid of the bug.”
The words had barely left his mouth when he was given a glare by his twin brother. Feng Linya glared back without showing any weakness.
“Xiao’er is becoming more and more like an older brother,” Feng Huaijin said, stroking his beard and chuckling. “Go greet your aunt.”
“Yes.”
His small hand pushed aside the cloth curtain, spilling golden light onto the floor. Gently, he walked towards the jade bed, so carefully, as if afraid of startling the unconscious person, though that person had never woken.
As he drew near, he spoke softly: “Auntie, good morning. The phoenix flowers have opened today, falling like fire, petal by petal.”
The unconscious person’s features were as beautiful as a painting, her light-colored hair trembling slightly in the morning light, as if she would awaken any moment.
“Auntie, I had that dream again.” The little boy sat on the edge of the bed, a red light flashing in his clear eyes. “Xiangxiang, Xiangxiang, who is it?”
He tilted his head, thinking, a maturity beyond his tender age in his expression. After a moment, he smiled indifferently and continued: “Mom’s shouts are getting more and more startling. I guess the baby in her belly this time is still a brother. After giving birth to him, Mom will try to run away again, then she’ll be caught by Dad before she even gets on the boat, and then Mom’s belly will swell up again.”
He shook his head as he mumbled, revealing shallow dimples: “The first time Mom ran away, she packed me up and tied me to her back before dawn, but Dad caught up before it was fully light, and we got home just in time for breakfast. The second time was the same, except this time there were two more ‘packages’: Xiao Ya and Xiao Song.”
Before his words finished, two little figures ran into the inner room.
“Auntie, Xiao Ya is so pitiful. Big Brother and Second Brother are bullying Xiao Ya.”
“Auntie, don’t listen to Xiao Ya, he’s just useless. He was pinched on the ear by Big Brother and didn’t even dare to say anything, serves him right!”
“Are you saying you would dare? You would! You didn’t dare to make a sound just now either!”
Only able to listen, not to speak, the unconscious woman had become the best confidante for the children.
“That’s still better than you. Big Brother even helped Xiao Ya get rid of the bug, shame on you!”
“Second Brother, you!”
“What about it?” Xiao Song made a face, adding fuel to the fire.
“Huff! Huff!” Xiao Ya panted, ran to the bed, pulled out the white phoenix hairpin from the woman’s head, and seeing his chance, charged towards his twin brother, “Ah! I’ll fight you!”
“Afraid of you, am I!” Xiao Song glared, readying his stance, just waiting for Xiao Ya to...
Fall face first into the dirt?
His bulging eyes hadn’t retracted when Xiao Song took a hit to the back of his head.
“B-b-big Brother...” This sound showed a rare unspoken understanding between the twins.
“Don’t disturb Auntie.” Xiao’er snatched the jade hairpin from Xiao Ya’s hand, giving a cold glance. His dark red pupils made one tremble involuntarily.
“She won’t wake up even if we make noise,” Xiao Song grumbled softly. “Just like the great monk worshipped by the villagers. They say he died the day Auntie came to the island and hasn’t woken up since.”
“Mm, mm, I heard that great monk was Great-Grandpa’s friend, he had magic powers, he was an immortal, so his body wouldn’t decay.” Xiao Ya nodded in agreement, looking at the unconscious person along the way. “Auntie must be an immortal too, her body won’t decay either.”
“Since Auntie is an immortal, then we are immortals too?”
“Hey? Oh right, Second Brother! We’re immortals too!”
The two brothers exchanged glances, then suddenly jumped up simultaneously and ran out beyond the curtain: “Mom, we’re immortals! Mom!”
Finally, it was quiet.
With an old-fashioned sigh, Xiao’er took the jade hairpin and walked to the bedside: “Auntie, how far do you think Mom, with the new brother, Xiao Song, and Xiao Ya, can run this time?”
Unexpectedly, a gust of wind lifted the cloth curtain and blew directly in.
Ying...
The phoenix hairpin in his hand made a sound close to a whimper. He was startled at first, then looked closer, and the white jade phoenix’s beak shimmered with seven-colored light.
Perhaps out of curiosity, perhaps by fate, his small finger touched it.
Thud.
A clear sound, akin to rain falling on a river, as a precious pearl flew out from the phoenix’s beak.
“Oh no,” he whispered, lunging towards the jade bed. He tripped over something and fell heavily onto the person.
The long-closed cherry lips parted slightly from the impact, and the precious pearl slipped down smoothly.
Everything happened too fast. The little boy lay on the jade bed, staring blankly at the phoenix hairpin in his hand, as if it were all a dream. It wasn’t until the phoenix flowers, carried by the wind, floated into the painted window that he noticed something unusual on his head.
A slender, pale hand stroked his hair. If he wasn’t mistaken, the owner of this hand was definitely not Mom.
His gaze slowly shifted downwards, following the fiery red petals, tracing the wine-colored spring light. Then, it settled into a pair of eyes as bright as the full moon.
“I bet your mom won’t be able to take a single step this time.”
This smile, like water and clouds, filled his heart.
In a trance, vast changes occurred, and all worldly concerns were forgotten.
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