Chapter 9: Emptiness in All Four Elements

When they emerged from the Hualing Pool, daylight had fully broken. The midday sun hung high above, but during this melting snow season, warmth was still absent.

Baiyun Temple was silent, with only the sounds of bells and chimes echoing through the air.

Di Jiang stood beneath the bell tower at the peak of Qingyun Mountain, gazing down at the mountain below. She realized she had never truly appreciated the spectacle of thousands of islands amidst swirling snow and mist.

Yunmeng Marsh was ancient and eternal, mysterious yet full of charm. In this world devoid of vibrant colors, one’s mind and body naturally found peace. The northern wind carried the unique fragrance of pine trees, mixed with a tinge of sorrow and solemnity, seeping into the soul.

Di Jiang closed her eyes, arms outstretched, feeling the voice of the wind.

She loved it here.

And she finally understood why Lord Taixiao chose to ascend here.

Yunmeng Marsh was the boundary between the underworld and the mortal realm, suppressing countless wandering spirits wanting to cross between worlds. It was the area with the heaviest malevolent energy within a thousand miles. Lord Taixiao transformed his own bones and blood into these ten miles of mountains and countless lakes.

Buried beneath him were the fiercest souls on earth. Should the Taixiao Sword ever be disturbed, the wandering spirits of these ten miles would surely wreak havoc in the mortal world.

Taixiao... even in death, he guarded his duty.

For Di Jiang, this was undoubtedly good news.

Her mood brightened, and she unconsciously smiled, rising onto her tiptoes.

“Boss!”

“Di Jiang!”

Two loud shouts erupted behind her. Immediately, two figures—one white, one yellow—lunged toward her. She landed in the arms of the man in white, tightly embraced by him.

“Why did you want to end it all?” the man’s voice thundered above her. The sun shone behind him, obscuring his face, but she recognized his voice.

Di Jiang felt momentarily dizzy. When the dizziness passed, she realized she was lying in Wu Rui’an’s arms.

“Your Highness? Why are you here?” Upon recognizing him, Di Jiang immediately tried to wriggle free.

But Wu Rui’an refused to let go, holding her tightly and urgently saying, “Why did you jump off the cliff?” His tone carried great anxiety, but to Di Jiang, it seemed somewhat perplexing.

“Who said I wanted to jump off the cliff?” Di Jiang frowned, turning to look at Wen Yao, who also appeared worried.

“Boss, we can talk! You shouldn’t do something rash because of Daoist Zhong’s death!” Wen Yao said.

“I’m not doing anything rash.” Seeing that both were genuinely frightened, Di Jiang coughed, shook her head, and said, “I just wanted to hear the sound of the wind again.”

“Can the wind speak?” Wu Rui’an looked puzzled.

“I don’t believe it.” Wen Yao shook her head, clearly thinking, ‘The boss must have been trying to commit suicide.’

Di Jiang didn’t bother explaining further. Exhausted after an entire night, she decided to lie lazily in Wu Rui’an’s arms without moving.

She yawned and lazily said, “Why is Your Highness here?”

“After waking up and seeing you weren’t there, I feared you might leave without saying goodbye, so I searched everywhere and finally found you here.”

“Is that so…” Di Jiang chuckled, smiling, “Our luggage is still at the inn; how could we leave without saying goodbye?”

“Really? That’s good. As long as you’re not planning to leave without a word, I’m reassured.” Wu Rui’an narrowed his eyes, staring directly at Di Jiang, who responded with a confident smile.

“Your Highness shouldn’t listen to the boss’s nonsense,” Wen Yao interjected cheerfully, “She was clearly worried about your fever; otherwise, she wouldn’t be stuck in a small inn.”

“If you’re really worried about me, why did you try to jump off the cliff just now?” Wu Rui’an pretended to be angry, tightening his embrace around Di Jiang.

“It hurts…” Di Jiang softly called out, then glared at Wen Yao.

“Sorry.” Wu Rui’an loosened his grip slightly but remained kneeling in the snow, refusing to let go. The ground was covered with snow, and the melting weather made it bitterly cold. Yet Wu Rui’an knelt in the snow without flinching.

“Your Highness, shouldn’t you get up first?” Even Wen Yao couldn’t bear to watch and hurriedly reached out to help him up.

Wu Rui’an shook his head, “I’m fine.”

“Fine?” As soon as he finished speaking, Di Jiang placed her hand on his forehead. The fiery sensation under her palm indicated a fever worse than yesterday.

“And you call this fine?” Her voice suddenly rose. Wu Rui’an, startled, loosened his grip, allowing her to slip out of his arms. She quickly stood up and helped him to his feet.

Wu Rui’an’s cheeks were flushed red, his whole body trembling, clearly in poor condition. Knowing his illness hadn’t subsided, Di Jiang immediately called out to Wen Yao, “Quick, take His Highness to Baiyun Temple.”

“Yes.”

Upon returning to Baiyun Temple, they saw Priest Yu Ling consoling a group of terrified young Daoists. At the sight of Wen Yao, they looked like they’d seen a ghost, huddling in the corner, their teeth chattering uncontrollably.

“Don’t be afraid; this is our fellow Daoist, a friend of the abbot,” Priest Yu Ling explained. Wen Yao obligingly gave what she thought was a friendly smile.

The young Daoists looked suspicious but were less frightened than before.

“Yu Ling Senior… ahem,” Wen Yao caught herself mid-sentence, realizing her address was inappropriate, and quickly corrected, “Priest Yu Ling, do you have any vacant rooms for my master to rest?”

“Yes, yes, yes, follow me quickly.” Upon seeing Wu Rui’an, Priest Yu Ling nodded obsequiously and led them to the back courtyard.

In appearance, Wu Rui’an was far more noble than Di Jiang and Wen Yao. People might ask upon seeing him, “Is this a nobleman from the capital?” It was as if the words “I am of distinguished status” were written on his forehead. Even sick, he was still a frail nobleman, impossible to ignore.

The rear courtyard of Baiyun Temple consisted of two parallel quadrangle courtyards of similar size, connected by two archways. The main courtyard faced south-north, with a row of rooms used to store various scriptures and books, serving as the scripture repository. To the west, through the courtyard, lay Priest Yu Ling’s quarters. On either side of his room were small doors connecting to another vacant courtyard.

The western courtyard faced north-south. Due to the sparse population of Baiyun Temple, it had always been vacant. The courtyard was spacious, surrounded by several towering cypress trees, which looked quite pleasing against the snowy landscape. It would surely be a good place for shade and cooling in summer.

“This courtyard has always been where the abbot resides. Since you are his friends, I doubt he would object,” Priest Yu Ling said with a sigh.

Di Jiang knew his concern stemmed from worries about Baiyun Temple’s future. Zhong Xu, as the abbot, had personally broken the century-old rules set by his predecessors, leaving Baiyun Temple’s future uncertain. The group, leaderless, had turned it into the Yue Lao Shrine to conceal their true nature—a truly lamentable situation.

“All these rooms are vacant; choose whichever you like,” Priest Yu Ling pointed to a row of inner courtyards.

“Thank you, Priest,” Di Jiang and Wen Yao supported Wu Rui’an into the nearest room. Upon entering, they discovered the furnishings here were superior to those in the front courtyard. The room was simple yet elegant: on the right, a single wooden bed; on the left, under the window, a desk. The red candle on the desk was half-burned, coated in dust, indicating no one had lived here for a long time.

Old Raccoon Yu Ling sent quilts and blankets, and cleaned the entire room. Only then did Di Jiang assist Wu Rui’an to lie on the bed, carefully tucking him in. By now, Wu Rui’an’s consciousness had become delirious, unable to discern his surroundings.

Di Jiang asked Priest Yu Ling for some herbs, instructing Wen Yao to boil six bowls of water into one bowl of medicine.

Half an hour later, when Wen Yao returned with the medicine, Di Jiang was still sitting by Wu Rui’an’s bedside. Seeing this scene, she immediately beamed, “Boss, you’ve finally started caring for His Highness.”

Di Jiang glanced at her, saying, “Quick, bring the medicine over.”

“Eh!” Wen Yao replied, handing the medicine to Di Jiang, “Be careful, it’s hot.”

After taking the herbal tea, Di Jiang ignored her. Stirring it a few times with a spoon, she blew to cool it slightly, then slowly fed it spoon by spoon into Wu Rui’an’s mouth.

Wen Yao watched in astonishment.

“Boss, have you changed?” Wen Yao asked, puzzled.

“What do you mean?” Di Jiang calmly replied.

Wen Yao continued, “You’ve never been this attentive to His Highness before. Have you suddenly grown a conscience?”

“Nonsense, this is my final farewell to him,” Di Jiang said, scooping another small spoonful and gently feeding it into Wu Rui’an’s mouth. When the medicine dripped from the corner of his mouth, she wiped it clean with her handkerchief.

“Farewell?” Wen Yao asked, “Where are you going?”

“Guess,” Di Jiang smiled mischievously.

Wen Yao’s heart sank, “You’re not planning to join Zhong Xu in the Hualing Pool, are you?”

As soon as she spoke, Wu Rui’an, lying in bed, trembled violently, spitting out the medicine he had just swallowed.

“Look what you’ve done, scaring His Highness even in his dreams,” Di Jiang rolled her eyes, quickly wiping the medicine from Wu Rui’an’s face and mouth.

Wen Yao dared not say more and curiously opened the window.

“Wow, Boss, come look quickly!” Wen Yao excitedly called out to Di Jiang.

Di Jiang frowned, asking, “What is it?”

“Outside is a cliff! So beautiful!” Wen Yao exclaimed. By then, Di Jiang had finished feeding the medicine.

Di Jiang turned her head and saw a white ribbon-like waterfall cascading down the snowy forest.

“So the sound of water comes from this waterfall,” Di Jiang’s expression softened, adding, “The scenery is nice, but it’s rather noisy, disturbing His Highness’s rest. His illness won’t improve if he doesn’t rest well. Close the window.”

“Yes!” Wen Yao obediently closed the window.

Di Jiang sat by Wu Rui’an for a while longer, then said, “You stay here and take care of His Highness. I’ll go check elsewhere.”

“Mmm.” Wen Yao nodded lightly but hesitated.

It wasn’t due to Wu Rui’an’s illness, but Di Jiang’s demeanor.

For some reason, she felt that since emerging from the Hualing Pool, Di Jiang had become somewhat different.

Was she in a daze?

No.

Or perhaps anxious?

Not at all.

Her expression remained calm, exuding a gentle detachment from worldly affairs, seemingly unchanged from before, yet somehow less human.

Without the seven emotions and six desires, she embodied emptiness in all four elements.

It was as if, moments ago by the cliff, her expression showed no attachment, ready to bid farewell to the world forever...

Wen Yao felt a vague worry but shook her head, dismissing the thought. After all, the boss’s wealth and property were still in Taiping Prefecture. She couldn’t believe such a money-loving woman would willingly choose death.

With this thought, Wen Yao finally felt somewhat reassured.