Under the downpour, a figure in cyan stood alone in the forest.
It was raining cats and dogs. With tremendous thunder and lightning, the whole region was shaken. Gazing at the sky, Luo Jianqing stood in this terrifying weather. It was just like the weather which befell the Gu Village forty-one years ago. The rain dropped into the Luo River which meandered thousands of miles. There seemed no end for the countless lightning.
Instead of turbid, the Luo River turned crystal clear by the rain drops.
Shrimp and fish were swimming. The mountains ashore were connected by their reflections in the river, and their dim outline was looming in the rain. The Luo River not only ran for an enormous distance, but it was no mild river. The cultivator in cyan stood at the top of the mountain gazing at the vast Luo River but couldn’t find its end; it was majestic and stirring, just like the fearful firmament.
It was in the rain that Luo Jianqing saw the imaginary images of the couple.
The villagers had nothing for their child but hate and curse. They put that little chubby boy into a bucket along with enough quilt against the cold, enough foods against the starvation, and enough canvas against the rain. Crying as if their heart was broken, they put the bucket into the water and watched it floating along with the river.
The thunder went away following the departure of the child.
The water turned clear everywhere the bucket touched. The vibe around the child was always tranquil and steady. The couple ashore was wailing. Finally, the young man dragged the weeping lady away. The crying sound from the bucket gradually ceased as well.
Sighed, Luo Jianqing let go of this image before that familiar white figure appeared.
Thunder was roaring in the sky as if it aimed to demolish the mountain. Luo Jianqing closed his eyes instead.
Forty-one years ago in the peaceful Gu Village, after twelve years of marriage, Gu Qi and his wife finally had their first child. The baby boy was gorgeous. Wishing him to be like a young willow – growing fast and ever-green – they named him Gu Willow.
Gu Willow was smart and bright. He went to a school in the village at the age of six to learn how to read and write from a Xiucai. It was not until he turned twelve that his teacher realized he was outsmarted. Gu Willow’s teacher wrote a letter of recommendation and sent him to study in town.
When Gu Willow was leaving the village, Gu Sixteen gave him a box of candy as a goodbye gift and said in lovely voice, “you know how to read, while I know how to cook”.
The girl in buns was bravely expressing her love, but Gu Willow was blushing.
With simple luggage, Gu Willow went to the town to study. He got the first place in the Town Test and the Province Test, and stayed at the top 1 for all the tests along the way to the capital city. The emperor endorsed him as Tanhua (number three in national civil examinations), and then gave him the courtesy name of Fengzhang. With great achievement, Gu Willow returned his hometown. He smelled the aroma of cooked rice before he even stepped into the village.
The subordinate asked, “Tanhua Gu, is there any tasty famous food in your hometown?”
Gu Willow didn’t have time to answer because he saw a pretty girl came out of a house built at the end of the street. She rushed towards him. Looking shy while saying something bold, “Gu Willow, you come back with knowledge and I am good at cooking now”.
With a blush on his face, Gu Willow married Gu Sixteen a year later.
Although Gu Willow was just a Tanhua, within ten years he impeached several corrupt officials who once held great power in their hands. On the outside, he was the ruthless censor; once a year gave the emperor a world-shaking suggestion and bet his life with it; even the emperor couldn’t say no to him. On the inside, he was a perfect husband; although they didn’t have any child, he was doing all he could to take care of Gu Sixteen with love, care, and gentleness.
They were well-known for their loving stories.
When Gu Willow was forty, he became a member of the Cabinet and went to the battlefield to over-watch the army, while Gu Sixteen was sobbing every day back home.
When Gu Willow was fifty, while the colleagues around his age all had a big family and countless offspring, Gu Willow and Gu Sixteen only had each other.
When Gu Willow was sixty, holding tremendous power in his hands, he became the prime minister. He was still ruthless and just – a nightmare of the greedy negligent officials.
When Gu Willow was seventy, a new emperor took over the throne. Believed the obloquy, the new emperor was dread of the power of the prime minister and sentenced the old good man death. The whole city cried for three days and three nights.
Youth had already left Gu Sixteen. That day, she held her husband’s cinerary urn for a long time and gently buried it underground. She sat in front of the tombstone for three days and left abruptly. Gu Sixteen came back with a lunch box which was filled with fully cooked rice.
“You know how to read……while I know how to cook”.
After having the rice, Gu Sixteen rushed towards the gravestone and commit suicide.
All of these was frozen into an image.
Again, the time came back to forty-one years ago. Gu Qi and his wife had a child. That year there was little rain in the village. All the plants were died because of the drought. The couple named their baby Gu Wish, wishing him and the family a bright future. A better future.
Playing every single day, Gu Wish was very naughty. He hates studying. His parents never ceased to worry about his future.
This time, Gu Sixteen didn’t make it to be born into this world. Her mother had a stillborn. Following his parents and playing his toy, Gu Wish visited this lady who had just lost her child.
With just seven-year-old, Gu Wish was weirdly strong. Noticing that, his parents sent him to learn martial arts with a veteran.
At twelve years old, Gu Wish enlisted. Still looking for candy before he took his leave, he didn’t treat this seriously. There was nobody except his parents said goodbye to him, only several girls who were enchanted by his handsome visage but soon called back by their parents, “that boy has nothing but a pretty face. He won’t succeed but die in the battlefield sooner or later.”
Gu Wish stopped to stare at the direction where the voice originated.
When he was thirteen years old, Gu Wish fought in the war for the first time. He earned himself a lot of medals and was promoted Qianfu Zhang when he was seventeen. He saved the general’s life once, and by that chance, impressed by both his appearance and his skills, the general started to endorse him.
At last, when Gu Wish was twenty, they ended the war with a great victory. Came back to the capital city as a soldier who proved his braveness, Gu Wish was complimented by the emperor himself. However, Gu Wish didn’t like the vibe of party. While wandering alone in the garden, he bumped into a girl who was practicing her sword.
