Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The snowland had been peaceful for a long while by now, and the Cultivation practitioners of various sects had already returned to their respective mountains. It was much quiet now around White Town; but the town grew more crowded due to the returning of the pilgrims.
The small temple at the foot of the cliff was the only exception, which was neither crowded nor desolate; and the golden Buddha statue was still watching the north in a solemn and calm manner.
Lian Sanyue walked into the small temple, and sat down on the doorsill. However, she faced the golden Buddha statue instead of the snowland this time.
Jing Jiu stood on the clearing outside the temple, looking in the direction of the snowland, lost in thought.
Lian Sanyue didn’t do anything except looking at the golden Buddha statue quietly; she would change her posture and flash a smile once in a while. It seemed that she was in a very good mood.
The voice of the Broadsword King Cao Yuan rang out in the small temple. His deep and hoarse voice was hoarser that day and sounded quite shaky, “You don’t like eating cucumbers; what about eating some radishes today?”
Lian Sanyue looked at the fresh radish in front of her on the table, smiling faintly, and said, “I asked you many years ago if you would like to go to the south.”
The voice grew shakier now. “Why don’t you like eating radish?”
“Don’t repeat the same question again. I know you’re very nervous right now,” said Lian Sanyue.
After a long silence, Cao Yuan said, “I thought at the time that you liked being with me here though I didn’t come here for you.”
“If you had agreed to come with me, we would have traveled together for a few years,” said Lian Sanyue.
Cao Yuan said earnestly, “I regret that now.”
Lian Sanyue suddenly spun her head and said to Jing Jiu, “You stay away from us.”
Jing Jiu went to a place several hundred miles away.
Lian Sanyue said, “I’m tired and want to sleep for a while,” Lian Sanyue said. “Can you hold me while I’m sleeping?”
“Okay,” said Cao Yuan in a trembling voice.
Lian Sanyue lay down in front of the Buddha statue and closed her eyes slowly. Soon, she fell into a sound sleep.
She had slept for three days and nights.
When Lian Sanyue opened her eyes, she said, “I take my leave now.”
“Okay,” said Cao Yuan in a trembling voice.
Lian Sanyue walked out of the small temple.
Jing Jiu came back to the front of the small temple.
Cao Yuan said to Jing Jiu, “Thank you.”
Jing Jiu remained silent.
Cao Yuan continued, “Thank you for being still alive, so you can accompany her.”
In his eyes, her happiness was more important than anything else.
Lian Sanyue turned around and said to Cao Yuan, “Don’t say that. In fact, you’ve spent more time accompanying me than him.”
…
…
After they left White Town, Jing Jiu and Lian Sanyue went to Juye City.
But they didn’t eat hotpot there. They ate the skewered muttons because Lian Sanyue thought it was more convenient and efficient to eat this way.
Jing Jiu watched her eat quietly, and felt it was indeed efficient to eat that way. As he was watching, he was handed a piece of preserved garlic by Lian Sanyue impatiently.
The preserved garlic tasted both sour and sweet; and it tasted a little bitter if one held it in mouth for too long.
After eating the muttons, they started roaming the streets the way they strolled by the lakeside at the Three-Thousand Nunnery. Lian Sanyue reached out her hand to grab his sleeve while displaying a happy and womanly expression on her face.
She had never taken the initiative to hold his hand; it was because Jing Jiu would hold hers sooner or later.
After Juye City, they visited many more cities. Like what they had done some years ago, they traveled the world at random and spent spring, summer, autumn and winter in the outside world.
By the time they returned to the Three-Thousand Nunnery outside Dayuan City, it was another spring. Bai Zao was found still sleeping soundly.
“This child is quite like me in some aspects, except that she is a bit feeble.”
Standing by the window, Lian Sanyue looked at the figure in the silk cocoon, saying, “You should treat her better in the future.”
Jing Jiu didn’t give a response.
It was quiet by the lake, and the willow branches swept the surface of the lake gently. A few dragonflies landed on the surface of the lake, and a few frogs jumped into the water, making all sorts of noises.
Lian Sanyue said, “I want to listen to zither music.”
“Neither of us can play it,” said Jing Jiu.
…
…
The Young Master Li was quite famous for playing zither music in Dayuan City.
His father had been the governor of Dayuan City, and State Duke Lu had been helping him in secret; as a result, he was running a few antique stores successfully in the city. The people with whom he was socializing were mostly rich and famous; so he could be regarded as a noble merchant.
Though he was in his fifties, he was in good health and vigorous. It was not odd that he was still called the “Young Master Li”.
For some reason, he hadn’t been married yet. The gray hairs on his temples gave a sense of lonesomeness.
In the late spring the year before, the Young Master Li suddenly felt that his heart was racing for no apparent reason. The doctors came and checked on him, but they couldn’t find out the reason for the abnormality.
He hadn’t fallen ill for many years, especially after he received the vial of magic pills falling down from the sky.
The symptom of heart racing had lasted for a whole year. In the early spring, the problem became more serious rather than getting better. He often had cold sweats and couldn’t fall asleep at night.
In an attempt to lessen the symptoms, he came to the outskirts of Dayuan City with his caretaker. He planned to go to the mountains and spent a few days there.
There were many famous and outstanding scenic sites outside Dayuan City, but they were all like what he had done before, and the Young Master Li walked on that familiar path without a second thought.
The caretaker was accustomed to this, so he didn’t feel it odd as he held the ancient zither and followed close behind.
After they entered the mountain and passed a valley, they arrived at a lotus pond. The Young Master Li walked to the edge of the pond. Looking at the green buds on the lotuses on the pond’s surface and the scenery in the early summer, he let loose a faint smile.
The lotus flowers would blossom in midsummer, and the scenery would be even better by then. He recalled how he fell into the water here when he was preoccupied with the scenery, when then he met a fairy girl whom he would remember for the rest of his life.
They continued treading the mountain path after leaving the lotus pond. As they came to the end of the path, they saw a patch of green grass, in the middle of which there was a rock carved with two words:
“Three Thousand”.
Looking at the rock, the Young Master Li found that his heart suddenly raced faster and more painfully, his face turning an abrupt pale.
Seeing his condition, the caretaker approached and supported him by holding his elbow. The caretaker asked if he needed a rest or to see a doctor.
The Young Master Li took the ancient zither from the caretaker’s hands impatiently, and told him not to follow him into the nunnery.
…
…
The nuns of the Three-Thousand Nunnery were all acquainted with Young Master Li, because he had often donated items to the nunnery, and had come to the nunnery to play zither once every year; and he had also come here occasionally to sit alone after getting drunk.
Normally, they would welcome him; but under the special circumstances that day, they had no choice but to block him unwillingly in front of the small bridge.
It was then that a desolate and emotionless female voice rang out, “Let him come in.”
Upon hearing this voice, Young Master Li’s body grew rigid.
It felt like he was in another life.
It was actually his entire life.
Young Master Li felt weak and fell down on his butt after his legs gave out.
He didn’t know what he should say or what he could say at the moment.
He untied the case of the zither with his trembling hands and took out the ancient instrument. Then he adjusted the strings on the zither with his trembling fingers and attempted to play the best music he had ever done in his whole life.
“Take it easy,” the female voice rang out again.
After a moment of silence, Young Master Li breathed deeply a few times and calmed down eventually. His fingers fell on the strings and started plucking; the music of the zither came out melodiously.
With the faint sound of footsteps, Lian Sanyue walked over from the other side of the bridge.
The Young Master Li didn’t dare raise his head; all he could see was a corner of her skirt. His fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, the music sounding chaotic now.
“Take it easy,” said Lian Sanyue.
The Young Master Li had finally raised his head after taking a few deep breathes. He stared at Lian Sanyue’s face and eyes, feeling calmer gradually.
Lian Sanyue displayed an appreciative expression in her eyes when she looked at him. “The saying ‘Fairy men and mortals have different paths’ refers to the difference of their lifetimes,” she said. “I didn’t think it through back then, and thought the relationship would be undesirable since you were bound to die much earlier than I. If I had known my end was near, I would have stayed in Dayuan City and listened to your music for a few more years.”
The Young Master Li’s face grew exceedingly pale; it was because he was a clever person and he understood what the fairy lady meant.
Listening to Lian Sanyue’s talk quietly on the other side of the bridge, Jing Jiu didn’t show any emotion, to say nothing of jealousy.
The Young Master Li closed his eyes for some moments and started playing the zither calmly after reopening them.
The zither music sounded like the plopping of flowing water.
It was the same “Prelude to a Wonderful Night.”
…
…
Night arrived, and it was dark outside.
Lian Sanyue looked at Jing Jiu and asked, “When did we meet?”
Jing Jiu didn’t answer her.
Lian Sanyue continued, “I’ve liked many things and people. In others’ eyes, am I a promiscuous woman?”
“As long as you’re alive, you can do whatever you want to,” said Jing Jiu. “I can find ten thousand men or women for you.”
“Do you have a death wish?” snapped Lian Sanyue, raising her eyebrows.
Jing Jiu uttered “hmm”.
“You’re so childish. In reality, you’re the one who is afraid of death the most in this world, but rather you’ve made such a claim.”
Lian Sanyue continued while caressing his face, “You had been so upset back when I went to White Town. You could sleep only after asking Nan Wang for her wines and getting drunk; but you would do your best to avoid her after you were sober. You didn’t’ have a death wish back then.”
Jing Jiu said, “I thought at the time that he liked fighting against others, and you were no match for the Queen of the Snowy Kingdom; I was just worried about you.”
Lian Sanyue smiled faintly while saying, “You were too isolated back in your old days, and you developed such an odd temperament as a result. But I think you’re doing much better in this life since you have so many disciples. So I can rest easy now.”
What she said was full of affection, as was the zither music. She turned around to look at the other side of the bridge. Seeing the Young Master Li keep on playing the zither without noticing his own fingers were bleeding, Lian Sanyue said to Jing Jiu, “You shouldn’t feel jealous. You should know that you’re very special to me. The reason for this is kind of tasteless…it’s because you’re more talented than me, and you’re someone I’ve loved madly but can’t have.”
After a moment of silence, Jing Jiu said, “The reason I parted with you back then was because I thought our relationship would affect your chance of ascending.”
Staring at him quietly, Lian Sanyue asked him, “What’s so great about ascension?”
“Only when alive can we stay together,” replied Jing Jiu.
The purpose of separating was to stay together forever.
“If I had known my ascension would make you take the risk of ascending earlier than planned, I would have waited for you.”
As far as Jing Jiu was concerned, this was the most affectionate statement he had ever made.
I’m waiting for you.
“Hmm.”
Lian Sanyue held up his hand and leaned against his chest softly, saying, “You don’t have to wait for me this time. I’ll be waiting for you in the next life.”
Having said that, she turned into countless golden glows, which then gradually dissipated.
They became the morning sunlight after dissipating to the sky.
The sun rose up as usual.
The zither gave off a wailing tune.
Young Master Li cried out in agony; and his hair grew white overnight.
The Green Girl had tears all over her face; and she began to understand the sufferings of humans in one night.
White Town had experienced an earthquake.
A bright broadsword light traveled to the deep part of the snowland.
It was unclear when the broadsword would come back…if at all.
