Chapter 44#

Hua Jinian’s face was full of joy, but when he heard this sentence, he was suddenly stunned. His face was cold and clear, with a little doubt, looking at Wu Qiuping. Wu Qiuping looked at him silently for a while, then turned to look at Hua Qianjue, and asked in a low voice: “Fortress Master, where is Meiniang now? You promised me that as long as I make the medicine, you will let Meiniang come back from outside.”

Hua Qianjue frowned and said grimly: “She came back long ago, she has been back for several days, but I didn’t have time to tell you. She is staying in the east wing room. If you have something to do, give the medicine to Jinian to drink, and then go and have a good talk with her.”

Wu Qiuping seemed not to believe it, and turned sideways to look at Hua Jinian again. A trace of inexplicable ominous feeling flashed through Hua Qianjue’s heart. He stepped forward a few steps and said loudly: “Give me the medicine first!” Wu Qiuping shook his head and took a few steps back, whispering: “No hurry, Fortress Master, no hurry. Let Qiuping figure things out first, then you come over. I’m afraid I will accidentally spill the medicine…”

As he spoke, he looked fixedly at Hua Jinian and whispered: “Little Young Master, Meiniang and I watched you grow up since childhood. The Fortress Master has not returned to the fortress for nine years. Meiniang and I taught you to read, accompanied you to practice martial arts, and played with you… To say something presumptuous, we are like your own brother and sister. Tell me the truth, where is Meiniang?”

Hua Jinian’s face was pale. After a long time, he sneered: “Where is she? Blame it all on her. If she hadn’t betrayed Floating Pagoda Fortress, I wouldn’t have…” Seeing both of them holding their breath and looking at him, his smile became more and more difficult: “The first time, when I pacified the Cold Moon Sect, it was she who sent me a box of angelica, which caused me to be plotted against and enter the underground palace of Luoying Valley. The second time…”

Wu Qiuping smiled gently: “You say Meiniang is a traitor? That time pacifying the Cold Moon Sect? Oh, let me think. Because I haven’t seen Meiniang for more than two years, so as soon as you broke into the Cold Moon Sect temple, Meiniang secretly came to meet me. We slipped out together and went to see the lotus flowers on the Cold Moon River together. She was right beside me at that time, how could she send any angelica or dried tangerine peel?”

Hua Jinian gasped, collapsing weakly on the bed. Wu Qiuping asked as if unaware: “Where is Meiniang? People outside say Meiniang is at the door, but I dare not go look… Tell me, Meiniang is still alive and well, tell me…”

Hua Qianjue said angrily: “Wu Qiuping, enough.”

Wu Qiuping laughed loudly: “Not enough, not enough.” He closed his eyes slightly, and a few traces of gentleness and nostalgia floated on his handsome features. His eyes seemed to see a few wisps of white clouds reflected in a green pool again. It was clearly a beautiful scenery, but it made people’s hearts ache. More than twenty years ago, when he was still a little Taoist priest in White Cloud Temple, he only knew how to chant scriptures, meditate, and practice Zen every day. His master always said that he was the most qualified person in the temple to be the temple master. No matter what book, he remembered it after reading it once. Whatever move, he remembered it after seeing it once…

Outside White Cloud Temple, there were always some people who looked down on doctors lying there groaning endlessly. It was he who chanted a Taoist name, pondered the methods in medical books, racked his brains and cured them one by one. In the misty incense smoke, the white prayer mat, the silver-gray whisk, the painted Taoist statue, the bright tribute fruits, the brownish-red wooden fish, and the black and white Taoist robes were all the colors in his eyes. Until the day he went to fetch water by the river for his senior brother, it was such a green pool, with leisurely clouds reflected in the pool water. A girl of seven or eight years old, about the same age as him, with a huge red peony pinned to her temple, laughing like silver bells from time to time, sitting by the pool, a pair of naked white jade-like feet playing in the water non-stop, splashing water everywhere. He saw the girl turn her head, and only that bright smile remained in his eyes.

“Little brother, come with me. How boring the temple is, come with my master… Let’s practice martial arts together…” “I… I can’t. My master said that I was born to cultivate Taoism.” He shook his head and wanted to turn around, but the girl smiled charmingly and wrapped her two small white jade-like arms around his neck, kissed him loudly on the cheek, and smiled: “Little brother, do you think I’m beautiful?”

Where had he ever seen such a bright and moving smile like a spring flower? He couldn’t help whispering: “Beautiful…”

“Little brother, your heart has moved.” The girl clapped her hands and laughed: “Since you think I’m beautiful, your heart has moved. If your heart has moved, what Taoism are you still cultivating? Master… Master… come quickly, I found a little junior brother…” Abducted by that girl, leaving behind the righteous path, leaving behind justice, leaving behind the past, White Cloud Temple and master and senior brothers along the way… But he was surprisingly happy, surprisingly happy. With her, wherever he was, he was surprisingly happy.

That person was still wearing a red skirt that attracted bees and butterflies, with a huge delicate peony on her temple, but she was more beautiful and charming than the peony. She let out strings of silver bell-like laughter at him when the flowers were dense, clapping her hands and laughing non-stop: “Stinky Taoist, Taoist stinky, Wu Qiuping is a bull nose!…”

Wu Qiuping felt his face was cold, but his heart slowly calmed down. Hua Qianjue stared at him with an unkind face and said grimly: “Wu Qiuping, I don’t want to hear about Su Meiniang’s affairs either. But I still advise you not to do anything foolish, otherwise I swear you will definitely regret it.”

Regret? Foolish things? Wu Qiuping looked at the medicine bowl in his hand and suddenly laughed.

The parasol trees grow old together, mandarin ducks will die together;

A chaste woman values dying for her husband, sacrificing life is also like this;

Waves vow not to rise, my heart is like water in a well.

He laughed, and laughed louder and louder, as if he was overjoyed!

Tying hair to become husband and wife, love and affection without doubt;

Joy is in the present and past, don’t forget the happy times;

In life we shall return together, in death we shall long for each other forever.

He laughed loudly, and at the moment when tears came out of his laughter, he smashed the medicine bowl fiercely on the ground! Hua Qianjue flew to save it, but was ultimately a step too late. The man flew into a rage, and just as he reached out to grab Wu Qiuping’s collar, he saw Wu Qiuping take a few steps back, then rush forward fiercely, hitting his head against the white wall. In an instant, blood splashed.

— Taoist stinky, stinky Taoist, Wu Qiuping is a bull nose…

Blood gurgled out from that shocking wound. His eyes were wide open, and he slowly slid down the wall amidst this silver bell-like laughter. He raised his hand and slowly reached towards the gate, bit by bit, his mouth opening and closing silently, tears gradually flowing from his eyes.

— Meiniang, Meiniang, I always forgot to tell you, even if you taught me to go through all the flowers, in the Taoist’s heart, there is still only you…

Hua Qianjue saw the blood all over the ground, standing there quietly, making it impossible to figure out what he was thinking at this moment. He didn’t know how long it took, maybe just a snap of fingers. Unexpectedly, he didn’t say much, his face was as calm as ever, just looked back nervously. Behind him, Hua Jinian sat obliquely on the bed, his face pale, his handsome eyebrows lowered, and his watery red lips had long lost their luster.

Hua Qianjue felt a slight pain in his heart. This gentle and calm fluctuation seemed to be clearly felt for the first time. He subconsciously knew that he shouldn’t lose his temper at this time. He walked over and hugged Hua Jinian as gently as possible. He never knew how to comfort people. At this time, he could only use the gentlest words he could think of to comfort softly: “Don’t think about it anymore, I’m here for everything. It’s okay, if I say it’s okay, it’s okay.”

He saw Hua Jinian slowly bury himself deep in his embrace, his somewhat thin shoulders trembling slightly uncontrollably. Hua Qianjue gently combed the young man’s long hair with an almost doting expression, and his low voice slowly bewitched: “Didn’t you say you were already very happy? Then don’t cry, be good. Wherever you want to go, I’ll take you there. We can stand side by side on the highest peak, watch the blood-stained setting sun, listen to the evening bell of the temple on a solitary boat at dusk, or climb an ancient tree that no one knows, break the seal of a jar of fine wine each, drink until we are drunk, laugh and forget what evening is this. I’ll take you anywhere, as long as you say it, as long as you want.”

Hua Jinian’s shoulders trembled more and more violently, and cold tears wet his front lapel bit by bit. Hua Qianjue whispered: “Didn’t I tell you not to be sad?” Hua Jinian shouted: “A vicious person like me hates them too late, how can I be sad!”

Hua Qianjue sneered: “Then why this expression? When you told me you were going to die, you looked indifferent, but now that they are dead, you put on this look. I don’t like you taking others too seriously.”

Hua Jinian was stunned for a moment, and gradually smiled bitterly: “I… I really harm people deeply. Have I ever done a single thing right in my life?”

Hua Qianjue laughed instead of getting angry, and said slowly: “You… think those people all hate you? Luo Xiaofeng, this old thing who loves money as much as his life, gave you all his savings for years in the end. Every time Geng Yong scolded his son, he said: ‘Why don’t you learn from the Little Young Master?’ If Su Meiniang couldn’t bear to refuse you, how could she let you order her around and respond to every request? Even Wu Qiuping… if dealing with others, he would have used all kinds of powerful poisons long ago, making you suffer a fate worse than death before dying. How could it be settled so easily, without even saying a harsh word to you. You always think others hate you and dislike you, but you never pay attention to what they really think. Those people were like this since you were born. As soon as I was away, they rushed to take turns holding you, which annoyed me when I saw it, so I left the fortress for nearly nine years. And those like Cui’er and Qiuyi, who couldn’t get love and obstructed in every way… Hmph, even that monk from Jiaye Temple, who claimed to have clean six roots, I don’t know why he gave the Floating Pagoda Token to you before he died, but anyway he wouldn’t give it to me, just giving it to someone else…”

Hua Jinian heard the man’s words getting more and more outrageous, knowing that he was coaxing him in an extremely clumsy way. He looked at Hua Qianjue nagging non-stop, and was entranced for a moment. After a long time, a satisfied smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. He finally smiled and said: “Okay, I won’t be sad… Anyway, my end is approaching. When the time comes, there will be plenty of opportunities to go there and apologize to them. For the remaining time, let’s live happily.”

Twenty years of gathering and parting, twenty years of winter going and spring coming, twenty Mid-Autumn Festivals with bright lights. There were poetic and picturesque scenes of the moon on the willow tips, there were extravagant wealth and drunken stupor, there were sorrowful moments with tears filling the sleeves. Flowers live on the tree and die when leaving the branch, birds are happy in the forest and sad when leaving the flock—for this insignificant admiration, heartbroken, lovesick. Flowers bloomed and withered countless times, only then finally found a person to admire the blooming flowers together and mourn the falling flowers together.

When did the symptoms come? When the lamp was half dim, when the moon was half bright…

It turned out that a smile at the first meeting thousands of years ago had already established the pursuit of life after life. Let the wind blow and waves block, let the white waves surge to the sky, let the road full of thorns be walked step by step with blood and tears. If not for such thousands of hardships, how could one understand what is meant by seas drying up and rocks rotting? If not for such entanglement life after life, how could one know what is meant by the end of the earth? It is not chasing the wind and clutching at shadows in a dream, not the idiot’s dream of flowers in the mirror and moon in the water, but truly following each other to the ends of the earth. Even such a fleeting holding of hands is a precious glimpse of light, a full moon and blooming flowers with tears hidden in smiles.

Hua Qianjue laughed almost inaudibly, and carried the young man horizontally, as if effortlessly. Pushing the door open, the flowers outside were blooming brightly, trembling lightly on the branches in the breeze. Dust was saved in the halo, shining with seven colors in the dew on every petal. Twenty years of life is like a swan’s footprint on snow and mud, fleeting, but in the most disgusting romance and admiration of this Floating Pagoda Fortress, a true love as bright as the moon and fresh breeze was born.