Tang Huan smiled slightly and said, "Last time the sea eagle soiled your clothes, I'll make you a new one for it." Afraid that Mo Xi would refuse, she added, "You're dressed too lightly. 'Torn Scroll' is on the Yaohe River, surrounded by water on all sides, you'll need this to keep warm."
Mo Xi looked into his hopeful eyes and softly said "okay".
The two walked to the door, and Tang Huan personally tied a cloak on Mo Xi.
After a while, Green Cloud walked to the window and saw two patches of green, one light and one dark, moving slowly in the snow, one after the other. The snowflakes fell softly, gradually fading their figures. She thought to herself: What a beautiful day.
Upon reaching the banks of the Yao River, one can see a solitary island not far away, and the "Broken Scroll" connected to the island stands quietly on the water like a waterbird.
The two leaped onto a small boat, standing side by side. The wind whipped their robes, causing them to flutter and fold together, staining them with a deep emerald hue. In an instant, the small boat shot like an arrow towards the secluded island where they hid.
As they approached the shore, the two abandoned the boat and leaped ashore.
Tang Huan said, "Besides the two elders who take turns guarding this place, there is no one else here, which is why it seems a bit desolate."
The entire building rises into the sky, seemingly floating on water, appearing out of nowhere. Its shadow is reflected in the distant river.
The main building is flanked by long corridors with green tiles, connecting the north and south pavilions with double eaves at the four corners. The entire "broken scroll" resembles a giant roc with its wings spread out, poised to take flight.
The lower platform is designed in the style of an ancient city wall. The main building on the platform adopts a "four visible, seven hidden" design, appearing from the outside to be a four-story building with a surrounding corridor, but actually having seven stories inside, with three hidden stories alternating with the visible ones. The entire building is adorned with green tiles and red eaves, and flying pavilions with flowing red paint. The roof tiles bear the characters "破卷" (Po Juan, meaning "broken scroll"), while the drip edges depict the Three Platforms of the Tang Gate.
There was only a thin layer of pure white snow on the green glazed tiles.
Mo Xi knew that it was generally best to avoid building a library near water, as the high humidity was detrimental to the preservation of books. She thought to herself, "The 'Broken Scroll' must have used some method to maintain a constant temperature for storing the books." Thinking of this, Mo Xi glanced at the crane-feather cloak draped over her shoulders, then at Tang Huan, who, as expected, avoided her gaze and turned her head away.
Climbing the high platform with its granite railing, one sees a white marble stele in the center, bordered by agate-red marble. The three characters "破卷" (Po Juan, meaning "broken scroll") on it are written in bold and vigorous strokes. The entire stele stands proudly, resembling a magnificent scroll with exquisite mounting.
Further ahead stood a three-legged bronze cauldron, as tall as a person. Tang Huan said, "Throughout history, countless collections have fallen into ruin because their owners' descendants declined and could no longer continue the business. They donated or sold the ancient books, ultimately leading to their downfall. Therefore, our ancestors erected this cauldron to symbolize its enduring stability."
Mo Xi thought to himself: The Tang Clan's prosperity is inseparable from the foresight and vigilance of its successive leaders.
The main body is brightly colored and gorgeous, which contrasts sharply with the solemn and simple base.
Stepping inside, one is immediately enveloped by a vast and scholarly atmosphere.
The ground floor hall was covered with a red carpet painted with dark cloud patterns. On either side stood large lacquered vases painted with peonies, each as tall as a person.
Seeing Mo Xi looking at it curiously, Tang Huan said, "The seventh floor is also called 'Seventh Heaven.' In the center of the hall, there is a white marble railing leading to a well, from which one can look down. Above it is a circular dome, which, together with the square building, symbolizes the concept of a round heaven and a square earth."
Mo Xi naturally didn't want to correct his theory of a round heaven and a square earth, so he just continued to tour the place with great interest.
At the highest point, a finely crafted wind-blown lantern hangs from the dome, constantly rotating slightly with the changing air currents.
Suddenly, an extremely sharp sword aura approached the two. In an instant, Mo Xi used his left hand to gently push Tang Huan out of the sword aura's encirclement, and used the force of the push to slide half a step back, barely dodging the sword's edge. In the blink of an eye, he spun two more steps, dodging the opponent's aggressive killing move.
Tang Huan hurriedly called out, "Senior Yin, Miss Mu is my guest, please show mercy!"
The newcomer ignored her completely, his attacks becoming even more ferocious. Mo Xi's right hand injury was in a critical healing phase, and she couldn't afford to ruin it by forcing a fight. Therefore, she decisively used her left hand to draw Cheng Ying to defend herself. The opponent's swordsmanship was elusive and agile, and Mo Xi's left hand was not as nimble, so she inevitably suffered losses and could only rely on her lightness skill to compensate. Fortunately, Cheng Ying was a peerless divine weapon, which actually suppressed the opponent's fierce sword energy by three-tenths.
After exchanging about thirty blows in the blink of an eye, the man suddenly stopped, and his sword energy vanished instantly. A hearty laugh followed, and he said, "Those old monsters all say the sect leader is possessed, has fallen for a little blonde girl, and even gave away the Jade Pearl." He looked Mo Xi up and down, then added, "Tsk tsk. No wonder."
Seeing that the other party was an old man over seventy years old, but with bright eyes and a strong voice, and considering that Tang Huan addressed him as "senior," Mo Xi guessed that he was one of the two elders Tang Huan had mentioned guarding the "broken scroll." He immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Senior Yin, I was very rude just now."
Seeing her demeanor, Yin Qiushi laughed, "This young lady is quite likable. I ambushed her first, then teased her, yet she remained so composed. She's somewhat like the young lady of the old days." He then chuckled, "What 'Second Miss of the Thunderbolt Hall'? In my opinion, she's not even worth a finger of yours." He paused, then added, "Young lady, those old scoundrels say the sect leader's marriage must be decided publicly. This old man is the first to object. Of all the figures our Tang Clan has produced throughout history, how many are truly..." "The ones with real ability are those manipulated by the Elders' Council; they can marry whomever they want. When have you ever heard those old scoundrels chattering like that? Even Sect Leader Tang Chong married a noble lady who doesn't know martial arts. Besides, your martial arts are so good." He rattled off a long string of words like a torrent of beans, then suddenly looked at Tang Huan curiously and said, "Sect Leader, I'm speaking to a young lady, why are you blushing?" Without waiting for Tang Huan's reply, he shook his head and sighed to himself, "In this world, is it fashionable for men to blush?"
Seeing that this Senior Yin was so outspoken, Mo Xi thought to himself: Could it be that this person and Mu Fengting were from the same family five hundred years ago?
Tang Huan had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward, saying, "I've brought Miss Mu here today to look up records about the Four Treasures of the Tang Clan. I would be grateful if Senior Yin could do me a favor."
Yin Qiushi laughed and said, "Of course, other outsiders are not allowed to enter Tibet, but Miss Mu has even accepted the betrothal gifts from my Tang Clan, so she is an exception." After a pause, he added, "You two enjoy yourselves. Today, I am like a blind man, unable to see anything." With that, he left like a gust of wind.
Hearing Yin Qiushi's last words, Tang Huan became even more uncomfortable, but Mo Xi said, "This Senior Yin is also a remarkable person. His swordsmanship is also excellent, but his moves give me a sense of familiarity, though I can't quite place them."
Tang Huan didn't respond to her words, but simply gestured for Mo Xi to go to the second position.
There are windows on both the north and south sides, which facilitates air circulation. Although the second floor is a dark floor, the walls between the double eaves at the north and south corners of the central hall are decorated with lattice windows inscribed with the three characters "破卷" (Po Juan), so the light is excellent, just like the bright floor.
When Mo Xi saw the rows of bookshelves filled with classic books, he realized what it meant to have a vast collection.
Tang Huan thought for a moment, then walked to one of the rows of mahogany bookshelves. As she opened the cabinet door, she said, "The bookshelves have doors on both sides, so you can take books from the front and back, and also let them ventilate to prevent mold."
Tang Huan quickly took out a thread-bound book titled "The Four Treasures of the Tang Clan," and flipped to the chapter on the Langya Staff. The only record of the martial arts contained in the Langya Staff was a short sentence: "It is said that this skill can be used for swimming."
Seeing him deep in thought, Mo Xi leaned closer and asked, "Have you noticed anything?" After reading the sentence Tang Huan pointed out, she said, "The word 'swimming' is used very strangely. It's enough to know how to swim; I've never heard of needing to know a specific martial art to swim."
Tang Huan didn't answer, she just nodded.
Tang Huan continued searching for ancient texts. Mo Xi strolled around the collection. Suddenly, her gaze was drawn to a giant white marble relief. The entire scene depicted only one woman, dancing amidst a flurry of butterflies, even her brow adorned with a pair of red wings. Her skirt swirled and billowed, her flowing sleeves billowing in the wind; she alone was enough to create a grand spectacle of song and dance. The butterflies surrounding her were outlined with fine copper wire, their wings made of powdered seashells, shimmering and seemingly taking flight. Yet, the woman herself was not overshadowed by the butterflies' splendor, her grace and charm remaining undiminished.
On the right side of the relief is a line from Bai Juyi's poem "Song of the Rainbow Feather Robe Dance": "She twirls and spins like light snow, gracefully undulating as a dragon in flight. Her hands droop like willow branches, her skirt trails like clouds rising." The entire relief evokes a sense of vastness and boundless beauty, captivating the viewer's attention. At the very bottom are two characters: Tang Xin.
Mo Xi walked back to Tang Huan's side and, seeing that he had closed the cabinet door, asked, "Did you find anything else?"
When Tang Huan heard her question, she finally answered in a low voice with a completely unrelated statement: "I will never let them manipulate me."
Mo Xi paused for a second before understanding what he was saying. She thought to herself: He's been acting strangely ever since Elder Yin appeared; so this is what he's been struggling with.
Author's Note: Okay, some readers said that the cat's choice to have the two meet in a cemetery was too heavy-handed. Hehe, then let's change the location.
Please leave lots of comments so I can give out points accordingly. I just learned about this feature.
Tang Dynasty poet Wang Bo wrote in his "Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng": "Layer upon layer of verdant peaks rise into the heavens, while flying pavilions, painted in vermilion, seem to overlook the earth."
Green tiles and red eaves
甍: roof ridge. Describes the magnificent and beautiful appearance of a building.
Drinking together
( ) fell silent for a moment.