Linfengchun

【text】

Linfengchun

Author: Su Mo

The final wind song crossing the moon and the lake at night

"The sound of a well pulley outside the curtain startles me, a smile playing on my lips. Willow shadows are shrouded in mist, and my hairpin falls from my lowered temple. I must give my all to make you happy today..."

The words are exquisitely beautiful, and the person is deeply affectionate.

Spring is in full bloom, and the red silk has a subtle fragrance.

The exquisite painted boat on West Lake, behind a thin beaded curtain, featured the most popular courtesan, her ten fingers lightly plucking the strings of her zither. Her half-closed eyes, slightly raised, gazed at the noble young master seated above. She knew, of course, how captivating her music was, and how many wealthy young men in Hangzhou awaited her gaze. Especially the way she squinted and raised her eyes—it was utterly mesmerizing.

The Hangzhou prefect, sitting at the lower seat, was slightly drunk after a few rounds of drinks. He said, "Young Master Wang, what do you think of Jiang Xian'er and the beauty from the capital?" The clerk behind him coughed lightly when he heard his impolite words.

The noble young man picked up his wine cup, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said calmly, "Lord Lin is too kind." These days, noble sons all preferred lavish clothing, but he wore only a simple blue robe, his hair tied up with a silver hairpin, exuding an air of elegance and nobility without a trace of vulgarity.

Seeing his indifferent expression, Prefect Lin couldn't figure out what he was thinking: "Jiang Xian'er looks down on the young masters of our aristocratic families, but seems to have a high opinion of you, young master. She really has good taste, haha, haha."

His lips twitched slightly, and he replied indifferently, "Is that so?"

Prefect Lin immediately beamed like a chrysanthemum. He had long heard that this noble young master was very self-disciplined and rarely indulged in women, so he assumed that the young man's current expression was just youthful shyness. He was about to speak with a lewd grin when the beaded curtain was lifted, and a rather tall man entered. The man was handsome, tall, and carried a long sword.

The man looked at the young master seated above him and said in a low voice, "I just went out to inquire and found out that the Heavenly Sword has indeed appeared in the Hangzhou area. I also helped Ouyang Ye of the Heavenly Sorrow Sect to pass on a message."

Jiang Xian'er continued playing her zither, her eyes glancing absently towards the outside of the beaded curtain.

"The item is at an old friend's house. Just this one sentence is enough to throw the Jiangnan region into chaos again." The man lowered his head. "Does the young master want his men to stop him? Tianjian is as famous as the young master. If they could fight, it would be good to let the world know who the real swordsman is."

"There are so many people who want this title, but there's no need to join in the fun." His slender fingers tapped lightly on the table. "I'll drink this first as a sign of respect, Brother Mo, for all this trouble." He slightly raised his sleeve and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp.

The guard surnamed Mo replied respectfully, "Yunzhi would not dare to be presumptuous."

A waiter brought over wine cups, and Mo Yunzhi drank three cups in one gulp before standing quietly behind his young master.

"Lord Lin, what about that matter we mentioned earlier?" The young man suddenly turned to Prefect Lin. Perhaps he had drunk a few cups of wine, for his face was slightly flushed, and there was a faint purplish halo around his eyes.

"This..." Prefect Lin was caught off guard by the question and couldn't speak for a moment, only stammering, "This... actually..." The clerk behind him said, "Your Excellency sent people to investigate a couple of days ago, but the people living on that lonely mountain know some kind of evil magic. The people who investigated all said that they got lost in the mountains and when they woke up, they had already been thrown out of the mountains."

"Oh?" he responded casually, a slight smirk playing on his lips. "That's interesting."

Prefect Lin wiped his sweat and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the other party was no longer asking questions. Although the other party was young, he was many ranks higher than him, so he smiled obsequiously and dared not offend him in the slightest.

"You don't need to play this zither anymore." Jiang Xian'er was secretly sending flirtatious glances towards the curtain when the young man suddenly spoke, startling her so much that she loosened her grip and almost dropped the pipa.

"I don't know what's wrong with my music, sir. Please enlighten me." Jiang Xian'er calmed herself down, lifted the beaded curtain, and knelt on the ground. "Or is it that my appearance is too plain, which has displeased you?"

The young gentleman remained silent, and the painted boat fell silent instantly, so quiet that a flute melody drifted in, tender and lingering, playing an extremely beautiful poem:

With colorful sleeves, she diligently holds up the jade cup, In those days, we recklessly drank until our faces were flushed. The dance is low, like the moon reflected in the willow-lined pavilion; the song ends, like the breeze beneath the peach blossom fan. Since parting, I recall our meeting, how many times have my soul and dreams been with you? Tonight, I'll light the silver lamp again, still fearing our meeting is but a dream.

At first listen, the flute melody seemed to twist and turn, deeply moving. The flutist, as if echoing Jiang Xian'er's pipa music from before, added an extra touch of tenderness. However, before the piece ended, it abruptly changed to a different tune, slightly cool, yet brimming with youthful spirit: "Who else scatters fragrant petals in the wind? Drunk, I lean against the railing, my emotions intense. When I return, let not the candle flames burn red, but wait for the clear moonlight as I ride my horse."

The music still flowed smoothly, as if the flutist was a master of melody. Yet, the young gentleman couldn't help but frown slightly. The previous piece, though tender and affectionate, abruptly ended, leaving a faint metallic sound that was then masked by another tune. Even if the flutist was talented and had grasped the essence of each note, there was an undeniable element of insincerity in it. He stood up and said calmly to the guard surnamed Mo beside him, "On such a fine night, under the clear moonlight, it would be better to be drunk and strolling along than to sit on this painted boat. What do you think, Brother Mo?"

Mo Yunzhi's serious face also showed a smile: "What you say is true, young master."

The young master lifted the translucent beaded curtain, not even noticing he was in the middle of the lake, and with a light step, floated towards the shore. A flurry of activity erupted behind him, and Prefect Lin shouted, "Quickly row over! Be careful of the Prince… the young master's safety!" Mo Yunzhi couldn't help but chuckle at Prefect Lin's sudden revelation of his young master's identity and his self-deceptive anxiety. He reached for the corner of the table, grabbed a piece of wood, turned, and walked to the bow of the boat. Using the small piece of wood as he descended with his light-footed skill, he rose and fell, running out of wood just a few feet from the shore. He let out a long whistle and landed steadily on the bank, a strange sense of relief washing over him.

"Brother Mo, you're still a step too late." The young master leaned against the willow tree, looking relaxed and elegant, but there was a damp patch on the hem of his clothes, probably from when he stepped into the lake.

“I actually met someone four years ago. Her lightness skill was unparalleled. Perhaps she could walk on water without getting wet at all,” Mo Yunzhi said without any hesitation.

"Is that so?" He straightened up and flicked his sleeve. "Speaking of four years ago, it was during the time of quelling the Jingxiang Rebellion. I was once infatuated with a woman." He seemed to remember something and frowned slightly, as if joking: "To be honest, I never even spoke a word to her. I just watched her play the flute from afar, but I still became interested in her."

Mo Yunzhi knew his young master was very self-disciplined and rarely indulged in women, let alone such things. Ironically, when uprisings broke out repeatedly in the Jingxiang region, Mo Yunzhi was one of the rebels, but he failed in his attempt to assassinate a court official. At that time, he was shocked to discover that the prince sent by the court was none other than the renowned Sword-wielding Prince Zhang Weiyi. Seeking to quell the chaos, he became one of the Sword-wielding Prince's bodyguards.

Zhang Weiyi, originally named Zhu Youhan, was the sixth prince of the current dynasty, with the title Xiangxiao. Having grown up in Wudang, he achieved fame at a young age and for a time seemed poised to rival the Heavenly Sword Prince, who was known as the number one swordsman in the world. The renowned Xuanji Talented Woman of the martial arts world admired him and once sent him a fan with an inscription of only three characters: "Fine Young Master."

Four years have passed since the Jingxiang Rebellion was quelled. Now, Zhang Weiyi suddenly brought up that time, and Mo Yunzhi simply smiled and said, "There was such a woman... how does she compare to the talented Xuanji woman?"

Zhang Weiyi looked into the distance with a smile on her lips: "Are you talking about appearance? I've only seen her from afar. I wouldn't say she's pretty, but somehow I just feel..." She paused slightly and softly uttered two words: "Special."

Mo Yunzhi felt a slight chill run through him. He was still unaccustomed to seeing his usually composed young master suddenly display a childlike side. Perhaps, as he said, this was called infatuation, without any reason.

The gentle sound of the flute drifted on the wind, and the scene softened one's heart.

"At that time, she was probably young and sentimental. When I heard her play the tune 'Peach Blossom,' it sounded so sad and lonely. Perhaps some of her relatives had also died in battle." Zhang Weiyi smiled faintly, and the swirling flute melody suddenly changed, revealing itself to be the ancient tune "Peach Blossom."

Zhang Weiyi's expression remained unchanged, but the double vision and purple halo in his eyes suddenly deepened.

It was as if, four years ago, I stood alone on a cliff, and that faint, desolate melancholy began to surface. In the distance, the vibrant red peach blossoms bloomed, yet it was a tree in a riotous, lonely display of color…

Mo Yunzhi discerned the direction: "It seems to be coming from the direction of Gushan."

“Lonely Mountain…?” He frowned slightly, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Is that so? Well, we’ve really run into each other.”

The moonlit night was as cool and still as water.

A slender figure leaned against the stone railing of the waterside pavilion, holding a flute made of polished red jade that emitted a soft, gentle luster. The fingers holding the flute were long and slender, and a blue silk ribbon hung down from the wrist, swaying gently in the night breeze.

"It's time to rest; the dew will soon fall." A gentle voice, tinged with a slight smile, drifted through the night, its sound soothing against the damp air. The speaker was a tall woman, her face veiled by a thin veil, her eyes filled with laughter: "I listened to you play for almost half an hour just now. Did you make that woman singing and playing seductive tunes on the pleasure boat in the middle of the lake feel utterly ashamed?"

“Everyone has their own way of living, and we are all unrelated to each other.” Hong Yumo’s flute slowly approached her face. The deep red and translucent jade was not even as charming as the vermilion between the woman’s eyebrows. “But when I see those who have always lived peacefully, I always feel uneasy. Isn’t it time to repay those who owe me?”

"You really can't forget... That's right, how could I forget all these years of comings and goings?" The veil fluttered slightly, revealing a hint of a smile. "You know that even if torture is used, it only causes temporary pain, the pain is felt on this physical body; when you strike with a sword, you are only afraid at first, and there are times when you don't feel the pain. Such pain doesn't last long."

"Senior sister, if that's the case, then there's nothing in this world that can cause suffering." She looked up slightly, and could just see the crescent moon in the night sky, curved like a hook, its chill penetrating to the bone, its reflection in her eyes shimmering.

The tall woman leaned against the stone railing, smiling slightly: "How could there not be?"

"The most painful thing in this world is love. You think you've got it, but in the end, you destroy it right in front of you. That's the heartbreak of love."

May I ask you, from where do you return?

The Jiangnan region is known for its outstanding people and beautiful scenery, and Hangzhou Prefecture is home to many literary figures and extraordinary individuals. Among those who have gained considerable fame in the martial arts world, besides the Meiheju Master, who lived in seclusion at the former residence of Lin Bu on Gushan Mountain and was a master of traditional Chinese medicine, there is also the Qiushuimen Sect by the Xiling Bridge.

The autumn waters overflow in the courtyard, and the moon shines brightly throughout the garden.

This plaque is located in the main courtyard of the Qiushui Sect, and it is said to be the work of the legendary woman who founded the sect a hundred years ago. In the martial arts world, the Qiushui Sect has always been led by a woman, and although there are male disciples, the

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