【text】 wedge Parting in this world is often fleeting. Seeing the plum blossoms, I am suddenly filled with longing. How many times have we dreamt of holding hands by the window? Tonight, I find no trace of you in my dreams, I wander aimlessly. The cold seeps into my blankets, yet you re
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Chapter 1
【text】
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Parting in this world is often fleeting. Seeing the plum blossoms, I am suddenly filled with longing. How many times have we dreamt of holding hands by the window? Tonight, I find no trace of you in my dreams, I wander aimlessly. The cold seeps into my blankets, yet you remain unaware.
The ink, damp with sorrow, barely covers the seal. The zither lies empty, no geese fly. A carefree wanderer strolls through the alleys, finding only ancient trees bathed in the slanting sunlight. The old promise, a small boat, and heartfelt wishes have vanished. The song of "Ode to the Spring Grasses of Huainan" has ended, and the grasses grow lush and green again. A drifting traveler, tears soaking his clothes.
--Jiang Kui, Southern Song Dynasty, "Jiang Mei Yin"
In March, orioles fly and grasses grow tall, and peach and apricot blossoms bloom.
The string of seashell wind chimes under the eaves swayed gently in the warm sunlight, their interlocking shells making a soft, delicate sound. She was awakened by the fragrant breeze, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and stretched out her arms in her aunt's arms, wanting to touch the snow-white wind chimes.
Her aunt held her hand and said softly, "Zheng'er, you haven't thrown away the seashell you broke last time, and now you want to cause trouble again?"
She smiled, her eyes crinkling, and pointed at the wind chimes, saying, "Auntie, you said those are the sea god's treasures. When will I be able to go to the seaside?"
Her aunt hugged her tightly, gazing at the spring scenery outside the window, and said blankly, "The sea is unpredictable; when it rages, it will swallow you whole. Do you still want to go see the sea?"
"If he wants to swallow me, I'll swallow him first!" She wasn't afraid at all. Instead, she smiled and reached out to pat the seashell again, her fingers delicate and pinkish-white in the pale golden sunlight.
"Auntie, just tell me what the ocean looks like?" she said, somewhat dejected, as she still couldn't reach the seashell.
Her aunt sighed softly, bent down, and took a pure white conch shell from the treasured box. She held it to her ear and said, "Listen."
Confused yet curious, she turned her face close to the conch shell.
Sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes rising and falling, like the sound of the wind flowing, stirring her heart.
"This is the sound of the sea." Her aunt held the young girl in her arms, her eyes distant and filled with a faint sorrow.
Volume One: Huanxi Sha
Chapter One: Several plum trees exude a subtle, far-reaching fragrance.
As the first month of the lunar calendar draws to a close, plum blossoms are beginning to bloom on the slopes of Mount Dashu in Luzhou Prefecture, their subtle fragrance filling the air. Here, nestled against the mountain and beside the water, hundreds of plum trees are planted, their branches casting long shadows, their pink and green calyxes displaying their unique beauty.
As the new moon rose, the faint sound of a zither drifted from the depths of the forest, clear and melodious, flowing like clouds and water. The zither music carried on the breeze, reflecting the shadows of plum blossoms under the moon, making the place seem like a fairyland.
But just then, a sharp whistling sound pierced the tranquility, and with that sound, a figure rushed down from Mount Da Shu, heading straight for the direction from which the zither music came.
The music, however, continued, its notes ringing out, rising higher and higher. The swiftly approaching figure twirled his short knife, aiming to slice at the throat of the girl playing the zither. The girl didn't even raise her eyes, a slight, disdainful smile playing on her lips. At that moment, a long sleeve suddenly billowed from among the white plum blossoms beside the zither stand, causing the plum petals to tremble and swirl like swords, all shooting towards the figure.
The man leaped from the plum tree, his feet barely touching the ground, and in mid-air, his short sword flashed, slicing plum petals into tiny fragments. Before the petals could fall completely, a woman in palace attire flashed out, striking his chest and abdomen while he was defending. The man pressed his sword down, aiming for the woman's wrist. But the woman shrugged, closing in on him, and with a swift movement, seized the tip of his short sword between her fingers. The man felt a soft, yin force rushing upwards from the tip of the sword, and his arm instantly went numb, rendering him unable to move.
The woman in palace attire flicked her wrist, and the man involuntarily clutched his right arm, staggering back two steps. Leaning against a plum tree, he said, "Jiang Shuying, your disciple injured one of our men, and now you're fiercely protecting him. Are you deliberately trying to oppose my Bliss Valley?!"
The woman had delicately drawn eyebrows and light makeup, her upturned phoenix eyes sparkling with a gentle charm. She stepped forward gracefully, smiled at the tall, thin man before her, and said, "Yinxi Cottage has always been law-abiding; how could it have needlessly provoked the Valley of Bliss?" She then turned to those behind her and said, "Ruzheng, come here."
The girl in purple robes at the zither platform hurried forward, gazing at the woman with eyes as bright as morning stars, and said, "Master, the Valley of Bliss truly is the one who falsely accuses first!"
Jiang Shuying put her arm around her waist and gently pushed her forward, saying, "This uninvited guest is the envoy from Bliss Valley. You can speak to him yourself."
The girl raised her arched eyebrows and chin, saying to the man, "Didn't you just try to assassinate me? Now that I'm right in front of you, how about we have another match?"
The man sneered, brandishing his short sword and pointing it at the girl, saying, "Yue Ruzheng, don't act like a scoundrel! Last month you injured two of my nephews, yet you're still here roaming freely. Are you going to do whatever you want just because Jiang Shuying is your master?"
Yue Ruzheng curled her lip and said, "If you're afraid to compete, just say so. What excuse do you need? What happened last month? It was clearly your people who slandered my master behind my back first, so I had to teach them a lesson!"
"In any case, to sum it up in one sentence, Jiang Shuying, if you don't want us to raze Yinxi Xiaozhu to the ground, you'd better personally come to Jile
……
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
Chapter 130
Chapter 131
Chapter 132
Chapter 133
Chapter 134
Chapter 135
Chapter 136
Chapter 137
Chapter 138
Chapter 139
Chapter 140
Chapter 141
Chapter 142
Chapter 143
Chapter 144
Chapter 145
Chapter 146
Chapter 147
Chapter 148
Chapter 149
Chapter 150
Chapter 151
Chapter 152
Chapter 153
Chapter 154
Chapter 155
Chapter 156
Chapter 157
Chapter 158
Chapter 159
Chapter 160
Chapter 161
Chapter 162
