He told her, "From now on, I will pick a cherry blossom for you every day and put it in a vase, for a hundred years."
She said, "We'll all be dead in a hundred years."
He said that when you are reincarnated, you must marry the person who puts flowers on your windowsill every day.
…………
Xuezhi gazed at the cherry blossom branch. Its branches were rugged like peaks, its petals as smooth as jade, and its fragrance filled the air. This was the cheapest gift she had received in years, yet it unexpectedly touched her heartstrings.
"Please thank Young Master Yu for me; I really like his gift."
She looked up at the riverbank, and Yu Chuzhi gracefully bowed to her.
She could only see his jawline. His skin was snow-white, as white as the white jade ring on his finger. Few men had such a complexion, and even those who were fair-skinned wouldn't have skin as flawlessly white as Yu Chuzhi.
Xuezhi subconsciously looked at her own hands, then at Yu Chuzhi's long, slender, and lean hands. After seeing them, she realized how childish and unnecessary her behavior had been.
"Where is the Great Protector?" Xuezhi turned around and asked Zhusha.
"The Great Protector and Haitang are still on the mountain. They said they would come down in a little while."
"Hmm." After saying that, Xuezhi glanced at the shore again subconsciously. The man in blue was still there, but Yu Chuzhi was nowhere to be seen.
Looking around, all that could be seen was an endless river and road. There were no bends, boats, or bushes.
Meanwhile, outside the Shaolin Temple, Mu Yuan leaned against the wall, waiting quietly.
Inside the temple.
People came and went, and the sounds of martial arts practice, bells, shouts, and wooden fish drums rose and fell. Inside the abbot's room, Shi Yan was meditating with his back to the main entrance, and Haitang stood behind him.
"Who sent you?" Shi Yan asked unhurriedly.
“It’s the Great…” Haitang thought for a moment, then added, “It’s the Palace Master.” Mu Yuan had instructed her at the door not to reveal her whereabouts.
"Please tell Palace Master Xue that as a monk, I do not make deals with women."
“Master Shiyan will definitely make this deal. Abbot, you might as well listen to his advice before making a decision.”
"Please speak."
"The abbot only needs to let Chonghuo Palace make two hundred moves at the Heroes' Gathering, and we can accomplish the thing the abbot most wants to achieve."
"Two hundred moves? Please leave, benefactor."
"The abbot is not without desires. Our palace master knows very well what you want most. Are you really not going to consider it?"
Shi Yan hesitated for a moment, a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead and sliding down the wrinkles around his eyes. He knew that Chong Xuezhi knew about his wish and had regretted saying it several times. But the thought of it possibly coming true made his heart race.
Shi Yan was silent for a moment before asking, "Who is it?"
When he asked this question, Shi Yan actually seemed a little reserved. Hai Tang had never seen him in such a perverted state before, and hearing this question still made her feel nauseous. However, she remained calm and smiled slightly at the old monk in the golden robe: "The one who will fight you at the Heroes' Assembly."
However, there are hundreds or even thousands of monks at Shaolin Temple. No one without a brain could possibly become the abbot.
"Palace Mistress Xue wants to use me to find out the young master's true identity, doesn't she? Please tell her to use a more sophisticated method."
Haitang sighed softly: "Alas, I originally thought that Master Shiyan was not afraid of anyone or anything, and I even thought that Master Shiyan was truly the best in the world, and that he didn't even dare to let Chonghuo Palace make two hundred moves."
Shi Yan sneered: "Provocation won't work on this old monk."
"I'm not trying to provoke the abbot, but just lamenting that there are no heroes in this era, and that only a nobody can become famous." Haitang sighed again, cupped her hands, and said, "I'll take my leave now."
She had only taken two steps when a yellow figure flashed in front of Haitang. His movements were so fast that she couldn't see him clearly, and he even startled her—if he wanted to kill her now, he wouldn't even have to lift a finger.
"This old monk will only give you two hundred moves."
"make a deal."
It was evening when Xuezhi returned to Chonghuo Palace. She threw the withered cherry blossom branches from the windowsill out the window—a habit she had maintained for many years. No matter how busy she was, she would never forget to replace the cherry blossom branches in the spring.
But the next day, she found a cherry blossom on her windowsill. She found it strange, but continued to throw away the branches the following night. On the third day, a new cherry blossom still stood quietly in the vase. She went out and told everyone not to change the flowers on the windowsill, but no one admitted it. Then, the fourth and fifth days passed the same way.
On the sixth day, Xuezhi didn't sleep a wink. She lay in bed without making a sound. But even when it was fully light, there was still no movement. When she finally couldn't resist getting up, she found that the flowers had been changed, but there was no one to be seen.
On the seventh day, she finally couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep. She had a dream. In the dream, the person who came to exchange the cherry blossom branches was Shangguan Tou, but he left after changing the flowers. Just as she was about to get up and catch up with him, she woke up again.
And this time she woke up very early. She had had this dream-like experience countless times before. Sitting up in melancholy and disappointment, she heard the rustling of clothes outside the window. She immediately got out of bed and saw Mu Yuan standing by the window, panting.
"Brother Mu Yuan... what are you doing here?"
177
Mu Yuan glanced at the cherry blossom branch, then at Xue Zhi, and said, "It's nothing." With that, he jumped off the windowsill.
An hour later, as usual, Mu Yuan brought Xue Zhi the medicinal soup, and unusually, he began to feed her by hand. Xue Zhi drank a few mouthfuls of the medicine but still coughed a little. Mu Yuan patted her back, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped himself.
Xuezhi smiled and said, "Actually, you're trying to tell me that you were the one who changed the cherry blossoms, right?"
Her skin almost glowed softly in the morning light, its pure white contrasting sharply with her deep black hair. Mu Yuan looked at her bloodless lips, frowned, but remained silent.
Xuezhi's eyes crinkled into a smile: "Thank you."
Suddenly, she felt a pang of sadness for no reason. She grabbed Mu Yuan's collar and, while he was still looking on in confusion, gently kissed his lips.
At the same instant, the medicinal soup in Mu Yuan's hand spilled onto the ground.
Before this, she knew nothing about his love life. But after this kiss, she kept secretly smiling to herself. Because, long after she kissed him, he seemed unsure how to respond.