The old monk said, “Madam, you must think things through carefully. As the saying goes, think thrice before you act. Don’t do anything you’ll regret. This ‘adding fuel to the fire’ means you’ve probably encountered a problem, but your solution is wrong. If you continue recklessly, it might lead to an uncontrollable situation. It’s best to reflect on your actions and withdraw as soon as possible…”
Xiao Man left the Daxiangguo Temple, completely bewildered. Ze Xiu was waiting at the entrance, leading his horse. He leaned against the wall, his cheeks covered in dark stubble, his eyes filled with a deep black, seemingly utterly exhausted and suppressing his emotions. The setting sun cast a long, lonely shadow on the ground, motionless.
For some reason, she suddenly felt a dull ache in her heart.
The radiant and unrestrained Zexiu should not be like this.
She slowly walked over, and his thick eyelashes immediately fluttered. His peach blossom eyes were as deep as the night, and he smiled gently at her, saying, "Well, what's the fortune slip?"
She waved her hand casually, "It's a bad lot, but the old man said a lot of things that I didn't understand at all."
"You little rascal," he laughed. "It's getting dark. I'll take you somewhere."
She followed him and grabbed his sleeve, asking repeatedly, "What place?"
"I'm meeting an old friend of mine. He should be staying in Kaifeng this season. I haven't seen him in a long time, and I miss him."
He rubbed his eyes wearily; he hadn't slept well for many days.
Xiao Man asked softly, "Ze Xiu, are you very tired?"
He smiled and said, "No, some dust just got into my eyes."
Xiaoman stared at him intently: "You've been acting strange lately, so gentle it's sickening. What's wrong with you?"
Zexiu didn't speak, then she said again, "You're not usually like this, why are you acting so strangely now?"
He suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at her intently, then whispered, "Am I the strange one?"
Xiao Man suddenly felt a chill and couldn't utter a single word. Perhaps because her expression turned grim, Ze Xiu immediately came over and took her hand, saying with a wry smile, "I was just joking, um, isn't it better if I'm gentler? Or do you just like savage older men?"
Xiao Man finally smiled and pinched his hand: "Come on, you're so gentle, you don't believe a single compliment."
Chapter Fourteen of the Crimson Butterfly Scroll said I'd wait for you (Part Two)
Updated: 2008-10-21 14:36:29 Word Count: 3591
Second update.
Zexiu's friend lived in a very narrow alley with very high walls that seemed to block out even the stars in the sky.
But he said his friend was an astrologer, an astrologer who couldn't see the stars.
Deep in the alley, there was a small, dark door. Zexiu raised his hand and knocked on it three times. After a while, the door creaked open, and a fiery-looking man stood inside.
Yes, like fire, he was completely wrapped in a robe the color of flames, dazzling in the night. But his face was as pale as a ghost, and his long hair was disheveled and as black as ink.
He glanced at Zexiu with his long, narrow, handsome eyes, then at Xiaoman, and suddenly spoke in a very deep voice: "I knew you would come. Come in."
He turned and walked back, limping, looking very tired and weary. It was a pity that such a tall and imposing man was a cripple. Zexiu held Xiaoman's hand in one hand and Haoguai's hand in the other, and went through the small door. Behind the door, there was nothing but a dilapidated thatched hut. In the open space in front of the hut, a fire was burning, with a small pot on it, cooking something that smelled very good—the aroma of meat and wine.
The man sat before the fire, slowly stirring it with a branch. The firelight illuminated his face, revealing a vermilion beauty mark beneath his eye. His expression was sorrowful, as if burdened by a deep resentment and a weight that threatened to break its silence at any moment. Xiaoman sat quietly at a distance, hesitant to approach him. The man handed Zexiu a black wine pouch and whispered, "Drink." Zexiu accepted without hesitation, taking it and drinking half of it with gusto, smacking his lips. He smiled and said, "Good wine."
The man didn't speak, just kept his head down, poking at the fire, and the atmosphere remained stagnant. Neither of them seemed to care; they were used to it. Xiao Man was incredibly bored. She looked around, and finally couldn't help but cover her mouth and yawn.
Suddenly, someone grabbed her shoulder, startling her. A bewildered yet incredibly pleasant voice came from above her head: "Are you Xiao Kong?"
She hurriedly looked up and saw a woman with disheveled hair and dressed entirely in white standing behind her. She was extremely beautiful, like a lotus flower about to bloom, but her expression was extremely confused and helpless, her eyes were lifeless, and something seemed very wrong.
Xiao Man stood up, slightly avoiding her hand, and whispered, "I...I'm not Xiao Kong..."
The woman looked at her helplessly: "Where is Xiao Kong?"
How would she know who Xiao Kong was! Was this woman crazy? Xiao Man took two steps back, but the woman ignored her and walked towards the fire. Staring blankly at Ze Xiu, she called out, "Where's Xiao Kong?"
Zexiu didn't speak, but glanced at the man. After a while, she said softly, "She... is still the same as before."
The man took a sip of his drink. The woman then began to cry out again, "Where's Xiao Kong? Where is Xiao Kong?! I want Xiao Kong!"
He tossed the wine bag aside and said calmly, "I am Xiao Kong, and I am here."
The woman glared at him: "You're not. You're lying."
Xiao Kong said calmly, "I'm not lying, I am Xiao Kong."
"You're not! I want Xiao Kong!"
"I'm Xiao Kong!" He stood up, grabbed her arm, and walked towards the thatched hut. "Have you made enough of a scene?! Be quiet!"
She was thrown into the house, and seemed to cry out a few more times, but then there was no sound. Xiaoman felt a chill run down her spine, but Zexiu patted her shoulder: "Don't worry about it, it's the same as always."
She nodded and said, "Hmm... Your friend's name is Xiao Kong? Is that... his wife?"
Zexiu neither shook his head nor nodded. After a while, he simply said, "She's a madwoman."
Xiao Kong returned quickly, still with that same sorrowful expression, and said calmly, "Come with me."
He turned and limped around the thatched house, with Zexiu pulling on Xiaoman's sleeve and following behind. Behind the thatched house was a set of steps leading to a high wall, with a small platform on top.
Xiao Kong sat on the platform, looking up at the sky. The sky was full of stars, with no obstructions. It turned out that he really was a stargazer, observing the stars from here.
“Someone is going to die tonight,” he suddenly said. “Someone related to you.”
Zexiu's brow twitched: "Who?"
"That huge black star weighing on my heart," he said softly. "Its light has dimmed, and it will surely fall before dawn." Zexiu fell silent. After a long while, he leaned against the wall and looked up at the sky with him.
"Although you have long since left him, he still haunts your heart. Stars may fall from the sky, but the stars in your heart may not fall."
Zexiu smiled and pressed his hand to his chest: "No, it has already fallen."
Xiao Kong added, "The family's momentum is almost over."
Zexiu nodded: "Alright, it's time to end this."
Xiao Kong remained silent for a long time, then suddenly whispered, "Your star is in pain."
He still smiled.
"But you are you, and she is she. Pointless changes, deliberate pretense, forced gentleness—all are meaningless. Don't let her overshadow you, and don't let her overshadow you either."
Xiaoman didn't understand a word. Although she yawned very quietly, Zexiu still heard her and said, "Go to sleep. Go to your room."
There was a crazy woman in the house! She hesitated for a moment, but out of politeness, she went downstairs anyway. Inside, she saw the woman asleep on a simple bamboo bed. The room was empty, with only the bed. Xiaoman pulled up a chair, leaned against it, and finally, overcome with sleep, slowly drifted off to sleep.
Zexiu crossed his arms, stared at the incomprehensible starry sky, and remained silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Xiao Kong suddenly moved, clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and whispered, "The dead are gone, gone to the afterlife." Ze Xiu was startled, but then saw him point to a dark spot on the horizon and say, "His light has disappeared; he is dead."
Zexiu took a deep breath, nodded silently, rummaged in his pocket for a while, took out a piece of snow-white silk, and tied it around his arm: "No matter what, we still have to wear mourning clothes."
"Be careful, he was murdered, and the cover-up will come your way."
Zexiu chuckled lightly, "What have I ever been afraid of?"
"That girl."
Zexiu waved his hand, not wanting to discuss the matter: "Xiaokong, can't you still see yourself and her star?"
Xiao Kong nodded: "Seeing it might not be a good thing. If we know everything that will happen in the future, what's the point of living?"
Zexiu got up, stretched, and laughed, "Alright, although it's rare to see you, I'm exhausted. Is there a bed I can sleep on?"
He pointed to the platform: "Only here."
Zexiu gave a wry smile and could only lie down on the platform, wrapping his body in the cloak. He closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when he suddenly heard him say again, "Go find your master for your problem. He can help you."
“Master…how do I know if he is in Tianshan or West Lake right now?”
"Taihua Mountain, take your girl to find him, and your problem will be solved."
Zexiu didn't say anything.
He didn't know how many disciples his master had taken in his lifetime; he only knew Xiao Kong. His disciples didn't interact with each other, and didn't even address each other as fellow disciples. They each taught different skills. He was taught swordsmanship and became invincible, while Xiao Kong learned stargazing and had naturally gifted eyesight.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, she vaguely heard Xiao Kong's heavy footsteps. Ze Xiu closed her eyes and whispered, "Are we leaving Kaifeng so soon?"
Xiao Kong answered something, but he was too sleepy to hear clearly, and then he couldn't hear anything at all.
It felt like someone was gently touching his face, their fingers slender and soft. The feeling was so comfortable that he didn't want to open his eyes and wake up. He wanted her to keep touching him like that and sleep a little longer.
But his chin quickly felt the sharp, cold blade. Ze Xiu reacted almost instinctively, opening his eyes and grabbing the hand. He twisted her arm and forcefully subdued the person to the ground. Xiao Man screamed in pain, "My hand! My hand is going to break!"
Zexiu was somewhat taken aback and quickly released her. A dagger fell to the ground beside her, still covered in stubble. Xiaoman got up, feeling wronged, rubbing her wrist which was almost crushed, and said in a low voice, "I was just shaving you, did you have to be so rough?"
Zexiu was both amused and exasperated. It turned out that she was shaving him by placing the blade on his chin. He gently squeezed her thin arm and said softly, "Sorry, I'm very alert when I'm asleep."
Xiao Man shook her arm, picked up the dagger and pressed it down again, saying, "Alright, I know you're a great hero who doesn't let anyone get close. But a great hero can't have a full beard and look like an old man. Don't move, it'll be done soon."
Zexiu smiled and obediently waited for her to shave. Xiaoman washed her hands and dagger in the hot water basin and said, "Your friend left before dawn with...his wife. I asked them where they were going, but he didn't say anything. He just told us to take care. How strange. I thought this was his home."
"Xiao Kong has no home and wanders around all year round, only staying here for a few days a year. It's quite a coincidence that I was able to meet him this time."
Xiao Man wiped his chin clean with a towel and laughed, "Oh, isn't our hero Ze Xiu the same? He wanders all year round, and every place is home."
Suddenly noticing the white silk ribbon tied to his arm, she was taken aback: "What's this for?"
Zexiu shrugged: "Wearing mourning clothes is a pity. To be honest, I should wear mourning clothes."
"Who died?" Xiao Man looked at him in surprise.
"My father."
Good heavens, is he clairvoyant or clairaudient? How could he know his father died from a thousand miles away?