The Man of Destiny, Part Three
When Xiang Yu came to her senses, she had already followed Xiang Wu all the way to the outside of the Three Star Cave, but Xiang Wu had already disappeared.
The cave was no longer covered by vines, and faint light and the sound of flowing water could be heard coming from inside.
Xiang Yu subconsciously walked in. Stepping across the noisy stream, holding onto the artificial rocks along the way, she walked deeper into the cave.
"Is there no elephant?" A weak voice came from ahead.
Wu Nian sat with his back against the huge black stone tablet, the scroll he was holding tightly in his hand was soaked with blood.
Xiangyu stumbled and staggered toward Wunian.
"Jade." A look of disappointment involuntarily appeared on Wu Nian's tired face.
The strong smell of blood rushed straight to Xiang Yu's crown, and not far from Wu Nian, he suddenly knelt down and vomited.
Wu Nian looked at Xiang Yu, who was kneeling down and vomiting incessantly, and wanted to reach out his hand, but only his fingers moved.
Suppressing her dizziness and nausea, Xiangyu crawled over her own vomit. What used to be a short distance now felt like an insurmountable chasm.
"Master, hold on, I'll heal you." Xiangyu, covered in sweat, grabbed Wunian's wrist, panting heavily, and then suddenly vomited again.
“Yes, this is fate,” Wu Nian murmured.
A warm current began to flow continuously into Xiangyu's body.
"What are you doing!" Xiangyu was flustered, even a little hysterical.
"Quiet," Wu Nian said weakly. "I don't have much time left."
Tears welled up with the sound of the stream, and Xiangyu opened her mouth wide but could no longer make a sound.
"I've protected it. The late emperor's edict." Wu Nian murmured intermittently, "You must protect Xiang Wu well, and take this edict with you..."
The sound of the stream finally drowned out Wu Nian's words of instruction.
~
Wang Boyu placed Xiang Wuping on the bed and then quietly left the room.
"What do you plan to do with these two young monks?"
"Deal with him?" Pei Jiangxi thought for a moment, then stared at Han Yizhi with some vigilance and said, "Xiang Wu will be our partner in the future, so we can't have any bad intentions."
"partner?"
"That's right."
"Is that tall, thin little monk also one of our companions?"
“He is not,” Pei Jiangxi replied without hesitation.
Han Yizhi looked suspicious: "Then why did you send him to Samsung Cave?"
"Although he is not our partner, he is Xiang Wu's senior brother."
"I still don't understand what you're trying to do?" Han Yizhi shook his head. "If we kill the old monk, aren't you afraid that his fellow disciples will seek revenge on you in the future?"
“No,” Pei Jiangxi shook her head: “They will soon be in trouble themselves, and their grief will only be temporary.”
“It’s not just them,” Pei Jiangxi added, “many people are about to be in dire straits themselves.”
"What trouble could an innocent young monk possibly cause even if he obtained the late emperor's edict?"
Pei Jiangxi did not answer directly. As if she had remembered something, she said, "Speaking of which, I have something to entrust to you."
~
For several days in a row, Xiang Wu did not see Xiang Yu again, nor did his master return.
He couldn't remember how he fell asleep that day, or how his senior brother brought him back to his room. The temperature that day was frighteningly low; when Xiang Wu got up, the entire room was covered with a thin layer of frost, and Xiang Wu caught a cold as a result.
At least Xiang Wu felt that he had caught a cold.
Even though Xiang Wu brought out the stove early, it didn't seem to make much of a difference. A chill from the inside out, along with a pathological cough and runny nose, left Xiang Wu somewhat exhausted.
The temple has become increasingly lively these past few days. It's full of chivalrous heroes from reputable sects who have come to search for the Three Star Cave in the mountains and have stopped here to rest when they arrive at the temple.
Among the heroes were many skilled in medicine, and thanks to them, Xiang Wu was able to take several doses of medicine. Although he didn't seem to see any improvement after taking it, Xiang Wu was still sincerely grateful to the heroine who gave him the medicine.
Even so, Xiang Wu had no intention of telling them the location of the Three Star Cave. He simply watched them set off every morning, full of energy, and return to the temple every evening, looking exhausted.
Xiang Wu now has much less of a burden to bear when lying.
"This cold is already a punishment that Buddha has given me," Xiang Wu thought to himself, curling up by the small stove.
Another group of people left the temple today.
"If we can't find it, it might just be a rumor. We can't stay here any longer."
"Yes, senior sister."
The girls' voices came from outside the door again, but Xiang Wu didn't hear the most familiar voice.
Xiang Wu peeked out and, sure enough, Miss Lin hadn't returned with her fellow disciples today. Xiang Wu then quietly withdrew his head.
A moment later, the girls came in.
"The heroine is back," Xiang Wu sniffed and said, "The vegetarian meal is ready. Please come and eat, or it will get cold."
"Thank you, young master."
After thanking Xiang Wu, the group surrounded the girl at the head of the group and made a ruckus as they headed towards the backyard.
The clear, melodious laughter of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl had just faded into the distance, and the silence lasted only a moment before a rustling sound began to echo in the courtyard again.
The elephant stopped peeking out.
It's raining.
For days, no one had cleaned the yard, and it was piled high with fallen leaves. Fine raindrops pattered on the lifeless leaves, and the withered, yellowed leaves seemed to come alive again.
A unique scent of rainy days began to rise like the tide, crossing the empty courtyard and surging into Xiang Wu's arms wave after wave.
Xiang Wu retreated back behind the door, resting his hands on the stove, greedily absorbing the heat emanating from the flames.
A light, solitary footstep crossed the courtyard. It carefully stepped over the wide threshold without stepping on it.
"Little monk!" the girl called out cheerfully.
"Miss Lin is back." Xiang Wu tucked his feet under the small stool, straightened his back, and looked up at Lin Zhenna.
Nana took out a paper packet from her bosom, patted off the few water droplets on it, and then the water droplets that had fallen from her hair dripped onto it again.
Xiang Wu stared blankly at Lin Zhenna's slightly damp cheeks, her round face covered in what looked like rain or sweat.
"Here you go," Nana said with a smile, handing the paper package to Xiang Wu. "This is the last dose of medicine."
A bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating the world with a white light.
The Buddha statue, as always, stood with its palms clasped and a gentle smile, gazing at the two people seated below. The Buddha looked at Nana, one eye reflecting lightning, the other candlelight.
Are you leaving?
Elephant stood up from the stool and reached out his hand to Nana.
Suddenly, a deafening clap of thunder seemed to explode right above their heads. The candlelight flickered violently, and the sound of a porcelain bowl shattering echoed from the backyard, followed by a woman's startled cry.
Nana was startled and nearly bumped into the furnace. Xiang Wu grabbed Nana's wrist and pulled her closer to the Buddha statue. Their figures merged in the firelight, flickering on the wall with the vibrating flames.
"Are you alright, Miss Lin?" Xiang Wu quickly checked Lin Zhenna's skirt, worried that the stove had burned her legs.
"It's okay, it's okay." Nana stuffed the paper package into Xiang Wu's hand and said, "You shouldn't stay here either. The draft is blowing all day long. When will you ever get better?"
“Okay, okay,” Xiang Wu stepped back and replied repeatedly.
~
The two parted ways and walked in opposite directions.
Perhaps because of running all the way, Nana felt her body getting hot, and her cheeks felt warm.
After taking only a few steps, Nana remembered that there was still one crucial thing she hadn't told Xiang Wu.
After pausing for a moment, Nana thought again, "Never mind, I'll ask him when I leave. I'm exhausted from all this today."
He took a few more steps.
"Miss Lin," Xiang Wu called from behind, "Are you leaving?"
Nana turned around, looked at Xiang Wu, and said, "Yes."
silence.
"Do you want to come down the mountain with us?" Nana asked.
Suddenly, Nana felt something was amiss and said, "What I mean is, come down the mountain with me and find a clinic."
"Um."
"Shall we go together?"
“I will not go down the mountain,” Xiang Wu said. “I will wait for my master and my senior brother.”
"Then what are you 'uh'ing about?" Nana rolled her eyes and said, "If I leave, no one will get your medicine."
Nana fled towards the dining hall as if she were escaping.
Xiang Wu stood still, looked down at the paper package in his hand, and then looked up at Nana, who was gradually moving away.
"It's going to rain today," Xiang Wu said to himself.
~
Night had not yet fallen, and only the owl stared wide-eyed into the darkness.
The murmurs of voices drifted through the woods, but even a gentle breeze could shatter them, drowning them out in the night.
Before the tomb, the man sat cross-legged on the ground, sometimes chanting scriptures with his palms together, sometimes covering his face and weeping.
Xiang Yu's fluctuating emotions seemed to spread rapidly through the woods.
"I have received the Mandate of Heaven for eleven years, and with a heart full of worries and anxieties, I have worked diligently day and night to benefit the people. Alas, calamity has arisen from within the palace walls, and the people are suffering terribly. The eldest prince, Shi; the second prince, Shuang; and the third prince, Wang, have perished on the battlefield, and the great cause is lost. The fourth prince, Yu, is still young and has been entrusted to General Huo Jin. He has been living in seclusion in the countryside for ten years, enduring hardship and humiliation. If the heir is capable, assist him; if he is incompetent, Your Majesty may take the throne yourself, so that the state may be restored to order."
The silk scroll was unfolded and placed next to Xiang Yu.
Gradually, the moonlight dimmed, and birds, hidden somewhere among the leaves, began to sing. Sunlight pierced through the gaps in the leaves, like a thousand swords unleashed, thrusting straight into the earth.
"Hey, little master."
Xiangyu turned her head, her face still wet with tears.
The thousands of beams of light coming from the sky outlined a slender figure.
The girl took off her straw hat and looked at Xiang Yu, completely unaware that a strand of hair had gotten onto the corner of her mouth. Sweat dripped from her temples, the droplets swirling in the air before falling, the sunlight refracting through them like sparkling diamonds.
The last tear fell onto Xiangyu's hand. Looking at the scattered specks of light, Xiangyu suddenly came to her senses:
It turns out the night was over.
~
"If I had known that the master from Xinyuan Temple had already arrived at Xieyue Mountain, I wouldn't have come," Pei Jiangxi said, seemingly complaining.
Xiangyu knew that the girl in front of him had mistaken him for someone from Xinyuan Temple.
"We finally managed to solve this maze in the forest, but it turns out someone was already trapped in it," Pei Jiangxi said. "So, Master, you've already obtained the item from the Three Star Cave, haven't you?"
“There are many caves in these mountains, but I don’t know which one is the Three Star Cave that you mentioned.”
"really?"
"Monks do not lie."
Xiang Yu carefully put away the wooden box and scroll beside him. The wooden box was rather rough, and the exquisite scroll seemed somewhat out of place.
A series of explosions echoed through the valley.
Pei Jiangxi looked in the direction of the sound and said, "It's widely rumored among the beggars that there's a treasure in this cave that can control the world. Once that treasure is obtained, even Xinyuan Temple can become the Beggars' Sect's backyard."
Xiang Yu raised an eyebrow.
“The formation in the forest has been forcibly broken,” Pei Jiangxi said. “Soon, everyone will be pouring in in droves.”
"Master, why not lend me a hand?" Pei Jiangxi looked earnestly at Xiang Yu and said, "If you find this treasure, I will share half of the world with you."
As the explosions gradually subsided, it was as if some barrier had been broken, and the usually quiet mountain area suddenly became noisy.
Xiang Yu suddenly became somewhat agitated.
"Master, are you going up the mountain or down?" Pei Jiangxi asked slowly and gently.
Xiangyu felt as if the hairs on her body had been smoothed out by the stream.
Looking at the girl in front of him who was a head shorter than him, Xiang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "The four elements in the body each have their own name, but none of them are 'me'. Since I am nothing, it is like an illusion."
Xiang Yu looked down the mountain, and hadn't gone far when she suddenly heard Pei Jiangxi shout from behind:
"etc."
Turning around, Pei Jiangxi had already run up to him. She stood on tiptoe, placed the bamboo hat on his head, and said:
"Here, take this. Don't let them see your face."
Xiang Yu stared into Pei Jiangxi's dark eyes for a full two seconds.
“I grew up in these mountains since I was a child, and I am not a monk of Xinyuan Temple.” He pointed to a path to the side and said, “If you are looking for a cave, go up this way and there will be one not far away.”
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