Unnamed Flower
The surrounding space was collapsing; the thatched cottage and the grove of trees were dissolving like ink in a painting.
Wen Ya could only watch helplessly as the person in her arms disappeared, and then she saw the surroundings swaying as if she were in water. This was not normal. She belatedly realized that she had entered Wen Tianyan's dream.
Si Mucheng was also somewhat stunned. His mind was still reeling from the moment Wen Ya was in danger, how that old ancestor had no martial ethics and even unleashed a powerful attack before dying, and how he was both scared and angry. But he never expected that Wen Tianyan would take the fatal blow for them. This only relative of Wen Ya disappeared without even having a chance to say a word.
He saw the vulnerability on Wen Ya's face, a vulnerability he had never seen before, and his heart felt a pang. He knew that no amount of comfort would help at this moment.
In the blink of an eye, they found themselves in a strange space, blurry and rippling like water. They hadn't come out of the ancestor's dream at all, or perhaps they had entered another dream.
The outcome was obvious. Si Mucheng stopped worrying, suppressed his emotions, stepped forward, and helped Wen Ya up: "Xiao Ya... are you alright?"
Wen Ya was distraught. She stood up with the help of Si Mucheng, still somewhat dazed: "I... my grandfather..."
Wen Yongjie, who also witnessed Wen Tianyan's death, choked up with tears in his eyes and said, "Xiaoya, this must be Uncle's dream."
Wen Ya's first thought was that her grandfather's obsession ran so deep that he had become an evil spirit. Her second thought was about the Soul-Returning Lamp. Wen Tianyan had done so many things just to activate the Soul-Returning Lamp. In a sense, he had even thought of bringing the dead back to life. Such an obsession was indeed the thought of an evil spirit.
Her thoughts slowly returned, and she looked up at Wen Yongjie: "You've been with Grandpa for so long and done so much for him, you should know why he activated the Resurrection Lamp, right? Whom does he want to resurrect? Is his obsession related to this?"
Wen Yongjie silently wiped away his tears, and after a long silence, he said, "Uncle didn't explain in detail, but since this is his dream, then everything will have an answer."
Wen Ya knew that Wen Yongjie had been learning his craft at home since he was a teenager. Over the years, he had spent more time at home than she, his proper granddaughter, had. His relationship with Wen Tianyan was that of both teacher and father. He must have been very saddened by Wen Tianyan's passing.
He's right. The answers Wenya wants should all be found in her grandfather's dreams.
As if in response to her thoughts, the surrounding scenery changed, and suddenly a country lane appeared. However, the image flickered, making it feel unreal.
"This is... Xiqiao Village?" Si Mucheng frowned as he examined it. "It looks a little different. Is this the road leading into the village?"
“It’s definitely Xiqiao Village, but it’s Xiqiao Village from many years ago,” Wen Yongjie recognized it.
Wen Ya nodded, about to say something, when she saw a figure appear at the end of the path. The person was graceful and walked along the path. An auntie by the roadside saw the person and greeted her: "Tian Yan's family, coming to the village entrance again?"
The woman smiled gently: "Yes."
The older woman joked, "How many days has it been? Tianyan still hasn't returned!"
The woman pursed her lips: "When you wrote back last time, you said you'd be back in the next few days, but... a few days earlier or later, you'll be back soon anyway."
"That doesn't mean you have to wait at the village entrance every day!"
The woman shook her head, said nothing, and walked away on her own.
Wen Ya and the other two were in the middle of the path when the woman approached. Si Mucheng tensed up, several thoughts racing through his mind as he tried to come up with an excuse. But the woman acted as if she hadn't seen them and walked straight towards them. If Si Mucheng hadn't dodged quickly, she probably would have walked right through him. It was as if they were in a holographic projection world.
"She...she can't see us?" Si Mucheng asked in surprise.
Wen Ya frowned and said in a deep voice, "There's only one possibility: we are nothingness in the dream."
Wen Yongjie nodded: "This is... Uncle's revolving lantern."
"A revolving lantern?"
"Yes, although it's a dream of evil spirits, it only contains obsessions, not evil spirits that have lost their minds."
Those obsessions that trouble the soul, those desires that cannot be obtained, are all displayed in dreams, but without any aggression.
Wen Ya felt the heat in her eyes, like her grandfather, who had not lost his innocence as a soul exorcist.
The surrounding scenery continued to change, and soon they arrived at the village entrance. The woman gazed towards the end of the road. Although she remained silent, she possessed an air of gentleness and tranquility that set her apart from the villagers.
Wen Ya had a vague answer in her heart.
“She is…” Si Mucheng thought that the person who appeared here must be related to Wen Tianyan. From the style of dressing and the Xiqiao Village in the early years, he already knew the person’s identity.
Sure enough, Wen Ya answered, "It's Grandma." It was that young, enthusiastic, vibrant eldest daughter of the Jiang family, Jiang Weihua.
As soon as Wen Ya finished speaking, a tall figure appeared at the end of the path. Jiang Weihua, who was standing at the village entrance, recognized the person at a glance, her expression lively and her smile radiant. She quickly stepped forward and stood in front of the young man. She looked up at him, but only said softly and reservedly, "You're back."
Wen Ya saw that her eyes were full of light, love that could not be concealed, but the person she was looking at had a cold face and frowned when he saw her. Wen Ya finally met the young Wen Tianyan, who was even more arrogant and indifferent than Grandma Jiang had described.
He glanced at Jiang Weihua and said, "Didn't I tell you not to wait at the village entrance every time?"
"It's nothing!" Jiang Weihua just smiled. "Anyway, I had nothing to do at home, so I came to pick you up."
"Help your mother with chores whenever you have nothing to do." Wen Tianyan said this and walked towards the village on his own.
Jiang Weihua's face instantly fell, but she quickly recovered and ran forward to follow behind Wen Tianyan.
Wen Ya didn't understand love, and she didn't understand why Jiang Weihua was so humble. But watching from the side, she felt a little sorry for her. She even wanted to rush over and ask her young grandmother why she was so hung up on one person. Even if the other person was Wen Tianyan, a man who didn't care about her was not a good man.
But love is like an exam where you know all the right answers but still can't get a perfect score.
Ripples appeared on the water, and the scene changed.
They arrived at the Wen family's old house. Not much had changed, but some details showed that it was no longer as dilapidated as it had become later.
Here, Wen Ya saw an even more indifferent Wen Tianyan. He was aloof and superior, while Jiang Weihua was cautious and ingratiating. Wen Tianyan could have hot tea handed to him with a wave of his hand, and his clothes would be taken away, washed, and hung up as soon as he took them off. He was taken care of in every way and even provided with emotional support.
As Jiang Weihua once told the current old lady Jiang, Wen Tianyan was like an icicle under the eaves in winter, high and cold, impossible to warm up.
He always had a cold face, refusing to show any emotion, as if the person he shared a bed with was an exquisite vase, a fine Chinese painting, devoid of any feeling, placed there and ignored.
The scenes changed rapidly, like frames from a movie, but Wen Tianyan's face reminded Wen Ya that this was real. They witnessed Jiang Weihua's smiles becoming fewer and fewer, and the love in her eyes gradually fading.
For a moment, even Wen Yongjie didn't know what to say.
Wen Ya was very puzzled as to why, in the final moments of his life, Wen Tianyan was unable to let go of these memories. He clearly did not love Jiang Weihua, so why was Jiang Weihua the only one in his obsession?
Soon, the answer was given to her.
Jiang Weihua became increasingly silent in the Wen family. As a daughter-in-law, she took care of her parents-in-law's funeral arrangements and gave birth to Wen Ya's mother, thus becoming a mother herself. She fulfilled her duties as a wife, daughter-in-law, and mother to the best of her ability, but she seemed to be increasingly detached from her own life.
A flower needs nutrients; without nutrients, even if it blooms profusely, it will only be a fleeting moment.
Just as Grandma Jiang said, Jiang Weihua passed away when Wen Ya's mother was five years old. After her death, Wen Ya saw another side of her maternal grandfather.
Wen Tianyan was in great pain.
In the revolving lantern, Wen Ya saw Wen Tianyan secretly grieving in the room in front of Jiang Weihua all day long, holding her clothes and silently shedding tears.
She became puzzled. Her grandfather looked full of remorse, so he actually loved her grandmother. Why didn't he love her while she was alive, and only regretted it after she died?
Si Mucheng was also very puzzled, unsure whether he was asking himself or Wen Ya, "What does this mean? Why is your grandfather acting so affectionate? He was so cold before. Did he only realize he loved your grandmother after she died? How can that be... Of course, people should try their best to be together while they can..."
Wen Ya didn't understand, and of course, she didn't answer.
No one can provide the answer.
Finally, the scene shaky, the surroundings blur, and the water ripples. Si Mucheng feels as if he is standing in an underwater tunnel, dim yet shimmering, giving him the illusion of being in his mother's womb before birth, immersed in amniotic fluid, calm, warm, and incredibly safe.
This made him drowsy.
"Don't sleep." Wen Ya tapped his forehead. Si Mucheng turned his head and saw that Wen Yongjie was also trying to open his eyes. Knowing that he was not the only one who was dozing off, he felt relieved.
Wen Ya simply stared ahead, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.
Si Mucheng looked in the same direction and saw a figure ahead, but it was indistinct and unclear. He rubbed his eyes, but the vision remained blurry.
Wen Ya, on the other hand, seemed to recognize who the person was, and she slowly walked over. Si Mucheng was a little anxious, afraid that there was danger, but when he opened his mouth, he found that he could not make a sound, nor could he move.
Si Mucheng grew increasingly anxious, but could only watch helplessly as Wen Ya continued walking forward without stopping. However, as if sensing his anxiety, Wen Ya suddenly stopped, turned around, looked at him, and gave him a reassuring smile. Si Mucheng was stunned for a moment, then felt relieved, and then lost consciousness.
Wen Ya saw that Si Mucheng was staying put, but then turned around and continued walking forward. She could clearly see that the person waiting ahead was Wen Tianyan.
Having seen so many images of Wen Tianyan in his youth, the sight of the elderly Wen Tianyan, who resembled her grandfather in her memories, surprised her.
Wen Tianyan looked at her and smiled, "Xiaoya."
Wen Ya thought for a moment before saying, "Grandpa, is the person you want to revive with the Soul-Returning Lamp Grandma?"
Wen Tianyan paused for a moment before giving a nostalgic smile: "Yes, it was your maternal grandmother."
Wen Ya felt a surge of anger, and her face turned pale. Just as she was about to speak, Wen Tianyan continued, "Xiao Ya also wants to scold me, right? After Hua Mei died, Aunt Wang from the village scolded me. She said that I didn't cherish her when she was alive, and now that she's gone, I'm all miserable. She said I deserved it."
Wen Ya recognized this auntie; she was the same auntie who teased Jiang Weihua by the field in the first flashback scene. She had seen her in later flashback scenes as well. Auntie Wang had been observing the interactions between Wen Tianyan and Jiang Weihua, so after Jiang Weihua's death, she scolded Wen Tianyan.
"We should also thank her. If she hadn't scolded me awake, I wouldn't have cared for Xiaodie as much as your mother."
Wen Ya was silent for a moment. She couldn't understand, so she asked, "Grandpa, you actually have feelings for Grandma?"
Wen Tianyan knew she had seen his recurring image, and he simply said in an almost sighing voice, "It's all because I was too young back then."
How could he describe his life? Was it youthful arrogance, or overconfidence? Was he blind and delusional, or did he bring it all upon himself? After rambling on and on, it all boils down to one sentence: he brought it upon himself. He couldn't even understand his own heart, so how could he possibly dispel the obsessions of a ghost?
From the moment Wen Tianyan learned of his arranged marriage, he resisted, only forced to comply by his parents' wishes. His initial coldness towards Jiang Weihua stemmed from his displeasure—displeasure at the forced marriage, and displeasure that instead of relying on his own abilities to revitalize the Wen family, he was now being sacrificed in this marriage. This displeasure, of course, was directed at Jiang Weihua, his wife.
He was proud and arrogant, never looking down at Jiang Weihua's gaze upon him.
“One person’s passionate love can affect the person being loved,” Wen Tianyan said, lost in thought. “It’s not that I didn’t feel Hua Mei’s feelings, it’s just…”
However, they were already separated most of the time. When Wen Tianyan thought of Jiang Weihua from time to time while he was away, he vaguely realized the secret love in his heart. However, in the few times they met, he thought he had made some changes, such as pouring her a glass of water or bringing her a box of pastries.
But he did far too little. The changes he thought he brought were like tea poured into the sea, leaving no ripples compared to the daily erosion of Jiang Weihua's life. Jiang Weihua's heart had long since dried up.
"So you want to bring Grandma back to life?" Wen Ya interrupted him.
Wen Tianyan paused for a moment before nodding: "The death of your grandmother was a huge blow to me, so when I accidentally obtained a note about the Soul-Returning Lamp and learned that it had brought ghosts back to life, I had the idea of bringing Hua Mei back to life... I never expected that in the end, the whole thing of bringing ghosts back to life was just a pipe dream."
Wen Ya suddenly asked, "Did your grandmother have any lingering attachments when she passed away?"
Wen Tianyan understood what she meant, but her sudden question brought to the forefront something he had subconsciously avoided for so many years. He remained silent.
Wen Ya got the answer from his silence: "So, Grandma had no obsessions, and she died very decisively."
Few people die without regrets; the regrets in life can solidify into an unresolved obsession at the time of death. However, while no one attempted to resolve Jiang Weihua's obsession, it doesn't mean she died without regrets.
“She just lost heart, no longer attached to anything in this world. Those regrets made her feel that death wasn’t such a bad thing. Right?” Wen Ya calmly stated a fact, her eyes as sharp as knives. “And the person who made her lose heart was you, Grandpa.”
Wen Tianyan was speechless for a long time before finally letting out a bitter laugh: "You're right. Fortunately... fortunately the Soul-Returning Lamp didn't work, otherwise even if she were to return to life, seeing me would be very distressing... she wouldn't want to see me again at all..."
He had wondered why all the misfortunes had to befall him. After his wife's death, raising his daughter became his anchor. Just when he finally saw her get married and have children, he had to bury his child. Raising Wen Ya became his next anchor, and Wen Ya grew up well too. His final anchor was the desire to use the Resurrection Lamp to bring Jiang Weihua back to life. He thought that decades would pass in the blink of an eye, and if he could see her one more time, he would be at peace.
But it turned out she wasn't willing.
"Alright, alright. At least I can still protect you, so I'm not entirely useless." Wen Tianyan waved his hand and sighed. "But..."
But from then on, before and after his death, he was never able to say sorry to Hua Mei. He had let her down and caused her to waste her life.
“Xiaoya, I was wrong. If you meet someone you like in the future, please don’t be like your grandfather…” Wen Tianyan suddenly laughed. “You’ve always been a very perceptive child. You’re used to being independent, and you can live well without your grandfather. Your grandfather… won’t worry about you.” Although he said that, his wrinkled face still showed reluctance.
Wen Ya knew that she couldn't judge Wen Tianyan's right or wrong; after all, he would eventually leave. Wen Ya's eyes finally reddened, and she gazed deeply at him, whispering, "Grandpa, may you rest in peace."
Wen Tianyan smiled and waved his hand.
Suddenly, a gust of wind rose from the ground, and Wen Ya couldn't help but raise her hand to shield herself.
It seemed to last only a moment; the surrounding light flickered, and everything returned to calm.
Wen Ya heard the clear birdsong again, and the rustling of leaves in the breeze. She lowered her arms, looked around, and found herself in a valley.
They finally came out.
Si Mucheng felt as if he had been back in the valley in the blink of an eye. He stepped forward with joy and exclaimed, "Xiaoya! We're out!" Before he could say anything more, he heard a shout from the hillside: "Wenya! Nephew!"
Upon hearing this long-unheard address, Si Mucheng turned around abruptly, only to see Zhao Wentian, Shangguan Qin, and Jiang Shuo rushing down the hillside.
Si Mucheng stared in astonishment as they ran up to him, dumbfounded: "You... how did you get here?"
Zhao Wentian frowned as he examined the array on the ground: "I received a message from Wen Ya. What happened?"
Shangguan Qin sensed the traces of the talisman being used and raised an eyebrow, asking, "Is it resolved?"
Si Mucheng was speechless: "Why don't you just come and collect our bodies?"
Zhao Wentian was even more speechless: "I rushed over as soon as I received it, and even used the teleportation array at home. Who would have thought it would be resolved so quickly!"
“Exactly!” Shangguan Qin raised his chin. “If you can handle it yourself, why send me a message? It made me make a wasted trip.”
Si Mucheng: ...
Well, he forgot that the flow of time in dreams is different from that in reality. What felt like a lifetime had passed, in reality, was only three minutes.
Jiang Shuo saw Wen Yongjie kneeling and weeping beside Wen Tianyan's body not far from them. He looked at Wen Ya and said, "Wen Ya, he..."
The sound of sobbing reached their ears, and Zhao Wentian and Shangguan Qin noticed it as well. They exchanged glances, and Zhao Wentian, recognizing Wen Tianyan, asked, "Wen Ya, is he your maternal grandfather? What's he doing here? What happened?"
In Wen Tianyan's fleeting memories, Wen Ya had already accepted his passing, but seeing her loved one's body still left her slightly stunned.
Wen Xiaofeng, who had been standing to the side, strolled over as if wanting to keep Wen Ya company, nuzzling against her leg. Wen Ya suddenly felt calm. She looked up at the group of people and pursed her lips: "Thank you all for coming today. I'll tell you about today's events another time."
Shangguan Qin crossed his arms, looking disdainful: "Say it or don't, it's up to you." He paused, then changed the subject, "Anyway, I have nothing to do. Since I'm already here, I can stay a little longer."
Zhao Wentian nodded: "Since we're already here, you'll need someone to help you out."
Jiang Shuo stood there without saying a word, but showed no sign of leaving.
Wen Ya understood their intentions and said solemnly once again, "Thank you."
A breeze blew, the trees swayed, and suddenly sunlight streamed down from the mountaintop, illuminating the valley. Wen Ya couldn't help but look in the direction of the light, and the next moment, a tall figure shielded her from the sunlight. Si Mu Cheng looked at her against the light, the sunlight casting a shadow on him, making him appear fuzzy. Wen Ya couldn't see his expression, but she heard him whisper, "Don't be afraid, I'm here, we're all here."
Wen Ya was slightly stunned. Yes, she was no longer alone.
Her expression changed, but she managed a smile.
Regrets are common in life. We walk alone through life, gaining and losing. What we have now is worth celebrating.
It's time for them to embark on the next leg of their journey.
—End of text—
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