Chapter 122 When the Flowers Bloom, she says, "I also love you."
After being reprimanded, Shen Lixia stopped being reckless and stopped acting out of spite. She regularly consulted with Qiao Yanshen and practiced together, finally making steady progress.
One day, when they were in the same room, Qiao Yanshen raised an eyebrow and was about to say something with a smile when she interrupted, "I won't lose my temper anymore. I like you, I like you so much, don't ask. Senior Sister can think whatever she wants about me, but it would be best if she liked me too."
A blatant demand is more reassuring than a subtle pleading. Qiao Yanshen didn't answer her, so she moved closer, tilted her head to touch noses with his, and knowing she wouldn't be pushed away, she rubbed her forehead against his.
"I like you the most." The boy's eyes were full of tenderness, but the next moment he pursed his lips, as if he was not feeling well, and reached behind his back.
Qiao Yanshen asked, "What's wrong?"
Shen Lixia frowned. "My back hurts a little." It had been there for more than a day or two, but the pain was much sharper now, catching her off guard.
"Turn around so I can see." Qiao Yanshen moved closer, and after Shen Lixia turned around, he placed his hand on her back, first squeezing her shoulder, "Here?"
“No,” Shen Lixia said, “a little lower.”
So she stroked downwards, her soft palms covering her shoulder blades, pressing firmly. The calluses on her fingertips were clearly felt through the fabric, causing the warm skin beneath to tremble uncontrollably, as if shrinking back.
“…It’s this.” Shen Lixia whispered.
Qiao Yanshen gently massaged her for a few moments, asking her if she liked to sleep on the table and if she would stand up and move around after sitting for a long time. Shen Lixia answered "no" to each question, as if being nagged by her mother, and sighed helplessly.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," she said in a muffled voice. Her back felt tight and swollen, as if blood had been stagnant for too long, but after Qiao Yanshen massaged it so skillfully, it relaxed and felt tingly.
Qiao Yanshen withdrew his hand and nodded, "If it hurts again in the future, we'll buy some ointment."
"It smells awful." Shen Lixia said with a pained expression. "Can't I rub it like this from now on?"
“Illnesses are all caused by neglect.” Qiao Yanshen tapped her forehead. “It’s not good to have back pain at such a young age. Rheumatism and inflammation are both quite painful.”
Out of interest, she learned some simple traditional Chinese medicine techniques from her mother, and she could actually explain them quite well.
"How could someone who cultivates immortality have these kinds of problems?" Shen Lixia thought to herself, but she really didn't understand what was causing this strange pain in her back.
For both archers and swordsmen, back pain is like tendonitis for painters—absolutely unacceptable.
After that day, the lingering pain seemed to subside a bit, like an endless rain, sometimes heavy and sometimes light.
After the initial light snowfall, there was no white for a long time, as if the light snow had been forgotten. It wasn't until late December that snowflakes began to fall again.
At this time, the temple seemed quiet, but the students had already begun preparing for the New Year: those in the temple were putting up couplets, making cured meat, and hanging lanterns; those not in the temple were hurrying back to the temple, bringing back a lot of things in a lively manner.
Considering that she was still in seclusion, Shen Lixia and Qiao Yanshen agreed that they would go to Yan Xueya on the 28th to celebrate the New Year early and would not participate in the activities of their fellow disciples.
After they found out where Yan Xueya would be staying during this time, they earnestly pleaded with the other three immortals to delay Yan Xueya's return on that day and not let her come back too early.
“Of course, it’s a good way to distract her and prevent her from dwelling on the past.” Ruan Luoying nodded, and the others had no objections either.
At dawn on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, the surroundings were as dark as the sea. Two figures entered Maoyue Valley, found the ancient courtyard, and slipped inside. The lights came on, becoming the only beam of light in the long, silent night, like a small boat on the sea, swaying and tossing in the waves.
Shen Lixia was surprised to find the stove spotless, as if it had been cleaned every day. Qiao Yanshen already understood the reason. He ran his fingertips over the stove; it was spotless, but it had been cold for too long, and not a trace of warmth remained.
"Are you going to make dumplings?" Qiao Yanshen asked after taking out the flour, mutton and other ingredients.
"Pack it up and keep it ready; we can't do without it for the New Year's Eve dinner. What does Senior Sister like to eat?"
"I'm fine with either."
After a moment's thought, Shen Lixia said, "I know, chopped chili fish head?" Then she named a few more spicy dishes.
"How about we have hot pot? A half-and-half pot." Qiao Yanshen hesitated, but finally chose the one he ate most often. "You won't have to make much."
Shen Lixia smiled and said, "It's alright, the whole night is plenty of time, you can do it all. Then I'll trouble Senior Sister to hang up the lanterns, and you can write the couplets too?"
Seeing that she was in high spirits, Qiao Yanshen stopped refusing, nodded and said okay before leaving.
She wrote both couplets, and the horizontal scroll in the middle could be given to the master. I originally wanted to ask Shen Lixia to write one as well, but my junior sister's calligraphy skills are not yet perfect, so I decided not to trouble her.
The wind and snow were quiet and still, gradually subsiding as dawn broke. Thinking back, my mother rarely ate family meals with me; she was always nowhere to be seen. Perhaps this was the first time we'd had such a lively gathering, and even though it was just the three of us, it filled me with anticipation.
Yan Xueya didn't return until dawn. Winter days are short, and a few stars still twinkled in the dim light, as if guiding her home. She paused when she saw the light inside the house, just as a breeze swept by.
Ding-a-ling, ding-a-ling.
The jade pendant hanging from the bright red sword tassel struck the branch, making a crisp sound. Yan Xueya came back to her senses, guessed who was in the room, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
She's dreaming again.
It's time to wake up from the dream. Since the old friend has not returned, let's stop holding onto hopeless expectations.
A thick aroma of cooking wafted out, and the valley in the month of Maoyue was no longer quiet; even the wind and snow seemed to carry a hint of warmth. Dinner was served at Chenshi (7-9 AM), and since it was inappropriate to drink alcohol in the morning, it was reserved for the evening. Tea was served first, and toasts were exchanged frequently between the clinking of glasses. After the meal, Yan Xueya went to his desk, picked up his brush, and wrote the four characters "万象更新" (meaning "All things are renewed"), which he then pasted on the door.
The firecrackers exploded, awakening everything in the valley.
The two of them stayed the day to accompany their master, and after breakfast they planned to stay until dinner, refusing to leave the house. The snow outside had stopped a bit, and the sunlight was just right. Shen Lixia diligently cut oranges and arranged them on a plate, placing a small ball of fine salt next to them.
Orange leaves dipped in fresh snow resemble hope breaking through a shell, and the rising sun slowly emerges from the snow, sweeping away all that is old and worn.
There is ample time.
The sweet juice cleansed the palate, and the aroma of burning charcoal was comforting. Shen Lixia fiddled with the fire tongs for a moment, then added a few oranges and potatoes to simmer. Qiao Yanshen had never seen this way of eating before and couldn't help but ask, "Can oranges be cooked in hot broth?"
Shen Lixia nodded affirmatively, "It's delicious, it'll have a slightly charred aroma."
Sitting around the charcoal fire, chatting idly, Yan Xueya suddenly said she would teach them to sing. The woman's voice was deep and steady, with a strong voice. In terms of music, other sounds were like flesh and skin, while her voice was the skeleton, powerfully supporting the melody.
In the vast snowstorm, only such a sound can penetrate the snowfield and express burning passion.
But she didn't teach those bold and unrestrained songs; instead, she taught an extremely gentle melody, a soft whisper under the bright firelight in a tent covered with tarpaulin, the perfect warmth and tenderness of the embers after the fire was extinguished at night.
Shen Lixia learned it quickly.
Her musical talent surpassed even that of those who had practiced music. After Yan Xueya sang it once, she began to hum along with remarkable skill: "Like a female eagle flapping its wings, like waves crashing against the riverbank..."
The two then began to exchange lines, one after another. Qiao Yanshen sat beside them, peeling a hot roasted orange and listening with a smile. She was a little reserved and reluctant to speak, so Yan Xueya didn't force her. Just as she had taught Qiao Yanshen sword dancing, she was now teaching this song to Shen Lixia.
Someone let slip that Tang Huairou and several of her junior sisters came to visit in the afternoon and took several roasted oranges. Lu Changqing grumbled that her senior sisters were so stingy, secretly celebrating their New Year's Eve alone, and that she didn't like them anymore. Qiao Yanshen ruffled her hair and smiled, saying that they would definitely celebrate together next time.
“It’s a deal, otherwise I’ll never speak to my senior sisters again,” Lu Changqing said.
This is very serious.
Qiao Yanshen nodded and said seriously, "It's a deal."
As night fell, the wine cups were filled to the brim, and the warm wine emitted a fragrant aroma.
They drank cup after cup, and one of the three, whose alcohol tolerance was average, began to feel dizzy first. Yan Xueya and Qiao Yanshen drank a few more cups, and seeing that Shen Lixia could no longer speak, they put down their cups and said, "You should go back."
Qiao Yanshen was also somewhat tipsy, her ears already bright red. She gently set down her wine cup, nodded, and helped Shen Lixia up.
As I reached the door, a woman's gentle voice came from behind me:
"Thank you all. This year is not lonely at all. I have a very happy year."
Qiao Yanshen paused, a slight smile playing on his lips, and replied, "From now on, we will also celebrate the New Year with Master."
-
The snow has started falling again.
Qiao Yanshen eventually brought Shen Lixia back to the courtyard. She was also a little drunk; the chilly wind couldn't dispel the effects of the alcohol, but instead warmed her body, making her fever rise even higher.
Moreover, she tidied up the bedroom where Shen Lixia used to sleep every day. Every day it was spotless, and it was obvious at a glance who she was keeping it for.
Unfortunately, that person was ungrateful, never having seen or known that Qiao Yanshen also missed her.
After the boy fell asleep, Qiao Yanshen was still wide awake. He walked into the courtyard and couldn't help but look at the flowering tree again. Its bare branches wouldn't bloom until spring, and even after more than a month, it still wouldn't blossom.
She planted this seed, made this promise, and now she always looks at it as if she feels that under her gaze, this tree will be nourished by heavy hopes and bloom earlier than its kind.
After all, that's what her mother expected of her. Even before she could call someone "Mommy" as a child, she learned to navigate the city's towering buildings and find her way home perfectly. All her memories, good or bad, depended on a woman's whims, but she also tasted the warmth within them, and throughout her life, she understood and appreciated her mother's subtle yet tender love.
This love was too subtle, and she learned to do something similar, carefully weighing her words, restraining her expression, going around in circles, preferring to say "I hope you're happy" rather than "I want you to be happy."
Everything around her was blurred. She could only see the trees in front of her, and further away, the faint light of blooming flowers; beyond that, there was only darkness. In the distant sky, someone was celebrating the early New Year, setting off fireworks.
The world is like water, moon, mist, and flowers, full of uncertainties and vastness. If we don't see it clearly, perhaps we won't have to face it.
She breathed softly, the snow shimmering with a cold light, her breath creating a misty haze. The intoxication seemed to touch a chord, causing many forgotten memories to resonate like musical notes. Qiao Yanshen recalled that when she was about a teenager, her mother took her to a fortune teller. The fortune teller pondered for a long time before finally saying:
"She will live a carefree life, except for falling in love. For her, the word 'love' is a great curse."
Her mother's expression at that moment was subtle, unlike anything she had ever seen before. It was as if she had already foreseen the outcome. She looked at her deeply, revealing vulnerability for the first time, and held her in her arms.
At first, she thought her mother was grieving that she had never been able to form close relationships with anyone in her life, but now it seemed more like she was grieving that she would repeat the same mistake. But how did her mother know that she was Luo Yang in her past life, and how did she know that Luo Yang died from love, and not from some other reason?
He had indeed fallen in love. The moment he met Shen Lixia, it was as if a long-buried thread began to tighten. Arriving in another world, encountering numerous events, and remembering the past—each event was interconnected. Knowing it was a trap, he still stepped into it step by step, just to embrace her.
The strange boy's eyes were always filled with tears. It was strange that she kept calling him "senior sister," strange that she loved him without any restraint, and strange that she showed joy every time she got what she wanted after saying "see you tomorrow."
Ultimately, she couldn't detach herself from the situation either. Qiao Yan thought to herself, "So there are people who can express their affection in this way, without hesitation or thought. They just like you, and she's willing to tell her as many times as she wants."
Nine parts water and one part wood—only she knows that this is the love that Luo Yang has not forgotten in Luochuan, the root of her life. It is no longer just water, because of a promise that "it is fortunate to have a tree to perch on," her spiritual root has been marked with the imprint of unfinished love.
Love falls silently like rain, and before you know it, the autumn pond is overflowing. When the wind passes, it stirs up countless magnificent ripples.
Luo Yang couldn't forget, and she couldn't let go either.
The pale green was like a mottled wisp, only she knew—
Only she knew that it wasn't complicated.
It seems she was only telling Qiao Yanshen that she was born to fulfill herself, to become herself, and then to love. It was destiny. Love is etched into her heart, indelible and unforgettable. The journey through Luochuan, the brief separation, only tempered her tenderness further. Her obsession became a sword, no longer yielding to any obstacle. She would cut, stab, swing, and chop, destroying everything, just to express a heart that they both knew.
The closer she got to her heart, the more she realized that Shen Lixia was an indispensable part of her life.
Once she strays from that path, she can never be herself again.
They depend on each other in life, and follow each other in death.
The words those two had spoken before they left still echoed in my ears: "Has this life been fulfilled?"
Whatever, Heaven's will cannot be stopped, nor can anything else. She will personally weave an ending, a perfect ending.
The only sound was the falling snow; it was so desolate. His dark hair was covered in snow, and his eyelashes were damp. Qiao Yanshen raised his hand, his fingertips touching the tree trunk, a pale green sheen flowing into it.
The buds sprout new shoots, the new shoots unfurl, and a peach blossom adorns the branch, slowly blooming.
The second flower, the third flower.
The soft sounds of flowers blooming continued, and a snowflake fell in her heart as well.
-
The fragrance of peach blossoms is not strong, unlike that of their fruit; break one open and the room is filled with sweet aroma.
But tonight, it drifted into his dream, gentle and silent, elusive and elusive, waking the boy. Shen Lixia opened his eyes; all around was still pitch black, with only the clear, watery moonlight.
She got out of bed, rubbing her temples as she walked outside. The effects of the alcohol were still lingering, and her skin was still slightly flushed.
A delicate fragrance wafted over, and for some reason, Shen Lixia was certain it was peach blossom. She had hardly ever smelled it before.
But no matter what, how could peach blossoms bloom in the depths of winter?
Or are you still dreaming?
So how much did she drink? Was she obsessed with missing her senior sister so much that she even dreamed of peach blossoms blooming?
A gentle breeze caressed her face. The moment Shen Lixia stepped out the door, she suddenly noticed someone already standing in the courtyard. The person was dressed in white, blending seamlessly with the snow. Her dark hair and light blue hairband fluttered in the wind, creating a scene of breathtaking beauty, like a still painting.
She stared blankly for a long while before calling out, "Senior Sister?"
The next moment, the person in the painting moved in response to her. Fine snowflakes fell softly from her shoulders, and her calm eyes looked over, shining with a touch of azure in the snowlight.
The desolation is gone, and all the scenery comes alive.
Qiao Yanshen's cheeks were slightly flushed, as if he were drunk, or as if he had been frozen by frost and snow.
Shen Lixia hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to warm the other person up and invite her inside, but was stopped by her voice:
"Junior sister, the flowers are blooming."
How could peach blossoms bloom in the dead of winter? Shen Lixia's gaze shifted upwards, and she witnessed the strangest, most beautiful, and most unforgettable scene of her life—
The branches are adorned with soft peach blossoms.
Clump after clump, blooming with intense fervor. The petals, pink tinged with white, sway gently.
Snowflakes fall on the flower stamens, but are melted by the warmth emanating from the lingering pale green light, turning into a pool of water that accumulates within them.
Qiao Yanshen's eyes were inches away, and her previously calm chest was instantly filled with the rapid beating of her heart. It was so noisy, so incredibly noisy, almost suffocating. She forgot to cry, and just stared blankly into his eyes, reading the tender affection within them.
Qiao Yanshen's moist eyelashes trembled slightly as he softly said, "So, I should give you an answer—"
She's the one who sets the rules, and she's also the one who breaks them. The eldest sister is always so cunning.
I also love you.
As soon as he finished speaking, Qiao Yanshen leaned forward and cupped the boy's face in his hands.
Shen Lixia clearly felt her heart skip a beat.
Their figures overlapped as they landed on the snow.
Warmth between the lips, breaths mingling.
She tasted the flavor of melting snow from Qiao Yanshen.
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Author's Note: I haven't been in a good state of mind for writing at home lately. It's always so noisy, forcing me to turn the music up really loud. I've been thinking about this chapter for a long time. There's been so much foreshadowing in the previous chapters, especially in the last few, and I'm finally getting to it.
Before the holiday, I kept thinking that I had to get them together during the May Day holiday. Although I haven't written about Xia's feedback yet, I've already achieved half of my goal.
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