Chapter 49 A Chance Encounter with the Heavenly Eye on the Mortal World 2: The Goddess
It's the Lantern Festival again, but the plum trees in Mingshanfang still haven't blossomed.
Within Yunchuan City, the ten-mile-long street was ablaze with lights, a dazzling display of brilliance against the sky. Tourists chatted and laughed, carriages lined the streets, and the market was bustling and vibrant. The Moon Goddess Temple was especially popular, with people celebrating the goddess's birthday and making sincere wishes.
Zhou Fubai of Mingshanfang arranged the wooden plaque, personally escorted the head of the Shen family to the gate, watched the Shen family carriage gradually disappear into the distance, and gently closed the courtyard gate.
Over the past three years, the number of pilgrims coming to Yunchuan has been increasing. People from Liuzhou, Huaijiang and Shengjing come to offer incense every year, most of whom are prominent figures who are currently in power.
Zhou Fubai returned to his room and opened the roster to make his routine record. His gaze swept over the familiar faces, and this year even the one from the palace had come down.
However, people came and went, and Mingshanfang remained largely unchanged. Only one person stayed in the neighborhood for three years without leaving, as if he were persistently waiting for something.
Since its establishment, Mingshanfang has never housed wealthy idlers. Three years ago, Zhou Fubai politely asked him more than once to find another place to live, but the man pretended not to hear him and even took a sinecure in the neighborhood to carve small statues of gods.
He carved lifelike statues of gods and didn't charge any money. The elderly people smiled broadly, each taking a small statue home. Those who didn't get a statue weren't upset, simply saying they would come back the next day.
Occasionally, a kind-hearted older woman would chat with him while waiting in line, praising him not only for his good looks but also for his kind nature. She said that when Miss Ming established Mingshanfang, she liked people like him the most.
The man simply smiled and let it go, his carving movements fluid and uninterrupted, as if he had carved hundreds or thousands of times.
The old woman was increasingly satisfied with what she saw. Holding the small statue of the goddess in her hand, she patted his shoulder and asked, "Young man, are you married?"
The man raised an eyebrow: "Of course there is. It's a marriage arranged since childhood, a union ordained by our parents, a golden match."
Zhou Fubai listened quietly. The marriage contract was naturally invalid three years ago. Now, the Ming and Xiao families were deserted and no one was left. Only that person would keep talking about it.
But Ming Shan Fang was lively and peaceful, and that person's name was one that Miss Ming had personally added to the register three years ago. Zhou Fubai was caught in a dilemma: whether to chase him away or not. In any case, that person didn't cause any trouble, so he simply pretended he had never seen him and let him come and go as he pleased every day.
The business of carving deity statues is not open today. In the room on the second floor of Mingshanfang, the windowsill vase is empty, and a blank wishing plaque lies quietly on the table.
Feng Yi had traveled a long way to find someone. He pushed open the door and entered. He looked up and saw Xiao Jingze dressed in black with his hair tied up, casually leaning against a chair by the window, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the dragon scales.
Three years ago, the dragon scales suddenly shattered into pieces, and Xiao Jingze made them into a necklace that he wore every day. He looked much the same as he did three years ago, with a carefree smile still on his lips, but every time Feng Yi saw him, her heart skipped a beat. Xiao Jingze had become more and more withdrawn than before.
The words he wanted to say stuck in his throat. He paused, slowed his pace, and sat down opposite him, pouring each of them a cup of tea.
The tea had gone cold. Feng Yi touched the rim of the cup with his lips, then shook his head and put it down. Seeing that Xiao Jingze seemed lost in thought, he still spoke up, "The elders and the sect leader have been looking for you lately."
Xiao Jingze didn't even glance at him, his tone indifferent: "The new energy source has been developed, I've given them the research results they wanted, and I've drawn up the blueprints. What would I do if I went back?"
Feng Yi sighed, holding his teacup: "What else could it be? The sect leader is waiting for you to take over his position. With the spiritual energy of heaven and earth dissipating, these old folks are the hardest to accept."
Xiao Jingze smiled gently: "Even if it was hard to accept these past three years, I've accepted them."
He released his grip, and the dragon scales fell and swayed on his chest. Xiao Jingze stood up, stretched, and tilted his head as he pushed open the door: "You don't need to come anymore. Tell the old man that I'm not going back to the academy."
Feng Yi also stood up, and looking at his back, couldn't help but shout, "What kind of behavior is this? With the spiritual energy of heaven and earth dissipated, and Miss Ming transformed into a dragon, there's no way she can ever come back!"
Xiao Jingze remained silent for a moment. Feng Yi strode forward and earnestly advised, "If Miss Ming were alive, she would surely not be able to bear to see you like this, Brother Xiao. Please heed my advice..."
Xiao Jingze smiled, but didn't turn around. He simply waved his hand and left without saying a word.
Amidst the deafening sounds of gongs and drums in the streets, Xiao Jingze leaped from the railing onto a rooftop, just as fireworks burst into the night sky, their light cascading down. Along the long street, two children at the head of the procession carried lanterns, followed by eight people holding banners embroidered with dragon patterns, while a lion dance troupe leaped and bounded, clearing the way for the gods.
During the annual Lantern Festival procession, four snow-white horses pull a flower-decorated carriage slowly by. The effigies of the gods, dressed in elaborate costumes, sit solemnly among the flowers, smiling and greeting the world.
People scattered flower petals, chanting prayers: "May the goddess protect us, may the weather be favorable year after year, and may we be free from illness and disaster. May the land of the nine provinces be stable, and may the world be at peace."
Xiao Jingze crouched on the rooftop, listening to the wishes of the world carried by the wind. Fallen petals drifted onto him, and the wooden plaque circled in his hand again and again. Xiao Jingze quietly gazed at the effigies on the float. He was disrespectful to gods and Buddhas, yet he was willing to be a believer in one person.
As the floats gradually disappeared into the distance, Xiao Jingze smiled faintly under the bright moonlight, picked up his pen and wrote: Goddess, may you enjoy health, happiness, and longevity.
——
As midnight approached, the procession of deities gradually dispersed, and the people's faces beamed with happy smiles as they contentedly returned home for family reunions.
In the stillness of the night, Mingshanfang was locked up, and the courtyard was deserted. Only a plum tree stood quietly under the moonlight, its branches bent by the weight of the wishing plaques, making a soft sound as the night wind passed by.
Xiao Jingze walked over with a lantern and sat down on the ground under the tree. He placed the wishing plaque and the glass lantern on the ground. He looked up at the moon, which had remained unchanged for thousands of years, and called out, "Manman," instead of calling her Goddess or Miss Ming.
Xiao Jingze gazed at the silent full moon, his expression unreadable: "You said you would come back, but you broke your promise."
The surroundings were silent. He was unusually quiet and seemed to be confiding to someone: "I can still remember how I felt when I first met you. After so many years, when we meet again, you are not as annoying as I imagined."
He chuckled softly: "In the end, it's because I'm prejudiced against you. Are you curious? I actually saw you a long time ago, though it was just a glimpse of your back, but I've kept it in my mind for many years."
“You don’t remember anything. You still don’t know who gave you the bracelet that you’ve kept for so long.”
"Sometimes I really hate you. You left so decisively, without any regrets, leaving only this silent tree, which is now dying. I hate that you stirred my emotions, messed up my life, and then left. I hate that you kissed me without caring at all. What am I to you? Why can you sacrifice yourself so easily? Didn't you say you weren't a goddess?"
The glass lamp still shone with a faint light, and the moonlight stretched the shadows of the trees long, as if someone were bending down to embrace him.
Xiao Jingze burst into laughter until tears streamed down his face. He covered his eyes with his hands. Everything from three years ago felt like a dream he had woken up from too abruptly, as if fate had played a harmless joke on him. Everyone else was happy, but he lingered at the entrance to the dream, chewing on forgotten memories.
He sat quietly for a long time before finally letting go. The Thousand-Mechanism Ring had no spiritual energy and was now just an ordinary ring, yet it emitted a faint light under the moon.
Xiao Jingze paused, realizing something. He slowly straightened up and looked at the plum tree in Mingshanfang. The branches cast intertwined shadows on the ground, showing no sadness or joy, just like usual.
He placed his hand on the branch and gradually moved it down. The light of the Thousand-Mechanism Ring grew brighter and brighter until he squatted down. The ring shone brightest at the base of the plum tree.
Xiao Jingze stared at the small patch of land, his eyes dark and unfathomable, his heartbeat even clearer in the night. Now that the spiritual energy has dissipated, what will be placed beneath the plum tree in Mingshanfang?
He always acted according to his heart, and in less than half an incense stick's time, he pushed open the door again and came into the courtyard. Holding the tools he had found inside the house, Xiao Jingze dug up the base of the tree without hesitation. After digging only half a foot deep, he saw a corner of the talisman paper showing.
Xiao Jingze slowed his movements, threw the shovel aside, bent down and brushed away the top layer of soil with his bare hands, carefully picking up the wooden box.
The wooden box was wrapped in talisman paper, which was now of no use to him. He gently peeled it off, and the box was covered with densely packed rune seals. The light flowed and the spiritual energy slowly dissipated.
The spiritual energy contained within the box was firmly imprisoned by the runes. Xiao Jingze only lowered his eyes to study it for a moment before calmly beginning to disassemble the box. The light of the runes flickered as he moved, and the wooden box made a soft "click" sound. The lock had been cleverly unlocked, waiting for someone to open it and take a look.
Xiao Jingze stared at it quietly, not knowing how long he had waited. His mind was filled with countless thoughts, but he finally reached out and opened the box. His gaze swept over the intricate array drawn in blood inside, and he finally understood everything that the Ming family had done.
Beneath the plum tree in Mingshanfang lies the heart of the goddess.
The power of incense and prayer originates from the most sincere prayers and beliefs of countless believers; it is a power entirely different from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Knowing the goddess's inevitable demise, Ming sealed her decaying heart beneath the plum tree.
The countless incense offerings and prayers that burn day and night slowly nourish this heart that should have returned to dust, preserving its life force, ensuring it remains immortal and everlasting.
By defying fate, the Ming family ultimately deceived the world and the will of Heaven. This was a desperate move, a gamble that led to certain death, hiding the greatest secret in a place where everyone could see it.
The sun and moon revolve, the seasons change, and now the formation has been fully operational, the task is complete, and the box is empty.
Xiao Jingze stood in the cold wind, holding an empty box, but his heart was burning with emotion. His thoughts surged like a tide, and his trembling hands could not calm him down. In the end, he burst into laughter, holding his forehead.
He got up and picked up the glass lamp to look for her, but his steps were unsteady. Suddenly, the lamp slipped from his hand, and glass shards scattered on the ground.
Countless sparks flew out from the shattered glass lamp, like golden butterflies with tiny points of light trailing behind their tails.
A flock of butterflies fluttered across the plum branches, and the plum trees were actually blooming at night. A figure stood there gracefully, as radiant as spring blossoms and as bright as moonlight, indescribable and beyond words.
She gently broke off a sprig of spring, turned back, and smiled, saying, "This is for you."
—End of text—
-----------------------
Author's Note: The main story ends here. Thank you all for your support along the way.
I'll update with a follow-up episode in a couple of days; it'll probably be some sweet everyday moments of the couple being affectionate.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
