Chapter 13's request for his life was thus sealed.
The dense rain washes away the dust of the sky, the leaves are like kingfisher feathers, the green bark of the bamboo is lush and verdant, and the cold dew is about to drip.
Fu Yao went to prepare lunch. A tea table was placed on the corridor in front of the courtyard. The corridor was winding and the eaves were low. The two sat facing each other in the empty courtyard and brewed a pot of tea.
With a delicate hand holding a teaspoon, she sifted boiling water through the Maojian tea leaves, creating a half-bowl of clear yellow tea soup, with wisps of white steam rising from it.
Yue Yining sat behind the tea table, resting her chin on her hand, watching Ayu's tea-making movements, and suddenly asked, "Did you often make tea at home before?"
Raindrops drifted into the bottom of the cup, swaying the bamboo shadows within. Ayu pursed her lips and said, "Perhaps. After all, I have no memory of what happened before."
Yue Yining stroked her chin: Still watertight.
But for some reason, she inexplicably stopped finding it annoying.
Perhaps it was because the shadow cast on the window screen all night was too gentle, or perhaps it was because of those eyes that always belonged only to her.
Ayu handed the teacup to Yue Yining, who took a sip and kept her eyes fixed on the pond in the courtyard.
The raindrops pattered and rippled across the pond, breaking and reforming in circles, much like the many emotions and encounters in human life.
Ayu looked at her half-profile: "Miss seems to prefer rain to sunny days."
Yue Yining nodded: "I like rain because the world always becomes quieter than usual when it rains."
There are many restless and anxious people in this world, all rushing about and eager to achieve success. Only when it rains does she feel that the noisy and chaotic world becomes much quieter.
Many of the worries that weigh heavily on your heart seem to lighten up when you listen to the sound of rain.
Yue Yining: "When I was still practicing in the Tian Guan, I really liked the rain. The Tian Guan where I was was one of the big Tian Guan, with thriving incense offerings and a constant flow of people coming and going every day. If it rained, there would be fewer people in the Tian Guan."
"Whenever this happens, I like to take a walk in the mountains by myself with an oil-paper umbrella. When I come to a mountain peak or a statue of a deity, I sit down and lean against the wall to listen to the sound of the rain."
As Yue Yining recounted the past, she seemed lost in thought, lost in reverie. Ayu listened intently to every word she spoke, and softly asked, "Was Miss alone back then?"
Yue Yining: "How could I be alone? I still have a master. My master taught me the Five Arts, provided me with food and clothing, and taught me how to conduct myself. Occasionally, she would take me on long trips to other temples to meet her friends. There are so many people in the world who are not related to me, and she has been incredibly kind to me. I am very grateful to her."
Ayu: "She sounds like a very nice person."
Yue Yining smiled and said, "My master is naturally a very good person. She often gives alms to the common people and leads the Celestial Masters of the entire Celestial Temple in performing righteous rituals without accepting a penny. She is a very powerful Celestial Master, but you may not know that."
"Dongxi has three great celestial temples, and each temple has a living venerable master presiding over it. The most renowned among them is my master, the compassionate Venerable Qiu Wuzhu."
Ayu looked at her and asked, "What's the difference between Datian Temple and Tian Temple? Now that you've said that, I'm curious too. If I have the chance, I really want to go and see for myself."
Yue Yining: "Look, the closest one to here in Jinling is a great temple called Qingyun Temple. The venerable one who guards the temple is Venerable Deliang, Hua Siren. If you want to go, you can go and have a look. It's close by anyway. As for the differences, in my eyes, all temples look pretty much the same."
Ayu lowered her eyes and smiled: "I'm not superstitious, and I'm not attached to worshipping gods."
Yue Yining raised an eyebrow, about to say, "Then why did you say you were interested in Tian Guan?", when A Yu spoke up again: "What I want to go to is the Tian Guan where Miss used to stay. If Miss isn't here, I don't want to go."
Yue Yining's fingers trembled as she held the teacup.
Look at what you're saying.
Ayu seemed oblivious to everything, and smiled with narrowed eyes: "What was that temple you stayed at before, Miss, like?"
"...The Heavenly Temple I stayed at before was one of the three great Heavenly Temples, called Zijin Temple." Yue Yining put down her teacup and began to try to recall. "As for what it looked like, now that you've asked me this, I can't really describe it."
In her eyes, all the buildings in the Tian Guan shrine really looked pretty much the same.
Ayu: "Is there anything special about it?"
Yue Yining: "What's special about it? Hmm... Tian Guan is built on the top of a mountain, so the road up the mountain is very steep."
Because she was very young when she first climbed the Tian Guan Temple, she climbed for half a day, panting heavily. When she reached the statue of the Heavenly Ancestor, she was almost exhausted and collapsed to the ground. Therefore, Yue Yining had a deep impression of it.
"The long stone steps wind upwards, and every now and then a small temple or two is built, with pavilions and greenery for passersby to rest. But the statue of the Heavenly Ancestor, as the guardian stone of the temple, is built on the highest mountain of the temple, so you have to climb all the way to the top."
Ayu: "Climbing to the top of the mountain seems very difficult, but there are still many people who are willing to do it one after another."
Yue Yining: "Yes. After all, the statue of the Heavenly Ancestor is only in Datian Temple, and most people come to Datian Temple because they have something to ask for. Even if they don't ask for anything, they will still worship all the way up, hoping for good luck and fulfillment."
"I see. Then Miss must have been used to it by now."
Yue Yining: "Sometimes I still find it strange."
"Have you ever seen someone kneel down step by step?" Yue Yining said. "I have."
“There are many people like this in front of the statue of the Heavenly Ancestor.”
Yue Yining had witnessed all walks of life in the Heavenly Temple, and seen the ugliness, greed, and pettiness of human nature. Many people came to the statue of the Heavenly Ancestor not seeking ordinary happiness, but rather unearned gains and unrealistic fantasies.
but.
Even if it only happened a few times.
Even on occasional occasions, he would encounter those who offered blessings that moved the young Yue Yining.
Yue Yining remembers it clearly; she was twelve years old that year.
That day was a rainy day. The stone steps leading to the top of the mountain were covered with rocks and mud washed down by the rain. The rainwater mixed with the mud and rushed down, each step like a muddy waterfall.
Due to the inclement weather, the area around Tianguan was sparsely populated, and the entire mountain was shrouded in rain and mist. People standing at the foot of the mountain could not even see the mountain gate when they looked up.
Yue Yining had a bad day. She went down the mountain to play while the rain was still light, but she didn't expect it to turn into a downpour. As the rain grew heavier and showed no signs of stopping, and it was getting dark, she had no choice but to grit her teeth and go down to the foot of the mountain, climbing up the stone steps one by one.
On this very road, Yue Yining encountered a strange person.
It was a woman, dressed in ordinary linen clothes with patches, standing in the rain. With each stone step she climbed, she would kneel down and kowtow heavily.
The sound, muffled amidst the heavy, noisy rain, was somewhat like a heartbeat, and also somewhat like something hard being slowly shattered.
The stone steps were covered in mud and filth, yet she knelt down without hesitation.
Yue Yining was originally behind her, but because she walked fast, she gradually got closer and closer to her.
The woman's outline became clearer. She could gradually see through the heavy rain the mud clinging to her black and white hair, her soaked clothes and shoes, and the thin back arched when she bent over.
She knelt down, stood up, climbed, and knelt down again. Her movements were slow, but without any hesitation, all in one smooth motion.
Perhaps she was deliberately slow, because it made her appear more devout.
A devout but penniless believer, unable to offer gold and silver, will sell his soul.
Yue Yining only heard what the woman said when she passed by. The woman was muttering incantations, her eyes stinging from the torrential rain: "Heaven above, I beg you, save my daughter..."
"Heaven above, I beg you, save my daughter..."
"Heaven above, I beg you, save my daughter..."
"I don't want anything."
Amidst the woman's repetitive words, Yue Yining caught a fleeting glimpse of pain on her numb, lifeless face. Her face was wrinkled like bloated dough, and the watermarks on her face were indistinguishable between rain and tears.
Her voice, choked with sobs and hoarse, said, "I only ask that she get better and live a good life."
"Please, please save her..."
When Yue Yining climbed to the top of the mountain, the woman's shadow had long since disappeared into the mountain rain.
But those memories, like needles and knives, have left indelible marks on her heart.
Later, whenever she saw the devout believers kneeling before the statue of the Heavenly Ancestor, she would always think of that muddy figure in the pouring rain.
Human desires can sometimes be higher than the sky, and sometimes smaller than a blade of grass.
After listening, Ayu remained silent for a long time.
He said softly, "He's a pitiful person."
But to his surprise, Yue Yining shook her head: "No, this is no longer a pitiful person."
The truly pitiful are those who can't even afford to visit the statue of their ancestor.
Ayu: "Miss has been practicing at the Heavenly Temple for many years. I suppose you are also a devout believer."
Yue Yining said, "I did not enter the Tianguan Temple because I believed in the Heavenly Ancestor."
“I initially became a disciple because my master said that she and I were destined to be together. If I was willing to become her disciple, I could live in the Heavenly Temple and study the Five Arts. At that time, I was just a homeless child, wandering the streets every day, competing with cats and dogs for food. I didn’t even know many words, so I had no idea what the Heavenly Temple or the Five Arts were. But even back then, I knew about the Heavenly Master.”
As a child, Yue Yining would hide on a street corner, watching a newly opened restaurant perform a religious ceremony in front of its door. The fat, big-eared owner, who used to look at them, these homeless children, with disgust and order his waiters to chase them away, now bowed almost to his knees before this white-haired old man, behaving with utmost respect.
The boss called the old man "Master Zhang".
So on that day, Yue Yining learned that there was a profession in the world called Celestial Master.
Becoming a Celestial Master means you can have enough to eat, wear warm clothes, and be respected.
So when Qiu Wuzhu asked her if she was willing to become her disciple, Yue Yining agreed without hesitation.
After all, she had nothing left to lose.
For someone who has nothing, simply climbing upwards is a form of gain.
"How about it, are you disappointed? I'm just a realistic person, as realistic as can be," Yue Yining laughed. "Faith, piety, doctrine... I don't have those things."
Ayu shook her head: "How could that be? I'm actually glad that Miss is an ordinary person."
Yue Yining was somewhat surprised: "What do you mean by that?"
"Those who claim to be detached from the world often bind themselves with many rules and regulations, and do not live freely and happily; those who are engaged in the world eat and drink without restraint, and can experience all kinds of life, and although they may not live a noble life, they live a full life."
"Although the gods are compassionate to all living beings, they seem to be indifferent to specific people. Although ordinary people value money and small gains, they can laugh heartily, cry freely, and love to their heart's content, and everything they do is practical."
"I do not seek great wealth or high status in my life, but only a carefree and happy life, free and at ease."
"I hope so, Miss."
He spoke each word with sincerity and clarity.
Yue Yining looked at him and slowly said, "...Speaking of which, there's something I really want to ask you. Why do you trust my calculations so much?"
"Although I call myself a Celestial Master, I am far from the well-known image of a Celestial Master. I am not old, but rather very young; I am not a man, but a woman."
"Before today, you didn't know that I was a disciple of the Venerable One."
Looking into her eyes, Ayu felt a strange impulse choking her throat.
He really wanted to say, "Because you are Yue Yining."
But he knew that saying that would only deepen her confusion, and might even make her perceive his stubbornness. That wasn't the side he wanted her to understand; it was too heavy a burden.
Ayu: "At that time, I felt that Miss might need some support. I think the celestial master's prediction of fate carries a huge karmic burden and responsibility. Miss is a kind person, and I know that if the divination is inaccurate, Miss will definitely blame herself."
“I am dull-witted and do not understand divination. I say I believe in it only because I hope you will be happier.”
On the table, the tea in the clay teapot was gradually cooling, and the white steam was being rubbed into fine particles by the wind.
Yue Yining lowered her eyes: "...So that's how it is."
She said slowly, "That day, I sat in the corridor all day, thinking about many things."
"I thought about it for a long time, wondering how we would get through this drought if the rain didn't come. In the middle of the thinking, I even considered pawning my copper plate to get some money to buy some food to store up, since who knows if things might get worse later?"
"But after the initial anxiety subsided, I realized that we still had some food stored at home, enough to sustain us for a while longer. Although it was tough, we were far from being at our wits' end. So I calmed down."
"but......"
But what about it?
She wouldn't always get through things smoothly; she would always encounter problems that even the highest level of divination couldn't solve.
Even with the most powerful divination methods, there are always unpredictable surprises.
Once she makes up her mind to go in this direction, she will experience countless moments of battling against fate.
Can she really do it?
This was fate's final question to her before it took a turn for the better.
The Yueyi before me was as serene as a potted bamboo. No wind stirred her, and no moonlight bathed her.
The same is true of Yue Yining in the book, who is lonely and rooted in a corner of the ruins of history, ignored by everyone.
She had foreseen the fate of the nation, entered the fray alone, and was willing to sacrifice herself to save the collapsing empire. She had already succeeded, avoiding the future of a tyrant destroying the country, but the hand of fate once again brought her down.
The saddest thing is that everything she did will go unremembered.
Later generations will only call her a failed strategist, an ordinary person who once thought she could change history.
If all efforts are in vain, all the hard work, all the advocacy for the people, and all the selflessness will be nothing more than ashes in the annals of history, not worth mentioning.
This ridiculous, worthless world.
Ayu's fingers, clenched tightly in his sleeve, clenched so hard they ached from his grip. But he felt it wasn't enough; when she died in prison, she must have felt even more pain and despair than he had.
There was one question he had always wanted to ask her in person.
The answer to this question will become his guiding light for the rest of his life, his destination, and his destiny.
Ayu looked at her and spoke, her voice sounding a little more strained than usual:
"...Is your ideal, Miss, to save the common people and restore order to the world?"
Yue Yining smiled and said, "No, that's not my ideal."
She grew up wandering, relying on the kindness of others for food, without a fixed abode or a home. Yue Yining still remembers the fear of being helpless and alone, and the constant threat of losing her life when she was adrift.
"I don't actually have such lofty ambitions. If we're talking about entering the world, there are countless powerful figures out there. I'm just an unknown little Taoist priest, and my debating skills and scheming abilities are both precarious. The court is currently in turmoil and chaos. If I were to enter officialdom with lofty ambitions, I'm afraid my fate would be uncertain and I would have no hope of rising through the ranks."
"If you're talking about leaving the world, entering a Buddhist monastery, and living a life of eating clouds and sleeping on rocks, I can't do that either."
Yue Yining smiled and said, "I have no ideals. All I want is a peaceful life. Just like right now, I want a courtyard of my own, preferably with a bamboo grove. Whenever it rains, I can hide under the eaves, hold a cup of tea, and listen to the rain stop."
The heavy weight in my heart was finally slowly lifted and took root.
He found that he couldn't quite articulate the complex emotions swirling within him.
Was he relieved? He finally knew what she truly wanted, and he finally confirmed that this was what she sought.
Resentful? She was forced to live a life she didn't want because of too many people and things that had nothing to do with her.
Was it not worth it? Indeed, it wasn't. Her fate was sealed, and could never be changed.
...No, this time it's okay.
This time, there's still time.
Ayu suddenly realized. From this moment on, he had finally come into this world with a true goal to dedicate his life to.
Yue Yining looked up and saw the beautiful woman in white in front of her smiling foolishly, her dark eyes sparkling like pearls just peeled from an oyster shell.
Ayu smiled and said, "Miss's wish will definitely come true."
Perhaps because she had spoken her mind, Yue Yining smiled much more easily than usual: "I wouldn't even dare to say that I can definitely achieve my wish, but you have to be so confident."
Ayu's voice was gentle: "Miss's wishes are my wishes. No matter how difficult it is, I will do my best to fulfill them."
Upon hearing this sentence again, Yue Yining was taken aback.
Deep down, she has a little voice representing reason. In order for her to make the right judgment, it constantly kills those little voices of emotion that suddenly pop up at certain moments and want to act on impulse.
Now, the rational little man in my heart sits atop a mountain of corpses, laughing nonchalantly yet resigned to his fate.
This person...
He finally managed to dismantle her defenses.
......
After the rain, the sky cleared, and the mountains were adorned with fresh, vibrant green.
After a day and a night of torrential rain, the mountain roads and town streets were a muddy mess. The green locust trees stood silently, their stems and leaves glistening with dew as the morning sun shone through the sky.
Yue Yining's humble dwelling is located at the eastern end of Jiulian Town, in a remote and sparsely populated area.
Early in the morning, the sound of carriages and horses approached.
The coachman reined in his horse, and a magnificent sedan chair with carved wheels and embroidered curtains was unloaded in front of the courtyard gate. Inside the sedan chair, a maid helped a young woman down; she wore a pink rosy sash and a lotus-silk skirt, and her fair face and delicate eyebrows made her appear like a celestial being.
Wei Yihua looked at the dilapidated courtyard gate in front of her and gently knocked on the door.
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