Playing with the Moon
The next day, Yi Shan came running up to me with a strange expression on his face, saying, "Master, Zi Ling has been taken away to save me! Hurry, hurry and save him." Hearing this, I dropped the book in my hands. My loyal servant and good brother, Yi Shan, appeared to be poisoned, and detoxification was urgent. I quickly pressed his acupuncture points, administered acupuncture, and prescribed medicine. Yi Shan wheeled me to the front of Chunfengdeyi Palace and explained that Zi Ling had been craving some street-style rice dumplings that afternoon and had asked him to accompany her. They were then approached by a handsome young man. The man said his name was Sima Lingfeng, and he loved music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Zi Ling replied that her surname was Wu, her given name was Suowei, and she loved to eat. The young man laughed and said that if he was right, the girl must have a double surname. Zi Ling remarked, "Young Master Sima is truly clever. My surname is Wu, and my given name is Suowei." Yi Shan then said he had been poisoned for unknown reasons. Seeing this, Zi Ling told Yi Shan to come find me, and she followed the young man away. Sima Lingfeng... I thought of the Nong Yue Master in my dream. Why was it such a coincidence? What exactly did that dream mean? I seemed to have made up my mind and said to Yi Shan with anger, "Let's go to Zhaixing Nongyue Residence!"
"Your Excellency is..." asked a handsome young man in white holding a folding fan.
"We have a tacit understanding. Return him to me, or I will..." I couldn't hold back my anger and was about to say something else. But at this moment, I heard Zi Ling's clear voice, "Tomorrow, I'll be here. Master Sima, I said, there are always people better than you. Are you convinced now?" Zi Ling ran to my side without me noticing.
"Zi Ling, are you okay? Did he bully you?" Yi Shan asked with concern. "No, don't worry, Yi Shan. As for you, I'm relieved to see you're okay." Zi Ling smiled at Yan Ran. The moment I saw Zi Ling, I felt like ice meeting the warm sun, but her concern for Yi Shan made me feel jealous. I wished her concern was only for me.
"Of course I'm convinced that you can cure the poison in my Chunfengdeyi Palace. I'm known as Young Master Nong Yue in the martial arts world, and the one who spoke is my new confidante. She just told me that she knows a man known as Rival Hua Tuo in the martial arts world, who is as perfect as I am. It's a great honor for me to see him today." The Young Master Sima mentioned by Zi Ling bowed slightly.
"I'm not your confidante, but that peerless gentleman might be your confidante," Zi Ling said playfully. A confidante? She hadn't imagined that. But Sima Lingfeng was truly extraordinary. He was elegantly spoken and thoughtful, a formidable opponent.
However, the moment Zi Ling appeared in his sight, the unconcealable heat in his eyes set off alarm bells in my heart.
Did he fall in love with Zi Ling at first sight? Looking at Zi Ling's gentle and fair face, it seems that Zi Ling can't go out alone!
Suddenly, something seemed amiss! I'd been completely focused on Zi Ling just now, but now I noticed this slight clue. I carefully examined this Nong Yue Master; he was truly oblivious to the impending disaster.
"Young Master Nong Yue, if you can survive seven days, we can talk about our friendship," I said jokingly. My gaze scanned his face like a thread of gold. Judging from his complexion, he must have been injured by the Dragon Soul Blade, but his body showed no signs of worsening. He must have used special methods to prevent the wound from worsening, but it hadn't fully healed.
"The reputation of not saving a dying person but Sai Hua Tuo is well-deserved. Thanks for the reminder. I was stabbed, but life and death are determined by fate. I'd better cherish the remaining seven days." He seemed to know that I was deliberately teasing him, and said this in a deliberately neither humble nor arrogant manner.
"You, don't give up. Even ants try to survive. Do you have a way to save him tomorrow?" Zi Ling asked anxiously.
What a silly girl! He knew Zi Ling would plead for him, so he said that. No wonder Zi Ling said that he and I are a perfect match.
"Zi Ling, don't be anxious. How about I play a game of chess with Young Master Nong Yue. If he can beat me, I will detoxify him, how about that?" I said indifferently, playing with my hair.
"It's a deal! Hua Tuo can choose between Go and chess." Young Master Nong Yue smiled evilly, as if he was very confident in his chess skills.
At this moment, I noticed a calligraphy piece on the table next to me: Ten years of life and death, yet unforgettable, even without thinking of you. A thousand miles away, a solitary grave, with nowhere to share my desolation. Even if we met, we would not recognize each other, with dust on my face and hair like frost. Last night, a dream suddenly brought me back to my hometown, where I was dressing by the window. Moonlit night, green pine hill. Signed: Ding Ziling. This is Ziling's handwriting, so why is it here?
There's another painting next to it, and it surprisingly looks like my own. Using the splash-ink technique, it depicts the back of a barefoot woman with disheveled hair, wearing a lotus-pink gauze dress. Signed: Ah Qi!
"This character hides a set of sword techniques," Zi Ling blurted out, then froze herself. She stared at the calligraphy, her eyes a bit bewildered. "I... I don't know why I say this, but I just feel that the flow of these strokes is like a sword move: a rise, a return, and a killing intent."
Young Master Nong Yue noticed my gaze and said, "This calligraphy is priceless. It's the work of Ding Ziling, known as 'Fairy Sister' in Sifang City. Just now, Miss Wusuo commented on it, saying that the calligraphy contains a set of sword techniques. This painting was also obtained from Ding Ziling's residence. It is known as 'Poetry in Painting, Painting in Poetry'. Haha... Interesting, really interesting."
Fairy sister, it seems like in that dream there was a child who called me fairy brother, that dream...
Overthinking is pointless; let's resolve the current dilemma first. Young Master Nong Yue took out one of her old calligraphy pieces to test her, and even with her amnesia, she could discern the sword intent hidden between the lines. Young Master Nong Yue must have confirmed her amnesia and incompetence, and the look of fascination in his eyes made me realize that this man was more than just an old acquaintance of Zi Ling.
A silent war ensued between me and Young Master Nong Yue. He courted Zi Ling in every way, offering sincere words and endless praise. Zi Ling, clearly unaccustomed to this sudden enthusiasm, maintained a polite yet distant distance. I watched, feeling somewhat reassured, yet not entirely reassured.
Until he presented her with the exquisite pastries. I knew Zi Ling was always greedy, and seeing the joy in her eyes, I finally accepted it. At that moment, a nameless anger suddenly surged into my heart! It was the displeasure of having one's territory invaded, the anxiety of having one's treasure coveted by others. I couldn't bear her accepting another man's kindness, even if it was just a box of pastries.
I began to deliberately display my talents in front of her and confront Young Master Nong Yue. I wanted to let her know who was the one who could truly resonate with her soul and stand shoulder to shoulder with her.
"Zi Ling, who do you think is smarter, me or Sai Hua Tuo?" Young Master Nong Yue asked as if adding fuel to the fire.
"Words are not enough, thinking is the proof. How about I ask you a question, whoever answers it first is the smartest?" Zi Ling said with a smile, like spring flowers blooming.
"Okay!" Master Nong Yue and I said in unison.
"People make an appointment after dusk, guess a word," Zi Ling asked.
"Jiong!" They spoke at the same time, with no winner!
"Liu Bang, Sun Quan, guess a word", Zi Ling thought for a moment and came up with a new riddle.
"Xiang Yu is dead, Guan Yu is dead, Cui!", they said at the same time.
Our desire to win was aroused, and Young Master Nong Yue and I were ready to go.
"Taoism says, 'One begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things.' So is there a number greater than one?"
"have!"
"Is there a number greater than two?"
"have!"
"Are there any numbers that are bigger than the Big Three?"
"have!"
"Is there anyone dumber than you two?"
"No!"
Young Master Nong Yue and I stopped at the same time, only to see Zi Ling jumping up and down with joy. He had actually fallen into her trap. He stared at her, remembering that she had "cheated" in the same way on Tianshan Mountain that year.
Zi Ling realized that I was staring at her and quickly changed her words: "I'm stupid, I'm stupid. Didn't you two want to play chess?" Then she lowered her head.
During our game, Young Master Nong Yue and I were at our most competitive. I purposely leaned in close to her, offering her instructions, my words tinged with casual intimacy. I leaned in close, pointing to a spot on the board, my words gentle. I could smell the faint herbal fragrance in her hair, a scent that had once been my most reassuring on Mount Tianshan. But now, I was using this closeness as a weapon. I saw Sima Lingfeng's hand holding the chess piece pause, but I felt no elation of triumph, only a cold panic. When had I become so incompetent that I needed to exploit my intimacy with her to repel an external enemy?
Although Zi Ling didn't explicitly state it afterwards, I could sense her disapproval of my "petty behavior." She was ultimately kindhearted, simply minding my pride. Finally, she gently advised, "You always say it's lonely at the top. Leave Sima Lingfeng a chance to survive, and give yourself a rival." I agreed, not out of sheer obedience, but knowing full well that Sima Lingfeng was a man who would be useless if killed, but perhaps useful if kept alive.
Sima Lingfeng lamented, "If I had Zhuge Liang, why would I have Zhuge Liang?" His frustration was palpable. Zi Ling's next words plunged both of us, proud men, into deep thought. She said, "Zhuge Liang was exceptionally talented, but not as visionary as Zhou Yu. This was because Zhuge Liang was loyal to one man, while Zhou Yu was loyal to his country." What a sharp and profound judgment!
Back at my place, the "Yu-Liang dispute" still lingered in my mind, and I was eager to test her opinion of Sima Lingfeng. I asked casually, and she wrinkled her nose and commented, "Too frivolous, too feminine and elegant. I've never seen a man use a pink guqin." This honesty, tinged with a hint of disdain, was like a breeze, clearing away the last vestiges of gloom from my heart. Like a young boy, I couldn't help but smile at Zi Ling's disparaging comments about her suitor. All my previous jealousy and calculations seemed ridiculous at that moment.
I took the opportunity to dig deeper and asked her, "Which is higher, loyalty to one person or loyalty to one country?"
Her answer once again revealed her profound insight. She said, "Regardless of status, if you're poor, you should protect yourself; if you're rich, you should help the world. If you can't even protect your loved ones, how can you protect the world? But if you harm innocent people for your loved ones, your actions are pitiful, but your crime should be punished. People hesitate and make choices; it's human nature. If I had to choose, of course I would protect the safety of those I love first, and if I could, I would work for national peace."
These words, like a warm current, soothed the long-standing conflict in my heart between "personal feelings" and "righteousness." "No one can satisfy everyone, but I seek to have a clear conscience." I murmured the essence of her words, and we exchanged a smile. In this resonance of thought, the jealousy and calculations that had just arisen because of Sima Lingfeng seemed insignificant.
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