Extra 4
Zhu Qing was awakened at dusk by the sound of a bell tolling.
She was copying the last few lines of the Tao Te Ching when the warm evening sun caused the candle on the table to flicker and drip a few drops of wax. The only sound in the quiet was the tapping of the brush on the paper. She lay down on the table and soon fell asleep.
At that moment, Zhu Qing rubbed her eyes, looked at the words she had finished copying, put down the paper and pen, jumped off the stool, went to get the seven-stringed zither by the bed, carried it on her back, and ran out.
This is Zhu Qing's eighth year at Shaolin Temple.
Back in Changge Sect, she had a close friend who shared her passions. The two of them practiced calligraphy and played the zither, living a very happy life. Having good qualifications, she was promoted by her master and given the opportunity to study in Chang'an. Carrying her zither, along with some patched clothes and zither strings—given to her by her friend—and with a tuck of her hard-earned silver in her pocket and two steamed buns in her hands, she boarded the carriage to Chang'an.
During the years Zhu Qing was away, her master arranged for her to stay at a friend's former residence in Chang'an. The family of three greatly admired her, this young qin player from Xiangzhi Manor, and in addition to her daily qin music lessons, they also taught her sword techniques.
Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. The head of the household was a government official who was arrested because he was implicated in the safety of the political party. Fearing for Zhu Qing's safety, his friend immediately sent someone to escort him out of Chang'an.
After running for three days and three nights, the coachman delivered Zhu Qing to a dilapidated temple in the wilderness. Zhu Qing gave him a gold ingot and let him go.
The Buddha statues in the dilapidated temple were covered in dust. Zhu Qing sat on a pile of weeds with her zither in her arms. Suddenly, a figure appeared at the door, prompting her to draw the sword from the zither. The sound of the sword resonated in the bronze statues inside the temple, causing them to hum.
Suddenly, something fell off the table. She glanced at it and saw it was a jade pendant that had been neglected for a long time. Without thinking much of it, she kicked it aside.
The newcomer entered, dressed in a brick-red cassock, holding a wooden stick and carrying a bronze bowl. Upon seeing Zhu Qing, who was holding a sword, he bowed.
Zhu Qing was still confused, but when he turned his head and looked at the Buddha statue, he understood.
Zhu Qing bowed and said:
"I have offended you greatly, please forgive me, Master."
The master bowed again and slowly walked into the temple.
“Amitabha, this humble monk was passing by and saw the temple where people were resting. I should apologize to you, benefactor.”
The two exchanged a few words. Zhu Qing told the master everything she had encountered, and the master, worried that his enemies would come looking for her, took Zhu Qing back to Shaolin.
Eight years passed in the blink of an eye.
The master's Dharma name was Huishi. He rarely returned to the temple, and most of the time, he would send messages to Zhuqing to inquire about the situation. Zhuqing had thought about returning to Changge Sect, but considering that assassins might have already been sent from Chang'an, she kept this in mind. Huishi then went to Changge Sect for this reason.
Fortunately, the news brought back was good; Jiang Lixue and the others were not implicated. The assassin had just entered Xiangzhi Manor when he was encountered by the Master, who had returned from his travels. The Master brandished his Azure Lotus Sword in the moonlight. The Master said that the Master was drinking wine without changing his expression, and the sword in his hand did not touch the enemy at all, yet the sword energy shattered the assassin's internal organs, causing his internal organs to be smashed into pieces.
Zhu Qing didn't care about that. The master was always carefree, but his swordsmanship was superb; he never made a mistake. She then asked:
"What about Yang Yuan? How is she?"
Hui Shi thought about it carefully and said:
"I did not see this benefactor, but Benefactor Jiang only mentioned that she had gone to another place to meditate."
The weight that had been hanging over Zhu Qing's heart finally lifted.
Yang Yuan and Zhu Qing learned to play the zither at Changge Sect after they met. They even shared a room. Later, Jiang Lixue took Yang Yuan as her disciple, and the two became very close, like sisters.
Yang Yuan was often bullied because her parents had died. Zhu Qing, thinking that she had entered the sect earlier than Yang Yuan and was her senior sister, took it for granted and started taking care of her.
After leaving Changge Sect, many years have passed, and I wonder how my old friends are doing.
Today was different. From afar, Zhu Qing saw a woman dressed in pink standing at the entrance of the Zen temple for a long time.
This older sister comes every day. If she's not there occasionally, it's only because Hui Shi is away or has other matters to attend to. On weekdays, she goes to the temple to wait for Hui Shi.
As Zhu Qing approached, she realized that this young lady's attire was not simple. Her long, black hair reached her waist and was meticulously styled; her lotus-colored skirt resembled lotus petals; a red lotus flower was painted on her forehead; and her face was exquisite and delicate.
The woman saw her from afar, smiled at her, and waved for her to come over.
Zhu Qing saw the pretty young lady, walked over, and shyly tugged at her hem. Seeing her like this, the woman took out a candied hawthorn from her bag and handed it to her.
"Here, take it."
Zhu Qing looked at the bright red, large hawthorns that looked like they were coated in rock candy, licked her lips, wiped them on her skirt, and excitedly took one to eat.
Upon seeing this, the woman covered her face and smiled.
After Hui Shi finished discussing some matters with his fellow disciples, he returned to find Zhu Qing chatting with a woman and eating candied hawthorns. He could only smile helplessly.
Hui Shi walked over and listened to the two people chatting without saying anything. She sat quietly to the side and waited for them to finish.
When the woman saw Hui Shi coming over, she stared at him intently as she stood up, lowered her head slightly, pursed her lips, and rubbed her fingertips against the hem of her clothes, which Zhu Qing looked as if she wanted to poke a hole in it.
Upon seeing the two people, Zhu Qing immediately jumped off the stool, ate her candied hawthorn, and ran away.
Hui Shi stared at the ground, clasped her hands together, and avoided the woman's gaze.
"I'll bring you food again tomorrow," the woman said softly after hesitating for a long time.
Hui Shi nodded and remained silent.
"Well... I'll be going then." The woman tidied up the things on the table, said nothing, and left with her head down.
Standing on the earthen slope, Zhu Qing and his fellow disciples from Hui Shi kept looking at the two of them.
"Qingyan".
After the woman in pink had walked quite a distance, Hui Shicai suddenly called out.
Despite the wind blowing from several feet away, Luo Qingyan seemed to hear it and turned her head to look.
She smoothed her hair, turned, and left.
Hui Shi closed her eyes, calming her turbulent emotions. All her thoughts converged, and in the end, she silently murmured one sentence in her heart:
"Unattainable".
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