【Zhang Huaishen×You】Echo
The north wind knows my wish, and I dream of traveling to Hexi.
You don't know if you're dreaming or not, but you don't care.
It happened to snow on the first night in Liangzhou. It's rare to see such heavy snow in the Qinghe area, so you found a cliff with a good view and sat down to enjoy the snow.
Then, you heard footsteps behind you. When you turned around, you saw a young man in red. His hair was very short, only reaching his shoulders. He had a gold ring in one ear. He was tall and strong, with bright eyes. He was a man as beautiful and wild as a snow wolf, and he was holding a beautiful white horse in his hand.
You were very curious about him, and he was looking at you and smiling at you: "I never thought that when the mountain was closed due to heavy snow, there would still be people as foolish as me coming here to see the snow."
You then took a step to the side, making room for him, and invited him, "Come, let's watch the snow together, and bring your horse along too."
You thought he must be a horse lover. He patted the white horse affectionately and introduced it to you: "Its name is Yebuduo."
Look at this horse, then at the young man before it, full of wild beauty, and you'll suddenly understand the origin of its name: "The general never takes off his golden armor at night, and in the middle of the night, the army marches with their spears clashing."
The young man was visibly startled for a moment, then his eyes lit up. "Young man, you also know Cen Jiazhou's poems? It seems we share the same interests. Young man, would you like to drink?"
"Okay, let's try it." You became even more curious about him, wondering if he was really a general?
He immediately untied the wine gourd from his waist and handed it to you: "Our Liangzhou strong liquor, Man Jiang Hong, try it, young man, is it still okay to swallow?"
You unscrewed the cork and took a sip. The instantaneous stimulation of the wine sliding across your tongue and throat made your whole body tremble. You smacked your lips and commented, "What a spicy wine." You glanced at him. "As spicy as you are."
"...Me?" He blinked, seemingly not understanding what you meant. "...spicy?"
"Spicy is good, it makes people feel comfortable." You immediately explained, praising him generously and openly: "You are good-looking and pleasant to be with."
The young man smiled and said, "I have the same feeling. When we first met, it felt like we were close friends."
Finally, you agreed to watch the snow together on the top of Wuwei Mountain on the next snowy day.
But when you come to your senses, the young man and the white horse have all disappeared, leaving only the howling wind and snow.
You are confused and walk for a long time before you see an old man. You ask him if he has seen a handsome young man riding a white horse and wearing a red robe with a fur collar.
The old man's eyes widened when he heard this. After a long time, he suddenly knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face.
You were startled and hurried to help him up, but he refused to get up and kept kowtowing in one direction: "General Xiao Zhang! General Xiao Zhang, are you able to return to your soul? General Xiao Zhang..."
When your father-in-law's crying finally faded, you also learned from his narration about General Xiao Zhang, Zhang Huaishen, who was famous in Liangzhou but died tragically and his body was never found.
You and Zhang Huaishen met once, as if in a dream. You should have forgotten it or buried it in your heart, but you could not ignore the strong emotions in your heart when you heard his story.
You decided to find traces of his existence and find out the cause of his death. If possible, you also hope to help him.
So, you start asking the locals about Zhang Huaishen, listening to everyone's perspective on him, and then exploring along the way.
It was already dusk when you reached the Jiedushi Mansion. The Tang Dynasty had fallen, leaving a vast expanse of desolate land. You walked around the area a few times and found a wine gourd amidst the collapsed ruins.
It looks familiar, as if you have once held it in your hand, unscrewed the cork, and drank the wine inside under the smiling gaze of a young man.
You hold the gourd in your hand, patiently wipe the dust off its surface with your sleeve, and then whisper to it, "General Xiao Zhang, is that you?"
Of course no one will respond to you.
You gained something from this trip, so you don’t feel lost. You hang the wine gourd around your waist and continue on your way.
Just before nightfall, you arrive at Tianshui Market. Here, a bustling scene stands out, a stark contrast to the Jiedushi Mansion. Various vendors come and go, and children holding lanterns wander the streets. For a moment, you'd think you've returned to the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.
Feeling relaxed and at ease, you strolled forward slowly among the crowd. When you reached the foot of a city wall, you suddenly noticed someone looking at you.
The lights were dim, and you couldn't see the man's face clearly. With doubt in your mind, you walked towards him.
As you get closer, you realize that he is a tall young man with fluffy black hair, honey-colored skin, firm eyebrows and eyes, and a dark red robe, looking handsome and unrestrained.
Your eyes widened unconsciously and you muttered, "...General Xiao Zhang?"
The young man stared at you, a bright smile in his brown eyes: "Young man, do you want to watch the lights together?"
Although you didn't quite understand the reasoning, you had already learned from previous experiences and accepted the fact that the handsome young man in front of you was Zhang Huaishen. And, at his invitation, you walked side by side with him in the crowd.
The market was bustling with people at night. Passersby would greet Zhang Huaishen enthusiastically, calling him "Little General Zhang" affectionately. A lantern vendor even offered him a lantern as a gift. Zhang Huaishen couldn't refuse, so he simply paid for it and handed it to you: "Young man, you accompanied me to appreciate the lanterns. Huaishen will borrow flowers to offer to Buddha as a return gift."
“…Thank you.” You took it hesitantly, unsure of what would happen once the dream faded.
"Young man, why do you have such worry on your face?" Zhang Huaishen took the initiative to show concern.
You stared at the fish outline painted on the lantern, hesitated for a moment before answering, "I don't know how long I can be with you before we have to part..."
"Young man, I am a close friend," Zhang Huaishen said, looking at you, his tone gentle but firm. "As close friends, no matter how long we've been together, we can always be close friends."
You looked at him, and a thought came to your mind: "So, after this separation, where should I go to find you?"
Zhang Huaishen smiled and said, "Why bother looking for her? We will meet when we are destined to meet."
You like this statement very much, so you accept it gladly and secretly decide to cherish your time and try your best to get along with him in the best possible way.
An hour later, everything, including Zhang Huaishen, disappeared.
Except for the lamp in your hand, even Tianshuiji has turned into a dilapidated ruin.
The huge gap in your feeling took you a long time to come back to your senses. You felt that you seemed to miss Zhang Huaishen a little.
The next day, as you pass a snowy slope, you suddenly notice that the treetops are covered in red silk. The long and short silks flutter in the wind, strikingly beautiful against the white snow.
"Is this... a blessing tree?" you speculated to yourself.
"Yes, the locals will pray here." The young man's voice was full of energy.
You turned around in surprise, and saw Zhang Huaishen standing beside you holding Ye Butuo, smiling at you: "Young man, do you want to try it?"
"I didn't bring any red silk." You touched your body and answered with a bit of regret.
Zhang Huaishen also looked down at himself and said generously, "I didn't bring any either, but I happened to be wearing a red cloak, so I could cut off a corner of it and use it."
You immediately shook your head in protest: "No, I've never heard of anyone cutting off their own clothes to pray for blessings!"
Zhang Huaishen was about to argue with you, but suddenly stopped. He looked around and asked you doubtfully, "Young man, did you hear anything?"
You pricked up your ears and listened carefully, but heard nothing.
But Zhang Huaishen seemed to be thinking about something. He walked forward a few steps, suddenly squatted on the snow, and began to dig the snow with his hands.
You were a little confused, but you followed over to help with great respect.
After digging for an unknown amount of time, when your hands were all cold, a figure finally appeared in the snow - it was an unconscious middle-aged man with a blue face. He looked like he was about to freeze to death, and you didn't know how long he had been buried in the snow.
Zhang Huaishen felt his breath and said happily, "He's still breathing! I'll go light a fire."
You stood up to help, but Zhang Huaishen shook his head, took off his cloak and put it on you: "I was in such a hurry to save people just now that I didn't realize you were wearing so little..." He shook your hand and said with pity: "Look, your hands are so cold... Take care of yourself and wait for me to come back."
You were afraid that he would disappear before you could wait for him to come back, but you cooperated, gathered your cloak, and stood there quietly waiting.
Soon, Zhang Huaishen came back, holding a bundle of dry firewood, and started a fire on the spot. After it was lit, he greeted you with a smile: "It will be warmer here."
You obediently leaned over, hesitated for a moment, and carefully touched his hand - as expected, it was also cold, and you couldn't tell whether it was colder, you or him.
"Don't worry about me," he said, as if he knew what you were thinking. "I grew up in Liangzhou. Snow and wind are commonplace to me. I don't feel cold."
But you felt uncomfortable, so you simply stood on tiptoe, gave him half of the cloak you were wearing, and draped it over his shoulders: "Let's go together."
Zhang Huaishen was startled, and then his brown eyes were filled with smiles: "Okay, I will share my clothes with you even if I have no clothes."
You and Zhang Huaishen moved the frozen man closer to the fire and sat together to keep warm. Zhang Huaishen was much taller than you, so you almost leaned against him, and he half-draped his cloak over his shoulders to hold you close.
After an unknown amount of time, the man woke up groaning and mumbled, "Am I still alive?"
Zhang Huaishen smiled and said, "You are blessed with a long life, so naturally you are still alive."
The man looked at Zhang Huaishen blankly, then at you, and asked in confusion, "You saved me? How can I repay you if I don't know your name?"
"Just treat me as a monster in the mountains. Saving you was just a matter of convenience. You don't have to repay me." Zhang Huaishen said.
You naturally understood he was joking, so you joined in the fun: "Yeah, we are the monsters from the mountains. We come out on snowy days to eat people. We saw you lying in the snow and you didn't look very tasty, so we saved you."
The man nodded, not quite understanding, and muttered in confusion: "This, there are pairs of monsters in the mountains..."
Zhang Huaishen looked at you with a smile and teased, "Of course, a mountain spirit can't always be alone, right? There must be someone who loves you."
You feel your cheeks getting a little hot for some reason... maybe it's the fire.
The man suddenly realized and said, "This gentleman is right. I wish you two a long and happy marriage!"
You were about to say that you and Zhang Huaishen weren't in that kind of relationship, but Zhang Huaishen had already answered, "Then I'll take your kind words for granted."
The man thanked you profusely before leaving.
You suddenly feel a little melancholy, and you think that maybe it's time to separate again.
Zhang Huaishen sat next to you, looking down at you and smiling: "Don't worry, I can stay with you for a while."
You subconsciously ask: "When?"
His eyes flickered, and he looked at you very seriously: "When you wish to wake up."
After getting a definite answer, you leaned your head on his shoulder again, listened to the crackling of the fire, and fell asleep unknowingly.
When you regain consciousness, the fire has vanished, and so has Zhang Huaishen. In your hand, you hold a piece of red cloth, and you can still vaguely make out the dark golden pattern on it—it seems to be the same pattern as Zhang Huaishen's clothes.
He actually cut a corner of his clothes for you.
Your mood was extremely complicated. You jumped lightly onto the top of the blessing tree and tied the piece of cloth to a branch.
"General Xiao Zhang, I don't have any other wishes," you poke the branch and whisper a wish. "If you can hear me, could you spend more time with me next time we meet? Or, just let me know your wish and I'll help you realize it."
The world is silent, the only sound responding to you is the whistling wind, which also ruffles your hair.
You began to think about how you could take the initiative to meet Zhang Huaishen - always waiting for him to come to see you seemed a bit passive and did not suit your personality.
After careful consideration, you picked a plum blossom, returned to the cliff where you first met, placed the wine gourd on the ground, and tried to consult the spirit.
What you didn't expect was that you got a response just by asking "Is General Zhang Huaishen of the Guiyi Army here?"
The wind howled, snowflakes flew in your face. You could only close your eyes instinctively, waiting for the wind to die down. When you opened your eyes, you saw Zhang Huaishen standing in front of you.
He looked at you with a bright smile, just like always.
"General Xiao Zhang..." You couldn't help but stare at him in astonishment. It took you a long time to realize your purpose. You quickly asked, "Do you have any unfulfilled wishes? I'll help you fulfill them."
Zhang Huaishen stared at you and smiled. "Huaishen has no regrets. I've lived a life of hardship and adversity, but I've met a bosom friend, shared a good drink, and admired the vibrant lanterns. I have no regrets even in death. Ever since I was a young soldier, I've been mentally prepared. I don't want high office or wealth in life, nor do I want a name in history after death. I also disdain any gold or silver as a burial companion... I'll drink it all from the gourd. If a soldier never returns, I'll be buried with the gourd in place of my bones when I die!"
He has no regrets, and it seems you can’t help him. You sighed and lowered your head in frustration.
Then he continued, "But Huai Shen still has one wish."
You snapped your head up to look at him.
He was also looking at you, his brown eyes sparkling. "Huai Shen and the young man hit it off right away, and we wished we could meet sooner. So, I only hope that from now on, the young man can remember me occasionally, but not think about me all the time."
You felt a pang in your chest, but you endured it, looking at him aggrievedly: "Is that all? Don't you have anything else to say to me?"
Zhang Huaishen looked at you intently, shook his head, and then nodded: "I wish to be the southwest wind, and fade away into your arms forever."
You were slightly startled when you saw him take a step forward and raise his arms to hug you.
This was your first hug, a little late, but just as warm as a spring breeze as you imagined. He leaned close to your ear and asked, "Young man, do you have any wishes?"
You thought about it and whispered to him, "Well, can you come to see me in my dreams more often?"
"Okay." He didn't hesitate, but changed the subject. "It's just that I can't let you remember too much about me, young man. I'm afraid it will affect your mood and delay you."
Even as a ghost, this person remains so rational and considerate. You're at a loss for words, so you say, "Well, don't forget our agreement."
When you woke up from your trance, you found yourself lying on the bed in Buxianxian's room.
Uncle Jiang was sitting by the window polishing his sword. Hearing the noise, he glanced at you calmly: "What did you dream about? You were talking in your sleep just now."
Your heart tightened, and you immediately asked, "What did I say?"
Uncle Jiang frowned unconsciously and asked you, "Who is General Xiao Zhang?"
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