Lu Xiaochan had experienced rainfall before, whether it was torrential rain or a gentle drizzle, but this time he felt it was incredibly mysterious. It was as if his hearing and sense of touch had been infinitely magnified. Even a single raindrop falling from the sky, brushing past countless dust particles, was incredibly detailed.
It finally fell into the soil, seeped into the cracks, and then penetrated the roots and sprouts. Following the delicate leaf veins, it once again saw the light of day. It formed into a flower, blooming as the rain fell.
“What do you feel?” Kunwu asked.
“Water…”
Kunwu understood. “It seems you have an inexplicable connection with water. So, what feelings do you have about water?”
“Water… formless and shapeless. When it enters cracks in the ground, it takes the form of those cracks. When it’s poured into a cup, it takes the shape of the cup.”
“What else?” Kunwu showed a faint smile.
“If it’s absorbed by plants and living things, it becomes growing grass and blooming flowers. If it leaves, it becomes withering and decay.”
“That’s right, a single drop of water is the origin of ‘one flower, one world; one leaf, one cycle of life and death’.”
Lu Xiaochan exhaled. He realized that ever since he had eaten that locust tree leaf, the world had changed.
He heard all kinds of sounds.
Water circulated through the thousand-year-old locust tree. The mist from Kunwu’s breath drifted with each inhale and exhale. Even his skin could feel the previously intangible water vapor.
“Interesting, isn’t it?” Kunwu smiled.
“Yes… I seem to hear more than before!”
“Do you find it noisy?” Kunwu asked again.
“Not at all. These sounds are light, like music.”
“Your mind is pure, so the water sounds you hear are naturally clear,” Kunwu stood up. “It’s about time, I’ll take you back. Think about what you’ve experienced.”
“Can I hear these sounds because I’ve ‘entered the power’?”
“Entering the power isn’t that simple. I’ve merely opened a door for you. How far you can go depends on yourself.”
Kunwu led Lu Xiaochan out the door.
After winding through various paths, he finally brought him back to Shu Wuxi.
The first thing Kunwu saw was incense burning in front of Shu Wuxi.
The smoke swirled, transforming into the shapes of books and classics, dissipating at times and reforming at others.
“You’re actually studying our Tailing Pavilion’s medical classics?” Kunwu found it interesting.
“I will find a way to cure Xiaochan’s eyes,” Shu Wuxi replied.
Kunwu coldly curled his lip. “Then take your time searching.”
Shu Wuxi looked up, his gaze falling on Lu Xiaochan behind Kunwu.
He tightened the Immortal-Locking Ribbon, and Lu Xiaochan felt a force pulling him to Shu Wuxi’s side.
Kunwu leaned down close to Shu Wuxi and said in a voice only he could hear. “Alright, if you can really cure his eyes, I’ll believe you won’t harm him. I’ll let you take him away and won’t interfere!”
A glimmer of light flashed in Shu Wuxi’s originally cold eyes as he looked into Kunwu’s. “It’s a deal.”
Lu Xiaochan came closer. “What are you two saying behind my back?”
“Talking about your shortcomings,” Kunwu pressed a hand on Lu Xiaochan’s head.
The press revealed something unexpected – Lu Xiaochan’s hair, previously dry like kindling, had become slippery. Kunwu couldn’t resist rubbing it again.
Unexpectedly, a sharp blade of spiritual energy cut across, and Kunwu barely withdrew his hand in time to avoid being cut!
“Who said you could touch him?” Shu Wuxi’s voice sounded.
Lu Xiaochan didn’t understand what had happened, only feeling that Kunwu was deliberately pressing on his head to bully him.
“Old beggar! Why are you bullying me again!”
Kunwu helplessly spread his hands. “You have a strong backer! You’re the boss!”
When Lu Xiaochan heard this, he felt a little smug inside! Ah, ah, from now on the old beggar couldn’t bully him anymore!
Kunwu walked to the door, then turned back. “How about it, Xiaochan, why don’t you come with me instead? There are other quiet rooms.”
“No need,” Shu Wuxi answered directly for Lu Xiaochan.
“You…” Kunwu shook his head.
Spending time together like this, with Lu Xiaochan right before his eyes, how was it any different from when little junior brother faced Yang Cang day and night in Wuyi Jingtian?
It could easily lead to sparks flying!
Kunwu took out a small bottle from his sleeve and handed it to Lu Xiaochan. “Xiaochan, take this. Use one pill every night.”
“What is this?” Lu Xiaochan opened the bottle and sniffed, then immediately frowned, “Isn’t this the scent of ‘Qianxun’?”
Kunwu was taken aback. “You really do have a dog’s nose! You can even smell that!”
“Why are you giving me this to eat? This is for clearing evil fire! I don’t have that kind of evil fire! I’m not eating it!”
Lu Xiaochan threw the small bottle back, but Kunwu threw it back again.
“You ungrateful brat! If you don’t eat it, be careful…”
At this moment, Shu Wuxi spoke up. “Give it to me.”
Kunwu waved his hand. “Whether you eat it or not, what’s going to happen will happen! This is to save Xiaochan’s life!”
“Save what life?” Lu Xiaochan became more curious, “Do I have some incurable disease?”
“I’ll make sure he takes it,” Shu Wuxi’s palm faced up, and Kunwu quickly placed the small bottle in Shu Wuxi’s palm.
As soon as Kunwu left, Shu Wuxi said to Lu Xiaochan. “Hand.”
Lu Xiaochan extended his hand, feeling Shu Wuxi pour a small pill into it.
“Eat it.”
Lu Xiaochan felt this medicine was embarrassing. Only flower thieves or those with lustful thoughts needed to clear evil fire, why did he need to eat this?
But since Shu Wuxi told him to, Lu Xiaochan had to comply, otherwise he would be hit on the palm again.
At night, Lu Xiaochan slept on Shu Wuxi’s couch, while Shu Wuxi sat beside Lu Xiaochan, neither speaking nor moving, making it impossible for Lu Xiaochan to hear any sound.
“Brother Wuxi, if I practice hard and take some elixirs, will I be able to see?”
Lu Xiaochan was wrapped in the blanket, lying on his side with only his head exposed. He wasn’t sleepy at all, and even though he couldn’t see, he kept his eyes wide open, facing Shu Wuxi’s direction.
“If you practice well, I can take you away.”
Lu Xiaochan closed his eyes. In this quiet room, he couldn’t hear any water sounds, except for Shu Wuxi’s faint breathing.
“Brother Wuxi.”
“What is it?”
“Today, Kunwu gave me a locust tree leaf to eat, and then I heard the sound of water in that old locust tree, in the leaves, in the flowers. Kunwu said this is a drop of water’s ‘one flower, one world; one leaf, one cycle of life and death’.”
In such quietness, Lu Xiaochan just wanted to talk to Shu Wuxi. As long as Shu Wuxi responded, he could hear the water sounds in Shu Wuxi’s body, the slow and composed flow of his blood, yet brewing endless persistence, pursuing a shore that was hard to reach even after countless deaths.
“You don’t like hearing these principles.”
Shu Wuxi said softly.
Lu Xiaochan smiled. “But when you ponder over it carefully, it’s quite interesting. It’s like in this quiet room, there’s no flowing water, no plants or flowers, no sounds of clouds or mist, but I can still hear your voice.”
“What is my voice like?” Shu Wuxi asked.
“In you, there’s also blooming and withering.”
“Is it pleasant to hear?”
“Yes, it is.” Lu Xiaochan closed his eyes, savoring the subtle sounds within Shu Wuxi’s body.
Shu Wuxi’s blood flowed through his slender fingers, towards his fingertips, like clear tea being poured into a cup.
Flowing past his wrist, it was like a winter flower blooming unappreciated.
Entering his heart, it suddenly transformed into a magnificent sunrise, covering mountains and rivers.
Passing his lips, it suddenly became a gentle drizzle, falling silently, yet unexpectedly surging into a fierce storm.
These were all the sounds Lu Xiaochan heard from Shu Wuxi, the most beautiful sounds in the world.
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Why should I be afraid…” Lu Xiaochan wasn’t sleepy at all, just looking at Shu Wuxi, imagining his appearance, “You are my one flower, one world…”
“If only you weren’t afraid of me before, how wonderful that would have been…”
Shu Wuxi’s voice was soft, yet hoarse. His originally indifferent eyes were tinged with the depth of a rainy night, like thick ink wanting to break free from its constraints.
“I wish I could see soon.” Lu Xiaochan smacked his lips, ready to have a good sleep and a big beautiful dream.
In his dream, he might be able to see Shu Wuxi’s face clearly.
“Yes, you used to love watching flowers bloom and wither, mountains and night rain…”
“Not being able to see those doesn’t matter much. But I want to see you.” Lu Xiaochan gently tugged at the Immortal-Locking Ribbon.
Shu Wuxi froze.
“Brother Wuxi? Are you asleep?” Lu Xiaochan lowered his voice, asking carefully.
“I’m here.”
“Oh.”
Just as Lu Xiaochan was about to fall asleep, Shu Wuxi asked again. “Do you really want to see me?”
“I do… If I could see you, even losing ten years of my life wouldn’t matter…”
Shu Wuxi’s fingers, which were gripping the edge of Lu Xiaochan’s blanket, tightened.
Not long after, Lu Xiaochan’s breathing lengthened, indicating he had fallen asleep.
Shu Wuxi slowly lowered his head, carefully avoiding a strand of hair on the pillow.
“I don’t want you to lose any of your life… If you want to see, I will make sure you can see.”
Past midnight, Shu Wuxi sat upright at the desk, still burning incense in front of him. The medical classics of the Tailing Pavilion opened and closed page by page in the smoke, finally stopping at a page of an incomplete scroll.
Shu Wuxi extended his finger, closed his eyes, and infused spiritual energy into it. The incomplete scroll slowly began to repair itself.
At this time, Lu Xiaochan’s soul wandered out of his body, returning to that quiet, empty place in his dream, where he once again became that young boy covered in bottles and jars.
In front of the young boy hung a blank scroll – the artifact “Mirror Flower Water Moon” that could reflect one’s desires.
He sat cross-legged in front of the scroll, grabbing the man in plain clothes who was about to walk past him.
“Don’t you want to see what desires are in my heart?”
The young boy squinted his eyes and smiled, using his other hand to shake a medicine bottle from his waist.
He originally thought the man would leave as he had done every time before, but this time was different. He casually lifted his robe and sat down beside the young boy.
“Oh my, it’s not easy to attract you! I need to think carefully about what to show you!”
The young boy rubbed his hands together, closed his eyes, and gulped down several mouthfuls of “Drunken Life Dream Death”. After drinking this immortal wine, he could no longer conceal his desires.
Suddenly, the medicine pot in his hand fell, and the young boy toppled forward, falling asleep just like that.
The man beside him caught him with one hand, pulling him into his embrace, while his other hand grabbed the medicine pot.
On the originally empty scroll, faint ink stains began to spread, gradually transforming into vivid colors as they flowed.
In the gentle breeze, buds sprouted and delicate, transparent petals slowly opened towards the sunlight. Dewdrops adorned the petals, swaying for a moment before falling.
The man’s gaze seemed locked, watching the small flower blooming in the crevice of a rock, from blossoming to withering, and then to decay.
Then came crickets fighting, kittens climbing trees, turtles swimming… Followed by scenes of everyday life: sugar cakes turning from small pieces into puffy golden shapes in the oil pot, flatbreads being taken out of the oven sizzling with oil…
The man slowly raised his hand and lightly touched the scroll.
The scene suddenly changed, showing clouds surging in the sky, falling into the sunset glow, illuminating mountains and rivers, in a magnificent spectacle.
The man stared intently, watching continuously.
The young boy in his arms mumbled, rubbed his eyes, and sat up.
“Did I just pass out drunk? What was in the scroll?”
The man handed him the medicine pot and said, “Keep drinking.”
“Why? I don’t want to drink anymore! You drink! You drink and let me see what’s in your mind!”
“You drink.”
“I won’t!” The young boy put his hands on his hips and turned his face away.
The man fell silent, put down the pot and was about to get up when the young boy quickly grabbed him.
“I’ll drink! I’ll drink! Don’t go!”
The man sat back down.
The young boy turned his face sideways, curled his lips, and squinted his eyes mischievously. He then tilted his head back, took a few more sips, and fell asleep with his head askew.
The blank scroll once again extended countless graceful lines, outlining one charming figure after another, forming alluring scenes.
The man shook the young boy who was sleeping with his head tilted. “This isn’t good to look at, think of something else.”
The scene suddenly changed again, turning into a gathering where men and women clinked glasses, pretending to be refined, drinking and enjoying themselves, even leaning against each other, very intimate.
The young boy was shaken again.
“This isn’t good to look at either, change it.”
The scroll changed to a bed, with two people in an intimate embrace… indescribable.
The man was about to shake the young boy again, but just as his fingers were about to touch him, it was as if he had been scalded, and he withdrew his hand.
When the young boy opened his eyes again, he found himself lying face down on the ground, and the person beside him had long since disappeared.
The young boy tilted his neck and whined, “Ouch, ouch! That annoying guy left without waking me up! Now my neck is all crooked!”
He collected the scroll, picked up his medicine pot, and walked along the long, deep corridor in the night.
The young boy looked around, turned back, and found no light, becoming frightened.
“Help! Where am I? Why can’t I see anything?”
It was empty, nothing but pitch darkness.
The young boy was so scared that tears fell from his eyes.
“Come out quickly! Take me away from here! Take me away from here! I don’t want to be alone!”
At this moment, Lu Xiaochan heard Shu Wuxi’s voice in his ear.
“Xiaochan, wake up. You’re dreaming.”
The Immortal-Locking Ribbon on his wrist suddenly tightened, causing him to suddenly come to his senses.
“Xiaochan, what’s wrong?”
Through the blanket, Shu Wuxi wrapped him up and held him tightly.
“I dreamed I was in a very dark place, and then you disappeared too.”
“It won’t be dark anymore in the future,” Shu Wuxi whispered close to Lu Xiaochan’s ear.
“Why?”
“I’ve found a way to make you see.”
Shu Wuxi turned his face to look at the incense burner on the table, where the clear smoke lingered on a page of a sacred text.
— With a thousand years of cultivation entering the soul, breaking through the karmic fire, igniting the elixir core, one can open the wisdom eye and see all living beings.
“Really?” Lu Xiaochan raised his eyes.
“Really.”
Shu Wuxi’s finger, through the blanket, touched Lu Xiaochan’s back.
Suddenly, his spiritual energy surged, like the Milky Way falling directly into the blue clouds, instantly entering Lu Xiaochan’s body.
Lu Xiaochan felt as if thousands of horses were galloping through his bloodstream, overwhelming and destroying him.
His bones crackled, and the elixir core in his chest vibrated as if about to burst.
He was going to die!
He was going to be shattered!
In an instant, gentle colors separated from the darkness before his eyes, like fine fragments of dawn light, then the darkness and light between them formed a bright golden string, suddenly bursting open.
The feeling of excruciating pain disappeared, his elixir core felt full and light, and before his eyes was a figure.
The azure glass luster outlined deep and gentle eyes, turning into pleasing skin, lips that made Xiaochan’s heart pound, a nose bridge as unreachable as an icy plateau, elegance and strength coexisting.
He was far more stunning than Lu Xiaochan had imagined a million times… more alluring than a lamp burning silently in the night, more enchanting than moonlight between clouds. Everything about him floated in Lu Xiaochan’s eyes, silently slipping into his heart.
“Brother Wuxi… is it you?”
Lu Xiaochan reached out his hand, almost touching Shu Wuxi’s face, but the other turned away.
“It’s me.”
“Can I… can I see now?”
“Yes.”
Lu Xiaochan opened his eyes wide, carefully looking at the person before him lowering his eyelids, a sight a thousand times more moving than the old beggar’s description of a beauty bowing her head.
“Xiaochan, go see Kunwu.”
“Oh! Right! I should let that old trickster take a look, he even claims to be the master of Tailing Pavilion! But it was you who cured my eyes!”
