Curious about the Taoist priest, she stood up. “I’ll go see who this Taoist priest is.”
“We’ll go too,” her companions replied.
“All of us? Won’t we scare him?” she laughed, looking at the large group. Even Bai Yu Qing climbed down from the tree, clearly intrigued by her rare couplet.
“Madam, the Taoist priest is at the gate,” a servant pointed.
They saw a figure in a gray Taoist robe at the gate, hair tied high with a blue jade hairpin. The priest appeared to be in his twenties. The back looked familiar, but the thought vanished quickly as a breeze lifted his robe.
“May I ask what the Taoist master wants?” she asked, stepping forward.
The person turned, and she felt her blood freeze. Those familiar features, the smile… it was just like three years ago.
“Yu Lie!” she cried, rushing forward to embrace him. “It’s really you, you’re not dead…”
“Madam…” He pushed her away. “You must have mistaken me.”
This humble Taoist, Kong Jue, is not the person you’re calling.”
“Xiao Ai, he’s not Yu Lie,” Nan Gong Mo supported her from behind, wiping her tears, “Yu Lie died three years ago. We all saw it.”
“Yeah, little Ai Ai, that’s not Third Brother!” Little Punk said, though he looked again at the man.
“Indeed, they look exactly alike,” Xie Ying observed, wary of strange appearances.
“Staring blankly at the man, she walked up and examined him. ‘It can’t be wrong, you are Yu Lie, why won’t you admit it!’
“Madam, this humble Taoist…” Kong Jue began, but seeing her tears, he stood bewildered.
“Xiao Ai, don’t cry; it’s not good for the child!” Nan Gong Mo tried to comfort her.
“He is Yu Lie…” she cried, staring at the priest, fearing he would disappear.
“Okay, okay! He is Yu Lie,” Nan Gong Mo relented, “Just stop crying; there are so many people here.”
Suddenly breaking free from Nan Gong Mo’s grip, she grabbed the dazed man and turned to walk into the mansion.
“Madam, Madam…” Kong Jue hesitated to resist, unsure of what to do, and was pulled along by her.
The group behind her was unprepared for the sudden situation, quietly following. In a corner of the back garden, large four-season begonias bloomed passionately.
“This…” Kong Jue looked at the scene before him, momentarily speechless, his face reflecting focus, pain, and confusion, which bewildered her.
“What is your name?” Yu Lie had died beside her, and there was no real resurrection technique. He couldn’t possibly be Yu Lie.
“Kong Jue.” He didn’t smile, looking at her as if seeking an answer.
“Kong Jue…” He lowered his eyes, smiling softly after a moment. “What do you think about the couplet at the mansion?”
If Yu Lie were still alive, she hoped he could be ’empty and absolute’; that would bring happiness.
Noticing the silence around her, she looked up to see the group gradually retreating. Nan Gong Mo turned back and smiled gently, urging her to organize her thoughts. Today, she discovered that Yu Lie was deeply etched in her heart, perhaps out of guilt or regret, as her memories of him were still so clear after three years.
“From that couplet, one can see how obsessed the madam is with love,” Kong Jue said seriously, flustered as he avoided my gaze. “The mansion name you mentioned, ‘Illusion Love Manor’, acknowledges that love is an illusion, yet why be so persistent? The hardest debt to repay is the debt of romantic love. Passion alone rarely leads to a good outcome.”
“Perhaps you’re right… even if passionate, it’s difficult to have a good outcome.”
Like Yu Lie, who ended in death; Jing Lei, with his cold aura; Mo Li, who closed himself off; and Bai Yu Qing, Huo Yu Ran… all because of love.
“Madam, may I ask you something?” Kong Jue inquired, and I nodded. He continued, “Madam’s upper line is ‘Strange world and sky, illusions of ancient and modern love unresolved’, but I don’t understand why ‘strange world and sky’. The lower line is ‘Five elements pulling love, passionately repaying the infinite debt of romance’. Does ‘five elements’ refer to five countries? What does ‘pulling love’ mean? I hope you can enlighten me.”
“It’s normal that you don’t understand,” I replied coldly. “Different from Yu Lie in nature, though similar in appearance. Have you heard of ‘thousand-year phantom ice’? Such a thing exists; it’s not a strange world and sky.”
The five elements refer to five countries, while ‘pulling love’ means touching and accompanying love, subtly referencing my name ‘Jiang Xiao Ai’. Do you understand now?”
“Jiang Xiao Ai…” Kong Jue seemed to ponder, then asked, “If it’s a reference to you, why five countries? Can it refer to a single person?”
“Of course not!” Seeing his eagerness, I changed the subject, “Do you like these sea crabapple flowers?”
“…” Blinking in confusion, Kong Jue replied, “They’re beautiful, but I think sea crabapple flowers look better in autumn. If a large patch were planted, it would look like a burning fire from a distance.”
“…” I was shocked. He had expressed Yu Lie’s preference. Just a coincidence? My heart began to tremble.
“Madam, may I ask you a question?” Kong Jue hesitated, “Who is Yu Lie?”
Several days had passed, and the mansion was bustling. Kong Jue’s appearance surprised many, and I, enchanted at first, soon became clear-headed. After explaining, everyone understood they were two different people, and several days of observation confirmed it.
Kong Jue, a soft-hearted person with the heart of a Taoist, found it hard to maintain his attitude under the influence of two old men. At this moment, he was squatting among the flowers catching insects. I suggested he apply medicine, but he couldn’t bear to kill them and preferred to handle them personally.
“Kong Jue, what do you plan to do with these insects?” I asked, amused at how many he had caught.
“This… I haven’t thought about it yet,” he replied, then added, “However, they are small lives and should probably be set free.”
“They are pests. Your kindness in releasing them won’t make them better.”
“Then I must give them a chance!” Kong Jue said seriously. “It’s their bad luck to be born in such a body, something they themselves don’t want.”
I was impressed that he could philosophize even about insects.
“Madam, when will my master come?” he asked, scooping the insects into a paper bag.
“Your master… probably in a day or two,” I responded, following him to see what he would do with the insects.
“Madam, where is the back door?”
“Follow this small path straight, then turn left at the bamboo grove, and you’ll see a small door.” Just as I finished speaking, I saw Kong Jue had already walked over. “What are you doing?”
“Kong Jue didn’t answer, just opened the back door and went to an open grassland, shaking all the insects onto the ground.
“You…” I looked at him uncomprehendingly. Was he using this as a release site?
“Madam,” Kong Jue smiled, sweeping his sleeves and pointing at the grassland, “From now on, I’ll bring them here to release. They’ll be safe.”
“Are you sure you want to release all these insects here?”
“Of course!”
“Well, okay then.” I couldn’t refuse, but it was a pity for this grassland, now a pest concentration camp.
“Madam,” Kong Jue’s hesitant gaze returned, “you still haven’t told me who Yu Lie is.”
“Why do you want to know?” I walked back to the mansion and sat on a stone bench, reluctant to linger in the grassland.
“Curiosity.” Kong Jue’s eyes narrowed slightly, not dangerous like Yu Lie’s but full of confusion, “Is Yu Lie someone very important to you?”
“Yes, very important. Like Nan Gong Mo, Leng Ao Hun, Xie Ying… as important as them.” I said this for his understanding.
“Then he…” Kong Jue seemed determined to get an answer.”
