Chapter 60: A Lingering Melancholy

On the stage stood two figures, one large and one small. The smaller one was happily jumping up and down, while the larger one looked at his wits' end.

Cang Shu pressed his hands against the edge of the stage, staring wide-eyed at the sea of spectators below. Wrapped in red silk from head to toe, he would have looked bizarre walking down the street, but right here on the stage, the outfit fit the occasion perfectly, making him look just like a performer.

The audience burst into applause and cheers, remarking that this New Year's Eve not only featured the magnificent dragon-and-fish spectacle crafted by the immortal sects, but even the ten-pattern gongs and drums of the Fengyi Hall had been given a fresh, creative arrangement.

Just as a section of the percussion piece came to an end, Cang Shu froze on stage for a moment, looking as if he had been driven to desperation and decided to throw caution to the wind. Suddenly striking a pose, he stepped forward grandly, cupped his fists, and bowed to the audience, as if his sudden descent from the heavens had been meticulously planned all along.

Wen Ci glanced at Cang Shu, then turned his gaze back to beating his drum. The musicians snapped out of their surprise, and the sounds of silk and bamboo instruments swelled once more to the rhythm of the drums.

Cang Shu walked with broad, confident strides across the stage, swaying slightly as he made a full circle before coming to a stop beside Wen Ci’s hall drum, resting a hand on its rim.

As blue swimming fish glided across the stage, swirling upward around Cang Shu and Axi, Cang Shu caught the pulsating rhythm of the drum, swept his arm through the air, and chanted in a resonant voice:
"I am a wayward scholar of the Qingdu mountains, ordained by heaven to live in idle frenzy. I have drafted mandates to command the rain and tame the wind, and repeatedly petitioned the floating clouds to borrow the moon's decree. Ten thousand poems, a thousand cups of wine—when have I ever deigned to look at marquesses and kings? Too lazy to return to the jade towers and golden portals, I'd rather stick plum blossoms in my hair and stay drunk in Luoyang."

With a wave of Cang Shu's arm, the red silk fluttered in the lamplight. A Yan whispered softly to Ye Minwei, "Oh no, the alcohol has gone to Cang Shu's head, and he's starting to ramble nonsense."

The people below could not understand what Cang Shu was reciting, but they felt the cadence of his voice matching the drumbeats, fierce and soaring like a rainbow, and they cheered heartily.

Cang Shu cupped his fists in a salute and said, "Thank you, thank you for the indulgence."

Then, continuing in a booming voice, he declared, "Waters possess the momentum to touch the skies, and lanterns cast a light that banishes the night; waters can wash away the turbid to raise the clear, and lamps can dispel the gloom and shatter the dark. May the sun shine brightly, may the moon gleam softly, may you be prosperous and wealthy, long-lived and healthy! May this joyous New Year bring boundless peace and eternal joy!"

Amidst the resounding cheers of the audience, Cang Shu bowed in all directions and led Axi off the stage.

While he maintained his grand stride all the way off the platform, the moment he reached Ye Minwei, his legs turned to jelly, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

Ye Minwei caught Cang Shu, only to hear him ask in a weak, breathless voice, "What on earth did I just say up there?"

"You don't remember what you just said?"

Cang Shu shook his head and said bitterly, "The moment I stepped down, it all vanished from my mind."

"You recited quite a few poems and even gave New Year blessings. Something about a wayward scholar of the Qingdu mountains, and lanterns casting a light that banishes the night..."

"Alright, alright, please don't say anymore." Cang Shu weakly averted his face.

Ye Minwei patted Cang Shu on the back and said, "Your acting skills are better than mine. You looked completely in your element and carried the scene through. I imagine Wen Ci will be very grateful to you."

Axi happily hugged Cang Shu's leg. With a smiling yet lingering sense of fear, Cang Shu gently peeled her away and coaxed, "Go find your brother!"

With that, Cang Shu looked around and asked, "Where did Miss Xie go?"

Ye Minwei looked around as well, only to realize that her young disciple had vanished without a trace at some point.

Xie Yuzhu had missed this lively impromptu spectacle, and if she ever realized what she had missed, she would surely regret it deeply.

Earlier, as she watched her second master brimming with spirit on stage, and then looked at the Myriad Phenomena revolving around her first master's wrist, along with the sky full of azure fish and the swirling red paper from firecrackers transformed into the red ashes of a dragon, she had been struck with awe, only to find herself overwhelmed by a sudden melancholy.

Both of her masters possessed things they passionately adored and revered. Whenever those subjects were involved, their faces would light up with a brilliant radiance, leaving ordinary mortals trailing far behind in their dust.

Yet she herself had no grand ambitions.

In the past, she had thought of making a name for herself just to prove her worth. But now? All she had to do was snap her fingers, and she could become a grandmaster even older than her two masters. That was about as prominent as one could possibly get—after all, the Master of Ceyu was also a figure of towering ambition, renowned across the realm.

What true value, what reason did she—this tiny Xie Yuzhu, ignorant and devoid of great aspirations—have to refuse to become the Master of Ceyu once again?

***

Filled with sorrow, yet feeling that her melancholy was terribly out of place amidst the festive mood, she had quietly slipped away from her first master, wandered the bustling streets, and given in to her lonely thoughts.

She sat down on the stone steps before the gates of a wealthy estate, where a red lantern overhead illuminated her spot. Propping her chin in her hands, Xie Yuzhu watched children holding firecrackers and pastries laughing as they ran past, and let out a long, heavy sigh.

"What a coincidence, running into Miss Xie again."

A voice suddenly sounded beside her, making Xie Yuzhu jump in startle as she turned her head. Not paying attention when she first arrived, she now noticed that beneath another red lantern hanging from the doorway, someone else was sitting on the opposite side of the steps.

Two travelers sharing the same bitter fate, meeting by chance... and as it turned out, she actually knew this person.

The man was draped in a black cloak, holding a flask of wine, with one arm resting on his knee as he lazily lowered his head to bow to Xie Yuzhu. When he raised his head, the moonlight reflected in his eyes, illuminating a red birthmark on the side of his neck.

"Wei—Wei—Wei—Master Wei?" Xie Yuzhu stammered, her eyes wide.

Wasn't this the exact same man she had encountered at the Golden Deity Festival in Ningyu?

Xie Yuzhu sat frozen in place, her mind buzzing as busily as the Ming'an stage, with various thoughts entering and exiting the spotlight in rapid succession.

Why on earth was this Young Master Wei Yuan here? Was he truly the Lord of the Heavenly City? If he really was Wei Yuan, and given that he hailed from the Xiaoyao Sect, might he know her first master? Could it be that he had come specifically for her first master?

Then again, she thought, he certainly looked upright and handsome—precisely her type, with those thick eyebrows and bright eyes...

No, no, no! Did this Wei Yuan know about the relationship between her and her first master? Or perhaps, did he know her true identity?

A deep sense of foreboding washed over Xie Yuzhu. Seeing him open his mouth as if to speak, she blurted out first, "Why is Young Master Wei here?"

Wei Yuan paused slightly, then pointed a finger toward the gate behind him. "This is the back gate of the Prefecture Governor's Office."

Xie Yuzhu turned back in astonishment and looked closer. "Oh?"

"I was ordered to investigate and confiscate the estate of the Prince of Laiyang, so I am staying here."

Xie Yuzhu thought to herself: *Why on earth did I happen to pick this exact spot to feel melancholic?*

"Are you a man of the imperial court? But aren't you..."

"A cultivator. I am a cultivator."

"But the immortal sects strictly forbid practitioners from meddling in secular politics."

"That is why Wei is a traitor to the immortal sects."

Wei Yuan showed not a shred of shame, speaking with such candid ease that Xie Yuzhu was left utterly speechless. He continued, "Miss Xie..."

Xie Yuzhu interrupted him once more. "During this auspicious New Year festival, why is Lord Wei drinking alone in sorrow by the back gate of the Governor's Office?"

Playing along with her words, Wei Yuan replied, "We cultivators have long since lost our family members, so naturally there is no one left to reunite with."

"Where is Lord Wei from?"

"Cangzhou."

"Cangzhou!"

"Has Miss Xie been there?"

***

"I..." This was Xie Yuzhu's very first time leaving home, so naturally she had never been to Cangzhou. Her gaze drifted toward the red birthmark on Wei Yuan's neck as she suddenly recalled an old tale she had heard about Cangzhou.

"I... I heard that about eighty years ago, a massive plague broke out in Yuzhou. In the twenty-eight towns of Cangzhou, more than half the population fell ill and perished, leaving the land in ruins. The survivors said the plague was spawned by a plague demon, and wherever the demon passed, disaster and pestilence followed. It disguised itself in the form of a young child, right here..."

Xie Yuzhu pointed to her own neck and continued, "There was a red mark right here, said to be the demon's seal."

A chilly gust of wind swept past. Staring unblinkingly at Xie Yuzhu, Wei Yuan smiled. "What is Miss Xie trying to imply?"

Xie Yuzhu let out a dry, awkward laugh. "Hahaha, I was just telling a story. Look at what a coincidence this is—you have a red birthmark on your neck, and you're also from Cangzhou. Isn't that strange?"

Clapping her hands together, she added, "You're definitely not the plague demon, of course. After we met last time, I didn't fall ill..."

"The story Miss Xie told is true." Wei Yuan's smile carried a profound, ambiguous meaning.

Xie Yuzhu's hand froze in mid-air, and her smile stiffened on her face.

Wei Yuan went on, "A plague demon truly exists. The plague in Cangzhou was brought by that demon. My entire family died of the pestilence, and I was the only one who escaped alive. However, I am not the plague demon."

Xie Yuzhu let out a sigh of relief.

"My master rescued me from Cangzhou and brought me into the Xiaoyao Sect to cultivate. Sadly, my master passed away not long after, ascending to the Dao. Because my aptitude was mediocre and my mind was restless, I several times nearly suffered a deviation in my cultivation. A senior martial sister of mine then reshaped all the spiritual meridians in my body. Reworking meridians leaves scars, so I asked her to leave it on my neck, in the exact same spot as the plague demon's mark, so that I would never forget."

Xie Yuzhu thought to herself: *Leaving an enemy's brand on your own body so you'll never forget—that is certainly a unique way to hold a grudge.*

"That senior martial sister of mine is someone Miss Xie should know as well," Wei Yuan said leisurely.

It was as if someone had laid their tiles face-up on a mahjong table. After studying Wei Yuan for a moment, Xie Yuzhu relaxed, lifted her head, and gazed up at the blue swimming fish and fireworks in the night sky.

"That happened eighty years ago. Even if there was a plague demon, the immortals would have hunted it down and executed it long ago. Why do you still dwell on it?" Xie Yuzhu asked softly.

Wei Yuan took a sip of wine and smiled. "The plague demon is still alive. My master left me a talisman, and the other end of that talisman is tethered to the demon. Until the demon is destroyed, the talisman will not fade. For these past eighty years, it has remained firmly on my body."

"So Young Master Wei has stirred up so many great storms just to hunt down the plague demon?"

"Naturally not. The longer a person lives, the more things they desire, and the number of tasks to be done grows endlessly beyond sight."

Xie Yuzhu propped her chin in her hands and sighed deeply. "How wonderful. You are a hero among men, Lord Wei. Whether good or bad, you still have countless grand deeds waiting for you to accomplish. I have no grand ambitions, nor any extraordinary talent. If I were to let my life drift along by itself, it would merely be the ordinary, nameless existence of an unremarkable person."

"Haha, what's this? Does an ordinary, nameless life have no meaning?" Wei Yuan burst into hearty laughter.

Pointing at himself, he said to Xie Yuzhu, "Look at me, Miss Xie. If Wei were judged by the standards of the immortal sects, I am probably a complete mess, a heretical demon deserving of death a thousand times over, falling far short even of being ordinary and unremarkable. Now look at my senior martial sister. Do you think she buried her head in studying those arcane arts day and night just to achieve fame and renown, or to bring salvation to the world?"

"She wasn't trying to illuminate the world; she was simply born to burn. And so are you, Miss Xie. When you burn your own life in this lifetime, why should you need to illuminate the world?"

Xie Yuzhu turned her gaze toward Wei Yuan. The man in black smiled deeply, holding a flask of wine beneath the red lantern like a mountain range blanketed in crimson autumn leaves in the dead of night.

After staring intently at him for a long moment, she said, "Young Master Wei, I really do like you."

A flicker of surprise surfaced in Wei Yuan's deep, dark eyes.

Pointing a finger at him, Xie Yuzhu declared, "Look at that. Now you're being genuine. Everything you said just now was half-truth and half-fabrication—first telling me your tragic background, then saying precisely what I wanted to hear, until you almost had my heart fluttering."