Chapter 97: Yet with the xiansheng's closed jade coffin (IIX)

The candle flames, submerged in the breeze of the night, shivered, the darkness attacking like thick fog, and not having the slightest intention to retreat. The evening dew condensed on the eaves stopped as they fell; the rolls of firecrackers, left behind by the children, stopping as they were fanned into a fire by the winter wind; even the scent of sulphur, disrupting the mind's calm, threading through the crack of the window, stopped.

There was only one person wandering outside of time; she wore a beautiful, graceful qipao, and had raven hair, red lips, a jade face, and passionate eyes, so beautiful it caused one's heart to tremble. Her slow steps trod in the corridor, her footsteps light and agile, as if she were treading on clouds.

In the small crack of time, memories flashed like rustling quicksand; in the Warring States period, she'd only just woken, and had drunk a mouthful of morning dew, walking bare-foot towards Xia Ji. As the Great Ming fell, the Qing army entering the pass, she'd tossed a tiger bone, the skirts of her outfit fluttering as she'd walked towards Qin Liangyu. And, just now, she'd ended a love engraved on the bones and devouring the soul, and, with red eyes, she stood before Chun Ping's room, walking absent-mindedly and with a heavy gait. The carelessness had its origins in an uninhabited, rebellious calm; since she'd been a dishonest little cheat, she'd only just said she wasn't good at using magic; yet at this moment, time was halted this well planned-out.

Jiu-daren was more than capable of stopping A Yin, stopping Wu Qian, even the no-longer injured A Luo, and the yet-unaware Li Shiyi; she could stop all of them. She lowered her head slightly, her frowning brows at her temples and her autumnal eyes rising to the stars; she only drew back her breathing slightly, and the door opened with a bang, heavily slamming against the wall on either side. The dust on the wall didn't even dare to fall, firmly clinging to the stone wall, fearing to offend the noble who had come by night.

Song Shijiu walked in, looking around; the room was exceedingly simple and crude, the water which feet had been washed just before set to a side, Chun Ping unable to bear throwing it out, saying that the next day it could be poured out to water the garden. She wound around the wooden basin, and stopped before Chun Ping's bed; she didn't look any more at the deeply sleeping Chun Ping, only extended her right hand to the back of her neck, her left hand embracing the bend of her knee, lifting her up horizontally.

Steps like the cool breeze and floating moon passed over the stairs where Li Shiyi had kissed her, passed through the hall where A Luo had returned, passed through the courtyard where A Yin had cracked melon seeds, passed over the threshold where Wu Qian returned from buying groceries every day; the footsteps paused, and then finally walked in the direction of the alley where she'd nestled against the person in her heart, looking for a place to stay.

The moonlight drew the lone shadow long, almost until it disappeared on the pale flagstone at the head; the street lamps behind her lit up one by one, and occasionally, there were a few households which had slept late, and a comfortably warm light seeped out of their windows, like the first time she'd come to the mountain city, the setting sun falling into Song Shijiu's smiling eyes.

The candle lamp on the table obstinately stood up, as if it had never been knocked over; Li Shiyi's shoulders fell, and she extended a hand to support herself on the tabletop. Even if the halting of time just then was so small it could barely be detected, even if she ought not to know Song Shijiu had used magic, there wasn't anyone who could sense Song Shijiu's departure more than her. It was only at this that she realised that there was someone in her heart, that there was no need to hear or see a thousand li; that, whether her presence was in the air, or whether it wasn't, were entirely different from head to toe.

She shifted her gaze away from the wooden chair; Song Shijiu's outer coat was still spread over it. Her young lady had grown up, and had capabilities that didn't fear the wind or snow; she could do without taking anything along, including Li Shiyi.

The yellow dog before the courtyard door never had any matters on its mind, wagging its tailand chasing after the youth going to school, playing and amusing itself, and then panting as it gnawed on a worn-out slipper by the side of the road as it came back. A Yin threw a basin of water out, and, seeing the situation, disdainfully raised her shapely brows, the basin fastened to her waist by a turned over hand. "Look at this lady here's slippers carefully; every time you see these ragged things, come put them before me."

She returned to the house, muttering abuse, and seeing Li Shiyi had come to the hall, Song Shijiu's overcoat held in the crook of her arm, was somewhat baffled, yet didn't investigate deeply, only pouted in the direction of the kitchen, and said, "Today's Laba; Wu Qian got up early to make porridge, go get some from the kitchen yourself."^[1]

Li Shiyi laid the overcoat over the arm of the sofa, and let out an "en", heavily nasal.

A Yin washed her hand, tossing a coquettish glance at A Luo, who had come down the stairs after making herself presentable as she laid out the tableware, smiling and scolding her to go get porridge, and then called out towards the kitchen, "When is Shijiu getting up? If she's up, I'll prepare a bowl for her." Chun Ping was a child, and slept a lot; waiting for her, it wouldn't be too late to heat it up.

Li Shiyi didn't answer, only carried a bowl out, silently sitting down, drinking the entire bowl of hot porridge across from her.

This Laba porridge was, previously, because of Buddhism, but Chinese people always could always take more than half of the solar terms as reunions. With the dense, creamy, fragrant, large-grained glutinous rice, sweet and sticky and well-cooked jujube paste, peanuts, longan fruit, and all kinds of beans, it was crowded and disorderly and, more than that, incredibly hot. After Laba was the New Year; A Yin had originally thought to say a couple words of lament, but she felt that the atmosphere today was exceptionally strange, and only cast her gaze about, on tenterhooks, only paying attention to drinking the porridge.

Li Shiyi, having finished drinking a bowl of porridge, aloofly wiped her mouth, her complexion regular as she took the tableware into the kitchen, and then sat down once more, and said to A Yin, "A Yin, I'm going to leave." She hadn't called A Luo specially, only nodded towards her.

A Yin's chopsticks clacked as they were set atop her bowl, and she furrowed her brows, and asked, "Leaving? Going where? Are you returning to Shanghai?" Seeing Li Shiyi, a heavy load on her mind, her mind had a bad premonition, and she couldn't even pay attention to wiping her mouth, and asked her again, "If you're returning to Shanghai, then I'll gather up my things now."

If she were returning to Shanghai, why would she say "I", then?

The uneasy mood caught her off guard; A Yin clutched her handkerchief, waiting for Li Shiyi to speak.

Li Shiyi pressed her lips together, and said quietly, "Yesterday, I had a disagreement with Shijiu; she left with Chun Ping; I need to go look for her."

A Yin raised her arm, supporting her chin; this dispute ought to have been because of Chun Ping, and she could probably guess seventy or eighty percent. Although she was worried, Li Shiyi was determined to chase after, and at this, she was incredibly satisfied; besides, Shijiu's intention could be seen clearly; if Shiyi went to coax her, then naturally there wasn't any great problem. A Yin's mind rapidly passed over this, and she said to her, "This time, you've actually had some progress—where she went, what time she left, have you kept count in your mind?"

"I have't," Li Shiyi said unenthusiastically.

"Then, chasing after her—" A Yin shifted her shoulders, restraining herself.

Li Shiyi raised her gaze, and said sowly, "This is because of the reason I told you. Chun Ping is from Nanjing; if Shijiu wants to think of a way to save her, then she ought to go look in Nanjing; it's just…"

"It's just you're afraid she's changed her decision, and will come back to this house to look for you, yet won't find a trace." A Luo set the spoon held in her hand gently down, speaking.

Li Shiyi nodded, and met her gaze. There was still words that she hadn't spoken; between her and Song Shijiu, there needed to be an opportunity for the two to speak alone; but yesterday, Song Shijiu had said, her demeanour towards others still had some reservation; Li Shiyi felt that, for now, it would be better to leave the two of them, Luo and Yin, behind.

Yet, for a split second, A Yin lowered her head, and when she raised it again, the rims of her eyes were wet; she asked, "We'll be parting, now, won't we?" She bit her lip, still having the appearance of refusing to yield an inch, but she unexpectedly understood why Li Shiyi hadn't immediately chased after Song Shijiu, and patiently waited for them to wake up, and calmly drank a bowl of porridge with them.

She wanted to cast A Yin and A Luo aside, and go looking for Song Shijiu on her own.

Li Shiyi was someone who paid particular attention from start to finish; even when taking leave, she was serious about the matter.

The porridge she'd just swallowed down bubbled up, blocking up her chest, acrid wave after acrid wave higher than the last. A Yin gazed at Li Shiyi's clear, light eyes, and her eyes swelled and heated. As she clutched her thigh to control herself, she scolded herself in her mind; originally, she was a confident, easy woman enough to received a reward; when had she become this affected?

At that time, when moving into the Alleys, she'd grit her teeth and held back her anger, dazedly smilingly blowing a flying kiss to Li Shiyi, saying, Li Shiyi, you're taking on the appearance of a messenger of death; our high mountains and long rivers, if the mountains never meet, the rivers will meet, and if the rivers won't meet, then the roads will meet, and if not, we won't be separated in life and death; if you miss this lady here, you only need to come drink with me.

At that time, she'd been isolated and without help, and besides Li Shiyi, she hadn't had anything at all, yet she knew in her heart that Li Shiyi wouldn't abandon her. Afterwards, she'd counted the days and waited for Li Shiyi; the days that Li Shiyi came, the clients would earn a couple smiles, and the maids would earn some rewards, so happy even the rickshaw drivers could get a handful of melon seeds.

Now, she had A Luo, yet a sort of faint, preposterous sense emerged, as if Li Shiyi had fully and utterly entrusted her to someone else, and from now on, wouldn't visit the temple without cause, and there wasn't anything more that would closely bind them together.

She blinked, pearls of tears about to roll down. Li Shiyi knitted her brows, and gazed at her calmly.

A Yin covered it up, wiping at the corners of her eyes, and mocked herself. "I don't know if it's that I've grown old, but I can never listen to any words of leave." She didn't fully understand why her own, unsteady, attitude was so, as if that sort of woman getting married off, who, before being covered with a red veil, had to run to her parents and cry profusely for a scene.

Li Shiyi smiled, and then suddenly asked, "A Yin, tell me; this person of mine, what's my greatest virtue?" A Yin was startled; Li Shiyi' expression didn't change. "Beauty."

A Yin snorted a laugh, the beads of tears still hung on her eyelashes, and gazed at her with disdain. Li Shiyi withdrew her smiling expression, and asked again, "Then, tell me, what's my greatest shortcoming?"

"Being enigmatic," A Yin said confidently, raising her chin.

Li Shiyi shook her head, paused for a moment, and then sighed. "This life of mine, it's been lived too passively."

"You…" A Yin bit her lower lip.

A Luo raised her head, looking at Li Shiyi, and heard her say, "I look as if I'm in charge of everything, but actually, I use the appearance of initiative to accept the plans of fate. I was parted from my parents, and learned graverobbing with my shifu, worked the same trade with Tu Laoyao, and raised Shijiu—all of those weren't my choices."

She she'd lived "acceptance" to a habit; even expressing her intention towards Song Shijiu, it had been because of the Xu Hao. As a result, she'd been unable to give a sense of security to the person she'd loved, had been unable to make Song Shijiu feel her determination, and that had caused Song Shijiu to assume that she was, at every step, closed in on, and had no alternative.

"I think," Li Shiyi met A Luo's gaze, "Ling Heng wasn't like this." She ought to have taken the intiative to tell Song Shijiu of her determination, her affection, her love and hate, her unique and unrivalled place in her eyes, the irreplacable world in her heart.

These were the words she'd thought for a full night; she wanted to first practice speaking them to good friends to listen, and only then, once they were reunited, smoothly and easily speak them for that person to listen to.

Li Shiyi didn't delay any longer; she rose, picking up the bag she'd long since arranged at the foot of the sofa, and then once more placed Song Shijiu's ovcercoat in the crook of her arm, and didn't exchange any more pleasantries, walking, alone, out of the courtyard.

A Luo stood at the threshold, A Yin leaning against the door frame, gazing after Li Shiyi's slender, retreating figure, perfunctorily tugging at the door bolt. It was as if there was a phrase of "we'll meet again" that hadn't been spoken, and it wasn't clear when they could meet again. She looked at the hair which had been blown into chaos by the wind; when she could barely see Li Shiyi, she clicked her tongue. "What a pity."

A Luo looked askance at her.

"The endless road of chasing your wife," A Yin sighed.

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Translator's notes:

[1]: The Laba Festival, which takes place on the eighth day of the month of La (hence its name); traditionally, a special porridge, called Laba congee, is eaten on this day.