Tonight, there was no moon, only stars.
West Mountain Banshanju was very quiet.
A lone lamp burned like a bean, and Lu Youwei sat silently beneath it.
A slanting measure of starlight fell upon her, and she resembled an orchid hidden in a mountain valley, freshly moistened by a threadlike spring rain.
The fragrant bloom of her twenty-year-old youth had settled between her brows.
Half a year of Zen's refined serenity lingered deep within her eyes.
There was no wind tonight, yet it seemed there was.
The autumn cicadas outside the window had not sung, and the bamboo shadows outside had not stirred, yet the tip of her heart was clearly like a shadow in the wind—swaying, ethereal, unaware of where the wind came from, ignorant of where her heart was going...
A soft knock sounded at the courtyard gate, very softly.
Lu Youwei rose gently, walked into the courtyard, lightly grasped the bolt, and gently pulled the gate open.
Under the faint starlight, Lin Su stood before her.
A pair of eyes like stars settled upon her face.
Lu Youwei's body swayed slightly. "I didn't expect to see you at this time."
"Why?"
"Because I wanted to wait until my hair reached my waist, then coil it up for you." Lu Youwei gently raised her little face.
Lin Su's hand fell upon her shoulder as he pressed close to her ear. "Your lovely face is like a flower, your dark hair like leaves. The leaves fall for all living beings, while the flower blooms for me!"
He cupped her face, and his lips slowly descended. Lu Youwei rose onto her toes, but her toes could no longer support the weight of her whole body. She trembled faintly.
The knot in her heart shattered into pieces in that instant.
Two