After a long while, under the repeated urging of Dongfang Lie and Dongfang Yinyin, Pei Shao could only bite the bullet and slowly recite this utterly nonsensical love poem: "The fertile waters flow east without end; in those days, I should not have planted lovesickness. Even in dreams, its painted form may not be seen; in secret, one is startled by mountain birds crying out. Spring has not yet turned green, yet my temples are already streaked with silver; long partings in this world no longer bring sorrow. Who decreed that on every Red Lotus night, two hearts would ponder alone, each knowing their own?"
Dongfang Lie and his daughter had devoted their lives to martial arts. It could be said that they had no interest in literature and knew nothing about poetry or verse. Seeing Pei Shao rattle off such a flowery speech, they naturally found it headache-inducing and asked in confusion, "What does that mean?"
Seeing the pair's four eyes staring straight at him as though he were an alien, Pei Shao could only bite the bullet again and explain, "The fertile waters flow east without end means that any martial art of the Red Lotus Sect should flow onward endlessly like water. As for lovesickness, it refers to a type of boxing called the Lovesickness Fist.
"Even in dreams, you might not be able to imagine its transformations. 'In secret, one is startled by mountain birds crying out' naturally means that when practicing martial arts in secret, the force of the punches startles birds into flight. As for the last few lines..."
The poem's true meaning was actually about lovers yearning for one another. It could be called a textbook-standard love poem. It was only because the words "Red Lotus night" appeared in the latter half.
But