The lotus leaves ceased their rustling, and the spirit fish sank deep into the darkest part of the lake. Even the countless stars and the bright moon in the sky seemed to hold their breath, pouring down all their clear light without reservation, just to illuminate the two figures by the blue stone more clearly, outlining their silhouettes like silhouettes embedded in the night, tranquil and Eternal.
Lin Qingyao's tears, finally unable to withstand the overwhelming complex emotions—a mixture of understanding, gratitude, relief, and intense excitement—broke free from the restraint of her eyelashes and silently slid down her cheeks.
First, a tear rolled slowly down her smooth, jade- Ruyu cheek from her left eye, reflecting a pearly, translucent luster in the moonlight; then, from her right eye, more tears welled up, tracing the soft curve of her cheek, gathering at her chin, dripping down, and disappearing into her clothes, leaving small, dark stains.
But these tears were not entirely tears of sadness at parting.
More than anything, it was the feeling of being deeply understood and fully accepted; the immense relief and joy of finally breaking through the haze and achieving clear communication; and the sweet thrill and slight dizziness that swept through the whole body and soul when the feelings that had been hidden deep in the heart, long since taken root and sprouted but always carefully concealed, received such a clear and profound response.
She didn't say anything.
At this moment, any words seem pale and superfluous.
She took a small, yet incredibly firm half-step forward, closing the last bit of distance, and then gently rested her smooth forehead on Li Qingshan's firm and warm shoulder.
The other hand, which wasn't being held, rose up, its fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly, and gently tugged at the fabric of his black robe at his waist, gripping it tightly as if it had grasped the only anchor in a raging storm, or as if it wanted to entrust all its attachment and reluctance to him to this subtle movement.
This is an attitude of complete trust and complete surrender.
Stripped of her saintly aura and reserve, all that remains is a woman's most genuine and tender reliance on her beloved.
Li Qingshan released her hand; her palm was no longer cold from his warmth.
He raised his arms and, with the utmost tenderness and affection, gently embraced her slender and graceful body, holding her close.
She offered no resistance, but instead, with a sense of relief and relaxation, leaned most of her weight against his chest.
With my cheek pressed against his collar, I could clearly hear the steady, powerful, and rhythmic heartbeat beneath the fabric, thump, thump, thump, like the oldest war drum, or the most comforting lullaby.
The sound of his heartbeat strangely soothed the last ripples in her heart, gradually calming her own heartbeat from its initial rapid and frantic pace, until it finally found a rhythm that subtly harmonized with his, as if playing a duet that only they could understand.
Neither of them spoke again.
The wind began to blow again, this time with unusual gentleness, only lightly ruffling their hair and the hem of their clothes.
The fragrance of lotus blossoms still lingered, enveloping the two who were embracing.
The gentle glow of the sacred lights from the distant Jade Pool Holy Land seemed to grow even more hazy and dreamlike.
Above, the Milky Way flows silently, its brilliance Eternal.
All words are superfluous; all promises are contained in this tight embrace and synchronized heartbeats.
The silent yet surging emotions flowed, converged, and merged between their tightly pressed chests, surpassing a thousand words.
Time has lost its meaning.
It may have been a fleeting moment, or it may have been a long time ago.
The night mist rising from Lotus Lake grew thicker and thicker, like a milky white veil, slowly spreading out and shrouding the distant sacred peaks, the nearby lotus shadows, and even the stars and moon in the sky in a hazy and mysterious veil, making everything in the world indistinct and dreamlike.
Lin Qingyao gently moved her forehead, which was resting on Li Qingshan's shoulder. Her voice was low and slightly hoarse from crying, yet softer than ever before, like silk warmed by the sun. "It's late."
"I'll take you back," Li Qingshan said softly, loosening his grip on her arm slightly. He lowered his head, his fingertips tenderly stroking her long, dark hair, slightly damp and disheveled from tears.
Lin Qingyao slowly but firmly shook her head.
She raised her face, and just then a sliver of moonlight pierced through the thickening fog, its clear light illuminating her eyes.
The previous hesitation, melancholy, and tears were gone; in their place was a gentle tenderness, clear and pure, after being thoroughly cleansed.
That gentleness is enough to melt ten thousand years of ice, that perseverance is enough to pierce through all fog.
"Tonight," she whispered, "Come to my place."
Li Qingshan was slightly taken aback.
He gazed into the depths of her eyes, and those clear eyes were like the most magical mirror, instantly reflecting and allowing him to understand all her unspoken meanings and all her deeply hidden determination.
That was not an impulsive act born of fleeting emotion, nor a brief moment of lingering attachment or desire on the eve of parting.
It was a solemn and thorough surrender made after careful consideration, with the whole body and mind as a pledge; it was a desire to leave the deepest and most indelible mark on each other's lives and souls in the most intimate way before the long separation was about to come.
Those eyes, which were always as calm as a deep autumn pool, now clearly rippled with the shyness of a woman experiencing love for the first time, and her cheeks flushed a beautiful blush.
However, what was more vivid and striking than shyness was the resolute light shining deep in his eyes.
The light was pure and intense, as if saying, "I entrust everything to you, my past, present and future thoughts, and I also wish that you would leave a part of yourself with me."
He didn't ask a single question like "Have you thought it through?" nor did he make any frivolous remarks.
He simply gazed at her deeply, his eyes sweeping over her slightly flushed cheeks, her resolute eyes, and her gently pursed lips, as if he wanted to etch this moment, along with his heavy feelings, into his Eternal memory.
Then, he nodded solemnly and slowly, accepting this invaluable sentiment and entrustment with a simple gesture.
Lin Qingyao's residence was not located within the core complex of Jade Pool, but rather in a separate building deep within Lotus Lake.
On a small and exquisite island.
The island is surrounded by lush spiritual plants, vibrant with life, yet exceptionally tranquil.
A winding wooden bridge, constructed from an unknown spiritual wood, with a warm, smooth texture and a faint purplish-brown sheen, stretches across the water like a rainbow or a tranquil dragon, quietly connecting the misty lakeshore with the place that resembles a fairyland.
The bridge is narrow, allowing only two people to walk side by side. The railings are low and carved with simple lotus patterns, blending seamlessly with the lake view.
Stepping onto the wooden bridge, my footsteps echoed softly in the quiet night.
The mist from the lake flowed around me, its touch slightly cool.
In the lake beneath the bridge, one can occasionally see the shadows of large lotus leaves or the shimmering trail of a nimble fish swimming silently by.
The island may be small, but it's Grotto-Heaven.
The island is covered with " Moonlight Lotus," a species unique to Jade Pool and rarely seen outside the world.
This lotus is of extremely high quality, with a stem as clear as white jade, large petals that are almost transparent and white, as thin as cicada wings, and with clearly visible veins.
It blooms slowly only around midnight, when the moonlight is at its strongest and the world is at its most yin and still. It absorbs the essence of the moon and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Its fragrance is delicate and cool, without any sweetness. When you smell it, you can clear your mind and eliminate all distracting thoughts.
The Moonlight Lotus is in full bloom right now.
Under the moonlit water, the lotus flowers on the island stretched out their almost transparent petals, with tiny, silvery specks of light, like stardust, emanating from their centers, intertwining with the moonlight and mist, creating a hazy and dreamlike scene.
The cool, pure fragrance drifted with the night breeze, seeping into every nook and cranny of the island, permeating every inch of the land and every breath of air, and also subtly staining the clothes and hair of the two people who stepped onto the island.
The bamboo house is built by the water, half-suspended above the lake. Its structure is extremely simple, yet it reveals the owner's refined and elegant temperament.
The house is constructed from over a hundred-year-old mottled bamboo, with distinct bamboo joints and a warm, jade-yellow hue amidst its verdant green color. It has clearly undergone special processing and is resistant to wind, rain, and insect infestation.
The roof is covered with large, dried, fragrant lotus leaves, blending perfectly with the surrounding environment.
Upon entering, the room is sparsely furnished, yet everything is perfectly placed, exuding a sense of purpose and Daoist charm.
Beneath the window sits a guqin made of paulownia wood, its body flowing smoothly, its lacquer a deep, calm color, its strings glistening as if it had just been played.
On a rosewood table against the wall, several scrolls of Dao Scripture were casually spread out. The ink was still fresh, and the handwriting was elegant and graceful. One could vaguely make out that they were discussions about the Tao of Water and the methods of calming the mind.
Only one ink landscape painting hung on the wall. The brushstrokes were ethereal and unrestrained. The distant mountains were faint and indistinct, their outlines only outlined by extremely light ink washes. The nearby water murmured, and one could almost hear its flowing sound. The blank spaces were filled with endless artistic conception. It was clearly the work of Lin Qingyao herself.
The house is devoid of any luxurious decorations, jewels, or elaborate furniture, yet it exudes an indescribable tranquility, serenity, and elegance, reflecting the owner's indifference to worldly possessions and focus on inner peace.
After entering the house, Lin Qingyao did not turn around immediately.
She walked straight to the sandalwood table, raised her delicate hand, and a wisp of pure and gentle aquamarine divine power emerged from her fingertips, igniting a small bronze incense burner on the table.
The incense in the burner was not ordinary incense, but the " Spiritual Rhinoceros Incense " made by Jade Pool, which was crafted from a variety of calming and soothing thousand-year-old spiritual herbs and the sweet dew of the first snow.
A faint wisp of cigarette smoke, carrying a sweet herbal scent and a deep, mellow sandalwood aroma, rose gently. At first, it rose straight up like a line, then slowly dispersed in the air. It was not strong or pungent, but rather mellow and lingering, and soon filled the entire bamboo house.
The fragrance immediately calms and soothes the mind, as if the disturbances of the outside world and the turmoil within are gently soothed and embraced by the fragrant aroma.
She stood quietly for a moment with her back to Li Qingshan. The moonlight outside the window intertwined with the soft spiritual light inside the room, and through her thin white clothes, it vaguely outlined the slender and graceful lines of her shoulders and back.
The lines seemed taut at that moment, like a fully drawn bowstring, or like a slender bamboo standing tall in the wind and rain, as if silently calming the last trace of surging emotions and gathering the courage to turn around.
" Qingyao," Li Qingshan called softly from behind her, his voice exceptionally clear and gentle in the quiet bamboo house.
That call seemed to have triggered a switch.
She turned around slowly, very slowly.
The lamplight and the clear moonlight streaming through the window intertwined to create a hazy halo around her, making her originally fair and Ruyu cheeks blush with two charming, faint blushes.
The blush wasn't from cosmetics, but from the deepest part of her skin, a natural rosy hue, like warm jade or snow reflecting the sunset, spreading all the way to her ears and slender neck.
She was already exceptionally beautiful, with a refined and otherworldly charm. At this moment, her brows and eyes were filled with affection and shyness, her gaze was like rippling water, and her lips were slightly pursed due to nervousness or anticipation, adding a breathtakingly vivid radiance and vitality to her beauty, making her stunningly beautiful.
She walked towards him, her footsteps light, making a soft, crisp creaking sound on the bamboo floor, clearly audible in the quiet night, each step seeming to resonate with their shared heartstrings.
She stopped in front of him, with only an arm's length between them.
She slightly raised her face, her clear eyes fixed on him, filled with complex emotions: shyness, determination, attachment, and a pitiful trepidation. Then, as if making her final decision, she gently tiptoed, a movement that made her already slender figure appear even more graceful. She closed her eyes, which were filled with starlight and moonlight, her long eyelashes trembling violently like startled butterfly wings, and placed a soft, feather-like kiss, carrying the cool fragrance of lotus and the slightly salty scent of tears, awkwardly yet firmly, on his lips.
This touch was like a spark falling into a millennia-old, arid wasteland, or like a key that instantly unlocked the floodgates of suppressed, burning emotions and primal desires.
He wrapped his arm around her and gently pulled her into his embrace, completely drawing her graceful figure into his aura.
It begins like early spring petals skimming the water's surface, carrying a tender tenderness of both reverence and tentative exploration.
Then a deep-seated resonance quietly awakens, tenderness subtly transforms into heat, and gentle touch becomes a silent entanglement.
His breath gently entered, and from then on, it was as if the wind and clouds had met, lingering and inseparable.
At this moment, breathing became completely unified.
Her unique coolness, like a lotus blooming under the moon, blends with the tranquil essence of Spiritual Rhinoceros Incense, and with the warm and gentle aura he has accumulated over the years, like the distant fragrance brewed by the wilderness and sunlight, all intertwined to create an invisible secret realm that belongs only to this night and only to each other, making people willingly indulge in it and forget the mortal world.