After leaving the snow mountain one hundreds years later, I have become a lonely yet satisfied person.
Because I have hope, and once a person has hope, he or she would be able to leave peacefully for a thousand years or ten thousands years, facing the pa.s.sing of time and life and death with a smile.
I knew Shi, Lan Sang and Li Luo were growing up at one corner of the world. They would become an adult one day and I hoped they could live happily and blissfully in this world, admiring the sky with a smile.
Actually I always wanted such life, simple and satisfied, the palace maids have started saying that I was a warm king because I always have a smile on my face. I would stand at the empty land in front of the grand hall, looking at the sky and smiling at the sight of the flying snow sleet birds.
I would always think of the dream that Xing Jiu gave me several hundreds years ago. In the dream, I was the sorcerer, who had violated a taboo, being tied to the rock; my brother, Ying Kong Shi, was that snow sleet bird that sacrificed its life to give me freedom. In the past I would always cry because of the dream, but now I could face it calmly with a smile. Because I knew that Shi was now living in this world like me. He would still be the beautiful boy and he might have an older who loved him just like I did in the past while we were in exile.
Xing Jiu had already left Ren Xue Cheng; I did not know where did he bring his sister. He told me to stay strong because there’s someone waiting to reunite with me.
When I went back to Ren Xue Cheng, I went to the Mystical Star Palace to meet Xing Jiu’s father. When I told him about Xing Gui’s death, he couldn’t stop crying.
He told me maybe it’s a relief for Xing Gui except the part that Xing Jiu refused to forgive her even when she’s dead. It was a sad thing when the one you loved hate you. The feeling was worse than dying and even if her loved one had already forgiven her, there’s no way for her to know the truth.
He told me a lot of things about the siblings. I could tell that all the past memories were flashing back in his life again. It was as if I saw the young Xing Jiu, seeing him and Xing Gui smiling happily together. Suddenly I thought of the back view of Xing Jiu when he carried Xing Gui away, it felt so sorrowful.
I walked towards him and hugged him. His body had shrunk. He was no longer that tough king of the Star Tribe anymore.
When I was about to leave the Mystical Star Palace, Xing Jiu’s father knelt down before me with both arms crossed before his chest. “My king, my honourable king, you have been the kindest king I had ever met. On behalf of my tribe, I would pray for you. I hope you can stay strong for this world and also for that someone that is waiting to reunite with you. You possessed all of their memories with you…”
Just like Xing Jiu, granny had also left Ren Xue Cheng. Her hair was as short as before and it’s impossible for her to recover her spiritual power anymore. I felt sorry for her when I touched my hair.
“Ka Suo, you are a n.o.ble king. You are much n.o.bler than your father. Your father had defeated the entire Fire Tribe and brought prosperity to the Ice Tribe but I think that you are much n.o.bler than him, because you possessed a great heart. I will leave the city and head back to the snow mountain. I’m already very old but your trail of fate has just starter. One day, your beloved ones will return to you one day. My king, please wait patiently.” Granny told me before she left.
I watched her diminishing back disappeared before my sight. I thought of the days when Shi and I were still a pair of naughty kids in the snow fog forest. We would always sit on granny’s lap and hear her calling us prince. With a blink of eyes, several hundreds years had pa.s.sed and I was now wearing the Phoenix robe standing on the highest city wall, hearing my people calling out for me. And that granny, who would always carry me and call me prince, had aged gradually.
When I saw granny’s back view disappearing into the snow, the sky darkened all of a sudden and I heard the wind blowing from afar.
Huang Tuo and Chao Ya had also said goodbye the moment we came back to the city. I knew Ren Xue Cheng was my Ren Xue Cheng and I still have to continue living in this place alone.
—
The first revived person I saw was Lan Sang. She was still a little mermaid when I first met her. She was swimming happily in the sea. I saw her pure silvery white hair, shimmering like stardust under the sun.
I went to the deep sea palace to visit this little mermaid and the ruler of the palace told me her name was Jian Tong. She was born one hundred years ago and no one knew about her background. She was wrapped in a bunch of seaweeds when they found her. When they peeled the seaweeds open, they saw her beautiful sleeping face. I was sure that she’s Lan Sang.
I stood in the palace, admiring the swimming Jian Tong and thought of Lan Sang several hundreds years ago. I’ve finally felt relieved to see her being able to live happily in the sea again.
The ruler told me Jian Tong would always mention that she wanted to marry me. When they asked her why, she always said ‘she doesn’t know’ and she would have a lost look on her face. But she would continue to say that she want to marry the king in Ren Xue Cheng.
From then on I would always sit on the roof to watch her but she woukd never notice me. Suddenly I recalled about the past when I used to sit at the roof to admire the dancing starlight, Lan Sang would always hide at one corner of the sea to watch me silently. And now, it was my turn to do the same to her.
I felt like this was a kind of repayment but I was more than willing to do it. I hoped to watch her grow up and then I would bring her to the palace, not letting anything or anyone to hurt her again.
—
When Jian Tong was 130 years old, she has become a beautiful woman and everyone from the sea palace was shocked because she looked exactly the same as Lan Sang.
The day when she reached adulthood and her fishtail slouched off, I brought her back to Ren Xue Cheng and announced that she was my concubine.
The day when I married Jian Tong, the whole of Ren Xue Cheng was exceptionally excited and happy because this was the first time I married a woman ever since the day I became the king.
I was sitting on my throne when all the astrologers, sorcerers and swordsmen were sitting along both sides of the aisle, waiting. At the end of the aisle, I saw Jian Tong and she looked lost. She looked like an injured beast standing on the middle of a road.
I stood up and waved at her with a smile. “Jian Tong, don’t be afraid. Come here.”
As she made her way to me, the people on the two sides started kneeling down with both hands across their chest. I heard their greetings ringing throughout the grand hall.
I saw Jian Tong’s eyes began to get brighter and brighter and the lost look on her face started to fade out as well. I knew she has begun to regain her past memories.
When she stood before me and looked into my eyes that time, her eyes were bright and clear and I knew she had regained all her memories. Hence I tried calling her, Lan Sang. And then she cried. She knelt down with her tear falling onto my robe. “My king, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
I held her by her shoulders, looking into her eyes. “Jian Tong, let me take care of you for the rest of your life. I want to give you happiness.”
She smiled and the entire hall cheered.
But I saw sorrows between her brows; I thought she needed time to wipe away the sorrows from the past life.
—
Ever since granny left the forest, the kids had lost the warmth they usually got from her. And everytime I went to visit that place, the kids would pull my robe and asked, “My king, where is granny? When will she be back?”
I bent down to stroke their faces. “Granny will be back soon. I will be here to accompany all of you so you don’t have to be afraid.” Smiles spread across their faces upon hearing that.
I always loved lying on the gra.s.s in the forest, letting the sun to shine on me because the warmth it gave off was able to make one feel safe and secured. I kept looking and thinking if I was able to find reincarnated Li Lip here. I wanted to see her younger self and watched her grow up myself.
Finally, I got to see her once again. The woman that I had loved for hundreds of years and also the woman I would continue to love for the rest of my life.
She was still a child when I saw her but I knew she was going to reach 130 years old soon because she determined look of an adult on her face. She was like an agile little unicorn when she first appeared before me; she was wearing a pair of black boots and her agility was almost like Yue Shen. Her hair was like before, with a tint of icy blue.
She has a strange look on her face when she saw me, and I knew there was a face like mine that appeared in the deepest part of her memories. I just smiled at her, not saying anything. I was waiting for her to remember me.
She continued to stand there, looking at me without saying anything and I saw the lost look on her face. “Can you tell me your name?
She just looked at me, not saying anything. My heart ached when I saw Li Luo’s face. I leant down and told her, "Don’t be afraid. I have to go now. I’ll come visit you when you are 130 years old.”
After that someone told me that girl’s name was Li Jing and she was born mute. She wasn’t a pie blood illusionist but she was a smart kid with strong spiritual power.
