When the ornate sedan belonging to Dengyun Pavilion stopped in front of Xianke Ruyun, the commotion was so great that even the shopkeeper came out from behind his counter to watch the spectacle. He smiled broadly, his eyes crinkling with professional warmth, and congratulated Yunxi.
"Congratulations, Daoyou, on earning the favor of a Dengyun Pavilion disciple."
She smiled back, her expression looking faintly pleased as she played the role of the smitten guest, and said, "Young Master Jin Xiu's guqin skills are second to none and are greatly beneficial to this Lord's cultivation. This Lord paid quite a price to invite Young Master Jin Xiu to stay here for a couple of days."
"I see. Esteemed guest, rest assured, no one will disturb you during these days," the shopkeeper promised at once, bowing his head in respect.
Only then did she raise a hand to support Jin Xiu as they entered her private courtyard, their footsteps light on the stone path. After leading him into the quiet residence, she smiled and said, "Young Master Jin Xiu, take some time to rest. This Lord will go prepare something to set the mood and I definitely won't disappoint you."
She even threw him a flirtatious wink as she spoke, the gesture playful and inviting.
He nodded with great restraint, his expression carefully neutral. He placed his dark wood guqin on the table and began tuning it with a very proper air, his slender fingers plucking the strings to test their resonance.
Yunxi left the main room and immediately set down a shimmering spiritual barrier outside to ensure privacy. Only then did she send a transmission talisman to Bing Li and wait directly in the courtyard, the air around her still and expectant.
The broker arrived quickly, moving with the efficiency of someone who lived on secrets. Half a cup of tea later, she knocked on the courtyard's restriction and smoothly entered the temporary residence.
She gestured for her guest to sit on the flexible bamboo chair in the courtyard and slid a cup of steaming spirit tea toward her across the table. Only then did she look at the newcomer. Bing Li had already taken in the entire courtyard at a single glance and naturally noticed the barrier humming outside the main room. Her smile turned a bit indulgent as she asked, "Ran Xi Daoyou, it seems you have already brought him here. This time, I can finally get what I want."
She smiled and nodded, then turned her palm upward in a demand for payment. The meaning was obvious: if she didn't get the information she wanted, she wasn't opening that barrier to the main room.
The broker knew the rules of the trade and smiled knowingly. "The Su family is a hidden clan. Digging up information on the cultivator you mentioned took quite some effort even for my network."
Yunxi narrowed her almond-shaped eyes and said, "Bing Li Daoyou, get to the point."
Bing Li took a slow sip of the spirit tea and replied, "You're far too impatient. Let me explain it slowly so you understand the context."
"This Lord is all ears," she replied, leaning back.
"The Su family does indeed have a female cultivator named Feng Jiayun. Her cultivation is currently at the late Divine Transformation stage, but her origins are a mystery to the clan records. It's said she is not from this realm. Right now, she is the Dao companion of the Su family's eldest young master, Su Jing, and they even have a son named Su Zisheng. As for Su Miu, he is Su Jing's clan cousin. Their fathers are blood brothers, so the relationship between the two is quite close on paper. However, he doesn't think much of his elder brother's new Dao companion.
Before the elder brother became Dao companions with Feng Jiayun, he once had another companion named Sheng Xia. She grew up alongside the two brothers from childhood. The woman favored the elder brother more, so after forming her Yuányīng, she became his Dao companion. The two never had children after forming the bond, but their relationship was always very good.
After failing to win the beauty's favor for himself, the younger cousin focused entirely on cultivation, and his progress was quite fast. While he was in seclusion breaking through to the Unity stage, the elder brother and Sheng Xia went to explore a dangerous area. Both were seriously injured during the trek, and she was carried back to the clan in a critical state. Not long after, the woman died from her injuries.
The elder brother spent another ten years recuperating within the clan before leaving again. When he returned, he brought Feng Jiayun with him. According to his account, when he and his first companion were gravely injured, it was Feng Jiayun who helped them survive and return to the clan. Once his injuries healed, he naturally felt he had to repay that kindness.
I haven't uncovered exactly what happened during that mysterious period. I only know that after he brought her back while she was still at the late Golden Core stage, she broke through to Nascent Soul not long after her arrival. Then the two became Dao companions. You could say he repaid her with his life and devotion.
At the time, the younger cousin was still in seclusion and knew nothing about this change. When he finally came out of seclusion, the two were already bonded. It's said the two brothers had a fierce argument and almost came to blows in the courtyard. It ended with the elder brother storming off in a rage.
After that, the cousin found fault with the new woman at every turn. As a man, he couldn't openly make things difficult for her without appearing petty, so he cultivated even harder, as if he were holding in a deep breath of resentment. She also sensed his dissatisfaction and avoided him at every opportunity, so on the surface, the two never openly clashed.
Not long after, she was found to be pregnant. A year later, Su Zisheng was born, further stabilizing her position in the Su family hierarchy. It's said the boy inherited his father's talent and cultivated extremely quickly. He reached the late Golden Core stage in his early forties.
Unfortunately, not long ago, something went wrong when he attempted to break through to Yuányīng. The breakthrough failed, and he is currently recuperating in the clan grounds."
Bing Li poured out everything she had uncovered in one go, the words hanging in the air. Yunxi didn't speak immediately after hearing it. She simply stroked the small creature's head slowly, her thoughts racing through the implications of the story. She always felt something else had happened in the shadows during those ten years. When the broker glanced toward the main room for the second time, her eyes lingering on the barrier, she finally asked, "Bing Li Daoyou, did Su Miu like Sheng Xia?"
The woman smiled faintly, a knowing look in her eyes. "Yes, but he was rejected in favor of his brother."
"That's really strange," she said coolly, her voice dropping. "Sheng Xia's death wasn't caused by Feng Jiayun. Why is he so hostile toward his own elder brother's new Dao companion?"
Bing Li spread her hands. "Who knows? Maybe he blames his own elder brother for failing to protect the cinnabar mole in his heart. But since they're of the same clan and share the same blood, he can't openly trouble his elder brother, who is also the future clan head. So he can only turn his spear on the woman who took the first companion's place."
"That's truly despicable," she said with undisguised disdain, her lip curling.
Hearing that, the broker smiled happily, as if she had found a kindred spirit. "I like the way you put it. These male cultivators are all so self-righteous in their drama."
She rubbed her hands together and continued, "Ran Xi Daoyou, that's the general situation I have found. I have already told you the information I gathered. As for more detailed details, I will need more time to probe the clan's servants. In three days, I will give you a more complete report, guaranteed to satisfy you. As for now…"
She glanced again toward the main room, her eyes bright with anticipation. The delicate guqin music drifting out from behind the barrier was far too enticing to ignore.
Yunxi smiled slightly and said, "Bing Li Daoyou, don't rush. You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. This Lord has another important piece of news for you. It's guaranteed to be exclusive and guaranteed to satisfy you."
The moment she heard the words exclusive news, Bing Li's eyes lit up with professional greed. She immediately looked away from the main room and said, "Daoyou, please speak. If it truly is exclusive news, then this will count as an exchange of information. Whatever spirit stones you spent on Young Master Jin Xiu, this Lord will reimburse you in full."
Hearing such generosity, she rubbed her pet's little head and said, "Young Master Jin Xiu has been possessed by an evil soul. He also used a Yinxi agent to completely conceal the evil aura around him so he could walk among us. However, his cultivation is genuine. If you like him, you can take him entirely for your own purposes. If we want more detailed information about his origin, we will have to perform a soul search to dig out the truth. Will you do it, or should this Lord do it?"
Bing Li was clearly stunned by the news, the revelation striking her with the force of a physical blow. In the next instant, all the lazy ease vanished from her face, replaced by a sharp, focused intensity. Her delicate features turned solemn as she asked, "Ran Xi Daoyou, is what you are saying true?"
"Whether it's true or not, you will know once you search his soul yourself and see the filth within," she replied calmly. "But I hope we can share the information we find. After all, I am the one who got him out of Dengyun Pavilion safely. Right now, neither of us knows whether Dengyun Pavilion itself has a problem."
===
白月光 (Bái yuèguāng) - White moonlight have meaning something like 'The Unattainable in the Heart — Love's Eternal Echo'
There exists a love that cannot be lived in this world. It might be a person, a feeling, or a dream of union so perfect it feels destined, yet life denies it. This love becomes a quiet keepsake in the soul, carried forward even as life moves into other arms and other vows. This beloved is more than a memory. They become the living embodiment of the ideal love everyone longs for: the absolute understanding, the flawless harmony, the promise that seems almost within reach but never touches reality.
In this way, the one we cannot have merges completely with the love that cannot be. They become the same hauntingly beautiful fiction: the imprint of perfection against which all real and present love is gently, and sadly, measured. To love another while holding this ideal in your heart is to live with a sweet and silent sorrow. It is to know that the truest love you have ever felt remains both a precious gift and a lingering ghost, forever out in the world where you cannot reach it, yet forever dwelling within you where you cannot forget it.
Or in other words:
Sometimes the person you carry in your heart long after parting is not just a lost love, but the eternal echo of love's perfect ideal. They are a dream you cherish, one you can never meet, even in the embrace of someone new.
朱砂痣 (Zhūshā zhì) - Cinnabar mole
Not every love leaves with a clean break. Some etch themselves into the very substance of your heart, becoming a cinnabar mole: a permanent mark, a pigment of memory that time cannot fade. This is the reality of a profound love. It is unforgettable not merely for its vanished beauty, but for the lasting trace it leaves behind, a trace that often carries the persistent ache of its absence.
This mark is the proof that it was real. It is the emotional scar tissue that forms around a profound loss, a part of your inner landscape forever. While other feelings may come and go, the cinnabar mole remains. It is a quiet, enduring presence, a touchstone of both deep affection and deep pain that you carry into every future moment, a private testament to a love that changed you permanently.
Or in another words:
The truest, most painful love does not simply end; it becomes a cinnabar mole in your soul—an indelible mark of beautiful reality that remains, unforgettable and aching, for a lifetime.
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Both of it was only from my opinion. don't judge me T_T