The pear tree on the wall is snowy and delicate

Chapter 491 The Pear Blossom Beyond the Wall is Exquisite (The End)
Before nightfall, lanterns were already hung at the door of every household. As night fell, the entire city of Guyang was bathed in light, looking like a fairyland from afar.

The people ate dinner early and left their homes in high spirits, their laughter filling the bustling city.

The lantern festival hosted by the city lord's mansion is about to begin. The people greet each other and walk together towards the Guyang River, their faces full of smiles.

The banks of the Guyang River were set up early, with a stage and stalls, and peddlers running around shouting their wares, creating a lively scene.

Long Qi waited by the river early, watching the officials from the government office bustling about, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had felt this kind of lively atmosphere. Looking at the Guyang River reflecting the lights, he vaguely thought of his parents and brothers.

Although the memories are somewhat hazy, during the Lantern Festival, my older brother would always make him all sorts of lanterns. In the evening, my father would let him ride on his shoulders and take the whole family to the town to enjoy the lantern festival.

The bowl of glutinous rice balls that his mother made was soft, sticky, and sweet—a taste that Long Qi would never forget.

Long Qi's eyes shone brightly as he recalled the beautiful memories of the past, and he couldn't help but smile.

Just as Long Qi was lost in thought, a child bumped into him, staggered back two steps, and fell straight to the ground, the lantern in his hand rolling to the side.

The child seemed frightened and remained motionless for a long time, while Long Qi also failed to react. The two stared at each other for a long time.

The atmosphere was a little awkward until the child burst into tears, at which point Long Qi hurriedly picked him up and comforted him.

Although things got a bit chaotic, kids will be kids; a few funny faces and they're all smiles again.

"Thank you, uncle."

Hearing the child's thanks, Long Qi's lips twitched, and he was both amused and exasperated—did he really look that old?

But then he thought of his full head of white hair and felt relieved. He breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders—at least he had managed to appease the little tyrant, so there was no need to worry about the minor details.

After calming the child down, Long Qi turned to pick up the lantern, but the moment he saw it, his chest tightened and his mind went blank.

It was a lotus lantern, with a red thread tied to it, swaying gently in the evening breeze, as if guiding something.

A tear slid down his cheek. Long Qi wiped his face and stared in disbelief at the glistening drop on his hand. A wave of sadness washed over him.

He didn't know why he was sad; he only felt as if a piece of his heart was empty, and that loss was like losing a precious treasure, making him extremely panicked.

Looking at the familiar lotus lantern, Long Qi was momentarily speechless. After a long pause, he asked the child in front of him in a trembling voice.

"Where did you buy this lantern?"

The child took the lotus lantern, turned around, and pointed behind him: "There's an old man selling lanterns at the bridgehead..."

Before he could finish speaking, Long Qi thanked him and ran off in the direction he was pointing without looking back, leaving the child grumbling with dissatisfaction:
"You're in such a hurry, you won't even let me finish speaking. I really don't know what the old man Ziwei saw in him..." With that, he turned into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared into the crowd without attracting anyone's attention.

Long Qi stumbled along, finally managing to push through the complaining crowd, and saw the lantern stall the child had mentioned.

The old man behind the stall was shouting his wares with all his might, but business was unusually slow. Not a single person inquired about his business for a long time, making him stand out conspicuously in the bustling crowd.

The old man spotted Long Qi at a glance, and hurriedly waved to him, his face crinkling with laughter.

"Does the old man recognize the younger generation?"

"I know, I know, of course I know." The old man selling lanterns narrowed his eyes to slits. "I remember every customer who has bought a lantern from me very clearly."

Have you bought a lantern?

Long Qi was puzzled. If he remembered correctly, this was the first time he had met this old man.

"Five years ago, this young man bought a pair of wishing lotus lanterns from me, along with a pretty young lady," the old man said, looking around. "What? Didn't the young lady come?"

"girl?"

Long Qi suddenly tensed up. His intuition told him that the "girl" the old man was talking about must be someone extremely important to him.

perhaps……

It's related to the girl in my dream...

"What girl? Does the old man still remember what she looks like?"

"Oh! What a question!" the old man teased. "Isn't that your sweetheart, young man? Why are you asking about this old man?"

Long Qi's eyes dimmed, and his expression was dejected.

original……

Is that the person he loves?

but……

"I've forgotten her, forgotten her voice, forgotten her face. I can only see her in my dreams, but I don't know who she is..."

"Your heart is still haunted by her, it must be because she left something in your heart." The old man smiled and pointed a finger at Long Qi's heart: "Some things are not forgotten, they are just temporarily forgotten. You will remember them eventually."

A beam of light shone in, instantly enveloping Long Qi in a blinding glow. He quickly raised his sleeve to shield his face, and a kind yet authoritative voice entered his ears:

"My boy, go and find her quickly..."

The sound faded into the distance until it disappeared. Long Qi couldn't remember who it was. When the light faded and he came to his senses, he found himself in the alleyway.

Looking left and right, I saw the alleyway I had passed during the day. Then, looking up, the three characters "You Ran Ju" on the signboard were very eye-catching.

However, this plaque was different from the one seen during the day. It did not have large, gilded characters, but rather dark green characters. The plaque was also much smaller and looked very inconspicuous and extremely simple.

Long Qi didn't understand why he was in this place again. Everything felt like a dream, or perhaps what he had just experienced was a dream.

The sound of dripping water came again, continuous and rhythmic, as if inviting Long Qi.

Long Qi sighed helplessly and walked into the house.

The room was furnished as before, except that there was now an incense burner on the table, from which wisps of smoke rose and the aroma of sandalwood filled the air.

Passing around the screen, Long Qi stepped out of the door, and what came into view was still that small courtyard.

This time, however, the courtyard seemed much brighter than before.

A gust of wind rises, and the fallen petals drift like snow.

Long Qi reached out and caught a petal, then looked at the wooden frame under the tree. The hammock swaying in the wind seemed to be missing something.

A sense of loss welled up within him, and he walked to the hammock, lay down, and closed his eyes to feel the warm sunshine.

The spring light is faint, the days are peaceful, and time seems to stand still at this moment.

As soon as he heard the sound of water, Long Qi sat up and immediately saw the woman in white sitting across the edge of the vat.

The woman had her back to Long Qi, her long black hair flowing down her back, thin and frail, all alone, as if she had been there for a very long time. Her lonely appearance was heartbreaking.

Long Qi was afraid of missing out again, so he quickly caught up and grabbed the woman's sleeve, but hesitated before he could speak.

He didn't know what he was hesitating about. Perhaps he was afraid of seeing a faceless face again, or perhaps he was afraid that this time it would all be in vain.

After struggling for a long time, Long Qi's eyes hardened. So what if she had no face? This was the person he longed for; he wanted to remember her, and he wanted to stay connected with her.

So what if it's all in vain? Even if he fails again, he will relentlessly pursue it.

"Who...who exactly are you..." Long Qi's voice was hoarse, as if it had accumulated endless vicissitudes.

The woman turned her head, like an unfinished painting of a lady, her delicate features not yet fully depicted.

This time, however, Long Qi didn't let go. Instead, he stepped forward and asked urgently, "Tell me, who are you?!"

A sigh conveyed all the grievances, but not a single word was uttered; only a tear slid down, creating ripples in the water vat.

The mirror-like water surface suddenly rippled, and the scene in the water became chaotic and intertwined.

A gust of wind blew, scattering pear blossoms from a tree. A petal fluttered down, twirling as it landed in the vat.

The chaotic waters gradually calmed down under the soothing touch of the undulating petals.

But the petals refused to leave, lingering on the woman's face, concealing a flutter of emotion, until a gentle breeze swept by, rippling the water's surface and tearing away that stubborn petal.

Anning arrived as promised, and the woman's face gradually became clear in the reflection on the water.

Long Qi's eyes welled up with tears as memories flooded back, piercing his heart with pain.

He finally saw her clearly, and finally remembered her.

She is Lingxiang!

But Lingxiang looked sorrowful: "You shouldn't have remembered..."

Long Qi pulled Ling Xiang into his arms, his eyes finally unable to bear the weight of the situation, and tears streamed down his cheeks like a broken dam.

“I am not the person you remember. I am merely a wisp of divine consciousness left behind by the Thread-Suspension Technique,” ​​Lingxiang sighed. “You remember because of me, but she will forget you forever…”

Long Qi shook his head, unwilling to let go of his stubbornness, while Ling Xiang let him hold her without the slightest resistance.

A gentle breeze rises again, ruffling their hair, the strands of hair intertwined, yet ultimately unable to withstand the cruel twists of fate.

Lingxiang's figure began to dissipate, turning into petals in the wind, swirling and circling around Long Qi.

When his arms suddenly felt empty, Long Qi tightened his embrace even more, wanting to imprint this long-awaited hug firmly in his heart.

“She will remember me, and even if she doesn’t, one day she will ‘remember’ me.”

They murmured softly, as if making a decision, or perhaps a promise.

More and more petals covered Long Qi until they completely enveloped him, then suddenly scattered and disappeared.

When Long Qi opened his eyes again, he was back by the Guyang River, but the old man selling lanterns was nowhere to be seen.

It seemed like a long time had passed. Many stalls had already packed up and closed, and there were far fewer people visiting the lantern festival. Only a handful of pedantic scholars were still drinking and composing poetry.

Long Qi was still immersed in the feeling of loss when a voice came from afar, which brought him back to his senses.

"Master is amazing! He actually won the zither!"

It's Ado!
that……

Long Qi's chest pounded like a drum; he dared not make a move, fearing it was all a dream, and that everything would vanish when he awoke.

"Of course! Who am I! I am Yuan Qing's Ninth Grand Uncle! I own an entire mountain!"

Lingxiang!

Long Qi turned around abruptly and saw Ling Xiang's figure flash by and turn into the corner at the end of the road.

……

The neighbor's small courtyard was bought by someone, and after several days of banging and knocking, it finally quieted down.

Since they were neighbors, Lingxiang had intended to visit them, but then Hanyang sent word that the old pear tree on Qingwei Peak was sick and he didn't know what to do.

Upon hearing the news, Lingxiang hurriedly returned to her sect, and the matter of visiting was dropped.

Strangely enough, there was also a pear tree planted next door, with strong and lush branches.

Its appearance was somewhat similar to the old pear tree on Qingwei Peak. Its branches stretched over the wall and into the courtyard of Youran Residence, which happened to provide a canopy for Lingxiang's hammock.

As the days went by, Lingxiang never met this new neighbor for various reasons.

Until one day, a flute melody came from next door, and overnight, pear blossoms bloomed and green leaves grew lush.

Since then, regardless of summer heat or winter cold, this pear tree has never withered and remains lush and green all year round.

This was a technique that Long Qi had specially learned from Han Yang. The pear tree was also a branch cut from Qingwei Peak. Long Qi used his cultivation to nourish it, which is why it was able to grow so lush and leafy.

When Xinyi visited Long Qi after descending the mountain, she asked, "Was it worth it?"

Long Qi was resolute.

"It's worth it! Because it's the most important person."

Then she asked in return, "Aren't you the same?"

Magnolia chuckled.

"Yes, because she is the most important person."

He downed the wine in one gulp, then stood up and said, "Come visit me at the Cliff of Contemplation often." He then leaped onto the wall, adding before leaving, "Remember to bring wine."

Long Qi did not turn around, but only raised the wine cup in his hand.

……

Outside the courtyard of Youran Residence, there is a pear tree that is always in bloom. A gentle breeze blows, and the falling petals flutter over the wall like butterflies. This is especially true on moonlit nights.

Lingxiang was quite fond of it and stopped to admire it.

Every night, one often sees an elderly man with white hair sitting on a high wall, saying nothing, drinking alone with a pot of clear wine, ignoring the pear blossoms falling into the soup.

The fragrance was very unusual, so I got up and asked them about it.

The white-haired man did not answer, but instead took out a jade flute and played a mournful tune, its melody rising ever higher.

Although Xiang did not understand, she was moved by the sound of the flowing melody and thus harmonized with her zither.

Glazed tiles and white walls, the moon rising above the pear tree branches.

The flute plays a clear tune, the zither harmonizes, and fallen petals dance in the wind like snow, a testament to a life well-lived.

(End of the article)