Chapter 9: Could This Be… the First Embrace?
Fu Tangli quickly regained her composure. She propped her hand on the table, resting her cheek on it with a hint of languor. “Today, the Daoist Master invited me for tea, a most generous gesture. In return, I shall brew a jar of plum blossom wine. I will bury it in winter and unearth it in spring. When the jar is opened, may I invite the Daoist Master for a drink?”
Xuanyan picked up his teacup and took a sip. It was, in fact, plain water, completely tasteless. “Men of the cloth do not touch meat or wine.”
“Is that so?” Fu Tangli raised an eyebrow. The corners of her lips curled up, revealing two lovely dimples filled with a radiant smile. “The sage said, ‘Abstaining from wine and meat is a fast for sacrificial rites, not a fast of the heart.’ If the Daoist Master’s heart is set on the Dao, why be bound by the precepts against meat and wine?”
Xuanyan merely gave a faint smile and said nothing, raising his hand to pour Fu Tangli a cup of plain water as well.
The two sat facing each other, with a pot of plain water between them.
All was quiet. Occasionally, a breeze would rise, and the bamboo curtain, obscuring the daylight, cast alternating shadows of dark and light into the room. Within this setting, people seemed to become exceptionally gentle.
***
After returning from Yunlu Temple, Fu Tangli rested at home for a few days. The mountains were quiet, and she stole some leisure from her floating life, painting a picture, reading two books, and admiring several snowfalls.
Yanzhi, ever the chatterbox, mentioned, “Why has My Lady stopped going to Yunlu Temple?”
Fu Tangli was leaning against the window, watching the snow. Hearing this, she turned back with a smile. “You don’t understand. This is called knowing when to advance and when to retreat. There’s no need to always be in his face. As for me, I’ve grown tired of it for now. Let’s leave him be for a couple of days.”
Yanzhi indeed did not understand and just gave a foolish “Oh.”
But speaking of this, Fu Tangli was reminded of something. She clapped her hands lightly. “That’s right, I think I mentioned to Xuanyan that I would brew wine for him, didn’t I? What kind of wine did I say?”
Dailuo had a good memory. “My Lady said it was plum blossom wine.”
“Mm, plum blossom wine.” Fu Tangli nodded without a trace of sincerity. “This wine is elegant, which perfectly suits the Daoist Master’s aloof and otherworldly nature. How wonderful.”
Since she was to brew wine, Fu Tangli sent the servants down the mountain to buy white medicinal yeast and black-clothed red yeast, as well as a type of green glutinous rice. After some thought, she decided it had to be plum blossom wine, so she called for Dailuo, took a bamboo basket, and prepared to go to the plum grove to pick flowers.
On a whim, she also called Auntie Yan over to ask, “If we are to brew wine, the water must also be chosen with care. The well in our courtyard is just ordinary. I was thinking, it would probably be best to use snow from the plum blossoms or a mountain spring. Do you know if there is a spring in these mountains?”
Auntie Yan quickly replied, “My Lady has been to Yunlu Temple several times. Why didn’t you walk a little further? To the north of the temple courtyard, there is a stone path. Follow it for no more than two hundred steps, and you will find a mountain spring. The water collects into a pool. It’s just that the weather is cold now, so I didn’t mention it to My Lady. In the summer, it’s a beautiful sight.”
Fu Tangli laughed. “These Daoists certainly know how to enjoy life. The mountains are secluded and quiet, with plum blossoms and a clear spring for company. It truly has a celestial air. I think even Yuanzhen Palace in Chang’an is not like this place.”
She then called for Yanzhi, took two pottery jars, and set off to collect the plum blossom snow and the mountain spring water.
First, they went to the plum grove. This time, Xuanyan was not there, nor were the two white cranes, Baiyu and Zhenzhu. It was the perfect opportunity.
Fu Tangli set to work herself. When picking the flowers, she only chose the ones that were about to bloom but had not yet opened, their fragrance still sealed and at its most intense. She filled the basket. When collecting the snow, she sought out the fully bloomed flowers and used a goat-hair brush to sweep the fallen snow from the calyxes. This snow had absorbed the fragrance of the plum blossoms and was exceptionally pure and elegant. However, she only managed to collect half a jar.
“This is exhausting. To brew a whole jar of wine, we’ll need another five or six snowfalls.” Fu Tangli was not one to exert herself so diligently. She soon said, “Alright, this is enough for now. I’ll go and try the spring water. If the taste is not too different, let’s just use the spring water. This plum blossom snow is too much trouble.”
With that, Fu Tangli had Dailuo take the basket of plum blossoms and the half-jar of snow back first, while she and Yanzhi went to find the spring.
It was not hard to find. As Auntie Yan had said, they went to the north of Yunlu Temple. Pines and cypresses, still green in winter, provided cover. A stone path wound its way to a secluded spot.
Fu Tangli had only walked halfway when she heard the faint sound of a zither coming from ahead.
She stopped, listened for a moment, then pointed in that direction and said to Yanzhi, “From the sound of it, Daoist Master Xuanyan must be there.”
Yanzhi said, “What an unfortunate coincidence. Perhaps My Lady should come back another day.”
Fu Tangli smiled. “An invitation is not as good as a chance encounter. Since we’re here, why wait for another day?” She took the pottery jar from Yanzhi’s hands. “The Daoist Master likes his peace and quiet. You don’t need to follow. Go back first. I’ll go by myself.”
“This…” Yanzhi hesitated.
“You go back and sort through those plum blossoms again. While they’re still fresh, wash them, spread them on a bamboo tray, sprinkle some green salt, and let them dry under the eaves. There’s much to be done, and Dailuo can’t manage it all alone. Don’t be lazy. Go and get to work.”
Hearing her lady say this, Yanzhi had no choice but to leave.
Fu Tangli adjusted her hair, smoothed her skirt, and walked unhurriedly along the stone path.
The sound of the zither grew louder, like a spring flowing from a mountain gorge.
After another hundred steps, at the end of the stone path, she indeed saw a high rock wall ahead. There was a crevice in the middle, from which water flowed, collecting into a pool below. The still water was a deep green, surrounded by jagged rocks and an old, slanting tree.
Xuanyan sat alone under the tree, playing the zither. He still wore wide sleeves and a flowing robe, his features cool and aloof, with the proud air of one destined for immortality.
Fu Tangli, holding the pottery jar, stood there quietly and listened for a long time.
Only when the piece was finished and Xuanyan had stilled the strings did Fu Tangli say slowly, “Strange, I find myself a little confused. The Daoist Master’s melody is lofty and transcendent, befitting the path of a secluded cultivator. Yet, it is not without a clashing, martial spirit, and a tone of indignation. Could it be that the Daoist Master’s worldly ties are not yet severed, and that he became a monk out of necessity?”
Xuanyan’s hand recoiled. With a twang, he snapped a zither string.
He looked up abruptly, his gaze like lightning, his killing aura sharp and intimidating.
There was no snow at this moment, but the air around them suddenly grew heavy, a chill piercing to the bone.
Fu Tangli’s heart tightened, and a layer of sweat formed on her palms. She regretted her careless words, but she was ultimately brave. Her expression remained unchanged as she said with a sweet smile, “As majestic as a high mountain, as vast as a flowing river. Does the Daoist Master consider me a kindred spirit?”
Xuanyan stared straight at Fu Tangli.
Fu Tangli met his gaze calmly. She was a beautiful and bright young lady, with particularly lovely eyes, her gaze clear and serene, like the water in this mountain stream.
After a long moment, Xuanyan’s expression gradually softened. The sharp, imposing aura around him faded. He brushed the zither strings and changed the subject coolly. “You said a few days ago that you wanted to brew plum blossom wine, so I let you have that plum grove to play in and retreated here. How is it that you can still follow me and disturb my peace?”
Fu Tangli shook the pottery jar in her hand. “I came here to draw spring water for brewing wine. I did not expect to meet the Daoist Master. It can only be called a coincidence.”
Xuanyan was very decisive. He immediately said, “You cannot use the spring water here for brewing wine.”
Fu Tangli raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
Xuanyan glanced at Fu Tangli, seeming somewhat displeased, and said simply, “I often bathe here in the summer.”
Oh, so this is the Daoist Master’s bathwater. Can’t be drunk?
What a fussy man. Unacceptable.
Fu Tangli thought for a moment and said tactfully, “Actually, it’s alright. This is a living spring. The water from your summer baths has long since flowed away. The water now should be clean…”
Her words caught in her throat before she could finish.
Xuanyan was staring at her, his gaze exceptionally grim, even more frightening than before, as if one more word from her would turn his gaze into a sharp sword and poke a hole in her.
Fu Tangli couldn’t help but chuckle. She covered her mouth and giggled. “Alright, then I won’t use the water here. Daoist Master, you really are…”
Really are what? She didn’t say the rest, but her eyes danced, like the fleeting reflection of a startled swan, making it impossible to tell if it was cunning or charm.
Xuanyan lowered his eyelids and averted his gaze.
Fu Tangli let out a soft sigh, a hint of false apology on her face. “In that case, I can only use the snow from the plum blossoms for the wine. Unfortunately, there is so little snow on the blossoms, and it’s not easy for me to collect. I only get half a jar of water a day. I’ll just have to go a few more times after it snows.”
She paused, drawing out her words in a soft tone. “It seems I will have to frequent that plum grove quite often. The Daoist Master will have to bear with me for a few more days.”
Her voice was light and melodious, like a mountain oriole singing on a spring branch. It was a little noisy, but it was indeed lively and pleasant to listen to.
Xuanyan stood up, picked up his zither, and started to leave. “The mountain forest is quiet, only you chatter incessantly.”
Fu Tangli followed him gracefully, casually retorting, “Perhaps it’s because the Daoist Master’s cultivation is not yet deep enough. That Talisman of Sweet Dew and Purity doesn’t seem to be working.”
Xuanyan couldn’t help but curl his lips. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a faint, almost inaudible rustle from the nearby bushes, as if a breeze had passed through.
A strange feeling washed over him. It was just a hint, something an ordinary person would never have noticed, but for Xuanyan, it was enough.
His expression changed. He barked, “Get back!”
Fu Tangli didn’t have time to react. She didn’t even hear him clearly.
In an instant, everything changed.
The wind howled. Dozens of shadows, like venomous snakes, shot out from the bushes, lunging at them with incredible speed. They shouted loudly in a strange accent, their words incomprehensible. The weapons in their hands glinted coldly as they all charged, instantly whipping up the accumulated snow like flying catkins.
Fu Tangli was right beside Xuanyan. Whether he advanced or retreated, she would be in the path of the blades. He had no time to think. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulled her back, and at the same time, stepped forward to meet the enemy, swinging the zither in his hand.
The zither struck an assassin with the force of a thunderbolt. The burly man let out a howl of pain and was sent flying backward, a great spray of blood scattering in mid-air. The zither, shattered by the immense force, flew apart. Half of it landed in the snow with a thud, leaving only two inches of its head exposed, a testament to the strength of the blow.
The pottery jar fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.
Fu Tangli was suddenly pulled into Xuanyan’s embrace, her mind a complete blank.