Chapter Thirty-Three: If Only Life Were as Beautiful as Our First Encounter

Bai Yi crouched quietly beside Lin You’s feet, her clear, bright eyes nervously fixed on the gently swaying white plum tree, as if brimming with endless hope. Nearby, the Taoist Yu Yin stood alone, his gaze lost in contemplation upon the small apricot tree. On the other side, Liu Xiyue’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she watched the young Taoist before her, intently observing his every movement.

Lin You slowly paced to the springhead, then gently closed his eyes. In the instant his eyelids fell, his azure Taoist robe seemed to be tinged with emerald hues, and his whole figure radiated a misty aura. Liu Xiyue, witnessing this miraculous sight, widened her eyes in awe.

To her, the young Taoist before her suddenly appeared to be the very center of heaven and earth. The mountain mists and forest streams seemed to bend and shift at his will! The pines and cypresses all around appeared to come alive, swaying in reverence, as though worshipping an emperor who governed all flora and held the mysteries of creation—the Green Emperor!

The mountain mist billowed, suffused now with verdant green. The spirit of plants and trees, vibrant with boundless life, gathered together. Under the dominion of the “Green Emperor,” they flowed like rivers of stars, converging in two mighty currents upon the white plum and bitter apricot by his side.

The scene was instantly submerged in lush greenery, every sight filled with infinite vitality. Liu Xiyue was stunned into numbness—could this youth be a true immortal? She was certain no martial art or esoteric skill could achieve this, and even the greatest masters who entered the Dao through martial prowess could not reach such heights!

The towering green mountains seemed to gain life, rising and falling with the Taoist’s breathing. Amidst this resonance with heaven and earth, the two saplings grew at an astonishing speed. Countless essences, condensed from the mountain’s flora, were swiftly absorbed and refined by the two trees under Lin You’s spiritual command.

In no time, the plum tree, once no thicker than a child’s arm, had grown as stout as a waist, its branches laden with white blossoms like a pure canopy, filling the air with a cold, fragrant scent. The aroma was crisp as snow, yet laced with subtle sweetness, as if one were tasting the coolness of pure white snow.

Not far away, the bitter apricot grew in the same miraculous way. It rose straight from the earth, its canopy spread wide, leaves glittering like jade, soon bursting forth with white flowers and red stamens. Bees and butterflies gathered in clouds, pollinating the apricot.

Soon, the white blossoms fell, and plump fruit clustered upon the branches. This wondrous scene, like the handiwork of creation itself, was deeply etched in the hearts of all present.

The image of the young Taoist as the Green Emperor lingered, making everyone feel as if a true immortal had descended to the mortal realm. Lin You walked to the apricot tree and gently plucked its largest fruit, offering it to Taoist Yu Yin.

He smiled, saying, “You gave me an apricot pit, so today I return to you a tree full of apricots. Fate has led us here, and words fail to capture its wonder.”

Yu Yin reached out with trembling hands, cradling the apricot in his palms and gazing at it as if he could never see it enough. After a long while, he raised the fruit and took a gentle bite.

Sweet, crisp juice as exquisite as nectar flowed down his throat, its flavor indescribable and identical to that brought by the white deer long ago. He ate, trembling, until the fruit was gone, then lifted his head, tears streaming down his aged face. At this moment, he wept like a child.

His tear-blurred eyes obscured the boundary between reality and illusion. He seemed to see the white deer again, its forelegs folded, lying beneath the tree, quietly keeping him company. He saw the spirited youth who abandoned all worldly ties, and from then on, lived with the deer in the woods.

He thought, if life could begin anew, perhaps there would be fewer regrets.

Meanwhile, Bai Yi gazed at the white plum, eyes brimming with tears. The tree swayed gently, letting several blossoms fall before her, as if to comfort her. Bai Yi softly shook her snowy fox tail, lying under the plum tree and inhaling the fragrance of its petals, feeling an immense sense of peace.

It was as if all the hardships she had endured over the years had vanished into nothing. Lin You stood quietly to the side, watching with gentle eyes, like a true immortal wandering beyond the mortal world, silently observing the joys and sorrows of humanity.

He suddenly recalled a line of poetry—

If life were but as it was at first sight!

Liu Xiyue watched Lin You silently, sensing from him a chill and loneliness that did not belong to the human world, like the moon in the sky—soft, bright, yet distant from earthly dust.

For all eternity, only that moon remains ever lonely, hanging above the world, witnessing the ceaseless turmoil below.

“Miss Liu, let us go. Let them stay here awhile.”

A gentle voice broke Liu Xiyue’s reverie. She returned to herself, and the first thing she saw was a pair of pure, bright eyes.

The young Taoist had withdrawn his gaze and was now looking at her with eyes that seemed to see through to her heart.

She felt unworthy—her first sensation, the first time she had ever described herself with that word.

“Ah? Yes!” she replied hastily, lowering her head to avoid Lin You’s gaze.

Lin You paid no mind, smiling faintly as he led her slowly back along the mountain path to the Taoist palace.

By now, the sunset’s afterglow had fallen; night was soon to descend.

The two walked one after the other along the moss-covered stone steps, accompanied by the cries of insects and birds. The mountains were vast and silent, free from the clamor and chaos of the mundane world.

Liu Xiyue felt as though the dust in her heart had been washed away, leaving her reluctant to depart. Watching Lin You walk ahead, his pace steady and unhurried, she could not help but ask, “Master Yu Chen, are you truly a banished immortal as legend says? Only an immortal could have accomplished what I just saw, surely?”

Lin You neither turned nor paused, but answered with a smile, “I am no banished immortal, merely a seeker of the Dao amidst the currents of the mortal world.”

“A seeker of the Dao? Master, you are too modest! Even among the eight grandmasters who entered the Dao through martial arts, none could match what you have just done!” Liu Xiyue shook her head in disbelief.

Her family’s tradition was deep, and she had witnessed a grandmaster herself, so she knew the difference. Compared to those masters of martial Dao, Master Yu Chen seemed much more like a true immortal.

As she pondered, a thought occurred to her.

Curious, she asked, “Master Yu Chen, will Master Songhe not return to oversee the Pine Origin Gathering this time?”