"Heaven and earth are the reverse journeys of all living things … Time is the passing guest of hundreds of generations … And life is like a dream, how much joy is there … and how much joy is there …"
In the sixth month of Su City, after the season when all living things came to life, it entered the month when hundreds of flowers bloomed. The willow catkins that filled the sky seemed to carry the last bit of strength to blow away the remaining time.
The willow catkins filled the sky and looked like snow. This scene was very beautiful, like snowflakes floating in the sky in summer. If the wind was a bit stronger, the willow catkins would dance even more intensely. It was as if they had no roots, and at the same time, there was a hint of indescribable sadness.
They seemed to have no home, but they were also like wanderers who had left their homes. They could only move with the wind, and in the end, they didn't know where their fate was or where they would be blown by the wind. Perhaps they would be on the surface of the river and become the scenery for tourists, or perhaps they would fall on the ground and fuse with the dust. They would roll into a ball and be swept by the wind.
Their fate was the wind, and different winds gave them different lives.
There was a strand of willow catkin, white, flowery, gently fluttering in the air, landing on the right palm of a white-robed young man standing at the bow of a small decorated boat.
The young man held the jug of wine in his left hand and took a big gulp. He recited the heroic poem. His voice wasn't loud, but it gave off a carefree feeling as if he wanted to pursue the end of the world.
Behind the young man was a middle-aged man wearing the clothes of a scholar. The man's face was bitter and filled with reluctance. Every time the young man took a sip, the middle-aged man's heart would ache a bit more.
"A jug of osmanthus wine costs seven coins of silver. Expensive, really too expensive!!
Drinking a mouthful is about half a coin of silver … "
The willow catkin that landed in the young man's palm stopped for a moment as if it hadn't reached its destination. It let out a faint sigh and flew away from the young man's hand. It floated past his eyes and flew into the distance. There was a hint of madness in it, as if it knew that its life was coming to an end. It rushed toward the place where it would no longer feel tired.
There was also a peach blossom forest beside the river. As the willow catkins danced in the air, the peach blossoms dotted the river. After the wind blew, the flowers fell into the river and floated on the water.
"Wild willow catkins dance with the wind, frivolous peach blossoms follow the water."
Wang Lin gulped down the wine in his hand, his laughter echoing.
Aside from the boatman and the two of them, there were also three women dressed in beautiful clothes on the boat. One of the three women played the zither while the other two sang and danced. The boat moved along the river and passed through the stone bridges that spanned the river under the accompaniment of the catkins that filled the sky. It passed under the bridge and slowly disappeared into the distance.
"Big Fortune, bring the wine!" Wang Lin laughed as he turned to look at the middle-aged man behind him.
Big Fortune had a bitter expression and let out a sigh. He picked up a jug of wine and reluctantly handed it to Wang Lin. He almost cried as he spoke.
"Young Master, we really don't have much money left this time … We have to go to the Ancestral Gaily-Painted Pleasure Boat, buy wine, and have these three ladies accompany us. The daily expenses are too high … Why don't … Why don't we go ashore and find a cheap inn to save some money?"
"What's the rush? The person I'm waiting for hasn't arrived yet."
Wang Lin shook his head and smiled. He took the jug of wine and took another sip. He sat down and listened to the beautiful woman play the zither. There was a hint of joy in the music, but when it fell into Wang Lin's ears, he still couldn't get along with it.
"Young Master, this time I took out all the money I had hidden. You, you … Damn it, this old man calculated that if we keep spending like this, we'll have to beg for food in seven days!!
It's been more than a month, more than a month, who are you waiting for? Why aren't you here yet? "Big Fortune's heart ached as he nagged at Wang Lin.
Perhaps it was because his appearance was very interesting, but the woman who was tired from dancing on the side covered her mouth and giggled.
Big Fortune's eyes widened as he looked at the woman. After muttering a few words, he also picked up a jug of wine and drank a few mouthfuls.
"I want to drink more. This is good wine, half a mouthful …"
"The zither music is still wrong."
Wang Lin leaned against the side of the boat and gently shook his head. After a long time, he drank a bit too much and became a bit tipsy. He got up and walked next to the woman playing the zither. He placed his right hand on the zither, causing the woman's face to turn red and she quickly removed her hands.
"I remember there is a song. I don't know the name, but I heard it in my dreams. She should be playing it like this …" As Wang Lin muttered to himself, he closed his eyes and his right hand slowly began to play the zither.
At first, it was very jerky, and the intermittent zither music didn't sound like a song. However, as Wang Lin's mind entered it, the zither music slowly became one.
An indescribably sorrowful zither music flew out from the boat and spread in all directions.
The eyes of the two women resting on the boat were filled with confusion as they looked at Wang Lin. The sadness from the zither music was very light, but it went straight into the soul. Anyone who heard it couldn't help but feel their mind tremble.
At an unknown time, Wang Lin was sitting at the place where he was playing the zither. The woman playing the zither was sitting beside him, and her beautiful eyes revealed an indescribable expression. It was as if she was lost in that faint, sigh-like zither music.
Even Big Fortune was startled for a moment before sitting there and drinking mouthful after mouthful of wine. He forgot the pain in his heart and stared at his right wrist in a daze.
This zither music was played by Li Muwan in the past. It was a different song, but it had the same charm. It had also appeared in the Demon Spirit Land when the blind woman played it.
At this moment, tears slowly flowed down from Wang Lin's closed eyes. The tears fell on the zither strings and seemed to fuse with the zither music.
His dreams came back every night, and he saw many people in his dreams. However, not all of them were clear. There were a few people who, after appearing in his dreams, were blurry and indistinct. However, even though they were blurry and indistinct, the sorrow he felt from them was very, very deep.
As the zither music played, the boat floated on the river and passed through stone bridges. It wasn't until dusk fell that another night arrived.
Wang Lin waited for more than a month, but the people that should have appeared in his dream never appeared.
As the boat floated under a stone bridge, there were two people standing on the bridge. They silently looked at the boat as the sad zither music echoed in their ears.
These two people were both white-haired old men. One of them was wearing a green robe. Although he was only calmly standing there, his body was as straight as a pine tree.
His expression was ancient and his eyes were filled with wisdom. As he stood there, the aura of a great scholar rushed out.
He was Su Dao.
"What a sorrowful song. A normal person wouldn't be able to play such a song in their entire lives … And within that sorrowful song, there was the vicissitudes of time. It was as if after countless years, when one looked back, that sorrowful memory would always be present in one's heart.
"Su San, the Old Man didn't come by himself on this trip."
Su Dao's eyes were filled with melancholy as he looked at Wang Lin, who was playing the zither, on the boat.
The old man behind Su Dao also let out a sigh. If Wang Lin saw him at this moment, he would immediately recognize him. This person was the old supervisor who had been watching his exam paper the entire time.
The old man revealed a respectful expression as he bowed and softly said, "Student didn't expect him to also know how to play the zither. However, when I saw his crossbow, I felt that this child was extraordinary. When I came to see Sir, I saw this child's boat, so I asked Sir to come and see him."
The boat went further away and the zither music slowly dissipated. Just at this moment, the old man in green, Su Dao, faintly smiled and stepped forward. He placed his hand on the railing and shouted at the boat below.
"Young man, tell the Old Man what you think karma is."
Wang Lin's hands stopped and the zither music stopped. He opened his eyes and looked back with confusion. He saw the old man in green on the bridge.
From his position, he could only see the old man. He couldn't see the second old man on the other side of the bridge.
At this moment, the night shrouded the sky and a bright moon hung in the sky. The old man's figure was a bit blurry, and even the surroundings of the bridge seemed to be hidden under the moonlight.
"Karma …" Even Wang Lin's vision became blurry. He stared at the old man, at the bridge, and at the haze around him as he muttered, "Karma …"
"It shouldn't be like this … If all of this is a reversal of time, if all of this is a reincarnation cycle, if all of this is a dream, then what I should have met is the me in the dream … But why is it that I met this old man … Why is it like this …"
Wang Lin had waited for more than a month. What he had been waiting for was the scene he saw in his dream that made him wake up in a daze for an entire day and drink for an entire day. In that scene, he saw another him appear on the Su City River, on the stone bridge.
But now, he didn't meet the version of himself in his dream, but this old man.
"This doesn't make sense … I know about the Soul Refining Sect, and I can vaguely guess that the person who will appear hundreds of years from now is the me in my dream … But I should have understood all of this, but why can't I see him here …" Wang Lin's eyes were filled with confusion. He didn't understand, and even he himself was becoming more and more confused.
As Wang Lin became confused, the boat drifted further and further away.
The old man on the stone bridge saw that Wang Lin didn't answer, so he smiled and shouted again.
"Young man, tell the Old Man what you think karma is."
"Karma … I'm karma, I'm karma …" Wang Lin's voice slowly echoed and slowly dissipated as the boat left.
The old man in green, Su Dao, had a smile on his face as he watched the boat disappear. Then he looked back at the student behind him.
"What is his name?"