In the dim candlelight, the figure standing with their back turned was tall and graceful.
Little Lin knelt trembling, not daring to breathe loudly. Even with ten heads, he couldn't fathom why the supre ruler would visit this small prison cell in the dead of night, without a single attendant.
The Taoist lay sideways on the bed, seemingly asleep. Little Lin was sweating on his behalf, unsure whether to wake him.
The emperor rely watched the person inside the cell in silence.
Fortunately, the other party showed rcy and didn't make things difficult for a lowly jailer. With a flick of her slender fingers, Little Lin wisely took his leave. Then, she ford a seal with one hand, creating a transparent soundproof barrier that separated the outside world from this place.
Now, only the master and disciple remained inside and outside the cell.
Lu Yuandi still said nothing, but the lightly sleeping person spoke.
"I've long wondered what it would be like for us, master and disciple, to et outside of Peach Blossom Mountain. How unique would that flavor be?"
The emperor finally spoke, responding to him.
"Shi Fu, what do you think of the current situation? Is it far from what you imagined?"
Tao Mian didn't answer directly. He sat up, half-tilting his head. There was a high and narrow window in the cell, where the full moon was evenly divided by the bars.
He spread his palm, letting the moonlight fill it.
At this mont, he was facing away from Lu Yuandi. He was separated from the bright moon by a wall, and from his disciple by another.
Tao Mian's lips curled into a sowhat helpless smile.
Yuan Di, when did this rift between us, master and disciple, begin?
"Standing outside now, is it the Emperor, or my disciple?"
After a long while, the person outside the cell replied.
"What difference does it make, Emperor or disciple? It's all blurred, indistinguishable."
Tao Mian's eyes trembled, but only for a mont. He quickly restrained any excess emotion, propping himself up on the bed and turning around.
Half of Lu Yuandi's face was veiled in the candlelight, while the other half was hidden in shadow. She was undoubtedly beautiful, a perfect blend of her mother's grace and her father's charm, making her appearance strikingly attractive.
Yet all that external splendor seed suppressed by her noble status. Standing there, she was a vast power watching over, rather than an independent person.
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, Tao Mian seed to brush off the pressure imposed on him. There was no room for any more blows between them, master and disciple; every word had to be carefully considered.
The last ti he spoke poorly, Lu Yuandi had him thrown into the heavenly prison.
Tao Mian recalled that day's scene; he hadn't said anything excessive. He rely ntioned, in passing during a ga of chess with his disciple, that he wanted to return to the mountain for a look.
His thoughts were simple. Wu Changzai was waiting for him, and perhaps Fei Buding missed him too. Not to ntion the flowers, trees, and fruits on the mountain, all lined up for his care.
Moreover, Gu Yuan's morial day was approaching.
No extra words, just that one sentence. Tao Mian didn't think much of it. He had stayed in the palace for quite so ti, from sumr to winter, and with spring approaching, it was ti to go back for a visit.
The Emperor's face changed dramatically, even overturning the chessboard.
At that mont, Tao Mian still held a white piece in his hand, looking down at the empty stone table, unsure where to place it.
The scattered black and white pieces, two or three rolled into the pond, disturbing the quietly resting fish.
He watched the Emperor's retreating back, sighing softly.
Such a temperantal child.
In less than half a day, Tao Mian went from being the Emperor's teacher to a prisoner, a drastic change in status.
The wronged party didn't mind, but the instigator suffered several sleepless nights.
Perhaps realizing her own loss of composure that day, Lu Yuandi was more silent than ever when she ca to see Tao Mian this ti, wearing an even thicker mask.
She had to restrain her malevolent nature; she couldn't harm Tao Mian, because Tao Mian would never retaliate against his disciple.
Lu Yuandi tried to remain calm.
"Recently, the snow has been continuous, making it unsuitable for travel. Little Tao, wait until spring, when the flowers bloom, to return. It's not too late."
Tao Mian knew she was stalling for ti, but he couldn't say it outright.
"Yuan Di, I've been a bother here for months, and the two young servants have beco increasingly lax. It's best to let them return to the mountain to continue their studies. Shi Fu ca to see you this ti just to check on your well-being. Seeing you well, Shi Fu can be at ease."
Tao Mian's excuse was clumsy, but the last two sentences were sincere. Lu Yuandi's expression relaxed slightly, recovering a bit of the ease she once felt with Tao Mian.
"Little Tao, why rush back to Peach Blossom Mountain? Everything in the palace is arranged. Whatever you want, I'll have soone find it for you. I know you miss the Taoist Temple and those few chickens; that's not difficult. Whether it's watering flowers or feeding chickens, just give the order, and I'll have it done for you."
"Outsiders can never be as attentive as oneself."
Tao Mian's slightly sighing words made Lu Yuandi's softened expression tense again.
"Why insist on returning to the mountain? We've been apart for over ten years, Shi Fu. I still have many old stories to share with you."
It seed Lu Yuandi had successfully learned the "emotional card" from Tao Mian. When the hard approach didn't work, she tried soft words. Of course, if her deanor matched her words, it would be even better.
"Yuan Di..."
Unfortunately, Shi Fu is still Shi Fu and won't be easily fooled.
Tao Mian asked the Second Disciple one question, leaving her speechless.
"Shi Fu asks you to answer truthfully. If Shi Fu were to ask you to return to Peach Blossom Mountain with now, would you agree?"
"I..."
Lu Yuandi didn't know how to answer Tao Mian's question. She was an emperor, a sovereign; she had been with power for too long, possessing it and being consud by it.
The days on Peach Blossom Mountain seed like a lifeti ago.
Asking her to return was like crossing a cycle of reincarnation.
Tao Mian smiled knowingly.
"You see, you have your palace, and Shi Fu has his Peach Blossom Mountain. You won't leave the palace, and Shi Fu's ho will always be in those mountains."
Lu Yuandi's stubborn nature flared up again, just like when she was young.
She asked what if she insisted on making Tao Mian stay.
"Shi Fu is an immortal, and I'm just a mortal. I will eventually go before you, so why can't you accompany through this remaining life?"
She even wanted to bla Tao Mian for being cruel.
Tao Mian gently shook his head.
"Yuan Di, it's not that Shi Fu is cruel to you. Accompanying is easy; I can watch over a thousand-year-old blossom, so naturally, I have the patience to accompany you through your life."
"Then—"
"But what you truly desire in your heart, does it really end with companionship?"
Tao Mian knew his disciple too well. He knew her abilities and her weaknesses. Lu Yuandi could hold the throne thanks to her cold, even ruthless thods, and an ever-unsatisfied, greedy heart.
If Tao Mian agreed to stay today, she would want more tomorrow.
"Shi Fu can do many things for you, but there are things beyond Shi Fu's reach."
At that mont, Lu Yuandi realized Tao Mian's cruelty. He was so gentle and clear, so carefree and unrestrained. His heart, like the mountain gate, was open to anyone, and he would gently hold every hand that reached out for help. Ask for a bowl of porridge, and he would give a bowl of porridge. Ask for a place to stay, and he would provide shelter from the wind and rain.
On Peach Blossom Mountain, she asked for a secret manual, and Tao Mian taught her an unparalleled cultivation technique.
In the military camp, she wanted to slay enemies, and Tao Mian delivered people to her hands for her to deal with as she wished.
Amidst the flas and sword shadows, she said, "Shi Fu, I don't want to be bullied or humiliated anymore." Tao Mian said, "Alright, go sit on that throne, above all others."
Immortal arts, enemies, the throne... she held them all in her hands. She stood high above, overlooking all beings, yet still felt empty around her.
When she turned back, she saw the endless peach blossoms and the immortal under the tree.
She thought she knew what she truly wanted. She wanted the immortal's eyes to look only at her, every word spoken to be tied to her, she wanted to possess a complete heart.
She was the emperor, after all; what couldn't she have?
But the immortal gazed at her from afar, with a gentle sigh. This sigh brought back ti, stripping away her regal robes, turning her back into that innocent girl with nothing. It turned out she had returned to the day she left the mountain, with Tao Mian bidding her farewell under a flourishing peach blossom tree.
He said, "Yuan Di, Shi Fu will always be here."
When you were young and had no support, Shi Fu was by your side.
When you left the mountain and faced enemies from all sides, Shi Fu was behind you.
Now that you've achieved success and fa, with no worries in Chang'an, Shi Fu will stay on this Peach Blossom Mountain.
His heart, like the mountain gate, is open to anyone and will never open for just one person.
The emperor, who had calculated everything, gripped the railing tightly, trembling, bowing her head, as a few hot tears splashed onto the cold ground.
In the end, the one truly trapped in this cage was her, standing outside.
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