Chapter 41

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

This was a good weather.

When Yue Yuan drifted into the courtyard like a wisp of green smoke, his attention was already drawn by the faint whispers.

Looking up, he saw —

The inn.

On the rooftop.

Under the moonlight, a woman in a apricot-yellow Taoist robe was sitting on the tiles. It was precisely the Immortal Li Mochou.

At that moment, she was hugging her knees, her whole body tightly curled up, leaning against the eaves, staring blankly at the full moon in the sky. At the same time, she was emitting a low, sobbing-like murmur.

From a distance, Li Mochou seemed like a lonely and helpless girl, crouching in a corner like a quail, staring blankly into the distance.

It was as if the Moon Goddess Chang'e, who had fallen from the heavens, was staring blankly at the bright moon, wanting to return but ultimately unable to.

Accompanied by the faint murmurs, it made others involuntarily want to understand her thoughts.

"..."

What was she singing?

Raising his head, because her voice was very low, and the distance between them was considerable, even with Yue Yuan's keen hearing, he could only hear that she was singing something. But he couldn't make out what she was singing.

Frowning slightly, Yue Yuan thought for a moment, glanced around, and then moved. His right foot lightly stepped on a nearby rock, and his whole body rose like ascending smoke, silently ascending to the rooftop.

Though his figure was as light as smoke, it carried no trace of fire.

In the night wind, Yue Yuan's Taoist robe fluttered backward.

With his black hair flying, Yue Yuan silently landed behind Li Mochou, then stood quietly on the roof, listening to her murmurs.

Murmurs, just murmurs.

Even at such close range, Yue Yuan couldn't discern what she was singing. It seemed to be the simplest exclamation, sung in a ethereal voice.

"Whisper, whisper, whisper..."

Li Mochou rested her chin on her knees, her thin apricot-yellow Taoist robe seemingly unable to ward off the chill of the night, making her almost curl into a ball.

Thus, Li Mochou sat quietly on the eaves, gazing at the full moon in the sky, murmuring as if speaking to the moon.

Because she was lost in her own world, the dispirited Li Mochou didn't notice that a young man in a golden Taoist robe had already stood behind her for some time.

If it were any other day, Li Mochou wouldn't be so relaxed; she was very cautious.

But today...

Li Mochou, what are you thinking?

Looking at Li Mochou's huddled back, Yue Yuan was filled with emotion. If the first time he met Li Mochou was by the stream, where she stood against the golden sunset amidst countless reeds, her appearance was ethereal and sorrowful, like a fallen fairy.

But now, she seemed even more disheveled than that first meeting.

If the sorrow back then was just sadness, now Li Mochou's entire being exuded a sense of bewilderment, along with an indescribable sadness and anger.

What was she thinking?

What was she hating?

Yue Yuan felt he could understand, but he also knew that what Li Mochou was thinking was more than just this.

Apart from Lu Zhanwen, there seemed to be something else...

Following Li Mochou's gaze to the full moon in the sky, Yue Yuan, for some reason, also thought of home while listening to her murmurs.

A full moon represents reunion.

Wherever it is, the full moon is a symbol of people's thoughts and blessings.

And now, Yue Yuan suddenly thought of home.

Ha!

What a surprise!

For someone as carefree as me, to actually think of my parents while in a different world...

After a while.

Yue Yuan finally came to his senses, scratching his head, thinking that looking at the moon indeed makes one feel inexplicably melancholic, especially when there's already a melancholic woman in front of you, making the effect even more pronounced.

Indeed, emotions are influenced by the environment.

In his heart, he sighed that his parents, who naturally didn't know their son had entered a martial arts world, would be proud of him. At least he had parents and a fellow Taoist companion to pursue.

But as for Li Mochou...

Her beloved man had betrayed her and died early, leaving her no chance to face him and seek revenge. Besides, like Xiaolongnü, Li Mochou was an orphan, raised by the Ancient Tomb Sect.

One could say that Li Mochou's master, her junior sister Xiaolongnü, and Sun Po were her family.

But now —

Her lover was gone, her family was gone, and even her only respectful disciple, Hong Lingbo, was sacrificed. In the end, she had nothing, and could only cry and laugh, reciting the lines "What is love in this world, that it makes people pledge their lives to each other," and die among the love flowers.

Born of love, and destroyed by love.

Every cause has its effect.

No matter how long the darkness lasts, there will always be light. No matter how evil human nature is, there will always be a moment of awakening.

Yue Yuan never thought that people were born bad, especially women.

When a woman goes down the wrong path, it's either because of a heartbreak or other grievances and grudges. In the martial arts world, there are many such cases. Except for those who were trained as killers from a young age or grew up in evil sects, most were forced by circumstances.

But even those who grew up in darkness, who doesn't have a pure heart?

Like the lotus, which remains unstained by the mud.

The monk says that putting down the butcher's knife leads to immediate enlightenment. Buddhism saves people, and although Yue Yuan was a fake Taoist, Taoism also has methods to save people from their wrong paths.

Leaving aside the bad men, just for women, if they had a regrettable past and weren't naturally evil, and if they looked good, Yue Yuan felt he could save them.

If they were tainted by darkness, he could help clean them up!

After all, the Great Pure Yang Sect he was playing as still only had him as a member.

A sect can't just have one person, right? Otherwise, it would be too pitiful.

Li Mochou gazed at the moon, and Yue Yuan looked at her back. Watching the murmuring woman, Yue Yuan suddenly thought of a few famous figures from Buddhism and Taoism. One was Shen Gongbao's "Taoist friend, please stop," and the other was the Western Buddha's "This thing has a connection with me."

Now, Yue Yuan wanted to reach out and hold Li Mochou, and with a deep voice, say, "Taoist friend, you don't need to be sad, you have a connection with me!" But then he thought, saying this now would be a real mood killer.

Especially hearing Li Mochou's sad murmurs, Yue Yuan felt he should respond in another way. Since they were to be future companions, they should share happiness, sadness, and happiness together.

Thinking of this, Yue Yuan extended his right hand, and two leaves from a nearby tree on the inn's eaves fell, swiftly returning to his hand. He then brought the leaves to his mouth and began to play.

Instantly, a clear and pleasant leaf flute sound echoed from the eaves.

It was a sad tune.

Though the tune was originally for the erhu, Yue Yuan played it with the leaf flute, capturing the sorrow and helplessness.

Amidst the splendor, there was a deep sadness.

Thus, the leaf flute and Li Mochou's murmurs blended together, creating a heart-wrenching melody.

PS: First, I wish everyone a happy New Year! By the way, Xiao Si misses home! Also, the music used by the protagonist in this chapter is from the Puppet Show "Nanfeng Bu Jing" — "Bushi Kuangren," a very sad tune. If you're interested, you can listen to it.

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