Prologue

Ruyi Tower was the most famous dance hall in all of Chang'an fifty-three years ago. The young women inside were exceptionally beautiful and skilled in singing and dancing, leading many high-ranking officials and nobles to vie for good positions in Ruyi Tower through both open and covert means. The young monk and Miss Liu met here.

I have also heard this story, for seven years.

But her little monk, has he already attained nirvana in the world at the Foguang Temple on Wutai Mountain, or does he continue to accompany the wooden fish and the green lamp?

The story tells that a young monk, in an attempt to save Miss Liu, accidentally caused a loss of life. Miss Liu remarked that the deceased had committed numerous wrongdoings and deserved his fate. Thus, she, along with the young monk who wished to atone for his actions, set out on a journey through the rivers and lakes, acting with righteousness along the way, and many common people benefited from their kindness. However, in the end, they could not escape the calamity destined for them.

The old woman murmured softly, and I could not hear what she was saying. As I approached, I finally caught a few words; the old woman was saying: "Little monk ... ... little monk ... ... "

I asked the gentleman about what happened to the little monk and Miss Liu in the story. The gentleman, with his back to me, slowly turned his hunched body around. His eyes shimmered with light as he said: "The conclusion of the story is not here with the old man, but with Miss Liu. If the young lady wishes to know the answer, she should head north to Xinzhou, where the old woman at the foot of Wutai Mountain will tell you."

Until the old woman finally turned around and told me the story that Mr. Zhang Guo had not finished telling...

However, Mr. Zhang Guo has told so many stories over the years, yet he has never revealed the ending

The elderly, weak, women, and children of Chang'an City have all heard him speak of a story from fifty-three years ago, in which the protagonists are a young monk and a girl named Liu who lives in the Ruyi Tower

The gentleman said that perhaps only the young monk knows whether he has truly been moved or not

The Captivity of Emotions

Many people want to know the ending, including myself

After bidding farewell to the gentleman, I rode northward, taking nearly three months to reach Xinzhou

The old woman, dressed in simple cloth, sat alone in the wind and snow, holding a worn-out qin in her arms, her eyes fixed dreamily on the direction of Mount Wutai. Beside her, the red plum blossoms had bloomed, becoming the only splash of red in the vast white world.

When I first heard this story, he was in very good health. At that time, snow was falling outside the building, and the red plum blossoms by the window were blooming vibrantly. He sat in front of a small stove, sipping freshly brewed wine. After he finished telling the story, he stared out at the red plum blossoms, lost in thought for quite a while.

It is said that in the wine shop of Chang'an, there was a gentleman known as Master Zhang, who enjoyed telling stories to his guests

A wine guest asked Mr. Zhang Guo, has the young monk ever loved Miss Liu?

After fifty-three years, is she still waiting for her little monk

When I left Chang'an, the shadows of the trees outside the city were sparse, and the red walls and green tiles stood out particularly against the withered branches. Upon arriving in Xinzhou, the road was already covered in deep snow, and at a glance, the sky and earth seemed to merge into one.

I asked many people before I finally arrived at the foot of Mount Wutai and found the old woman mentioned by Mr. Zhang Guo

The last time I saw that gentleman from the Stick Kingdom was at the moment when the wine tavern was closing and the guests were dispersing. He descended slowly from the balcony, leaning on a cane made of dark purple bamboo intricately carved with plum blossoms

I never believed that there truly existed matters of romance and passion in this world, yet they transcend the passage of time, from youth to old age