The Moon Falls into the Galaxy - Chapter 3

Shishi gasped for air as she pulled herself out of the dream, her hair drenched in cold sweat and her cheeks wet.

This was the first time she had seen so clearly what happened in the dream. To call it a dream felt far too real; she touched her throat, still feeling the sensation of fire burning in her lungs. The consecutive nightmares had made it impossible for her to endure dark or enclosed environments. She pulled open the curtain once more; outside, spring was in full bloom. Tender new willows swayed with the wind, and she could faintly catch the scent of distant flowers.

Shishi slowly closed her eyes, but the scenes from the nightmare continued to flash through her mind like a revolving lantern. Those memories were too vivid, as if they had truly taken place.

She gently stroked her arm. Around her slender, snow-white wrist was a deep blue beaded bracelet coincidentally, the very same string of jade beads that had snapped before her death. This was her favorite piece. It must have been a gift from an elder long ago; she had worn it for many years, and the texture of the jade beads had grown increasingly lustrous.

In a flash, a bizarre thought occurred to Shishi. Perhaps… that wasn’t a dream, but her future.

The bright sunlight falling on her face was already somewhat hot, yet Shishi still felt a chill. She could not go to Baiyun Temple, and she could not see Li Yue. He was a hypocrite through and through bowing and scraping before the strong, yet acting without restraint before the weak. That day at Baiyun Temple, he had deliberately sought her out, completely disregarding the gaze of others. After the incident occurred, he used that very encounter to weave rumors, making everyone believe she was so obsessed with him that she had resorted to a scheme to drug him and force a marriage.

Shishi’s mind was in turmoil. She was a fragile girl whose fate had long been controlled by others, kept like a bird in a golden cage. Her past experiences only made her more sensitive to danger, yet they still hadn’t taught her how to protect herself. Now that she had been given a chance at a new life, she at least… could not let herself die so regretfully again.

What should she do? She bit her lip, her eyebrows furrowed like distant mountains.

While Shishi hesitated, Uncle Wang, who was driving the carriage, suddenly said, “Miss, we are almost at Baiyun Temple.”

Her eyes widened, her lips parted slightly, and she looked up in shock. In the span of a single breath, a thousand thoughts flashed through her mind. Finally, she spoke softly: “Uncle Wang, I suddenly feel unwell. Perhaps I caught a bit of heatstroke just now. I won’t be going to Baiyun Temple today.”

She continued quietly, “I’ll trouble you to take me to Jueshan Temple to rest first, and then send word to Erniang.”

This was the first time Shishi had ever fabricated a lie to refuse someone. She thought she would be nervous, but her heart was unexpectedly calm.

Jueshan Temple was not far from Baiyun Temple, but because the current dynasty favored Taoism, it was much more desolate. The Emperor did not like it, but that didn’t mean others felt the same. During the two years she was imprisoned in the golden palace, she lived a lonely, isolated life with no one to talk to. It wasn’t until after the coup that she occasionally heard rumors of the outside world from the palace servants.

Legend had it that the temple Li Yan, the Prince of Yong, favored most was Jueshan Temple.

Shishi didn’t think she would be lucky enough to run into him; she simply wanted to visit a place he had been. In that dream, although she had lived in wealth for seventeen years, she had always been like a lonely floating weed. It was only before her death that she finally perceived warmth and peace in his embrace.

Uncle Wang didn’t ask any questions and simply complied. As the carriage bypassed Baiyun Temple, Shishi breathed a massive sigh of relief. No matter what, she had avoided Li Yue today. As for Xue Yun and her stepmother, she only wanted to stay far away from them and let them deceive each other as they pleased.

Shishi was originally wearing a (veiled hat), but thinking that Jueshan Temple would be quiet and empty, she felt the veil would only obstruct her vision. Thus, she left it in the carriage.

She walked through the mountain woods, her feet light on the stone path. The mountain temple was silent, save for the melodic chirping of birds echoing among the shaded branches. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting round shadows. Shishi walked slowly up the mountain, the crisp air making her mind increasingly clear.

Just as she was about to turn back, she suddenly saw a tall, slender figure standing before a great Buddha statue in the distance. The man stood silently, as if merging into the quiet mountain forest. His aura was so ethereal, cold, and noble that he seemed more like a celestial immortal than a god or Buddha.

Shishi’s first reaction was that her eyes were playing tricks on her. She wanted to approach yet wanted to retreat; in her awkwardness, she twisted her ankle and fell onto the stone steps. The skin of her palm was immediately scraped, and blood began to seep through. The pain arrived a beat late. She lowered her head and gritted her teeth to keep from making a sound.

But the man noticed her. He turned around and walked over slowly.

Shishi possessed an almost instinctive trust in him, but truly standing before him, she felt timid. He couldn’t see her, and even if he could, he likely wouldn’t recognize her. After all, she was just a young girl; what chance had she ever had to make him remember her?

Tears welled in Shishi’s eyes. She didn’t know if it was from the pain or because her first meeting with her uncle after the nightmare had ended was so embarrassing.

Li Yan wore a veil, his glass-like, light-colored eyes hidden behind the misty fabric, masking much of his noble aura. Dressed in white, he looked no different from any other pilgrim recuperating in the temple.

But Shishi recognized him at a glance. “Sev… Seventh Uncle.”

Only then did she clumsily realize his bodyguards were present as well. Fortunately, much like their master’s personality, these guards were quiet. They were hidden in the forest and likely had noticed her the moment she entered Jueshan Temple.

The faint blush on Shishi’s face deepened. She gently took the hand Li Yan extended from his sleeve, struggling to stand up on her own, as if trying to reclaim some modicum of dignity. This time, she spoke before he could ask: “Seventh Uncle, I am Shishi.”

Li Yan, however, seemed as though he still couldn’t recall who she was, merely nodding slightly. Among the Emperor’s sons, he was the most low-profile, rarely even attending palace banquets. The two of them had almost never met, so it was only natural he wouldn’t recognize her.

She added, “The eldest daughter of Xie Guanyun, Duke of Wei Xie Qingshi.”

Seeing that he still had no reaction, Shishi felt a bit panicked. Had she really mistaken him for someone else? Her fair face seemed shrouded in a rosy mist, and even the tips of her ears were red. She lifted her dress helplessly, forgetting the pain in her palm.

“Come here,” Li Yan said softly.

Shishi took the plain handkerchief he offered and pressed it against her palm, following his lead in a daze. He was likely very familiar with these woods, as his pace seemed much faster than hers; Shishi then realized it was because she was short and had small steps.

Jueshan Temple was built on the mountainside, but the entire mountain belonged to it. Shishi rarely came here, and it was her first time following Li Yan. She had attended countless grand occasions with her elders since childhood, yet she always felt constrained in front of him. It wasn’t because of his noble status or the knowledge of his lethal nature. Shishi couldn’t explain it; she twisted her fingers inside her sleeves, finding courage only in the cold jade beads on her wrist.

She held up a cup, taking small sips of the steaming tea. Li Yan seemed to sense her hesitation and spoke first: “Zhou Yan says you look a bit haggard. You might as well rest here for a while.”

Shishi was stunned for a moment before realizing Zhou Yan was the name of his attendant. He seemed to be deliberately hiding his identity, yet he made no effort to conceal his eye condition, which made her even more confused.

“Thank you, Seventh Uncle,” she replied in a small voice.

Li Yan did not answer her, nor did he deny the title. He likely took her for a willful child who had run away from home. Before leaving, he didn’t forget to add: “If a stranger comes, do not open the door.”

After his figure vanished, Shishi’s mind remained in a state of chaos. Had she really been lucky enough to meet Seventh Uncle? And Seventh Uncle was so… gentle toward her. She had never seen him kill anyone, but she had heard of the things he had done. In the secret rumors of the palace, there was no existence more terrifying than Li Yan, the Prince of Yong.

Shishi had heard many such stories, but remembering his figure descending like a deity in Changle Hall, she couldn’t associate him with the ruthless and paranoid man of the rumors. He had no reason to be soft-hearted toward her; after all, he didn’t even remember who she was.

Shishi’s thoughts were scattered, but under the influence of sandalwood and Zen chants, she eventually fell asleep. In her nightmare, she returned to Changle Hall. Li Yue, with his hair disheveled and covered in blood, looked at her with cold eyes. He held a sharp blade to her neck, forcing her into a dead end once again.

Shishi screamed as she tore herself from the dream, only to realize the outside was pitch black. The sky was dark as thick ink, plunged into a silent, deep night. That’s not right, she rubbed her brow; she couldn’t have slept for that long. Lately, she always woke from nightmares with a start; it was a miracle if she could sleep for two full hours.

The room was quiet, but the sounds from outside were becoming increasingly chaotic. Shishi suddenly remembered this was a solar eclipse. In the nightmare, when the eclipse occurred, she had already returned to the manor. She had been in a terrible mood that day and went straight to sleep, so she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.

She felt nervous, filled with a sense of trepidation since waking up. Fortunately, the remaining events soon flowed back into her memory. She vaguely recalled that something had happened at Jueshan Temple that day. The palace had even sent people afterward to ask if they had seen anyone while they were sightseeing near Baiyun Temple.

Shishi propped open the window, quietly peering through the gap to see many people carrying torches and running in one direction. She suddenly remembered what had happened that day.

Someone intended to take advantage of the chaos to assassinate Li Yan, who was recuperating at Jueshan Temple. It was unknown how those people had obtained the information, as Seventh Uncle’s whereabouts were always a mystery. It seemed they had actually succeeded to some extent but she only heard about this much later.

She still remembered a middle-official serving near Li Yue saying in a spiteful tone: “Li Yan truly has a long life. If those people at Jueshan Temple in the 16th year of Chundao had stabbed their blades just a bit deeper, the world would have been at peace long ago.”

Shishi gritted her teeth, her beautiful face pale and bloodless, yet possessing a touch of a hero’s resilience. She lifted her skirt, pushed the beads on her wrist higher, and firmly opened the door of the Zen room.

The moment the door opened, a short arrow grazed her hair and thudded into the wooden boards.