NEBM Chapter 31: A’Lian

There were only four figures in the dim candlelight.

No one answered the man’s question, leaving only silence to fill the space around them. The youth’s face grew tense. He dropped the rag, ready to kick out these people.

But he was stopped by the man.

“Brother Chang?” the youth said hesitantly. “They lied to you. Shall I kick them out?”

The man slowly shook his head. In the candlelight, deep grief and sadness were clearly written on his face. He took a few steps back and one leg directly pressed into the stool, where it flickered for a moment and then re-solidified after it’d passed through completely.

Everyone saw this. The youth’s pupils dilated, and his voice became high-pitched. “Brother Chang!”

Brother Chang probably felt that something was wrong because he looked down for a moment and exhaled loudly. He asked, “Am I dead?”

“You’ve already died.” Shen Zhixian pulled back his sleeves a little and sat down on the wooden stool. “After you died, you refused to reincarnate and became a ghost instead. Soon, your soul will scatter.”

The man didn’t respond but the youth looked nervously at Shen Zhixian. “What does that mean?”

“Literally,” Shen Zhixian calmly said. “He had an obsession in his heart and won’t enter the cycle of reincarnation. It’s already been a long time, but he still couldn’t pass on. His soul is on the verge of scattering. You’d better try to find a new elder brother soon.”

The youth suddenly recoiled and tripped over the stool, causing him to stagger. The man tried to catch him, but his hand passed through the youth’s body.

The man’s open fingers curled before he dropped them back down to his sides. After a moment of silence, he sighed. Ignoring the youth’s insistence that he stop, he began to talk about all the old affairs that had long lingered at the bottom of his heart.

The man’s story was not full of excitement; it was merely the separation of life and death, one of the most common partings in the world.

“My house was next to A’Lian’s. We grew up together as children so our relationship was very good…”

It just so happened that they both lived near a lotus pond. Every summer, the pond would be full of jade-green lotus heads that would open and bloom into the most beautiful lotus flowers.

At ten years old, they loved nothing more than to go out and make a ruckus. Whenever they meet, they would pay close attention to this beautiful scene. For A’Chang, playing boisterously by the water and eating lotus seeds were the best things.

Because the weather was hot during the summer, and because his body was strong and healthy, he would often take off his shirt and soak in the water for a whole day.

“A’Lian wasn’t actually named A’Lian at first. It came about because he loved to eat lotus seeds. I always laughed that he was born as a lotus demon. But he couldn’t go in the water so when the lotus flowers became ripe, I would often pick lotus seeds for him…”

Unlike A’Cheng, A’Lian was a premature baby. He was very thin and could easily get sick from the cold wind. At first, A’Chang was not sensible and encouraged him to play in the water. As a result, A’Lian got a high fever that night and almost didn’t survive.

A’Chang felt guilty for having almost killed him. Since then, he obeyed A’Lian’s words, took care of him, and coaxed him. He would often pick the largest and sweetest lotus seeds for him.

In the evening, even after sunset, the weather was still hot and humid. The thin boy was sitting on the embankment, holding many large lotus seed heads in his arms, and he called out in a low voice, “A’Chang gege, it’s getting dark. Come up quickly. The water is getting cold.”

A’Chang swam obediently toward him but did not go ashore. He looked at the lotus in his arms and thoughtfully said, “You’ve been eating it all day. Don’t you get tired of eating it?”

A’Lian said, “Not tired. It’s very delicious. I can only eat this.”

He was weak and had to pay attention to his diet. Unlike A’Chang, he couldn’t just eat anything he wanted. Because he often got cold, even the lotus seeds had to be eaten in moderation.

A’Chang was silent. After a while, he seemed to have made up his mind. “Eating lotus seeds is too simple. When I grow up a bit, I’ll go out and learn to make more delicious things.”

As he put both hands on the bank and pushed himself out of the water, he vowed, “I’ll make the best food for you.”

A’Lian pursed his lips, smiled slightly, and responded with his agreement. Then, he held A’Chang’s hand, and they went home together.

A’Chang was a good man. So, being a man, he kept to his words. After a few years, he packed up and left.

He’d planned it well. By that time, his brothers had grown up and were able to take care of the family. His reasons for leaving served two purposes: the first was to make a living, and the second was in hope of achieving his promise to A’Lian that year. In this way, he would be able to kill two birds with one stone.

On the day he left, A’Lian stood at the village entrance and looked at him, holding many lotus seed heads in his arms, which had been given to him by A’Chang.

“If you still want more after finishing these, let my younger brother pick them for you,” A’Chang said. “You can’t run into the water to catch a cold.”

A’Lian nodded smartly. He was eighteen years old that year, but because of his weak body, he still looked like a sixteen to seventeen year old boy. As a result, he was much shorter than A’Chang. He whispered, “You come back early.”

A’Chang said “Mmn” and didn’t worry too much. “Relax. After one to three years, I’ll come back! By then, you’ll be blessed with good food!”

His hearty laughter gradually faded into the distance. But, who knew that after this departure, they would be separated by life and death.

Speaking of it now, the ghost sighed wearily and murmured, “Who would have imagined that later I would get caught up in a riot.”

Later, the young man in his twenties stared vacantly at the full moon brightening the dark, boundless night. He couldn’t go back, but he couldn’t move forward either. Behind him, the bloody, still-warmed bodies were being consumed by a bright blaze.

His body laid among them.

It stood to reason that people who died would enter the cycle of reincarnation to be reborn. But, A’Chang was tormented by the promise of that year, causing his soul to flee and wander the world.

In the end, he became a wandering spirit, his memory gone. He forgot the way home, and sometimes, he would even forget that he was a spirit, still thinking that he was an ordinary person. But, he couldn’t find his A’Lian. So, he could only make a lot of lotus seed cakes and lotus seed soups.

Later, he ended up at this village and met a young orphan who was having a difficult life running a restaurant.

Perhaps, it was because the youth’s clear eyes were so similar to A’Lian’s eyes in his vague memory. A’Chang decided to stay for a few years. But, every time he saw a new guest who had traveled from afar, he would ask after A’Lian.

And, ultimately, heard nothing.

The existence of the soul in the Yang world was also time-bound. Once this time expires, the soul could only completely dissipate in this world, and there would be no reincarnation.

When the youth saw that the man’s spirit was getting more and more faded, his eyes became red-rimmed. He asked, “Is there no way to save Brother Chang?”

“To save him, he must put down his obsession,” Shen Zhixian said. “As for how to let go…Couldn’t it dissipate once he finally achieve it?”

His attention was on the youth, and he didn’t notice that Yan Jin, who’d been silent all this time, was startled the moment he’d heard him say this.

If you’re obsessed with it, your obsession will dissipate once you achieve it…

Everyone’s eyes were focused on the spirit. Except for Yan Jin, who was quietly looking at Shen Zhixian with gradually deepening eyes.

The youth was confused. After a while, he slowly reacted, his eyes slightly widening. “But…”

Brother Chang only wanted to see A’Lian. Where could they find an A’Lian?!

“Look for someone to pretend.” Shen Zhixian glanced at the rapidly evaporating spirit, who was beginning to look confused and inattentive. “He’s now a confused ghost. If you claim to be A’Lian, he’ll believe you. Only, if you do this, you’ll be wronged.”

This decision was too cruel. The boy suddenly bit his bottom lip. A tear clung to the corner of his eyes, as if on the verge of falling, and a pair of fists clenched tightly.

But, in the end, he still asked, “What should I do?”

Shen Zhixian didn’t answer him and looked at Duan Yuan. He couldn’t do it without spiritual power, and Yan Jin’s sword skills wouldn’t be able to help. In the end, they could only rely on this disciple from Qiangyin Pavilion…

Duan Yuan hadn’t spoken since Brother Chang told them his story. It was as if the story was so moving that it’d stunned her.

Shen Zhixian said in a soft, low voice, “Young Lady Duan, there is work to do.”

Duan Yuan snapped back to her senses with a brief “Ah.” She gently pulled the xun instrument from her waist and placed the mouth against her lips.

When the soul requiem resounded quietly, the dissipating soul gave a violent start and then slowly re-solidified.

The youth stiffly took two steps toward him and, following the general description that A’Cheng had given about A’Lian, he called in a quavering voice, “A’Chang gege.”

The spirit froze. He turned his head in the direction of the youth. He paused on him for a long time, and then, as if suddenly remembering something, he called, “A’Lian?”

“It’s me.”

This name was indeed the crux of the spirit’s obsession. The spirit instantly burst with great joy; even the youth had never seen him so excited. He rushed over in quick, large strides and pulled the youth into a hug. “I finally found you, A’Lian….I’m back.”

He babbled and mumbled and finally said, “I’m sorry to have left for so long. But I’ve learned to make lotus seed cake and lotus seed soup. The taste should be very good…”

Afterward, everything proceeded smoothly. Before, he’d wanted A’Lian to taste his lotus seed cake and lotus seed soup. Now that they’d finally “met” again, he eagerly went to the kitchen and hurriedly brought out a plate of goods.

A faint fragrance lingered on the nose, alluding to a taste that was familiar to the people around.

The youth bit into the delicious pastries but, instead of tasting sweetness, he only tasted bitterness. Aware of the spirit’s expectations, the youth chewed the dry pastry, swallowed, and forced a smile. “A’Chang gege, it tastes very good.”

The words that the spirit had been waiting for so long to hear finally fell into his ears. He smiled, and the obsession that had clogged at the bottom of his heart finally cleared away. He exhaled one last breath, and his soul began to turn transparent.

This was a sign of impending departure.

The spoon in the youth’s hand slipped and fell to the ground, where it shattered. He looked at the fading spirit, and tears streamed down his face. “Brother Chang…”

He and Brother Chang had depended on each other for a long time. After so many years, he’d regard the other person as his closest person. But, Brother Chang…

Even to his last breath, all Brother Chang could remember was A’Lian. The youth feared that the man couldn’t even remember his name.

The pain of being abandoned and forgotten inundated his heart. The youth cried out in a sob, “Brother Chang! I’m not A’Lian, I’m…”

He said his name loud and clear, desperate for it to be heard and remembered. “Look at me…”

After shouting this, the youth stumbled toward the spirit.

Yan Jin was the closest to him. Fearing that the youth would affect the spirit’s departure, he tried to stop him. But, the moment his hand rose, a pale, cold hand touched the back of his hand, stopping him.

“There’s no need. It’s over.” After saying this sentence, Shen Zhixian turned to look back at the pair. His eyes glimmered. “Treasure all the good things in the present. Don’t hurt the innocent.”

After all, it was unknown whether A’Lian was still alive. However, the dead soul’s heart only had his old friend and, as a result, he became deeply entangled in the past, ultimately hurting the youth in front of him.

Shen Zhixian said this unintentionally, and it was purely sentimental. But Yan Jin was shocked when he heard it.

Cherish the present…

Don’t hurt the innocent…

These light and gentle words, said almost in a sigh, slammed into him like a hammer, hitting the bottom of Yan Jin’s heart. A roaring sound echoed in his ears.

———————–
Xixi: The Lian in A’Lian means lotus. But, I feel sorry for the youth, whose name even we don’t know. Not sure if the author did it intentionally, but it definitely made him appear even more pitiful. On another note, will this provide Yan Jin with the jolt he needed to finally let go of the past?

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