The two trees, though only five or six zhang tall and quite slender, were a marvel of the mortal world. The leaves of the Silver Albizia were dark as ink, yet their stems and undersides looked as if they had been painted with silver powder; upon closer inspection, they were not merely silver, but shimmered with a faint, ethereal purple luster. The leaves of the Gold Albizia were bright and vivid, appearing as if they were cut from the morning clouds or clusters of burning gold foil. I even found myself thinking that if I were to pluck a leaf, it would truly be the "golden leaf" spoken of by the ancients.
At the tips of the branches on both trees perched flowers shaped like dove feathers. However, the flowers of the Gold Albizia were in full bloom like golden bells, their stamens continuously weeping crystalline dewdrops that pitter-pattered onto the ground. The flowers of the Silver Albizia remained closed, their petals drooping with only a tiny slit visible, pure and white like the devoutly pressed palms of a prayerful maiden.
Overjoyed, I clung to Wei Qingming’s arm and laughed. "They are called 'Hehuan,' but their flowers look more like the Dove Tree!"
Wei Qingming smiled and led me into the rain of light beneath the Gold Albizia.
"These two trees are also known as the Day Albizia and the Night Albizia," she said softly. "The silver one blooms at night and withers at dawn, simultaneously nurturing new buds. The Gold Albizia blooms at noon and fades by evening. Thus, the people of Shiying revere the Twin Sacred Trees as deities who govern the transition of day and night and the growth of all living things."
"The Twin Sacred Trees always grow in pairs. If one dies, the other will never bloom again and will soon wither away."
I couldn't help but wonder: would she and I be like these two trees, accompanying each other until the very end of our lives?
She held my hand, letting a withered petal of the Gold Albizia fall into my palm, where it dissolved without a trace like melting snow. At the same time, the golden dew fell upon our shoulders, stirring up faint clouds of five-colored light and dust.
I looked at her and smiled. Bathed in this dreamlike radiance, she looked as if she were in a fairyland, yet she was so gentle and warm—the beloved person standing by my side, our fingers tightly interlaced.
Before we could immerse ourselves in this beautiful atmosphere for much longer, Master Lu let out a hearty laugh and said boisterously, "Good! I, Old Lu, shall also contribute a blessing ceremony to ensure these trees grow even better!"
My lips twitched as I watched him strike a pose, beginning a strange dance while chanting in a rough, loud voice:
"Heaven sends down peace, the harvest is bountiful. Come and accept, come and feast, blessings descend without limit. Brilliant is the Lord on High, granting us a year of health. With offerings and sacrifices, we seek great fortune. Grant us longevity, grant us manifold blessings..."
My face grew sore from twitching. Wasn't this the song the old Daoists sang during the spring plowing rites performed by the Emperor and Empress? These were sacred trees from a foreign land! What if they got angry hearing this?
However, as he danced within the dawn-like atmosphere, though he lacked spiritual power and wore no ritual robes, a sense of comfort and peace welled up from the depths of my heart, gradually filling my entire soul.
It was only now that I seemed to realize: the New Year was truly right before our eyes.
When Old Lu finished his song, he pulled two talismans from his robe and slapped them into Wei Qingming’s hand. "Stick these in your house when you have time. Consider them a gift from Old Lu." Wei Qingming glanced at them, tucked them away, and gave a faint word of thanks.
"What kind of talismans are they?" I couldn't help but ask.
Old Lu chuckled. "Great Radiance Talismans for Guarding the House and Expelling Evil!"
...I was speechless. Did a manor personally arranged by our Master Wei even need protection against evil?
Master Lu wanted to linger and have New Year's Eve dinner at our house, but he was dragged away by Master Zheng. Having finally gotten rid of that big trouble, I remained standing under the trees, reluctant to leave. I reached out to catch the shimmering starlight dew, but it vanished like shifting sand, impossible to hold. I could only laugh and say, "Now I truly know why the ancients wrote that moonlight is 'something I cannot gather in my hands to give to you.'"
"Indeed," she smiled. "But with Ah Zhi by my side, 'returning to sleep to dream of our fair meeting' is quite easy."
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and gave her a playful, mock-scornful huff.
Our garden was protected by the finest defensive and illusion arrays; even though the light of the Twin Sacred Trees was so dazzling, those outside could see nothing at all. But everyone in the household had seen it and came running out to see the wonder.
Zhu Yixin was in the middle of pounding rice cakes. Holding up two sticky hands covered in rice grains, she stared wide-eyed. "I was wondering! No New Year lantern could ever be this bright!"
Chief Nie, Lu Kaifeng, Qiao Songlin, Nie Xiaoyan, and Muyu all arrived, standing with their hands in their sleeves as they admired the sight and chatted. Only Lu Lingfeng and Xuesu were nowhere to be found, likely off playing somewhere. Xiaoyan and Yanhui ducked under the glowing trees, attempting to catch the light-dew with their hands just as I had. Honglu, after leading me to the garden, had been sitting on the steps of a small pavilion nearby. He was idly tending to a pot of flowers, watching everything with a smile. He was the son of a gardener, after all, and loved nothing more than caring for plants.
As the flowers of the Gold Albizia were about to fade, Wei Qingming left for the Wen Manor to offer sacrifices to her ancestors and pay her respects to her maternal grandparents. The sky was in that state between light and dark, and the scenery in the courtyard was a blur of shadows. Lanterns were lit one by one, illuminating the newly placed peach charms and decorative hangings with rich, vibrant colors, filling the air with the festive spirit of the New Year.
Everyone chatted and laughed as we entered the flower hall and took our seats around a table laden with a magnificent spread of delicacies. Just as I was about to order the doors closed, Gu the Thief appeared out of thin air, carrying a bundle of "New Year gifts" in a floral cloth. Upon closer inspection, the cloth itself was a stolen garment, which left us caught between laughter and sighs.
Gu Shuguan made a grand show of bowing to everyone in turn. "A grand, joyful, and blessed New Year to you all! May you have harmony, health, earn a bucket of gold every day, and receive promotions and riches..."
His mischievous demeanor drew roars of laughter from everyone. I scolded him with a smile, "What 'promotions and riches'? Look around this room—is there even a single official here?"
Old Gu looked around and indeed saw no officials from the Yingzhao Temple present. He became even more cheerful and sat down, rubbing his hands. Surprisingly, he didn't follow his usual habit of snatching up chopsticks to eat immediately, but instead behaved with great decorum. After all, it was New Year's Eve; no matter how irreverent one was usually, one had to be solemn today. I had thought of how he was all alone, and his usual band of scoundrels would be off celebrating their own New Years, so I thought it better to invite him here. Following our old custom, I had left a letter on the roof of the "Into the Dream" inn early on. However, since the Eastern Market had suffered a disaster recently, I wasn't sure if he had seen the letter, so I hadn't specifically waited for him.
Once everyone was settled, all eyes turned to Eldest Senior Brother. Lu Kaifeng gave a gentle smile and stood up with his wine cup. "New Year's Eve is originally a day for ancestral sacrifice, but we are people of the martial world, gathered here by a stroke of luck and shared spirit. The world is vast and time is grand; let us share this cup to wish that our masters, elders, and friends find their hearts' desires fulfilled and enjoy peace and harmony in the coming year."
The toast was elegantly phrased. Everyone cheered and drained their cups. The Tusu wine that Zhu Yixin had botched was, of course, undrinkable; instead, we drank from a jar newly purchased from the market yesterday, its fragrance filling the room.
The Tusu wine was traditionally drunk starting from the youngest, so everyone laughingly pushed Nie Xiaoyan to go first. She stuck out her tongue and pointed at Xuesu. "I think this one is even younger than me!"
Xuesu remained unmoved. I had no choice but to walk up to her and ask, "I've never actually asked—how old are you?"
She shook her head. "I don't know."
Thinking of how this child had been worked like an ox or a horse under that unscrupulous Perfected One at such a young age, my heart filled with pity. Lu Kaifeng then said, "Regardless of her specific age, by the standards of divine lineage, she is indeed quite young."
Nie Xiaoyan took the opportunity to add, "Then by the standards of the demon race, Sister Ah Zhi is also very young!"
In the end, the three of us "juniors" from different races shared the first cup of Tusu wine together.
In previous years when I lived at "Into the Dream," I would have heard the constant crackle of firecrackers from the southern streets by now. Yongzhao Ward was vast and quiet, the manors separated by great distances. Each household's festivities were kept behind closed doors, and the sound of firecrackers did not reach us. Moreover, this ward was mostly filled with villas for "hidden beauties"; those beautiful women who usually lived in such splendor and power must feel a bit lonely today, wouldn't they?
As everyone ate and chatted, my mind kept wandering. I wondered what Wei Qingming was doing at the Wen Manor. The rules of a great clan on New Year's Eve were strict, with no room for error. At this moment, the entire family should be kneeling before the ancestral tablets in the clan hall. Chancellor Wen and the Old Madam would be at the head, with the four masters of the Wen family standing to the east and the ladies to the west, passing the sacrificial offerings up one by one. The grandchildren, the young masters and ladies, could only stand in the second hall. Now was likely the critical moment of playing music, offering the goblets, and burning the silk and pouring the libations. Only after the ceremony was finished and they had kowtowed to their elders and received their New Year money could they take their seats at the banquet.
Our little household was much simpler. The ritual for the gods involved nothing more than offering cooked sacrifices and sharing the meat after a prayer. This was plain boiled meat, quite tasteless, and had to be eaten by soaking it in the broth of the New Year Botuo noodles. In truth, the palace banquets were the same, except the boiled meat bestowed by the Emperor was so unpalatable that one wasn't even allowed to dip it in sauce; everyone ate it with furrowed brows and churning stomachs. Thus, there was a joke that clever ministers attending the New Year banquet would secretly hide a silk handkerchief soaked in savory brine in their sleeves. Using the chance to wipe their mouths, they would smack their lips on the brine from the silk while eating the bland meat...
Then there were the soups and pastries with auspicious names like Union Soup, Lucky Fruit, Ruyi Cakes, and Hundred-Blessings Stew. Since almost all of us were from Jinzhou, Auntie Zhong, our cook, had exhausted her skills to prepare flavors from our hometown: stir-fried quail with three delicacies and bamboo shoots, pan-fried three-colored preserved fish, venison shoulder, crispy trotter slices with wine and vinegar, and steamed Yuan River whitefish. These were all dishes one could find in any tavern upon descending from Mount Gomeng.
After the meal, everyone burned a bundle of Atractylodes to pray for the expulsion of evil and pestilence and for good health in the coming year. Then came the part everyone loved—going into the courtyard to set off firecrackers.
It was only when we opened the hall doors that we realized it had begun to snow lightly again. Fortunately, it wasn't heavy, just a faint drifting of cotton-like flakes in the air. The light from the Twin Sacred Trees seemed even more intense; the silver glow of the Night Albizia spilled over from the back garden, tinting the eaves of the main hall and making the snow on the ground look even more mysterious and serene. Gu Shuguan volunteered to light the firecrackers, but unfortunately, he was unexpectedly clumsy at it. If not for his excellent movement techniques, he would have ended up with a face full of black soot today.
We laughed as we watched him leaping about the courtyard to avoid the sparks. It was now nearly the hour of Hai. Ordinarily, the fireworks from the manors of high officials and nobles across the capital would have filled half the sky, each more vibrant than the last. This year, likely due to the disaster at the Eastern Market, the wealthy could hardly even light their lanterns, and most had probably moved to their mountain villas in the western suburbs. The excitement was greatly diminished, with only scattered clusters of brilliant light rising from the official residence district in the west. From a distance, it looked somewhat desolate.
Thus, Eldest Senior Brother took the initiative to suggest, "Ordinary fireworks are dull. Why don't we use illusions to create a few and try for some New Year's luck?"
The disciples of Mount Gomeng present all agreed. Nie Xueqing laughingly called out to Nie Xiaoyan, Gu Shuguan, and Xuesu, "Let them show off their skills. We'll sit comfortably to the side and watch the show."
