Legend of the Female General

Chapter 155: Love Separated by Mountains and Seas

Amidst the lush green grass, occasional secluded flowers, and the playful dance of bees and butterflies, the clear and lingering sound of a zither drifted slowly across the water.

Amidst the chaos of swords and blades, the presence of someone playing the zither was truly eye-catching. The white-clad swordsman sat quietly, his distinct knuckles brushing the strings as the melody flowed forth—still that same tune, "Slow Passing of Time."

He actually knew many pieces, but over the years, the one he played most often was this very song. He had already set up formations around the area, and the zither’s melody also possessed the power to bewilder the mind. When the Wutuo People arrived here, they would be confused by the formations and find it difficult to locate the entrance. He could buy Cui Yuezhi a little more time, waiting for this long-overdue east wind from the heavens.

The Wutuo People’s boat slowly approached, and some disembarked, their demeanor fierce and imposing. Liu Buwang sat quietly, as if meditating on Qiyun Mountain in the past, calm and composed, unhurried and unflustered. Master Yunji never praised him with words, yet he had always treated him with exceptional leniency. Everyone often said that among the seven brothers on the mountain back then, he was the most outstanding. His senior brothers would always joke with a smile that one day he would bring glory to their sect.

But… he had long been expelled from the sect.

The zither’s melody faltered for a moment, as if disturbed by an external force, and a rhythm was played incorrectly. Liu Buwang was momentarily lost in thought.

Back then, at the foot of Qiyun Mountain, he had met Mu Hongjin. Only later did he learn that Mu Hongjin was originally the beloved daughter of Prince Meng Ji in Jiyang City. Unwilling to marry the son of a high-ranking court official, Mu Hongjin pleaded with Liu Buwang to take her away. After much hesitation, Liu Buwang decided to have her wait at an inn while he first returned to Qiyun Mountain with his junior sister to report the matter to Master Yunji.

But once he went up the mountain, he never came back down. By the time he descended, a year had passed.

Mu Hongjin always believed that he had deceived her, deliberately informing Prince Meng Ji of her whereabouts, that it was he who had sent Mu Hongjin back to Prince Meng Ji’s mansion. In truth, that was not the case.

Back then, Liu Buwang had indeed hurriedly ascended the mountain. Once there, he told Master Yunji that there was a runaway bride forced by her family, now resting outside, and he hoped Master Yunji could find a way to allow him to bring Mu Hongjin up the mountain.

Liu Buwang had always been honest and kind-hearted, but for the first time, he lied to Master Yunji. He only said that Mu Hongjin was an ordinary girl from a common family, not revealing her identity as Princess Meng Ji. Liu Buwang worried that if Master Yunji knew Mu Hongjin’s true identity, he might not be willing to help.

But Master Yunji knew more than he realized.

“Are you speaking of Mu Hongjin from Prince Meng Ji’s mansion?”

Liu Buwang was stunned. “Master…”

“You are truly foolish!” Master Yunji looked at him, his expression stern as he rebuked, “Do you know who she is? She is now Prince Meng Ji’s only daughter, destined to inherit his title in the future. The reason Prince Meng Ji arranged a marriage for her is precisely because she will one day become Princess Meng Ji.”

“You recklessly brought her to Qiyun Mountain. Do you know what kind of disaster this could bring to Jiyang City? How much trouble it would cause for Qiyun Mountain? Even if you care nothing for the lives of the people in Jiyang City, your senior brothers grew up with you. Could you disregard their safety as well?”

“Master, it’s not like that…” Liu Buwang tried to explain.

Master Yunji sighed. “Do you think Prince Meng Ji would spare Qiyun Mountain if he knew you were hiding his daughter here?”

“He won’t know.”"Buwang, you are too naive." Daoist Priest Yunji flicked his sleeve. "Give up. Your master will not intervene."

Liu Buwang knelt on the ground. After a moment of thought, he stood up and bowed to Daoist Priest Yunji. "Your disciple understands."

"What do you intend to do?"

"Your disciple will find a way on his own."

Liu Buwang thought that although he could not match Daoist Priest Yunji's abilities, heaven would not cut off all paths—he would surely think of another way. The most urgent matter was to descend the mountain first; the day he promised Mu Hongjin was fast approaching.

"You still intend to seek out that woman?"

Liu Buwang replied, "Yes, your disciple has already made a promise with her."

Daoist Priest Yunji said, "You cannot leave the mountain."

"What?"

"I cannot watch you bring Qiyun Mountain to ruin." Daoist Priest Yunji declared, "You must remain on the mountain."

"Master, she is still waiting for me!"

Daoist Priest Yunji's face was utterly devoid of emotion.

Liu Buwang slowly drew the long sword from his waist. He did not intend to use force against his master, but he was truly desperate. Yet, how could his swordsmanship compare to the exquisite skill of Daoist Priest Yunji? In the end, he was defeated.

Daoist Priest Yunji confined him to a water cave on the mountain. Waterfalls cascaded around the cave, and fragrant orchids grew nearby—the scenery alone was beautiful. However, Daoist Priest Yunji had also laid down a formation around it. Liu Buwang could not take a single step beyond the formation; he was trapped here.

Liu Buwang's mastery of esoteric arts ultimately could not compare to Daoist Priest Yunji's. In despair, he pleaded with Daoist Priest Yunji, "Master, I only need to go down the mountain to speak one sentence to her. I cannot break my word; she is still waiting for me... Master!"

"If you can unravel your master's formation, you may descend the mountain."

Daoist Priest Yunji turned and left.

Liu Buwang meditated within the formation, attempting to solve it. But this formation was more formidable than all he had encountered before. Anxious, he worked day and night to break it, eventually falling ill and exhausting his energy.

Yushu came to see him, bringing medicine. Seeing Liu Buwang covered in wounds, her heart ached deeply. She whispered, "Senior Brother, why must you suffer like this?"

"Can you beg Master to release me?" Liu Buwang leaned against the cave wall, barely alive, yet his tone remained stubborn. "I want to go down the mountain."

Yushu took a step back, unable to hold back her tears as she cried out to him, "What would it matter even if you went down the mountain? She is already married! She did not wait for you. Mu Hongjin has already married her royal consort!"

Liu Buwang's eyes widened slightly.

Within the mountain and the formation, he could not perceive the passage of time outside, only counting the days by the nights. Every other day, he would carve a mark on the stone wall. Turning to look, he realized over two hundred days and nights had passed.

That girl—the one in the red dress, with bells adorning her long braid, always smiling and clinging to him—was already married? What state of mind was she in? Was it hatred from being stood up, or despair from being forced into the bridal sedan with no one to turn to?

Liu Buwang's heart ached violently.

"She did not wait for you. She has already forgotten your promise." His junior sister stood before him, tears in her eyes. "So, you should forget her too."

Forget her? How could that be? When in the midst of it, he did not recognize the stirrings of his heart; only after parting did he realize the depth of his feelings. He had long grown accustomed to being relied upon, entangled with, and deceived by her. Though it angered him, he also found sweetness in it. How could he simply forget?"When was she found by the prince's household, and when did she marry?" he asked slowly.

Yushu replied, "Not long after you left, she was found by the soldiers. Soon after, she married. Senior Brother," she tried to persuade him, "why don’t you apologize to Master? In the future, we can live peacefully on Qiyun Mountain. Can’t we just forget about that matter?"

Liu Buwang remained silent.

"Senior Brother?"

He raised his head. His eyes, once as clear and warm as spring sunlight, now carried a hint of coldness and a distant, unapproachable aloofness.

Even Yushu was startled by his gaze.

"Leave," Liu Buwang said. "And don’t come again."

He intensified his efforts to break the formation, studying and practicing relentlessly. Ignoring whether his body could bear the strain, he had only one thought in mind: he must descend the mountain.

Liu Buwang’s mastery of the art of Qimen Dunjia advanced by leaps and bounds through these days of arduous practice. At the same time, he noticed that, from some point onward, the power of Master Yunji’s formation was gradually weakening.

Another spring arrived, and he broke through the formation.

Spring rain dampened the green grass beneath the eaves. Mud splattered onto the young man’s white robe, but he paid it no mind, walking forward with unwavering determination.

His fellow disciples gathered around Master Yunji’s bedside. Over such a long time, the weakening of the formation was no illusion—Master Yunji’s end was near.

Liu Buwang was stunned.

He rushed to Master Yunji’s bedside and knelt down. Master Yunji looked at him and asked, "You broke the formation?"

Liu Buwang nodded.

The master reached out, lightly touching his pulse. Sensing something, he sighed deeply.

"You still wish to descend the mountain?" he asked.

Liu Buwang knelt upright and straight. "Yes."

A long silence followed.

"Go," said the master who had raised him, each word deliberate. "From this day forward, you are no longer a disciple of my school. And do not return to Qiyun Mountain."

"Master!" The other disciples exclaimed in shock, pleading on his behalf.

Master Yunji said nothing, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he had passed away.

In a single night, Liu Buwang lost the master who had raised him and the right to remain on Qiyun Mountain. After burying Master Yunji alongside his fellow disciples, Liu Buwang descended the mountain alone.

This parting felt eternal, a farewell with little hope of reunion.

His wounds ached faintly—forcing his way through the formation had ultimately harmed his foundation. The rain poured heavily. Without an umbrella, he stumbled along the muddy mountain path, never stopping until he reached the foot of the mountain and entered Jiyang City.

The city was as lively and warm as it had been on that spring day, unchanged in every way. Liu Buwang made his way to the Mengji Prince’s residence. Hiding under the eaves opposite the mansion, wearing a bamboo hat, he hoped to catch a glimpse of Mu Hongjin. Though he didn’t know what he would say if he saw her—he was the one who had broken his promise, the one who was over a year late. He was the one who had asked her to wait for him, and the one who had never come.

But if she wanted to leave, if she shook his arm as she had in the past, asking him to take her away, Liu Buwang thought, perhaps he would still be helpless and would do as she wished.

And then he saw Mu Hongjin.Unlike the proud and beautiful girl of the past, she had grown even more stunning and captivating. Dressed in an exquisite and luxurious robe, she stepped down from the carriage, tilting her head to speak to the man beside her. The man next to her also had gentle features, his arm wrapped around her waist from behind, unable to conceal the slight swell of her abdomen beneath the robe.

Mu Hongjin was pregnant.

The legendary "old geezer" was not old at all, and his gaze toward her was tender. In return, her eyes were gentle and obedient, a stark contrast to the willful girl from his memories.

The rain soaked his boots and drenched his robes, yet Liu Buwang felt that none of it compared to the turmoil in his heart at that moment.

They were harmonious and affectionate, a couple who seemed like immortals in love, while he stood there, an awkward and out-of-place figure.

But why should Mu Hongjin have waited for him all this time? This girl, as bright and vibrant as the peach blossoms at the foot of Qiyun Mountain, full of life and beauty, had never lacked admirers. Just as he had fallen in love with her without realizing it, so too had Mu Hongjin's "royal consort."

Mu Hongjin had already found her own peaceful life, so perhaps there was no need for him to disturb her any further.

Perhaps his gaze was too intense and sorrowful, for Mu Hongjin seemed to sense something and turned to look. Liu Buwang subtly shifted, hiding in the shadow of the eaves.

"What's wrong?" the man beside her asked, holding her hand.

"Nothing," Mu Hongjin shook her head. "It must have been my imagination."

The rain was cold, and though he was sheltered under the eaves, why did his cheeks feel wet? A bitter taste lingered on his lips—it seemed even the spring rain could be unsweet.

He strode away.

The sound of the qin was poetic and picturesque, masking the layers of danger hidden in the forest. Some Wutuo People stepped in, completely unaware, only to suddenly cry out in alarm. For a moment, screams echoed, until someone finally realized something was wrong and shouted to stop those behind.

"Don't come in! It's a trap!"

Liu Buwang smiled faintly.

After descending the mountain back then, he had been despondent for a long time, like a walking corpse, unsure of what to do with his life. He could neither return to Qiyun Mountain nor seek out Mu Hongjin, and for a time, he felt utterly devoid of purpose in this world.

Until Yushu found him.

His junior sister was no longer as lovely and innocent as she had been in the past. She looked much more haggard, standing before him. Only then did Liu Buwang realize, almost unconsciously, that Yushu had grown into a young woman, no longer the little sister who used to follow him around.

"Senior Brother," the girl looked at him, tears welling in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" he didn't understand.

"The reason Miss Mu was found by the royal guards was because I reported her."

Liu Buwang's expression froze.

"I liked you, I really liked you, and I didn't want you to be with her," Yushu seemed determined to unburden herself of all her guilt, seeking absolution. "I overheard your conversation, so I told Prince Mengji where she was hiding. I thought that once she was married, you would forget her, that you would stop thinking about her! I never imagined you would remain so devoted all these years."

"I'm sorry, I was wrong," she sobbed uncontrollably. "I ruined everything for you, Senior Brother. I'm sorry."

She wept freely, but Liu Buwang stood as still as a stone, his entire body rigid and cold.In his youth, naive and rough in thought, he failed to notice the deep affection in his junior sister's eyes when she looked at him, nor did he see the fleeting hostility in Yushu's gaze toward Mu Hongjin.

A young girl's love and hatred come directly, her considerations simple, focused only on venting her anger in the moment, never imagining she would cause two lovers to miss each other. Only after the world changed, and regret grew like a snowball, did she finally realize her mistake.

"How could you do this?" he shouted at Yushu for the first time. "Do you know, do you know..."

He did not finish.

Know what? Even he himself, back then, did not know he loved so deeply.

Like a fool.

His senior brother, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, found him and said, "Little Seven, don't blame Yushu. She was young and didn’t understand. She knows she was wrong now. And don’t blame Master for not saving you back then, for locking you in the formation on Qiyun Mountain."

Liu Buwang replied woodenly, "I don’t blame anyone."

Only himself.

"Do you know why Master locked you on Qiyun Mountain back then?" the senior brother said. "Master has always been kind and generous. Since he adopted the seven of us orphans, even if Mu Hongjin was a Princess, if Master truly wanted to protect you, why would he fear the danger her identity might bring?"

Liu Buwang looked at him, not understanding what he meant.

"Master did it for you."

Taoist Priest Yunji once performed a divination for Liu Buwang. The divinatory symbol showed that one day, he would meet a tragic end for a woman, dying young.

Deep affection would kill him.

"You were Master’s most cherished disciple. He feared you would lose your life because of Mu Hongjin, which is why he locked you in the formation," the senior brother said. "Though his actions were biased, he did it all for you."

Liu Buwang found it absurd.

It was just a divinatory symbol. Why should it cause him to miss out like this? Taoist Priest Yunji did it for him, so who could he blame?

Only the unpredictability of fate, toying with lovers.

He stayed in Jiyang City, hiding in the shadows, doing the same things as before every day. Until one day, Yushu was captured by Mu Hongjin’s guards in a temple.

Yushu lacked the courage to attempt an assassination. As soon as the news spread, Liu Buwang knew Mu Hongjin was forcing him to show himself. Far from being angry, he even felt a flicker of joy deep inside. After all these years, he could finally see her openly again.

He met Mu Hongjin in the temple hall late at night.

Time had polished her into even greater splendor and beauty. She was like a ripe, sweet fruit, exuding an unfathomable charm and ease. Liu Buwang thought bitterly, who had turned her into this? Was it her current "Prince Consort"?

Yes, they even had a child together. She had started a family and drifted further and further away from him.

The woman’s crimson robe was magnificent, her Golden Coronet reflecting a faint, crystalline glow in the night. Even brighter were her eyes, fixed on him, no longer holding the playfulness and innocence of years past.

He had a thousand words to say to her, but in the end, he didn’t know where to begin. When the moment came, the words that escaped his lips were, "Where is Yushu?"

Liu Buwang still remembered Mu Hongjin’s gaze at that moment—a mix of surprise and understanding. The moment the words left his mouth, he instantly regretted them. He shouldn’t have been so abrupt; he should have said something else. Asked how she had been all these years, apologized for breaking his promise back then—anything would have been better than this accusatory question.Mu Hongjin looked at him as if he were a stranger, answering lightly, "In prison."

Their conversation was as distant as between strangers, as if they stood on opposing sides, with none of the past intimacy remaining.

Liu Buwang was conflicted. He wanted to stay here, to speak a few more words with her, to look at her a little longer. But he feared that if he lingered too long, he would be unable to control his emotions, causing trouble for Mu Hongjin.

It had been a long time. Back then, he hadn't arrived in time. Now, Mu Hongjin already had someone else by her side and no longer needed him. Why come here to disturb her and invite humiliation?

He wanted Mu Hongjin to release Yushu and arrest him instead. Taoist Priest Yunji had raised him, and Yushu was his daughter. He couldn't bear to see Yushu imprisoned. Moreover, Mu Hongjin's purpose in arresting Yushu was actually him.

Liu Buwang thought that Mu Hongjin must hate him deeply. Yet people are often stingy with emotions toward things they no longer care about. So if Mu Hongjin hated him, perhaps, after all these years, there might still be a trace of lingering affection from the past.

"Just a junior sister, yet you defend her so fiercely. Do you like her?"

Liu Buwang answered, "Yes."

"What did you say?"

Liu Buwang gazed at her as if to etch her appearance at this moment forever into his heart, enunciating each word clearly, "I like her."

He admitted that he was the one who had informed on them, admitted that he had deceived Mu Hongjin with casually fabricated promises, admitted that he had never harbored any feelings for her.

Mu Hongjin laughed. Her laughter was disdainful and mocking, as if his likes and dislikes were utterly insignificant and laughable. She demanded that Liu Buwang become her lover as the condition for releasing Yushu.

Liu Buwang was furious—furious that she could humiliate both him and herself in this way. Yet within his anger, a faint longing unexpectedly stirred. He was horrified to discover that deep down, he had never truly given up. Like countless sparks buried underground, a single word from her could easily break through the soil and ignite a wildfire.

He agreed.

But Mu Hongjin changed her mind.

Mu Hongjin ordered him to take Yushu and leave Jiyang City, never to set foot there again. She wanted to draw a clear line between herself and Liu Buwang, ensuring they would never cross paths again.

This was the last time he spoke with Mu Hongjin.

Later, Liu Buwang assumed the alias Yunlin Recluse and wandered the world. He traveled to many places, his white robes elegant and his swordsmanship unparalleled. Wherever he went, people praised and admired him. Yet he remained perpetually aloof, as if indifferent to all things.

He never saw his senior brothers or Yushu again. In this world, everyone ultimately becomes a solitary self. But every year during the Water God Festival, he would still return to Jiyang City. He would secretly enter the city, unknown to anyone, just to catch a glimpse of the city Mu Hongjin protected.

As if protecting her.

Planchette writing and divination only inquire about matters, not people—this was a rule he later set for himself. When divining for others, it was inevitable to foresee twists and turns. To avoid these, he tried to circumvent encounters that might bring misfortune, unaware that every meeting in the human world carries its own precious fate. While evading disaster, he fell into another trap of destiny, just like himself.

A lifetime of regret, a lifetime of being so close yet forever out of reach.Deep in the dense forest, the screams grew increasingly intense, and more and more people managed to come ashore. His zither music gradually turned fierce, like the clash of weapons and the thunder of warhorses, flickering amidst the layers of deadly formations.

Formations were not omnipotent. The more people there were, the shorter the time they could be maintained, and the greater the energy required to sustain them. Back in the days on Qiyun Mountain, when Taoist Yunji confined him within a formation, he disregarded his own injuries and forced his way through, studying the formation intently in order to escape as quickly as possible. In the end, it damaged his spirit. Over the years, he had never laid down such an energy-draining formation.

A trickle of blood slowly seeped from the corner of Liu Buwang's lips.

In the spring light, his smile was calm and transcendent, just like the first time they met. It was as if he were still that young swordsman in white robes from years past, standing protectively before the one he held dear.

(End of Chapter)