[Note 1] I love reading the "Yuan Guan" chapter from Extensive Records of the Taiping Era, which tells the story of the Three-Life Stone. Later, Su Shi, considering it originated from India, revised "Yuan Guan" into "Biography of Yuan Ze," recounting the tale of Tang dynasty's Li Yuan and the monk Yuan Ze. The song sung by Ming Yue'er in the text is the one sung by the shepherd boy in the Three-Life Stone story, expressing the romantic bonds of the human world. Recently, while reading Wang Xufeng's Absolute Beauty of Hangzhou, I was reminded of how Zhan Zhao and Ding Zhaohui first met at West Lake, and later, Zhan Zhao formed a lifelong marriage with Ding Yuehua. Across lifetimes and generations, infatuated women and men sigh with regret. Truly, as the saying goes, "Love knows not where it begins, yet it runs deep. The living may die for it, and the dead may live again. Those who live but cannot die for love, or die but cannot live again, have not reached the ultimate depth of love."
[Note 2] Duan Anjie of the Tang dynasty wrote in Miscellaneous Records of the Music Bureau: "The tune 'Rainy Bell' was composed when Emperor Ming of Tang, on his return journey to the capital, heard the rain dripping on the imperial carriage bells in Luogu Valley, and ordered Zhang Yehu to create a melody based on it." Naturally, the music carries a sense of melancholy. The story of this "Rainy Bell" ends here. This work is actually told from the perspective of a young woman newly emerged into the martial world, observing Zhan Zhao. Their encounter in the rain sparked a series of events. From their meeting to their parting, Huo Ling Long and Zhan Zhao spent only two or three days together. Though clever, she was immature, so she often ended up causing trouble for Zhan Zhao. In the end, she fell for Shao Jizu's scheme and was tricked into handing over the Alliance Token that Zhan Zhao had painstakingly obtained. Everything returned to the starting point. But life is inherently imperfect. Often, good intentions lead to great mishaps. If Zhan Zhao had understood Ling Long's love for him, perhaps he would not have entrusted her with the Alliance Token. One wonders if he ever anticipated such an outcome? Still, though Zhan Zhao lost the Alliance Token, he gained Huo Ling Long's love (albeit somewhat blind and one-sided), so there was both loss and gain. The final chapter uses the tune title "Vainly Knitting Brows" as the section heading, perhaps because some things are better left unsaid.
[Note 3] The true protagonist of this story is actually Huo Ling Long. Huo Ling Long's emotions are quite complex, and I'm not sure if I've portrayed them clearly. Though pursued by Shao Jizu and Tang Tianhao, she originally had feelings for Young Prince Zhao of the Southern Pure Palace. When Chang Hong Bi first saw her, she was dressed in male attire, but due to his innate perceptiveness, he quickly sensed something different about her and felt a vague, hazy affection for her, though he was still too young.
Huo Ling Long's feelings for Little Shao and Little Tang might be described as an inexplicable fondness (whether it is love, I cannot say). If not for the pressure from her father to marry one of them, she might truly have fallen for one and not run away from home. Her initial affection for Young Prince Zhao might not only stem from their compatibility but also because it did not involve the responsibilities tied to her Huo family's "Exquisite Eyes"—perhaps there was even a hint of rebellion mixed in. After meeting Zhan Zhao, Huo Ling Long finally realized that he was the one she truly loved. This love was the kind she felt from the very beginning. (Xiao Yu'er believes that while love can be unconscious, it cannot be cultivated from nothing—it either exists or it does not.)
Zhan Zhao's personal feelings are not directly addressed here. Because I know that writing about emotions will invite criticism, I'll save that for Flying Sky.【Note 4】Reading this text requires thorough familiarity with the character details from the original "Three Heroes and Five Gallants," so if this causes any inconvenience to readers, Xiao Yu'er hereby offers sincere apologies.
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