(T/N: In the original script, the author uses the character 妖怪; Yāoguài or Yaokai, which in English can mean demon, monster, or spirit. Based on the light storyline and tending more towards everyday human life, hellowyellow decided to use the word 'Yaokai' instead of using `Demon′, `Monster, or `Spirit′, to describe each character. Even if there is the use of the word `Demon′ or `Monster,′ it is only used as a term to refer to a creature or human who has a dark, evil, cruel nature and aura like a demon or just to describe an ugly creature.)
This is a cup of tea called "Floating Life," which tastes very bitter, but after the bitterness, there is a deep sweetness. Without tasting bitterness, how can there be sweetness? Life is inherently a journey of both sweetness and bitterness.
This piece is dedicated to all those who are trudging along the journey of life;
--------------- Shaluo Shuangshu (The twin trees of Sarum) ----------------
He was most skilled at brewing wine.
This passion began countless millennia ago.
Many people considered it the greatest fortune to receive just one cup of his exquisite wine. They would sip it slowly, savoring every drop as the rich aroma filled their senses and warmth flowed through them, as if all the beauty in the world were distilled within it.
Yet, no two cups of his wine ever tasted the same.
He said that his wine was never identical, because the people who drank it were always different.
Today, yet another admirer had come from afar, seeking a taste of his renowned brew.
On the topmost shelf of his wine cabinet sat three exquisite tourmaline-inid jade fsks. Each fsk had a delicately carved, leaf-shaped lid, and when light passed through the semi-transparent bottle, the liquid within seemed to swirl and flow, giving a sense of tranquil, mesmerizing beauty.
The guest wanted these three bottles, but he replied, “They’re not for sale; they were brewed for a friend. I'm simply waiting for her to return and cim them.”
Each fsk bore an engraving of two characters—
One is "Stained by Dust," the second is "Thorny Path," and the third is "Endless."
(T/N: 染尘; rǎn chén or ′Stained by Dust′; 荆途; jīng tú or ′Thorny Path′ or "Path filled with Hardships"; 不停; bù tíng or ′Endless′)
These are their names, he said with a smile.
The thought of someone for whom he′d put such heart into crafting these unique wines stirred both admiration and curiosity in the guest. Who was she, this person worthy of such devotion? What kind of story did they share?
The guest agreed to choose another wine, on the condition that he share the tale behind this mysterious she.
“This may be a rather long story,” he said, leaning against the wine cabinet with a smile, his ke-blue hair gleaming enchantingly under the shifting light.
`Stained by Dust′
When I brewed this bottle of wine, it was the best season on Fulong Mountain. This highest mountain in the world is filled with yaokai energy everywhere; even a stone, a mountain stream, trees, grass, flowers, and birds all have a unique and vibrant vitality.
But the greatest miracle is still that tree at the top of the mountain.
This tree was once the most striking sight at the top of Fulong Mountain. Its trunk was tall and slender, its branches lush and verdant, a sea of translucent green. At night, five-colored radiance would cascade from its trunk, swaying with the wind, a scene of unparalleled beauty. Countless mortals regarded this extraordinary tree as a "god," stubbornly believing it could fulfill their wishes and grant them supreme happiness.
They climbed the sheer cliffs at all costs, just to hang the red silk thread they held onto the "god tree," even if it meant risking a fall to the bottom of the ravine, in order to seek the "god's" blessing in this way.
But the tree is not a god; it is just a tree yaokai that cannot move freely. It is lonely and desote, so lonely that it collects human worship to "fill" its own sustenance. Even though the bones at the foot of the mountain keep piling up, it is unwilling to give up its self-deceptive and deceptive life. No one expected that even the life trajectory it thought would never change would be directed in a completely opposite direction by a person on that clear summer night.
Zi Miao, a celestial being from the heavenly realm, the god of water from all directions, who governs the rivers, kes, and seas of the world, used a drop of crystal-clear water from his fingertip to sever the tree yaokai's willful, reckless, and lonely past. From then on, there was one less "divine tree" on Fulong Peak and one more little girl named Sha Luo. In the name of a girl, she followed him, practiced in the mountains, and time passed peacefully.
The name "Shā luó" was given by Zǐ Miǎo, the gentle and clever man like water. He granted her a human form, freeing her from the tree trunk where she could barely move. He taught her various spells, the ways of the world, and made her understand that all things have yaokais and that life is priceless. To prevent humans from misunderstanding her again, he cast a spell to conceal her tree form and also pnted a flower for her called "Colorless." It blooms once a year, with a one-day blooming period, reminding her that whenever it blooms, she must return to her true form for twelve hours to maintain her human shape and ensure her safety for all eternity.
Zi Miao treated her as a celestial being treats a yaokai, as a man treats a woman, with utmost care.
Zi Miao is my close friend. During the days when he was guiding the little tree yaokai in her cultivation on Fulong Peak Mountain, I often went to py chess with him, and in return, I would ask for some rare and precious water sources for brewing wine.
Having a close friend who is a water god has its benefits.
I love teasing that little tree yaokai who is just stepping into the human world, watching her clumsily but joyfully run around for Zi Miao. From those beautiful eyes, I can easily see that in the little tree yaokai's eyes, Zi Miao is her entire world.
However, I have a faint sense of unease.
In that chance encounter, a fleeting moment of compassion, Zi Miao changed the fate of a tree yaokai. But who knew that on that moonlit summer night, it wasn't just the fate of the tree yaokai that was changed? The tree yaokai Shā luó, from a tree without freedom, isoted on the mountaintop, was pulled into the vibrant world by Zǐ Miǎo, taking on the form and yaokai of a true woman.
THE PATH
There was so much for her to learn, including the myriad loves, hates, joys, and sorrows of the mortal realm—emotions that could swirl and twist endlessly.
The tree yaokai, Shā Luó, is destined to be a woman who spends her life accompanied by stories.
I secretly brewed the first pot of wine for her and named it "Stained Dust."
When gods fight, mortals suffer, and when gods make mistakes, mortals suffer as well.
It was merely a romance with a mortal woman, yet the gods of the heavens bestowed upon him three years in the mortal realm as a 'gift.' The ones who suffer are the innocent humans, while the one being punished is Zi Miao, ′The Water God′.
