Long Xuan didn’t know how long he had been crying under the tung tree. Perhaps he was finally tired of crying. He leaned against the tree trunk, gazing at the sky above, with no tears left to shed. For some reason, amidst the drifting snow, he caught sight of Changming Hall. Long Xuan was startled. He tried to get up to have a closer look, but found himself unable to make his body move.
Long Xuan thought that maybe he was dreaming, because the scene before his eyes kept changing. He saw his own bedroom in Changming Hall. The person lying on the dragon bed, emaciated and sickly, was none other than himself. Long Xuan blinked hard, but he was not mistaken. The person lying on the dragon bed was indeed him, and the person half-kneeling beside the bed was Ning Fei, while the one standing, dressed in gray monk’s robes, turned out to be Fuyi.
“Zizhou, I have something to discuss with the master. You may withdraw for now.”
“As you command.”
“Your Majesty, what else do you wish to say?”
“Luo Wei… Is Luo Wei in the Yellow Springs now?”
“People naturally return to the underworld after death.”
“Can I find him if I go searching? Can I see him?”
“Your Majesty, you two have no connection anymore.”
“Why is that so?”
“Because he no longer wishes to see you.”
“What should I do then? I want to see him. I want to treat him well. Is there no way to mend things?”
“Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven of Great Zhou. Your soul belongs in the White Bone Spirit Hall. Why must you insist on seeing this lonely spirit?”
“Will I not be able to see him in my next life?”
“Even if you do meet again, Your Majesty, what will you do? Luo Wei may not love you again. Perhaps his appearance will not be as pleasing as in this life, perhaps not only will his appearance be unpleasant, but he may also be foolish and ignorant. Your Majesty, would you still want to pursue this fated bond with him?”
“I just don’t want to hurt him anymore. As long as he lives a peaceful life, I no longer ask for anything else. I wronged him in this life, and I will pay him back whatever I owe him.”
“Is this Your Majesty’s final wish?”
“Yes. The master’s cultivation is divine. Please help me, at least ensure Luo Wei lives in peace in his next life.”
“This poor monks cannot control one’s next reincarnation, Your Majesty.”
“Is there truly no way? Can’t this life be redone?”
“Three lives of reincarnation.”
“What?”
“Your Majesty can exchange three lifetimes for a rebirth, to re-live this one life over.”
“You can make that happen?”
“The karmic debt owed can be repaid this way, instead of letting it linger through reincarnation. This poor monk also wants to see if reliving this life could truly change everything.”
“Fine, I’ll trade my three lifetimes. I agree.”
“Your Majesty, there is one more price you must pay.”
“No matter the cost, I am willing. But Fuyi, do not deceive me! Otherwise, I shall not spare you!”
“Your Majesty, that price…”
*Cough, cough, cough…*
“Your Majesty!”
“Zizhou, I am going to find Luo Wei!”
“Your Majesty!”
“General Ning, His Majesty has passed away. Please go and invite the Crown Prince and the others into the hall.”
“Very well.”
“Your Majesty, redoing one’s life is defying the heavens. This poor monk’s centuries of cultivation will also be lost. The price you have to pay is that Luo Yunqi will never love you again.”
…
Long Xuan’s whole body turned ice cold.
“Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Imperial Physicians, come quickly, His Majesty is unwell!”
Familiar shouts reached his ears. Long Xuan suddenly opened his eyes and saw Fu Dao kneeling before him, crying out loudly.
“Your Majesty, are you awake?” Seeing Long Xuan open his eyes, Fu Dao shouted anxiously, “Your Majesty, where do you feel uncomfortable?”
Long Xuan sat dumbfounded for a moment. Was it all just like Nanke’s dream1 ? He recited the monk’s name “Fuyi” in his mind as he stood up from the snow-covered ground unsteadily and walked out of Yi Jin Garden.
“All things in this world have their own destiny. I’ve told Your Majesty before to break free of your attachment. Are you so fixated on Prince Jin’s whereabouts because you want to know about his next life? Even if you know, what difference will it make? Even if he is reborn and retains the appearance of his past life, he will have no connection with Your Majesty.”
Break free. Fu Yi had told him about to let go more than once. This person knew everything but said nothing, merely watching he and Luo Wei reach this point! Long Xuan stumbled forward through the snow. He had to find Fuyi. This person deserved to die, truly deserved to die!
“Your Majesty!” Fu Dao and the others came chasing after him.
“Everyone, get out of my way!” Long Xuan shouted at the people behind him, “Anyone who follows me, I will kill them! Get lost, all of you!”
On New Year’s Eve, the capital city was alive with the sound of firecrackers bidding farewell to the old year. The snow on this day was auspicious, a harbinger of good harvests to come, and the people were thinking that the new year would be a prosperous one.
When Long Xuan rushed to Huguo Zen Temple, the main gate of the temple stood wide open but not a single monk was there to receive him.
“Fuyi!” Long Xuan called out the name of the Master and walked into the temple. No one came to greet him. It seemed as if on this day, in this temple of the Long clan of Great Zhou, there was not a single living soul.
Long Xuan went straight to Master Fuyi’s meditation room, certain the monk would be waiting for him in the White Bone Spirit Hall.
The spirit hall constructed of white bones chilled one to the marrow, ominous and damp, like the underworld itself, yet it was the final resting place of the founding monarchs of Great Zhou. Unless they were reincarnated, this would be the long-term residence of their souls. When Long Xuan entered, a fierce wind rose, as if the ancestral spirits were unleashing furious condemnation upon their current dynastic ruler.
Long Xuan, however, remained indifferent to all this. He had been ruthless all his life, creating countless mountains of corpses with his own hands. He feared no ghosts. With Luo Wei gone, there was nothing left in this world for Long Xuan to fear.
“Your Majesty,” Master Fuyi’s voice came from the inner hall.
Long Xuan quickly walked into the inner chamber, where the remains of the Founding Emperor were enshrined, and a huge golden wheel appeared before Long Xuan.
Master Fu Yi stood under this golden wheel. Hearing Long Xuan’s footsteps, he spoke without turning around, “Your Majesty, Prince Jin has already left.”
“What is this?!” Long Xuan pointed at the massive golden wheel in front of him.
“In our Buddhist tradition, this is the Wheel of Reincarnation,” Fu Yi explained.
“Why have I never seen it before?”
“It was buried underground. It is not strange that Your Majesty hasn’t seen it,” Master Fuyi said. “Humans undergo six realms of reincarnation. Does Your Majesty not want to know which realm Prince Jin will enter after his departure?”
“You,” Long Xuan said angrily, “why have you never mentioned this before?!”
“This poor monk has mentioned it, but could Your Majesty believe me?”
“You!”
“Your Majesty, this poor monk has cautioned you time and again, but you always prioritized the kingdom over everything else.”
“So what? You, as a monk, merely watched it all play out like a show? Is it even possible for a life to be relived?”
“If Your Majesty does not believe it, why have you come seeking this humble monk?”
“Are you some heavenly deity?!” Long Xuan asked Master Fuyi.
Master Fuyi did not answer Long Xuan’s question. He just said, “Starting over in this life was not in vain. At least, Prince Jin no longer harbors hatred in his heart, and this poor monk takes solace in that.”
Long Xuan remained silent for a long time before asking Master Fuyi, “Could it be done again?”
“Adding three more lifetimes, would Your Majesty be willing to sacrifice six in total?” Master Fuyi asked. “Look at this Hall of Ancestors. Are you willing to keep a lonely vigil here over nine cycles of rebirth2 ?”
“I…” Long Xuan didn’t look at the White Bones Hall where he was, and said, “Even if it’s nine lives, I can afford it.”
“To re-live this one life?”
Long Xuan shook his head. “This life, Luo Wei has also killed countless people. Will he have to repay that debt in the next?”
“Naturally.”
“Then use my nine lives to exchange for his single lifetime of happiness,” Long Xuan said. “I will bear his sins, so that he can live without worries in his next life.”
Master Fuyi turned to look at Long Xuan. This Emperor, who had always been ruthless, now had tears in his eyes, his face filled with deep affection. “Your Majesty,” Master Fuyi said, “no longer seek a fated bond with him?”
“If we re-lived this life, I would only end up hurting him again. So, I will use my hundreds of years of loneliness3 to exchange for his lifetime of smiles.”
The golden Wheel of Reincarnation began turning without any wind, the bone-paved ground opening up in four directions as the wheel spun down into the depths.
“Is it worth it?” Master Fu Yi asked Long Xuan.
Long Xuan turned around and walked out without saying another word.
- 南柯一梦 – nánkē yī mèng: The “Dream of Nanke”, a dream of grandeur, an idiom referring to an illusion or fantasy disconnected from reality. Refers to “The Governor of Nanke” (南柯太守传), a Tang dynasty short story about a man living an entire generation in the great kingdom of Ashendon, only to suddenly wake up and realize it was all a dream. Despite the vividness of that world, and the seeming passing of time, only a few hours had gone by. ↩︎
- “三世上加，陛下你肯再让六世吗？看看这个灵堂，在这里空守九世的轮回？”: Not sure why it suddenly jumped from 6 to 9 lives. I reread this passage several times but I don’t see any clue, maybe there is something missing from the raws, or a mistake from the author, or something I’m not getting. Please let me know if you read the raws and understand more! ↩︎
- 用我百年的寂寞 – jiù yòng wǒ bǎinián de jìmò: in chinese the plural is not always clearly expressed, so while it literally says “use my hundred years of loneliness”, since 百年 means 100 years but also a lifetime, and he actually exchanged 9 lifetimes, I think it means more 9 lifetimes of loneliness, so 900 years. ↩︎
Boundless Dao 
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