Time flew like a white horse1, and half a lifetime had gone by. Under the rule of Emperor Long Xuan, the land flourished into a golden age.
On this day, in Changming Hall, Long Xuan was alone reviewing memorials when he received a letter from the Huguo Zen Temple.
“In the middle of August, during the Mid-Autumn Festival, old friends will come together.”
Long Xuan, with a pleasantly surprised expression, asked Fu Dao beside him, “How many days until the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
Fu Dao replied, “Your Majesty, today is the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival!”
Long Xuan quickly looked outside the hall. It was already dusk. “I need to leave the palace,” Long Xuan said in a fluster, “I must go to the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival!”
“But, Your Majesty,” Fu Dao exclaimed in surprise, “today is the day when envoys from various countries are coming to court, and you have arranged a state banquet at the Lingyun Pavilion!”
“Order the Crown Prince to handle it,” Long Xuan stood up and straightened his robe, asking Fu Dao, “Do I look presentable like this?”
Fu Dao said, “Your Majesty, I shall inform the Imperial Guards to escort you.”
“No,” Long Xuan hurriedly said, “This won’t do. I… I must go incognito,” Long Xuan instructed Fu Dao, “I need to change clothes, just some casual clothes will do!”
Not knowing Long Xuan’s intentions, Fu Dao didn’t dare to ask more questions. Following Long Xuan’s wishes, he found a set of plain clothes and helped him change.
Long Xuan hurriedly left the palace. He wasn’t worried about his safety; he had the Dragon Guards by his side, and the Crown Prince would send shadow guards as well. No one could harm him. Long Xuan was only eager to ask Fu Dao, “Where is the Mid-Autumn Festival?”
Fu Dao called for a carriage which took him and Long Xuan to the Lantern Festival. There was no other way, for they were both old men and could no longer walk such a long distance to see a lantern fair.
After dusk, people gathered and the lights made the flower market as bright as day.
Long Xuan walked amidst the crowd, indifferent to the lanterns; he was only searching for that old friend.
Fu Dao could barely keep up with Long Xuan’s pace but had to follow closely. With so many people around, if he wasn’t careful, he might lose sight of his Majesty.
Long Xuan traversed the entire lantern fair from end to end, but the old friend Fuyi had mentioned was nowhere to be found. “Is this the only lantern fair around here?” Long Xuan asked Fu Dao urgently.
Gasping for breath, Fu Dao replied, “Your Majesty, this lantern fair spans two streets. It is quite large.”
Long Xuan stood bewildered in the middle of the street. Surrounded by a sea of people, where could he find that old friend? If he missed this opportunity today, at his age, he might not live to see another year. Long Xuan anxiously looked around; all he saw was a sea of smiling faces, all strangers.
“The palace is setting off fireworks!” A passerby pointed behind Long Xuan and shouted.
Long Xuan turned around. The sky was now ablaze with fireworks, dazzling and stunning. But Long Xuan’s heart felt desolate. That person had said they would not meet again. Perhaps he would never see him again in this lifetime.
“Venerable Sir2, you dropped your jade pendant.” A familiar voice sounded beside Long Xuan.
Long Xuan turned abruptly. Amidst the flickering lantern lights, stood his old friend whom he hadn’t seen for half a lifetime, smiling at him.
Fu Dao nearly cried out in surprise but quickly covered his mouth, not daring to make a sound.
“Sir, you dropped this,” the young man said again, frowning slightly as the old man stared at him without blinking, “What are you looking at?”
Long Xuan, seeing the young man furrow his brows, quickly looked at the young man’s hand. It was the jade pair of mandarin ducks pendant that he wore at his waist. On the day of Long Xuan’s wedding, Luo Wei had thrown the pair into the ink pool of Qingwen Hall. Long Xuan had ordered people to retrieve them, and he had never parted with them since. Unexpectedly, the string broke today, and he almost lost his treasure.
“Sir?” The young man called out to Long Xuan again as he stared blankly at the jade pendant in his hand.
“They’re mine,” Long Xuan said with a stutter, “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” the young man smiled again, placing the jade pendant back in Long Xuan’s hand, “Be more careful next time.”
“Wei!” Another familiar voice called out.
The young man quickly turned around, raising his arm to wave at the blue-clad youth walking towards them, “Lan, I’m here!”
Long Xuan watched as another old friend approached him.
“What’s going on?” The young man called Lan walked up to the two of them, glanced at Long Xuan, and asked the one called Wei.
“Nothing,” Wei said, “This old gentleman dropped something, and I picked it up for him.”
Lan smiled at Long Xuan and said, “It’s getting late; we should go back.”
“Well then,” Wei said to Long Xuan, “Sir, we’ll be going.”
Long Xuan gazed at the two of them, both dressed in plain clothes but showing no signs of poverty. “Please take this as a gift,” Long Xuan untied the other half of the mandarin duck pendants still at his waist and handed one to each of the young men.
“No need,” Lan looked at the two jade pendants and shook his head, “Venerable Sir, we met by chance and we cannot accept such a valuable gift from you.”
“Sir, we’re leaving. Goodbye,” Wei waved to Long Xuan.
Long Xuan didn’t have a chance to speak again. Watching the two young men walk away side by side, he supposed they were also going to see the fireworks, heading towards the dazzling night sky where the fireworks were blooming. Wei’s forehead seems to be a little sweaty, and Lan reached out to wipe it for him, but Wei leaned on his shoulder, rubbing it against his clothes to wipe away the perspiration. Long Xuan watched the smiles on the faces of the two young men—one radiant yet mischievous, the other doting with a hint of helplessness. They were a perfectly matched pair. Not only Long Xuan would think so, but everyone who saw them together would think the same.
After watching this pair of old friends walking further and further away, and finally disappearing into the sea of people, Long Xuan turned around silently.
“Your… Your Majesty?” It was only at this moment that Fu Dao finally made a sound, looking astonished.
Long Xuan shook his head. Everyone had gone to see the fireworks, and this half of the street was considerably quieter. Long Xuan raised his hand and looked at the jade pendant in his hand. It was right for Lan not to accept this gift; it bore Luo Wei’s name on it, as well as his own. It was not meant to be given away. No matter, Long Xuan sighed, this pendant should be buried with him.
A very old 3 man in his twilight years walked slowly on the streets of the capital. Behind him were the brilliant starry sky embellished with fireworks and the jubilant crowds. Ahead of him was the dark expanse of the night sky and the cold, empty streets. His old friend had been reincarnated, but he still had to finish this life alone. Now everyone praised Emperor Long Xuan as a saintly ruler, but this prosperous age was created solely for one person. Because he wanted that person to live a worry-free life, all Long Xuan could do was to establish an era of peace and prosperity, ensuring he would never again suffer the hardships of war and displacement. Even if he was born in a humble family, he could live a carefree life tending the fields in a peaceful countryside.
Luo Wei.
Long Xuan whispered the name in his heart.
Fuyi asked me if it would be worth it to trade hundreds of years of solitude for your single lifetime of joy. Seeing your innocent smile today, it was naturally worth it.
The white-haired Emperor walked under the full moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival night. This prosperous kingdom bearing the dreams of his youth had been achieved through the toils of a lifetime. It had buried too many of his loved ones, including the person he loved most in his life.
Luo Wei, you said that after this life, we would never meet again. I also know that you will pledge all your future reincarnations to Wei Lan. But Luo Wei, after I have guarded the White Bone Spirit Hall for nine lifetimes and have the chance to be reborn as a human again, I still hope that we can meet in one of those future lives. At that time, when there is no longer any hatred in your heart, and I no longer pursue the lonely path of ruling all under heaven, we could meet again in the boundless sea of people. I could hold you in my arms, accompany you through that lifetime, and you, you could love me once again.
- 白驹过隙 – bái jū guò xì: idiom, lit. “the white colt passing the crack”, meaning time flies quickly. ↩︎
- 老人家: literally old/ederly person, but it’s a more polite term than that, so I’ll translate it as “Venerable Sir” or just “Sir”. ↩︎
- 耄耋之年 – mào dié zhī nián: extremely old age (in one’s 80s, 90s, or more) ↩︎
Translator Note: Thank you so much to those who’ve joined me until the end. Your engagement through likes, comments, and generous ko-fi support has been a driving force to finish this long translation. I hope you found as much joy in reading this novel as I did in translating it.
And now, time for the 9 extras! I will be posting them over the next couple of days, I highly recommend reading them as we get to see more of the happy ending of our main couple!
Boundless Dao 
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