The Long Serenity of Wu Wei

As expected, all four of your best friends are just illusions of the same person. Tai Chang, I have high hopes for you! And the protagonist's Taoist title, lol, it's just because the author has a weird sense of humor and it's exactly the same as the old Taoist priest possessed by Song Yao in Peach Blossom Debt, lol. It's definitely not the same person.

What a beautiful and enchanting scene... Four lifetimes of reincarnation, merely a fleeting moment of delusion for the Daoist, a dream of fleeting glory, a few pillows of fleeting dreams. When he awoke, the tea was still warm, the game of chess unfinished, the flowers still flowers, the butterflies still butterflies, and the two people were still the same.

To expand on this a bit, I feel like you can see some similarities between characters from other of Feng Da's books in this piece. Tai Chang is somewhat like Heng Wen, and also a bit like Xiao Liu. Chang You's confusion also shares some similarities with Song Yao, Cheng Jun, and Chai Rong. And Chang You's reincarnation indeed ended in the position of an uncle (a martial uncle is also an uncle). Da Feng is definitely a fan of uncles after all 🐶

Last year, I felt a pang of sadness after watching the ending; this year, I find it beautiful. Changyou continues his path of cultivation, drinking tea and playing chess with his best friend; Butterfly finds the love she has been so persistently searching for.

I feel that the four lifetimes experienced by Changyou, Butterfly, and Flower were not fair: In the first life, Changyou was the emperor of a powerful country, while Hua was a prince from a small country who could not inherit the throne. In their second lives, Changyou was the son of a landlord, while Hua was the son of a peasant.

I like this ending. Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly; everything was just a fleeting moment of confusion and a fleeting moment of excitement in the long journey. Finally, I realized that all these lifetimes were nothing more than this. Otherwise, I personally feel that the three lifetimes of atonement are not equitable, probably because I believe in the cycle of reincarnation and karma in one…

I guessed my best friend would be lurking around me, but I wonder if there will be any future for these two?

After reading this article, I think Tang Qi's "Three Lives Three Worlds" might be a mix of "Peach Blossom Debt" and "Wuwei Changyou" plagiarized.

I really enjoyed this short story; though small, it stirred up waves and left a lasting impression. Changyou may seem inactive, but the suffering he endured through four lifetimes of reincarnation began with a single act of compassion. Once the heart stirs, it easily becomes attached to illusions, entangled in karma, no different from ordinary people.

I absolutely love short stories, especially this gentle writing style. (55)