"Gu Wangchuan, why did I have to meet you?"
The homing pigeon brought me a note: "Who told you to toss that Liyuan Stone into the pear tree in my yard?"
I laughed, took out a slip of paper, and wrote, "Then why should I be the one to suffer for it? I just happened to step on the pear tree in your yard." Then I carried the pigeon to the window and let it fly.
The snow-white bird gradually blended into the distant snow-covered mountains. It was as if I could see him sitting inside his tent, holding my letter, a faint smile tugging at his lips.
"Because you were meant to meet me."
"When the Liyuan Stone appears, the world falls into chaos."
I often wonder: If I had obediently stayed at home instead of showing off and stealing the Liyuan Stone, would I have been spared the world's cruelty? Could I have avoided every misfortune and heartbreak, kept deceiving myself with childish innocence, and remained carefree and oblivious, instead of becoming the white-haired, poison-ridden wreck I am now?
Later, on a snow-covered mountain stretching for a thousand miles, I broke through the nine trials of Liyuan. Covered in blood, I fell onto the thick snow at its base and looked up at the flakes drifting down, the same color as my hair. Joy and sorrow mingled, spreading through every limb amid the cold and pain.
Suddenly, I burst out laughing.
I can't escape it.
But I can face it calmly, without uttering a sound.
I've seen the world's cruelty and endured partings and deaths. I no longer fear anything, and nothing matters to me anymore.
I think, at least I have you.
At least, amid the world's chaos, I can hold you tight across mountains and rivers.
