It was the most mysterious place under the skies, but also the most public place under the skies. All those who have heard the name of the Langya Temple know that it is a beautiful and refined estate atop the Langya Mountain. Within the grounds, mansions and pavilions abound, outside, a rock-paved road extended all the way to the High Road. All travelers from all places could easily get here, and easily enter its gates. Aside from charging for food and lodging, the Langya Temple placed no restrictions on its guests whatsoever.
Yet, even though it was so openly exposed to entry and study by anyone, no one to date has been able to decipher what kind of organization it truly was or how it actually functioned. People only knew that regardless of whatever question you wished to ask, as long as you entered the Langya Temple with sufficient gold, amongst its depth you would find a satisfactory answer. It had not once failed in its several decades of operation.
A man once asked the master of the Langya Temple with much curiousity, “It's not possible that you truly know everything, is it? What if someone asks you how many hairs the emperor has, or who the Fulin priestess dreamed of last night, what would you answer?”
The Langya Temple master smiled wickedly. “Well I set the price of all questions, so I would merely price those two questions for example, at 30 million ounces of silver. Who would pay such a price just to destroy my reputation for kicks? The things that people truly want to know, are usually those that can be found out with some investigation. At least to date, I have not yet met anyone as bored as you.”
“So you're a trickster,” the man concluded dismissively.
Unfortunately, others did not think likewise.Each day, Langya Pavilion's gates remained crowded with people, carriages, and horses, and it's booming business showed no sign of decline. Silver flowed in like water and its fame grew with every passing day.
Even though Langya Pavilion's purported purpose was to earn money, it still understood the wisdom of giving back to its clientele. Everyone likes free things, especially when those free things are not cheap. It's annual ranking was the gift Langya Pavilion gave back to the outlands: the top ten martial arts masters, the ten most powerful martial art sects, the ten richest men in the realm, the ten most beautiful women, and ten gentlemen (gongzi). The first three rankings, no need to discuss. There was an additional condition on the last two: that they still be single.
Xiao Jingrui was still single. Ever since he first appeared on the top 10 gentlemen list at the tender age of 20, he had climbed the rankings every year and never seemed in danger of dropping off the list. Having a place on the list, it was obvious Xiao Jing Rui was no ordinary man. But his most extraordinary characteristic was that from the time he was born, he had two fathers, two mothers, belonged to families, and had two identities.
His father from the house of Xie had inherited the marquess of Ning. One of his mothers was the sister of the emperor, Princess Li Yang. In this family, he two younger brothers and one younger sister. His other family was the house of Zhuo in Feng Zuo. His father in the house of Zhuo was an esteemed martial artist, famous in the outlands, and head of the Sky Fountain Manor school. His mother was also a famous martial artist. In this family, he had an older sister, an older brother, and a younger brother. Despite all of this, Xiao Jing Rui was named after neither Xie nor Zhuo. Even the most ignorant peasant from the most remote region knew Xiao was the imperial surname. As to why Xiao Jing Rui has such an unusual name, that is a story that begins before he was born.
24 years ago, the Ning Guo Marquis Xie Yu left his pregnant wife and headed west for the battlefield. Princess Li Yang stayed in Jinling. In the same year, the head of Sky Fountain Manor, Zhuo Dingfeng, hosted a martial arts contest in Miao Jiang. Prior to departure, he also escorted his pregnant wife to Jinling and left her in the care of his father-in-law.
Yet fortune is as unpredictable as the weather. A vicious plague spread to Jinling. The officials closed the city gates to prevent the spread of the disease. Only a few of the most prosperous people received special care. Of course Princess Wei Yang and Zhuo Dingfeng’s wife were amongst them. The nobles were allowed to leave the quarantined area, but had to first undergo inspection to ensure that they did not carry the disease.
At this point Lady Xie was eight and a half months pregnant, and Lady Zhuo was nine months pregnant. They were both escorted to Rui mountain and became neighbors. They had previously been only acquaintances who nodded at each other at social gatherings, but having experienced the same disaster alone without their husbands, they spent much of their time together and became like sisters.
One day they were talking and playing go, when suddenly both of them began to feel the labor cramps, the servants hurriedly prepared a birthing room.
It was a chaotic scene.
From afternoon till night, they were in labor. Outside, a storm was stirring, lightning flashed though the sky and the rain beat onto the tiles above. Just when everyone thought their hearts were about to explode, finally, the sound of babies’ cries could be heard. The two baby boys had been born at almost the exact same instant.
Welcomed by roomful of cheerful people, these exalted, precious boys were brought to the bathing tub. At this time the accidents occurred. An old hollowed out tree was stuck by lightning and caught on fire. One of the branches fell off and hit the roof. The wind blew and inside the room the candles went out and screams were heard (窗棂也被震落，狂风猛卷而入，屋内烛火俱灭，一片尖叫声). In a rush, the guards and servants brought the two ladies out. The terrified midwives grabbed the babies and ran out.
Luckily, it was a false scare and no one was hurt. Just as they finished relocating the new mothers and thought they could let out a breath, they discovered a big problem.
The two boy babies snatched out from the dark, were both naked, were both crying, were of similar weight and features. Which one was the Xie baby? Which one was the Zhuo baby?
By the next day, the problem was a much heavier one. One of the baby boys was suddenly short of breath and died.
When the Xie Marquis came back with his military achievements, and Zhuo Dingfeng returned with the glory of defeating the demon sect leader, they saw their weak and sad wives and a baby whose ownership was unknown.
Lady Xie was the Wei Yang Princess, so the emperor naturally was concerned and issued an imperial edict summoning the two families to the imperial court.
But when the emperor saw the two couples’ faces he knew that the situation was more difficult than expected.
Xie and Zhuo were both tall and had distinct features. The two wives both had willow brows and almond eyes and were both graceful and elegant. Though they couldn’t be considered identical, but looking closely, the structure of the face was very similar. Even if they were to wait until the baby had grown up, just by looks it would be impossible to tell whose child the baby was.
The emperor stared at the baby for some time and could not reach a conclusion. But he liked the child, so he found a compromise,“Since we cannot verify the boy's true parentage then it is not appropriate for him to take either surname. I will give him my surname, and he will be named according to his generation in the royal family as Jing... Rui, since he was born on Rui Mountain. One year he will live the the Xies, the next with the Zhuos, he'll be a son of two families, how does that sound?”
Because the emperor himself had said so and as there were no better options, everyone could only agree.
Thus, Xiao Jingrui received a two identities. He was the Ning Guo Marquis’ eldest gongzi and also the Zhuo sects’ second young master. The two previously unrelated families became as close as a single family.
The two identities brought Jingrui twice the doting, twice the honor, but also twice the hardships. He knew from childhood that he was different from his brothers and sisters and had to fulfill the expectations of two sets of parents. Xie stressed on the literary arts while Zhuo emphasized the martial skills. Xie wanted his son to become a man with culture and strategy; Zhuo wanted his son to roam the jianghu. Despite the tremendous pressure, Xiao Jingrui did not disappoint. His literary arts could impress the imperial court and his martial arts enabled him to roam the jianghu. He was also extremely good looking. As his best friend Yan Yujin said, “ To be as perfect as this is... enough.” Yet even such a publicly acknowledged perfect young elite, struggled along on the Lang Ya gongzi list for four years to only rank second and could not climb any higher.
Yet although he was a hot blooded young man, he was also gentle, caring, and uncompetitive in nature. He was content as long as he ranked on the list. He even never actually bothered to learn more about the gongzi ranked above him.
To this young man with a double identity, the Lang Ya Bang was only a means to achieve his goals.
Yun Piaoliao was already twenty-nine. For a beauty, that age was beginning to pass one's prime, but every year when the Lang Ya Hall ranked the beauties, her name could always be seen. She was a woman who could remain on the list for over a decade.
She was close to thirty and still single, yet still extremely widely respected.
Compared to the gongzi list, it was much more difficult to decide the beauties list. As the young men liked to show off and travel, it was hard not to know them, but the beauties were different. Except for a few who lived as entertainers, most hid in their rooms, where they waited for their destined one. Thus every year when the lists were revealed many unknown name would appear. Of course after appearing in the list, even the most unknown would become instantly famous. Especially since the young beauties were usually from noble families. Those who came to ask for their hand in marriage, those who offered to broker a marriage, and those who offered huge sums of gold just to see their face were so many that the thresholds were in danger of being trodden to the ground. However only a select few admirers would actually get to see the beauties. These few would mutter in a daze, “Beautiful, so beautiful... Definitely a Lang Ya beauty.”
To most people, the beauties were like flowers hidden behind clouds, of whom they have only heard of but never seen. Yun Piaoliao was different. Ever since her appearance on the rankings at the young age of eighteen, she had lived under the public eye—she was a doctor. The Yuns of Xunyang produced doctors. They were gentle and kindhearted people. They were widely known and respected on the jianghu, as many had received their care. On the first three days of each month, the Yun family would set up a medicine stand and freely treat the poor. Therefore many of the older folks had seen her grow up from a young girl assisting with picking medical herbs to the gorgeous beauty she eventually became.
Yet the strange thing was that all of her suitors, no matter how noble or rich, how well-learned, skilled in martial arts, or powerful, received the same polite rejection.
Someone even bought the answer to this mystery at the Lang Ya Hall.
The answer was, “having once seen the ocean, one cannot settle for a drop of water.”
The answer was short but the meaning was clear. The expressions of light sorrow and and fleeting regret in the beauty’s eyes suggested that the Lang Ya Hall’s answer was correct as usual.
What kind of a person had her heart but still left her single?
That question’s value was 50,000,000 silver coins, plainly telling everyone, “Even if I knew the answer I wouldn't want to tell.”
But there are stupid people with money to burn. Nine years ago a wealthy young man named Shen Zhechen entered Lang Ya Hall with his notes of silver to ask where the beauty's heart lay. He left with a darkened face.
The answer was leaked after half a year from the Shen house.
It was similar to the other answers from the Lang Ya Hall, very short and clear, only 3 words.
“Past life's union”.
To be specific, Yun Piaoliao seemed to have retained her past life’s memories and was waiting for the reincarnation of her past life's lover to find her. Yun Piaoliao did not deny this answer. Thus Shen Zhechen could not say that the Lang Ya Hall had swindled his money.
As to where Yun Piaomeng’s past lover reincarnated to, and who he reincarnated as, this question did not yet have a price at Lang Ya Hall. Because their rule was that you ask the question, and the owner sets the price. If you cannot pay the price, you are free to leave. The questions with prices were usually ones that were asked but not affordable.
Who was Yun Piaoliao’s past lover? This question had no price because no one had asked.
No one was stupid enough to waste their money on that. What if the that person wasn’t themselves?
Just like that, Yun Piaoliao’s youth was lost in the respect and pity of the world.
Next year she would be thirty.
In the Yun family garden, she was still raising a glass to the moon and inviting her shadow to form a party of three
“Is it true that no one asked about the reincarnation of her lover?”
“Hehe…”
“So there’s really an idiot who asked? How much did you ask?”
“Hehe…”
“'Hehe' once more and I’ll seal your mouth. How much?”
“1 coin.”
“What?!”
“1 silver coin, an imperial coin of high purity.”
“However high the purity, it is only 1 coin! What is wrong with you?! Then why was the last answer worth 50,000,000 silver coins?”
“I felt like it.”
Is there something wrong with the owner of the Lang Ya Hall? Regretfully no one paid for this to be answered. Otherwise the answer would’ve been very simple and concise.
“So what answer did you give him?”
“A person on the list. Yun Piaomeng’s past lover at must at least be in the Lang Ya Rankings.”
“Huh? For a 1 coin value answer, it’s worth contemplating.”
“All of our answers are worth contemplating regardless of the cost.”
There was a long silence, in which only the sound of Osmanthus flowers falling outside the window were heard.
It was finally broken by a long sigh.
“ You, are such a mischief-maker. ”
“Hehe….”