Ten Thousand Books, But Only One You

30 The greatest victory is that which requires no battle

Chapter 30: The greatest victory is that which requires no battle

The next day, Lin Xi suddenly announced that they would be leaving the book soon that night. After a simple dinner affair, Ji Kai and Yihe remained in the house discussing certain matters about the Association while Lin Xi and I relocated to the pavilion in the courtyard outside. As we chatted and laughed about trivial things, there was a sudden downpour.

Staring into the fine drizzle falling from the moonless cloudy sky, Lin Xi narrated the ending of The Eighth Verse with a wistful smile.

The preceding chapter left off with a cliffhanger, where Sheng Yi vanished all of a sudden right after having his revenge against his enemies. The reason for Sheng Yi's disappearance from the capital of Beiyue was not known. It was said that just before Sheng Yi set off for the Imperial Palace to have an audience with the Emperor, someone witnessed a servant of his returning from afar, bearing news of a missing person as well as information about a type of rare plant that grew on the side of cliffs. It was a medicinal plant that grew only after a downpour and was difficult to harvest as the surface of the cliffs would be slippery.

But Sheng Yi personally went in search for this elusive plant; and did not give up until he finally chanced upon it. Believing that it was heaven's grace to him, he rushed to Wuchang Manor to save Fu Wanxi, hoping that he would not be too late. Hoping that she could forgive him. Hoping that he could help her to restart her sect again.

"If he managed to save her, isn't that considered a good ending?" I asked, wrinkling my nose. I preferred stories with happy endings to open or bad endings. Real life already had enough sufferings.

"Yes, Sheng Yi arrived at Wuchang Manor just in time to give Fu Wanxi the antidote. And they lived happily ever after," said Lin Xi quickly, such that it was rather anti-climatic.

I snorted coldly. "Did you remove the pages from the last chapter before you disliked the ending? For a guy like Sheng Yi, who chose another lady over Fu Wanxi, betraying her love and trust, he was forgiven a little too easily."

Her face clouded over, but she smiled a little and answered: "Gao Zhanpeng and Liu Mengjie were also present in the final chapter. The Eighth Verse ended with two couples living happily ever after. You already know that Lin Jiahe, the author, wrote this book he took inspiration from real life people. He also wrote himself into the book, as Gao Zhanpeng. And Liu Mengjie was the girl he loved. But in reality, he was unable to get the girl and was very heartbroken. So I did him a favour by keeping the book for him and removing the last chapter as well."

Without waiting for my response, she chuckled to herself and sighed. "Reflecting on our actions now, it does feel quite silly. That's why I'm hoping that you will find the missing pages in the book and piece it together again."

I looked her in the eyes and nodded gratefully. "Thank you for telling me the location of the original manuscript."

"After 90 years, it's time for it to be unveiled to the public. It would be a shame if this very well-written novel never saw the light."

The doors to the residence opened, spilling warm light into the chilly rainy night. Two figures emerged and approached us, carrying oil-paper umbrellas. Seeing Yihe, Lin Xi sprung up from her seat and ran through the rain and into the shelter of his umbrella. "Are we leaving now?" she asked him with a tranquil gaiety.

Ji Kai walked further up to the pavilion and beckoned me over. Tugging on my sleeve with one hand, he pulled me close to himself, into a warm embrace, and smiled. "Let's go together to send them off."

Huddling together under one umbrella, he led the way to the entrance of the residence where a horse carriage was already prepared. The streets were empty and quiet as people preferred to stay in the comforts of their homes. After saying our goodbyes, Yihe and Lin Xi climbed onto the carriage; and our farewells only ended when Yihe had to pull Lin Xi back from leaning too far out through the window.