Chapter Thirty-One: Intoxicated by the Spring Breeze

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting its warmth onto the white hotel sheets and the young couple nestled together in sleep. It dispelled some of the late autumn chill, making one feel that wherever the sun shone, the mood would be much better.

Upon waking, Hua Feng found Yun Meng sleeping soundly with her head resting on his arm. Her pink lace nightgown embraced her perfect figure. His gaze lingered on the silken curves beneath, soft as the ridges of spring mountains, and he felt as if he were burning with fever. To prevent himself from acting on impulse, Hua Feng quickly closed his eyes and took a deep breath, silently reciting the calming mantra, “If the heart is clear as ice, even the collapse of heaven cannot startle it…”

Sensing Hua Feng’s reaction, Yun Meng let out a sleepy murmur and lazily opened her eyes. Since leaving the military camp, rare were the nights the two shared a bed; Yun Meng cherished these moments of tenderness.

“Hua Feng, what’s wrong?” she asked, noticing that he was awake but avoiding her gaze. She burrowed closer into his arms.

Just as Hua Feng managed to compose himself, Yun Meng’s dreamy movement ignited a fire within him. “Meng, if you keep this up, I’m afraid I can’t control myself,” he said, half-joking.

Though somewhat innocent in matters between men and women, Yun Meng understood the implication in his words. “Why should you control yourself? Meng is willing to be your woman. Hua Feng, maybe we should…”

Finally, unable to withstand Yun Meng’s teasing, Hua Feng rolled over and kissed her, and they surrendered to a whirlwind of passion. An hour and a half later, both were drenched in sweat, and Hua Feng felt utterly exhausted, as if he had fought a battle that consumed all his energy.

“From now on, Meng belongs completely to Hua Feng,” Yun Meng said, feeling as though her body had fallen apart.

Blushing, Yun Meng handed Hua Feng a towel to wipe his sweat, then hurried to the bathroom to shower.

Gazing at her blurred silhouette behind the glass, Hua Feng realized he was utterly captivated by Yun Meng’s charm.

After lunch, the two set out again. This time, Hua Feng rented a new energy off-road Jeep from a nearby car rental.

“Hua Feng, I just focused my energy, and it seems that because of what happened this morning, my strength has risen two levels—I’m at level thirty-six now. Maybe if we do this every day…” Yun Meng grinned mischievously at Hua Feng, who was concentrating on driving.

Hearing this, the Jeep spun several times on the road, nearly crashing into the guardrail. Yun Meng’s sudden strength startled Hua Feng.

“Ah, perhaps we should be a bit more restrained… Yes, restraint…”

Seeing his reaction, Yun Meng laughed. “Just teasing you! Look how scared you are. Do you really think I’m so reckless? Focus on driving. Ha ha…”

“…Alright, let me put on a song for you. The road is so dull, it’ll help pass the time. I heard this song was really famous decades ago.” Hua Feng switched on the music player in their solar-powered hybrid off-road vehicle, manufactured at the end of the last century.

A melodious tune filled the car:

Drunk in the Spring breeze, I’m drunk in the Spring breeze
At our first meeting, two hearts moved as one
Within the net of love, the sky looks different
I open my heart wide
The heartless laugh at my foolishness
I laugh at their ignorance
I’m willing to be in her palm
Drunk in the Spring breeze, I’m drunk in the Spring breeze
I restrain my impulse, yet she moves me again
To hurt her heart is something I could never do
I’m willing to be in her palm
Don’t ruin my righteousness
I’ll wield Heaven’s Sword and the Dragon Saber
May love and loyalty be intertwined
Let me start and finish as one
Don’t ruin my righteousness
I’ll wield Heaven’s Sword and the Dragon Saber
May love and loyalty be intertwined
Let me start and finish as one
…

“How is it? Do you like it?” Hua Feng asked, glancing at the rearview mirror.

Yun Meng was lost in the imagery the lyrics evoked. Hearing his question, she sat up and replied, “It’s beautiful. I think this is the ending theme from Mr. Jin Yong’s ‘Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber.’ When I was in school, that was my favorite television adaptation.”

“Yes, that’s right. I liked it too. When we were kids, we used to debate with classmates about which version was the best.”

As they drew closer to Dragon Tiger Mountain, dusk descended and they finally arrived at its foot.

Hua Feng returned the car, planning to visit the Celestial Master’s Residence the next morning, hoping to join the Union of One Qi Daoists with his identity as the champion of the farming clan.

After dinner, sitting on the hotel bed, Hua Feng asked Yun Meng, who had just finished her meditation, “Do you know the history of Dragon Tiger Mountain?”

“Not really. I just know it’s a famous Daoist mountain, an important member of the Union of One Qi Daoists.” Yun Meng’s long lashes sparkled in the lamplight. Her large eyes and cherry lips, set off by twin dimples, were so lovely that Hua Feng was momentarily entranced.

Regaining his composure, Hua Feng explained, “Dragon Tiger Mountain is one of the seventy-two blessed places of Daoism, located in Guixi County, Yingtan. It’s the ancestral court of the Celestial Master branch of Orthodox Daoism. The founder, Zhang Daoling, once practiced alchemy here, and legend says, ‘when the elixir was perfected, dragons and tigers appeared,’ hence the mountain’s name. Since the fourth Celestial Master, Zhang Sheng, at the end of the Han dynasty, generations of Celestial Masters lived here, seeking immortality, teaching in the Upper Purity Palace, cultivating in the Celestial Master’s Residence, passing down the Daoist lineage for sixty-six generations and over nineteen hundred years. The Upper Purity Palace and the Celestial Master’s Residence received countless imperial gifts and underwent numerous expansions and repairs. The buildings’ area, scale, layout, quantity, and specifications set records in Daoist architectural history. At its peak, Dragon Tiger Mountain had over eighty temples, thirty-six Daoist academies, and several palaces—truly the ‘capital of Daoism,’ a world kingdom of Daoists.”

“That’s so complicated! How do you know all that, Hua Feng? Even the numbers are so precise,” Yun Meng admired him.

“Well… I looked it up on the Smart Brain. Heh heh…” Hua Feng felt a little embarrassed.

Yun Meng pretended to be disgruntled, “Alright, the scholarly image I had of you is shattered.” The two tumbled together in laughter, their joy filling the small space.

The night was as clear as water, the moon bright as a mirror.