The Rise of Phoenixes Novel Translation #130

The fifth layer is a transparent crystal with irregular edges, obviously part of something that was broken.

The crystal beauty at the tunnel exit of the Tian Sheng palace. The man had raised his sword and in one flash, shattered the rare treasure. All because it was another man’s defilement of the woman he loves the most. 

During the rainstorm in that abandoned palace, she had caressed the scar on his chest, including the scar deep in his heart. Feng Zhi Wei held the crystal in the palm of her hands. The crystal was cold to the touch, just like her mood at this very moment. A slight pain jabbing at her heart, her fingers unconsciously tightened around the crystal but the expected sharp pain and blood didn’t come. Raising her hand only to see that what should’ve been the sharp edges of the crystal had all been carefully smoothed out. 

Who had so carefully grind the sharp edges in the silence of the night until tears fell on the desk like shattered crystals. 

Who had so meticulously and secretly smoothed out the sharp edges, out of fear that a certain fair lady would hurt herself in a moment of emotional turmoil. 

The crystal can be polished and smoothed but the crack in the heart can’t be. The night is so bleak. 

The sixth layer, a gold-handled drumstick.

Prince Helian with drumsticks in hand, causing all the noble ladies on the royal feast to compete with one another. 

A feast, poems, she tossed out a cup and splashed wine on the palace floor, seemingly giving sincere advice to another woman but her eyes were on him. 

“To plead for ten blissful perfections. Nine, to forget the dangerous game. Eight, to look seemingly dazzling on the surface. Seven, in reality completely at a loss. Sixth, to forget one’s family. Five, to be so tortured that your very organs are twisted. Four, to be exhausted of all your strength. Three, to lose the desire to even eat a single meal. Two, to end with only being able to yarn for your love from afar. One, so why not toss away your foolish heart!” 

If it is to end with thousands of miles of separation, then why not toss away the foolish heart. 

Feng Zhi Wei begins to smile softly. Sometimes she has to admire her own foresight. 

In the moment of prosperity, she had seen the vast barness of fate. 

She gently picked up the drumsticks, raised her hand, the golden handle drew a bright arc through the night. 

*thud*

Yet the heavy sound of it hitting the ground couldn’t break through the impenetrable night. 

The seventh layer, flatbread with begonia jam. 

The begonia jam flatbread stuffed close to her body had blocked the sword of a sly Fifth Prince. 

“Who will you save?”

In truth, some questions really never needed to be asked in the first place. The answer is plain to see. The empire or the beauty? Everyone could see which one is more important. Ning Yi is not the emperor of the former dynasty who could ruin his empire for the sake of a consort. Neither is she, Feng Zhi Wei the legendary siren who could bring down an empire with just her beauty. 

The first time she heard the name of the Gold Feather Guard, he had warned her in such causal tone. 

“Us, who live by the word of the emperor, all could be more careful.”

“People who want to live to the end, need to be extra careful.”

Feng Zhi Wei, you are still so foolish, very foolish. 

You saw the giant chasm between you, but you couldn’t see the painstaking preparation of the one right next to you. 

Zhi Wei slowly picks up the begonia jam flatbread. The distance between the Capital and the grassland is very far, the flatbread is already stiff as a board. She slowly munches on the flatbread, as if she was still leaning against the corridor railing in front of the imperial study. The flatbread at that time was very fragrant and soft, her smile was very relaxed. Now, it seems like it was a lifetime ago. 

One bite after another, she finished it. It was tasteless. 

The eighth layer, pine nuts. 

“Let’s talk to the neighbor above and see if we can get something to eat.” 

The owner of that pine tree was convinced by her glib tongue to retreat and its den was emptied out by the evil guest. 

“Humans are more evil than animals. Animals will rarely provoke without reason, betray you, bully or hurt you but people will.”

Just like her who had emptied out the squirrel’s winter food storage when she was hungry, it is only natural that she will end up meeting those who will empty her out because of their own needs. 

What goes around comes around, it has always been an eternal truth in this world. 

The ninth layer, dried fish. 

The moment they arrived at South Sea, they were welcomed by a wave of dried fish the people had thrown at them which both of them promptly collected to be divvy out as food. 

“His Highness will personally set the table, Official Wei will personally prepare the food and invite Official Zhou to come on board to watch over the kitchen fire.” 

In one’s lifetime, you set the table, I prepare the food. Simply ordinary chores done by ordinary families. Yet replace all that with different identities and different positions, then it becomes something of an extravagant privilege.

The tenth layer, pine nut pastry and mint cake. Two very common snacks. Two snacks that she loves to eat. Compared to the gifts that preceded them, each with significant special meanings, these two snacks seem rather ordinary. 

She frowned and pondered for a long time. Perhaps, Ning Yi just simply sent over her favorite food from the South Sea? 

A scene suddenly crossed her mind, a picture of a man and woman snuggling intimately, his hand tightly pressed against her naked shoulder while her face is firmly pressed against his exposed chest. 

Yet, on the table behind the snugging pair sits the night snack especially prepared for her. 

Some things are often overlooked at the moment but after a long time when one thinks back to the memory, that’s when you discover certain missed elements. 

He had snacks waiting for her, waiting for the her that would certainly be hungry after the seafood “feast”. However, that waiting almost resulted in a misunderstanding. 

“I will one day become a simple woman. But a simple woman should only be paired with a simple man living a simple life. At that time, I hope to have a small house, a few acres of fertile land and a simple man who will stand in front of me when I am bullied. A simple man who will start hacking with a sword when I am betrayed, comfort me by the fire when I am disappointed, scold me impatiently when I am hurt but then hold me and let me cry it out.” 

Ha…Ning Yi. When those words were uttered, you and I both knew, you are not that simple man, and even I, cannot be that simple woman. 

We wear a fake smile our whole life, we don’t have the right to cry. 

Who can toss aside the cares of this mortal world, and forget the past of being mortal? 

(I think this is a nod to the Buddhist belief that in order to transcend this mortal life one has to abandon all the cares of this world…not an easy task obviously.) 

The eleventh layer. 

Zhi Wei had thought it would be a box made of phoenix tail wood but who would’ve guessed that it was simply a broken tree branch. The branch is somewhat withered with a few finger marks on it. 

Unable to figure out what the branch represented even after staring at it for a good while, Zhi Wei could only open the next layer. 

The twelfth layer, a letter lays there quietly. 

Zhi Wei stares at the letter. At that time, she had read many of his letters. In that soothing cool South Sea sea breeze, she had read it full of joy. When she was clearing the South Sea pirates, she had re-read his letters countless times. 

Letters that have traveled thousands of miles must be read with tenderness and anticipation. That is the only way to draw the connections and yearning from the words. 

Times change, people change. The letter is still here, but the emotions that existed back in those letter reading days are no longer here. 

“It can’t be said that His Highness’s feelings for you are not deep, but no matter how deep it is, it can’t be deeper than this empire, this world. You need to think clearly.” 

The intelligent and perceptive Hua Qing, told the truth at the moment when she was most out of control and daring. 

“I am someone who has already died once so I want to try to live an even better life, want to learn to cherish some of life’s rare emotions, and want to occasionally recklessly follow my own heart.” 

The consequence of giving my heart free rein is the destruction of my world. 

Now, Ning Yi, what else do you want to say?

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