She felt him wiping her tears and heard him laugh. She raised her head to look at him, seeing her own reflection in his eyes—dressed in wedding attire, wearing phoenix crown and ceremonial robes.

He was looking at her with an expression where joy and sorrow were indistinguishable, gentle as moonlight in the garden, still carrying the tender affection she was familiar with, saying: “You are very beautiful today.”

He spoke sincerely, while remembering many scenes from the past. Perhaps at the moment of parting one is naturally prone to recalling bygone days—he too could not escape this convention.

He also thought of some things that had never had a chance to happen, such as their unfulfilled marriage promise. If they had truly abandoned everything and left together then, perhaps they would already be married by now. When she married him, she would probably be just as beautiful as today, wouldn’t she? Though she had always preferred lighter-colored dresses, actually such vibrant colors as wedding attire also suited her well—light or heavy makeup, she was always appropriate.

If they could have married, after the wedding she would change her hairstyle—what would that look like? She would perhaps be very joyful, her eyes bright as she looked at him all day, nestling by his side and never leaving. She would…

Here he dared not think further, and at the same time there was again a fishy taste in his throat. He barely suppressed it, unwilling to let her see any sign.

She had already cried like this—if she saw it, how heartbroken she would be.

Shen Xiling heard his praise and also saw the dim light in his eyes, then like him began to imagine those unfinished things. She felt even deeper sorrow and more lingering love for him.

She looked up at him and also showed the same smile mixing sorrow and joy, saying: “…Do you like it?”

Qi Ying smiled, the fishy taste in his throat growing stronger, yet his expression showed no change as he looked at her and nodded.

Actually, Shen Xiling knew deeply that she didn’t look good at that time. The prison years had made her gaunt, and moreover she had cried and ruined her makeup—she must be very ugly.

She really hoped the final image of herself left in his eyes could be more beautiful, so she tried hard to wipe away the wretched tears on her face and smiled at him, like a withered lotus trying hard to preserve its blooming period.

“Then you must always remember me,” she said. “Don’t forget me.”

Even if we can never see each other again, even if we are separated by vast distances from now on, even if for the rest of our lives we have no connection to each other.

You must still remember me.

Remember how beautifully we once stayed together.

He nodded again, gently and tolerantly, agreeing to everything she said.

“I will remember forever.”

He sighed.

“But I hope you forget me.”

I hope you forget me, then love someone else.

Hopeless love and separation are the most painful—they will torment you day and night, leaving you devastated.

So Wenwen, forget me.

The years ahead are still very long, and you will meet many other people. Those feelings won’t be as heavy as what’s between us—go love someone lightly, let him replace me, don’t dwell on these heavy past events anymore.

Go live a new life.

Shen Xiling understood his meaning, but she couldn’t say anything, only shaking her head desperately.

She knew his good intentions and knew he was right—they should both forget each other. That would be best, good for both of them.

But she truly had no way not to love him.

If she removed him from her life, she didn’t know what would be left of herself. Loving him had become her instinct, even her very life itself.

Her roots had already grown together with his. To tear them apart now, she knew she was destined to wither. And even if she withered, she still wanted to embrace her love and memories of him—that way she could pretend she was still alive, still together with him.

These words really needn’t be said. Saying them would not only be meaningless but would only add more sorrow to both their hearts. So she only shook her head, then said to him: “Rushes are tough as silk.”

I love you like rushes—soft yet resilient, until I rot into nothingness, only then can this end.

She spoke plainly yet resolutely, not making any vow, just calmly stating a fact.

He understood, sighing even deeper, yet there was also some faint joy in his eyes—a thin layer that nonetheless seeped into his heart.

He also answered her: “Rock has no shifting.”

You should be like rock, I should be like rushes.

Rushes are tough as silk, rock has no shifting.

Shen Xiling’s makeup was completely ruined by crying. Since the auspicious hour was approaching, she naturally had no mood to call the maids back in to reapply it, so she simply removed all the makeup, wearing grand attire but no cosmetics.

They held each other tightly.

Time flew by rapidly. Clearly before Qi Ying came, Shen Xiling had still been devoutly praying for time to pass faster and faster, but once he came, she changed her mind and began praying for the auspicious hour never to arrive.

Let them stay forever in this one hour—she wouldn’t have to marry far away, wouldn’t have to separate from him, and they could stay together forever.

They kissed each other, yet even so they each remained sorrowful, even more desperate—intimacy couldn’t make them feel tender and joyful, but only made them increasingly aware that they would be separated forever.

Finally the auspicious hour still arrived.

Footsteps began to appear outside the door, then Wei family members came to knock carefully, saying the auspicious time had come and asking if they would still proceed with the wedding escort today.

They thus knew everything was over.

Five whole years—they had thought they could last forever, but it turned out to be merely flowers in a mirror and moon in water, all ultimately illusions and bubbles.

Buddha said there are eight sufferings in life: birth, aging, sickness, death, not getting what one seeks, meeting those one hates, parting from loved ones, and the flourishing of the five aggregates.

All things are suffering, but parting from him was the most bitter.

When she left his embrace, she truly felt her roots being torn away, bloody and raw. She was even numb with pain, only able to feel all joy, anger, sorrow, and fear disappearing—she had become a soulless walking corpse.

But she couldn’t cry anymore. There were many people outside the door who would watch and gossip. The more they gossiped, the more trouble he would have. Though she could escape Jiankang by marrying far away, he still had to remain here, entangled with those two-faced, incompetent, shameless demons. She couldn’t cause him more trouble.

She also didn’t want him to worry about her anymore.

She wanted to leave with a smile, to let him know she had become strong again, to let him know she could take care of herself, to let him never worry about her again.

She could do it—she could do it alone.

She repeatedly encouraged herself this way, silently repeating these lies over and over, until finally she almost deceived even herself. She really stopped crying and even seemed radiant as if in a final burst of light.

She even smiled at him, gracefully nodding farewell.

He seemed to understand her painstaking effort, so he also didn’t show any lingering reluctance. His severance had always been cleaner than hers.

He personally took the bridal veil for her, then gently helped her dress properly. In that moment he became her elder rather than her lover—he was sending her to marry far away, no longer the one who could lift her bridal veil.

Shen Xiling’s vision was covered by a festive red, then she heard the sound of him turning around. Her heart suddenly emptied. Even though she had prepared for so long, when the moment of separation truly came, she still instinctively reached out to grab him and asked one final question: “…Will we meet again?”

Will we meet again?

Actually she knew the answer, but she ultimately still couldn’t bear to part with him, so at the very end, she couldn’t help asking him this.

She couldn’t see him, which made her even more fearful. After a moment she heard him ask her: “Wenwen, how long have we known each other?”

His voice was low and soft, making her feel as if she were in a dream. Through the bridal veil she answered: “Five years.”

Upon hearing this, he seemed to laugh, then seemed somewhat emotional, softly sighing that the years flew by like lightning.

Years flying like lightning?

Indeed so.

The scene of their first meeting seemed right before her eyes, as vivid as if it had happened yesterday. Everything in these five years had been so sweet and wonderful—perhaps precisely because of this they seemed to pass in a flash.

“Indeed,” she softly agreed, “time passed so quickly…”

He sighed, as if pondering something. She even thought he wouldn’t speak again, but then he suddenly opened his mouth.

“Five years as the term,” he said, “when the time comes… I’ll come see you.”

When he spoke those words at that moment, he almost made Shen Xiling cry again.

She actually knew he was coaxing her. After today’s parting, thousands of mountains and rivers would separate them—they were destined to be strangers for the rest of their lives. He was afraid she would have no hope in her heart, so he left her one final thought to cling to.

He wanted her to sustain herself through five years with this illusory promise, while also telling her that five years was short—as short as the five years they had walked through together hand in hand.

She understood his meaning, but privately felt he was wrong—the five years with him were naturally short, but what about the five years separated from him?

Those would surely be endlessly long and difficult to endure.

But even though it was a lie, false comfort, Shen Xiling at that time still found it very useful. She silently cried under the bridal veil while trying hard to maintain a cheerful tone, telling him yes and bidding him farewell.

The parting words were simple—only “take care”—then she heard his gradually retreating footsteps, heard him push open the door and walk out.

She could no longer see him, yet his image still floated before her eyes: how he raised his hand, how he walked, how he pushed open the door, and how he gradually walked away and disappeared into the overwhelming wind and snow.

Every detail.

Then the maids all rushed in, the suona and gongs and drums outside began playing again. She was surrounded by all kinds of people as they left the bridal chamber. After complicated ceremonies, she was helped onto a carriage and began the journey north.

The carriage swayed and rocked, cold wind howling outside the windows. She curled up in a corner of the carriage, crying silently. Later she vaguely heard the long neighing of a fine horse, like his Zhuri. She then went mad and without regard pulled off her bridal veil, braving the cold wind to push open the carriage window and look out. She saw white snow everywhere and bitter cold outside, and in the distance on the official road, one person and one horse stood quietly in the wind and snow.

She knew it was him, even though at that distance they could no longer see each other’s features clearly.

But she just knew it was him, seeing her off.

He stood alone in the overwhelming snow, just like five years ago when he had seen her off in the night forest outside Jiankang city—almost exactly the same scene. And she was the same as then, helpless, could only let the carriage gradually move away. No matter how she gazed into the distance or how sincerely she prayed to all the gods and Buddhas in heaven, in the end she still had to watch him disappear from sight.

She understood.

He had used everything he had to lay down a path of life for her, while he himself remained trapped in the wind and snow. He would return to that golden and brilliant prison that was Jiankang, to be torn and gnawed by the fierce demons there, to be repeatedly burned by the karmic fires of hell.

She knew.

This was probably… their final ending.

Author’s Note: Volume Three ends completely here. Thank you all for your companionship~ Next is the comeback Volume Four, and time will return to the beginning of the novel~

After finishing a volume, I’ll babble a bit as usual:

Actually, logically speaking, most stories like this should start from Volume Four. Their prehistory and suffering could be quickly explained in two or three chapters, so we could immediately start with revenge and counterattack.

However, I still feel these two characters’ development and changes need to rely on these sufferings—it could be said these sufferings created who they became afterward. More importantly, as a storyteller of a love story, one question I must answer is why the protagonists would fall in love: Why does Wenwen love young Master Qi? And why does young Master Qi love Wenwen? If I can’t explain this, it only shows it’s unreasonable, or at least their emotional foundation is unstable. Love at first sight, physical attraction, and destined fate can certainly be reasons, but I still believe long companionship and mutual support through hardship are the root causes that made these two sensitive and cautious people fall in love.

Last year before writing Fenghe Garden, I considered starting directly with Volume Four, but considering these issues I abandoned that idea. I once treated these tribulations as tools to achieve beauty, but writing to this point and looking back, I feel even these sufferings are still very beautiful in their love story (sigh, maybe my CP fan filter is too thick).

Though this writing style satisfied myself, the slow burn and angst parts have been hard on lovely readers. I know it’s really not easy for everyone to persist through these volumes! I’m very, very, very grateful! Here I continue to bow to everyone—thank you for reading this far.

Also, though Volume Three has ended, some issues remain unexplained, like how young Master Qi survived in even more difficult circumstances after Wenwen married far away. These will be explained in Volume Four, and some characters’ fates and endings will also be addressed in Volume Four. Again praying for heaven-sent perseverance to keep me from leaving this unfinished!

In the upcoming Volume Four, Wenwen and young Master Qi will continue evolving together (? In a sense it’s also darkening, but I personally feel it’s not entirely that) to overcome difficulties and strive for what their hearts desire. The process will of course still be somewhat tortuous, but the ending will definitely be beautiful~ [The only worry is I still haven’t figured out whether to have a boy or girl baby [Let’s forget about twins… after all neither of their families has those genes…]

Next is the flag segment:

Can I finish the main text (excluding extras) within 800,000 words! (If I can’t, I’ll put the baby-making into the extras [So clever of me, can’t help covering the pot and praising myself])

Finally, using a four-character idiom to summarize Volume Four’s main content: “Just do it and be done with it.”