In the prince's residence, in the garden pavilion, Li Qinglin and Qin Yi sat across from each other at a stone table. The sky was dark, the moon hung high, and a gentle breeze blew, bringing with it the fragrance of flowers.
With no one around to serve them, Li Qinglin personally warmed the wine. He watched the flickering flames of a small stove by the pavilion, lost in thought.
Qin Yi observed him for a while, feeling that Li Qinglin was a very contradictory person, with a complex impression. He could tell that some of Li Qinglin's actions were not just for show. For instance, the way he warmed the wine himself was not an act of humility; it was simply unnecessary to have a maid do it. Since they had met, Li Qinglin had always been self-sufficient, which made him seem less like a prince and more like a warrior, or perhaps a pure martial artist.
Yet this warrior had done many things that a cold-hearted politician would do.
"You don't have to keep staring at me," Li Qinglin suddenly smiled. "Although I look somewhat like Qing Jun, I'm not cross-dressing."
Qin Yi chuckled at that. "You rarely joke around."
"I said it because I don't have the energy for that. If I were like Qing Jun, lost in dreams, I would probably enjoy joking around too," Li Qinglin said with a smile. "Who wouldn't want to smile every day? Frowning and being filled with worries isn't a good feeling."
"Then why..." Qin Yi hesitated but still asked, "do you choose to feel this way?"
"People need to have an ideal and strive for it. Otherwise, living life aimlessly and numbly, what's the point?"
Qin Yi paused, recalling what Liu Su had said during the banquet about the meaning of life. Their views were completely different. One believed you shouldn't be too free and easy; otherwise, what's the point of living? The other thought that living without an ideal was like being a salted fish; what's the point of that?
He expected Liu Su to comment on this, but there was only silence.
Li Qinglin then asked, "What are your aspirations, Qin brother? To wander in the woods, befriending pine and bamboo, avoiding the noise of the world, living freely and happily?"
Qin Yi hesitated before replying, "Something like that."
Li Qinglin smiled. "Even though our ideals are different, I think that's fine. It shows you are a noble person. The worst thing is to live a mundane life and comfort yourself by thinking that being ordinary is precious; that's foolish."
Qin Yi felt a bit embarrassed, realizing he might be the latter...
But he understood why Liu Su didn't comment. After all, what Liu Su said and what Li Qinglin believed weren't in conflict. They both had ideals and pursuits, which were fundamentally the same, so there was nothing to argue about.
In contrast, Qin Yi thought he was living a peaceful life, but in reality, he was just a salted fish... because he didn't even know what he was pursuing, even though he had once pretentiously told Li Qingjun that one should know what they are after.
Finally, he asked, "So what is your aspiration, Li brother? The power of Nanli?"
"Ha..." Li Qinglin laughed softly, not answering immediately. He slowly extinguished the stove's fire and poured wine for Qin Yi, as if gathering his thoughts.
Qin Yi didn't rush him, quietly watching.
"You are a person from Nanli, and also a pharmacist," Li Qinglin said, holding his cup and staring into the wine. "In your eyes, does Nanli seem like a patient?"
"Um..." Qin Yi sighed. "Yes."
"My father is focused on the Dao and indifferent to state affairs. Even the news of the Western Wilderness invasion is less important to him than taking pills for his cultivation," Li Qinglin said slowly. "In matters of state, he prefers listening to the nonsense of Daoists over loyal ministers, even over his own son. When the southeast was hit by an earthquake, instead of focusing on disaster relief, he performed rituals first; when the enemy invaded, he didn't prepare the army but prayed to the heavens."
Qin Yi fell silent.
"The king is like this, and the people are even worse. In the court, everyone flatters Donghua and no one does any real work; everyone is learning Daoist methods. There are even those who dare to wear Daoist robes to court. My father not only doesn’t mind but joins them, which is quite a joke," Li Qinglin sneered.
"In the world, monsters run rampant, and no one respects the king; instead, they worship Daoist temples. Families neglect their work, couples focus on cultivation, their relationships suffer, and the population is declining. Qin brother, this country is not just sick; it is facing a deadly disease."
Qin Yi nodded slowly. He didn't have much knowledge about state affairs, but what Li Qinglin said clearly made sense. If it was really like that, then the country was indeed at its end.
"When did all this start? It began when my father started believing in Donghua and began asking about the Dao of longevity. That is the crux of the problem," Li Qinglin said. "I have tried to advise him, to form alliances and frame others, attempting to politically push Donghua off the stage, but it was useless. I am just a second prince; my political capital is insufficient."
At this point, he finally downed the wine he had been holding.
Qin Yi looked up, meeting Li Qinglin's gaze.
"My elder brother was the one I had Ye Ling assassinate," Li Qinglin said calmly. "He catered to my father's preferences and was also cultivating the Dao, which was fine. But he made the mistake of bringing that trend into the army, which was the last line for Nanli. From that moment, I suddenly thought, aside from him, I should become the prince myself; perhaps there is still hope. Do you think I want power? Yes, I want that power, because without it, I can't save Nanli."
Qin Yi sighed softly and silently drank from his cup.
Liu Su suddenly spoke: "Ask him what he would think if there really was a method for longevity in this world."
So Qin Yi asked. Li Qinglin thought for a moment and smiled. "Qin brother, you are a practitioner, so you must believe in this. It's no wonder you asked this question... But as I said, monsters and demons have evidence, while immortality is just a rumor. How many emperors have pursued this path? Not one has achieved it; I don't believe in it."
Qin Yi insisted, "I mean if, if it really existed."
Li Qinglin shook his head. "I am a prince; this is my kingdom. My responsibility is to ensure the people live in peace, that the country is strong, that everyone has a good life, and if possible, to expand our territory and strike fear into the world. If I could do that, then even if I died immediately, it would not be in vain. Longevity? What use is it if I live forever without my responsibilities, forgetting my aspirations? Living for thousands of years like a walking corpse is meaningless."
Liu Su chuckled softly, "An interesting person," but did not let Qin Yi ask more.
Instead, Li Qinglin asked Qin Yi, "Qin brother, I haven't heard your stories lately, but I have heard some bits and pieces of your Journey to the West from Ye Ling. I assume it ends with obtaining the true scriptures and becoming a Buddha?"
Qin Yi nodded. "Each has their role, but Tang Seng and Wukong did become Buddhas."
"Then... I have a question. I wonder if Qin brother can answer it?"
"What question?"
"The story of the Six-Eared Macaque..." Li Qinglin said slowly. "The one who was killed, was it the Six-Eared Macaque or Sun Wukong?"
Qin Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he stared in surprise.
This topic had indeed been brought up by others, but he never thought that Li Qinglin, who had only heard bits and pieces, would think this way. Could he have come back from that time?
"Why do you have this confusion?"
"After the matter of the Six Ears, Sun Wukong's actions were like two different people; he lost all his wildness. I can't help but wonder if the real Sun Wukong was actually killed in that battle, and the Six-Eared Macaque took his place to obtain the scriptures."
Qin Yi could only explain, "That is not a story I made up; there is indeed an original work. The titles of the chapters in the original clearly indicate the heart monkey, so generally, it is interpreted that the so-called Six-Eared Macaque is actually Sun Wukong's own heart monkey. Once it was removed, his wildness was gone."
Li Qinglin silently poured more wine and drank it all in one go.
"What's wrong?" Qin Yi asked in surprise. "Is there something wrong with that plot?"
Li Qinglin replied lightly, "I would rather believe that the Great Sage is dead than accept that the monkey king, who swept through heaven and hell, is now sitting cross-legged, living forever as a Buddha."
(End of Chapter)