The flower is a tulip [Chu Liuxiang]

Chu Liuxiang woke up from the dream.

Without any suspense, he dreamed about those days in the past again, those busy but exciting days.He ran in the green mountains, on the vast desert, and on the roofs of the bustling cities; he rode the fastest horse, drank the strongest wine, and held the hand of the most beautiful woman; With his big ship of thousands of materials, he hoisted all the sails and cut the waves on the sea; he scattered the stolen letters with a faint smell of tulips, and he never returned empty-handed. He fought with the fastest sword and the most exquisite moves , the deepest internal strength, and there is no single failure.He is a myth in this arena, a legend in this martial arts.

This is him, the him in the past, the Chu Liuxiang in the past.

Chu Liuxiang ten years ago.

·

Chu Liuxiang blinked and looked at the people beside her.Close at hand is Su Rongrong's pure and flawless sleeping face.

They have been together for ten years.

Su Rongrong was eight years younger than Chu Liuxiang, but her peaceful sleeping face did not look like a 40-year-old woman anyway.Her appearance seemed to have stayed in her heyday, that is, the period when she and Chu Liuxiang got married.Time has favored her too much, and she is reluctant to leave even a little trace.

Chu Liuxiang leaned towards that beautiful face and kissed it softly.Rather than saying it was an action to wake up the lover, it was better to use it to appease the inexplicable hesitation in my heart.

The hesitant feeling of not being able to ask for it in a dream.

Su Rongrong sighed, opened her eyes, and showed a gentle smile at the same time.

Her smile is beautiful, like the warm wind blowing over the green hills in March.She also knows that her smile is beautiful, because she wants to be the most beautiful in the eyes of her lover forever.

The moment Chu Liuxiang agreed to retire with her, she had already decided to give him the most beautiful and best of herself.

She only has him, and he only has her.

·

"what happened?"

When they hugged each other and got up, Su Rongrong asked a question in a timely manner.After ten years of companionship, Chu Liuxiang couldn't escape her eyes even with a small expression change.She saw his hesitation, and also saw the unwillingness to suppress it under the hesitation.

Chu Liuxiang answered as expected: "It's nothing...it's just a dream." He quickly laughed, the smile was calm and indifferent, as if he had seen through everything, and then he explained, "You know, now I There is always some confusion about dreams and reality, which one is real."

Su Rongrong smiled and stroked the center of his brows. It was no longer as clear and open as it was ten years ago. There were one or two deep lines, as if someone had carved them with a knife.

The knife of the years.

"Tell me," Su Rongrong smiled and said warmly, "I know which ones are true."

Chu Liuxiang's symptoms have lasted for a long time, and she knew he didn't just talk about it.Long-term alcoholism and lack of exercise have dulled his nerves, and sometimes he even forgets what happened the day before.

But now he just smiled happily and cast a very trusting look at Su Rongrong.

He said, "Are you Mr. Orchid?"

Su Rongrong's smile froze for a moment, and then quickly returned to normal.

This is a topic that cannot be avoided between them.Because of that incident, they have these ten years of life, and they can have each other.

Su Rongrong didn't regret it.

She just answered very calmly: "Yes." She knew that this answer was enough for Chu Liuxiang to draw a line between dreams and reality, and he could reason about his life on this basis, what he should believe and what he needs to forget thing.

He's always been such a smart guy.She loves his cleverness, and she loves his cleverness in knowing that she loves him.

But this time, Su Rongrong suddenly had other thoughts.She wondered suddenly what his world was like now.

Because she knew clearly that he was not as happy as he looked.

So Su Rongrong asked in a relaxed tone: "Why did you think of this again?" As if it was just a trivial matter.

Chu Liuxiang tapped her temples with her slender fingers.This has become his habit. Over the years, he seldom touched his nose while thinking, but he often did it.

It was as if he felt that something in his head couldn't get out, so he had to use a little external force.

He said: "I don't know, the dream I had just now, Mr. Lanhua is not you... There is no Mr. Lanhua at all."

Su Rongrong's smile became a bit bitter, and her heart began to turn cold.

Of course Chu Liuxiang remembered that she was Mr. Lanhua, she remembered the Moth Project, and she remembered everything about the "Midnight Orchid" operation.He can even appear in front of Mr. Lanhua regardless of the danger of his life.He chose to give up everything he had and accept her.

She always thought that Chu Liuxiang had no regrets, because she didn't regret it herself.

She believed that Chu Liuxiang loved her, and she loved him ten thousand times deeper.

But what Chu Liuxiang dreamed was that there was no Mr. Lanhua, maybe none of that happened, he was still the same him before, laughing and drinking with his friends, judging every girl who walked by.

Suddenly, Su Rongrong had another incredible thought.Her mood was so disturbed that she couldn't hide the thought.

She asked, "So, what about Zhang Jiejie?"

She was still smiling, but there was a persistent look in her eyes.She continued to ask: "In your dream, is there Zhang Jiejie? Is she still the saint of Mai Shengjiao?"

Chu Liuxiang raised her head, as if she was thinking hard.Su Rongrong immediately felt relieved, because it meant that he didn't notice that detail at all.

In the dream, whether there was Zhang Jiejie or not, he didn't pay attention.

Then Chu Liuxiang said slowly: "Zhang Jiejie, did I marry her? Then I left her?"

Su Rongrong said with certainty: "Yes. You really married her."

Chu Liuxiang smiled at her and said, "So it wasn't a dream."

Su Rongrong didn't speak, but showed a waiting expression.

Chu Liuxiang said: "Then, I didn't see her in my dream. Without her, there is no Mai Shengjiao, and there is no Mr. Lanhua, nothing."

Su Rongrong exhaled in the dark.She felt that this at least meant that she didn't have any hidden enemies.It was never any woman who could snatch Chu Liuxiang away from her.

Especially not Zhang Jiejie.

But Chu Liuxiang said again: "Do you remember that I have a friend named Huamanlou?"

Su Rongrong was surprised.

She was surprised not only because Chu Liuxiang never mentioned her past friends in front of her—even Hu Tiehua, a friend who grew up with him, he never mentioned—but also because she had never heard of the friend Chu Liuxiang claimed. passed.

People who have never heard of it.

Like it doesn't exist in this world.

Su Rongrong could only repeat it tentatively: "Flowers all over the building?"

Chu Liuxiang said affirmatively: "The building is full of flowers. The one full of flowers is full of flowers."

Su Rongrong sighed and said, "I never remember you mentioning this friend."

Chu Liuxiang let out an "oh", with neither hope nor disappointment in his expression.

·

It was already afternoon when the two of them got up and finished washing.Their work and rest are not too regular, just because there is nothing urgent waiting for them to do.Su Rongrong placed a small wooden table under the shade of the trees in the yard, and brought out wine jugs, wine glasses, and a few small dishes. Chu Liuxiang sat at the table and began his daily routine of drinking by himself.

There are mountains behind their house and water in front of their house.The mountains are green, the water is blue, and occasionally twittering birds land on the trees in the yard.

Chu Liuxiang can always play with that bird for two hours.

No matter how beautiful the scenery is, after looking at it for a whole ten years, I have seen spring flowers and autumn fruits, summer wind and winter snow, and even rinsed my mouth and washed my face against it, so I turned a blind eye.

Birds are always alive.

Chu Liuxiang said: "You don't let me play with the bird, do you want me to play with the toad?"

Su Rongrong thought, why didn't he think about playing with her?

Of course she knew why.She knew that when Chu Liuxiang held her waist and led her to fly over jungles and hills, over rivers and lakes, flying like the two happiest birds, although she felt happy, she didn't cluck laughed out loud.She always felt that such behavior was too childish, and they were all adults, and adults didn't need to express their emotions like this.

She also knew that if they went out together by chance to buy some necessities for life, if Chu Liuxiang smiled more with the little girl selling rice, although she felt nothing, she still felt uncomfortable and flustered.She always became reticent, and Chu Liuxiang would try to comfort her until both of them forgot about it.

She also knew that she couldn't do without Chu Liuxiang, she wished she could see him all the time, holding his hand and not letting go.Chu Liuxiang once went out with an excuse and stayed outside for a day and a night, but when she came back, she was nowhere to be seen.She felt that since Chu Liuxiang made her miss her, she might as well let him have a taste of missing her—it wasn't until he couldn't take it anymore that she reappeared, giving him a great surprise and reassurance.

Su Rongrong knew that Chu Liuxiang was not very happy about these things, but he was willing to tolerate this kind of personality.

They really love each other, so these things are not a problem at all.

The problem is that Chu Liuxiang can no longer find anyone to play with him.

Because Su Rongrong loved him so much, and adopted such an extreme method to express his love.Chu Liuxiang is willing to accept this love, even more willing to accept this woman who has been in love with each other, but he has to separate from his friends because of this, and never see each other again.

For Midnight Orchid's actions, in order for Chu Liuxiang to appear in front of her, Su Rongrong planned very carefully, and even had to use some innocent people and let some people die.

And what Chu Liuxiang hates the most is killing people.

For this he felt sorry for his friends and for the dead, even though those people might not have been his friends.

He is willing to accept Su Rongrong not only because he loves her, but also because if he doesn't take Su Rongrong away, she will be in danger.

He is willing to bear all this for her, including her sins.

So he couldn't see his friends anymore.

·

Chu Liuxiang is drinking.

His drinking capacity is not good, it is much worse than when he was young.

But he still drank very quickly. After finishing one jug of wine, he asked for another jug.

Su Rongrong quietly changed another jug ​​of wine for him, then sat at the table far away, watching him.

Alcohol consumption is related to the body as well as the state of mind.An unhappy person is always easy to get drunk.

Chu Liuxiang was not happy.

He got drunk fast, almost faster than he could drink.

He would get drunk every day, and he would wake up in the afternoon the next day, then pack up and get drunk again.

He had nothing else to do but get drunk.

Rivers and lakes, friends, women, wine.All he has now is wine.

He has only wine.

·

After drinking three jugs of wine, Chu Liuxiang suddenly said, "I remember, the first time I drank with Huamanlou was in the desert."

Su Rongrong was stunned.She didn't expect Chu Liuxiang to mention the person in the dream again, the person he thought was a "friend".

Chu Liuxiang continued with a smile, "I never knew that a person like him can drink quite well."

"He..." Su Rongrong asked tentatively, "What kind of person is he? The one you mentioned... Huamanlou?"

"He is very young and beautiful, and his smile is like the gentle and peaceful moonlight." Chu Liuxiang nodded affirmatively, but every word made Su Rongrong extremely startled, "But he doesn't look gentle at all when he drinks. almost as fast as me."

"You mean...he was very young 'at that time'?" Su Rongrong was still cautious, adding a footnote to Chu Liuxiang's words.Chu Liuxiang, who didn't hear what she meant, just continued to nod.

"Very young. He is five years younger than me, and his appearance and personality make him look younger.——Do you know?" Chu Liuxiang smiled mysteriously, and put a finger in front of his lips, as if to Su Rongrong seemed to keep her next words a secret, "He...he can't see..."

Su Rongrong was indeed shocked.Chu Liuxiang's detailed description of this fictional character was far beyond her expectations, as if he really knew such a person, a young, beautiful, gentle, open-minded, but blind person.This person also went to the desert with Chu Liuxiang.

"He can't see..."

Su Rongrong murmured and repeated this sentence, as if trying to find some loopholes in it.Chu Liuxiang's fabrication this time was so bizarre that she simply didn't know how to deal with it.

Should he continue with his nonsense, or should he be corrected in a serious manner, and only he, Hu Tiehua and Ji Bingyan are the only ones going to the desert?

Did he make up such a fictitious but vivid image to replace Hu Tiehua and Ji Bingyan in his mind?

But Chu Liuxiang laughed loudly, holding his wine glass high, as if inviting the moon with eyebrows hanging on the horizon.

"Don't you see that his eyes can't see, his heart can see clearly and thoroughly than anyone else! He, he is a perfect person, so perfect!"

Su Rongrong could only say "hmm" in the end.

·

Chu Liuxiang seems to be obsessed with this image he created, this non-existent friend.He became talkative, and while drinking every day, he told Su Rongrong the story of "Flowers Man Lou".

Chu Liuxiang said that Huamanlou likes to wear blue clothes after the rain. Although he can't see them, he can always choose the color that suits him best.

Chu Liuxiang said that Huamanlou's martial arts stunt is the "Liuyun Feixiu" of the Wudang school, but he is not a member of the Wudang school.He is not a disciple of anyone, his martial arts comes from his hard work and his extraordinary understanding.

Chu Liuxiang said that Hua Manlou firmly opposes killing, and he believes that no one has the right to deprive others of their lives.He once rescued a person under the sword of Zhongyuan Dianhong, the number one assassin in the world.

Su Rongrong knew that the Central Plains was a little red, but she just didn't expect that Chu Liuxiang had expanded the story, and even began to accommodate other real people.

But she couldn't refute him, to be precise, she didn't want to refute him.

This is his last pleasure, his last sustenance.

Through Huamanlou, he was reunited with the original world, and there was no longer Zhang Jiejie, Mai Shengjiao, or Mr. Lanhua in that world.

That was the world he longed for.

·

It is summer.

In front of the yard where they live, there is a large lake.At this time, the lake is covered with graceful lotus leaves, which are so green that you will be enchanted.

Chu Liuxiang looked at the lotus leaves and flowers in the lake, and suddenly asked, "Why are there no flowers in our yard?"

"Did you forget? Although you can't smell the fragrance of flowers, you will sneeze whenever there is pollen." Su Rongrong explained quietly, "We never grow flowers."

"But the building is full of flowers, he likes flowers."

Chu Liuxiang was talking nonchalantly, with a look of fascination on his face.

Su Rongrong could only sit patiently at the table, while pouring wine for him, while listening to him describe Huamanlou, a small building full of flowers.

The door of that small building is always open, and anyone who needs it can come to the building for help.

Su Rongrong's heart suddenly became very painful. She knew Chu Liuxiang's loneliness, and even more knew the reason why he was so lonely.

She really wanted to tell him that until now, there are still people who don't believe that Chu Liuxiang has withdrawn from the arena. They think it's just a bad joke. They don't know when the light blue stolen letter with the smell of tulips will appear in a certain place again. For the family of a rich and unkind big family.

She also really wanted to tell him that every month there would be two or three people in Jianghu who used the name Chu Liuxiang, only to find out that they had nothing to do with Chu Liuxiang at all.

She looked at the lonely Chu Liuxiang, and wanted to let him know that the world has not forgotten him, and he is still the undefeated legend.

But she couldn't speak, not a single word.

Instead, Chu Liuxiang looked at her and said with a smile, "There are no flowers all over the building."

Su Rongrong sat there in a daze, not understanding why he overturned everything he designed.

So perfect, fascinating everything.

Chu Liuxiang seemed to see her thoughts, and still smiled and said: "There is no Huamanlou, and there is no Chu Liuxiang."

Su Rongrong opened her mouth in surprise, but no sound came out.She heard Chu Liuxiang say quietly: "Chu Liuxiang is dead."

·

"Chu Liuxiang is dead." Chu Liuxiang smiled and pointed to his heart.Su Rongrong finally couldn't hold back the tears.

She knew that Chu Liuxiang was dead, because she was the one who killed him.

·

Chu Liuxiang's real death was two days later.

Su Rongrong just left the yard accidentally, and when she came back, Chu Liuxiang was nowhere to be seen.

On the small table under the shade of the tree, there are still jugs and wine glasses, the glasses are empty, and there is still wine left in the jug.

It took her three full hours to find Chu Liuxiang among the lotus leaves all over the lake, but she was unable to recover.

No one in this world knew that Chu Liuxiang died of drowning.

How can a person who can breathe and even sleep in water drown and die?

Perhaps those involved would be happy to leave such a mystery.

Su Rongrong didn't cry, she couldn't cry anymore.

She was hardly surprised, as if she had expected this ending long ago.

What's more, Chu Liuxiang's expression was still very calm and serene, with a faint smile on his lips.

Like the smug smile he had every time he successfully solved a problem.

He holds a lotus flower in his hand, which is pure white.Su Rongrong looked all over the lake, but couldn't find a more beautiful lotus than this one.

The lotus will wither in autumn.

Chu Liuxiang died at the end of summer.

·

明永乐21年八月十七（公元1423年9月21日），楚留香逝世，终年48岁。

On September 1985, 9, Gu Long passed away at the age of 21.

·

Some people in this world are born wonderful and die ordinary.When people admire the life of "the ordinary life is the real one", but go astray into mediocrity, they burn themselves into a shooting star.

Meteors are short-lived, who said meteors are not eternal?

·

Chu Liuxiang is not seen in the world.

Chu Liuxiang is forever in the world.

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Background music: Rowan-Human World