Let all the beauties be jealous

     I love Lu You's poem "Ode to the Plum Blossom": "Beside the broken bridge outside the post station, it blooms lonely and ownerless. Already dusk, it is saddened alone, further burdened by wind and rain. Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, it lets all the flowers be jealous. Falling to the ground, crushed into dust, only its fragrance remains." Especially the lines, "Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, it lets all the flowers be jealous. Falling to the ground, crushed into dust, only its fragrance remains." If we were to elaborate further, it would be this line, "Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, it lets all the flowers be jealous."

    If we were to personify it, it would resemble Sima Qian or Su Shi. Recently, I read the martial arts novel "Little Li Flying Dagger" by Gu Long, and I found endless charm in the line "Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, it lets all the flowers be jealous." Although it's a novel from many years ago, familiar to many, the character of Li Xunhuan is intriguing. He appears from the start as a figure who uses his flying dagger to make the martial arts world tremble at the mention of "dagger."
    He is a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, yet he refuses to serve in the government. He and his cousin Lin Shiyin were childhood sweethearts, yet he was married off to his sworn brother Long Xiaoyun, all for a scheme disguised as a plot (perhaps he knew it was a trap then, or perhaps he found out later. But he was lost in his own sense of loyalty and affection).
    He was fiercely loyal to his friends, thus befriending figures like A Fei and Jing Wuming. Even knowing a trap lay ahead, he would still head towards it without hesitation, yet remain calm and escape unscathed. He was devoted in love; despite the love from Lin Xian'er and Shangguan Xiaohong, he couldn't accept either of them, only harboring feelings for his cousin who also loved him. He possessed a personal charisma unmatched by anyone in the martial arts world. It was this charisma that earned him the help of friends in times of trouble; it was this charisma that rallied those with whom he had almost no connection; it was this charisma that allowed him to escape unscathed from traps set for him; and it was this charisma that set him apart from the hypocrites of so-called righteous sects.
    He was a man of many companions, regardless of victory or defeat, but his smile was never seen. If there was one, it was before Long Xiaoyun's arrival; if there was one, it was a bitter, desolate smile. Many feared him, yet united to punish him. Many dreaded him, yet relentlessly framed him, smearing his reputation. The women who loved him throughout their lives almost all died in his arms. As for the women he still cherished while they were alive, he continued to repay that guilt, sometimes willing to give his life for it. And the woman who had hurt him, whom he had also hurt, forgave him only because of the repeated harm he had inflicted upon her. This, perhaps, is the essence of a gentleman—a truly upright and honest gentleman.
    He was a heartbroken man, using alcohol to numb his pain. Because he pushed the woman he loved into another's arms, and because of him, she was sent to her grave. He was a lonely man, passing his days in remembrance and solitude, whether with tears or the cough of drinking alone. He was a sincere man; for his friends, he was willing to sacrifice his life; for his friends, he was loyal and devoted. He was a man of deep affection; to those he had hurt, whether consciously or unconsciously, he would set aside his superhuman pride and give them a chance to vent their anger—a chance even a weakling could kill him. This was a genuine act of repayment, not a hypocritical test.
    His path was fraught with hardship and difficulty. His life was not just about swords and shadows, nor was it merely about wandering the martial world; his life was not just about… I like this character not because of his martial arts skills, nor because of his final ranking in Bai Xiaosheng's "Martial Arts Manual," but because of his affection, his righteousness, his composure in the face of setbacks, and his steadiness in success.
    Finally, I'll quote Lu You's poem "Ode to the Plum Blossom": "Beside the broken bridge outside the post station, it blooms lonely and ownerless. Already dusk, alone in sorrow, further burdened by wind and rain. Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, letting all the flowers be jealous. Falling to the ground, crushed into dust, only its fragrance remains." Especially the lines, "Unwilling to contend for spring's favor, letting all the flowers be jealous. Falling to the ground, crushed into dust, only its fragrance remains." In the end, I simply hope that we can find Li Xunhuan's shadow in this poem, or interpret it through Li Xunhuan's character. For those with insightful understanding, perhaps we can even see ourselves reflected in it.

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