The Collected Sayings of the Seventy-Seven Divine Geniuses

The sixth year of the Guanghe era in the Great Han, September 9th, Saturday—the Double Ninth Festival, a day perfect for climbing high and gazing far. Originally, Luan Yi had planned to ascend Mount Li with Cai Yan and Diao Chan, but with the weather turning colder, Diao Chan caught a chill and could only stay home, tended by the maid Cai Yun and Doctor Wang.

Thus, only Luan Yi, Cai Yan, and the maid Cai Yun set out for the climb. On this crisp autumn day, the scenery at the foot of Mount Li was especially beautiful. Standing before the grand entrance of the Holy Nuwa Church and gazing upwards, the mountains were rugged and lush with vegetation; looking down, villagers had welcomed the first bountiful harvest of the Guanghe years, each household drying golden grains in their courtyards. Everywhere was filled with festive cheer, laughter and song; hymns praising the Holy Mother drifted through the air, and words extolling Luan Yi were sung from house to house...

A profound pride filled Luan Yi’s heart, making everything seem more beautiful than even the twenty-first century.

Luan Yi and Cai Yan walked up the mountain, laughing and chatting. Hunters and woodcutters they met along the way would step forward to greet them: "Greetings, Master!"

"Hello, brother!" "Greetings, brother!" Luan Yi responded kindly to each.

Cai Yan couldn’t help but chuckle, saying to Luan Yi, "Zi Qi, you are now the master of a sect, yet you remain so unassuming!"

"Unassuming?" Luan Yi smiled. "A show of arrogance is merely hollow; only the respect established in people’s hearts is genuine."

Cai Yan was taken aback. "True arrogance, false arrogance? Isn’t that so? Only by accomplishing deeds worthy of respect can one earn genuine esteem. Those who merely parade their official airs may have sycophants around them, feigning respect, but how much of that is sincere? Thinking this, her gaze softened with a hint of admiration. "Zi Qi, these words will surely be remembered by generations to come."

"It was but a casual remark!"

"How could it be mere banter? Years ago you said, 'I offer my heart to the bright moon, yet the moon shines over the ditch,' and 'Heaven gave me talent, it must be of use; riches spent will return anew.' Your words today are equally profound." Cai Yan paused, hesitantly asking, "None of these are written in the classics, nor in your earlier works such as 'Strange Tales' or 'Original Wealth.' How did you come up with them? Could it be that you truly are a celestial descended to earth?"

"Hmm?" Cai Yan's words made Luan Yi uneasy. How did he come up with them? He certainly couldn't admit they were borrowed from a millennium of posthumous wisdom. He smiled to mask his lack of confidence and answered slowly, "I'm no immortal. When I was young, my mother often said that one must learn to read good books. What are good books? Those that benefit body and mind, that improve one's abilities. One must not read blindly or accept the sages' words uncritically; instead, think, summarize, and apply knowledge in practice. Over time, I developed the habit of thinking a bit more than others, and gradually formed my own ideas."

"So that's how it is!" Cai Yan nodded. "Your mother is truly remarkable. In the capital, Cao Mengde once said your mother remarked, 'Whether the cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice, it is a good cat.' For this, Cao Mengde compared her to Mencius’s mother, and now I see the praise was well deserved!"

Luan Yi laughed heartily. "Mengde flatters us. My mother is but an ordinary woman from a merchant family; how could she be compared to Mencius’s mother?"

Cai Yan pouted, dissatisfied. "Zi Qi, that's not right. Mencius’s mother was a village woman, inferior in status and learning to your mother! Besides, have you forgotten that 'true masters dwell among the common folk'? Your mother is indeed a hidden master among the people."

"'True masters dwell among the common folk'?" Luan Yi was delighted, thinking Cai Wenji was truly clever; she had learned to summarize and quote so quickly! That phrase was common internet slang in the twenty-first century. "Zhao Ji, your words too shall be remembered by generations to come."

"How is it my saying? Zi Qi, you already forgot that you said it first!"

"I said it?" Luan Yi was confused. "I don’t recall saying such a thing."

Cai Yan didn’t answer, raising her delicate hand, and the maid Cai Yun obediently took a book bound with divine talent paper from her pack and handed it to Cai Yan.

Cai Yan took the book and quickly flipped through it.

"What is this..." Seeing that Cai Yan had no intention of replying, Luan Yi bent down to peek at the book's title, and saw four large characters: "Collected Sayings of Divine Talent." Looking at the contents, he saw neatly written lines in delicate script—Cai Yan’s handwriting—recording the wise words he had spoken over the years, with the dates noted beside each. He was stunned, speechless.

Cai Yan searched for a while, finally finding the right page and pointing it out to Luan Yi.

"Luan Zi said: 'True masters dwell among the common folk.' From a private letter to Cai Wenji, July 28th, the third year of Zhongping in Great Han!"

Cai Yan smiled triumphantly. "See? Zi Qi, it was you who said it!"

A warm surge filled Luan Yi’s chest. Truth be told, he never imagined Cai Yan would remember every word he spoke, recording them in her book. Acting on instinct, he grabbed Cai Yan’s hands holding the book, pressing her soft, glowing fingers to his heart. "Yan’er, thank you!"

Cai Yan’s cheeks flushed, her eyes lowered. She tried to withdraw her hands, but Luan Yi’s grip was strong, and no matter how she struggled, it was useless, so she simply let him be. "Zi Qi, what are you saying? We are to be husband and wife; we are family. What need is there for thanks between family?"

"Yan’er is right!" Luan Yi chuckled. "Yan’er, look up, let me see you properly, will you?"

Cai Yan’s face grew even redder. For a moment, she glanced up, then quickly looked away again.

Luan Yi gently hooked her chin with his finger, tilting her exquisite face toward him. Truth be told, this was the first time Luan Yi had admired Cai Yan’s beauty from such close proximity.

Her cheeks were pure as jade, her chin finely pointed, above which her lips glowed with a fresh crimson, opening and closing, breathing fragrant air. Above those rosy lips, her nose was straight and perfectly proportioned. Her eyes, bright as gemstones, were set above either side of her nose, and in those radiant pupils, the reflection of her beloved could be seen.

Luan Yi was enchanted, unable to resist moving closer, longing to kiss those luminous lips, to caress the cherished face he thought of day and night... Closer, and closer... Just as their lips were about to meet, Cai Yan turned her head aside, shyly saying, "Zi Qi, you mustn’t... If someone comes up the mountain and sees us... so intimate, they’ll gossip!"

"Someone coming?" Luan Yi glanced at the empty, deserted woods, realizing only then that he and Cai Yan had wandered to the back mountain. "Yan’er, don’t worry. This is the back mountain, seldom visited; no one can see us. Even if someone does, we are to be husband and wife—what gossip could there be?" With that, he boldly wrapped one arm around Cai Yan’s slender waist and brought his lips closer.

Cai Yan broke free again, blocking Luan Yi’s mouth with her hand. "Yun’er is still here!"

Only then did Luan Yi remember that Cai Yun was nearby, coughing awkwardly and straightening his clothes, laughing it off. "I was too rash. Yun’er, please forgive me."

In such matters, Cai Yun was always considerate. In fact, after hearing the nightly sounds from Diao Chan’s room for days, she was quite displeased. Diao Chan, merely a concubine, had not yet married, yet was entangling Luan Yi before Cai Yan, the legitimate wife—her motives were clear: to bear a son before Cai Yan and gain status through motherhood.

Well then! Any woman can bear children. Diao Chan may know how to seduce Luan Yi, but surely her own mistress could bring Luan Yi to bed as well. Then it would be a matter of whose fortune was greater, who bore a son first.

She confided this thought to Cai Yan, only to be scolded harshly, accused of judging others with petty suspicion, and told not to think so poorly of Diao Chan. Perhaps her intentions weren’t just to bear a child before Cai Yan; Luan Yi, after all, had reached a certain age, and curiosity was natural. Diao Chan was also curious, so the two simply explored together.

Though she was scolded, Cai Yan later reflected and realized that if Diao Chan really did conceive Luan Yi’s child during this time, and she herself was barren for years after marriage, her position as wife would indeed become shaky. Moreover, at eighteen, in the bloom of youth, she too was curious about such matters, though etiquette kept her from showing it. Now, with Diao Chan having set a precedent, perhaps she could…

With all these thoughts in mind, when Cai Yun saw Luan Yi and Cai Yan hesitate to be intimate in her presence, she promptly pretended surprise. "Oh no! My handkerchief is missing. I must have dropped it on the way here. I’ll go look for it and be back soon." With that, she ran off.

This left Luan Yi uncertain what to do. In truth, he never really knew what to do—though he was no longer a virgin, Diao Chan had always taken the lead. Now, with the initiative in his hands, he felt awkward. He and Cai Yan stood there, at a loss, mumbling, unsure what to say.

"Um... Look, there’s a bird," Luan Yi said, head down, kicking a stone at his feet.

"Yes," Cai Yan replied, glancing around—there was no bird in sight.

"Uh... This stone is quite smooth."

"It’s alright."

The two remained awkward for a long while, until Cai Yan finally couldn’t contain herself. Her chest heaved, and after twenty deep breaths, she said, "Zi Qi... um, do you... do you not want to hold Yan’er’s hand?"

Luan Yi’s eyes lit up. "I do, of course I do." With that, he grabbed Cai Yan’s hand and, with a swift pull, drew her into his arms.