After reading the question, Tao Ling smiled.
He thought about how to answer with the simplest words possible, then quietly said while taking out his phone, “Wen Qingying, you’re really sharp.”
Because the other party couldn’t hear or speak, Tao Ling almost never directly called out to him. As the three words “Wen Qingying” came out of his mouth, Tao Ling was suddenly stunned.
When those words were read together, the corners of the mouth almost seemed to be slightly raised.
It was a bit like a smile.
He raised his eyes to look at Wen Qingying. Wen Qingying had his hands placed one on top of another right at the edge of the table as he sat with a slight forward tilt, slightly furrowing his brows, already prepared to listen attentively.1
Tao Ling couldn’t hold back his laugh: “Sitting so upright, are you an elementary schooler?”
Seeing that he was talking, Wen Qingying focused on his lips, then when he stopped, he looked into his eyes, and immediately revealed his two small tiger teeth.
Don’t just randomly laugh at others!
There was an irritable voice in his heart. It only managed to let out a grumble before Tao Ling suppressed it, but it still unwillingly complained a few more times. It was like a soap bubble being popped, struggling to splash out a little water stain.
Tao Ling thought for a moment before quickly typing on his phone: “Yes, the transition from witchcraft to fuji is one issue, and the transition from fuji to the Daoist practice of ‘transmitting truth’ is another issue. We cannot equate them completely. My summary pursued simplicity, but the wording was not precise enough, which was my mistake.” He waved his hand to signal to Wen Qingying as he typed, and Wen Qingying moved from across to beside him, leaning in gently, reading each word as it appeared.
Tao Ling’s skin was fair, his fingers long and well-defined, and his nails neatly trimmed. As his fingertips swiftly danced across the screen, he was unaware of it himself, but to onlookers, there was a sense of comfort in watching them.
They looked good.
“The so-called ‘descension’ refers to the descent of immortals into the human world. Compared with ‘fuji’ which involves inviting spirits, a more appropriate description is that they share many similarities. Some unique forms found in witchcraft and fuji have similar manifestations in medieval Taoism. When immortals descend, the individuals who receive divine decrees are referred to as mediums by scholars. If we focus on the mediums, we can often observe the presence of shamanistic spirits.
In addition to this, the concept of ‘descension’ in Taoism is also related to other classical traditions, such as the tradition of human-divine interaction found in the ‘Chu Ci.’2an ancient anthology of Chinese poetry But does human-divine interaction exclude witchcraft? Not necessarily. Many people still perceive it as witchcraft.
The formation of Taoist scriptures is a complex process. Taking the ‘Tao De Jing’3one of the two formative texts of the Chinese philosophy of Daoism, written by Laozi as an example, while the scriptures eventually take shape, the group of practitioners to which the mediums belong also plays a crucial role. While much research focuses on the scriptures themselves, the spiritual state of the practitioners is also important. These issues involve questions of religious experience and religious psychology, and theories from the phenomenology of religion are also highly relevant.”
Wen Qingying carefully read through each line, his gaze lingering on the screen for a long while.
Their shoulders were close, almost touching, if not for just a short distance. Suddenly,Tao Ling turned his head, and their eyes met just inches apart.
After a brief pause, Tao Ling lowered his head to look at his phone.
It seemed like Wen Qingying hadn’t noticed his momentary strangeness. His brow remained lightly furrowed, a sign of deep thought. After a moment, he reached for the white paper on the table.
Tao Ling was seated on the side closest to the wall, and Wen Qingying’s movement almost enveloped him completely.
Just like an embrace.
The clean scent from the other person’s clothes hit him, and the scent from an unfamiliar fabric softener brand lingered, carrying with it a warm and slightly sweet aroma.
Taking a whiff, Tao Ling involuntarily held his breath for a moment, then quickly realized his actions. He lightly clenched his teeth and slowly released his breath.
Wen Qingying remained unaware, already starting to write on the paper, “Sorry, sir, I’m too stupid. I get it, but I also don’t. If we delve into it, witchcraft, fuji, mediumship, and shamanism could each become a separate field of study, right? There would be so much to write about.”
After he finished writing, the corner of Tao Ling’s mouth hooked up as he chuckled, “If you apologize like that, I can’t handle it. You’re so smart, but call yourself dumb. I hate kids like you.”
At the same time, he took his phone and typed, “Yeah, there are many problems I can’t figure out either. Different trades are worlds apart. I’m just an outsider when it comes to things like psychology and such. When I apply theories practically, I don’t feel confident even after thinking about them for a long time.”
Rereading the previous content from the beginning, Wen Qingying also took out his phone and wrote, “Sir, I read in a book that religion is for worldly life. Are you studying these things to live a good worldly life too? Or is it for something else?”
Tao Ling’s fingers were originally tapping lightly on the paper, but now the rhythm suddenly slowed down. After a while, he raised his eyes slightly and looked at Wen Qingying hesitantly. Wen Qingying blinked, not understanding his meaning.
Tao Ling remained silent. It seemed like Wen Qingying was asking him if doing these things had any meaning. That could easily prompt someone to start contemplating the meaning of life.
This wasn’t the first time; Wen Qingying’s questions always hit his sore spots.
Some things are simply too difficult to begin discussing or to express, especially in the midst of a partial loss of cognitive ability.
Tao Ling fell silent for a moment, muttering to himself, “No, it’s the opposite. I can’t live my own life well.”
He spoke without facing Wen Qingying directly, so it didn’t count as a response.
Wen Qingying kept his head down as he typed again: “Sir, I noticed you seem happy when you talk to me about these things. Just now, I felt like you only wanted to express yourself without necessarily expecting the other person to understand. Maybe that’s the meaning behind your research?”
Tao Ling paused for a moment, then replied, “Perhaps.”
Wen Qingying smiled and continued typing: “Even if you don’t expect others to understand, I’ll still try my best to understand. It’s really interesting. Thank you, sir.”
He looked sincere, his features illuminated by the light, appearing exceptionally clean.
Tao Ling suddenly felt guilty, as if the intense heartbeat from a few seconds ago was blasphemous.
This thought caused his heart to race again for a moment, and in the end, he could only gently raise the corners of his mouth while silently reproaching himself.
Communicating with Wen Qingying always took some time, and it was already late at night before they knew it.
The next day was Saturday, and Tao Ling didn’t have to work, but he couldn’t shake off the thought of the flower shop still needing to open. However, every time he tried to bring it up, he was interrupted, and Wen Qingying seemed too energetic.
After a while, Wen Qingying picked up his pen again and drew a circle on the paper, but upon closer look, the top was not closed. Next to the drawing were the words “Yan Ge Xing” and a note about the dynasty.
Giving Tao Ling a glance, he quickly typed: “Moreover, isn’t it true that issues involving tradition are rather complex? A completely straight-line inheritance is impossible. Even curves may be illusory, and the existence of circles is out of the question. So, regardless of the influences intermingled in between, from witchcraft to spiritual descent, the outcomes are destined to be different.”
Tao Ling nodded with interest, gesturing upward with his palm in a “please continue” motion.
Wen Qingying smiled. His fingers continued to dance across the screen: “It’s like the ‘Yan Ge Xing’ of Emperor Wen of Wei. Originally, it depicted the lament of a bereaved wife, but gradually, the focus shifted to the battlefield and the borderlands, becoming a frontier poem in the Tang Dynasty. By the time of Jia Zhi, it had reached its peak, with no traces of lovesickness remaining. Subsequently, poets of the Ming Dynasty revived the antiquity, once again using ‘Yan Ge Xing’ to portray the yearning of a wife for her husband’s return. The inheritance of this ancient poem title seems to form a circle, but even if tradition returns, it cannot erase the twists and turns in between. In the end, it is not the same as it was at the beginning.”
“A circle isn’t really a circle.”
“Yeah, it’s like a broken mirror can’t be put back together, and the dead can’t be brought back to life. But that’s not quite it; this analogy doesn’t quite fit,” Tao Ling said. After speaking, he remembered that the other person couldn’t hear him, so he closed his mouth and gave sincere applause.
Wen Qingying smiled happily.
Tao Ling thought about all of Wen Qingying’s behaviors and demeanors up until now, and the level of sophistication that he revealed when he communicated with others. He always felt that he shouldn’t have encountered this kind of person at just a flower shop.
After some contemplation, he typed, “Which school did you attend before?”
The author has something to say:
【Note】Wen Qingying’s understanding of the “Yan Ge Xing” is his own. He hadn’t encountered any discussions on this particular aspect before writing the article, so there’s no source to cite.4so the author made it up
The translator also has something to say:
Sorry about the delay T^T. I’m dying to finals rn (3 papers, 2 group projects, 2 finals – from 5 classes) so it’s been hard to put time aside to translate. But I should be able to get back on schedule in another week after this quarter ends. Thank you for your patience!
