Ten Thousand Books, But Only One You

03 The book Snowy Mountain with a Peach Blossom Tree: Volume I

The sound of nearing footsteps startled me and drew my attention away from the book. Looking up, I saw Pan Yi walking over with a flashlight in his hands. Out of everyone in this Garden, his appearance was the most normal to me. Although he had to wear clothes with designs and styles predating his era, he had short loose hair like most males in modern society.

I shifted my weight on the hard seat, my bottom and back sore from remaining still for the past few hours. Placing my index finger in between the pages of the book, I reached for a cup of water with my other hand to quench my thirst. The sun was still hanging high up in the sky when I started on the first chapter. The sky was now turning dark and I was three-quarters into the book. This was considered good progress.

"Xiaoyu, the sun is setting and we have to return for dinner soon. Han dage says that you can continue reading after eating," Pan Yi stood beside me and snuck a glance at the book in my hands.

Sliding a bookmark between the pages where I stopped reading, I closed the book and stood up to stretch my cramped limbs. "Good timing. I'm hungry."

Grinning, Pan Yi gathered up the books on the table and stacked them up in a neat pile. I gulped down the remaining water in my cup before lowering the bamboo blinds surrounding the veranda. Instantly, the room became dim and slightly eery.

"Let's get out of here. It becomes too creepy when night falls." I took the flashlight from Pan Yi's hands and turned it on.

His expression froze as he nodded in agreement. I did not dare ask if he had some prior encounters.

With the book in one hand and a flashlight in another, I led the way out of the Tower, through the Garden, and back to the Residence where everyone was waiting for us.

***

After dinner, Han Dong called for a meeting of all the librarian assistants and I was to participate as well. The study room was large and spacious, and was just like a mini version of the library in the Tower. The five of us sat around a round marble top table in the centre of the room.

"The book is still with Miss Yuhan, right?" Han Dong started when he noticed that everyone was looking at him expectantly. As he was the most ancient out of all the librarian assistants, he was naturally the second-in-command, after the Young Master of the Tower.

I quickly placed the book on the table.

"I doubt you have completed the book, but I believe you have read enough to share with us what I told you to think about."

I gulped as my heart began to pound. I had some preliminary thoughts, but I had not thought deeply enough to develop them. Opening my notebook, I quickly scanned the notes that I had scribbled down as I was reading the book.

"Don't be anxious, Han-qianbei [1] isn't that scary," laughed Wu Yijun, the librarian assistant from the Qing dynasty who had grown his hair out and adopted the Han Chinese fashion style.

Han Dong shot him a deadpan glare.

Instantly, Yijun turned silent. The other librarian assistant, Tian Ji, nudged him as if telling him that he deserved it.

I scratched behind my neck. "I think that the writer was quite confusing to introduce what seems like two antagonists?"

The people at the table pondered on my statement and some nodded to it.

"Go on."

"At first," I continued, "Mo Yue seemed like he could be the bad guy as he wanted to take revenge on the female protagonist and even manipulated his friends' trust. But he suddenly vanished from the story and it is as if Wu Heng replaced him as the villain. I think that the story is quite messy." I glanced around the table and crossed my arms. "Because I have yet to complete the book, I'm not sure if Mo Yue makes an appearance again... He has to, otherwise his story arc would be incomplete, but with only a few chapters left I'm not sure how the writer is planning to wrap things up."