Time Slot

A meal, a table, the atmosphere is split in half, one end is cold, the other end is warm.

Qin Lan could chat with everyone next to him, and he would mention something to Jiang Nian from time to time. Occasionally, his eyes lingered between her and Xiao Yingzhu for a moment, and then he would look away with a sigh and meaningful look, making the place extremely lively.

After a few rounds of dishes, I chose less of each and gradually felt full.

Putting down the chopsticks in his hand, Jiang Nian pressed his fingers lightly with his fingertips a little uncomfortably, and sighed slightly in his heart.

Throughout the whole time, everyone was listening to Qin Lan talking and laughing enthusiastically. Xiao Yingzhu was a quiet person and she didn't usually like to join in the fun and chat, so compared with that side, besides being quiet, there was also a bit of dead coldness.

The problem was that Xiao Yingzhu was sitting next to her, and she always felt that no matter what she did or what she said in response, she would be seen through.

As a result, except when Qin Lan spoke to him, Jiang Nian kept his eyes fixed on the front and didn't even glance at Xiao Yingzhu.

It’s strange to say, except for the visit to Qishan Mansion today at Qin Lan’s invitation, the last time I talked with Xiao Yingzhu was in a teahouse.

We have only met twice, and now my relationship with him has become subtly different.

She couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed.

What is your relationship with him now?

She wanted to think about it, but her heart always wanted to avoid this question. Even if she could sort out her thoughts, she would still try to avoid it as if to refuse.

Xiao Yingzhu seemed to be tired of this banquet. The whole banquet was filled with Qin Lan's chatter, mixed with a few sad sounds of Yunxiu coughing in pain after eating the golden pastry brought by Ai.

After a few glasses of sake, although I didn't get drunk, I still felt a headache from his noise.

He pressed his temples with his slender knuckles for a while, then stood up lazily, walked past the screen, and rested his fingertips on the door of the private room.

Qin Lan turned back curiously and shook the sake he had just ordered. There was no other way, Tao Yu would not let him drink any alcohol outside.

"Are you leaving?"

The door was opened a crack. Xiao Yingzhu turned back lazily and said casually, "Go out for some fresh air."

The cool breeze outside blew in through the crack in the door, and the sound of the door closing was heard immediately, blocking out the noise outside the private room.

Yunxiu broke off another piece of the deflated golden pastry and put it in his mouth. He frowned at the unique taste, glanced across at him, and then responded to Qin Lan's words.

"They're all out."

"……well."

Qin Lan put the half-drunk sake back on the table, clicked his tongue a few times, shook his head and sighed.

"There's no way. I can't save him, and I can't take him with me."

Ai was full and placed the last golden pastry on the plate in his hand. Qin Lan had been tortured by this pastry all night and now even the smell made him feel nauseous. He swallowed back what he was about to say and turned to Ai with a sigh:

"Leave some for you to eat when you get home. Don't leave any of it. After all, you brought it all the way from Hezhi. If you finish it this time, you won't be able to eat it again for a while."

There was a deep sincerity in Qin Lan's eyes, and the hand that was holding the golden pastry in his hand paused. Ai thought it made sense, nodded, and took it back.

Yunxiu pondered Qin Lan's words, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked back, "What do you mean?"

"How do you say that?"

Qin Lan slowly smiled as his fingers stroked the cool porcelain on the neck of the Deli Cup.

"What are the types of love between men and women? It's nothing more than talking about love. Since neither side can reach each other, the only thing I can do now is to find an opening and get in."

"?"

Yunxiu glanced back at the closed door of the private room, his words tinged with doubt: "Are you talking about the master?"

Ai put the golden pastry back on the table, and its shadow reflected Qin Lan's shaking head.

"I didn't tell anyone."

—

The private room was stuffy, and there was a breeze coming in from the seats, but if you sat there for too long your cheeks would inevitably turn red from the lively atmosphere.

Jiang Nian politely informed them and then opened the door of the private room to get some fresh air.

The Moon Viewing Tower was complex in structure and there were many people downstairs. She didn't want to go to a crowded place, so she stood on the corridor and asked a waiter, and was then taken to the balcony on this floor for guests to enjoy the moon.

The edge of the balcony's railing was illuminated by the moonlight, and the wooden floor made a dull sound when stepped on. Jiang Nian used a hairpin to tie up the long black hair that was hanging behind her neck, and it was blown away by the slightly drunken cool breeze.

The waning moon was half hidden by clouds, and the cool moonlight was accompanied by the rustling sound of petals beside the ears, like the gurgling of a spring, flowing all over the ground.

Away from the noisy surroundings, looking at the moon in the sky, Jiang Nian felt much more relaxed without the people around him whom he always paid attention to.

A thousand years have passed, and they are now looking at the same moon together. The bright moonlight caresses her cheeks. In this place where she can only see clouds and moon, she can completely relax and enjoy a moment of nostalgia.

My mind is very empty, and I try not to think about other things. I am immersed in this lonely environment that seems to be away from the world, and I can only smell the faint fragrance of sandalwood lingering around me.

Jiang Nian withdrew his arm from the railing, gathered his thoughts, and looked to the side.

Xiao Yingzhu stood beside her without her knowing when.

“…”

Jiang Nian glanced at him, then turned away slightly with a serene expression. Without mentioning what had just happened in the Moon Viewing Tower, he simply smiled and asked, "Why is Young Master Xiao here?"

The breath is light and soft, but the cold meaning is obvious.

Her wonderful leisure time to appreciate the moon was interrupted, so she was naturally in a bad mood.

Xiao Yingzhu looked at her nonchalantly, with a faint expression.

"Miss Jiang, what you said is interesting. If you can be here, why can't I be here?"

The address changed several times, as if he had completely forgotten what he had said before coming to the banquet. But the words were pronounced very lightly, as if they were substitutes to bridge the obscure distance.

The sound beside Jiang Nian's ear was filled with a faint fragrance, which was reflected all over his body.

She turned her head away, and saw thick fog in his eyes, which prevented her from seeing the subtle thoughts in his heart.

Her empty mind became active again. Her eyes moved slightly, and after a moment of silence, she withdrew her hand from the railing. The cold expression on her face faded away, and her smiling face was so bright that it shattered the stars.

"Jiang Nian made a slip of the tongue."

The cool moon reflected her beautiful face, which was as frosty as snow.

"Mr. Xiao, you left your private room and came to this pavilion just now. What do you want to say to me?"

"...like passing by?"

The person opposite her had his back to the fading moonlight, and chuckled as he listened to her reply. There was an imperceptible hint of coldness in his eyes, which was even more obvious.

"You don't seem to be stupid. I thought Miss Jiang would refuse me like she did just now."

"Tell me, which step are you going to take?"

After the banquet, it is time to set off again.

If you can’t even find the way, then you can’t even get through the physical entry threshold.

Xiao Yingzhu was asking for her opinion.

The bright moon in the sky dispersed the clouds and mist, and a gentle breeze drifted past her ears. Jiang Nian tucked up her hair.

"Your Excellency, do you wish to go through Taoyu's sect and take the 'ferry' there?"

The normal journey between Cang County and Pingzhou takes a very long time. The fastest way to get there is by boat, using the unobstructed waterway.

Xiao Yingzhu turned her eyes away, then looked at the same moon as Jiang Nian had just looked at.

"The scene is well chosen. Miss Jiang will use it to show the way."

—

In the end, there were not many people going up to the balcony, and Jiang Nian and he almost had the moon-viewing spot to himself for the whole night.

Returning to the topic of leisure time, the depression she had before entering the Moon Viewing Tower naturally dissipated. She relaxed her body and mind and stood behind the railing. The moonlight from a thousand years ago was still as bright as the place where she lived.

Perhaps the nostalgia in her eyes was too strong, Xiao Yingzhu turned his eyes away from the moonlight without any expression, and paused on her face for a moment.

He didn't say anything, and even his gaze was very light. It seemed that before she used it as a bargaining chip, he was not prepared to ask any questions and had restrained his probing.

They sat opposite each other in silence, their expressions reflecting their hearts. Jiang Nian calmly turned his eyes away from the waning moon, and the words that were hidden deep in his heart were slightly revealed in this quiet place.

"The moonlight shines eternally, and we will continue our fellow countrymen's friendship in the next life."

"Does Master Xiao believe in the Three Lives Stone?"

Dealing with so many things in daily life can numb some of my senses, but I still miss the time she spent with me.

She thought that after staying in Huan Dynasty for a long time, she would gradually get used to the life here and everything here.

But after receiving higher education and witnessing those high-tech and unprecedented inventions, he was reincarnated alone in a court that was not even recorded in history books. It was like completely severing all ties with the modern past and finding no ties to the country in this era.

No matter where she is, as long as she has modern memories, she is a stranger here, a stranger who can never go back. She can make the best contribution she can to Huandu, but she cannot try her best to leave her own mark in this world.

She got to know more and more people in Huandu, but among these people, there was not one person to whom she could open her heart or accept her distress, sorrow, sudden sadness, confusion and boredom.

The only person who could appreciate the moon together at the moon-viewing place was Xiao Yingzhu, who was extremely cautious and vigilant at the beginning, unwilling to reveal anything and dared not rely on anyone completely.

What a coincidence this is.

The cold wind dried her eyes, and she blinked until tears were about to fall. Xiao Yingzhu looked at Jiang Nian, lowering her head and rubbing her eyes. Her thoughts paused, and she couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Three Lives Stone?"

The tone of his question was too unfamiliar and too confusing. Jiang Nian's breathing became a little choked, and he felt dizzy.

She closed her eyes slightly, took a deep breath, and explained lightly:

"The story of Zen Master Yuanze and Li Yuan... Legend has it that Zen Master Yuanze knew he would pass away and be reborn as a woman's son. So he made an agreement with his good friend Li Yuan that if Li Yuan was willing, they would meet outside Tianzhu Temple in Hangzhou on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival thirteen years later."

"After Yuanze passed away, Li Yuan arrived as promised. He met a shepherd boy who was singing a song."

Jiang Nian pursed her lips and fell into memories.

"The old spirit on the Three Lives Stone, admiring the moon and chanting the wind, no need to talk about it. I am ashamed to be visited by my old friend from afar, although this body of the opposite sex will live forever..."

She stopped talking at that point, her mind returning to calm. Thinking about how the Three Lives Stone and the moonlight had suddenly stirred up her deepest thoughts, she couldn't help but sneer and said, "I lost my composure... Young Master Xiao, please forget it."

Xiao Yingzhu's face was indifferent, and she had forgotten what she had just said. There was a dark undercurrent in her eyes, hidden in a deep, thick pool, pulling at her various thoughts.

The chips that were hidden earlier were now revealed because of the unintentional question of the "Three Lives Stone". Jiang Nian felt a slight bitterness in his heart, but also felt a little relieved out of luck.

The hidden matter was half revealed. The target was Xiao Yingzhu, and he would wait for him to find an opportunity to speak, without excessive pressure. At the same time, he knew that he was not one to talk to others.

At present, this complicated relationship with him, with so many things that seem to have weaknesses, can be regarded as a kind of trust.

She collected her thoughts and stopped looking at the moon. She returned to her original flawless appearance, looking at Xiao Yingzhu with clear eyes. She withdrew her hand that she wanted to extend and spoke calmly.

"It's getting late, Master Qin should be waiting too. Let's get down together."