First kiss

My time at the Palace of Fate was more fulfilling than I had imagined.

Every morning, Qian Jin and Ao Ming would arrive at the vast Jade Slip Library on time. Qian Jin would always be the first to plunge into the piles of documents, while Ao Ming would quietly accompany her, occasionally fetching scrolls from the high shelves for her.

Although the Siming Mansion was detached from worldly affairs, it still prepared fine tea and celestial fruits. The two often sat there for an entire day, until night fell and the pearl began to shine, before reluctantly departing.

They randomly selected scrolls from the Book of Fate, quietly experiencing fragments of an ordinary person's life. Qian Jin especially loved those ordinary yet heartwarming moments; she often read them while taking notes, her eyes shining as if she had discovered some incredible treasure.

Ao Ming was more often silent, only occasionally letting out a soft sigh: "So, even a mortal's life can be so moving."

They discovered many shining moments in the lives of countless ordinary people.

For example, an old fisherman went out to sea every day not to catch a lot of fish and shrimp, but to stay with an injured seabird until it grew its wings and returned to the sky. After that, the old fisherman still stared at the horizon where the sea and sky met every day, a smile on his lips.

For example, there was an embroiderer who never married, yet she embroidered all the flowers in the world. She gave each piece of embroidery to her neighbors, saying, "Although I have no children, my flowers bloom on the clothes of millions of people."

For example, there was a peddler who traveled from street to street and never made a fortune, but he always carried sugar pills in his satchel. When he encountered a crying child, he would secretly hand one to him. On the day he died, the whole street came to see him off, many of them middle-aged people.

When Ao Ming listened to Qian Jin recount these examples, he couldn't help but be somewhat lost in thought.

He thought that if he were to look back on his long life one day, most of his memories would be related to Qian Jin.

From their first encounter at the God of Wealth's Mansion to their inseparable bond today, she has long been the most vibrant, brightest, and most important chapter in his life.

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Qian Jin finally mustered up the courage to hand over her first story to the God of Destiny.

The Star Lord of Destiny unfolded the document and examined it closely, remaining silent for a long time. Qian Jin's palms were sweating with nervousness, and Ao Ming also held his breath.

In the end, Xingjun gently shook his head: "The emotions are genuine, but the writing skills are still immature. You need to practice more."

Qian Jin was taken aback for a moment, but she wasn't discouraged at all. Instead, her eyes shone even brighter: "Thank you, Star Lord! I'll go and revise it again!"

After returning home, she devoted herself to studying the Book of Fate day and night, reading, writing, revising, and showing it to the Star Lord, only to have it rejected again.

This happened repeatedly, and she was rejected countless times, but she became more and more determined, showing no signs of giving up or getting discouraged.

One day, Ao Ming saw that she had not slept all night again, and her eyes were dark with bruises, but she was still writing with great energy. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "You have failed so many times, why are you not anxious? Don't you seem discouraged?"

Qian Jin looked up from the file, quite surprised: "Why be discouraged? Haven't you been writing better each time? You'll get through it eventually!"

Looking at her matter-of-fact, bright eyes, Ao Ming suddenly laughed: "I really didn't realize that when you, a money-grubber, put in the effort, you're more serious than anyone else."

"Of course!" Qian Jin proudly raised his chin. "We money-grubbers are the ones who will succeed at anything!"

She sat up cross-legged with great interest and shared with Ao Ming how she had "crammed" for the God of Wealth's examination: she slept only two hours a day for three consecutive years and wrote notes that were as tall as three people; in order to pass the "treasure identification" exam, she touched all the circulating spirit stone currencies in the immortal realm, and her fingers developed calluses; she even practiced mental arithmetic in front of a waterfall in order to develop the ability to "calculate at a glance", and the deafening sound of the water could not disturb her in the slightest.

Ao Ming listened with a mixture of admiration and heartache. Seeing her now putting in so much effort for something that originally had nothing to do with her, his heart softened completely.

This time, Qian Jin presented the newly written story to the Star Lord of Fate.

Xingjun took it, quickly glanced through it, his expression calm, and simply nodded slightly: "It's ready."

The three simple words left Qian Jin and Ao Ming speechless for a moment, frozen in place.

Until the God of Destiny smiled and said, "Really? It's over."

Qian Jin jumped up and hugged Ao Ming tightly, her voice trembling with joy: "Ao Ming! I passed! I succeeded!"

Ao Ming was taken aback when she pounced on him, but then a surge of joy welled up in his heart. He couldn't care about anything else and instinctively hugged her back tightly!

Qian Jin was still rambling on about how happy she was when she suddenly realized that Ao Ming was hugging her tighter and tighter, making it hard for her to breathe. She quickly patted him and said, "Hey? Big brother, let go, let go, let go! I'm suffocating!"

Ao Ming quickly let go, his handsome face flushed red, but his eyes were fixed on Qian Jin, unable to look away.

Qian Jin's cheeks flushed from his gaze, and she glared at him reproachfully, "Really..."

The Star Lord of Destiny watched them with a smile, his face expressionless, but inwardly he was gossiping: Tsk tsk tsk, this dragon will probably be completely under this money girl's thumb for the rest of his life! Oh dear, poor little thing!

The two bid farewell to the Star Lord of Destiny and returned to the East Sea in the evening.

When the Dragon King and Dragon Queen saw them finally return, they greeted them with smiles: "You've been gone for so long! Come on, let's eat first, and we can talk while we eat!"

Ao Ming waved his hands repeatedly, "It's too late, it's too late!" He grabbed Qian Jin and ran outside, "Let's go to the Moonlit Storytelling Club and try out the new stories!"

The two went straight to the carefully arranged water area. Qian Jin took a deep breath and walked to the center of the reef. Tonight, she would tell a story she had written herself, about a little fox spirit who suffered greatly but always maintained a kind heart, ultimately turning her life around, rewriting her destiny, and finding true love.

Her words were more fluent and moving than ever before, full of genuine emotion. Coupled with the perfectly timed music and the gentle moonlight, the whole story captivated the listener.

The merfolk felt a deep empathy for the little fox spirit, whose fate was full of hardships yet who was tenacious and unyielding. Tears fell like rain, and the shimmering teardrops covered the entire seabed, sparkling and full of spiritual energy.

The results were better than ever before.

Looking at this scene, Qian Jin felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment. The matter of the merfolk had finally found a long-term solution. But what surprised her even more was that she seemed to have truly grasped the knack and joy of storytelling, discovering that she possessed such an undiscovered skill.

Ao Ming looked at her glowing profile and couldn't help but laugh.

In fact, while Qian Jin was engrossed in practicing and revising the script, Ao Ming was not idle either.

He often picked up the manuscripts that Qian Jin had discarded, silently flipped through them, and then pondered in his heart how he would tell the story, how he would use his voice and tone to create atmosphere and shape characters.

Without any formal instruction, he relied entirely on his memory and intuition from listening to stories to gradually learn the ropes of storytelling.

Seeing Qian Jin's great success, Ao Ming looked at the waters still immersed in the afterglow of the story, and at the lingering tear stains on the faces of the mermaids, and a strong impulse suddenly surged in his heart. He took a deep breath and boldly said to Qian Jin, "Qian Jin, I...I want to try it too."

Qian Jin was immersed in joy when she heard this and was pleasantly surprised. She turned to look at him and said, "Really? You want to tell me too? That's great!"

Ao Ming nodded, as if he had made up his mind, and then said, "However... I think it might be better if I speak without a musician." He wanted to test himself and see if he could move the audience with the atmosphere he created purely through language and rhythm.

Although Qian Jin was somewhat puzzled, he immediately waved for the two musicians to stop. The scene fell silent, with only the sound of waves lapping against the rocks. All eyes were on Ao Ming.

Ao Ming walked to the center of the reef, paused for a moment, and then began to tell his story.

Upon hearing this, Qian Jin realized it was an early story she had written about a down-on-his-luck scholar falling in love with a flower fairy, only to end in tragedy due to their vastly different social statuses. It was one of the manuscripts that Si Ming Xingjun had rejected, deeming it "clichéd and emotionally exaggerated." She was quite surprised; she hadn't expected Ao Ming to still have this story and remember it so clearly.

However, Ao Ming's performance that followed was even more surprising. Without the accompaniment of string and wind instruments, relying solely on his voice, sometimes clear and melodious like a scholar reciting poetry, sometimes gentle and charming like a flower fairy whispering, he told that otherwise cliché story in a graceful and moving way.

He is particularly adept at using pauses and variations in tone to create tension in the mundane, giving this "nonsense" an unexpected charm.

After finishing his explanation, Ao Ming seemed to have found his footing. He looked at Qian Jin, his eyes questioning. Qian Jin immediately understood, nodded vigorously, and mouthed silently, "Talk about that! The general's!"

Ao Ming understood immediately and spoke again. This time, he recounted Qian Jin's story, another rejected draft that failed the assessment. It was a passionate tale about a general who was framed, spent years in hiding, and ultimately sought revenge and ascended the throne.

This lecture was truly groundbreaking!

Ao Ming stood atop the moonlit reef, his figure appearing even more upright.

His voice suddenly became powerful and resonant, and the phrase "When a general is angry, a million corpses will fall" truly conveyed the aura of clashing swords and galloping horses, and the overwhelming power of a tiger that could swallow up thousands of miles!

His speech varied in pace, sometimes rapid, sometimes slow. When describing the carnage on the battlefield, it was as swift as a sudden downpour, each word like a knife; when portraying the general's forbearance, it was as slow as a deep bell, with suppressed yet immense power. From his mouth, he conjured the roar of a thousand horses galloping, the treacherous intrigues of the imperial court, and the protagonist's inner struggle and resolute determination!

Qian Jin listened, dumbfounded, hardly believing her ears. Was this still the story she had written? Through Ao Ming's narration, it had become so dramatic and captivating! He had clearly become an exceptionally skilled storyteller!

Because this story is a revenge-themed novel, with a tone that is passionate and tragic rather than melancholic and sentimental, after Ao Ming finished telling the story, there was complete silence below, and no one was sobbing.

Ao Ming's heart sank, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He thought to himself, "It's over." He feared that his acting style was still not good enough and he had messed it up. Just as he was feeling frustrated...

"Whoosh!"

After a brief silence, a burst of enthusiastic and sustained applause erupted from below! Although the merfolk did not cry, they were clearly deeply attracted and shocked by this completely different storytelling style and Ao Ming's brilliant performance. They vigorously slapped their tails, splashing countless water droplets, expressing their great appreciation and excitement in their own unique way!

Ao Ming was stunned by the sudden success and the reaction. Standing on the reef, looking at the excited aquatic creatures below, he didn't react for a moment.

Just then, Qian Jin rushed over excitedly, hugged him tightly, and jumped up and down laughing: "Ao Ming! You're amazing! My God! You actually managed to produce such an effect from my worthless writing! When did you memorize it? And you practiced it so well! You're simply a genius!"

A soft, warm body suddenly rushed into his arms, and he heard her excited cheers and lavish praise.

Ao Ming's mind was instantly filled with a mix of intensely conflicting emotions. He saw nothing else but Qian Jin's face, which appeared even more radiant and beautiful due to her extreme joy.

In a moment of impulsiveness, he didn't have time to think. Following his most primal impulse, Ao Ming lowered his head and precisely captured the slightly parted lips of surprise.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment.

Qian Jin froze completely, her eyes wide open, her mind blank.

The merfolk below were taken aback for a moment, then erupted in a unified cheer, tinged with curiosity and a hint of jeers: "Wow!"

...

When the two finally returned to the Dragon Palace, the Dragon Queen had been waiting for them for a long time.

Seeing them return, she quickly greeted them, "Oh dear, you're finally back! Come and eat quickly, the food has been reheated three times already, it'll get cold if you don't eat it soon!" As she spoke, her gaze inadvertently swept over the two of them, and then she paused slightly in surprise.

Ao Ming's face was flushed, and one cheek was unnaturally swollen, clearly indicating that he had just been slapped.

Qian Jin, standing next to her, also had a flushed face and evasive eyes. In particular, her right hand was unconsciously curled up slightly, and her fingertips seemed to be a little red and swollen.

The Dragon Queen, no ordinary woman, subtly shifted her gaze between the two men. Far from easing the tension, she shouted with a hint of schadenfreude, "Old man! Come out and see! Your son has been beaten up by Qian Yatou again!"