Lanterns evoke a secret first love.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
On Mount Guyao, at the border between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm, a man who had just broken through the sea of corpses took out some dry rations from his Qiankun bag and casually ate a bite. He sheathed his blood-stained longsword, sat down beside an old tree with few leaves, and looked at the bottomless abyss in front of him. Suddenly, his gaze fell on a glowing blue-green crystal on the ground.
He lowered his eyes, and the events that had happened in Jinling back then flooded his mind.
The disgraceful deeds of the Liu family patriarch quickly became known throughout Jinling City. Many people came to the Liu family's house to throw eggs at them. It was the eldest daughter of the Liu family who stepped forward, apologized to all the people, and offered to use the Liu family's assets to compensate the missing child.
Later, under pressure from public opinion, the entire Liu family left Jinling, except for the second young lady of the Liu family, who refused to leave. It is said that she later took over a martial arts school, concealed her identity, and became the shop owner.
After he returned to his sect to report on the matter, he went to the Liu family in Jinling. The underground secret chamber had already been moved. Of course, such a big thing must have involved more than just the two of them.
As fate would have it, on the day he was about to leave, he encountered Liu Yuning, who was still living in Jinling City. After hearing her talk about her old friend, Xuan Qingxian realized that the death of the little mute girl that his junior sister had mentioned was because she had witnessed Liu Wuquan's actions and killed her to cover it up.
He asked Liu Yuning what happened to her later, but she just smiled and said that she would stay here to atone for her father's sins.
Xuan Qingxian didn't tell Liu Yuning that he left the Thousand Miles of Rivers and Lakes Map at the Liu family. If the child who died because of the soul swap still had a wisp of soul, then he could be restored in the Thousand Miles of Rivers and Lakes Map and one day return to his family.
It was by sheer coincidence that Xuan Qingxian unexpectedly met his junior sister several years later. He picked up the crystal that had fallen to the ground, stretched, and said, "Now that I've finished dealing with things here, it's time to go back and see my junior sister."
*
Knowing that the group was heading to Chang'an, Yu Tao'er took the initiative to bid them farewell, saying, "My grandmother is still waiting for me at home for dinner, so I won't be traveling with you. The journey is long, but we'll meet again someday."
After bidding farewell to Yu Tao'er, Zhou Yulin and her companions finally embarked on their journey to Chang'an. After being delayed in Jinling City for a long time, everything was finally back on track. Zhou Yulin's eyes lit up at the thought of being able to cultivate after undergoing a marrow cleansing at the Qingyun Sect.
After a week of fast travel, the four finally arrived in Chang'an.
Perhaps because everything had gone too smoothly, a sense of unease settled in their hearts. As expected, an accident occurred on their first night in Chang'an.
The story begins very simply. Today happens to be the Lantern Festival, and Xu Zuiyue and a woman named Yin Xinglu have their eyes on the same lantern. Business is booming tonight, and the stall owner has only one left, so neither of them wants to give up trying to get this rare lantern.
The Yin family is a renowned family in Chang'an. Ordinary people would give up upon hearing their name, but who is Xu Zuiyue? With her arms crossed, she spoke before Yin Xinglu could, "I also find it troublesome. Just name your price. How much money are you willing to give up?"
The onlookers gasped upon hearing this, while Yin Xinglu, the person involved, looked extremely uncomfortable, as if he had suffered a great insult.
That's true, after all, it's usually Miss Yin who says this to others.
Yin Xinglu sneered, "They really are going against the Heavenly Order!"
As everyone in Chang'an knew, the Yin family's Yin was a wealthy and powerful family.
Yin Xinglu didn't particularly like the lantern to begin with, but after hearing what was arguably an insult to her, she decided that no matter what, she would get the lantern today and raise the price to the bottom.
The stall owner was a young boy, around sixteen or seventeen years old, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth. He said lazily, "Have you two thought it over yet?"
"You two make an offer, and I'll sell to whoever offers the highest price."
Upon hearing this, both Xu Zuiyue and Yin Xinglu exuded a different aura.
"One hundred taels of silver."
"Two hundred taels of silver!"
Good heavens, this lantern, which costs less than an ounce of silver, is priced at a hundred ounces by Xu Zuiyue.
Zhou Yulin glanced at the lanterns, then at the two people bidding up the price, and sighed, "I never thought that one day lanterns would make more money than the gambling den."
When Gu Ling heard the keyword "gambling den," he glanced at Zhou Yulin and couldn't imagine this stunningly beautiful woman playing dice and drinking games in a gambling den.
The stall owner seemed to be getting bored as well. After all, he could have sold out and packed up long ago, but now he had to wait for these two to bid until dawn. He couldn't help but lose interest. "Forget it, I'll keep this lamp for myself. I'm not selling it." After saying that, he ignored the two's reaction and began to pack up his stall.
Unexpectedly, a hand was placed on the recliner where he had just been sitting, stopping him from tidying up. "Wait, I really like this lantern."
The boy straightened up and asked impatiently, "So?"
Before Xu Zuiyue could speak, the young man said in one breath, "I don't have time to argue with you two. If you're willing to raise the price, there are plenty of stalls waiting for you to make money. I have an archery class tonight, and I don't have time to watch you two quarrel." After saying what he wanted to say, the young man put the lantern into his Qiankun bag and turned to leave.
"Archery contest."
It was Yin Xinglu who spoke up, awkwardly shouting, "I'll compete with her in archery, and the winner will buy the prize."
The boy paused in his steps, glanced at the two buyers who genuinely wanted to buy lanterns, and then reluctantly said, "Alright."
Yin Xinglu had the archery target in her Qiankun bag. After she took it out, the maid beside her understood and hung it in front of the stall.
Xu Zuiyue had never learned archery, and even drawing a bow was difficult for her.
But she doesn't know how; there is someone else who does.
She turned around and looked at Chen Muyao for help.
The scene of them exchanging glances naturally caught Zhou Yulin's eye.
The moment Yin Xinglu mentioned archery, she looked at Chen Muyao.
Unfortunately, the other party still had that indifferent, deadpan attitude towards everything.
Zhou Yulin clicked his tongue, "You're giving me a chance but you're not going to take it, buddy."
Speaking of which, Chen Muyao's archery skills were taught by Elder Meiting of the Xuanling Sect. In addition, he started drawing the bow at the age of three, so his skills must be quite good. Back then, he even had a contest with the junior brother who was the top archer in the Xuanling Sect. The content of their contest was extremely strange. They were comparing who could hit a single hair from a hundred meters away.
Zhou Yulin was not present at the scene, but she heard that her junior brother was depressed for more than half a year after losing. As for the winner, he naturally became famous.
"Young Master Chen...would it be troublesome for you?" Xu Zuiyue, who was usually carefree, only showed a bit of girlish tenderness when facing Chen Muyao. Although she said it would be troublesome, Xu Zuiyue still hoped that he would agree.
"I hate people like you the most."
It wasn't Zhou Yulin or Gu Ling who spoke, but the young man watching the show. He curled his lip and said, "Whoever wants it can have it. Don't give me that lovey-dovey nonsense."
Hearing this, Xu Zuiyue blushed and turned her head away shyly. She didn't look at Chen Muyao anymore, but said softly, "I really like this lantern."
Amidst the bustling crowd, Zhou Yulin was surrounded by onlookers carrying lanterns. Perhaps noticing this, Gu Ling asked in a low voice, "Everyone has a lantern for the Lantern Festival. Do you want one? I can buy you one."
The words were spoken at just the right volume, reaching Chen Muyao's ears precisely. Zhou Yulin, however, didn't seem to care. She had never been interested in trinkets from the mortal world. Just as she was about to refuse, she heard the young man say, "I'll take this lamp."
Zhou Yulin was stunned. Looking at Chen Muyao, who was standing up for the beauty, her words of refusal were left hanging in mid-air. Everyone had a lantern at the Lantern Festival, and even her mortal enemies who had fought for so many years now had someone who wanted to give her a lantern...
Yin Xinglu was naturally unhappy to see this scene. She immediately cursed, "You rely on men to make a living, what kind of skill is that!" She could tell at a glance that Xu Zuiyue could not draw a bow and shoot arrows, so she proposed this competition. Originally, she had victory in her grasp, but now she glared angrily at the young man whose strength was unknown. Her face was as red as an autumn leaf, and her eyes revealed a deep resentment.
"Wow, it's so lively here."
Upon hearing this voice, Yin Xinglu's eyes suddenly lit up.
The man who appeared here looked a bit older than Yin Xinglu. He was also dressed in purple, but compared to the girl's light purple dress, the man's attire was much more flamboyant. He wore a jade pendant around his neck, a gold belt around his waist, and a gold fan in his hand as he walked out from the entourage.
The man closed his fan, stopping it at his lips, his fox-like eyes curving into a malicious smile. "Who made my little sister so angry?"
The closed fan lightly brushed past Zhou Yulin and the others. "You really have the guts to go against the Yin family in the capital?" The tender and affectionate voice fell, yet it sent chills down their spines.
The honest man, Gu Ling, recounted the story and concluded, "It was your sister who said she wanted to have an archery contest with us, a fair competition."
"What archery skills?"
"Archery skills, what other archery skills are there?"
Gu Ling found the man's question strange, but it was obvious to the naked eye that the moment he heard Gu Ling's answer, the alluring man's face suddenly turned a shade paler, his mouth moved twice as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he stopped himself from speaking.
The stall owner, acting as referee, announced the rules of the competition: each of the two shoots ten arrows, and whoever hits the bullseye the most times out of ten arrows wins the lantern.
Yin Xinglu volunteered to go first. She knew that the first shot was more stable and less likely to wobble, and it was because of this that she raised her hand and shot first.
As the match was about to begin, everyone held their breath and remained silent.
Unexpectedly, the moment the girl in purple took out her bow and arrow, passersby began to run away. Her flamboyant older brother was even faster than the passersby, running wildly while shouting, "Everyone, run!"
Zhou Yulin and the others who remained behind: ? ? ?
Gu Ling asked somewhat uncertainly, "Is this my older brother?"
Not hearing a reply from the person beside him, he turned his head and saw only Zhou Yulin's profile as she watched the battle intently. He fell silent and reassured himself in a particularly optimistic way: It's not that serious, it's not that serious. What danger could there be in shooting an arrow?
Xu Zuiyue looked at the tall, slender figure of the young man from afar, her face flushing slightly. She thought to herself that he must also be somewhat fond of him, otherwise why would he accept this seemingly insignificant competition?
She had heard from Gu Ling that this person was just a young master from a collateral branch of the Zhou family in Jiangning, but she never cared about his background or birth. As long as he was someone she liked, he was fine no matter what.
"I'm starting."
The competition began with a remark from Yin Xinglu.
The moment the girl drew back the bow, the stall owner, who had been lounging lazily in his recliner, sat bolt upright. He frowned, realizing that something was amiss. "Be careful!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com