Lantern Festival Brings New Ideas
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The arrow shattered into thirty bolts the moment it left the bowstring, scattering in all directions. None of them hit the bullseye. The stall owner, realizing what was happening, grabbed a cloth from the table, stepped forward, and stood in front of Xu Zuiyue and the others, sweeping the arrows away.
"Miss Yin, it's one thing if you miss the bullseye, but what are you trying to do?" Xu Zuiyue frowned and questioned in an unfriendly tone. If the stall owner hadn't been quick-witted, the arrow would have hurt her eyes. She found this despicable behavior disgusting and infuriating.
"If you don't like me, mind your own business." Yin Xinglu turned her head and rolled her eyes. "There are still nine arrows left. Don't make a fuss. If you disturb Miss's lantern-getting, I won't let a single one go."
Faced with Yin Xinglu's arrogant and domineering behavior, Xu Zuiyue could only swallow her anger and bow her head to thank the stall owner who had helped her.
The boy waved his hand, indicating that it wasn't a big problem.
However, when his eyes fell on the tablecloth, his heart bled. This was a fine piece of brocade, and now that it was so torn, it would probably be hard to sell even at a low second-hand price.
While the stall owner was still mourning the damaged tablecloth, Gu Ling leaned in and asked curiously, "Stadium owner, what kind of move did that person use? How did one arrow split into thirty in the blink of an eye?"
The stall owner glanced at Gu Ling, who was humbly seeking knowledge, the gloom in his eyes fading away. He chuckled, "Want to know?"
Seeing the man nod earnestly, the young man beckoned to him, and Gu Ling immediately sidled up to him like a puppy, only to hear a lazy voice beside his ear, "I don't know either."
Gu Ling was speechless for a moment, then took a few steps back.
Yin Xinglu began her second round of archery.
Zhou Yulin finally understood why even her own brother avoided Yin Xinglu. This man's archery was like a death sentence; one arrow could kill thirty people, and ten arrows could wipe out the onlookers, while the target would probably remain unscathed.
"This archery skill is truly outrageous." Gu Ling covered his head and ran away like a rat.
Zhou Yulin followed behind Gu Ling, tugging at his clothes to prevent him from being hit by the arrows. Xu Zuiyue, meanwhile, wielded her sword to deflect the rain of arrows. She was caught off guard by the first volley and almost didn't have time to react.
But for her, who was prepared, these arrows were not fast; their advantage lay in their chaotic direction, making them impossible to predict.
Zhou Yulin was still watching the battle, and seeing Yin Xinglu's serious expression, she really believed in a principle: the sea of questions strategy. After ten arrows, most people would be lucky to hit the target five or six times, but Yin Xinglu's ten arrows were equivalent to three hundred arrows for others. It was just a matter of probability how many of the three hundred arrows would hit the target.
So after ten arrows, she actually hit the bullseye six times.
With a smug look on his face, Yin Xinglu put away his bow and arrow and said provocatively, "Please, I want to see what kind of strength you have."
Upon hearing this, Gu Ling almost jumped up and shouted that it was unfair, but was calmly pressed down by Zhou Yulin.
Xu Zuiyue looked at Chen Muyao with concern, but the man had already walked to the target.
With a wave of his hand, the stall owner used his spiritual power to pull out the arrow. Looking at the target riddled with holes, Xu Zuiyue couldn't help but feel a cold sweat break out for Chen Muyao.
Do you think he will win?
"Don't worry, your young master Chen doesn't even know how to write the word 'lose'."
The words "Young Master Chen" came out of Zhou Yulin's mouth crisply, sounding more like a sarcastic remark than a compliment.
She watched the young man's retreating figure, crossed her arms, and said quietly, "Besides, if we lose, we lose. It's just a matter of losing face."
Anyway, it wasn't Zhou Yulin who lost face, so she was actually quite happy about it.
Moreover, this person took the lantern to please others.
However, if this person loses, his junior brother in the Archery Academy of the Xuanling Sect will probably be depressed for ten days or half a month when he finds out.
"Young Master Chen, keep it up!" It was Xu Zuiyue's voice.
Chen Muyao, on whom Xu Zuiyue had placed high hopes, took out an ordinary wooden bow, bowed, and said, "My archery skills are not good, please teach me, young lady." Such polite words were something that all the disciples of Xiaobieshan had to learn, and no one who knew Chen Muyao would believe such a blatantly fake statement.
For example, Yin Xinglu's face was practically plastered with smugness. "If you're not good enough, go home. Don't embarrass yourself here."
Xu Zuiyue retorted, "Fair competition, Miss Yin, please don't disturb my young master Chen."
Hearing him call him "young master" repeatedly, Zhou Yulin felt embarrassed. He had only used the term to tease Gu Ling, but hearing Xu Zuiyue use it as well made the "culprit" chuckle.
As for Young Master Chen, on whom everyone had placed high hopes, he drew his bow and released the first arrow, which hit the bullseye perfectly. You wouldn't know until you saw it, but once he did, Yin Xinglu knew the outcome. How could she have imagined that a seemingly ordinary commoner's archery skills would be so remarkable?
After ten arrows were fired, the bullseye was firmly planted with ten arrows, and the arrow rain was neatly arranged.
The stall owner glanced at the target, took out the lantern without saying a word, and handed it to Chen Muyao. Facing the "young couple" who had won in the end, the man looked depressed and gave a forced smile, saying, "Congratulations to you."
Seeing the stall owner leave, before leaving, Yin Xinglu glared at Xu Zuiyue, who was beaming with joy, and said harshly, "A gentleman takes revenge even after ten years. I've made an enemy of you. We'll see what happens in Chang'an from now on." Even though she had no supporters by her side, Miss Yin was still quite arrogant.
For a moment, only four people remained on the spot.
"Thank you..." Xu Zuiyue reached out halfway, but Chen Muyao put away the lantern.
The abrupt end of the sentence revealed a hint of awkwardness.
Instead of asking any more questions that might make her look foolish, Xu Zuiyue smiled and took Zhou Yulin's hand, suggesting cheerfully, "It's the Lantern Festival tonight. I'll take Yulin for a stroll, and you two can do your own thing. We'll meet up at Ruihe River later."
Because of the Jadeite incident, this person had been avoiding him for a while, but today he's become quite friendly. It's probably all because of Chen Muyao.
The two hadn't walked far when Xu Zuiyue let go of Zhou Yulin's hand. After walking a few steps faster, in the lamplight, as she turned her head, Zhou Yulin saw her reddened eyes. "That lantern wasn't for me, was it?"
Looking at the woman in front of her who suddenly burst into tears, Zhou Yulin was stunned. No, how did it become her turn to answer this question? How could Xu Zuiyue be so sure that it wasn't Chen Muyao who liked this lantern?
The tough-as-nails junior sister, who could never bear to see a woman cry, carefully handed the other woman a handkerchief and immediately came up with a plan, saying, "How could that be? Miss Xu, you probably don't know this, but during the Lantern Festival in Chang'an, lanterns are always given to each other as gifts and blessings. Maybe he's waiting for you to exchange lanterns with him?"
Seeing a couple exchanging lanterns not far away, Zhou Yulin, who was making things up, quickly added, "Look, things aren't settled yet, Miss Xu, you have to believe that anything is possible."
Xu Zuiyue wiped away her tears, her voice trembling with sobs, "Really?"
Zhou Yulin, who could coax people without batting an eye, nodded, "Of course."
Does Zhou Yulin not understand Xu Zuiyue, or Chen Muyao?
After all, they've been mortal enemies for over a decade. Chen Muyao's dog-like nature is so obvious that he's practically wearing his intentions on his sleeve; he simply wants the woman to take the initiative.
Although he obtained the lantern for his beloved, he is the kind of person who doesn't readily reveal his feelings, and even if he has feelings for her, he won't make them obvious. Therefore, he is probably hinting to Xu Zuiyue that he wants her to take the initiative.
“In that case, I’ll send Gu Ling away, and you and Chen Muyao can enjoy your time together under the moon and flowers. Wouldn’t that be wonderful for a lone man and woman?” It is said that true feelings are revealed in times of trouble. Xu Zuiyue felt that she had probably misunderstood Zhou Yulin before. The sword was probably taken by her junior sister, so it wasn’t on her. Miss Zhou was just a weak woman with no power. How could she possibly gain the approval of Buzhuiyu?
With her inner conflict resolved, Xu Zuiyue looked at Zhou Yulin with less hostility and more genuine emotion. "Yulin, thank you."
With lanterns lit and the moon hanging high, Gu Ling was unaware of the unusual atmosphere. At that moment, he was still on the street looking for lanterns for Zhou Yulin. "Hey! What do you think of this lantern?" It was a lifelike rabbit lantern, with the rabbit's ears swaying as the light flickered.
Chen Muyao glanced at the intrigued Gu Ling and bluntly stated, "It wasn't bought for her at all; you just like it, right?"
The person choosing the lantern froze, awkwardly turned their head, and smiled in a way that looked more like a grimace. "Really? Is it that obvious?"
Chen Muyao stopped, squinted, and looked at the towering Mingyue Tower. "They've caught up with us. What do you think?"
Gu Ling put down the lanterns, and the man who usually joked about life was unusually serious at this moment.
"You know him?"
Gu Ling stretched his limbs, preparing to make a move, when he heard the person behind him leisurely remind him, "Three Nascent Soul cultivators and ten Golden Core cultivators, going forward this time is no different from offering your head as a sacrifice."
Gu Ling's composed demeanor instantly crumbled. He turned to look at the young man standing behind him at the intersection of the lights. The young man lazily raised his eyes and said, "You're not blind, but pretending to be. You've attracted so many people to try and catch you. Are you perhaps a fugitive?"
Seeing the figure leap down from the rooftop of Mingyue Tower, Gu Ling didn't have time to answer Chen Muyao's question. He turned and disappeared into the crowd, chasing after the figure as it passed by.
“Those are people from the Dali Temple. Young Master, should we go and help them?”
"Don't meddle in other people's business."
Having wandered around for a while, Chen Muyao decided to head to the Ruihe River to meet up with the others.
Zhou Yulin was already waiting by the Rui River. She was a little surprised to see that the person was alone. "Where is Gu Ling?"
The newcomer stood on the high platform, looking down at the woman standing by the river below, and said in a nonchalant tone, "You seem to care quite a bit about him."
Zhou Yulin was speechless. This person left with Gu Ling, but when he returned, he didn't see Gu Ling. Wasn't it normal for her to ask him a few questions? Why did it sound like something unusual to him?
“I’ve always treated my friends this way, but someone else is being sarcastic.” Zhou Yulin looked up at Chen Muyao. From this angle, she couldn’t see the other person’s expression, only the smooth lines of their profile.
"Miss Zhou, you flatter me."
It was like punching cotton.
The boy descended the stone steps to the side.
Many couples around her were bending down to release lanterns. It was at this moment that Chen Muyao walked up to her. Amid the noise, for some reason, when the boy stopped, Zhou Yulin took an uneasy half-step back.
It's clearly not a very close distance.
With limited riverbank space and a surging crowd, Zhou Yulin took a half step back when she was shoved hard on the shoulder, causing her to fall into the river. Just as she was about to fall in, she managed to grab a willow branch and regain her footing.
Turning her head, she saw her nemesis's hand halfway out, seemingly trying to pull her up. Fortunately, Zhou Yulin managed to stand on her own. She glanced at the other's hand indifferently and said somewhat provocatively, "Who do you think you are? I can stand on my own."
"..." Chen Mu glanced at her with his dark eyes, "You're just being presumptuous."
Zhou Yulin sneered, "You'd better be."
Seeing Chen Mu open the Qiankun bag, Zhou Yulin immediately became wary. On this beautiful night with flowers in bloom and the lights shining brightly, all she could think about was whether this man would kill her in a fit of anger to silence her.
While Zhou Yulin was still lost in thought, a lamp was handed to her.
She recognized the water lily lantern.
It was the lantern that Chen Muyao had won from the archery competition.
The lantern was indeed exquisitely made, and even she couldn't help but take a second look at it.
Staring at the exquisite lantern in front of her, Zhou Yulin's first reaction was, "Is this for Xu Zuiyue? Why don't you just give it to her directly? Why bother asking me to deliver it to her for you?" Her tone sounded quite resentful.
Zhou Yulin was naturally unhappy. This guy was openly in love with her, and now he wanted her to be his matchmaker? Did he really think she was some kind of matchmaker from Xiaobieshan? A one-stop wedding service?
Zhou Yulin wasn't that kind-hearted.
She's already showing a lot of respect by not throwing the lamp into the water.
However, two words came from above, spoken through gritted teeth: "No."
"Huh?" Zhou Yulin looked up abruptly, shocked. "You have other people to deliver to?"
An old woman selling flower garlands on the stone steps couldn't bear it any longer and raised her voice to call out, "Right and wrong are hard to discern, truth and falsehood are mixed together. The moon in the water is not the moon in the sky, the person before your eyes is the person in your heart. Lovers, don't lament that the branches are bare and there are no flowers to pluck."
Upon hearing the old man recite the poem, Zhou Yulin seemed to belatedly realize something. She pointed at the lamp and spoke at the same time as the person opposite her.
"It's not for her, it's for..."
"What are you going to do with me?"
She stared at him suspiciously, as if trying to find some answers in the boy's extremely beautiful eyes, but he remained silent and looked away.
"Could it be..." Something flashed through Zhou Yulin's mind, but the thought vanished like a shooting star across the night sky, leaving no trace.
"Young Master Chen! Yu Lin!" A sudden voice interrupted Zhou Yu Lin's thoughts. She looked up and saw Xu Zui Yue, dressed in a sky-blue dress, standing on the high platform, waving brightly at the two of them. "I've finally found you."
The two remained silent, tacitly agreeing to remain still, and Chen Muyao stood rooted to the spot.
Zhou Yulin ignored him, and as they brushed past each other, a sentence slipped into her ear.
"You always seem to think you know me very well."
The voice was not noticeable in the noisy crowd, but it replaced everyone else's voices and landed steadily in Zhou Yulin's ears.
She was a little dazed, and for some reason, she felt that this sentence was different from every one of the previous ones.
As the fireworks burst into the night sky, everyone looked up to admire them. But she stopped and turned to look at him.
"I know you better than anyone else."
The words were spoken softly, yet they resonated deeply.
As the fireworks exploded, she climbed up the platform, while Chen Muyao stood still for a long time before squatting down and gently placing the lantern into the water.
The swaying lanterns drifted away along the river. There were thousands, if not tens of thousands, of such lanterns on the entire lake, but Chen Muyao felt that her lantern seemed much dimmer.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com