Chapter 8: The Exhausted, Dazed Bird; A Highly Skilled Drunkard, Unmatched by Anyone...
Qi Baitong remained in the position of being slapped away, paused for a moment, turned her face, and said in a low voice, "Miss, getting too drunk is bad for your health."
Gu Shanyue ignored him, rummaged around for a moment, picked up another pot of wine, flicked off the cork with one hand, and drank it down in one gulp.
"What harms the body the most is being unhappy."
Qi Baitong silently squatted in front of her, watching her gulp down a pot of wine as if it were water, then throw the pot out, making a loud crashing noise under the roof.
She twitched her lips, as if amused by the commotion.
"What are you laughing at, young lady?" Qi Baitong asked.
Gu Shanyue was still laughing, pointing under the eaves: "That voice sounds like a clumsy swordsman who doesn't know his stuff, making all sorts of messy moves."
A very strange metaphor.
Qi Baitong paused for a moment, then Gu Shanyue tilted her head: "Doesn't it look like it?"
“It looks like it,” he said, as his men quietly moved a few jugs of wine away.
Gu Shanyue snorted, grabbed his wrist, and snatched the wine pot from his hand.
"What are you doing, trying to pull something in front of me? Do you think I can't see it?"
The sentence carried a hint of viciousness.
"I know I was wrong," Qi Baitong immediately admitted, taking the wine pot back from Gu Shanyue's hand. "I will punish myself with a cup."
Without giving Gu Shanyue time to react, he pulled out the cork and drank directly.
The moonlight was like a light veil. Qi Baitong's eyes were lowered, her Adam's apple bobbed, and a faint blush slowly crept onto her pale face.
Perhaps he drank too quickly, because he moved the wine pot aside and choked.
This is liquor that Gu Shanyue bought in some back alley. It's cheap liquor but stronger, and it can make people dizzy instantly.
Qi Baitong shook his head, hissed unconsciously, and bared his teeth to relieve the burning pain in his throat.
A tiny fang flashed by.
Gu Shanyue, who was staring at him, suddenly pounced on him. Qi Baitong was caught off guard and was knocked down and pinned down. His back pressed against the hard roof tiles, and a light fragrance wafted in front of him, like a breeze carrying the morning mist in the forest.
The burning sensation of the alcohol brought out a sweat, and Qi Baitong's voice was slightly hoarse: "Miss?"
Gu Shanyue stared at him with bright eyes, just like that day in the dilapidated temple, and reached out to touch his mouth, pulling open one of his thin lips.
Her breath was like a warm breeze, brushing against his face and bringing a strange itch.
The white tung tree froze, motionless.
Gu Shanyue looked at the sliver of his teeth that he was showing, and then pushed his thin, reddened upper lip upwards with force, completely unaware that what he was holding was a human face, not a lump of mud.
But Qi Baitong was as soft as mud, letting Gu Shanyue do whatever he wanted on his lips.
Even though she didn't pull her hand back, making his lips and tongue ache, he didn't say a word, just quietly indulged her actions, and even raised his hand to protect her lower back, afraid that she might fall down while playing.
Even if the lips are pushed up, they will quickly fall back down.
Gu Shanyue grew increasingly impatient, roughly prying open his lips and digging her knuckles into his soft, moist mouth.
She stared at him intently: "Smile."
Qi Baitong hesitated for a moment, then forcefully lifted the corners of her mouth, revealing an expression that resembled a smile.
But Gu Shanyue was not satisfied. She puffed out her cheeks and fiercely tugged at the corner of his lips, saying in a commanding tone, "No, keep smiling."
Qi Baitong's thick black eyelashes trembled, a smile flickered in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth curved slightly.
He doesn't smile much, and there aren't many things in his life that make him laugh.
He's not used to laughing.
Gu Shanyue lay down, withdrew her hands that had been messing with his face, and folded her hands together, like a kitten lying on his chest, her eyes bright and surprised.
The world was silent, the wind was gentle, and the moon was bright.
The effects of the alcohol seemed to surge up again, making him dizzy and unable to see anything clearly except for her in front of him.
Even though he had spent several days with Gu Shanyue, he had never been this close to her before, close enough to clearly see every soft undulation of her face.
He had long eyebrows and light-colored eyes. The whites of his eyes shone with a porcelain-like bluish-green hue under the moonlight. The corners of his eyes were upturned, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, giving him a perpetually ambiguous smile.
Like a little bird tilting its head to look at people, it briefly attracts attention.
At the slightest disturbance, the bird will immediately flap its wings and fly into the clouds, never to be seen again.
Faced with such a gaze, Qi Baitong suddenly felt awkward and embarrassed, just like when he first met her many years ago, he subconsciously hid himself stained with blood.
Qi Baitong looked away, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly: "Miss?"
"I am A-Yue."
Gu Shanyue's face was flushed from the alcohol, and her chin swayed from side to side on his chest, her voice filled with dependence and laughter.
Qi Baitong was taken aback and couldn't help but look at her.
Gu Shanyue wrinkled her little face and reached out to pat his face: "Why aren't you smiling?"
His tone was self-righteous, like a child asking for candy.
Qi Baitong suddenly smiled, and the extremely cold and quiet atmosphere around her faded away.
Gu Shanyue just stared at him, seemingly lost in great satisfaction. As she watched, she quickly drifted off to sleep.
Even the best drinker can't resist drinking too much at once.
Qi Baitong watched as her eyes slowly closed, her head tilting against his chest, her weight pressing down on his heart, as if making that place slowly soften and sink.
A cool night breeze blew, and the lacquered white tung tree came to its senses.
We can't stay up there any longer. Gu Shanyue has just had some wine, and if we stay up there any longer, he might catch a cold.
He supported Gu Shanyue's lower back with one hand and protected the back of her head with the other, and slowly sat up.
With a "ding," Gu Shanyue's long sword struck the green tile.
Her closed eyes snapped open, the hazy look vanishing, replaced by a sharp, piercing gaze as she fixed her eyes on the pristine white paulownia tree before her.
She shouted and slammed a punch into Qi Baitong's face.
"What kind of thief dares to touch my Wugou!"
Qi Baitong was already feeling intoxicated, but she never expected Gu Shanyue to suddenly make a move.
His face was in excruciating pain from the blow, but he still had to protect Gu Shanyue's waist, afraid that she would move around and fall.
"Young lady, you..."
Gu Shanyue swiftly kicked him, then leaped away, disappearing into the distance with an air of nonchalance; his retreating figure showed no sign of drunkenness whatsoever.
Qi Baitong had no time to worry about himself; pressing on his side where he had been kicked, he quickly chased after them.
As it turns out, a drunkard with exceptional martial arts skills is virtually invincible.
More than just sparrows swaying willows, Gu Shanyue was like a delicate feather floating in the dark night, appearing and disappearing silently and mysteriously.
Qi Baitong barely managed to keep up, not daring to look away for even a moment, lest he lose sight of her.
Gu Shanyue is like a wild goose returning home, never tired, flying endlessly in one direction.
If she is the lead goose, then Qi Baitong is the flock that follows her, and he will follow closely behind her wherever she goes.
Gu Shanyue spent most of the night flying out of Shengjing City, and her speed only slowed down at the crack of dawn.
Qi Baitong didn't dare to stop for a moment and chased after him.
Gu Shanyue stopped on a rooftop, turned around, and met the anxious face of the man with a mixture of white, blue, and purple hues.
"Who hit you?"
Qi Baitong: "...Are you sober now?"
Gu Shanyue shook her head vigorously, swaying slightly as she did so: "...Why do I feel so tired?"
As soon as she spoke, she fell backward, and Qi Baitong leaped forward and caught her in his arms.
Gu Shanyue hung upside down on his arm, limp like a noodle.
Qi Baitong called out to her, "Miss?"
Gu Shanyue did not respond.
He turned him over. Gu Shanyue's face was flushed, her eyebrows were relaxed, and she was sleeping soundly.
Like a tired and bewildered bird.
The white lacquer of the paulownia tree is gentle and graceful.
When Gu Shanyue woke up, her head was throbbing with a dull pain, as if she had been hit.
She sat up, rubbing the back of her head. A ball of fire was in front of her. She turned her head and saw Qi Baitong sitting next to her, straightening the hem of her clothes that she had wrinkled while sleeping.
"The girl is awake."
Gu Shanyue looked around; the surroundings were empty and desolate, with no sign of human habitation.
Where is this?
Qi Baitong opened the food box, brought out a bowl of hangover soup, and explained, "The young lady was drunk last night and kept running towards the outskirts of the city, so..."
Gu Shanyue understood. Looking around, he guessed that this was the direction of Zhuoguang Mountain.
It seems she's acting crazy again while drunk.
She took the hangover soup, gulped it down, and found it to be sweet and sour, with a pretty good taste.
Where did you get it?
"I had someone run an errand to buy it."
Qi Baitong took back the soup bowl, opened the food box lid, and took out bowls of food from it: congee, side dishes, soup noodles, and warm milk—all suitable for eating after getting drunk.
Gu Shanyue had been running all night and was indeed hungry, so he picked up the bowl and started eating.
After eating for a while, I remembered Qi Baitong. When I looked up, I saw that the other half of his face was bruised and slightly swollen.
"Your face..."
The question had barely left her mouth when a fleeting memory flashed through her mind: the image of her punching Qi Baitong in the face.
Seeing that she paused, Qi Baitong knew that she had remembered.
"It's nothing, just a minor injury," he said first.
"I don't think I held back much, it must have hurt a lot, right?"
Gu Shanyue's tone was very sincere, but after hitting someone, he asked if it hurt a lot, which seemed like he was deliberately making fun of the person.
“…It’s nothing,” Qi Baitong looked at her, her eyes fixed on him. Qi Baitong looked away. “I’m fine, you eat quickly.”
"good."
Gu Shanyue lowered his head and ate his food, not saying much politely.
Others might be angry, but this straightforward interaction made Qi Baitong feel genuinely relaxed.
Seeing that Gu Shanyue was eating with great relish, a faint smile appeared in his eyes. He then took out an egg, peeled it carefully, and placed it on the plate.
Gu Shanyue was slurping her noodles, oblivious to his actions.
"Girl, the eggs are peeled."
Gu Shanyue said "Oh" and continued eating her noodles.
Qi Baitong paused for a moment, glanced at the egg, and then realized, "The egg is for you to peel."
Sure enough, Gu Shanyue stopped using her chopsticks, stuck them into the egg, opened her mouth and ate the egg white, leaving a whole yolk on the chopsticks. She raised her hand to shake the yolk off.
Qi Baitong spoke first, "Give it to me."
Gu Shanyue: "For you?"
"If you're not going to eat it, give me the yolk."
Qi Baitong handed over his bowl; he had been busy arranging the dishes and hadn't touched a single bowl of noodles.
Gu Shanyue nodded, pressed his chopsticks against the rim of his bowl, swished off the egg yolk, and continued eating his noodles.
Qi Baitong put down the bowl, peeled two more eggs, separated the egg whites and yolks with clean chopsticks, put the egg whites into Gu Shanyue's bowl, and then picked up the bowl to start eating.
Gu Shanyue glanced at him and saw him eating the egg yolks without changing his expression, one after another.
Just like my senior.
Gu Shanyue nudged his waist with her elbow, and Qi Baitong flinched, subtly avoiding the wound she had inflicted on him the night before.
"What's wrong?"
"Who are your parents?" she asked abruptly.
Qi Baitong stopped moving and shook her head: "I don't know."
"How old are you this year?" Gu Shanyue asked again, somewhat presumptuously.
Qi Baitong answered frankly, his expression calm: "Twenty-three."
Gu Shanyue frowned and pondered for a while. After calculating her senior sister's age, she gave up her guess.
My senior sister couldn't have given birth to such a big son.
After thinking it over, Gu Shanyue continued eating her noodles. She didn't explain anything or ask any more questions.
Qi Baitong waited for a while, and seeing that she had nothing more to say, she continued eating her noodles.
The atmosphere was strangely harmonious and congenial.
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