Chapter Forty-Three: Love Awaits, Three Months Rise with the Sword
Zhong Li'an's banquet had already been prepared, and the entire army celebrated its arrival together. Bowls of hot wine were served to them, reflecting the clear moonlight in the sky.
This wine is for the Winter Solstice, for farewells, and for celebrating victories.
Zhong Lishuo gazed at the moon, let out a soft sigh, then stroked the sword box hidden under the table, clenched his fist excitedly, and then calmed himself down.
Fireworks burst open suddenly, and sparks of light fell like rain, mingling with the moonlight and reflecting in the wine cups raised by the crowd and Yang Xiao's teacup.
"Come, let us expand our territory to the four seas and bring peace to our country," Zhong Li'an said, raising his long sleeves, holding a wine cup, and smiling expectantly at the people before him. "Let us drink this cup together."
A series of clinking sounds rang out amidst the cheers of the crowd, and the crescent moon in the full cup rippled with light, lingering in the sweet and mellow flavor as it flowed into everyone's throats.
Zhong Li'an tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup in one gulp. He then put down the cup and invited everyone to sit down. "Today, Dongzhi specially invited Mu Fei to show off his skills to everyone," he said, picking up a crescent-shaped wonton from the plate and putting it into his own bowl. "May the people be free from the fear of cold and hunger this winter."
"Just as the Prefect of Yingchuan is preparing to send out troops, we three generals should also go out to meet the enemy," Qi Kun echoed. "According to the folklore of the previous dynasty, eating these wontons will prevent your ears from freezing all winter. We also take this auspicious omen to wish you all a victorious return."
“Alright,” Zhongli Shuo put down his chopsticks and nodded to Qi Kun. “I’ll take your kind words as a sign that we will surely win a great victory this time.”
Everyone laughed at the sight. Cen Xun chuckled and turned his head to exchange a glance with Yang Xiao beside him.
She picked up a crescent-shaped wonton from the plate, glanced at the waning moon in the sky, and couldn't help but smile. She looked down at the plate and saw the waning moon's light swirling in the dark, glossy vinegar, surrounding the steaming crescent-shaped wonton in the center like stars around the moon.
One bite, and the fragrance lingers on your lips and teeth, leaving a long-lasting aftertaste.
Cen Xun gently put down his chopsticks, raised his eyes and smiled at everyone at the table, "Now there is a moon in the sky, and there is also a moon on the plate. The moon complements each other, which is quite interesting. With such a beautiful scene, I will say a few words to please everyone."
Upon hearing this, everyone at the table immediately became interested and craned their necks to look at Cen Xun. She was dressed in plain clothes, holding a small saucer. Under the moonlight, she looked like a goddess from the heavens who had transformed into an ordinary girl and come to this world to taste the delicacies of the mortal world.
“Clear dew reflects the moon, the moon enters the vast sea, and the sea shimmers with light; the light turns a thousand times, the waves flow for ten thousand miles, and all the right and wrong are seen before our eyes.” Cen Xun lowered her eyes, put down the plate in her hand, and slowly stood up in the moonlight, pacing gently in front of the table. “Right and wrong are in turmoil, the four seas are at peace, but nothing can compare to a glance back;” She walked gently, closed her eyes and recited, and then moved step by step to Zhong Lishuo’s table.
"Where is the moon, and what is the cause of this feeling? All of these are transformed into a mouthful of hot, thick soup that goes straight to the heart." She nodded and smiled, jokingly pointing to the half-crescent-shaped wonton between Zhong Lishuo's chopsticks.
Zhong Lishuo's hand holding the chopsticks trembled slightly. He looked up at Cen Xun, his mind blank for a moment. The faint light in his eyes was hard to tell—was it the waning moon in the sky or the bright pearl before him?
A smile flickered in Cen Xun's eyes as he looked up gently at Zhong Lishuo's eyes. "On such a beautiful night, would you please, General, compose a few lines for me?"
Zhong Lishuo finally came to his senses and swallowed the half-eaten wonton in his mouth. The scalding heat spread to his lungs as he swallowed, just as Cen Xun had said.
The people around remained silent, simply watching the two with smiles in their eyes.
Zhong Lishuo looked up and met Cen Xun's gaze. He couldn't help but smile knowingly. He put down his chopsticks, stood up, and said, "I am just a martial artist with limited knowledge and skills. I hope you can give me some pointers, Miss."
"It was just something I did on a whim, there's no question of giving advice," Cen Xun said with a smile, shaking his head gently.
“That being said, please cooperate with me, Miss,” Zhong Lishuo said with a light laugh, turning his head slightly. “Then I will tell you.”
Cen Xun smiled and nodded, waiting for him to continue.
“There are three bright moons in the world,” he recited in a pretentious tone, then turned to look at Cen Xun with a smile. Seeing that she smiled without saying a word, Zhong Lishuo couldn’t help but clear his throat and wink at Cen Xun.
Upon seeing this, Cen Xun couldn't help but chuckle, asking as if coaxing a child, "How can there be three moons?"
Zhong Lishuo nodded with satisfaction, then raised his hand and pointed to the sky, “The bright and flawless moon in the sky is called the first one,” he then lowered his eyes and pointed to the crescent moon wontons beside him, “The most delicious moon on the plate is called the second one.”
"And the third one?" Cen Xun glanced at Zhong Lishuo with a smile and replied in agreement.
“Thirdly,” Zhongli Shuo closed his eyes, then smiled and gazed at Cen Xun before him, “she is the moon in my heart, and also the moon before my eyes.”
Cen Xun, who had been joking and playing along just a moment ago, was stunned into place. A hint of disbelief flashed across her eyes, and she couldn't utter a word of the overwhelming emotions in her heart. She simply looked up at Zhong Lishuo's eyes, which seemed to be burning with starlight, and quietly waited for him to continue.
"This moon is unparalleled, both cool and fiery. It dwells amidst verdant mountains and clear waters, harboring a grand ambition to benefit the world. It travels across countless mountains and rivers, ultimately transforming its former refined tastes into a blade to shatter the chaos and disorder of the world." Zhong Lishuo closed his eyes and let out a soft sigh, his gaze solemn and earnest as he looked at Cen Xun. "The moon in the sky shines brightly in the sunlight, but standing beside this moon, even the sun pales in comparison. It is as graceful as flowing water, as ethereal as mist, as majestic as mountains, and as fierce as raging fire."
“Ordinary words cannot match the moon in my heart. In this world, there is only one thing that can express my feelings and praise the moon.” As Zhongli Shuo spoke, he opened the sword box under the table and drew out a precious sword. Even before it was drawn, it exuded a chilling aura. Whether it was the reflection of the moonlight or the tenderness between the two, the blade seemed to radiate warmth.
“Only this sword can express my admiration,” Zhong Lishuo stepped forward, gently took Cen Xun’s hand, and held the sword with her. “I hope the bright moon will understand my heart’s desire.”
The coldness of the sword and the heat of Zhongli Shuo's palm spread through Cen Xun's fingertips, causing her heart to tremble. She immediately understood why Yang Xiao had remembered the kindness of gifting the gun for six years.
She looked up at Zhong Lishuo's earnest and sincere eyes, and her own eyes involuntarily welled up with tears.
Following Zhong Lishuo's lead, she gripped the sword even tighter. Holding the sword in both hands, she gently stroked the blade, took another step forward, and looked up to meet Zhong Lishuo's gaze. A wave of warmth washed over her, and all the chill in her body vanished.
“This sword was forged with painstaking effort and should not be drawn lightly,” she said, taking the sword and looking up at Zhong Lishuo. “But for you, General, it would be worth drawing it a thousand or ten thousand times. Every drop of your heart’s blood has been poured into this sword. I am willing to express my heartfelt feelings with a sword dance, to replace poetry with dance, and to express my deepest feelings for you.”
Zhong Lishuo was also stunned for a moment upon hearing this. Looking into Cen Xun's firm and tender eyes, his voice trembled slightly, "Tongxi, you mean..."
Cen Xun looked up at him with a smile and nodded gently, "As you wish."
She gently stroked the sword hilt, then examined it closely by the moonlight. The hilt was covered in bamboo-like patterns, reflecting a faint silver glow under the moonlight. She held the scabbard and stroked it downwards, and saw swirling smoke and clouds, moonlight breaking through the clouds, and a vermilion bird soaring into the sky above a boat sailing in Jiangnan, majestic and beautiful, with a few wisps of its tail feathers swirling around the sword and hovering among the clouds.
So pure and elegant, yet so breathtakingly beautiful, these two seemingly unrelated elements blended together seamlessly. Cen Xun solemnly gripped the hilt and gently drew the sword. The blade was as thin as a cicada's wing, yet incredibly sharp.
She looked up at Zhong Lishuo with deep eyes, then took a small step back. With a flick of her wrist, the delicate, bamboo-leaf-like sword was drawn from its sheath with a "whoosh," gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Cen Xun stroked the blade, her eyes filled with joy and emotion.
Seeing this, Zhong Lishuo leaned down slightly towards her and asked, "How is it? Do you like it?"
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun turned around and smiled at Zhong Lishuo, "How could I not like it? But compared to this sword..." She paused, raised her eyes and looked deeply into his burning yet tender eyes, "I like its creator even more."
Taking advantage of Zhong Lishuo's momentary lapse in concentration while blushing, Cen Xun took a few steps back, sword in hand. She glanced back and saw everyone watching her and Zhong Lishuo with silent smiles. She nodded and smiled, then gently clasped her hands in a fist salute to the crowd, saying, "Gentlemen, I've made a fool of myself."
A sliver of cold light pointed directly at the bright moon, and the sound of a longsword cutting through the wind suddenly arose. The sword was light and agile, its swift and graceful movements complementing Cen Xun's elegant figure, like a white butterfly flitting among flowers, or a crane spreading its wings in the heart of a lake. Every step she took created a breathtaking scene, swaying gracefully yet with an unyielding sharpness, like a koi carp swallowing a lotus in a pond, light and unparalleled.
Everyone held their breath and stared intently, as if they were watching a goddess descend from the heavens to earth. Cen Xun's swordsmanship, honed over ten years, was finally revealed before them. It was neither the style of a general, nor a knight, nor a Taoist, but rather a fusion of these three elements, in accordance with the laws of the Five Elements, and adaptable to the changes of all things.
In an instant, the longsword pointed straight up into the sky, its flawless blade reflecting the shimmering moonlight, as if reflecting falling flowers and flowing water, light and shadow exhaling in an instant.
"Great!" Yang Xiao stood up and clapped her hands in approval, and a wave of applause immediately followed.
Zhong Li'an also stood up and smiled at Cen Xun, who had finished his stance. "I never expected to experience the Tongxi Sword Technique today. I had always heard Ling Yu praise it, but now that I have seen it with my own eyes, it is truly an eye-opener. It lives up to its reputation."
Cen Xun smiled and clasped his hands in a fist salute to everyone, saying, "You flatter me, my lord."
Yang Xiao glanced at Cen Xun, then smiled and nodded at Zhong Lishuo, "Success or failure hinges on this sword. It seems this sword has been successfully used, hasn't it?"
“Yes.” Zhong Lishuo looked at Cen Xun and nodded gently, but his smiling eyes held a hint of tears welling up.
Cen Xun sheathed her longsword and involuntarily jogged towards Zhong Lishuo. She stopped in front of him and raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of his eyes.
Zhong Lishuo obediently lowered his head to accommodate her, letting Cen Xun gently wipe the corner of his eyes, then smiled and patted his head.
Seeing this, Zhong Lishuo gently put his arm around Cen Xun's waist, his tears turning into a smile. "Why are you taking the opportunity to pat my head, Tongxi?" He carefully touched Cen Xun's forehead to hers, then gently pulled her into his arms, letting out a long sigh, and said with emotion, "Although we haven't known each other for very long, but... Tongxi," he paused slightly, nuzzling Cen Xun's head with his chin, "Do you believe in my feelings for you?"
Cen Xun nestled on Zhong Lishuo's shoulder, patting his back with a light laugh. "The love I seek is love at first sight, without reason or cause." She gently raised her head, gazing at Zhong Lishuo with eyes full of smiles and deep affection. "When I saw you, a single thought was enough to seal my fate."
A cool touch landed on Zhong Lishuo's face. He raised his hand to catch the swirling snowflakes, then looked down at Cen Xun. Their eyes met, and they both chuckled. Zhong Lishuo pulled Cen Xun into a tight embrace, and the two remained entwined in the swirling snow.
"That's wonderful," Yang Xiao said, taking a sip of her hot tea and then glancing at Bai Ming who had turned around. "Tonight's events have finally fulfilled their wishes."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming chuckled and nodded, "Yu De can finally rest easy now. You know, he was looking for me last night."
"Hmm?" Yang Xiao looked at Bai Ming with interest. "Why is he looking for you in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
"He asked me to borrow sword oil," Bai Ming chuckled and shook his head. "After he forged that sword, he didn't know how many times he had polished it himself."
Yang Xiao let out a sigh and looked up at the two people embracing and laughing in the snow. She couldn't help but sigh, "It is a great blessing in life that lovers can finally be together."
Bai Ming smiled as he gazed at Yang Xiao's profile, a hint of laughter mingling with his breath. He nodded, a surge of tenderness welling up within him, merging with the moonlight.
"Yes." He sighed softly, leaning back on his knees, looking up at the bright moon with tenderness and longing in his eyes. "If that's really the case, what regrets would I have in this life?"
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