Chapter Twenty-Nine: Flowers Sway, Moon Falls, Morning Light Appears
"What is that?" Xue Chang said with a smile and waved his hand. "Imagine, in such a situation, a large peach orchard suddenly appears before you. When the wind blows, the petals of the trees fall down like a drizzle."
He put down the hip-hop booth, looking at everyone with a smile in his eyes, "Who would have thought that on this branch, there would be a refined and elegant scholar in white robes and wide sleeves, as handsome as a jade tree in the wind."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Qi Kun with smiles.
Qi Kun also took a sip of tea, raised his hand and pointed at Xue Chang, "Who knew you were no ordinary person? Instead of admiring the falling flowers, you immediately drew your long sword."
"Hahaha..." Yang Xiao couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. She quickly stopped laughing and raised her hand to make a "please" gesture to the two of them.
Xue Chang chuckled softly, then looked up at Qi Kun with a smile. "In such a situation, how could I resist performing a sword dance?" He chuckled wistfully, then leaned on the table and looked at everyone. "Who knew that just as I drew my sword, I inadvertently leaned against that tree, and Qi Gu Fan tumbled off the tree and fell down." He couldn't help but smile at Qi Kun. "Luckily, I reacted quickly, otherwise you would have suffered some physical pain."
Qi Kun chuckled, "It's a good thing I'm not too heavy, otherwise I would have crushed you to death."
Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter again, completely unprepared for the fact that the first encounter between two such extraordinary literary figures would be both poetic and comical.
"If you can hurt me, then all my training over the past ten years has been for nothing?" Xue Chang said jokingly, turning his head to the side.
Upon hearing this, Bai Ming looked at Xue Chang with great interest, "Could it be that you, sir, are also skilled in martial arts?"
“Of course,” Yang Xiao turned and smiled at Bai Ming, “not only Mr. Xue, but Tong Xi’s swordsmanship is also superb.”
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun chuckled and waved his hand, "It's just fancy footwork, nothing compared to your seasoned veterans."
"That's hard to say," Yang Xiao shook her head, smiling at Cen Xun. "Although I've improved quite a bit during this time, if we were to really compete, it's uncertain who would win." She raised her head at Cen Xun. "Your swordsmanship is considered unparalleled in Jiangnan, isn't it?"
Cen Xun spread his hands and tilted his head towards Xue Chang, "With him around, my swordsmanship can only be second best at best."
Xue Chang smiled upon hearing this, patted Qi Kun on the shoulder, stood up, downed the wine in his cup in one gulp, and looked up at the night sky. "Alright, enough with the banter. It's getting late. You're going to Lingyue Pavilion tomorrow, so go back to the inn and rest early."
“Hey, Master,” Cen Xun also stood up and looked up at Xue Chang, “Several distinguished guests are visiting Lingyue Pavilion. Shouldn’t we give them a heads-up beforehand?”
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao raised her hand and patted Cen Xun's shoulder, "No need, no need. We're just going to check on them. Your reminder will only cause them trouble."
“Okay,” Cen Xun nodded, chuckled, and patted Yang Xiao on the back. “Then we’ll go tomorrow.”
Everyone left their seats, chatting and laughing as they walked towards the door.
The figures of several people swayed in the dim light, spread across the wooden bridge of the covered walkway.
Yang Xiao pulled Cen Xun along behind the three of them, put her arm around Cen Xun's shoulder, and said with a soft laugh, "To be honest, what's going on between you and Chen Mo from Lingyue Pavilion?"
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun clicked his tongue and chuckled as he tapped Yang Xiao's head. "Still the same as before, nothing's wrong."
“Sigh,” Yang Xiao sighed softly, “He’s been pursuing you for so many years, and you’ve ignored him.”
Cen Xun smiled at Yang Xiao, "I have no feelings for him whatsoever, so how could I easily promise someone else's feelings?"
Yang Xiao nodded in agreement, then looked at Cen Xun with curiosity, "So what kind of man do you like?"
"And you're the one talking about me?" Cen Xun raised his hand and flicked Yang Xiao's nose again. "You don't even care about your own affairs, why are you gossiping about me again?"
Yang Xiao's cheeks flushed slightly. She glanced at Bai Ming's back and then absentmindedly looked down at the stairs.
"Well," Cen Xun said, mimicking Yang Xiao's earlier gesture, placing his hand on her shoulder, "did you tell him the truth?"
The lamplight illuminated the blush on Yang Xiao's cheeks. She waved her hand and gently scolded, "How come I can't hide anything from you?"
“Your thoughts are written all over your face, how could you possibly hide them from me?” Cen Xun smiled and looked back at Yang Xiao. “I think his intentions are…”
“Tongxi, you,” Yang Xiao stopped and looked at Cen Xun with feigned displeasure, “I’m not even clear about my own feelings yet, it’s too early to talk about these things now.”
She took two steps forward, then turned back to look at Cen Xun, who was standing still, smiling without saying a word. She frowned slightly and called out to her, "Tongxi."
"Alright, alright, let's not talk about it now," Cen Xun couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the lights reflected in Yang Xiao's eyes. She took a few quick steps, put her arm around Yang Xiao's back, and said, "Let's go back and rest. We have to go to Lingyue Pavilion tomorrow morning."
Yang Xiao gave a reproachful snort and followed the others into the night.
-
The moon's reflection drifted gently onto the stream, then vanished in an instant. The murmuring water and the delicate fragrance of flowers complemented each other, permeating the peaceful long night.
As the sunlight pierced through the thin mist and shone into the small garden nestled against the mountain and beside the water, melodious voices could be heard from within.
Several young girls were practicing their vocal exercises under the sun, while a young man was fiddling with a wooden spear, which moved up and down and fluttered like a butterfly in autumn, quite nimbly.
"Chen Mo!" A crisp female voice came from the inner room. The young man practicing with a spear in the courtyard quickly looked up and responded, putting down his spear and walking inside.
"Master," he trotted into the room, bowed respectfully to the dignified woman, and asked, "What are your orders?"
The woman turned around at the sound of his voice, nodded slightly, and gestured for him to sit down. Her forearms were folded in front of her, and every movement was extremely graceful, making it impossible to tell that she was a martial artist.
This person is Zhao Ran, the master of Lingyue Pavilion.
Zhao Ran pulled out a chair and sat opposite Chen Mo. "Mr. Cheyan sent a letter last night saying that we need to put on a play this morning, and all we need to do today is perform this one well." She gestured "one" to Chen Mo. "So I guess there might be some important person coming to listen to the play."
“Important people…” Chen Mo nodded, stroking his chin thoughtfully for a moment, “It is said that two days ago, Zhongli An from Jizhou sent an envoy to He Yuan to seek peace. Could it be them?”
Zhao Ran chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know. Anyway, whoever it is, they have to act well, right?" She stood up and went to tidy up the costumes hanging to the side. "Isn't that how our reputation came about?"
"Master is absolutely right." Chen Mo nodded, stood up, and suddenly looked at Zhao Ran as if he had just thought of something. "By the way, Master, do you think it's possible that Lingyu was among those who went south?"
Zhao Ran paused involuntarily, then smiled and straightened the ribbons on her costume sleeves. "Lingyu only went to the north a few days ago, how could she be back so soon?"
After finishing her work, she turned back to the table and said, "It took us half a year to get from Bingzhou to Jiangnan. Lingyu is going to the north to make a name for herself, so she probably won't go south easily."
“That’s true,” Chen Mo chuckled and shook his head, then looked up at Zhao Ran. “So, what shall we sing today?”
"Sing your best song, don't be nervous, just like usual." Zhao Ran sat down, took a sip of tea, and looked out the window at the gradually disappearing smog with deep emotion. "Time flies. It's been half a year since Lingyu went north. To be honest, I really miss her."
Chen Mo looked at Zhao Ran and couldn't help but chuckle. "When Lingyu first left, Junior Sister was still saying she missed her every day. After they pacify this chaotic world, we'll go back to Bingzhou to look for Lingyu."
“Okay,” Zhao Ran said with a smile as she stood up. “You guys go back to Bingzhou, I’ll wait here so she won’t be unable to find me when she gets back.” She patted Chen Mo’s shoulder. “Alright, it’s getting late, go and get the junior sisters ready to pack their things and leave.”
Chen Mo nodded, clasped his hands in a salute to Zhao Ran, and said, "Yes, Master." Then he turned around and went out the door to greet the morning light.
Zhao Ran watched his retreating figure, chuckled softly with a sigh, and lowered her head to place the teacup on the tea tray.
-
Autumn has arrived, but Jiangnan seems oblivious to it. The trees along the streets are lush and green. Yang Xiao walks on the familiar streets, stretching out her arms and immersing herself in the unique misty atmosphere of Jiangnan.
Cen Xun walked side by side with Yang Xiao, glancing at her with a smile, "So, is Jiangnan still better?"
“Sigh,” Yang Xiao stretched lazily, “I didn’t feel it when I came here three years ago, but this year when I went to the north, I started to miss the south.”
"How long will you stay this time?"
Yang Xiao chuckled and shook her head. "He won't stay long. There's only one general in the four northern states, Yu De. I'm afraid he might cause trouble and be unable to handle it."
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun smiled and glanced at Bai Ming, who was following beside him, before turning back to Yang Xiao. "Since we're already allies, why don't you let Mr. Qi and General Bai go back first, and you stay here with me?"
Before Yang Xiao could speak, Bai Ming shook his head and smiled at Cen Xun, "General Lingyu and Miss are very close friends. If we leave, she may find it difficult to go north again in the future."
“How could that be?” Yang Xiao smiled and looked back at Bai Ming. “No matter how deep my feelings for Tongxi are, I can’t just abandon my lord and you all.” After saying that, she turned back and leaned her arm against Cen Xun. “By the way, Tongxi, why don’t you come north with us? When I was still in Jiangnan, you scolded He Yuan quite a bit.”
Upon hearing this, Cen Xun couldn't help but smile helplessly. "I would like to, but my father is a senior minister of He Yuan, and he cannot leave. How can I abandon him?" After saying that, she patted Yang Xiao's shoulder lightly. "That may be true, but I certainly will not work hard under He Yuan. If Your Excellency needs anything in the future, my master and I can act as inside agents and cooperate with you all."
"Okay, it has to be you again," Yang Xiao said with a smile, putting her arm around Cen Xun's shoulder. She looked up and saw a corner of a pavilion slowly emerging from the morning mist, and the path in front of the building gradually came into view.
She turned around with delight and pointed ahead at Bai Ming, "General Bai, do you see that pavilion?"
Bai Ming took two quick steps and looked in the distance, following her finger. "I see it, that must be the Lingyue Pavilion, right?"
Yang Xiao smiled and nodded. "We've arrived."
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