Chapter 72 The Fields (1) You stole the white scales of Ōnozawa, and...
Changsun Qingjing was tormented by nightmares all night.
In the eerie dream, the sky was also like this Lantern Festival night, with pus and blood obscuring the sun and moon, making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.
A white unicorn or a qilin was swaying beside her.
Changsun Qingjing couldn't remember why he had embarked on a journey of exile with a unicorn that should have been worshipped as a deity in royal gardens like Shanglin Garden and Xiyuan Garden.
She was watching a grand hunt at Dayeze in the State of Lu when Chu Shang, the charioteer of the Shusun clan, missed with an arrow. The lively little monster then darted to her, begging for help.
She didn't care why she was able to hunt with a group of Lu people who had been dead for over a thousand years; she simply wanted to save the little monster that was being called a "fierce beast."
However, this auspicious beast seemed to be underage, filled with curiosity about everything in the world. After temporarily escaping danger, it ran around, and golden lotus flowers bloomed wherever its footprints went.
Changsun Qingjing called to it, ordering it not to run far. The unicorn frolicked back to her, quietly lying down in front of her, gesturing for Changsun Qingjing to scratch its horns, which were itchy from their continuous growth.
Changsun Qingjing gently kneaded the young rhinoceros's horns, snuggling close to it. The rhinoceros rubbed against Changsun Qingjing's cheek, spitting a luminous pearl into her palm. It playfully tilted its head, revealing a mischievous smile that Changsun Qingjing knew so well.
A sharp whistle rang out, followed by the barking of hunting dogs, the neighing of horses, the flapping of eagles' wings, and the conversations of hunters, all clearly reaching her ears.
This is an auspicious beast, and auspicious beasts must not be hunted.
They were about to be captured by the hunters and their hounds.
The unicorn sensed the malice of humans, but it completely trusted Changsun Qingjing and was willing to protect the girl who was willing to accompany it on its escape, hide in the mountains and marshes, and live a life of hardship.
With just two arrows, they would become the new sacrifices.
The unicorn shook off the withered leaves and dust it had collected on its escape journey and stood up. It winked at Changsun Qingjing, signaling her to continue her escape.
The unicorn didn't regret or cry about accidentally entering the human world at the wrong time and age. To it, it was an adventurous and fun game, and its only worry was how to safely escape with the girl it was protecting.
They hid in a cave, silent to each other, awaiting the moment of destiny's judgment.
"Alas, you've come at the worst possible time," Changsun Qingjing sighed. "There are no wise and virtuous rulers willing to serve you, only those who see you as an omen of misfortune, who want to trample on you, and who want to kill you!"
The unicorn shook its head. It could always understand every word Changsun Qingjing said. It lay down on the ground again, turned its head to the side, and gently leaned against Changsun Qingjing's knee.
"Who will come? Who will come? My path is exhausted!" She hugged the unicorn's neck tightly, her tears falling onto its eyelids.
"You two, come out quickly! We know you're hiding in the cave!" The cave should already be heavily surrounded by the Yu people who control the mountains and marshes.
Outside the cave, dogs barked and horses neighed, and swords and spears clanged.
"By offering sacrifices to the river and ferocious beasts to the heavens, the five grains will surely ripen and the family will be blessed with abundant harvests!" The Yu people had already begun planning how to deal with them after they were captured.
Changsun Qingjing listened intently to these horrific sacrificial practices and decided to take the risk.
She stroked the white rhinoceros's horns and said, "You try to escape through the side path in the cave, and I'll go meet the enemy. You're an auspicious beast; you must have a way to carve a hole in the rock wall to escape. They won't be able to find you, and they won't kill me for the time being."
Bai Si lazily raised its head, a hint of disdain flashing in its eyes, much like a certain unruly old friend.
She didn't have time to think about who she was hoping would come to her rescue; she just wanted to get out of trouble on her own.
Changsun Qingjing impatiently shoved the white rhinoceros, forcing it to leave. This young, willful, and arrogant auspicious beast actually nestled into her arms one last time, its not-so-sturdy horns gently nuzzling her chin, a sign of affection and trust.
Then, taking advantage of Changsun Qingjing's inattention, it darted out of the cave.
She cried out behind it, but it was too late.
Outside the cave, arrows flew like locusts, darkening the sky as they approached.
This is a nightmare with no end.
The dim morning light still carried the lingering scents of iron filings, cinnabar, and wax from the night of the Lantern Festival.
Changsun Qingjing sat up, wearing a padded jacket, and put away the Zuo Zhuan on the table with lingering fear, no longer thinking about the fate of the unicorn and the premature death of the sage's ideal.
She put on her robe and came to the courtyard. The silk, disguised as leaves, trembled in the cold wind, more lifeless than withered trees, like heavy makeup forcibly applied to a dying person, making the paleness and decay beneath the glamour even more obvious.
"You're awake?" Li Shimin stood with his hands behind his back under a poplar tree, looking at his wife with some surprise. "I thought I was the only one who hadn't slept well..."
"Do you dream of a valiant archer who, at the critical moment..." The faint light reflected in Li Shimin's eyes made him look extraordinary.
Changsun Qingjing pursed her lips and said, "No."
"Think about it carefully. Maybe he'll arrive just as you're about to wake up?"
"This person didn't appear in my dream." Changsun Qingjing felt both annoyed and amused, and refused to recall the dream.
"I remember now!" Changsun Qingjing suddenly raised his voice as if he had just had a revelation.
Li Shimin's expression hardened, and he said with great relief, "I knew I would come to your rescue..."
Feeling uneasy, he feigned composure and asked, "Are you looking at me so closely to praise me for standing alone like a lone pine tree or for having a precious pearl beside me?"
Changsun Qingjing waved his hand and said half-jokingly, "Your dark circles are exactly the same as the divine beast that ran away with me in my dream... The Yu people are going to burn it to death."
The first rays of dawn shone through the branches of the trees, making Changsun Qingjing's cheeks glow like a crystal-clear jade peach.
The sweet fragrance emanating from her captivated Li Shimin, so he took it upon himself to pull her closer and then carefully and loosely embraced her in his arms.
"I hate the smell of styrax..." She knew, of course, that such a strong fragrance was simply to dispel the foul air brought by the emperor, so she stood with her hands at her sides and did not resist further. But the fragrance was a bit too strong.
"I feel dizzy." Dizziness, weakness, and a sense of loss overwhelmed her.
"Just a hug. You little vixen who was almost drowned by Yu Ren, you're incredibly audacious, even daring to steal the white unicorn captured by the Shusun clan..." He pressed closer to her, wrapping his arms around her slender body.
Since that impulsive kiss after they got drunk, the two of them had been observing proper etiquette and had never been so intimate again.
He grabbed Changsun Qingjing's hand, which was frantically groping and pushing away in her panic, and pressed it against his chest: "This place is empty too. Guanyinbi, you stole my heart just like you stole Bai Lin... Is there anything in this world that you wouldn't dare to steal?"
He leaned closer to her, his seductive voice echoing in her ear.
The soft, fine beard brushed against Changsun Qingjing's cheek, deliberately caressing and teasing him, as if it had enough time and patience to lure this cunning little beast into its trap. The mischievous girl had nowhere to escape; her skin felt both pain and itchiness, her heart filled with both surprise and love.
Author's Note: First update at midnight, just a casual attempt to dabble in some metaphysics and catch a few night owls. Second update as usual.
Is this the sweet romance you've been waiting for? [Dog head with rose in hand]
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