Before opening the door, Xu Qian stood at the entrance and lit a stick of incense that was entirely blue-green—Phoenix Incense.
Phoenix Fragrance – a fragrance said to be infused with phoenix feathers.
Of course, nowadays no one would recognize its value.
Soon, the orange-red flames gradually stained the tip of the incense stick red.
Everyone present smelled a fragrance, a scent... how to describe it? It was a very comforting and calming smell.
But then, an unexpected incident occurred: the incense that had been burning perfectly suddenly went out, causing the onlookers to involuntarily step back.
Xu Qian blinked, looking at the extinguished incense, and said, "It was quite irritable..."
Monk Neil looked at him, his eyes seeming to ask, 'And then?' Xu Qian didn't respond much, got up to put away the unburnt incense stick, and reached out to open the door to the pause room.
Xu Qian went inside, and the remaining few looked at each other for a moment before following him in.
The camera then shifts to Xu Qian standing in the center of the counter, with the black and gold mask placed on the walnut-colored surface. Even through the thick glass, the mask's dazzling light cannot be concealed.
"Watch out!" Monk Neil suddenly exclaimed.
Upon hearing the sound, Xu Qian stopped what he was doing and looked up. His gaze was as clear as ever. He gave the monk a look that said, "Take it easy."
Xiaoqing didn't pay attention to the exchange of glances between the two. She just frowned. Ever since she came in, she had felt uncomfortable with the environment. It always gave her a very uncomfortable feeling, especially... hot.
If Xu Qian knew what Xiao Qing was thinking, he would most likely explain to her that it wasn't because of the heat, but because the blood on the mask was too heavy.
Before they arrived, they learned a little about the experiences of the mask's owner, Duan Tinglan. From a modern perspective, Duan Tinglan was quite a remarkable person.
In the vast and boundless river of history, the Duan family stands out for its exceptionally high profile. Aside from their renowned family beauty, what stands out most is the eccentricity of their family members.
There are countless extraordinary people in the world, and the Duan family accounts for half of them. This exaggerated half also includes Duan Tinglan.
Of course, compared to the illustrious deeds of the Duan family's 'predecessors,' Duan Tinglan was relatively normal; he only had one hobby—raising wolves.
If it were just a simple matter of raising a wolf, it wouldn't have been able to leave its name. The problem lies with the wolf he raised—a pure white wolf without any blemishes.
There's a little story about this wolf.
Historical records state that in the early spring of the thirteenth year of Ruzhou, Duan Tinglan, who was hunting, suffered a major assassination attempt. Just when everyone thought he was doomed, a white wolf carried him back to the camp. From then on, he was inseparable from that white wolf.
In the twenty-seventh year of Rulu, Duan Tinglan was ordered to lead an expedition to defend against the enemy. While crossing the river, he unfortunately fell into the enemy's trap. Although the last reinforcements arrived, his face was left with an indelible scar, and his white wolf, who had been with him for many years, also died in that crisis.
Deeply affected by that battle, Duan Tinglan's hair turned white overnight, and his personality changed drastically. He not only started eating raw meat, but also wore a mask that he never took off.
Ah, it's the black and gold mask right in front of me.
For the next twenty years, Duan Tinglan made outstanding contributions to the unification and consolidation of the Northern Dynasty with his military talent and bravery. He was virtually invincible and was once known as the "Black Gold War God".
Unfortunately, this renowned war god died before the age of forty. Historical records state that he died of illness, but unofficial histories say he went mad and committed suicide.
Xu Qian opened the glass cover, and under Neil and Monk's watchful gaze, he reached out and took out the mask, held it up to his face, and made a gesture as if he was about to put it on.
“!!!” Monk Neil’s eyes widened in shock!
However, just as the mask was about to touch his face, Xu Qian suddenly stopped, staring straight at the mask with a nonchalant smile on his face, which was a bit... cheeky.
In that instant, Xu Qian clearly felt the temperature of the mask in his hand change; it became a little hot, as if it were angry.
Seeing this, Xiaoqing covered her nose and took a step back; she didn't want to get involved.
Xu Qian calmly put the mask back in the glass case, glanced at his watch—it was already four in the afternoon—and then turned to Monk Neil, saying, "Leave this to me, but before that, could you find me a place to stay at the museum?"
Neil didn't understand what the other party wanted to do, but judging from his expression, he seemed very confident. Thinking of this, Neil didn't dwell on it any longer and called his apprentice to arrange the dormitory.
...
It's almost 9 p.m.
The vast night sky was filled with stars, stretching as far as the eye could see. You can't see a scene like this in the city.
Xu Qian moved a chair from the dormitory to the outside. On the table to his right was a sliced watermelon, which Xiao Qing had bought from a nearby supermarket. It was quite cold, but not very sweet. He had been ripped off.
Xiaoqing squatted on the steps, her body curled up in a ball, her eyes fixed on the burning phoenix incense in front of her.
Suddenly, a cluster of fireworks appeared in front of her. It was only a cluster because the fireworks were so small.
Soon, the Great Sage, with two small whiskers on his head and wearing a red vest, jumped over holding a red flag. He lowered his head and sighed, seemingly disappointed. Then, the next second, he nimbly climbed onto Xu Qian's shoulder and comfortably swung his toes, clearly enjoying himself.
"Great Sage!" Xiaoqing immediately straightened her back.
Xu Qian casually took a handful of peanuts and melon seeds from his pocket and handed them to Da Sheng. Da Sheng didn't stand on ceremony and started eating them.
Xiaoqing immediately looked at Xu Qian, her eyes carrying a hint of resentment.
Xu Qian successfully caught her gaze, then touched her again, saying, "Fairness is key, we must be fair."
And so, the man, the snake, and the monkey sat around in the courtyard, happily cracking open peanuts and melon seeds.
Time passed by, and they ate round after round of peanuts and melon seeds. Even the not-so-sweet watermelon was mostly gone. Xu Qian finally clapped his hands and stood up.
Xiaoqing looked at him while eating watermelon, a black watermelon seed still stuck to the corner of her mouth, her eyes looking particularly innocent.
"Oh dear, how did you get so messy from eating?" Xu Qian chuckled, reaching out to wipe the watermelon seeds from the corner of her mouth; they were sticky and dirty.
"I'm so hot!" Xiaoqing took a big bite of the watermelon, even crushing the seeds and swallowing them.
Xu Qian stopped paying attention to her, looked up at the sky, and saw that the moon was almost full; it was about time.
Xu Qian squatted down again, patted his shoulder, and soon Da Sheng climbed up his shoulder, still holding its little red flag in its hand. Xu Qian whispered a few words to Da Sheng, and when it nodded, he smiled.
Author's Note: Happy Qixi Festival!!!
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