Chapter 1287 All Thoughts and Wishes Are Fulfilled 1
In the third year after their marriage, the Continent of Gods welcomed the once-a-millennium Star Festival.
That morning, Luo Li was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window.
When she turned over and sat up, the space beside her was empty, with only a little residual warmth left.
After putting on his clothes and pushing open the window, he saw Di Xuanming standing under the increasingly luxuriant Wutong spiritual tree in the courtyard, raising his hand to catch a falling golden leaf.
He was wearing his usual black brocade robe. The morning light filtered through the leaves and fell on his shoulders, softening the hardness of his features.
Hearing the noise, he turned around and looked at me, a smile in his eyes: "Are you awake? Go check the city gate."
Luo Li followed his gaze and looked outside the city, only to see that the once solemn city gate was now hung with colorful star lanterns, and ribbons woven from spiritual plants hung from the city wall, dancing in the wind.
On the distant streets, children were running with paper star lanterns in their hands, and their silver bell-like laughter filled the air over the city walls and into our ears.
"So lively?" Luo Li walked closer with a smile, and he naturally put his arm around her waist.
"Last night, messengers from all the cities arrived, saying they wanted to celebrate the Star Festival together." Di Xuanming lowered his head and smoothed her wind-twisted hair. "Chen Fuzhou came to the City of Gods a while ago, saying he wanted to set up a hundred jars of intoxicating wine at the observatory. Lan Xiaoxiao is pestering Song Wanbai to make the largest star lantern, and my second brother is leading people to prepare a banquet at the City Lord's Mansion."
Luo Li laughed: "It's more like they are celebrating a festival, and we are just spectators."
"It was all for you." Di Xuanming held her hand, his fingertips caressing the increasingly warm heart-shaped pendant on her wrist. "Three years ago, you brought new life to this continent. Today's Star Festival is no longer a celebration of the stars, but a commemoration of the light you brought."
As he was speaking, Lan Xiaoxiao's voice could be heard from afar: "A-Li! Come quickly! The star lanterns Wan Bai and I made are flying!"
The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw a goose yellow figure running across the street corner dragging a huge glass lantern.
Song Wanbai followed closely behind, still holding the untied lamp cord in his hand, with a helpless yet indulgent smile on his face.
The glass lamp was decorated with tiny star crystals, reflecting a colorful halo in the sunlight. When blown by the wind, it actually swayed and floated into the air.
"Be careful not to fall!" Luo Li shouted and pulled Di Xuanming to chase after him.
The square in the city center was already filled with people. Shen Fuzhou was directing his disciples to move wine jars onto the stone table. When he saw them approaching, he immediately shouted, "The City Lord is here! Quick! Try my newly brewed osmanthus wine first!"
An Shuxue came over with a plate of freshly made preserves and handed it to Luo Li with a smile: "He started talking about it a few days ago, saying that he wanted you to try his new brewing method."
Luo Li had just taken the candied fruit when she was stopped by Luo Qingzhu: "Ali, Daddy and Mommy prepared some soup at home. They said it was made with morning dew and thousand-year-old snow lotus. They want you to drink it when you go back."
Luo Qi and Mu Wanqing, who were following behind him, were looking at her and smiling, the warmth in their eyes like melting snow in spring.
In the crowd, Bei Mingyu and Mo Yizhou were competing with a few children in swordsmanship. Their moves were so gentle that the children applauded.
Feng Wuhen stood by a tea stall not far away, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, looking at the noisy crowd, with a faint smile on his lips, no longer lonely as before;
Mu Ze and Ye Yichen were bargaining with several merchants, wanting to buy the best star lanterns to give to Luo Li...
Luo Li looked at everything in front of her, her heart filled with a soft emotion.
She turned to look at Di Xuanming beside her. He was also looking at her. His eyes were as deep as the night sky, but filled with light brighter than the stars.
"Look." Luo Li said softly, "They are all fine."
"Yeah." Di Xuanming lowered his head and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "We're doing well too."
As dusk deepened, thousands of star lanterns lit up on the observatory, their shadows flickering, illuminating smiling faces.
The jar of Shen Fuzhou's drunken thousand-year-old wine has been opened, and the aroma of the wine mixed with the sweetness of osmanthus fills the evening breeze.
Lan Xiaoxiao held up the largest glass lamp, pulled Song Wanbai to the edge of the stage, and released the lamp into the night sky.
The star lights soared up, shining brightly with the stars in the sky, making it difficult to tell which were the lights and which were the stars.
Luo Li leaned in Di Xuanming's arms, looking at the brilliant sea of light, and suddenly remembered that many years ago, she was alone looking at the devastated continent, thinking that she would never see the light again.
But now, she has him by her side, relatives and friends behind her, and thousands of lights and the hustle and bustle of the world in front of her.
"Are you cold?" Di Xuanming held her tighter in his arms and took off his outer robe to wrap her.
Luo Li shook her head, raised her head and kissed his chin, then laughed and said, "How could our spiritual master be cold?"
The wind blew through the sacred Wutong tree, and a golden leaf fell, right into her hair.
Di Xuanming reached out and took it off for her, his fingertips stroking her cheek, his movements as gentle as if he were treating a rare treasure.
"I will spend every Xingfan Festival with you from now on." He whispered, with unquestionable seriousness in his voice.
Luo Li smiled, the light in her eyes brighter than the stars: "Okay. You must accompany me to see every inch of land in the Continent of the Gods, to see the spiritual plants sprout, to see the children grow, and to see all the days be as good as today."
Di Xuanming tightened his arms and held her in his embrace.
The distant laughter, clinking of glasses, and children's songs, mixed with the evening breeze, gently enveloped them.
The star lights flew higher and higher, attracting fireflies in the sky.
Those little insects with faint light danced around the light strings, like flowing silver threads decorating the star lights.
Lan Xiaoxiao clapped her hands and jumped up and down, accidentally knocking over the wine pot on Shen Fuzhou's table. The amber wine spilled on the stone steps, and the fragrance of osmanthus instantly spread.
"Ouch!" She stuck out her tongue.
Song Wanbai reluctantly took out a handkerchief to wipe it, but Shen Fuzhou waved his hand: "It's okay, there are still a lot over there!"
As Shen Fuzhou spoke, he simply picked up two unopened jars of wine and threw them towards Bei Mingyu and Mo Yizhou, "Come! Try my newly brewed Xingfanzui. I've added a little more Firefly Grass Dew to it than last year, so it tastes a little sweeter!"
Bei Mingyu caught the wine jar steadily. As soon as his fingertips touched the clay, he saw the wine vapor overflowing from the jar turned into tiny pieces of light, swaying gently in the evening breeze.
He tilted his head back and took a big gulp. When the warmth in his throat spread, he actually tasted a sweetness like a star landing on the tip of his tongue. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: "Excellent craftsmanship."
Mo Yizhou also took a sip, his eyes swept over Feng Wuhen who was surrounded by children asking about sword techniques not far away, and suddenly said: "Brother Feng, don't you want to try it?"
Feng Wuhen looked up and saw that Mo Yizhou had handed the wine jar to him. His fingertips paused slightly as he took it.
The moment the wine entered his throat, he suddenly recalled the cold night many years ago when he was alone guarding the border of the Demon Abyss.
At that time, he thought that his life would be filled with loneliness, but he didn't know that one day he would be able to taste the warm aroma of wine in such a lively environment.
He looked at the two people hugging each other on the observatory, a faint but genuine smile on his lips: "Yes."
Luo Li happened to catch a glimpse of this scene and gently touched Di Xuanming's arm: "Look, Wuhen seems to be more cheerful than before."
Di Xuanming followed her gaze, his eyes softening, "Indeed, he has let go of his worries."
As he was speaking, Luo Qingzhu came over with a bowl of steaming hot soup, with a few snow lotus petals floating on the edge of the bowl: "Dad and Mom were worried that you would catch a cold at night, so they asked me to bring you another bowl of snow lotus soup."
He handed the soup bowl to Luo Li, his eyes falling on the heart-shaped jade pendant on her wrist. The starlight illuminated the jade pendant, and the shadow of a pair of intertwined phoenixes appeared faintly. "This jade pendant is becoming more and more spiritual."
Luo Li's fingertips slid across the jade pendant, and she suddenly remembered what Di Xuanming said when he tied the jade pendant on her wrist on the day of their wedding.
She looked up at Di Xuanming and saw that he was looking at her, the light in his eyes brighter than a firefly. She couldn't help but stand on tiptoe and give him a light kiss on the cheek: "It is indeed very well behaved."
Di Xuanming took her hand holding the soup bowl and handed it back to Luo Qingzhu. He then put his arm around her waist and walked towards the Wutong Spiritual Tree: "Would you like to sit over there?"
A thick layer of golden leaves had already spread under the tree, like a soft brocade carpet.
When the two sat down side by side, Luo Li suddenly discovered a small wooden box hidden in the tree hole. When she opened it, she found that it was filled with the highest spiritual leaves that had fallen in the past three years.
Each leaf bears the mark of Di Xuanming's soul power. Some depict her silhouette while practicing swordsmanship, some depict her planting spiritual plants, and the newest leaf even has a small heart-shaped knot drawn on the tip.
"When did you hide these?" Luo Li pinched the golden leaf with the heart knot, and her fingertips became soft.
"Every time I see you passing by the tree, I pick a leaf and save it." Di Xuanming hugged her from behind, his chin resting on the top of her head. "I thought of stringing these leaves into a curtain and hanging it on the window. Watching a golden leaf fall reminds me of a time ago."
Luo Li laughed out loud, but her eyes felt a little hot.
When she turned around, she happened to see Lan Xiaoxiao being pulled towards this side by Song Wanbai, holding a newly made small star lantern in her hand. On the lantern was painted two little people holding hands, one wearing a black robe and the other wearing a wedding dress.
"A-Li! Look at what I drew!" Lan Xiaoxiao held the star lamp in front of her. The light from the burning wick shone through the thin paper, casting the shadows of two little figures on the gold leaf. "Does it look like you and your husband?"
Song Wanbai added, "She spent the entire afternoon painting, saying she wanted a star lantern that never went out. She even embedded spirit crystals in the lamp ribs, so it could stay lit for a full century."
Luo Li took the star lamp, and as soon as her fingertips touched the lamp stand, the spirit crystal emitted a soft light, making the shadows of the two little figures clearer.
She suddenly remembered that when they just got married three years ago, Lan Xiaoxiao did the same thing. She insisted on drawing a picture of a hundred children for her, but was dragged away by Song Wanbai with a red face.
"It's so beautiful." Luo Li hung the star lantern on the branches of the phoenix tree. When the wind blew, the shadow of the lantern swayed gently on the golden leaves, like two little people dancing.
As the night deepened, the number of fireflies gradually increased, and they flew around the star lights and the sacred sycamore trees in a ball of light mist.
A little girl with two buns ran over, holding a doll in her hands. The doll was wearing a starry dress similar to the one Luo Li was wearing, and her eyebrows and eyes were embroidered in a naive way.
"Sister Luo Li, this was made by my mother using spiritual silk. She said it would guard the star lamp for you." The little girl placed the doll under the tree, looking up with a smile. "My mother said it was you who brought my father back! Ah Yuan thanks the City Lord!"
Luo Li squatted down and straightened the little girl's bangs that were messed up by the wind: "You're welcome."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
