The poet smiled and gave an elegant bow. The woman blushed, giggled, and ran back to the other woman. The two women laughed at each other and looked at the poet.
The miners snorted, "Tsk tsk, you haven't learned many ways to make a living, but you've certainly got a lot of tricks to fool women."
Upon hearing this, the poet put a mouthful of cold soup to his lips, but couldn't swallow it.
The woman who brought soup to the poet glanced coldly at the miner. "Some people are always thinking about how to deceive women. It's a pity that no matter how many tricks they have, once a woman sees the man in person, she's scared away!" The woman's tone was quite high-pitched and her voice was shrill, making her sound even more sarcastic.
Among the men, the miner was the darkest and shortest, with a square face that made him look more like a human than an elf. This facial structure was considered unusually unattractive among the Aruru people. The poet, on the other hand, was the opposite, looking like an elf, only slightly darker-skinned and shorter.
"It really is a world where looks matter everywhere," Yun Zhe thought, shifting to a more comfortable position and continuing to observe.
The miner's eyes blazed with anger, and he was about to explode when the farmer tapped the ash from his pipe and shouted, "Alright, stop arguing." He turned to the poet and said, "You sing. When everyone rests, you'll be on the first shift. The blacksmith, you'll be second. And you two—he pointed to the two women—" you'll be on the third shift, and you can also prepare the meal.
Although the farmer was young, he seemed to command considerable respect, and everyone fell silent upon hearing his words. The poet quickly finished his cold porridge, coughing a few times from the choking. The crowd burst into laughter, as if it were an after-part entertainment before a song.
The poet finally composed himself and began to sing. The poem started in Elvish, which embarrassed Yun Zhe, as he didn't understand Elvish. The poet's initial tone was high-pitched, then suddenly became melodious and delicate, and he continued singing in human language.
"The biting cold wind,
What time is it?
What time is it?
My love.
"If only you could travel as fast as the wind!"
Then her tone returned to its high pitch, and she sang another verse in Elvish. Then she switched to human language, expressing her longing for her lover.
"It's a love story, it seems to be a love story between an elf and a human woman," Yun Zhe murmured to himself, hiding in a tree. The poem was sung well; it was indeed refreshing to listen to.
After the song ended, the two women clapped. The others seemed somewhat perfunctory.
"Is this the story of that elven traitor?" The blacksmith seemed to realize something and blinked at the poet.
The poet nodded. "It's the story of Tanras Tesogor, the treacherous Elf King, and his lover Kelancinda, from the Ten Years' War."
"Pah, what bad luck!" the miner spat on the ground.
This action immediately drew angry stares from the two girls.
"Is it really worth it to betray the elves and drag the entire tribe down with you just for a human woman, only to be driven out of the elven forest?" The blacksmith was also quite dismissive, showing a similar stance to the miners.
"Love! Isn't that reason enough? A bunch of bachelors who don't understand love!" The shrill female voice rang out again, very offensive.
Yun Zhe didn't quite agree either. How could someone who betrays their country for a foreign lover be praised as a romantic hero? It's ridiculous. It only fools these love-struck women.
But then he thought again, this poem is the version that circulates in the human world. He thought of those hardcover books, and suddenly a chill ran through him. He began to have deep doubts about the authenticity of the story told in the poem, and even more so about the motives of the person who wrote it.
Yun Zhe could imagine the expressions on the elves' faces when they heard such a story. "I bet the elves have an outrageous version too. The saying 'listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; believe only one side and you will be misled' is certainly true."
"I don't actually agree with what that Elf King did either. Compared to the suffering he brought, the love he gained is insignificant." The poet was surprisingly clear-headed.
"Then why are you still singing this song?" the miner asked gruffly.
The poet sighed, and after a long pause, finally managed to utter, "But this is the only poem I know..."
Everyone was stunned, then the miners and blacksmiths burst into laughter. The two women laughed just as openly, but their gazes towards the poet remained gentle. Even the composed farmer had a clear smile on his lips. Hearing the laughter, the poet was initially embarrassed, then blushed, and finally couldn't help but laugh along.
After everyone had finished laughing, the farmer said, "Alright, alright, everyone go and rest. Poet, you go stand guard for the first shift." He then knocked out another bottle of tobacco, covering it with his foot as he spoke.
The poet found it strange; he sensed that people's attitude towards him had improved. But he was happy with it and didn't think much of it. So he nodded, walked to the side of the small camp, and began to stand guard.
The sun had just risen, and the sunlight filtered through the trees, dappling the ground brightly.
Yun Zhe leaned against a tree branch, examining the black-sheathed longsword in his hand. The three feathered arrows on the scabbard stood silently, etched there without a sound.
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