Spark Festival
The once-in-a-millennium "Spark Festival" of Qinglan Realm has arrived as scheduled.
As night fell, thousands of firefly-like lanterns rose into the air, their light reflecting off the countless stars. The Fox Clan's main city was brightly lit, filled with ethereal music and boisterous laughter. The immortals, usually somber in their cultivation, shed their solemnity and immersed themselves in a rare celebration.
As the second son of the fox clan, Jiu Che was required to preside over the opening ceremony on the main altar. He wore an even more elaborate and solemn snow-white sacrificial robe, with flowing silver patterns. His face appeared even more serene and jade-like under the lamplight. He perfectly fulfilled every duty, delivering a speech, lighting the sacred fire, and receiving the worship of all the immortals. The ceremony was solemn and impeccable.
As the ceremony concluded, the immortals cheered and joined the sea of joy below. The elders smiled and gestured for Jiu Che to go and enjoy himself, but he merely nodded slightly, remaining standing quietly at the edge of the altar. Just as he had done for countless festivals in the past, he maintained the distance befitting his status, remaining a silent observer. The clamor was theirs; he only needed to maintain this "stillness" that symbolized order and majesty.
A figure, backlit by the light, leaped lightly onto the railing at the edge of the altar to the rhythm of cheerful drums, breaking the silence that had been isolated.
It was Qi Yuan. She was still wearing the clothes of a fairy servant, but a bright flame flower had appeared in her hair from somewhere, making her eyebrows and eyes look vivid and captivating.
"The ceremony is over, Your Highness, are you still standing here like a stone statue?" She tilted her head, her smile breathtakingly bright under the dazzling lights. "It's so lively down there, aren't you going to go take a look?"
Jiu Che frowned slightly: "My duty is done, this place is quiet now..."
“Quiet? What do you mean?” Qi Yuan interrupted him, pointing to the starry river flowing with light and laughter below. “Listen, that’s the sound of life. Your Highness, you are a fox, not a totem on an altar.” Her words carried an undeniable power as she reached out her hand to him. “Come.”
That hand, slender, seemed to possess a gravitational pull that could move his entire world.
Jiu Che looked at her hand, then at her bright, piercing eyes. The invisible wall in his heart, amidst the festive clamor and her gaze, began to crack subtly. Almost as if possessed, he placed his hand in hers.
Warm, soft, yet with an irresistible force.
Qi Yuan chuckled softly, then pulled him forcefully, leaping off the high altar with him. Their robes fluttered, like two night butterflies thrown into starlight, instantly crashing into the bustling world he had never truly entered before.
The crowds surged, the lights and shadows blurred. Qi Yuan held his hand tightly, nimbly weaving through the throng. She led him to a steaming stall selling celestial delicacies, stuffing him with a skewer of roasted spirit mushrooms, glistening with nectar, which he had never tasted before; she pulled him to a stop in front of a street performer enchanting illusions, watching the light and shadow conjure up bizarre and fantastical dreams; she even encouraged him to solve a riddle, and while he pondered the answers in ancient texts, she, with her quirky thinking, offered a hilarious yet irrefutable twisted interpretation.
At first, Jiu Che was a little stiff, unaccustomed to the crowds and the chaotic noise. But her hand remained firmly in his, her laughter ringing in his ears, leading him to experience the novelty and break the mold. Gradually, his tense shoulders relaxed, and the frost that had never melted from his eyes melted away into tiny starlight in the warm lamplight and her smiling face.
"Put this on." Qi Yuan stopped in front of a mask stall, casually picked up a simple silver fox mask that covered the upper half of his face, and put it on his face without saying a word. He then chose a black bird mask for himself, adorned with fine black feathers, revealing only his chin and red lips.
“Now, no one knows you are Prince Jiu Che.” Her voice came through the mask, carrying a hint of cunning.
Behind the masks, the colors of the world seemed bolder and more hazy. Finally, they squeezed onto a stone bridge spanning the Milky Way. Below the bridge, lotus lanterns carrying wishes flowed slowly, while above, the bridge was bustling with noise. Fireworks burst into bloom in the night sky, illuminating the blurred eyes behind their masks.
In the instant that another huge cluster of fireworks exploded, everyone looked up in amazement.
Qi Yuan suddenly stood on tiptoe.
Through the cold mask, carved with the pattern of black birds, her lips gently and swiftly pressed against the lips of his silver fox mask.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The clamor faded, the fireworks dimmed. Only the cool touch of masks against each other, and the breathtaking warmth and softness that could still be felt through a barrier, were clearly transmitted.
Jiu Che trembled violently, his pupils suddenly contracting. He could feel his heart pounding like a drum, almost shattering his chest.
Qi Yuan quickly stepped back, his eyes behind the black bird mask curving into a triumphant, bewitching smile. He turned and disappeared into the crowd behind him.
It was as if that earth-shattering kiss just now was merely an illusion under the fireworks.
Jiu Che stood alone, his fingers unconsciously tracing the kissed spot on the silver fox mask. Beneath the cold touch lay a burning, almost incinerating, throbbing sensation.
Rules, identity, Dao heart... all were shattered at this moment by that kiss through the mask.
He stood there, motionless for a long time, until the crowd gradually dispersed and the lights dimmed.
Something deep inside me exploded completely and irreversibly with that burst of fireworks.
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