Chapter 12 The Clam Spirit's Request: The person she likes is a free-spirited hero...
"Sang Sang, where are we going?" Li Fu asked as he ran, putting on his shoes. His clothes were haphazardly draped over his body, making him look disheveled.
He was sleeping soundly with his blanket when he was suddenly grabbed and pulled up.
But he wasn't angry at all; on the contrary, he was very happy and excited!
He said he had never been so happy in his life!
All because the most beautiful girl in the world came to find him late at night! Could this be the legendary elopement?
"Don't ask, just come with me!" Sang Wan said mysteriously. She secretly led Li Fu over the wall and out of the mansion. Once outside, the two of them ran wildly through the dark streets.
The night wind howled in their ears, and the two of them ran until they were breathless.
Sweat soaked their eyelashes and trickled down their temples; they were panting like broken bellows, but such a novel and exciting experience always made them want to exchange a smile.
"Sang Sang, should we run even further so that they can't find us!" Li Fu panted, one hand on his waist and the other on his knee. This amount of exercise was really too much for him.
But he felt very happy!
Sang Wan gave him a strange look. "Why did you run so far? There are plenty of lanterns here too."
Li Fu was taken aback. "Lanterns? So you invited me here to see lanterns? But... these lanterns are all out now."
Countless lanterns floated on the river. When they were lit, they were indeed as bright as a starry river, but after the wicks went out, they were gray and dull. So many lanterns crowded the river, making it dark and gloomy. It was not only not beautiful, but it also made people frown.
“Who said I came to see the lanterns? Here!” Sang Wan tossed the long pole to the little laborer.
The long pole almost hit Li Fu in the face. After he managed to catch it while scurrying away with his head in his hands, he realized it was a bamboo pole-like oar. Sang Wan had already climbed onto a small boat on the riverbank, and he hurriedly followed.
"So this is Fanye Lake?" he asked tentatively, a bad feeling creeping into his heart.
Nonsense, it's the middle of the night, pitch black, what kind of lake are you talking about!
Sang Wan smiled sweetly, the sweetest smile she had ever given him, her lips seemingly coated with honey. She said meaningfully, "I need your help with something. You know, after thinking it over, you're the only friend I have here."
The beauty's smile had completely captivated Li Fu, who immediately patted his chest and declared, "Don't worry, Sangsang, no matter what I ask you to do, I'd rather die than refuse!"
He learned this phrase from the chivalrous heroes in storybooks; it sounds so grand when he says it!
He felt a surge of heroic spirit filling his chest!
Sang Wan had only interacted with him twice, but he was as innocent as a child, and she was well aware of his little schemes. "Li Fu, the way you say that makes you sound like a chivalrous knight-errant, wandering the world with a sword!"
Upon hearing this, Li Fu felt elated. He touched the back of his head, his ear tips were slightly red, and a pair of small tiger teeth were faintly visible.
"Actually, what I wanted your help with is a good thing. You see, although the lanterns are beautiful, they just pile up on the river after they go dark, polluting the water. And all those little fish, shrimp, and clams in the river, their homes are polluted, and they're suffering too, right?"
Li Fu hesitated for a moment, but nodded anyway. He didn't understand what helping had to do with fish and shrimp.
The Lantern Festival is held once a year, and every year a large number of river lanterns are released. The river is alive, and over time it will either flow downstream or sink to the bottom. No one has ever cared about the river lanterns, since the government is too busy to even manage the people.
Sang Wan's words made a lot of sense. He hadn't thought about it before, but no one would speak up for the fish and shrimp in the river, right?
This was the first time Li Fu had come up with the right place; Sang Wan was endorsing the clam spirit!
The clam spirit's first request was for Sang Wan to clean her home. The home she referred to was naturally this river area; the lanterns were dirty and smelly, and would eventually sink to the bottom, bothering her for many days.
Now that Sang Wan needs its help, it will act as her laborer.
"So...the weather's so nice tonight, let's do a good deed and clean up all the lanterns in the river!"
Li Fu: ?
"Miss Sang... are you kidding me?" He slowly turned his head, his head throbbing, to look at the vast expanse of dark river lanterns stretching far into the distance.
Sang Wan locked her gaze on him, baring her teeth in a threatening look, "Do I look like I'm joking?"
Li Fu loosened his grip on the awning, stood up, and was about to run ashore. "Miss Sang, I suddenly remembered that I have some things to do at home. I'll have the servants come and clean for you tomorrow."
Seeing him flee in disarray, Sang Wan calmly and casually cast a spell.
The boat rope that was originally tied to the shore suddenly snapped, and with a very slight movement, the boat swung away down the river.
Li Fu was startled when he saw the ship's ropes, which looked as if they had been suddenly cut by a knife. He turned around to tell Sang Wan about this amazing scene, but then he saw twisted blue runes appear on the girl's hand standing on the ship.
This scene was indeed somewhat eerie, but her appearance was absolutely stunning, and the faint reflection of the incantation was cast upon her. You would never associate her with any ghosts or monsters; you would only feel that she was ethereal and otherworldly.
Young people always yearn for magical powers and immortals, and Li Fu was no exception.
Magistrate Li kept the matter of the monster's mischief well under wraps, as it would cause panic among ordinary people and could not be widely publicized.
Faced with this magical spell, Li Fu's eyes widened, staring at Sang Wan with astonishment and surprise: "Sang Sang, so you really are a fairy!!" As he spoke, he reached out to gather the ball of light, but as soon as he stretched out his hand, the radiance slowly dissipated.
"Want to know? Then help me clean the river lanterns. I'll tell you anything you ask!"
Li Fu nodded repeatedly after listening.
At this moment, he felt that Sang Wan had a purpose in personally asking him to clean the lanterns! The fairy could clearly use magic, but she insisted on bringing him along, and only him, not letting the servants come.
What does this mean? It means he has divine talent! Perhaps cleaning the river for the people is a way for him to accumulate merit!
But he was wrong, because Sang Wan was being tormented by that damned stinking clam spirit!
Cleaning the river lanterns could naturally be done using magic; even with her inner core damaged, giving her a few days would make collecting some lanterns easy. However, this clam spirit held a grudge against her for disturbing its rest and insisted that she clean them herself without using magic.
Worried that she might call for help, I specifically told her that it's a light sleeper and won't be able to sleep if too many people come to retrieve the lantern! Make sure to clean up the lantern tonight, and I'll tell her the second thing tomorrow after it's had a good sleep!
Since it needed her help, it made things difficult for Sang Wan like this, and Sang Wan could only swallow her anger.
Too many people and it can't sleep, so let's find another one, it can't keep up with the noise! So, the laborer Sang Wan could only find the laborer Li Fu.
There was nothing she could do; she couldn't very well go to Cui Lüshang! It was all Cui Lüshang's fault! she thought bitterly.
But the clam spirit said it could heal its own injuries, so perhaps it could also heal Cui Lueshang's internal injuries that he had since birth.
Because of this consideration, she simply nodded in agreement to whatever the clam spirit asked for.
The night was bitterly cold, and even fog rolled in on the lake. But Sang Wan and Li Fu didn't feel cold at all. They were enthusiastically scooping up lanterns. Once the boat was full, Sang Wan would put them into her Qiankun bag. Li Fu could watch this process countless times without getting tired of it.
While the two were busy retrieving the lantern, they chatted idly about everything under the sun, how she came to this world from another world, how she and Zhuiming met and killed the Ghost Tree together, and the strange and wonderful things that happened in her previous world.
The night was far too long, and they seemed to have endless things to say, because Sang Wan was unfolding a picture he had never seen before, so beautiful and dreamlike.
Most people may never have the chance in their lifetime to get close to and understand how colorful and diverse the other side of the world is.
Sometimes, just knowing about them is already a very rare and serendipitous encounter.
Li Fu had never left Luzhou City in his life. He was his parents' late-born son, so they naturally doted on him. Some unsubstantiated stories from the martial arts world were enough to fascinate him, but the tales of spirits and cultivators clearly ignited a greater passion in his heart.
After the two men retrieved most of the river lanterns, they were so exhausted that they could no longer lift their hands and collapsed onto the small boat without any regard for their image.
His eyes were blank as he stared at the night sky, where only a few scattered stars and a thin moon could be seen.
After lying down, Li Fu let out a long sigh of relief, "I feel like I've never been this tired in my entire life."
Sang Wan laughed, "Do you regret knowing me now, being so enslaved by me?"
"Of course not, meeting you is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me." Li Fu's voice was soft but firm. As he spoke, he stretched out his hand towards the sky, so close yet so far. He lowered his hand in disappointment.
Meeting you is the luckiest thing that has ever happened to me. As Sang Wan heard these words, the image of Cui Lüshang appeared in her mind.
Fragments of the past flashed through her mind. She gazed at the boundless night sky, surrounded by endless rivers, feeling utterly desolate, her boat filled with sweet dreams pressing down on the starry river.
The two teenagers, both in their late teens, were filled with melancholy, like mayflies in the vastness of the world.
"No wonder you always ask me about Zhui Ming's exploits. You...like him, don't you?" Li Fu recalled Sang Wan's expression when she mentioned how Zhui Ming protected her in the Ghost Forest. No wonder...
Sang Wan didn't refute, but said, word by word, "But he might not like me."
Li Fu retorted, "He must like you, otherwise why would he risk his life to protect you?"
What he really wanted to say was, "You're so beautiful, everyone would like you."
Sang Wan chuckled softly after hearing this, "No, even if it wasn't me inside at the time, but anyone else, he would have risked his life to save me."
Because he is such a sincere person.
The person she admires is an untamed hero, so her eyes sparkled when she said this.
Li Fu naturally saw it too, and said sincerely, "You're so wonderful, he'll definitely like you. I liked you the moment I first saw you!"
After listening, Sang Wan turned her head and looked at him seriously, "Then what do you like about me?"
"Because you are exceptionally beautiful. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen," Li Fu said honestly, his eyes lingering on her exquisitely beautiful features.
She smiled gently; being complimented on her beauty was certainly something to be happy about.
"But there are many other very beautiful girls in the world, it's just that you haven't met them yet. If you had, you might not like me anymore."
Li Fu hesitated, thinking that this was probably Sang Wan's way of comforting him.
Sang Wan thought for a moment, "Many spirits and monsters are exceptionally beautiful, such as the Jade-Faced Fox, Flower Fairy, Enchantress, Mermaid... If you were to encounter one, you'd probably fall head over heels for her."
Li Fu was indeed swayed upon hearing this. His eyes burned with anticipation as he longed to encounter all kinds of beauty, because he was a vibrant person.
Just like his affection for Sang Wan, she noticed it early on; his eyes were so clean and clear, without any desire.
She couldn't help but think of Zhuiming's eyes again, those affectionate, bright, and lonely eyes.
She fell silent for a long time, then abruptly said, "He clearly likes me, so why won't he say it?"
Li Fu swallowed hard, thought for a long time, and said, "He's so much older than you, he must have more to worry about."
These words touched a nerve with her; she gets annoyed as soon as she hears about age!
She jumped up and glared at him fiercely. "What does age have to do with it! Get up! Stop slacking off!"
Li Fu: ?
Resigned, she got up, muttering under her breath, "If you like someone so much, why won't you tell them everything?"
Sang Wan's back stiffened. Pretending not to hear, she squatted down, her hand clenching tightly as she tried to catch the river lantern.
A note from the author:
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A kiss is coming in the next chapter!
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