I spoke to him earnestly, saying, "Lou Xiyue, I've noticed that ever since you found out I'm a woman, you've lost the respect you should have for your elders. This really disheartens me."
Lou Xiyue crossed her arms and laughed, "Look at you, you're soaked again. Your clothes were ruined just now."
I said, "Don't try to change the subject."
"I told you to come to the tree, but you didn't come," Lou Xiyue said. Suddenly, I felt a lightness in my body as he scooped me up and carried me to the tree.
I exclaimed in surprise, "Don't be rough!"
Lou Xiyue gripped my wrist with one hand, raised his eyebrows, and said, "You've wasted all the effort I put into drying your clothes." Then his hand moved up my waist inch by inch, and even though my clothes were a little damp and cold, I could still feel the warmth of his palm.
He looked down at me quietly, his expression extremely serious, but after snapping his fingers, he said in a low voice with a half-smile, "Then, I can only bake it for you one more time."
I frowned and tried to push him away.
With a "whoosh," Ji Jiu landed from the tree. Her face was dark, and she said coldly, "Seventh Young Master, I found a cave and made a fire. If you want to dry your clothes, go to the cave."
Lou Xiyue let go, smiled and nodded at Ji Jiu, "Okay, I'm hungry too, let's find something to grill and eat."
He shrugged at me. "I was just teasing you, Xiao Xiang. I'll bake something for you to eat."
Ji Jiu shot down a few magpies and roasted them over a fire.
The aroma of roasted meat wafted over, and Ji Jiu handed Lou Xiyue a roasted pigeon that was golden brown, smiling at him.
Lou Xiyue took the pigeon and walked over to me with a smile. "Are you angry?"
I crossed my arms, glanced at him indifferently, and said nothing.
He used his fingers to tear off a piece of meat and placed it near my lips, saying gently, "Don't stand here, go dry your clothes by the fire."
I coughed and opened my mouth to bite the meat, but Lou Xiyue suddenly stopped, took a bite herself, and looked at me with a smile.
He turned and walked towards the fire. "Mmm, it smells delicious. Come over here quickly, don't go hungry."
The rain outside continued. Lou Xiyue lifted the corner of her robe, sat down on the ground, drew a chessboard on the ground with a twig, used pebbles as chess pieces, and started playing chess with Ji Jiu.
As Lou Xiyue held a pebble in his hand, deep in thought about his chess move, Ji Jiu stared at him in a daze, a rare hint of gentleness on his face.
Lou Xiyue played with her fan and said gently, "Oh dear, Ji Jiu, I've lost again."
Ji Jiu's eyebrows relaxed, and he smiled happily, as pure as a child, "Seventh Young Master, you've let me have my way again."
Lou Xiyue shook her head, propped her forehead with one hand, and laughed even harder, "I didn't let you win. You've been smart since you were little. I've never beaten you at chess."
After saying that, he stood up and chuckled, saying, "Your chess skills are too good, I can't beat you, I'm going to find another girl."
He looked at me innocently, "Xiao Xiang, let's play chess."
I used to watch my master and the Three Dukes play chess in the valley. The two would often play for days and nights on end, unable to eat or sleep, until the sun and moon disappeared. Such a magnificent game of chess usually ended with the Three Dukes slapping his forehead and wailing, "Ah—I lost!"
The only exception was when the Third Prince slapped himself on the forehead and let out a long howl, "Ah—"
After a moment of silence, he slapped the clap again and said, "Ah—I lost again."
My master's chess skills are so superb that I, his first disciple, naturally also understand how to watch chess.
I laughed, "Okay, whoever loses has to slap themselves three times."
Lou Xiyue rested her chin on her hand, hesitated for a long time, and then said, "Hmm."
So I sat down on the ground excitedly, intending to kill him without leaving a single piece of armor.
On such a day, with thunder and lightning, and torrential rain, an inauspicious time for everything, I clashed with Lou Xiyue and fought a round of battle.
This game of chess didn't last long, but it made me realize how unpredictable life can be—we can often only guess the beginning, but never the bitter ending.
Lou Xiyue clapped her hands and laughed, "Xiao Xiang, I haven't won a game of chess in a long time."
I remained silent.
Ji Jiu said sullenly from the side, "The loser has to slap himself three times."
I mumbled under my breath, pretending to be dead, "I got caught in the rain... I'm not feeling well... I'm a little dizzy."
Lou Xiyue smiled gently, fanning herself, "Then don't take any more pictures. I can't bear to see you take selfies."
Main text [18] Donghai Yang
The East China Sea is located at the border of the states of Li and Xue. White clouds drift across the vast ocean, waves crash against the shore, creating a surging, turbulent scene. Strange rocks stand majestically between the sea and sky, defying the raging waves, leaving onlookers speechless and lingering in awe.
Standing on the shore of the East China Sea, experiencing the magnificent scenery before you is a unique experience.
Lou Xiyue wore a light purple brocade robe embroidered with the character "亞" (Ya). His long, ink-black hair was blown about by the sea breeze. He smiled and said, "The world is vast and the land is boundless. People say that Yazhou is like the Gates of Hell, but they never expected that the scenery here is so beautiful."
Yazhou is extremely far from the capital. It is a desolate and bleak place. Most of the people here are those who have been exiled thousands of miles away for their crimes. They come here to fish and dry their nets, living a mundane life until their death. People often say that Yazhou is covered in ice and snow all year round. The terrain is treacherous and extremely barren. Most of the "rebellious officials" who were exiled here died of illness along the way. Even if they survived, it was difficult for them to live long here.
Unexpectedly, although Yazhou is sparsely populated, it is a place of turbulent waves and drifting clouds and mist, a scene that ordinary people have no chance to appreciate.
Lou Xiyue said, "There is a legend in the East Sea of Yazhou."
I looked at him and said, "Tell me about it."
"Legend has it that long ago, there was a prince of the Lingshui Li tribe in the Heavenly Realm named Li Beijun. The Lingshui Li tribe and the Donghai Mo tribe had always been at odds, so they fought a war. Li Beijun was seriously injured and fell to the mortal world, collapsing on the east coast. At that time, he revealed his true form, which was a small silver-blue dragon. A little girl from a fishing village was walking barefoot past him and, thinking he was a small snake, picked him up and took him home."
I asked Lou Xiyue, "How old is this little girl?"
He thought for a moment and said, "She'll be about twelve or thirteen years old, so let's call her Xiaoqing."