I added, "Actually, a pretty important point is that Jinlang is older than me and could be my father."
Lou Xiyue rested her chin on her hand and asked casually, "You like the Great General too?"
I said, “When I listened to the opera scripts, I liked men like Xiang Yu who were strong enough to lift a tripod and had the aura to overpower ten thousand men. I imagined that my future husband would be over eight feet tall and have a majestic face. But one day I met someone who didn’t look like Xiang Yu. After that, I forgot about Xiang Yu.”
Lou Xiyue remained silent for a long time after hearing this.
The faint sound of weeping only made the long night seem even more silent, and the world slept peacefully.
A cloud drifted by, obscuring the moonlight.
Suddenly, her hand was grasped, and she heard Lou Xiyue say calmly, "Let's not wait any longer, let's go."
I couldn't see the road clearly, so I could only let him pull me forward. I asked him, "What if we run into a ghost and it drags us down to see the King of Hell?"
Lou Xiyue said, "Then let go and run by yourself."
Text [24] Wolf Venom Killing (Part 3)
I glanced at him sideways and didn't say anything.
Lou Xiyue smiled and said, "Comb your hair, let's go up the mountain."
I said seriously, "What's the point of being quick-witted? You always talk like this, and as your teacher, and a very respectable woman, I feel very embarrassed."
Lou Xiyue fanned herself casually, saying, "You're the one who said you wanted it to be a bit warmer."
I said, "Yes, but I didn't say I wanted to take a bath with you."
Lou Xiyue shrugged. "What other methods are there?"
I thought for a moment and said, "There are many ways. For example, you can set up a pot next to the hot spring, heat the water, and pour it in. Also, um, you can splash around in the water a few times to warm up. Maybe you can wait until noon and let the sun warm you up, and then the water will be warmer. And also..."
Before I could finish speaking, Lou Xiyue interrupted me, "What you said is all very good. Why don't we go up the mountain?"
The snow plum grows on the cliffs of Mount Li, its roots intertwined and deeply embedded in the crevices of the rocks.
When we reached the halfway point of the mountain, a biting cold wind was blowing. The vegetation inside the mountain was gradually thinning out, leaving only jagged rocks and a few scattered, withered pine trees.
Reaching the edge of the cliff, I turned back to Lou Xiyue and said, "Hold me back, I'll lean out and see where Xuemei is."
He asked, "Why did I stop you?"
I said, "I'm afraid that if I'm not careful, I'll fall down."
He glanced at me. "You're still dozens of feet from the cliff. How are you going to plant it?"
I looked at the cliff edge and thought, "Oh, I see. I thought I'd grown taller and could reach it if I lay down."
Lou Xiyue was silent for a moment, then came over and took my hand. "I'll hold your hand instead."
A quick glance around revealed only bare bluestone and wild grass sprouting from the cracks in the rocks.
I asked in surprise, "Where is this snow plum?"
Lou Xiyue pointed to a spot and said, "Look over there."
I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that there was indeed a tree with intertwined branches growing out of the wall. However, at first glance, it looked like a dark mass and was easily mistaken for a dark cloud on the horizon.
I stared at it for a long time, "Could it be that the snow plum is not a plum blossom?"
Then I thought to myself, "Could Xue Mei be a tree?"
The idea sent chills down my spine, because if it really was a tree, we would face two problems: first, how to pull the tree out of the cliff; second, how to get the tree down the mountain.
The second problem is easier to solve; you can just throw the tree down, and it will land wherever it lands.
The day the first problem is solved will be the day when the indomitable Yu Gong is brought back to life.
The snow plum tree seemed to tremble in the wind, its black branches swaying dramatically.
I sighed, gazing at the plum blossoms. "It's one thing if it's just a tree, but it grows on such a high mountain; it's another if it grows so high, but this mountain stands majestically within the Eastern Lands; it's another if it stands majestically, but the Eastern Lands are sworn enemies of our Central Plains; it's another if it's sworn enemies, but it also killed our Great General; it killed our Great General, and that's yet..."
Lou Xiyue said, "What you said makes a lot of sense. Why don't we pick some snow plums first?"
I looked at him, "Take it?"
He nodded. "There's a big eagle perched up there. I think it feeds on snow plums. I wonder when it will leave."
I stared intently for a moment before I could make out the jet-black eagle. It shifted its position, revealing a cluster of snow-white fruit peeking out from under its wings. The eagle turned its head and preened its feathers with its beak, then lowered its head to peck at a fruit and slowly began to eat it.
I gazed into the distance and thought, "So, besides strong winds, there are also vegetarian eagles in this world."
Lou Xiyue bent down and picked up a pebble. "I'll try it out."
I reached out to stop him. "What are you doing? Don't hit it. It's rare to find an eagle that's such a good match for Dafeng. If it's a female, we can take it back and give it to Dafeng as a wife."
He asked, "Where is the strong wind?"
I said, "I don't know."
Lou Xiyue said, "Why don't you take a look? Is this... Dafeng?"
I said, "Huh?" and then took a few steps closer to the broken wall, but the tree was really too far away, and the eagle was hanging its head and covering its face.
Actually, in all my years, I've only ever seen one live eagle, Dafeng. Based on appearance alone, I can only distinguish him from small birds. If a group of eagles were together, it would probably take some external help to pick out Dafeng, like putting a duck in front of them. Whoever's eyes light up is definitely Dafeng.
Lou Xiyue and I said regretfully, "I can't tell."