Lou Xiyue squatted down and looked at me with a smile.
I said, "What are you looking at? A miracle doctor like you is a complete failure compared to me."
He lifted the hem of his robe, sat down beside me, propped his chin on his hand, and a hint of a smile appeared in his eyes. "Then let me tell you another story."
A gentle breeze ripples across the riverboat at night, the water gurgles softly. A sky full of stars comes into view, their light flickering on distant lights.
[Sanqi] Zijinquan
All around was quiet, the night breeze gently blew through the window, and delicately traced the outline of the setting moon on the riverbank.
Lou Xiyue grasped my fingers, frowning slightly. "Why are your hands so cold?"
I pulled my hand away and breathed on my palm. "The night is cool on the river."
He stood up, walked to the outside of the boat, bowed, and said politely, "Lord Yan, I am Lou Xiyue, and my sister and I are traveling by boat to the northern frontier. May I have a seat here?"
A voice inside said in a deep voice, "Young Master Lou, please come in."
Lou Xiyue and I entered the pavilion and saw Yan Bai sitting by a carved table, holding an octagonal white bronze incense burner in his hand. The lid of the burner was decorated with openwork patterns of magpies circling plum blossoms. On the table was a porcelain oil lamp, which dimly illuminated the shadows of people in the room.
Beside his feet was a celadon incense burner, on which rested a three-legged wine vessel, used for warming wine.
Yan Bai put the book he was holding on the table and said to Lou Xiyue, "It's the dead of winter in the northern frontier right now. Are you two traveling all this way to visit relatives?"
Lou Xiyue replied, "My uncle at home has fallen ill, and I am going to the northern frontier to find a nine-tailed silver fox to cure him."
Yan Bai asked casually, "Nine-tailed silver foxes are extremely rare. I wonder what disease they have that requires this creature to cure?"
Lou Xiyue said, "I've been poisoned by a foreign devil. Does Lord Yan know where this poison can be obtained?"
Chapter 6
"Searching?"
Yan Bai bowed slightly, picked up the three-legged goblet, poured the wine into the jade cup on the table, and said to Lou Xiyue, "I only know that the Nine-Tailed Silver Fox rarely appears and usually dwells in the cold cave."
He glanced at me and said, "The river wind is biting cold. Would you and my sister like some wine to warm yourselves up, Young Master Lou?"
Lou Xiyue thanked me and handed me the jade cup.
Lou Xiyue tilted his head back and drank it down. After a moment of concentration, he said, "This is Zijin Spring wine. I was fortunate enough to drink this wine when I was young. I wonder where Lord Yan obtained it?"
Yan Bai's fingers paused on the book, and he raised an eyebrow slightly, asking, "Young Master Lou, are you perhaps a descendant of Lou Zhao?"
Lou Xiyue nodded, "Indeed, Lou Zhao is the uncle I mentioned."
Yan Bai seemed taken aback for a moment, "A friend of an old acquaintance, I once received Lou Zhao's life-saving grace."
Afterwards, Yan Bai and Lou Xiyue talked about their parents under the moonlight.
It was only then that I learned that Yan Bai had served as the prefect of Suishui County, which was under the jurisdiction of Taizhou. Because Suishui was invaded by the eastern lands, Yan Bai was trapped in the county. Later, with the help of Lou Zhao, he was able to protect the county.
Back then, they were both full of vigor and ambition. They would drink wine together, discuss current affairs, play chess, and talk about history.
Yan Bai said, "Although Lou Zhao had ambitions, it was exactly what I expected that he would retire from the court after the Battle of Yanmen."
Lou Xiyue asked, "Lord Yan, there may be some hidden secrets in the Battle of Yanmen. I wonder how much you know about it?"
Yan Bai closed the book, poured himself another cup of spring wine, and recalled, "Back then, it seemed like there was a girl always around Lou Zhao."
Yan Bai propped his forehead up, a lingering intoxication rising in the room, and old stories were brought up again.
Occasionally, the cawing of crows could be heard outside the boat, echoing through the long, dark night.
Back then, Lou Zhao was a handsome young man, full of ambition for his official career, with a long sword at his waist. He was skilled in literature, romance, and martial arts, including Iron Palm, Mantis Fist, Toad Style, and Bagua Leg. He was simply stunning and captivated many girls.
"Many" is a general term, referring to the girl in the camp.
This girl's name is A-Zhao.
I suspect that Lou Zhao felt that the fact that someone called her A Zhao was such a wonderful and inexplicable connection, as if they had looked back countless times in their past lives until their necks were crooked before they could get their feet fixed.
Thus, Lou Zhao, the man who had amazed the years and warmed the times, also fell for him.
I interrupted Yan Bai and asked a crucial question, "Miss A-Zhao, is she beautiful?"
Yan Bai said, "Actually, I never had the chance to see her face. Some people said that she had a scar on her face, so she always covered her face when she showed people."
After thinking about it, I overturned my previous assumption: there was only one girl in the camp, and even if she was not particularly beautiful, she would be spending every day with the hot-blooded Lou Zhao. If nothing happened between them, it would definitely disappoint everyone.
Therefore, this beautiful relationship was elevated from the soul to the level of love.
Yan Bai continued, "At a victory celebration banquet, Lou Zhao presented Miss A Zhao to General Jin."