Shen Mo knew that Rong Yue never carried money with him, and he was even more anxious when he left the military camp last time, so he didn't take any with him. Now that she didn't see the sword on his waist, she suddenly realized, "No wonder I didn't see your sword. Did you sell it?"
"Otherwise, where did your supplements and medicines come from?" Rong Yue looked at her as if she were a spendthrift. "I've never been this poor before."
A night breeze blew by, carrying coolness and dryness. A sweet feeling welled up from the bottom of her heart. After laughing with her head down, Shen Mo tilted her head and questioned him, "Such a good sword, you should have asked the buyer for more money, at least to get my money for the lanterns."
"Who knew you'd be such a spendthrift!" Rong Yue gently tugged at that strand of hair, not stopping until she grimaced in pain.
Suddenly, a deafening sound of gongs and drums came from behind. Rong Yue immediately felt uncomfortable and put his arm around her shoulder to go somewhere else. "It's too noisy here, it's uncomfortable."
Shen Mo looked behind her and saw that the drum and gong troupe that had been far away had arrived, making quite a racket. However, she also saw something else through the drum and gong troupe. She smiled and quickly stopped Rong Yue, tiptoed and whispered in his ear, "Wait for me for half an incense stick." Then she left without giving Rong Yue a chance to speak.
Rong Yue had no choice but to grit his teeth and watch her run towards a stall, as if he wanted to stare a hole through her back. Helplessly, he took a few steps down the steps by the river, trying to avoid making any noise.
Half an incense stick later, Shen Mo ran back, slightly out of breath, and stopped on the steps two steps higher than him. The two, who were originally quite different in height, suddenly stood at the same level. Since the sound of gongs and drums was still going on, Shen Mo held up the lantern she had brought in front of him and leaned closer, saying, "Look what I brought!"
Suddenly, someone pushed him from behind. The force wasn't great, but it was enough to make Shen Mo lunge towards Rong Yue's back. Just then, he turned around, his soft lips brushing against her earlobe. Her breath was swallowed by the wind. Shen Mo now looked like she was about to climb onto Rong Yue's back.
"What's wrong, are you tired?"
The surrounding noise was too loud, and Shen Mo didn't hear clearly at first. He quickly stood up straight and half-called out, "What did you say?"
Rong Yue turned to face her and stared at her for a long time. Just as Shen Mo was feeling uncomfortable, he leaned closer to her and roared in a deep voice, "You'd better find me a quiet place as soon as possible."
Finally, they reached the downstream end, where the lanterns were destined to float down, but since people usually lit them upstream, it was exceptionally quiet. Surrounded by red candles, the two figures reflected in each other's shadows created a harmonious and serene atmosphere.
Shen Mo carefully placed her lantern into the water, constantly creating ripples to make it float further away. Rong Yue sat on a large rock nearby and watched, neither stopping her nor offering any help.
"Okay, come here."
Seeing that it was almost time, Shen Mo obediently walked over, but as soon as she sat down, a large cloak was draped over her. She looked at him speechlessly, wondering if he was afraid she would get cold! She couldn't help but move closer to him.
"Why are you pushing!"
Receiving his warning look, Shen Mo pursed her lips and moved back on her own.
"Take it!" With these two words, Rong Yue conjured a long flute out of nowhere and stuffed it into her arms. Shen Mo looked and saw that he also had a xiao (vertical bamboo flute) in his hand. Although it was not a rare item, it was still exquisite.
"Where did this come from?" Although it fits the current mood quite well, Shen Mo couldn't help but wonder about his penniless state.
"You don't need to worry about it."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mo couldn't help but look him up and down and tease him, "Indeed, my young master is covered in valuable things from head to toe."
"You're getting bolder and bolder."
When Shen Mo saw him reach out, she quickly turned her head to avoid her hair and said helplessly, "Why do you always like to pull my braids?"
Rong Yue withdrew his hand, "Because no one else will give it to me."
"Then can I not give it to you either? It really hurts."
“You’ll get used to the pain,” Rong Yue said domineeringly. “You’re mine all to do with yourself, let alone your hair. Whether you give it to me or not is up to you.”
Shen Mo wanted to refute, but when she looked into his dark, bright eyes in the night, she fell silent.
A moment later, her waist tightened as Rong Yue suddenly hooked her arm around her, bringing them very close. However, she immediately disrupted the atmosphere, saying, "Didn't you say it was crowded?"
Rong Yue twitched the corner of his mouth, released her, and turned his face away. After a long while, he said, "It's not good for the flute and the xiao to be too far apart."
She had played duets with Rong Yue before, and she was familiar with flute and xiao music. This was clearly a pointed remark. Shen Mo wasn't stupid enough to ask him what was wrong with it. She just coughed, picked up her flute, and changed the subject, "What are you playing this time?"
The words "Late Autumn" came out of his mouth without thinking.
Why do you always play "Late Autumn"?
Rong Yue looked a little awkward. "Why are there so many questions?"
“But you also said, young master, that to play moving music, besides the artistic conception, the state of mind is also very important. If you don’t explain why, how can you have the right state of mind?”
Seeing that Shen Mo was actually using his own words to contradict himself, Rong Yue used a clever trick to pull her braid until she begged for mercy before letting go, only saying lightly, "Don't you think 'Late Autumn' is the most harmonious song between us?"
A single question, yet it provides the full explanation.
At this moment, in a corner of the Lantern Festival, as lanterns float downstream, the music flowing out is like horses chasing each other freely in the mountains and fields. There is no Jianghu (martial arts world), no palace, and no hustle and bustle; it is leisurely, carefree, and full of joy.
The men and women downstream on this river, leaning on each other, their clothes fluttering, accompanied by red candles, there is only you and me, you and me.
As the piece ended, Shen Mo abruptly put down her flute, stood up, turned to face him, bit her lip, and finally asked, "Young Master, do you believe in reincarnation?"
Rong Yue looked at her rather excited expression, and after a long while, slowly... nodded.
He nodded! He actually nodded! Shen Mo excitedly grabbed his sleeve, "We, we..."
"Clap clap clap!"
Suddenly, the sound of clapping came from behind, abruptly interrupting Shen Mo's words.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Masked Man
Rong Yue immediately stood up alertly, slightly blocking Shen Mo's view and staring at the source of the sound. After a moment, a man walked out from the shadows. His face was obscured by the lanterns, but he was clearly a man of elegant bearing and refined demeanor.
"I was just passing by when I happened to hear you two playing the flute and xiao together. I was immediately amazed and couldn't help but applaud. If I was impolite, please forgive me."
He spoke with humility and politeness, which made him a gentleman. Rong Yue did not exchange pleasantries with him, but simply clasped his hands and said lightly, "You flatter me."
Shen Moyi calmly stepped out from beside him and curtsied slightly.
"My name is Le Chang. You two are not from around here, are you?" Wenrun smiled.
Rong Yue gave the other person a probing look. "Oh? How did you know?"
"Our county is remote and sparsely populated. We, Lechang, do not believe we are so ignorant as to have never heard of such a talented couple."
"My surname is Rong, and my given name is Yue. I am just passing through your area."
Upon hearing Rong Yue's formal self-introduction, Shen Mo glanced at his expression and realized that he seemed to admire the man before him, otherwise he wouldn't have been so polite.
“Young Master Rong,” Le Chang nodded and smiled, “The county is currently holding its Autumn Ancestral Worship Ceremony, a very grand and spectacular event. Why don’t you stay here for a few more days?”
"Your Excellency's kindness is appreciated, but I have other matters to attend to and will be departing tomorrow."
Le Chang's expression suddenly turned disappointed, and he shook his head and said, "To be honest, the most lively event at Qiuci is the Juhua Gathering. Tomorrow, all the literati and scholars in the county will attend Juhua Pavilion to exchange ideas on books, music, and chess. I was just thinking that if you two could join us with your music, it would surely make Juhua Pavilion shine. However, it is a pity that you two are leaving."
"Then I wish you the best of luck in standing out from the crowd and winning the top spot." Rong Yue merely smiled and ignored the other party's attempt to persuade him to stay.
"And this young lady?" Le Chang suddenly turned to ask Shen Mo.
Shen Mo glanced at Rong Yue, since he hadn't introduced himself earlier, and in the eyes of the scholar in front of him, he could be ignored.
"..." She wanted to see Rong Yue's reaction and didn't intend to speak for the time being.
"Girl?" Seeing that she didn't speak, Lechang stepped forward.
At this moment, Rong Yue adjusted her cloak and looked at Le Chang, saying each word clearly, "My woman, wherever I go, she will follow. It seems that your judgment needs further consideration."
"Haha, young master, you misunderstand. I'm not so blind as to be blind. I was just thinking that the young lady might like a scene like Juhua Pavilion, and that would make you feel sorry for her. So it seems..." Lechang paused, "Ahem... I wish you both a safe journey." After saying that, he bowed and took his leave.
In truth, Shen Mo preferred both the folk lantern festival and the elegant gathering to returning to the Rong residence. Even for a moment, she wanted to escape—escape her identity and the grand, dramatic events that Rong Yue had always desired.
The smooth river surface was suddenly illuminated by the moonlight. Shen Mo turned his head slightly, but there was nothing there except his own dark reflection on the riverbank.
"Please wait a moment, sir."
Le Chang, who had already taken a few steps, turned back, and even Chen Mo looked away at Rong Yue, wondering what he wanted to say.
"Please inform us of the location of the Gathering of Hua."
...
Even after Lechang left with the satisfaction of finding a worthy opponent, Shen Mo still couldn't adapt to Rong Yue's sudden change.
"Didn't you say you had important business to attend to and needed to rush back?"
"Can't you see? He's openly saying I don't care about Jiaren." Rong Yue sat down casually, fiddling with the flute in his hand. After a moment, seeing Shen Mo looking up and standing there dumbfounded, he shook his head and said, "What are you standing there for? Did I do something wrong?"
Shen Mo came back to her senses, sat back in her original seat, hesitated for a moment, and finally leaned lightly on his arm, "This servant is flattered."
Rong Yue simply reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Silly girl, I've never seen you smile like this before."
"Young Master, when did you become so tender?"
Rong Yue felt a little uncomfortable when she said it so bluntly. "When are you going to change how you address me?"
"Rong Yue".
Fine, whatever.
The next day, when they arrived, the gathering had already begun. Stepping into the courtyard and standing amidst the sparse crowd, a gentle breeze carrying the sounds of string and wind instruments greeted them, with melodious tunes and soft, murmuring chants.
After a long while, Shen Mo suddenly looked up; the voice almost made her lose her senses!
Behind the screen on the right, a woman could be vaguely seen half-embracing a pipa, playing it with a plaintive, sorrowful tone, each note clear and melodious. Le Chang was right; there was indeed a master of string and wind instruments here.
"Young Master Rong, you've finally arrived." Le Chang suddenly appeared after a piece of music finished playing, greeting him as if he were the host of the Juhua Gathering.
Rong Yue took a small step forward, but before he could speak, a thin red figure swept in from the right!
He didn't care, his eyes were fixed straight ahead, and he easily caught it with a slight pinch of his fingers.
Shen Mo's face darkened, but she herself was a delicate red flower. Looking at the talented woman who had just played the pipa, she was blushing slightly.
"What is this young master's name?" At this moment, a man who looked like a steward came over and asked.
Looking back at Shen Mo, Rong Yue said, "Rong."
"The daughter of Magistrate Song has passed on her embroidery skills to Young Master Rong, and the reward has reached three thousand taels of silver!" This person suddenly shouted to the crowd.
Upon receiving Rong Yue's puzzled look, Le Chang stepped forward to explain, "This is the rule of the Gathering of Splendor. Would Young Master Rong do me the honor of accepting Miss Song's song?"
To accept the hospitality of a strange woman in front of Shen Mo! It was somewhat ambiguous. However, before Rong Yue could observe her expression, a flute was suddenly thrust in front of him.
"Young Master, three thousand taels... it seems we don't have enough money to buy horses." Shen Mo whispered in his ear, then smiled and took a step back.
Rong Yue was a music lover, and she knew this better than anyone. At this moment, Rong Yue was eager to spar, and she knew it too. But the woman chose to do it in this way, forcing her to offer three thousand taels as a way out. Thinking this, Shen Mo couldn't help but secretly glare at the Miss Song.
"call out!"
Just as Rong Yue left her and walked towards the pillar, a cool aura rushed towards him, accompanied by a low gasp.
“Xiao Mo…”
Shen Mo suddenly froze. The wind whistling past her ears reminded her to turn around, but when she turned around sharply, she found nothing but a few strangers.
"Could it be my imagination?" Shen Mo murmured, but as he looked away, he was startled to see a familiar figure across from him!