Eternal Night - Chapter 156
Prince Yan was furious. He confiscated the temple, but when he entered the Buddha hall, he smiled at Maitreya Buddha.
A Quirky Town (Part 1)
The carriage sped along the mountain road. As the rising autumn sun shone on the first leaf on the mountaintop, the horse neighed and stopped by a stream.
A man in simple clothes wearing a straw hat jumped down from the carriage shaft. He was thin and as agile as a leopard. He lifted the curtain of the carriage.
A person lay quietly in the carriage, her hair loosely styled, wearing a moon-white dress, her cheeks still flushed from intoxication, as if she were in a sweet dream.
Having wandered the martial world for many years, he had never made a friend. The words Yongye uttered before he collapsed drunk, "I consider you a friend," still echoed in his ears, which greatly surprised Young Master Hong.
"Hongyi, what are you waiting for?" a cold, sharp voice rang out.
Hongyi slowly turned her head. A bamboo raft was paddling across the stream, and a gray-clad man stood on it. He had an ordinary face and a white beard. If he hadn't spoken in that tone, people would have thought he was just a mountain dweller.
"I'm early. The person has been delivered," Hongyi replied calmly.
The man in gray moored the bamboo raft on the shore, walked to the carriage, glanced inside, and nodded. "Is it easy?"
“She came to the temple last night. That was the perfect opportunity for me to make my move.”
The man in gray said "Oh," and then instructed, "Leave it to me."
Hongyi silently picked up Yongye, who was still fast asleep. He didn't even glance at her before handing her over to the man in gray. He jumped onto the carriage shaft and started to drive away. Suddenly, the man in gray asked, "Did she recognize you?"
"No," Hongyi replied, whipping the carriage to continue forward. Only when they were far from the stream did he sigh, murmuring, "I hope you never recognize me."
The gray-haired man picked up Yongye and put her on the bamboo raft. With a push of the bamboo pole, the raft sped upstream, turning several bends in the river and entering a cave.
When Yongye woke up, she was lying on a bamboo bed. She smiled quietly. She had finally arrived at the place she wanted to be. Would she be able to see the people she wanted to see? Of course she would.
With a flick of his wrist, Yongye had already picked up her throwing knife with his fingertips. He hadn't even taken the knife; was he really not afraid she would kill him? However, a jolt of his inner energy made her understand. The throwing knife she was throwing now was no different from one thrown by an ordinary person. The snake-like inner force within her body was gone; her dantian meridians were completely empty.
What could be more reassuring than crippling her martial arts skills? The throwing knife is just something for her to look at and cherish.
Who says you have to have internal energy? In her past life, she didn't have internal energy and couldn't fly across rooftops, but she still managed to climb down from the 30th floor like Spider-Man. Yongye smiled as she thought about it.
She sat up, adjusted her hair, the soft steel wire still inside. Looking at her attire, she waved her hands, causing her wide sleeves to flutter like butterfly wings. She wiggled her hips, smiled wryly, and slowly walked out.
If Prince Duan and his wife saw this, their eyes would pop out. At this moment, Yongye was merely a palace beauty. She lacked the imposing stride of a man; her movements were light and graceful, like a willow swaying in the wind.
Outside, a sea of flowers bloomed, vibrant blossoms of unknown species, their faces swaying gently in the autumn sun, like a colorful carpet spread across the hillside. The distant mountains had changed colors, displaying a tapestry of autumn hues. The sky was clear and bright, with wispy, solitary clouds. A few occasional clear birdsongs echoed from the woods; the world was utterly tranquil.
Standing at the entrance, Yongye turned to the side. He could vaguely see a town below the hillside, with its winding, white-walled, blue-tiled roofs and wisps of smoke rising from the chimneys. The town must have been built against the mountain, because Yongye could see several waterfalls hanging on the opposite side of the mountain, like silver curtains silently swaying in the wind.
She took a deep breath of the mountain air, just as she had done more than a decade ago when she regained consciousness and opened her eyes after being reincarnated into a child.
The crisp wind rushed into my lungs through my mouth and nose, causing a slight ache, and my mind was jolted into a state of crystal clarity.
This is the legendary paradise. Although there are no peach blossoms mingling with the clear stream flowing over your feet, the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere is still palpable. Time seems to slow down here, as if you've taken some kind of internal energy-enhancing drug, unable to leap forward, only able to walk slowly step by step.
A figure quietly rose from the sea of flowers. He wore a moon-white robe, had a handsome face, and beneath his sword-like eyebrows were a pair of burning yet tender eyes. Standing amidst the flowers, he was like an ethereal being, untouched by worldly concerns.
The Yongye of his memory was beautiful yet possessed a compelling air of heroism, cunning and intelligent. The woman who stepped out before him, however, was calm and composed. She had finally changed into women's clothing. Even though her hair was disheveled from sleeping, the gleaming phoenix crown was a clear indication of her status as the Crown Princess. The moon-white dress she wore made his heart pound. What did it mean that she could dress like this on her wedding day? Yuepo was so excited that the medicine hoe slipped from his hand.
Yongye looked at him, her smile blooming like a flower, deepening little by little on her lips. Without hesitation, she lifted her skirt and walked over step by step, bathed in sunlight, her cheeks flushed, as if going to a beautiful date.
The fragrance of flowers lingered around her nose as she gracefully walked to a spot a foot in front of him and stopped.
“Every time you appear, my heart races,” Yongye and Yuepo said in unison.
Yongye laughed, his laughter clear and melodious, his eyes devoid of any gloom, like stepping into an autumn forest, the crisp fallen leaves beneath his feet, clean and bright.
Moon Soul smiled too; he loved seeing this eternal night. "Are you hungry?"
Yongye nodded.
Yuepo took her hand and led her into the house. "You drank too much last night, so I made some sour soup. Drink a bowl to avoid a headache."
Yongye didn't move, and said softly, "Will drinking this restore my internal energy?"
Yuepo stopped and looked around. The sea of flowers was breathtakingly beautiful. He murmured, "Do you like it here?"
"It's beautiful."
"Then why don't you want to live a peaceful life here? No one can make you an assassin again, no one can hurt you." A sadness was in Yuepo's voice.
Yongye laughed. A quiet life? From the moment she opened her eyes and came here, to seeing him again, what peace and quiet was there to speak of? She turned to look at the town below the hillside. "Don't you want to take me for a stroll in town? It looks bustling with people."
"Okay." Yuepo replied after a moment of silence. Her good mood had been blown away by the mountain wind. Since she wanted to see it, she would see it sooner or later. What difference did it make if she saw it sooner or later? He casually put the basket on his back and led her down the mountain.
The wind ruffled Yongye's robes, as if she were about to ride the wind away. Yuepo held her hand, long and soft, her fingers seemingly boneless. He tightened his grip slightly, but the hand in his palm didn't react. This annoyed him; he wanted her to squeeze his hand back. However, he increased his grip further, and Yongye still didn't respond. It was as if he were holding something lifeless, yet unwilling to let go.
A long street appeared at the foot of the hill. It wasn't wide, only about three zhang (approximately 10 meters) long, but it felt very long. Various signs and blue flags fluttered in the wind under the eaves of the houses lining both sides of the street. There were pharmacies, inns, teahouses, restaurants, general stores, blacksmith shops, and even mountain people carrying their wares on their backs, hawking their wares on the ground. Everything a town should have was here.
Yongye saw the vegetable market and his eyes lit up.
The market sells both vegetables and meat.
Pork hung from several thick logs, with a large worktable below. A middle-aged, overweight man with a bare chest and protruding belly was chopping ribs. She shook off Yuepo's hand and walked over gracefully to greet him: "Uncle Zhang, I want five catties of lean meat, without a trace of fat, and I want it finely chopped."
Uncle Zhang chuckled and replied, "Alright! Wait here!" He really cut off five pounds of lean meat, placed it on the cutting board, picked up two cleavers, and chopped it up and down with great skill. Then he wrapped it in a bright green banana leaf and handed it to Yongye.
She didn't take it, but laughed and said, "Uncle Zhang, I also want five catties of lean and fatty meat, not a single bit of lean meat, and it has to be finely chopped up."
Uncle Zhang chuckled and replied, "No problem, just wait!" He really did cut off five pounds of lean and fatty meat, placed it on the cutting board, chopped it finely, and then wrapped it in a bright green banana leaf.
Yongye still didn't accept it, and said leisurely, "Uncle's cooking is really good. I can't help but want another five pounds of cartilage, without a single piece of meat on it, and it still has to be finely chopped up."