Su Majestad - Capítulo 66
“But if you sit inside, you won’t be able to see the sunset.” He said with a smile, gesturing towards the western sky with his chin. “Look, this is when the sunset is at its most beautiful.”
It was also the time when the sunset was about to fade, and everything was changing in an instant. A touch of blue, a touch of cyan, a touch of purple, a touch of red, interspersed with varying shades of orange and yellow, dreamlike colors that even the world's best painters could not mix appeared in the sky at this moment.
In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the magnificent clouds faded, leaving only a few wisps like crimson veils hanging on the horizon. That patch of sky took on a pale azure hue, just like the color of the sky at dawn each morning.
Connecting to the horizon are the iron-gray rooftops and eaves of the city of Suoding, like a gentle, silent beast gazing at the clouds.
I've watched this city and this sky for eighteen years, but I've never seen them so beautiful.
The glow of the sunset shone on her face, then vanished in an instant, leaving her seemingly lost in thought.
This was the first time Yang Luoxue had seen her with such a gentle and beautiful expression. His hand holding the wine pot paused, as if he were also captivated. However, as soon as her face moved, he quickly lowered his head to pour the wine. His long hair slid down from his shoulders like water, covering his cheeks. As the sky gradually darkened, no one saw the slight blush on his face.
He handed her the wine.
She took it, drank it, and held the glass in her hand. For a moment, both of them were silent, and neither of them spoke.
Darkness slowly enveloped them. The light from inside the house shone into the courtyard but not into the pavilion. Baili Wushuang coughed and said, "How about we go inside?"
Chapter 126
"It's fine as it is."
Yang Luoxue's voice was soft and quiet, especially in the darkness. She couldn't see his expression, and that was fine; he couldn't see hers either. So be it, the darkness inexplicably made her feel at ease. She smiled softly, "But, I can't see what kind of food it is."
He heard the laughter in her voice and suddenly felt he should move inside so he could see her smile under the light. Making this person laugh was so difficult. "Well, it'll depend on luck," he thought, "whatever I get, I'll get."
"Won't the wine spill?"
"What, are you afraid of wasting the fine wine of Suoding City?"
"As far as I know, your alcohol tolerance is only average. Even if you drink one pot and then pass out, it's still enough for you."
"Hmph, you might not be able to outdrink me."
"Want to give it a try?" Baili Wushuang said leisurely. "To be honest, I don't know how much I can drink, because I've never been drunk before."
"So even the young lady can boast," Yang Luoxue said, refilling her glass. At first, she didn't aim at the rim, spilling wine onto Baili Wushuang's hand. In the darkness, she heard Baili Wushuang let out a soft "Ah!" He couldn't help but laugh. The second time he poured, he deliberately tilted the glass slightly.
Baili Wushuang said, "You did this on purpose."
"Who said that?" he asked in a very serious tone.
She could almost picture his teasing expression, a smile playing on his lips, his thin mouth curving upwards. It was so vivid, as if she were actually seeing it with her own eyes. Her heart raced, and the words "You did it on purpose!" rushed to her lips, but that sounded too strange. She swallowed them back.
He couldn't see her reaction in the darkness. Seeing that she was silent, he thought for a moment and said, "Wouldn't it be too boring if we just ate and drank like this? Do you know how to play drinking games?"
"No," Baili Wushuang said. "How about I go find two people who know how?"
"No," Yang Luoxue quickly said, "Then, how about a riddle game?"
"I only heard my master mention it a little bit before... just a tiny bit."
“Me too, I just heard a few things about it when I was little.” Yang Luoxue smiled in the darkness, her voice as sweet as musk and orchid. Suddenly, he thought, ah, she and he are so alike. Their statuses are so similar; just thinking about his own life, he could see hers. Pushed to the top of their sect at a very young age, bearing the hopes of the entire sect, they had very few friends, let alone any drinking games or anything like that. But on this early spring night, the wind was cold and refreshing, like ice crystals, both sobering and intoxicating, and suddenly he had this leisurely mood. Yang Luoxue said, “You give me the riddle first.”
Baili Wushuang thought for a moment, his thoughts reaching back to his childhood, recalling a saying: "I am gone forever in the green hills, even the best painter cannot capture my face. Everyone says I am useless, yet I made a contribution in the Three Kingdoms."
This is a riddle that circulates in the countryside, neither elegant nor sophisticated. After saying it, she added, "Guess something."
Before she could finish speaking, Yang Luoxue said, "Wind."
Baili Wushuang was slightly taken aback by the quick answer. Yang Luoxue said, "I've heard this before." There was no shortage of pride in his voice. "—Let's drink."
After Baili Wushuang finished drinking, it was his turn to present the riddle: "A vine of melons grows in the east, reaching to the west. When the flowers bloom, people work; when the flowers wither, people return home. Guess something else."
Chapter 127
“The sun.” Baili Wushuang answered just as quickly as him, “I’ve heard my master mention this.”
He then drank the wine and said, "It's your turn. Don't come up with anything I've already heard before."
She thought for a moment, “Playing the sheng and drums, going up to the decorated tower, men dressed as women, youth comes and goes, joy comes and sorrow comes. Guess what kind of job it is.”
“I’ve heard this before.” Yang Luoxue laughed. His face was obscured in the darkness, but his eyes were glistening with tears. He said, “Let me tell you one too: Building tall buildings in barren mountains and wilderness, wealth and glory will surely come to an end, parents and children are mostly fake, and the wedding night is just a charade.”
He wasn't talking about the answer, but the riddle itself. But the answer to this riddle was the same as hers: "performing opera."
What a coincidence! They had all heard the riddle the other person mentioned, and they could answer it without hesitation.
Is the world really that small? Or are these riddles just too widely circulated?
"Guess again." Yang Luoxue's eyes lit up slightly. The fun had shifted from guessing riddles to "Have you heard this one before?" The anticipation for a riddle wasn't how the other person would guess it, but rather the moment of sudden understanding when they answered.
He had heard it, and she had heard it too.
She knew it, and he knew it too.
It's a strange feeling. A mix of joy and inexplicable confusion. It's like the first snowfall I saw as a child. I craned my neck to look up at the sky, watching snowflakes drift down, feeling both amazed and delighted. Where did they come from? Why did they come? Who can answer these questions? I just wish they would keep falling and never leave.
The drinking went on until very late. A slight chill drifted in the wind, blowing into the pavilion and leaving a cool, glistening mark on Yang Luoxue's face. It was raining.
The rain was light, like silk threads, falling softly and coldly.
Baili Wushuang was about to take his leave when Yang Luoxue said, "Wait." He left the pavilion to get an umbrella from inside the house. As he left the shadows, he was illuminated by the lamplight in front of the house, and the raindrops were also made clear. He took the umbrella, held it up, and walked up to her. A few glistening water droplets were already clinging to his hair, and his face was also a little damp. He said, "I'll see you off."
Raindrops pattered on the oil-paper umbrella, their soft rustling sound particularly tranquil in the spring night. The darkness and rain masked all other sounds, leaving only gentle whispers in the air. It was as if a celestial being had subtly manipulated the rain clouds, causing things to stray from their original course and undergo subtle changes.
She had walked this road countless times; she could reach it even with her eyes closed. He could go back alone, and his body wasn't fully recovered. But the moment he offered to take her, his eyes glistened with clear tears, and his cheeks flushed with the smell of alcohol, making it impossible for her to refuse.