Xiuyue Hengtang is full of fragrance,
The water reflects the evening colors, a tranquil scene of youthful beauty.
Rouge Snowflakes, Slender and Incense-Scented,
The jade plate glows in the dark.
The mountains are distant and the moon is long.
Evening clouds and autumn shadows reflect on the Xiao and Xiang rivers.
The drunken soul should chase the dream of floating on water.
"May the west wind bring coolness to this night."
“It’s a lotus.” Mo Xi sighed inwardly. It was too obvious; there was no need to guess.
"Exactly."
Mo Xi followed Tang Huan slowly until they reached Lingbo Pond, when it was already dark.
Before my eyes floated a thousand lotus blossoms on a shimmering pond. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were lotus lanterns made with candle wicks and delicate silk gauze. The shimmering water reflected the blossoms like a dream, both real and illusory.
Mo Xi's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that the crystal moisturizing cream really was meant to evoke the imagery of "picking orchids and presenting peonies"? She turned to look at Tang Huan.
Tang Huan, however, had conjured up an even larger and more exquisite lotus lantern from who-knows-where and handed it to Mo Xi. It was adorned with several pearls, glistening like dewdrops. She said softly and earnestly, "What Huan wants you to do, young lady, is to make a wish and release the lantern." She then handed her a piece of paper with silver lotus flower lettering.
Mo Xi looked into his eyes, which reflected the floating lantern on the water, and remained silent for a moment. After a while, she finally picked up her pen and quickly wrote a poem on a piece of paper, folded it, and placed it inside the lantern.
Seeing her actions, Tang Huan's anxiety eased slightly, and a hint of joy appeared on her face. She then took out the prepared tinderbox, lit the wick, and handed the lantern to Mo Xi.
Mo Xi walked to the edge of the pond and gently placed the lantern into it. The lotus symbolizes "union," and if she still didn't understand Tang Huan's intentions at this moment, then she would have lived this life in vain.
As the lotus lantern drifted to the center of the pond, the innermost petals suddenly burst open, and a cluster of fireworks ignited on a patch of floating water, dazzlingly brilliant.
The two watched as the lotus lantern slowly drifted towards the exit of Lingbo Pond, remaining silent for a moment.
As Mo Xi gazed at the gradually receding clusters of flowers, a phrase suddenly came to mind—"fireworks fade easily."
She turned to look at Tang Huan and said softly, "May I be so bold as to make another request?"
Tang Huan looked at her with gentle eyes and said softly, "You."
"Legend has it that the Langya Staff is entirely emerald green, the color of jade. I wonder if you could bring it out for a look?"
"The young lady's Ren and Du meridians will be opened soon, and she will naturally be able to see them then."
Mo Xi nodded, not press the matter, and added, "The Jade Bead should have been with your younger sister before." Both Tang Jue and his wife died of poisoning, so the Jade Bead must have been with Tang Huan or Miss Tang all these years. Moreover, Tang Huan and Miss Tang were separated for many years, and both were young at the time. To reunite them, they would need a token to confirm their separation. Therefore, it's more likely that the Jade Bead was with Miss Tang.
"Yes. My parents dote on my younger sister to the extreme, and they gave her the Jade Pearl from the moment she was born."
"Did that jade pearl also reside within her body?"
"No, not at all." Tang Huan thought to herself: Could it be that she knows? Oh well, she was bound to find out eventually.
I'm sorry, I brought up something sad.
"It's alright."
Tang Huan did not return to Qinghui Pavilion that night.
Mo Xi returned to Qinghui Pavilion alone and lay on her jade bed, where she had a dream: a twelve-year-old boy was teaching her swordsmanship, but during a sword duel, fearing he might accidentally injure her due to her lack of skill, he only used a third of his inner strength. As a result, she, using her full strength, ended up injuring him. For some reason, what started as a trickle of blood from her tiger's mouth wouldn't stop, eventually leaving her face a deep crimson...
When Mo Xi woke up, she found that her inner clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
When Luan Su came in to serve, her gaze towards Mo Xi was extremely complicated. She hesitated several times as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.
miss
( ) Three days later.
Mo Xi changed back into the clothes she had worn when she arrived and left the crystal box carved with peonies on the desk in Tang Huan's study. On one of the busiest days of the Tang Clan's history, she embarked on her journey home.
At this moment, Chongyao Terrace was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and the clinking of cups and plates, along with spilled wine. It turned out that Chongyao Terrace was only truly utilized in Tang Huan's hands. But she could not be the one holding the cups and goblets on the terrace.
After the Ren and Du meridians were opened, the flow of Qi in the body was more than ten times smoother than before, and the fatigue from the acupuncture process was completely swept away. I felt as light as a feather and full of energy.
Mo Xi's mood gradually soared as her movements unfolded, reaching the pinnacle of her lightness skill. This regained skill, which she had lost, seemed all the more precious at this moment.
In no time, they arrived at the Yaohe River.
Sure enough, the boatman sat amidst a desolate landscape overgrown with weeds and reeds.
"Please, senior, do me a favor and help me cross the river," Mo Xi said, bowing deeply and showing utmost respect.
The man dressed as a fisherman ignored her completely, sitting cross-legged and staring at the surging river in front of him.
A moment later, he suddenly rose from the ground, without even glancing at Mo Xi, and in an instant his figure was already several feet away.
"Sect Leader He, please wait a moment." Mo Xi used three-tenths of his internal energy to transmit his voice clearly.
He Qun didn't turn around. He retreated quickly and was already beside Mo Xi. Just as he was about to use his Great Capturing Hand to grab her throat, Mo Xi cleverly slid away and dodged to a distance of more than ten feet.
He Qun hesitated for a moment, then used three-tenths of his strength to close the distance. His martial arts style was extremely domineering, completely focused on offense and defense. The two exchanged about thirty moves, and He Qun gradually used five-tenths of his strength.
Using his skillful lightness technique, Mo Xi slid away again, drew the soft sword from his waist, and focused all his inner strength on exchanging blows with He Qun.
"You little girl, you've got some skills," He Qunqing scoffed, his palm strikes becoming increasingly dense, unconsciously using more internal force. Mo Xi initially managed to move her sword nimbly, but gradually she felt her sword's momentum suppressed by the opponent's palm force. A persistent suction force caused her sword to involuntarily deviate, making it increasingly difficult to maintain her balance. Her original intention was to stab He Qun's wrist with each move, but now she was repeatedly grazing He Qun's palm with the tip of her sword.
In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged over two hundred blows. He Qun asked again with a hint of doubt, "I never expected that you, at such a young age, would have such a remarkable destiny." Clearly, he had discovered that Mo Xi had already opened up his Ren and Du meridians. Despite his words, his attacks became even more ruthless.