Chapter 58: Fox Lantern Wishes

In the end, Bai Jiujiu chose the fox lantern that Bai Hun’er had been hoping for.

“Sister Jiu’er, would you like to change? You don’t have to accommodate me.”

“It’s fine, I think this one is good. After all, you and Mom are both…”

The place was crowded and ears were everywhere. Bai Jiujiu knew that in the Yuan Ning era, people turned pale at the mention of demons, so she didn’t utter those two characters. Instead, she brought her middle and ring fingers together, placed her thumb between them, and raised the remaining two fingers, forming a fox hand gesture.

Then she picked up the fox lantern and grinned at Bai Hun’er.

“Ahhh, so cute!”

This directly triggered Bai Hun’er’s sis-con attribute. Covering her mouth and blushing, her emotions soared.

She almost revealed her fox ears and tail.

Fortunately, she held it back at the last moment.

“Let’s go, sister. Let’s go find Mom and Dad.”

Bai Jiujiu didn’t know what she was thinking, but she took the initiative to hold Bai Hun’er’s hand and led her toward the market.

“Sister Jiu’er, what did you just call me?”

“Sister?”

“You… you finally agreed to call me sister!”

For these three years, aside from calling Mom and Dad, Bai Jiujiu had never been willing to call Bai Hun’er “sister.” At most, she addressed her as “you.”

This had worried Bai Hun’er to no end. For three years, she tried every way to make Bai Jiujiu happy, just to hear that one word “sister.”

The ideal was full and beautiful, but reality was harsh.

Bai Jiujiu knew that the girl in front of her was the culprit who would bring her into this nightmare in the future, and one of the kidnappers of Su Ling’er. She simply couldn’t ignore reality and call her that at first.

But now…

After all, this was a dream. Since it was a dream, there was no need to be so particular.

She would fully immerse herself in the role of Bai Jiu’er, to see what this person who looked exactly like her had experienced and what she knew.

And most importantly! Wouldn’t this count as Bai Jiujiu reincarnating as Bai Jiu’er? That way, no one would tell her that Bai Jiu’er reincarnated into Bai Jiujiu anymore!

Awesome!

Hearing this address, Bai Hun’er was so moved that tears streamed down her face.

With teary eyes, she hugged Bai Jiujiu and said firmly,

“Don’t worry, Sister Jiu’er. I will definitely protect you well. We two sisters will never be apart for life!”

One minute later…

“Ah, this… we got separated this quickly?”

This flag was broken far too quickly.

Bai Jiujiu blinked her big eyes, stood by the roadside in speechless helplessness, and looked at her empty right hand.

The moment she said they would never be apart, the next second the two little ones were swept apart by the surging crowd.

Forget it. She would honestly stay put and wait.

After all, she was just a child now. She had to obediently wait for an adult, otherwise she might be taken away by a lolicon pervert uncle.

Bai Jiujiu hugged the little lantern, honestly found a place to sit, pouted her little mouth, and observed the passing crowds.

So lively.

In these three years, this was the first time she had seen so many people at once.

When she got out of this nightmare and brought Su Ling’er back to Cloudspire Mountain, she would also hold a Mid-Autumn Festival gathering on the mountain.

Then she would invite Tong Qiu and the children from her orphanage. It would be lively and nice.

This was a reunion festival, meant for a family to gather happily together.

Unfortunately, the other four wayward disciples had yet to appear before her. Those four were also Bai Jiujiu’s family, but for some reason they refused to return to Cloudspire Mountain.

Thinking thus, Bai Jiujiu carefully observed the decorations and layout of the gathering, considering how to apply them on Cloudspire Mountain.

These lanterns could be used. Her first disciple, Jiu Chongtian, usually liked such shiny things.

As for the floating lanterns, placing these things that might pollute the water source in the water would greatly upset her second disciple, Xiao Qing.

But the taro balls she just ate were quite good, and they seemed easy to make. At that time, could she ask her third disciple, the “chef” entity of Qingpiaopiao, to make some for everyone to try?

Should she arrange a competition to decide the grand prize, like in the big city’s Mid-Autumn Festival? She estimated that by the time it was set, her fourth disciple, Di Qiu, would sneakily steal it after figuring it out.

As for her fifth disciple, Su Ling’er… Hmph, it was all her fault that the snake had become heavier now. And she still wanted to participate in the Mid-Autumn Festival?

She must make her honestly make mooncakes for everyone. If she didn’t, she would use her snake tail to spank her little bottom!

Bai Jiujiu thought of her five disciples, and Tong Qiu bringing the children from the orphanage up the mountain to celebrate the reunion Mid-Autumn Festival.

The family gathered together, making better wishes for the new day under the full moon.

But unfortunately, this was always just a fantasy.

Bai Jiujiu, somehow, had lost her home a long time ago.

Watching the passersby—each one either holding a child’s hand or supporting an elderly person—all came to the market with their families to trade.

She would not lose herself in the dream. She was a great demon of the Demon Palace realm who had lived for eight thousand years!

At this moment, Su Po’s figure suddenly appeared before Bai Jiujiu, forcefully scooping the petite girl into her arms, burying her little face in her bosom.

Such speed clearly indicated that Su Po had just used demon magic. If a cultivator noticed, Su Po would most likely be exposed as a demon.

“Jiu’er! Jiu’er! My dear Jiu’er, I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Su Po didn’t care about being exposed. She only cared that her daughter was unharmed.

Panicked, she patted Bai Jiujiu up and down, asking anxiously,

“Jiu’er, are you okay?”

“Mom, I’ve been right here. I’m fine.”

Bai Hegui and Bai Hun’er followed closely behind, each with panicked and anxious expressions.

Especially Bai Hun’er, who, seeing Bai Jiujiu safe, finally let her panicked heart settle. Her legs gave way and she knelt on the ground.

If Bai Jiujiu had gotten lost because of her, Bai Hun’er truly didn’t know how she would face herself.

“Ehehe!”

Seeing how much they cared about her, Bai Jiujiu scratched her head in slight embarrassment.

The auspicious time arrived. The four of them walked together to the place specifically for releasing flower lanterns. It was already overcrowded; almost the entire town had gathered there.

All kinds of flower lanterns were lit by people and set into the river, drifting with the current toward the distance.

Under the gaze of her three family members, Bai Jiujiu struck a candle and lit the fox lantern in her hand.

Bai Hun’er stepped forward and tucked a small slip of paper into the fox’s eye socket. Then, she and Bai Jiujiu together carried the lantern to the riverbank, positioned it carefully behind a cat-shaped flower lantern, and set it afloat.

At this moment, the moon in the sky had moved to the best viewing position.

It illuminated the faces of everyone by the lake.

“This is the Moon Marsh Radiance. They say that wishes made to it are very, very effective. Sister Jiu’er, you should try too.”

Bai Hun’er saw that everyone around was closing their eyes to make wishes. Though she didn’t believe in it, she still closed her eyes, and in her heart, the wish she had always yearned for resounded.

‘Hope to leave the nightmare.’

‘Hope to find Su Ling’er smoothly and return to the mountain together.’

‘Hope those wayward disciples will have a change of heart and often come back to the mountain to visit this lonely old snake.’

‘Hope to reunite with family! Never to be separated!’

Am I a bit too greedy? The wishes seem a little too many.

Hmm~

In a daze, Bai Jiujiu seemed to hear the lake making a grumbling sound at her.

“Sister Jiu’er, come look! It’s so beautiful!”

Just as Bai Jiujiu was thinking, she was pulled by Bai Hun’er to walk together on the bridge, with their two parents following unhurriedly.

Looking around, below them the candles cast a red glow, while above, the moon seemed somewhat defiant, joining with the candlelight to brighten the town.

Bai Jiujiu was picked up by Su Po. Beside them stood her father Bai Hegui, neatly dressed with the air of a scholar. Bai Hun’er was hoisted onto Su Po’s shoulder, pointing at the drifting flower lanterns.

This moon was quite effective for wishes. Bai Jiujiu looked at her loving parents and sister, then closed her eyes in sorrow and bitter smile.

If only this was all real, how wonderful it would be.

The moon and the candles were the same; their light was as false as ever.

“Dad, Mom, Sister, everyone, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!”

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