Chapter 37: The First Date and a Peculiar Past

“Hehe, how was it, Rongrong? Your master successfully got them to be alone together, just as you requested~”

In another alleyway, Qu Linglong set down Hua Xiangrong, who was almost as tall as herself, and said with a beaming smile.

“Mm, thank you, Master!”

Hua Xiangrong nodded vigorously.

“And the reward…”

“I’ll give you the reward from my pocket money!”

“Oh, you truly are my good disciple; you get straight to the point!”

Upon hearing this, Qu Linglong’s face instantly broke into a wide smile.

“Come on, Master will take you to play with your Aunt Lin. She originally planned to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival with her Xiao Li, but it seems she was stood up. We can go comfort her.”

“Mm, okay!”

Hua Xiangrong obediently agreed, her small steps trailing behind Qu Linglong.

‘By the way, 099,’ she asked in her mind as they walked, ‘there’s something I’ve never understood—why is there a Mid-Autumn Festival in a different world?’

“Because we are in a novel world. A novel, by its very nature, is a world constructed based on the original author’s understanding. It’s perfectly normal for it to have a Mid-Autumn Festival.”

099 explained,

“It’s just that these detailed settings are often not elaborated upon in the book, yet the novel world itself is complete. It will, based on the author’s settings, spontaneously derive corresponding backgrounds and origins.

For instance, in the ‘Farewell My Concubine’ that Baizhi often listens to, the Xiang Yu in this world is completely different from the one in your world, Host.

He isn’t even a real person, but a character fictionalized by this world’s playwrights. Naturally, the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival here also has its own unique explanation.”

‘So that’s how it is…’

Hua Xiangrong mused, but in a flash, she cast the question aside and excitedly declared, ‘Forget it, forget it, I won’t think about it for now.

099, quickly patch through the live feed from Mother and Mama! This is their first date; if there’s any kissing or anything, I’m going to screenshot and record it!’

‘Don’t save weird things to my data memory!’

***

Meanwhile, with Hua Yan and Yun Xueshang.

…

‘So, why did that Qu Linglong suddenly appear and drag Rongrong away? Didn’t that just leave me and this person to stroll alone?!’

Hua Yan turned her head to glance at Yun Xueshang beside her, a hint of annoyance on her face. The other woman also quietly turned her face, blinked, and tilted her head, looking slightly puzzled.

‘Damn it! I only wanted to accompany my child, how did it turn out like this!’

She secretly peeked again, but Yun Xueshang was still quietly watching her.

‘This… being alone with her like this, strolling… I, I’m not ready yet! We haven’t even gotten married!’

The red-haired maiden blushed and secretly turned her head away once more. This time, however, she found that cool, serene face incredibly close.

“Wah! Yun Xueshang! Why did you suddenly get so close?!”

Hua Yan jumped back instantly.

“My apologies, Yan’er.”

A trace of apology appeared on that cool, serene face. “I saw you suddenly stop moving, your expression changing rapidly, and I worried you might have suffered a cultivation deviation or been ensnared. That’s why I wanted to get closer to check.”

“I didn’t suffer a cultivation deviation! Besides, who suddenly deviates while walking on the road? Do you really think about cultivating while you walk?”

Hua Yan stomped her foot, fuming.

“Mm, I do.”

“?”

Seeing Hua Yan’s bewildered expression, Yun Xueshang softly explained, “But that was in the past. Once, I was cultivating while flying on my sword and accidentally entered a meditative state. I ended up crashing headfirst into the Sect Master’s tea room… After that, he never allowed me to do it again.”

“So, I no longer cultivate while walking on the road.”

“???”

Hua Yan gazed at the cool, ethereal woman before her, who seemed untouched by worldly affairs, and imagined her crashing headfirst into an old man’s tea room, creating a chaotic mess.

“Hahahahahahaha! Something like that actually happened! Xueshang, you’re too funny! Hahahahahahaha!”

She clutched her stomach, laughing heartily until tears welled in the corners of her eyes. “Hey, at home, Grandmother always says I’m a troublemaker, but I see you’re no different from me!”

After a while, Hua Yan finally straightened up, scrutinizing the person before her. The more she looked, the more pleased she felt.

‘Heh! I never thought Yun Xueshang would be a troublemaker too! This way, when she returns to the valley with me, Grandmother will see her causing trouble and won’t just punish me alone, right?’

The more she looked, the more comforted she felt. Even the troublesome matter of marrying her, which had bothered her for days, no longer seemed so awkward.

‘At the very least, if I marry this blockhead, she can get scolded with me in the future. Maybe I can even pin my blame on her! She likes me so much anyway, so just coax her a little, and it’ll be fine!’

Hua Yan chuckled secretly in her heart. Looking at Yun Xueshang again, she found her more and more pleasing to the eye.

“Let’s go, I’ll take you out! Forget about that Rongrong girl. If she’s not coming, I’ll take you out alone!”

With that, she grabbed Yun Xueshang’s hand, who was still standing in a daze. “When it comes to having fun, I, Hua Yan, am the best in all of Shenzhou! Today, I’ll open your eyes!”

“Eh?”

Thus, Yun Xueshang allowed herself to be led, following Hua Yan through the bustling crowds.

All around, warm, diffused lamplight blended into a hazy sea of glow. The maiden’s flowing red hair shimmered like moving flames, her smile bright and mischievous, yet bursting with unrestrained vitality. That sight, in Yun Xueshang’s eyes, was even more dazzling than all the lanterns in the street, so beautiful that she momentarily forgot to look away.

…

“Come on! Today, we’ll compete to see who can throw more into the pot! Be serious! No using spiritual energy!”

In front of the pot-throwing stall, the vibrant red-haired maiden rolled up her sleeves, eager to try, and thrust a handful of arrows into the white-haired maiden’s hand.

The serious white-haired maiden naturally gave her all. But when she won, the other girl pouted, looking quite annoyed.

The white-haired maiden silently handed her the trinkets she had won. Though the red-haired maiden still seemed a bit reluctant, she eventually accepted them—it seemed she had been forgiven.

…

“Look! Aren’t I amazing!”

In front of the acrobatics stall, the red-haired maiden eagerly took over the artist’s act, balancing three long poles in each hand, with blue-and-white porcelain plates spinning on their tips.

The white-haired maiden could also do it, even balancing several more on her head, but she simply stood quietly in the front row of the crowd, clapping for her, one slow clap after another.

…

“Good! Good!”

In front of the opera stage, after the performer finished a song, the red-haired maiden was the first to clap vigorously, tossing a large sum of money onto the stage as a reward.

Although the white-haired maiden felt a pang of regret for the silver, seeing the other’s eyes curved into a smile, she forgot to calculate—how many skewers of candied hawthorn could that silver buy?

…

“Hoo-ah—what a fun night!”

Finally, the two followed the flow of people out of the city, where the crowds had thinned, and the murmuring Jade Dragon River flowed beside them. The full moon hung in the inky sky, countless stars twinkling brightly. The red-haired maiden rested her head on her arm, humming an off-key tune, her voice blending with the flowing water and the chirping insects, creating an unexpectedly pleasant sound.

“I heard there are fireworks here too. Yun Jing’s Mid-Autumn Festival is quite impressive!”

Hua Yan said, leading Yun Xueshang to a good spot by the river. With a wave of her hand, she retrieved a set of tables and chairs, along with tea and pastries, from her storage pouch.

“This is top-grade Glazed Flower Tea; I only have a little left.”

She picked up the teapot, first pouring herself a cup, then gently pouring one for Yun Xueshang.

“How is it? Good, right?”

Yun Xueshang picked up the teacup and took a sip. The tea was clear and moist, exuding a floral fragrance, and left a warm, comforting sensation in her throat. Though she didn’t understand tea, since Hua Yan said so, it must be excellent tea.

“Mm, very good.”

She nodded gently.

“Heh! Of course! My grandmother made this herself; you can’t get it anywhere else!”

The red-haired maiden, having received approval, immediately narrowed her eyes and grinned. “If you want to drink more, when you come back with me, I’ll take you to find a way to get some! Just listen to me!”

“Mm.”

Yun Xueshang nodded again.

Afterward, the red-haired maiden chattered about everything under the sun—how crispy the ginseng spirit at home was to chew, how fragrant the tea brewed from the new willow sprouts in the neighboring courtyard was, how silly the bird Rongrong kept was…

The white-haired maiden simply listened quietly, occasionally nodding. Her demeanor, however, seemed to make the speaker even more enthusiastic.

“Whoosh—bang!”

Bright fireworks shot into the night sky with a whoosh and a bang, bursting into a riot of colorful brilliance that painted the heavens in dazzling hues.

“Xueshang, it doesn’t matter if you didn’t like to play before; I’ll take you from now on.”

The fireworks flickered, making the profile of the person beside her sometimes clear, sometimes hazy, shimmering with vibrant colors.

“Mm, okay.”

“Why do you only say ‘mm’ and ‘okay’? You’re just like Rongrong when she first met me.”

Hua Yan teased her with a smile, “Could that girl have learned it from you since she was little?”

“?”

Yun Xueshang paused slightly, then looked at her hesitantly and asked, “Yan’er, what are you talking about? Didn’t Rongrong… grow up with you since she was little?”