The long night of the Lantern Festival had been passed down since ancient times.
Fireworks and meteors were seen throughout the night, especially in Flame City.
After nightfall, the streets became more and more lively. The number of stalls on the streets was three to five times more than usual. Almost every stall was squeezed into another stall. The sounds of hawking overlapped each other, and a dazzling array of goods was available.
Everywhere, children could be seen chasing and playing, throwing firecrackers, fire tops, holding fairy sticks, and jumping whips in the alleys on both sides of the street, having a great time playing. The adults were happy and harmonious, chatting loudly in groups of three to five.
Unmarried girls, on the roadside, in sedan chairs, or on incense carriages, would hold a lantern and appreciate the world of mortals. At the same time, they would watch the fireworks rising into the sky, blossoming into the brilliance of life, and then being annihilated into ashes. They would sigh about how time flowed like water, and how time was like a song. Inadvertently, they would catch a glimpse of a handsome man, and from then on, they would be lost in their dreams.
On such a night, there were two teenagers who were particularly eye-catching.
The teenager was about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was slender and wore a moon-white brocade robe. His lips were red, his teeth were white, and his eyes were like peach blossoms. He looked gentle and delicate. He was born handsome, and all the young ladies who passed by stared at him, as if they could take advantage of him by looking at him one more time.
The teenager seemed to be used to it and was not surprised. He was like a lark released from its cage, running from one stall to another. He seemed to be rich and overbearing. As long as he took a fancy to something, he would put it into the arms of the teenager behind him.
The teenager was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He was tall and sturdy, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He had a square face and big ears, and a short beard on his chin. He wore a thin grey shirt, dark blue trousers, and black square shoes. At this moment, he was covered with all kinds of objects. There were firecrackers, fireworks, windmills, clay figurines, silk cloths, and ceramics. He looked like a follower of the teenager.
But his expression was clearly full of affection, like a husband looking at his wife. There was a gentle smile on the corner of his mouth, which was very rare for him. His eyes revealed a vigilant and sharp light, as if he was warning some evil spirits, but when it fell on the teenager, it immediately became gentle.
The teenager was, of course, Zhuge Xiaoshan.
The young man was naturally Yan Chaoyang.
"Senior, are you tired?" Zhuge Xiaoshan suddenly looked back and smiled. The lantern turned around and shone on his face.
Yan Chaoyang smiled and shook his head.
Zhuge Xiaoshan saw that Yan Chaoyang had no more space to put his things, and said embarrassedly, "It's already full, it's full, I don't want to buy anymore."
On the other hand, he giggled and said, "The mountain doesn't matter how high it is. Water doesn't have to be deep to have a dragon. Master always says that I'm too attached to the world of mortals, but I think that if I don't enter the world, how can I come out? Besides, Half-mountain Hut's foundation is in the human world. If I go to the Heavens, it will be the benefit of some people. "
Yan Chaoyang smiled and said, "Ah Li often says that you should hold on to what you have." He had never liked to talk, but now he liked to talk.
Zhuge Xiaoshan pondered for a moment and said, "Crude words, but not crude logic."
He laughed again, "But your brother is a greedy ghost. Last time, he even blackmailed me. He's rotten to the core. What he's talking about must be some gold and silver. Greedy, stingy, and vengeful, this kind of person will never get a wife. "
Yan Chaoyang smiled and said nothing.
Zhuge Xiaoshan continued, "Of course you should hold on to what you have. But there are many things in this world that cannot be held on to. Take Half-mountain Hut for example. Master desperately guards it, but it's inevitable that half of it will be taken away by the Jian Clan. At present, it's only the recipe for wine that the Jian Clan doesn't know about. Ai! Some people's greed has no bottom line. Occasionally, I think that if we can't even protect the recipe, Master and I will no longer be of value. What will happen to us then? The more I think about it, the more terrified I feel. It's as if the weight of my life is tied to that recipe. "
Time passes quickly, and youth is not young.
A mature mind has probably gone through cruel trials and tribulations.
Yan Chaoyang was silent. He only stretched out his hand and used his big hand to hold Zhuge Xiaoshan's small hand tightly.
His trembling body gradually calmed down.
Zhuge Xiaoshan raised his head and glanced at Yan Chaoyang. His face was a little hot, and he stammered, "Senior, Senior Brother … we, we will be called gay. I, I'm not good at Longyang …"
Yan Chaoyang's expression didn't change, and he looked at him with determination.
Zhuge Xiaoshan struggled for a while, but failed. He could only say, "Senior Brother, I'm fine. Compared to the Jian Clan, I'm more afraid of affecting my fun."
More and more people came to watch.
Suddenly, Yan Chaoyang's ears twitched. He turned around and looked further away.
A long neigh of a horse came from the direction of the city gate. "Get out of the way! Get out of the way! Urgent report from the Dragon Emperor Residence …"
A horse galloped towards them, and the passersby retreated to the sides in panic.
At this moment, a child rushed out from the alley. When he ran to the middle of the street, he realized that the passersby were moving to the sides. He subconsciously looked in the direction of the galloping horse, and was instantly scared silly.
"You're courting death!" The person on the horse was a yellow-robed constable. He had no intention of stopping, and he shouted fiercely, "Get lost!"
"Senior Brother, save him!" Zhuge Xiaoshan couldn't help but shout.
Yan Chaoyang nodded, and he crouched down and rushed over. Unexpectedly, a shadow suddenly appeared and dashed over at an even faster speed, and rescued the child.
He didn't change his direction, but his action changed. He grabbed the horse's chin with his big hand, and brazenly lifted the horse's head up. The horse lost its front hooves, and it slid back several feet, then stopped with a neigh.
"Who are you? How dare you interfere with the Dragon Emperor Residence's business!" The constable on the horse shouted in a stern voice.
"A certain constable drove his horse into the market, trampled innocent people, and disregarded the law. His cruel behavior is outrageous. Do you want the latest Book of Heavenly Secrets to be written like this tomorrow?"
Before Yan Chaoyang could speak, a humorous voice sounded.
Everyone looked towards the source of the voice, and saw a young man in black had appeared out of nowhere. He gently put the child down, and said.
This person was wearing a grey bamboo hat, and there was a green scarf around his neck. The scarf was tied at his chin, around the nape of his neck, and dragged behind him, fluttering non-stop.
He wore a short black shirt, and his arms were bare. There was a blue wrist guard on each of his hands, and a blue and white jade belt around his waist. There was a sword hanging on the jade belt, and there was a small round ornament on the sword. On his feet were dark scale boots.
The constable's eyes were sharp, but when he saw the small ornament on the man in the bamboo hat, his pupils shrank slightly. "Humph! Mind your own business!"
As he spoke, he was about to whip his horse and leave.
"Wait!" The young man in black suddenly shouted, "I heard you said that the Dragon Emperor Residence sent an urgent report. What happened?"
"The Heavenly Measures Tower is getting more and more involved. Now, they even want to interfere with the Dragon Emperor Residence's business?" The constable said coldly.
The young man said mischievously, "A certain constable drove his horse into the market, trampled on innocent people, and disregarded the law. His brutal behavior is outrageous. Do you want the latest Book of Heavenly Secrets to be written like this tomorrow?"
"You're slandering me!" The constable was furious.
"Why didn't you listen to me? I said 'injured'. " The young man smiled and rubbed the child's head, "Little brother, you were frightened just now. Don't worry, I'll definitely seek justice for you. I'll pay for the medical fees, lost time, and recuperation fees."
The constable had no choice. After weighing the pros and cons, he said unwillingly, "This isn't the place to talk. I'll go see the Prefecture Master first. We won't meet outside the Dragon Emperor Residence." With that said, he rode away.
"Take care!" The young man waved his hand happily.
"Uncle, can I go now?" The little boy looked at the young man timidly. His painful expression told everyone that he was very uncomfortable.
The young man's smile froze, and his face turned dark. He pinched the boy's cheek and said, "What uncle? What uncle? I'm only twenty-eight years old this year. Call me Big Brother, okay? "
The boy didn't cry because he was frightened just now. Now that he was pinched, he immediately pouted and ran away while crying.
The young man scratched the back of his head in a daze, "I seem to have messed up again."
Zhuge Xiaoshan couldn't help but walk over and said, "May I ask if you're the Mountain Master of the Sword Forest of the Cloud Pavilion, Xie Yunfeng?"
"Eh?" The young man was surprised, "Am I that famous?"
Zhuge Xiaoshan smiled and said, "The flying stars spread hatred, the red mulberry leaves, the Pavilion of Cloud Pavilion by the Tingchun River, the Pavilion of Flowers decides the world, and the Sword Forest rises from the Cloud Peak. Big Brother Xie's attire is a work of art that surpasses the heavens. You won't be able to find it in an ordinary clothing store. Only the craftsmen and tailors of the Flower Pavilion would have such exquisite embroidery. The sword pendant on your waist is unique to the Sword Forest. In addition, the sword pendant bears the insignia of the Heavenly Strategy Tower's Traveler.
"Good eyesight!" Xie Yunfeng smiled and cupped his fists. "Forgive me for my poor eyesight. May I know who the two of you are?"
"I'm Zhuge Xiaoshan of the Half-mountain Hut. He's my Senior Brother, Yan Chaoyang." Zhuge Xiaoshan cupped his fists and returned the greeting.
Yan Chaoyang nodded slightly.
"So you're from the Half-mountain Hut. I've heard a lot about you, Longquan." Xie Yunfeng took off his bamboo hat, revealing a slightly dark but angular face. His eyes roamed over the two and said mischievously, "Brother Zhuge, Brother Yan, you two are quite interesting. One is a mountain, the other is the sun. Isn't it like climbing a mountain to look at the sun? It's a match made in heaven! "
Zhuge Xiaoshan immediately blushed and said, "Brother Xie, please don't make fun of us. Senior Brother and I are both men. There's no way we can get along. "
"I don't think your Senior Brother thinks so." Xie Yunfeng winked and said, "Now that I've met Brother Gao of the Half-mountain Hut, I should have asked you to treat me to a drink. However, I still have to attend the meeting with the arrester and listen to the reason why he rode his horse to the market. So, I have to leave first."
"If Brother Xie doesn't mind, can we go together?" Zhuge Xiaoshan asked.
"Oh?" Xie Yunfeng said.
Zhuge Xiaoshan's eyes were slightly worried, but his expression did not change. He said, "Senior Brother and I have entered the world to gain experience. The government is not a small matter. Of course, we want to listen to the explanation."
"If that's the case, then let's go together." Xie Yunfeng said straightforwardly.
…
In the Prince's Mansion.
"Hurry up! Do you want to die?" Yan Li felt a strong breath approaching at high speed. He was so anxious that he was about to explode.
"Soul Rush!" Gu Haiyuan was sweating profusely. Although he was also anxious, his hands were still moving steadily.
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