Fortunately, Ling Ye had made the yard warm enough, so it wasn’t unbearable.
Since going to the Underworld, Nanshan had almost forgotten how long it had been since she last saw the stars.
Although there were occasional firecrackers exploding, the sky was still clear and the stars were bright and peaceful.
Nanshan stared at the stars until her eyes grew tired.
When she lowered her head, she found Ling Ye staring at her with intense focus.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she paused for a moment before remembering to ask, “What are you looking at?”
Ling Ye’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, “When you kept the vigil before, did you also stay outside watching the stars like this?”
“It wasn’t like this before. You didn’t turn the yard into a warm place like this, so I had to stay on the bed to keep the vigil.”
Nanshan stretched lazily.
Ling Ye commented, “Sounds boring.”
“Yeah, it was boring. Our village has a rule: after the New Year’s Eve dinner, the main gate must be closed until the next morning. So we stay inside all night. Unlike the town, where they have temple fairs on New Year’s Eve. There was one year when Er Pang went to the town for New Year, and on the morning of the first day of the year, he brought back a lot of food. I was so envious…”
Nanshan was saying this when she suddenly brightened, looking at Ling Ye with sparkling eyes.
Ling Ye was about to reply when a group of girls approached him, surrounding him.
Nanshan noticed, and, while urging him, she saw him looking somewhat awkward, unsure of what to do.
“Excuse me, can you make way? You’re blocking my husband…”
Nanshan squeezed through and pulled him out of the group.
One of the girls asked, “Is he your husband?”
“Doesn’t he look like my husband?”
Nanshan asked back.
“No, he looks like your master,” a girl said.
Another one added, “Even a servant from a rich family wouldn’t look this poor.”
“What do you mean ‘poor’? I’m beautiful! I’m the most beautiful woman in our village,” Nanshan retorted while standing with her hands on her hips, blocking Ling Ye.
The girls still didn’t believe her and were about to argue when Ling Ye suddenly held Nanshan’s hand and said coldly, “She is my wife.”
With that, the girls hurriedly left.
Nanshan quickly took the handkerchief from Ling Ye’s arm and said, “This town is full of bold girls. They’re more daring than the ones back home.”
“Let’s go,” Ling Ye said, unfazed.
As Nanshan was about to release his hand, he tightened his grip.
Nanshan hesitated but soon got distracted by the acrobatics nearby, dragging him along.
She had never had this much fun on New Year’s Eve before, and she was curious about everything, constantly walking around with Ling Ye, not letting go of his hand.
By the time the temple fair came to an end, Nanshan didn’t want to leave.
She glanced around and suddenly spotted a fortune teller’s stall and immediately dragged Ling Ye over.
Ling Ye pulled her back gently, “That’s a scam.”
“How do you know?”
Nanshan asked, puzzled.
Ling Ye replied, “He has no spiritual power.”
“No spiritual power means he can’t tell fortunes? You’re being narrow-minded, young master,” Nanshan scoffed.
“We have experts in the mortal world too. Many fortune-tellers can even predict how many children you’ll have, how many disasters you’ll face, and when you’ll die. It’s impressive,” she said.
Ling Ye chuckled softly, “Even someone as skilled as the Kunlun ancestor can only predict vague things. If anyone had the ability you describe, they would have become an immortal fortune-teller long ago.”
“Maybe we have some hidden fortune-tellers in the mortal world,” Nanshan retorted.
Ling Ye gave her a sideways glance, “The only immortal fortune-teller fell with his kingdom three thousand years ago.”
“And then he was reincarnated into our mortal world,” Nanshan quipped.
Ling Ye didn’t respond immediately, and after a while, he said, “Fine, go ahead and have your fortune told.”
Nanshan won the argument and happily dragged him to the fortune-teller’s stall.
The fortune-teller asked, “What would you like to know, my noble guest?”
Nanshan replied, “I’d like to know about next year’s fortune, see if there are any ill-fortunes.”
The fortune-teller looked at her and then said, “I’m speaking to your young master. What are you, a little maid, interrupting for?”
Nanshan:
Ling Ye averted his gaze, pretending nothing had happened.
After paying five copper coins, they heard a bunch of nonsense.
For the rest of the walk, Nanshan was unusually silent.
After a while, she couldn’t help but ask, “So all these fortune-tellers are scammers?”
“Not all of them. Some have real skill, but their abilities are limited,” Ling Ye explained.
Nanshan scratched her nose and then asked, “That immortal fortune-teller you mentioned earlier… was he really powerful?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Nanshan pressed.
“When I was born, he had already fallen. His kingdom turned into a forbidden land that no one can enter, and his subjects perished with him. So I don’t know if he was powerful,” Ling Ye said, looking at her.
“It’s said that he could see through the fate of people.”
“Then why did he fall?”
Nanshan asked, puzzled.
Ling Ye: “I really don’t know.”
Nanshan pouted, suddenly recalling a pair of red eyes.
She stopped in her tracks and instinctively looked back.
“What’s wrong?”
Ling Ye asked.
Nanshan suddenly snapped back to reality and seemed confused as to why she had stopped.
But she had already stopped…
“You wait for me a moment, I’ll be right back,” Nanshan said, running off.
Ling Ye stood silently, waiting.
By the time Nanshan returned, the night had deepened, and the temple fair had quieted down.
The vendors were packing up, and he stood alone at the entrance, feeling out of place amidst the bustling mortal world.
Soon, Nanshan returned, her mood clearly lifted.
“What did you do?”
Ling Ye asked.
Nanshan held up the copper coins in her hand and said, “I got angrier the more I thought about it, so I decided to get my money back.”
“You paid five coins,” Ling Ye reminded her, but she only had three in her hand.
Nanshan pretended she didn’t hear him.
It was already late, and as the midnight hour arrived, firecrackers began to go off in the homes around them.
Ling Ye took Nanshan back to the Sun family home, where they saw Sun Jin and Liu Jinhua lighting firecrackers.
“Come quickly, after we’re done, we can rest,” Liu Jinhua said, smiling.
Nanshan hurriedly pulled Ling Ye into the living room, and Sun Jin lit the firecrackers, rushing inside with Liu Jinhua.
The firecrackers went off with a loud crackling sound, and the once-clear air turned a hazy red.
Nanshan said some good luck phrases and stretched out her hand, receiving two red envelopes.
“Still far from Ling Ye’s,” she urged.
“Don’t worry, they’re all for you.”
Liu Jinhua gave Ling Ye another red envelope, which Sun Jin also handed to him.
But before Ling Ye could warm it up, Nanshan snatched it away.
“Here, we do it like this—wives manage the money,” Nanshan said seriously.
Ling Ye paused, “Then… all of it is for you?”
Nanshan was joking, but hearing his serious reply, she suddenly froze.
“Don’t listen to her,” Liu Jinhua snatched the red envelope back and gave it back to Ling Ye.
“There’s no such rule.”
Ling Ye, however, instinctively looked at Nanshan, and when he saw she didn’t refute it, just smiling at him, he put the red envelope away.
“Thank you, both elders.”
He bowed respectfully.
After the New Year’s dinner, the temple fair, and the midnight firecrackers, Ling Ye hadn’t spoken, but Nanshan knew it was time for him to return to the Underworld.
Yet, looking at her parents, she couldn’t bring herself to say a word.
“You don’t need to say anything. We understand,” Liu Jinhua gently patted her hand.
“As long as you’re well, even if you’re not with us, we will still be happy.”
“Right. Now that you’re alive and can’t stop me from drinking, I’m more than happy,” Sun Jin grunted.
Nanshan sniffed and asked, “So if I leave, won’t you miss me?”
“Miss you? As long as you’re well, we won’t think about anything else,” Sun Jin said gruffly.
Nanshan looked at Liu Jinhua with pitiful eyes.
“Alright, go on.”
Liu Jinhua touched her face and smiled.
Nanshan nodded obediently, said a lot of personal words, and walked away with a heavy heart.
Once more riding the wind, Nanshan finally got used to it, but she still felt a little down.
Even when she returned to the Underworld, her mood remained gloomy.
Ling Ye stopped suddenly, and Nanshan, not paying attention, bumped into his back.
“Father.”
Ling Ye spoke calmly.
Nanshan blinked, leaning around his back.
“Father?”
She looked carefully and saw Yan Yue standing there, dressed in an unusual way.
She quickly greeted, “Immortal Father, you… what is this outfit?”
Yan Yue usually wore dark robes, but today he had chosen a dark red outfit with gold embroidery, looking quite festive.
Hearing her question, Yan Yue shot her a resentful glance.
“How dare you say that? You ran off with Ling Ye without a word. If I hadn’t placed a tracking spell on you, I’d probably have sent all the ghost soldiers out to find you on New Year’s Eve.”
Nanshan immediately threw the blame on Ling Ye. |
“Well, it’s all Ling Ye’s fault, he just suddenly took me away. I didn’t even have time to tell you.”
Ling Ye just gave her a glance, too lazy to argue.
“Alright, I’m not angry, but you’ve been gone so long. You must’ve had your New Year’s dinner at home, right? Would you still like to eat the meal I prepared for you?” Yan Yue asked.
Before he finished speaking, the dark and ominous Canglan Palace lit up with red lanterns.
Under the festive light, there were couplets and door paintings stuck messily all over.
Even the two dragon statues guarding the palace gate were adorned with tiny lanterns hanging from their claws.
It was both lively and eerie.
Nanshan stared at everything, then looked at Yan Yue’s carefully chosen outfit, and suddenly understood.
“Immortal Father…”
“This is your first New Year away from home, so I didn’t know what to do. I thought about letting Zhi Can put up some door decorations and having dinner with you… but he made it like this.”
Yan Yue said, unable to hold back his laughter.
Nanshan felt a little choked up, like a little animal rubbing against him.
“Thank you, Immortal Father, I’m really happy.”
“When are we eating the New Year’s dinner?”
Yan Yue asked seriously.
“Of course we’re eating!”
Nanshan’s eyes brightened.
“Too bad you came back late. That brat Zhi Can was taken back by his father, so it’s just the three of us eating together,” Yan Yue said, leading them inside.
“It’s fine. With you here, that’s enough,” Nanshan cheerfully replied.
“I agree. As long as Nanshan is here,” Yan Yue said with a smile.
“Hehe…”
It was nearly dawn when Nanshan left the dining hall, feeling full.
She walked slowly behind Ling Ye, her heart growing lonelier after the excitement.
“We’re here,” Ling Ye said.
Nanshan snapped out of it, realizing they had arrived at her small courtyard.
“You don’t have to be sad. If you want to go to the mortal world, you can go anytime,” Ling Ye tried to comfort her awkwardly.
Nanshan pursed her lips and nodded quietly.
“I’ll take you back tomorrow,” Ling Ye immediately added.
Nanshan was taken aback and looked up to meet his serious gaze.
For a moment, her eyes softened.
After a long pause, she finally nodded.
“Good night.”