Just as Xuan Xi and Sige stood face to face in bewilderment, Xing Ye walked alone into the draw hall, where the noise was louder than expected. It seemed this competition had indeed attracted quite a bit of attention. The overhead beams were draped with flags symbolizing each race, and the seats on both sides were already filled with many people. The Beast Tribe, Elf Race, Human Race, and Dragon Race each occupied their own area, with obvious gaps between them.
She stood at the entrance and scanned the room, then headed straight for the Dragon Race representative seats. She was short in stature, and passing through those tall figures made her look exceptionally petite.
“Yo! Isn’t that Xing Ye?” A voice came from her left, deep and low, as if roughened by wind and sand. She turned her head and saw a tall Beast Tribe woman standing at the corner of the aisle, her dark brown hair woven into a thick braid hanging down her chest, a ring of small bone hoops dangling from her ear. She seemed to have grown taller since their last meeting, her shoulders appearing even broader beneath her leather armor.
“Long time no see, Cangya.” Xing Ye said, though her tone carried little joy.
The Beast Tribe woman walked over, and with every step she took, the ground seemed to tremble faintly.
“I heard you also brought a student team to compete.” She came to a stop before Xing Ye and looked down at her. “The last time we met was ten years ago, the last batch of students you brought.” She didn’t wait for Xing Ye to answer, and tilted her head toward the draw platform in the center of the hall. “By the way, Xing Ye, have you gotten shorter again?”
Xing Ye’s mouth twitched slightly, her hand curling into a fist. This was exactly why she didn’t like this beastwoman. “Screw you, you big oaf.”
Cangya didn’t respond to that, merely waved her hand and turned to leave.
Xing Ye continued forward. As she passed the Elf Race area, a male elf seated in the rows looked up and saw her. His hair was silver-gray, almost indistinguishable from white under the indoor lighting. He wore the light, thin fabric typical of the Elf Race, with no excess adornments on his person.
“Vice Principal Xing Ye.” He performed a noble’s salute. “Long time no see. The last time we met in the Central Continent was ten years ago.”
“You are… Luosi?” Xing Ye asked. “Where is your team?”
“In the contestants’ rest area.” Luosi gestured with his hand. “After all, there are a few young members competing for the first time, and they are still quite nervous.”
Xing Ye nodded, not bothering with further pleasantries, and continued forward, then sat down in an empty seat in the Dragon Race section.
Before the draw ceremony began, the hall was already packed. Representatives of each race gathered at the front, guided by staff through the draw process. Xing Ye sat in her seat, her gaze fixed straight on the draw platform in the center of the hall, silently awaiting the final result.
At the same time, in the room at the end of the third-floor corridor of the hotel, Xuan Xi and Sige were still standing at the doorway looking at each other.
After taking several deep breaths, Xuan Xi finally mustered enough mental preparation and stepped inside.
She didn’t look at the large round bed again, turning her gaze to the other end of the room. A translucent frosted glass door stood ajar. She walked over and pushed it open—an oversized circular bathtub occupied nearly half the bathroom’s space. The tub was made of light gray marble, polished smooth, with a ring of small warm-colored light strips embedded along its rim. The bottom of the tub was covered with a layer of deep red rose petals, quite a large amount.
On the counter beside it sat a tray holding a bottle of wine and two stemmed glasses. A single glance told Xuan Xi exactly what they were for.
SigrdrÃfa walked over and pulled the bathroom door shut, the frosted glass once again blurring the interior into obscurity.
She turned around. “Let’s just go out and look at the streets outside.” She said.
Xuan Xi didn’t reply, and followed her out of the room.
By the time the two walked out of the hotel, the streets of Wancheng were already packed to capacity. The shops on both sides of the street were open, with vendors calling out continuously. Xuan Xi walked beside SigrdrÃfa. The streets held more people than when they had first arrived—Beast Tribe, Elf Race, and Human Race walking together in groups of three or five, their chatter endless, mixed with the sound of unfamiliar instruments drifting from somewhere in the distance.
SigrdrÃfa stopped at a stall selling flatbread and ordered two portions wrapped in oil paper. That wasn’t enough—when passing a small drink shop, SigrdrÃfa stopped again and bought two cups of iced juice, the cups covered in a layer of fine condensation, cool to the touch when held.
Xuan Xi took a sip. The taste was on the sour side, but afterward it left a faint sweetness on the tip of her tongue. They walked side by side along the street, eating flatbread and drinking juice as they went, thoroughly content.
The crowd on the street began converging toward the plaza. SigrdrÃfa held Xuan Xi’s hand and walked in front, following the crowd until they stopped at the edge of the plaza. Several bonfires had been lit in the center of the plaza, flames dancing in the twilight. Many couples or friends from other races were dancing around the bonfires.
Their movements weren’t particularly coordinated, like something casual carrying a hint of rhythm. For example, over here two elves were dancing; beside them, two young Beast Tribe men clapped their hands to the beat of a drum, their sense of rhythm strong.
SigrdrÃfa was no longer content to just watch others dance. She turned to look at Xuan Xi and extended her hand, palm up, as if waiting for something to fall into it.
Xuan Xi looked down at that hand, then placed her own hand on top of it. SigrdrÃfa clasped her hand and turned, leading Xuan Xi toward the bonfire.
“For the record, I don’t know how to dance.” Xuan Xi explained.
“Just follow me. I’ll guide your hands.” Sigr didn’t look back. The two had already reached a relatively flat clearing. She released Xuan Xi’s hand, turned to face her, placed one hand at her waist, and raised the other to rest at the side of her shoulder. The touch was light, her fingers resting on her shoulder through the fabric.
“Left hand on my shoulder.” Sigr said.
Xuan Xi did as she was told, her fingertips landing on her shoulder. Sigr was somewhat taller than her, so Xuan Xi could look up slightly to observe Sigr. The bonfire light shone from the side, dyeing her silver-white hair a warm gold.
Sigr began to move. Her body leaned forward slightly, each step landing exactly on the rhythm of the bonfire’s crackling, as if measuring something with her steps.
Xuan Xi watched, entranced, and accidentally stepped on Sigr’s toe. Xuan Xi lowered her head and said “sorry.” Sigr didn’t answer, nor did she pause. She maintained the original rhythm and kept moving.
They made a complete circle around the bonfire. The people who had just been dancing nearby stopped and looked at them.
The firelight shone on SigrdrÃfa’s profile as she led Xuan Xi through the final turn. Applause rose around them, not dense, but enough for Xuan Xi to notice others’ admiration.
Xuan Xi stood by the fire looking at Sigr, her hand still in hers. Sigr hadn’t let go, and she hadn’t pulled away either.
Just then, the first firework exploded. It shot straight up from the ground into the sky, bursting at its highest point and scattering into a vast spray of silver-white light. Then came the second, the third. The fireworks continued for a long time, progressing from the initial scattered few to a continuous, unbroken blossoming, illuminating the entire night sky as bright as day. Each time one faded, new ones lit up, and the crowd in the plaza let out wave after wave of amazed exclamations.
As midnight approached, the crowd finally began to slowly disperse. The two walked back along the road they had come, the hotel corridor lights already switched to night mode, the entire floor so quiet that only the faint hum of some machine remained.
When Xuan Xi pushed open the door, the large round bed still looked exactly as it had when they’d left during the day. The fireworks outside the window had stopped, but scattered points of light still flickered in the distant night sky, reflected through the floor-to-ceiling window glass.
SigrdrÃfa walked into the bathroom. The petals still lay at the bottom of the tub, their edges somewhat dried after sitting all day, the颜色 deepened slightly. She turned on the faucet, and as hot water rushed out it carried a faint steam and fragrance. The petals at the bottom of the tub were scattered by the current, then regathered, floating on the water’s surface, spinning with the flow.
After the tub was filled, they each removed their outerwear and shoes and socks and sat on the edge of the tub, candidly revealed to each other, their feet dipped into the water. Only after adjusting to the temperature did they sink fully into the tub.
The petals on the water’s surface swayed around them. A few stuck to their bodies. Once soaked through, the floral fragrance grew stronger. Sigr leaned back against the edge of the tub and spotted the wine bottle and two stemmed glasses on the tray nearby. She reached over and pulled them closer. The glasses rested on the rim of the tub. Sigr poured two glasses, the liquid swaying gently in the stemware.
Xuan Xi accepted the glass, her other hand resting on the edge of the tub. Sigr also raised her glass. Their arms slowly drew closer in the rose-scented bath’s light, crossed, and hooked together.
The stemmed glasses clinked softly, the sound crisp and brief. Xuan Xi tilted her head back and took a sip, the cool wine sliding down her throat with a hint of sweetness.
The night sky outside the window suddenly brightened—another burst of fireworks had exploded, right in the direction of their window.
The dazzling light streamed through the window, dyeing the entire bathroom in shifting colors. The petals floating on the water surface trembled faintly in the changing light and shadow, white steam curling up from both their shoulders. Xuan Xi swirled her glass and leaned against the tub wall, turning her head to look at Sigr.
This was a moment belonging only to the two of them, long and quiet.