The man in red robes and fine silks danced with the man in white.
The music was light and joyous, and soon, everyone seemed to be under a spell.
Their limbs moved involuntarily.
At this moment, a man in white leaped forward, making gestures in the air.
All the dancers before them seemed to be controlled by lines, like puppets.
They moved in mechanical motions, following his every gesture.
Gradually, however, the dancers began to break free from the control.
They became the ones controlling the man in white.
Then, the man in red robes and fine silks broke free.
He spun, tearing all the virtual threads.
With a push, he helped everyone escape their restraints.
Then, amidst a flurry of drumbeats, the dance concluded on a light note.
Instantly, the entire banquet erupted in thunderous applause.
All the dancers bowed deeply to the crowd before departing.
The banquet continued, but I couldn't find A Li anywhere.
I wondered if he had already returned to his room.
Suddenly, a long sword sliced through the air, lunging towards Jin Yu Lan.
Jin Yu Lan calmly raised his hand and threw his wine cup, striking the sword.
The crowd heard the sound and looked on in astonishment.
The one wielding the sword was Yun Yi, a master of the Northern Divine Capital's secret sect.
Strangely, the onlookers, witnessing this bold assassination attempt, showed no concern.
Instead, they burst into laughter. I was puzzled, wondering if this was their custom.
The Heavenly Master laughed heartily and teased him.
"Your swordsmanship is still a bit weak.
To have become a master of the Northern Divine Capital's secret sect at such a young age is truly remarkable."
As he spoke, he placed his hand on his waist, swiftly drawing his sword.
He parried the blow, and their swords met, sparks flying.
The Heavenly Master suddenly stepped onto the table, spun around, and sent his sword forward. The blade coiled around Yun Yi's like a snake.
Yun Yi's face paled with panic, and he yanked back with force.
The Heavenly Master smiled faintly, retracted his sword, and with a sideways thrust, pointed it directly at Yun Yi's throat.
The outcome of this duel was decided.
Immediately, another round of loud applause, crackling like firecrackers, erupted.
Jin Yu Lan also clapped and cheered.
"Excellent, worthy of the Heavenly Master. Your swordplay is swift, one move to kill."
The others also chimed in.
"The Heavenly Master has not drawn his sword in years. Today's display has truly opened our eyes."
"The Heavenly Master is indeed the Heavenly Master. He defeated his opponent in just one move."
"Brother Yun Yi is a master of the Northern Divine Capital's secret sect.
He is highly regarded by the City Lord and possesses great skill, but losing to the Heavenly Master is no disgrace.
I suspect, besides Boss Jin, no one can match the Heavenly Master."
With a flurry of flattery, the Heavenly Master smiled radiantly and slowly sheathed his sword.
Yun Yi cupped his hands and said,
"As expected of the Heavenly Master. Your brief display just now was truly extraordinary."
The Heavenly Master waved his hand dismissively, feigning modesty.
"My techniques are merely for show, I don't have such great ability."
Jin Yu Lan smiled slightly and patted his shoulder.
"You are the highlight of today's banquet."
"Come on, I still prefer drinking."
Saying this, he sat down, poured himself wine, and drank.
Jin Yu Lan also beckoned to everyone.
"Please, everyone, enjoy the food and drinks. It's a rare occasion for such merriment."
The crowd responded.
"Good, good, good."
They all sat down again, chattering and drinking.
I scanned the surroundings, but couldn't find the Twin Snow Blades, nor Dao Lang Fei Xiong.
I wondered where they had gone. Could they not attend the celebration feast?
Thinking this, I felt I shouldn't have come either.
After the banquet concluded, as I walked out of the venue, I arrived at the small gathering outside Qian Ji Hall.
Looking at the crowds of people coming and going, I still couldn't see A Li's shadow.
I wondered where he had gone.
At that moment, a pair of hands patted my shoulder.
Turning around, I saw it was one of the performers from the puppet show.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I made way for him.
Unexpectedly, the person suddenly burst into laughter.
Using familiar words, he asked me,
"Don't you recognize me?"
I found it strange. He then lifted his mask, revealing a familiar face.
A face exposed to the moonlight, radiating a faint white glow, pure and flawless.
"A Li!"
I exclaimed in surprise, incredulously, and asked him,
"Were you… were you among those people just now?"
"Yes, did you see which one I was?"
"They were all wearing masks, so it was impossible to tell who was who. Alas, why did you go dancing?"
I was very curious about how A Li had managed it.
A Li said,
"This? A lead dancer invited me.
He said his puppet show was short of performers and asked if I wanted to join. I said I could try.
So I went with him. I was thinking of surprising you."
I let out a sigh of relief, finally feeling at ease. I chided him.
"Next time, please let me know. I was worried sick.
And I didn't know where to find you."
"Okay, I promise next time."
Although A Li made this promise, I felt he would do it again.
"A Li, Mu Ye, you're back."
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out nearby, calling out loudly.
Turning my head, I saw, not far away, by a small stall,
A person in yellow, holding skewers, waving enthusiastically.
He then quickly ran over. When he reached us, I saw it was A Da, who had been sent away.
He beamed, offering me skewers. I frowned.
Remembering that Dao Lang wouldn't lie to us, I asked him,
"Weren't you sent away? Why are you still here?"
"You mean that? The day they put me in the carriage,
I woke up before they could leave. I cried and made a fuss, so they let me stay."
A Li chuckled.
"It's good to see you. What are you doing here?"
"I heard them say you returned from the Ten Thousand Ghost Forest, so I waited for you here.
Why don't I see Brother Liu?"
He looked around, but couldn't spot Liu Shi Nian, whom he was thinking of.
A Li glanced at me, unsure whether to speak.
But then he saw the sadness in my desolate eyes.
Sighing silently, he spoke up.
"He went home."
"Went home? So soon? We haven't had enough fun yet."
A Da's words were filled with disappointment.
I turned away, looking at the people passing by, and said absently,
"I wonder how Liu Shi Nian is doing."
A Da sensed something unusual and quickly asked,
"Did something happen to Brother Liu?"
Only then did I realize I had let slip.
A Li, to prevent him from worrying, lied.
"No, he's fine. He just has some family matters to attend to."
"Oh."
A Da's worried heart finally settled.
He had planned many fun activities and wanted to take Liu Shi Nian along when he returned.
It seemed that opportunity was gone.
Seeing his increasingly dejected expression, I placed a hand on his shoulder and comforted him.
"He will return. You will see him again."
A Da nodded slightly, his face etched with concern.
"What's wrong?"
A Li asked.
He replied,
"After I go back this time, I probably won't be able to come to Nanhai City anymore."
"Why?"
A Li and I were equally curious.
A Da explained,
"Because after I return, I'll have to busy myself learning many things.
My father also doesn't really want me to go out. He says I'm his treasure.
If anything were to happen to me, how would he live?"
Uh… what a devoted father.
I comforted him.
"It's alright. If we see Liu Shi Nian, we'll ask him to visit you."
"Really?"
His eyes suddenly lit up.
"Really."
"That's great! Then, the four of us can go hiking together again."
I wondered if that day would ever come.
It was better not to tell him about my returning home, lest he become sad again.
"Let's go back. It must be quite late now."
A Li said.
I tilted my head slightly, looking at the increasingly bright moon, and indeed felt it was time to return.
So I said to A Da,
"Come back with us."
A Da chuckled sheepishly, nodded solemnly, and followed us back to the house.
Entering Qian Ji Hall, we squeezed into the small moving elevator with a group of people.
The three frail individuals were quickly pushed to the back.
At this moment, a figure in yellow was also squeezed in and suddenly pushed next to A Li.
I hadn't paid close attention to who it was, but then I suddenly heard the person greet us.
"Miss Mu Ye, Young Master A Li, Young Master A Da, long time no see."
I looked up and saw it was the Young Master Fang who had played the proposal prank before.
"Young Master Fang, why are you here?"
What kind of fate is this, to meet him again?
He chuckled and slowly reached out his hand as if to pull me.
But A Da, standing beside me, reached out and took his hand.
He was momentarily surprised and turned his head, meeting my suspicious gaze.
He said,
"Young Master A Da, why are you holding my hand?"
A Da, recalling his previous encounter with him, became suspicious.
"What do you want to do to Mu Ye?"
Young Master Fang looked wronged and explained,
"I, what else could I do? I saw that she was being squeezed.
So, I wanted to switch places with her."
Hearing his explanation, A Da released his hand, but still cautioned him,
"Don't get any ideas about Mu Ye. She belongs to my elder brother."
My expressionless face was filled with speechlessness.
Young Master Fang hurriedly waved his hands.
"No, no, I wouldn't have any ideas about her."
Suddenly, the moving elevator stopped, and everyone disembarked and entered the floor.
Young Master Fang also left at this time. Before parting, he winked at me.
"Miss Mu Ye, I'll be going now."
"Okay..."
Then, the moving elevator slowly ascended again, reaching the floor where we lived.
Back in the room, the three of us each found a place to lie down.
I turned my head slightly, looking at A Li with his eyes closed, like a quiet, handsome man.
My restless hand became excited again, and I cautiously reached out to touch him.
Then, a look of delight appeared, full of anticipation.
However, just as I was about to touch him, A Da suddenly sat up.
He looked at me with sharp eyes and said,
"Mu Ye, what are you doing!"
I was startled and quickly withdrew my hand.
A Li also opened his eyes curiously, looking at the two of them, one suspicious, the other bewildered.
To ease the awkward moment, I changed the subject.
"Um, hahaha, the people here are really strange. Everyone is a demon or a god.
Only the horses are horses. It's really strange."
This tactic indeed worked. A Li, seeing my confusion,
Slowly stood up and reverted to his original attire to explain.
"The horses we see now are just their original forms.
They were originally free humanoids."
"Then, how did that happen?"
Hearing this, I couldn't help but become curious.
What reason caused them to revert to their original forms?
A Da looked at me and knew I didn't understand the reason behind it. He said casually,
"Alas, it's because they committed a crime that they became like this."
"What crime did they commit?"
I pressed on.
A Li also said,
"This matter dates back 4000 years.
After the great war between good and evil ended,
Several factions were severely damaged.
The elders of the Divine Horse Clan, to protect their people, used a series of unknown forbidden arts.
They harmed outsiders, but still couldn't prevent their defeat.
Then, to atone for their sins, they were sentenced to transform into their original forms and be at everyone's disposal for five thousand years."
"Five thousand years!"
I was stunned.
A Da counted on his fingers and said seriously,
"There's still one thousand years left until the five thousand years are up."
"One thousand years!" kuAiδugg
I was shocked again. In a human lifespan, it was only a hundred years.
But in their eyes, they viewed this long period with great indifference.
If these were humans, how many lifetimes would they have to reincarnate,
How much suffering would they have to endure to atone for their sins?
Seeing my surprised expression, A Li smiled slightly and told me,
"Using forbidden arts in this other world carries a heavy penalty."
I scoffed slightly.
"As an ordinary person, how could I possibly learn such things?
I'd be more careful of you, stealing such things and getting caught, to be made into a tanuki coat."
He burst into laughter and pointed at A Da.
"Then A Da should be the one suffering the most."
A Da, not understanding why, also laughed foolishly along with him.
A Da slowly lay down on the ground and casually voiced his thoughts.
"If you ask me, the Divine Horse Clan was truly wronged.
They clearly acted for their clan, but in the end, they became the ones being judged."
A Li also lay down slowly, resting his head on his hands, and spoke up for the Divine Horse Clan.
"You're right. If they had any other choice, I don't think they would have resorted to forbidden arts.
Such a punishment seems too severe for them."
"Alas, it doesn't matter. They will be free in another thousand years."
"Indeed."
I sat aside, quietly listening to their heartfelt sighs.
I understood most of it, but I never imagined.
What I thought were ordinary horses were actually a race.
Then, I also slowly lay down on the ground, closed my eyes slightly, and fell asleep.
A Li suddenly turned around, and one of his hands inadvertently rested on mine.
I opened my eyes in surprise. I thought it was A Da, but it was A Li.
A Li smiled slightly and slowly moved his hand away.
Suddenly, reflexively, I grabbed his hand.
A Li was slightly stunned, not understanding.
A faint blush spread across my face, and I didn't know how to speak.
A Da suddenly sat up and looked at us.
A Li and I, startled, quickly let go of each other's hands.
A Da narrowed his suspicious eyes, as if he had figured something out, and warned me.
"Mu Ye, you belong to my elder brother. A Li does not belong to you."
I was utterly speechless.
He slowly got up, dragged A Li over, and hugged him tightly.
He was truly loyal to Liu Shi Nian.
He suddenly said again,
"Liking A Li is not impossible, but if you like A Li, you must also like me.
So, you can have three husbands."
What kind of lewd words are these?
I touched my forehead, lamenting what Liu Shi Nian had taught him, and said speechlessly,
"What liking or disliking, I don't like any of them. I'm a bit sleepy, I'm going to sleep."
He looked back distrustfully. Seeing that I had fallen asleep, he finally relaxed.
He then said,
"If you truly love A Li, it's not impossible.
But can you also include my elder brother? He's quite lonely by himself."
I was utterly speechless and afraid he would say more lewd things.
I nodded slightly, as if agreeing.