Chu Diangjiang looked at the red silk wrapped around the intertwined lanterns. After a moment, he still got up and followed her out.
An Jiu walked alone through the bustling streets. As she neared the end, she sensed a faint familiar presence nearby.
Hua Rongjian and Chu Diangjiang’s internal energy was very similar, but the difference in strength was vast.
An Jiu passed through a small alley and arrived in front of a tavern. She stood there for a while.
Just as she was about to leave, a group of drunken young men in fancy clothes poured out of the shop. Hua Rongjian was among them.
He saw An Jiu and froze for a moment, sobering up considerably.
“Rongjian, your tastes have changed quite a bit lately!” one of the half-drunk youths eyed An Jiu.
She wore a young man’s human skin mask, but her figure was that of a woman.
“You all go ahead,” Hua Rongjian said.
The group of young men whooped and hollered, but eventually left under the care of their respective servants.
The two stood silently for a while before Hua Rongjian spoke, “I apologize for today. I shouldn’t have taken my anger out on you.”
“It’s nothing,” An Jiu replied.
Often, friendships form inexplicably. For instance, she initially disliked Mo Sigui, but at some point, he became a close friend who shared life-and-death experiences with her. Similarly, she remembered clashing fiercely with Hua Rongjian at first, but somehow, they had become friends who could confide in each other.
Under the red lanterns, Hua Rongjian’s handsome face appeared somewhat hazy. “Walk with me for a bit,” he said.
An Jiu nodded.
They emerged from the alley and merged into the crowd, making their way to the riverbank. Watching groups of young women frolicking by the water, Hua Rongjian’s face finally showed a hint of a smile. He bought two water lanterns from a nearby stall and handed one to An Jiu. “Let’s release lanterns too!”
One was shaped like a lotus, the other like a peony.
An Jiu took the peony and was about to put it in the water when Hua Rongjian grabbed her hand and pulled her to the lantern stall. “We need to write something,” he said.
Hua Rongjian handed her a brush and pointed to the rolled-up paper in the center of the flower. “Write down your wish.”
An Jiu didn’t know what to write. She looked around for a while, thinking hard before finally writing: “May there be peace throughout the land.”
“Ha!” Hua Rongjian peeked at the content and laughed heartily. “If the handwriting weren’t so ugly, I’d think the Prime Minister himself had come out to release lanterns!”
An Jiu had originally wanted to write “World Peace” but had deliberated for a long time before settling on this more “profound” wish. “Let me see yours,” she said.
“No way,” Hua Rongjian hugged the lantern and ran towards the water.
An Jiu grabbed his collar. “Let me see!”
“Which young lady acts like you? Let go!” Hua Rongjian struggled awkwardly.
“I want to see it,” An Jiu forcefully pulled him back and snatched the lantern.
She saw a few bold characters: “May all affairs go smoothly.”
An Jiu snorted, “I thought you’d write something fancy. This is no better than mine!”
“What do you know, you shrew,” Hua Rongjian took back the lantern, straightened his clothes, and carefully placed it on the water’s edge.
An Jiu followed behind and carelessly tossed her lantern into the river. Water splashed, not only sinking her lantern but also affecting nearby ones, which swayed precariously but managed to stay afloat.
“Why did you throw it like that? The water lanterns need to float to the Queen Mother of the West for the wishes to come true!” Hua Rongjian glared at her in exasperation.
An Jiu stood on the bank with her arms crossed, looking down at him. “Even if my wish floated to the heavens, it wouldn’t come true. I advise you not to be so devout; your wish is impossible to realize too.”
Where there are people, there will be war. Even in that relatively peaceful era far in the future, conflicts were unavoidable. Similarly, in life, hardships far outnumber moments of luck.
Hua Rongjian stood up abruptly, angry. “Is this how you discourage people?”
An Jiu told him solemnly, “I’m telling the truth.”
Hua Rongjian gestured wildly, threatening to throw her into the water.
Across the noisy crowd, in the distance, a tall man in blue robes holding a peony water lantern stood quietly at the corner, gazing at the boisterous pair.
After a moment, he turned and entered a dark alley. The lantern in his hand shattered into powder, the light flared briefly before vanishing completely. The blue-robed figure flashed and disappeared as if into thin air, leaving only dust settling in the empty alley.