"When will the bright moon appear? With wine in hand, I ask the blue sky..."
Chen Yi’s brush danced without pause. The unique strokes of his Cursive Script flowed from his heart, and with them, a Mental Realm drifted out.
A night sky.
A different kind of night sky—deep and sapphire blue, dotted with countless stars.
A bright moon.
One more brilliant and dazzling than the round moon in the real sky, its radiance illuminating all.
This Mental Realm of a moonlit, starry sky, filled with large, golden characters, was like a second night sky appearing this evening.
It stretched out above the Painted Boat, and even...
Over the entirety of Quchi!
Yan Fusha looked up at the Mental Realm and its golden words that had appeared out of thin air, the smile in his eyes slowly fading.
"You... This..."
Chen Yi obviously paid him no mind, his brush splashing ink as he completed the work in one fluid motion.
"I do not know what year it is this evening in the celestial palaces."
In the "night sky" filled with a sapphire, fluorescent glow, the characters materialized one by one, forming the second line.
It was as if a banished Immortal was writing in the air, creating these large, golden characters.
And within that "night sky," a magnificent palace of jade pavilions with carved beams and painted rafters slowly rose, situated beneath the "bright moon."
Within, celestial maidens danced, silver-armored heavenly soldiers stood guard, and musical notes transformed into talismans that drifted about.
A tall, upright figure in a long, green robe also appeared atop the palace.
His features were blurry, and one could only see him looking up at the moon.
An ethereal voice faintly drifted out.
"What year... is it this evening?"
"The twenty-first year of the Anhe era of Great Wei, the fifteenth day of the eighth month, Shu State..."
After listening, the figure fell silent for a moment before sighing softly:
"I wish to ride the wind and return, yet I fear in those jade towers and marble halls, the heights would be too cold for me..."
"To dance with my clear shadow—how could that compare to the mortal world..."
The faint sighs circled above Quchi, scattering along its banks with the bright moonlight.
Rowdy children noticed the splendor, stopping to wave and laugh, shouting that they saw an Immortal.
Courting scholars and beauties, who had been playing coy, froze in a daze when they saw the Immortal Realm.
The lion dancers in the streets stopped.
The gongs and drums were struck without conscious thought.
Strolling pedestrians forgot to take their next step.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene rising over Quchi in the distance.
"Two... two moons..."
Time seemed to stand still and all sounds ceased, save for the joyful liveliness of the flowers, birds, fish, and insects.
But the unfolding of the Mental Realm was not yet over.
"It circles the red pavilion, stoops by the ornate door, shining on the sleepless..."
"There should be no hate; why must it always be full when people part?"
Within the "night sky" over Quchi, from amidst the jade towers and marble halls, the figure floated out and flew straight toward the bright moon.
Below his feet was an Immortal Realm; above his head, the bright moon and myriad stars.
The tiny figure, poised in the middle, glanced back for a moment.
It was as if he saw the heavens and the earth, saw Quchi and the mortal world of Shu State, and saw the crowds below the moon, some lonely, some celebrating.
He smiled, free and unrestrained.
"People have sorrow and joy, separation and reunion; the moon has its waxing and waning—such things have never been perfect since ancient times."
"May we all live long, and though a thousand miles apart, share the beauty of this moon together..."
The large golden characters shone brilliantly, scattering gold and silver light along with the moonlit Immortal Realm.
Flecks of splendor appeared and vanished in the air.
It left everyone who witnessed this scene utterly enchanted, as if they were truly seeing an Immortal Realm.
Or perhaps, they themselves were within the Immortal Realm.
Meanwhile, some students from Guiyun Academy, murmuring the poetry, naturally also saw the appearance of the figure walking on air.
Upon closer inspection, their eyes suddenly widened.