Chapter 227
In the midst of a bustling crowd, Miss She planted a fragrant kiss on Wu Chushu's cheek, a soft smack echoing in the air.
“Ha ha.”
Wu Chushu nearly lost his suave, scholarly demeanor, his lips betraying him like a runaway AK.
Who knew if he could still laugh when he returned to Jiancheng?
Ying Bing's gaze flickered.
She saw the pig run away, and her eyes inadvertently drifted to Li Mo's cheek.
“It shouldn’t be like this.”
Li Mo stroked his chin.
Could it be that the aesthetic of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths was different from his past life?
At that moment, the servant who had just left returned, carrying a delicate purple sandalwood box.
“Sir, your prize.”
“Why is it different from Wu Chushu's...”
As Li Mo opened it, he discovered a hairpin shaped like a lotus flower, but made of translucent jadeite, clearly far more precious.
“Congratulations, sir, you’ve won the grand prize!”
With a rustle—
Fine cloud brocade cascaded down from the top of the Scholar's Tower like waves, bringing with it a beautiful piece of calligraphy.
“On the bright moonlit night before Mingyue Tower, the moonlight still shines like silver.
The bright moon is but a reflection of the past. A smile turns into a chill, echoing through thousands of springs.
Illuminating the vast world as clear as water, it has also shone upon the tiniest dust.
Do not trade a round face for a frown. In the world, on certain nights, one may misinterpret the person in the mirror.”
The girl’s voice recited it in a daze.
Her lovely eyelashes fluttered gently, her gaze shifting from nostalgia to complexity, then clearing like the sky after rain, as if the moon had broken through layers of clouds.
.....
P.S.: The poem is "Linjiang Xian," written by Chen Zengshou during the late Qing and early modern period.
Everyone need not worry that Bing Tuozi and classmate Li will be apart for long. As we all know, there are many demon clans in the southern regions, and classmate Li has inherited the magical transformations of the seventy-two changes...
Please support our little struggling author; it’s really important, muah!
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**Chapter 243: Classmate Li's Strange Illness**
“......”
Classmate Li watched the falling cloud brocade dance lightly in the wind, his scalp tingling.
He once thought that copying poetry to show off would be a delightful thing.
But when it came to him, it felt more like sitting on pins and needles.
Having his copied poem displayed felt like a public execution of shame.
To be honest, he had never deeply understood this poem; it wasn’t a timeless masterpiece, just something that seemed fitting...
“.....”
Bai Jinghong and Cao Mu both shuddered.
Good poetry can evoke beautiful imagery, but this one...
The bright moon is but a reflection of the past?
A smile turns into a chill, echoing through thousands of springs?
They instinctively turned their gazes to the girl beside them.
Why not just use her name as the title?
Oh, it’s called "Linjiang Xian," then it’s fine...
“If someone wrote something like this for me, I’d definitely marry them on the spot,” Miss She said, a bit tipsy.
“What the hell... how am I supposed to learn this?”
Wu Chushu's hands trembled.
He couldn’t replicate this; it was beyond his reach.
There was nothing he could do.
Li Mo had only taught him the operation, not the process! This was something he could learn in a marketplace!
He had lost too much in front of others...
“Li, did you do this on purpose or was it an accident?”
“Aren’t you the one who said you’re not good with words?”
“Translate this for me, what does it mean, ‘the bright moon is but a reflection of the past,’ and what does it mean, ‘do not misinterpret the person in the mirror’?”
The group couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Uh... it’s definitely not an accident.”
His original intention was just to snag a prize.
If he simply wanted to make a name for himself, he remembered plenty of famous poems about the moon from his nine years of compulsory education; why would he use this one?
Meanwhile, Ying Bing, the very person being looked at, had been lost in thought for a long time.
She didn’t have a particular study in this area.
Yet, laid out before her, it felt like an unexpected encounter, like a long-awaited arrival, a mix of surprise and joy, and a lingering heart flutter.
No wonder he always wanted her to smile more.
“Li Mo.”
“Hmm?”
Hearing Ying Bing’s voice, classmate Li, who was enduring the teasing, turned around and froze.
The night breeze was cool, and autumn made her skirt flutter lightly.
In her gaze, the moonlight flowed quietly.
She reached up to untie the red ribbon from her hair, letting her long, dark tresses cascade down, painting the night with shimmering colors.
“I really like the hairpin...”
Ying Bing gently gathered her hair, her lips pressed together.
At that moment, Li Mo felt an impulse to step forward.
The poem was copied.
The hairpin was an unexpected gift.
But the desire to place the hairpin in her hair was genuine.
Classmate Li thought no one could resist such a test.
That cool, icy Bing Tuozi had obediently tied her hair up; how could he not place the hairpin in her hair? How could he ignore her gaze?
“Just like this.”
Li Mo reached out, but her small hand caught his, cool to the touch yet warm in the palm.
“Holy crap, isn’t that the Empress and Jiang Chen?”
“Is that really them? Wow, did the Scholar's Tower spend a fortune on this?”
“This is definitely the real deal, the Cold Fairy and Li Shaoxia!”
“The top spot at the Scholar's Tower was claimed by Li Shaoxia! His name is even written on it!”
“Li Shaoxia actually has such talent.”
Indeed.
Not only was the poem on the cloud brocade, but the elder had even thoughtfully signed it.
In an instant, the already lively Scholar's Tower erupted into a frenzy, akin to fervent fans encountering a star.
The Qianlong List’s top talents, or the prototype of "The Overbearing Empress Fell in Love with Me," in terms of fame, surpassed even that of celebrities...
“.....”
Li Mo leaned back slightly.
Copying poetry and discussing it with others made him feel a bit embarrassed.
Moreover, if everyone started crowding around him, how could he arrange any meetings?
“Li Mo.”
“Hmm?”
Classmate Li suddenly felt the soft jade-like warmth in his hand tighten, her cool fingers bringing a sense of comfort.
He turned to find Ying Bing looking at him, her eyes holding a hint of a smile.
This girl, who was never weaker than anyone, softly said:
“Let’s run away.”
Is this something the icy Bing Tuozi would say?
Li Mo nodded, and thus, hand in hand, they stepped forward under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
The two of them dashed away, wrapped in the lights of the sleepless city of Yunzhou.
Somehow, it felt... exhilarating?
“......”
The three heroes of Hengyun Stone stood frozen in place, wondering what they had come here for.
So?
What about us?
Wu Chushu actually still had things to do, but the original meeting place had to be changed.
“Brother, are we still going to the Magpie Bridge?”
“Not a chance!”
......
Once they ran out of the market, the lights gradually dimmed.
The Magpie Bridge was lively, but the lights were fewer; this wasn’t because the place wasn’t bustling, but because it was mainly couples who came here for secret meetings.
Except for someone like Ouyang, who had an enormous appetite and wasn’t afraid of getting stuffed, generally, no one would come here alone for no reason.
A bit quieter, a bit darker, it was more convenient...
Emerging from the bustling crowd into sudden silence, the transition from noise to tranquility felt like stepping into another world.
By the shimmering riverside.
Li Mo led Ying Bing to a spot near a bamboo grove, where the vermilion Magpie Bridge could be faintly seen.
Strangely enough.
Why was his heartbeat so loud?
As a dignified observer of divine martial arts, who often trained his physique, how could he be out of breath after just a few steps?
It must be because it was too quiet here.
“We should be able to see fireworks from here later.”
Li Mo sat down.
However, before he could catch his breath, he turned to the side and felt his heart leap again.
“Did you get a stone in your shoe?”
Ying Bing sat by the river, taking off her shoes, and to his surprise, she was wearing white stockings today; how had he not noticed before...
Her fingers gently peeled off the stockings.
Her smooth, jade-like feet dipped into the river, gently scattering the moonlight before curling back.
Plop—
Water droplets fell from her toes, splashing against the blue stones, sparkling like crystals.
“No.”
“Then...”
“I didn’t find a gift for the Autumn Festival earlier, and I’m not sure what you might like from the market.”
Ying Bing lowered her gaze, her eyes calm.
Classmate Li thought the scenery here was truly beautiful.
Bright moon, night breeze, babbling brook, jade...
“So you think I would like this? Bing Tuozi, last time I was just being professional, it was part of the service...”
Li Mo inhaled sharply.
What a misunderstanding!
As everyone knew, classmate Li was known for his gentle demeanor and gentlemanly conduct.
How could a gentleman like him...
“So... what kind of service is this now?”
“!”
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