Chapter 228
Li Mo looked down.
He realized that he had somehow grabbed the soft, white jade in his hand, and he was squeezing it quite hard, causing the girl’s little feet to blush slightly.
“Cold lump.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think there’s a disease that makes someone unable to control their hands? I’m a divine warrior, and this illness is quite formidable!”
“I haven’t heard of it. Maybe?”
“So, to help me recover quickly, could you bring over the other one?”
“?”
...
PS: I wrote this in detail, so it took a bit longer. Mwah~
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**Chapter 244: Picking Up the Star You Wished Upon**
The stream babbled softly.
Around the Magpie Bridge, many men and women were engaged in friendly and innocent exchanges of affection. In Yunzhou, the customs were open; holding hands, hugging, or even stealing a kiss was quite understandable.
So, what’s unreasonable about rubbing little feet?
At least that’s how Xiao Li felt.
Besides, he had caught a strange illness.
Today, she was a considerate cold lump, and surely she would understand him. Just look at how her little feet would occasionally tremble, especially when he touched the soles.
The cold lump was chatty today, though still not as much as Xiao Li.
Li Mo talked about things that happened at the Sword Tower, their childhood, recent observations of divine intent, body tempering, the problems they encountered, and the amusing tales brought by the mysteries of the womb.
As everyone knows, the cold lump had almost no sense of humor.
Yet, throughout it all, the smile at the corners of her mouth never faded, quietly listening to the boy’s words.
“Didn’t they say there would be fireworks? Why haven’t they started yet?”
After a while, Li Mo squeezed the warmth in his hand, looked up at the sky, and murmured, “If I could see the fireworks, this trip to Yunzhou would truly be perfect.”
“If…”
Her dainty toes curled slightly, Ying Bing instinctively reached to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, only to realize that with the jade hairpin in place, it was unnecessary.
“If what?”
“It’s nothing, just look.”
She didn’t respond, her gaze fixed on the distance.
If only… it could stay like this forever.
In truth, without needing to turn around, Li Mo could already see the shimmering light in her eyes.
A rose-red firework shot up into the night sky, bursting with a loud bang into a shower of sparkling stars, quickly swallowed by the subsequent flames.
Under the night sky of Yunzhou, a star rain began to fall, dyeing the layers of clouds a scarlet glass, reflecting the splendor of the world below.
“These fireworks are really bright.”
The fireworks in Yunzhou were of a higher quality than Xiao Li had imagined, even comparable to those he had seen in his past life.
With this brightness, the happenings in the dark became increasingly apparent.
Let’s just say, the youth of the nine heavens and ten lands were quite passionate and uninhibited.
Taking advantage of the fireworks, they were stealing kisses and hugging each other.
If Ouyang Shixiong or Murong Xiong saw this, they would surely be astonished—who knew there were so many hidden demon clans in Yunzhou? And so brazenly indulging in their primal instincts!
They were kissing, and who was there to stop them?
Xiao Li couldn’t help but smirk, feeling a bit tempted to join in.
Ying Bing felt the pressure on her feet increase again. She glanced at the boy’s lips, her fingers curling slightly before she looked back up at the sky.
So this is how pigs run?
But isn’t this a bit...
“Li Mo, close your eyes,” Ying Bing said, her lips slightly parted.
“!” Xiao Li’s heart skipped a beat.
“What for?”
“Not telling you yet.”
Li Mo’s mind momentarily blanked, but he eventually closed his eyes. Just before doing so, he caught a glimpse of the smile at the corners of the girl’s lips.
Then the warmth in his hand vanished, leaving him feeling a bit empty.
He heard rustling sounds—was the cold lump standing up?
A faint fragrance wafted up to his nose; she had come closer...
A cool touch gripped his wrist—it was her hand taking his... Li Mo felt as if his heart might leap out of his chest.
But it was different from what he had imagined.
The expected sensation didn’t come.
“You can open your eyes now.”
“Hmm.”
Li Mo opened his eyes to find a red string tied around his wrist.
It was the one Ying Bing had used to tie her hair earlier.
“Happy Qiu Xi.”
Ying Bing said softly.
“Hmm... Happy Qiu Xi.” Li Mo turned the red string around, no longer looking at the distant, jade-like lips.
What was he just thinking?
Although the cold lump was no longer the aloof figure she had been before, it was still hard to imagine her taking the initiative to kiss him.
This was surreal, too surreal.
And this was just the beginning; usually, such things were the boy’s responsibility...
Bang—
Suddenly, a bright orange light shot across the southern sky, turning the night into day in an instant.
It was likely visible even from afar, beyond Yunzhou.
“What kind of firework is this? It’s so bright, and... why does it look like it’s falling from the sky?”
Li Mo was momentarily stunned.
No, this wasn’t a firework at all; it was a meteor!
But how could a meteor be this bright?
The delicate hand gripping his wrist tightened, and he saw the smile on Ying Bing’s face gradually fade.
She gazed at the meteor falling toward the southern border.
Ying Bing’s brows furrowed slightly, and she sighed softly.
“The fireworks are almost gone.”
“Yeah, let’s head back. My socks…”
“I don’t know about that?”
Seeing the boy’s confused expression, Ying Bing’s gaze turned calm, her eyes subtly drifting toward Li Mo’s pocket.
Li Mo casually reached in and was surprised to find, “Huh? When did your stockings end up in my pocket? I get it; it must be a one-stop service. I’ve developed a professional habit.”
“.....”
“As an apology, let me help you put them on.”
Li Mo was mainly driven by curiosity.
After putting Ying Bing’s shoes and socks on her, the two returned to the tavern by Fish Dragon Lake.
Inside, the tavern was quiet; everyone was likely still outside enjoying themselves, except for Murong Xiao, who sat there in silence.
“......”
Seeing the two return hand in hand, Murong Xiao’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
His expression seemed to grow even more troubled.
The two ascended to the tavern’s rooftop.
At that moment, the meteor had not yet vanished. Standing higher up, they could observe the faint ripples of divine intent.
It hardly resembled a meteor anymore; it looked more like a divine bird descending toward the south.
Li Mo closed his eyes again.
Not that he believed too much in those mysterious things.
A meteor, after all, was a rare sight in a lifetime; there should be some sense of ceremony.
“Li Mo?”
“Haha, I just made a wish.”
“That’s not a meteor…”
Ying Bing didn’t finish her sentence but softly asked, “What did you wish for?”
The boy smiled brightly: “I hope for peace and happiness in the days to come, for everyone in Qingyuan Sect, and for you... to be happy every day.”
“.....”
Peace and joy.
This is the greatest wish in everyone’s heart, yet it is also the most difficult thing in the nine heavens and ten lands.
Unexpected events and tomorrow—one never knows which will come first.
Though they were considered exceptional among their peers, in the grand scheme of the nine heavens and ten lands, they were still too insignificant.
At this moment, they wouldn’t be able to change the impending crisis facing Qingyuan Sect.
She had tasted the turmoil that followed the fall of Qingyuan Sect.
“In a couple of days, you should return to Ziyang Mansion with the elders. I need to make a trip to the southern border; it won’t take long, but don’t let your progress fall behind.”
“Southern border? What are you going there for?”
“To pick up the meteor you wished upon.”
Ying Bing’s voice was clear as she watched the starlight completely fade, feeling the warmth of the boy’s hand.
She turned back and smiled, her eyes still bright.
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PS: These chapters were a bit challenging to write, as I needed to set up the plot for what’s to come, along with the changes in character relationships and growth.
I’ve exhausted my energy, and continuing might affect the quality, so I’ll save the chapter for tomorrow.
I hope the audience can support me with some energy! Orz.
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**Chapter 245: To the Southern Border, Chasing the Moon**
Watching the girl softly utter those words, Li Mo’s heart skipped a beat.
He couldn’t help but recall the evaluation given by the Divine Eye of Destiny:
“Life is fraught with tribulations.”
“The future will soar through the nine heavens and ten lands.”
She was destined to swim against the current, soaring high like a phoenix empress.
Qingyuan Sect would be her starting point, but it should not, and must not, be a cage that confines her.
It seemed sudden, but upon reflection, if it weren’t for the fireworks they were waiting for today, she might have left long ago.
And besides...
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