Chapter 285: Big Moon Day festival [I]

"There, now you're as good as new!" declared Li Yuilan, gently rubbing the cheek of Xie Qing, where a small wound had been.

She looked pleased that she had managed to heal the man's wound and now sat beside him, swinging her legs in the air while perched on a high stool.

Zhang Mei merely cast a silent glance at the two and muttered something under her breath before continuing her work. Experience new stories on m v|l e'-NovelFire.net

***

"Festival?"

Xie Qing raised an eyebrow, sipping tea on the balcony. Beside him sat Li Yuilan in her usual white, closed dress, smiling gently and "looking at him." Well, "looking" was not quite accurate, but it seemed as if she was staring at him.

"Yes. The festival is called 'Big Moon Day,' when the moon is at its largest for the year. So our sect celebrates it with as much enthusiasm as the New Year," explained Li Yuilan, giggling and adding, "The festival features top-quality wine, dancing, food, and the like. It starts in the evening and lasts until dawn."

"Ah, well... you are scholars, so it's no surprise," Xie Qing nodded and, leaning towards Li Yuilan, asked with interest, "Is it interesting, this festival of yours?"

"Of course!"

Li Yuilan proudly puffed out her chest, looking truly confident. At this sight, Xie Qing merely smiled and shrugged.

"Since my sister invites, I, a humble servant, dare not refuse," the man said in a righteous tone and laughed.

Li Yuilan giggled.

***

The Big Moon Day Festival was just as Li Yuilan had described—bright, unique, and noisy. Moreover, against this backdrop was an enormous moon, shining brightly in the sky, as if trying to stand out from the rest.

Shu-shu-shu…

There was quite a bit of noise, as the festival involved not just a hundred or two hundred people, but over a thousand disciples from the Sect of Starry Stream, and not only them.

Of course, not everyone had access to the festival held in the sect-controlled city of Wuxian; only a limited circle of people from large or medium-sized sects were allowed.

And since there was a lot of jostling, it was worth noting that this event was indeed very popular.

"Lively here," a voice suddenly sounded at the very entrance to the festival area. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Although it was quite soft, strangely, it attracted the attention of many people.

It was a tall man, his long black hair tied in a neat ponytail. And it was tied, to put it mildly, in a rather strange... thing.

"A bow? He tied his hair with a bow? How cute!" whispered a woman softly.

"Hehe, that guy is quite the looker... ah, m-my husband, wait! I was just joking!"

"Sister Zhou, where are you looking so intently?"

"Ah? Brother He, I... um..."

Of course, the person who had drawn so much attention was none other than Xie Qing, who stood proudly near the entrance, waiting for his partner. He wore a white robe with long sleeves adorned with black dragon engravings.

With his attractive appearance, he looked like a prince who could capture the hearts of young maidens with just one glance.

"Brother Xie, sorry for the delay! Putting on these clothes was quite a task...!" came a sweet female voice from behind the man.

He didn't even need to guess who the voice belonged to. He smiled and turned to look at Li Yuilan, his eyes widening.

A festive hanfu, adorned with beautiful blue patterns and lotus flowers on neat, white fabric—her outfit was uniquely beautiful, elegant, and cute at the same time.

Although the girl had only applied light makeup—lipstick, blush, and mascara—she literally enhanced her beauty by a hundred percent, stunning all the men, including Xie Qing.

"Um..."

Perhaps this was not the first time he had been left speechless by beauty, but it was one of the strongest sensations he had felt in a while.

"This..." the man didn't know what to say; it seemed as if all the words he had prepared vanished from his mind in an instant.

His incoherent speech, strange expression, and stiff movements, as if he were a wooden mannequin, caught Li Yuilan's attention, who initially expressed her confusion.

Then, slightly opening her empty eyes, she blinked and blushed.

"This..."

"Hmm?"

Xie Qing came to his senses when he heard Li Yuilan's soft muttering. He saw the embarrassment on her face, and it seemed to help him regain his composure.

"You look... um..." Xie Qing covered half his face with his hand and, coughing, added, "...very beautiful. I was even speechless for a moment."

"I-I..."

Such sincere, unadorned praise could not but leave a pleasant feeling in the girl's heart. It seemed that from such sweetness in her stomach, she could faint.

From embarrassment, from joy, and from slight dizziness, she fell into the man's arms and leaned against him, hiding her blushing face on his chest.

"Sister Li? Is something wrong?" Xie Qing puzzledly raised an eyebrow, gently placing his hand on her back and asking with concern.

In response, he received only a soft muttering from Li Yuilan, who apparently needed a little cooling off before continuing the conversation. The man smiled awkwardly and gently stroked her back.

As for the onlookers...

"Ahh..."

"Why are the Heavens so cruel?!"

"What a beautiful couple..."

"Damn! I'm a virgin at 40 because I want to become a great sage, not because I'm a loser, got it?!"

The men were extremely envious of Xie Qing—from his appearance to his partner, who was so beautiful that even married men could not take their eyes off them (but they had to, or their heads would be separated from their necks by their wives).

As for the girls...

"Damn, I'm so jealous of that girl!"

"I want to be with such a handsome guy too."

"I wish I could lean against his chest. Oh, what a tragedy!"

They envied Li Yuilan. Well, it's no surprise, considering that Xie Qing was very handsome, and in this world, probably few could match him in that regard.

Their pair was like poison to both genders. They were very beautiful. It is said that on that day, there was a record number of divorces and breakups.

***

"Sister Li, would you like some tangulu?" asked Xie Qing, nodding towards a stall with candied fruits.

"Tangulu?" Li Yuilan widened her eyes and shyly covered them, softly replying, "...yes."

Xie Qing silently looked at her and then approached the stall, taking two tangulu. He thoughtfully glanced at the waiting Li Yuilan.

"Is she still embarrassed about her eyes?" he thought and sighed.

Her blindness was still a burden on his shoulders. No matter how much he wanted to, curing the Heavenly curse was an extremely difficult task. Even Zhang Mei, with her level of cultivation, could not do it, so what could he do?

"If only... a celestial being could intervene," Xie Qing thought and immediately dismissed the idea: "No, I can't let any celestial being touch her. Even if they do exist, how could ancient beings who have lived so long easily agree to help without a good reward? Only a fool would believe that!"

Xie Qing's expression darkened for a moment, but then he regained his composure and returned to Li Yuilan, who was waiting alone.

"I bought it, Sister Lu!" Xie Qing exclaimed with a smile, running up to the girl and handing her the sweet: "Here."

"Thank you very much, Brother Xie!" Li Yuilan replied with a gentle, loving smile, carefully taking the tangulu from Xie Qing's hands.

The man extended his hand, and Li Yuilan, using her technique, saw his movement and shyly lowered her head, wrapping her arm around his and leaning against his shoulder for support.

They walked together through the festival. Strangely, wherever they went, the crowd did not block their path.