Chapter 11 (2/2)
Zhong YuLou felt wronged, ”Da s.h.i.+-xiong, you're only nice to him! You're too biased!”
After being yelled at, Ming ChangYan immediately replied, ”Hey, you little brat, how would I dare.” He extended his hand and grabbed another glutinous rice cake, stuffing it into Zhong YuLou's mouth, ”YuLou has a beautiful face and a bevelont heart, forgive this Da s.h.i.+-xiong.”
Zhong YuLou offensively chewed on the rice cake. Ming ChangYan coaxed him a few more times and before long, this little child was beaming with happiness, holding the colored lantern and going to the side of the boat to play with the water.
Huai Yu was currently leaning by the hold of the s.h.i.+p, lost in thought, so Ming ChangYan went from the back and extended his hand, patting him once, ”What are you looking at that's making you so fascinated?”
Huai Yu replied, ”Nothing to be seen.”
Ming ChangYan grasped a handful of pastries, shoving them into the other's hands, ”Eat, I got this specifically for you, no sugar.”
Huai Yu held it in his hand, hesitating for a while, as he slowly gave it a whiff, seemingly to be pondering on whether or not the pastry in his hand could be eaten. After seeing this, Ming ChangYan let out a restrained laugh, ”Are you a little dog!”
Huai Yu glazed at him coldly, once again letting out a soft grunt. Ming ChangYan paused for a second, all of a sudden saying, ”Huai Yu, tell me the truth, did you come to Lin'an to find me because you admire this shaoxia? I won't laugh at you, we're already so close, you can say it.”
Huai Yu, ”Wishful thinking, I was merely curious, nothing more.”
Ming ChangYan was pleased with himself, ”Quit trying to cover up the truth. Which little boys nowadays don't adore me? I know it all, now do you know what the number one in the world is like?”
Huai Yu grunted, ”Just so-so.”
Ming ChangYan raised his eyebrows, ”If this shaoxia doesn't teach you a lesson, it seems that you wouldn't understand how powerful number one in the world is.”
He suddenly made a move, making the boat shake left and right. LiMin-Jun stood by the back end of the s.h.i.+p, shouting, ”Ming ChangYan! You're about to die!!”
Ming ChangYan let out a hearty laugh, Huai Yu pushed him away, taking this opportunity to go out and sit on the boat.
Zhong YuLou finished playing with the water, running from the prow of the boat towards the back end of the boat looking for him, yelling, ”Da s.h.i.+-xiong, the Colored Lantern Pet.i.tion is about to begin, do you want to see?”
Huai Yu looked towards the lakeside and sure enough, by the lake stood a stage. On the stage, they sang the story about the Central Plain's Pearl Princess and her marriage.
Zhong YuLou was sitting beside him and after looking at the play for a while, he complained, ”Why is it the Pearl Princesses marriage again, they've already sung this for so many years! I recall that she's already dead. Besides, do you think that the person playing the role resembles the princess?”
Huai Yu said, ”I've never seen the princess, I wouldn't know.”
Ming ChangYan poured himself a bowl of tea, eating a few pastries along with it, stating, ”They don't resemble her at all.”
Zhong YuLou propped his chin up, ”I heard that the Pearl Princess was the daughter of the former emperor from the Qin Dynasty and studied under a very gifted scholar, Old Teacher Ji. She had a brother and sister relations.h.i.+p with the previous dynasty's crown prince and was a widely renowned beauty with refined talent plus a high official position.”
Ming ChangYan said, ”Even if she was a beauty, it's all just matter from the previous dynasty. After the play will begin the Colored Lantern Pet.i.tion, YuLou, go find a flower for me!”
Zhong YuLou questioned, ”Why does Da s.h.i.+-xiong need a flower?”
Ming ChangYan grinned, ”Of course it to join the compet.i.tion, to steal the colored lantern! To avoid a certain little brat that said that the world's number one was 'just so-so.'”
After hearing that he was going to join in the Colored Lantern Pet.i.tion, Zhong YuLou immediately went to go find a flower. LiMin-Jun turned his head and said, ”You want to partake in the Colored Lantern Pet.i.tion? Do you still want your face, Ming ChangYan?”
Ming ChangYan's finger twirled around a lock of his hair, smiling, ”It's a fair compet.i.tion. The Colored Lantern Pet.i.tion never said that the n.o.ble Gentleman couldn't partic.i.p.ate in the compet.i.tion.”
Ming Yue asked, ”s.h.i.+-xiong, you've never wanted the colored lantern in the previous years, why do you want to attend this year?”
Ming ChangYan replied without thinking, ”Oh, I'm picking it for Huai Yu.”
Ming Yue's complexion became rigid, LiMin-Jun suddenly said, ”They're starting to steal the lanterns!”
As he finished his sentence, from the lake came the glow of thousands of colored lanterns, the tearful sounds of the zither, followed by the sounds of flowing water coming from the lute. The sweet melodies of traditional music mixed with the jingling of bells were like listening to heavenly music. From the flower terrace located at the heart of the Tan River arose a fair maiden, her appearance had a tactful charm to them, with a graceful body posture, her hips swaying. When she lifted her sleeves, it had the image of as if she was about to take off and fly, the ribbons around her whirling around the flower bed. This scenery and pa.s.sion were like a paradise.
The dancer was precisely the most beautiful woman in the world, Maiden LiLi.
When LiLi finished her dance, she bent down and asked for the colored lantern. The glazed, colored lantern emerged from the center of the lake, she cheerfully held the lantern in both hands, hanging it on the laurel tree.
After suspending the lantern, from the lakesh.o.r.e came drummers rapped on their drums three times: Dong! Dong! Dong! On the Tan River, all the boats decorated with flowers began to advance, momentarily the water made sounds of boiling, the cheers from the audience loud enough to break the horizon.
Among the contestants, there was only Ming ChangYan who didn't row a boat, and didn't jump down to swim, he merely stood on the boat unmoving, just like a stone statue.
LiMin-Jun laughed out loud, jeering, ”Aren't you going to go steal the glazed lantern, why aren't you moving?! Do you not know how to row a boat? Or is it that you don't know how to swim?”
When stealing the colored lantern, the distance between the partic.i.p.ants and the platform located in the middle of the lake was about 100 feet, with no ground between them that could be stepped on. Recklessly trying to cross over would end in vain, unless you strap on a pair of wings and fly over. Therefore, in these past years, there arose the methods of rowing a boat or swimming.
Ming ChangYan replied, ”I don't need your methods to be able to s.n.a.t.c.h the glazed, colored lantern.”
LiMin-Jun smirked, ”What kind of heinous deed are you up too, let me inform you, with so many people here, besides the common people, there are also some disciples of Jianghu sects mixed in. When you show your face, more likely than not someone will recognize you!”
Ming ChangYan retorted, ”If they recognize me, then they'll recognize me. This shaoxia is handsome, why would I be scared of being seen!”
Even though he said this, he nevertheless put on the fox mask. The corners of Ming ChangYan's mouth jerked up as he happily grinned, ”My admirable little brother Min-Jun, remember pay back the boss lady for the umbrellas!”
LiMin-Jun suddenly looked frightened, his eyes hastily sweeping around him. On his right-hand side, a lone parasol store sat by the lake sh.o.r.e. When his gaze had landed on it, the shop was was still full of paper umbrellas, in an instant, all the umbrellas had begun vibrating from Ming ChangYan's spiritual energy, rising up and flying towards the direction of the lake.
LiMin-Jun felt that something bad was about to happen, opening his mouth and cursing, ”Ming ChangYan! What are you doing!”
Ming ChangYan condensed his inner spiritual energy onto the palm of his hand until the yang energy was firm, its power unmatchable, resolutely launching the energy down. In a split second, all the umbrellas that had been suspended in the air were planted on the surface of the lake water by a bizarre force. With the vibration from the launch earlier, several parasols were scattered around, all of them had been opened by the tremor!
Ming ChangYan smiled, ”Of course it's to steal the colored lanterns!”
He jumped on the tips of his toes with a hand behind his back, his sleeves flying in the wind while his body rapidly flew forwards, like a spirit swaying in the air. The silhouette of the figure flashed and Ming ChangYan had already arrived at the first green parasol. The full moon was hung up in the sky while flowers fluttered down to the mortal realm, he alone was like a piece of jade, standing between the moonlight and the rippling waters. While he was busy, Ming ShaoXia found the time to turn his head around and wink at the Huai Yu who was sitting aboard.
Not far away, on the Zhao family's decorated s.h.i.+p, a certain youngster's face was blus.h.i.+ng red, his expression full of excitement, his hands and feet moving around energetically as he shouted, ”ZHU-XIONG!! ZHU-XIONG!! COME LOOK! MING SHAOXIA!!! IT'S MING SHAOXIA!!!!” When he uttered these words, the common people standing by the coastal area and the people aboard their s.h.i.+ps finally reacted, yelling things like 'The n.o.ble Gentleman', 'Ming ChangYan, 'Ming ShaoXia'. In an instant, the Colored Lantern Pet.i.tion had become a pet.i.tion of who could yell the loudest. Everyone crowded sh.o.r.es of the Tan River, in a short while, the whole town had arrived.
Borrowing some energy, Ming ChangYan picked up an umbrella. Needless to say, in a short period of time, he had arrived at the flower platform. Maiden LiLi softly lifted herself up, smiling, ”I've heard of this n.o.ble Gentleman's fame, after seeing it today, sure enough, you're fit for this t.i.tle as number one and as the world's most admired individual.”
Ming ChangYan walked forward in large strides, grabbing the glazed, colored lantern, cupping his hands, he said, ”Modest, modest. I'll be taking this colored lantern with me.”
LiLi responded, ”Please.”
The colored lantern had been stolen from the laurel tree, marking the end of the Colored Lantern Pet.i.tion. LiLi walked together with him through a secret pa.s.sage, arriving at a small boat, and climbed onto the sh.o.r.e of the Tan River. Ming ChangYan took off his mask, putting on a cloak strutting towards the small mountain stream.
Along the way, the common people discussed enthusiastically:
”Of course it's Ming ChangYan, other than him, who else would accomplish a task so easily!”
”In my opinion, you're correct! You all saw earlier right, balancing all seventy to eighty umbrellas in the sky, beside him, who would have a powerful enough spiritual energy!”
”A n.o.ble Gentleman! Such power cultivation! I've really seen enough for my eyes to handle! But, why is he taking the colored lantern?”
”Who knows! Maybe, he, he likes it!”
After walking the distance of three arrows, Ming ChangYan saw LiMin-Jun and the rest of the crew from the boat waiting for him by the little mountain stream. This place was directly facing the Tan River, the horizon opened up, revealing a magnificent scenery.
LiMin-Jun said, ”So you came back, look at what you've done!”
Ming ChangYan cheerfully smiled but didn't reply to LiMin-Jun. He took the colored lantern from his bosom, it's light overflowing with bright colors, sparkling and translucent. It really was a peerless piece of art.
He tossed it to Huai Yu, ”How is it, is it still 'just so-so'?”
Huai Yu clenched onto the glazed, colored lantern, and only after quite a while did he finally reply, ”Stop with the melodramatic act.”
Suddenly, Qin YuBao yelled, ”Da s.h.i.+-xiong, they're about to start the fireworks!”
As his voice fell, on the surface of the Tan River a countless number of fireworks erupted in the night sky, the loud noise almost unbearable. The two turned around and looked up at the night sky in unison. Huai Yu's looked up then moved his gaze downward, falling on the side of Ming ChangYan's face. The latter bent down and scooped up Qin YuBao, hugging him, resulting in YuBao making trouble and struggling in his embrace. Ming ChangYan turned his head around, saw that Huai Yu was staring at him, and smiled.
Who knew that the other didn't appreciate his kind gesture, turning his head the other way.
This was translated by , any other repost of this is stolen and if you steal my hard work, I'm going to use the TianQing six sword techniques on you.
Gosh this chapter took forever.
Aaahhh…young love. Did you guys like this chapter?
If you see any translation/grammatical error, please comment down below. We love reading your comments!
I'm going to try and find some more fanart for this novel on Weibo later so that when a scene pops up, I've got juicy fanart to accompany it (*ﾟ∀ﾟ*)
Have a week full of good test results~ ✨
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