Colorful lights lit up Hundred Flowers City, and each gong rang out in unison.
Everyone within the city sensed its air of celebration. All of this was for none other than the city lord, Lin Xihe, and her upcoming wedding.
Since the moment the sun first peeked out over the horizon, the firecrackers had resounded throughout the city.
In truth, weddings were usually held at noon, but Lin Xiheâs wedding was to be held at night.
As for the firecrackers, theyâd started at dawn, and continued well into the night before finally quieting down.
As night fell, starting from the city gates, shops and businesses decorated their doors with festive red lanterns and fresh roses carpeted the road to the city lordâs manor.
The citizens of Hundred Flowers City had spread the flowers. From the bottom of their hearts, they celebrated that their hard-working city lord had found a lifelong partner.
Around ten miles from Hundred Flowers City, a team of horsemen came to a stop. From their configuration, it was clear that they were musicians.
Before them, three other men sat astride large horses. Each horseâs neck carried a wreath of red flowers. The central horse was white and stood at the forefront. The other two horses were black, and stood just a few steps behind, one on each side.
âEmperor Ye,â said the man sitting atop the white horse, âI was truly pleasantly surprised and flattered when you said you wanted to my groomsman.â
The man was dressed in red, and his hair was neatly bound. Just now, he had just addressed the man on his left.
The speaker was the upcoming weddingâs bridegroom, Zhao Zizhao, and the one he had addressed was naturally Ye Zichen. As for the other groomsman sitting astride a black horse, that was his younger brother, Zhao Ziming.
Ye Zichen was dressed in black, the same color as his horse. Under the starry sky, he looked quite stern.
âGeneral Zhao, youâre exaggerating,â said Ye Zichen, his expression blank as he stared up at the bright moon. âCity Lord Lin has two bridesmaids. Amongst your guests, Iâm the only one suitable to join your younger brother as one of your groomsmen. Furthermore, back when the demons invaded the Three Realms, I become quite close to you and City Lord Lin. Serving as your groomsman is the least I could do.â
âIf Emperor Ye says so, then Iâll suppose I mustnât be overly polite,â said Zhao Zizhao with a cool smile.
Then, he noticed Ye Zichenâs gaze, and couldnât help but laugh, âEmperor Ye, why are you so fixated on the moon?â
âDonât you think the moon is especially lovely tonight?â
The moon was bright, its light bathing the land below.
It was already late at night, but the moonlight kept the darkness at bay.
Ye Zichen remained focused on the moon. He wasnât speaking randomly; tonightâs moon was truly much brighter and more beautiful than normal, especially given that it wasnât a full moon.
âIs it?â said Zhao Zichao, eyebrows raised inquisitively, lips pursed, âI am but a common and unrefined person. I have no way of evaluating its beauty.â
Ye Zichen seemed not to have heard him. He simply kept staring at the moon. As he did so, he could vaguely discern two beautiful figures standing on its surface.
âWeâve finally lulled the little devil to sleep. Weâve disturbed you for the past few days. I hope you wonât take offense,â said Xiao Yumei, her arched eyebrows drooping with exhaustion. The âlittle devilâ she mentioned earlier was naturally little Tiantian.
In truth, the pair had been in the Heavenly Court for a few days alrighty, but unlike in the Modern Realm, there was no clear sense of time passing.
That Tiantian had stubbornly insisted on playing for several days straight. Just now, sheâd finally grown tired and had gone to Changâeâs sleeping quarters to rest. Now, she slept embracing the Jade Rabbit.
It was fortunate that Xiao Yumei had Sky Immortal-level strength, or she wouldnât have been able to endure it.
âLittle kids all like to play. I naturally wonât take offense,â said Changâe. âIâm rather fond of Tiantian. Furthermore, no one has come to my Moon Palace for a very long time. Iâm absolutely thrilled that you two could come and liven the place up a bit, so why even bring up âtaking offenseâ?â
Changâe smiled gently, then looked at Xiao Yumei and said, âItâs been so long, yet this is the first time weâve been alone together.â
âThatâs true,â nodded Xiao Yumei. If you paid attention, even their manner of speaking was quite similar, peaceable yet ethereal, like talking to a fairy.
âActually, there are some things Iâve been wanting to discuss with you, but Iâve never had the chance.â
Changâe laughed in response. âMe too.â
Their eyes met.
As they saw their own image reflected in the otherâs eyes, they felt an inexplicable throbbing deep within their hearts that threw their emotions into disarray.
â.....â
Xiao Yumei looked away, and so did Changâe.
The two of them were silent as they stared at the space below the Moon Palace.
After a long while:
âGo aheadâŠ..â
âGo aheadâŠ..â
Xiao Yumei and Changâe spoke at the same time, then turned to look at each other. Their movements were in sync. When their eyes met, they opened their mouths and spoke in unison,
âYou go firstâŠ..â
âYou go firstâŠ..â
When they realized theyâd spoken in sync again, they stared at each other briefly, then burst into laughter.
âWe really do have a lot in common,â said Changâe, hands covering her mouth as she spoke.
âWe do,â said Xiao Yumei with a noncommittal nod. âThe moment I first saw you, I had an extremely strange feeling in my heart. I canât explain it, but I felt strange.â
âI was the same way,â nodded Changâe. âThat senior hinted at it. There must be some sort of relationship between us, but I canât for the life of me figure out what it is. If we really do have a relationship, then based on appearances, we do seem rather like sisters.â
After speaking, Changâe seemed to have thought of something as she spoke again uncertainly, âI almost forgot. How did you get here? Did Zichen bring you over? If so, why didnât he come in with you?â
âHm? Xiao Yumei was struck dumb. She blinked at Changâe and said, âDidnât you give Tiantian some sort of treasure? Something that could send us to your palace?â
Changâe shook her head in astonishment.
âThe Moon Palace is nominally part of the Heavenly Court, but it is sealed off from the outside world. There is no way of coming here directly. When you two appeared within the palace, I assumed Zichen had brought you. Is that truly not the case?â
âThatâŠ.â
Their eyes met. As they gazed astonishedly into each otherâs eyes, they could both tell that the otherâs surprise was genuine.
âThen, could it beâŠ.â Xiao Yumei started to speak but suddenly felt as if there was someone standing behind her. She turned to look and sawâŠ.
The person behind her was Tiantian, who was supposed to be sleeping.
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