Chapter 83

Muron Feiyan turned around, looking at him with some surprise.

"How else would there be the phrase 'touching the scene and feeling the emotion'?"

Muron Feiyan was not moved by his words, her gaze returned to the crescent moon, and she said softly, "This is the most beautiful moon I have ever seen in my life."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled and then said something that sounded extremely shameless to Muron Feiyan: "That's because I'm by your side."

Muron Feiyan said, "The originally perfect poetic and picturesque mood has indeed been greatly diminished because of your presence."

Hu Xiaotian noticed that Muron Feiyan had learned to tease, which was indeed a huge change for her, who had always been serious and unsmiling.

Muron Feiyan also realized her change and understood that it was due to Hu Xiaotian's influence. Hu Xiaotian indeed had this ability; his optimism and humor would unconsciously infect many people, including herself.

Muron Feiyan sat down beside him, holding her long sword, still not lowering her guard, and said softly, "We'll take turns keeping watch tonight. I'm worried that the archer might return."

Hu Xiaotian nodded and sighed, "Such a beautiful moonlight should be a great time for reciting poetry and composing verses, but talking about these guys is really a downer."

Muron Feiyan recalled his impromptu poetry on the Heavenly Street and suddenly suggested, "Since you're in such a poetic mood, why don't you compose another one on the spot?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled and looked at Muron Feiyan's delicate face, "What? Testing me?" He thought to himself, not only am I in a poetic mood, but I'm also in a beastly mood.

Muron Feiyan said, "Do you only know that one poem? Yes, it seems I haven't heard you compose any poems on our journey. Tell me, where did you plagiarize that poem from?" She wasn't wrong; Hu Xiaotian couldn't write poetry, he was just good at plagiarizing, but he did it so skillfully that it was hard to notice.

Hu Xiaotian said, "If you really want to test me, then give me a topic!" This guy was full of confidence; having read the Three Hundred Tang Poems, even if he couldn't write, he could still make something up. As a super scholar, how could he be stumped by you?

Muron Feiyan looked into the distance. Hu Xiaotian thought she would point to the moon and had already started thinking of "bed before the bright moonlight." But Muron Feiyan pointed to the distant mountain, "Let's make the mountain the topic. If you do well, I'll take your watch. If you do poorly, you'll take mine. How about that?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded first, then frowned, as if deep in thought.

Muron Feiyan thought she had stumped him and couldn't help but laugh, "You can't even think of something so simple, admit defeat!"

Hu Xiaotian took a few steps and said, "Got it, this poem will be so good it'll bubble over!"

"You're just boasting!"

Hu Xiaotian said, "But if I recite it and it's a timeless masterpiece, you'll say it's bad just to avoid taking my watch."

Muron Feiyan said, "I wouldn't do that, you can be completely at ease."

Hu Xiaotian said, "If I recite this poem and make you laugh, I win. What do you think?"

Muron Feiyan thought to herself, a poem to make me laugh? Does he think he's a poetry god? If he can make me laugh with a poem, he must have real talent. I'll take his watch for him. She nodded, "Fine! It's a deal!"

Hu Xiaotian stood on a large rock, swaying his head and recited, "From afar, the mountain is black and dark, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. If one day it turns upside down, it will be narrow at the bottom and wide at the top!"

Muron Feiyan couldn't hold back and laughed, "Nonsense, vulgar, and you call this a poem... ha ha..."

Hu Xiaotian smiled at her, "If you take it seriously, you lose!"

From below, Liang Dazhuang chimed in, "A masterpiece, every word a gem, a timeless masterpiece, from afar, the mountain is black and dark, narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. If one day it turns upside down, it will be narrow at the bottom and wide at the top! Master, you are a genius, a genius!" The flattery was shameless and without context.

Plagiarism, still plagiarism, but there are levels of skill in plagiarism. To successfully make a beauty laugh, it's not just about moving her with talent; it's about taking an unconventional approach to achieve the desired effect.

Muron Feiyan refused to admit that Hu Xiaotian's poem was good; she even thought it wasn't a poem at all. But she couldn't help but laugh at Hu Xiaotian's poem. Because of the agreement, she lost completely. Even if she was still不服气 (unconvinced), she had to admit defeat.

After dinner, everyone went to bed early. If everything went smoothly, they would leave the range of Pengyin Mountain tomorrow and return to the flat road. Their journey was nearing its end and would be much smoother.

Liang Dazhuang was the first to take the night watch, and Muron Feiyan went to patrol the surroundings.

Hu Xiaotian and the little girl sat across the campfire from each other. Hu Xiaotian looked at the little girl, who was staring at the fire. Neither of them spoke, only the crackling of the branches in the fire could be heard.

The little girl seemed tired, yawned, and leaned against the rock, closing her eyes. She felt Hu Xiaotian's gaze still on her and finally couldn't help but open her eyes, looking at him angrily, "Do you blame the death of your subordinates on me?"

Hu Xiaotian looked at her indifferently, neither confirming nor denying.

The little girl said angrily, "Yes, I did slow you down, but I will make it up to you, including your subordinate. I will make sure his death was meaningful." Though she was cold, she was still young and couldn't keep her composure.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do you think your life is more valuable than mine or theirs?"

The little girl was taken aback; her expression already revealed her thoughts. Hu Xiaotian said, "You don't understand, everyone is born equal. No one is inherently more noble, and no one is destined to be lowly. Some people just have good luck and happen to be born into wealthy and noble families." This simple truth was once universally accepted, but now it seemed so unbelievable and even shocking to most people. Hu Xiaotian wasn't deliberately preaching; he was moved by the scene and felt deeply that Shao Yijiao's death was not worth it. If they hadn't met this little girl, if they hadn't acted out of kindness, they would have gone to Qingyun County to take up their posts, not risk their lives for her.

The little girl didn't argue, pursing her lips. Though she didn't say anything, she didn't agree with Hu Xiaotian's words. In her view, people were born with different statuses. How could a commoner's life be compared to hers? She was grateful to Shao Yijiao and felt a bit guilty, but she didn't think his death for her was in vain. On the contrary, she believed it was worth it.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Do you know why I refused you at first?" He looked up at the stars in the night sky, "It wasn't because I was afraid of death, but because I didn't want to put my friends and subordinates at risk for two unrelated people. I know your identity is special, but what does it have to do with me? Sacrificing a group of people to save one person." He slowly shook his head, "It's not worth it!"

The little girl bit her lip hard, but her eyes no longer held anger, only a look of grievance and sadness.

Hu Xiaotian said, "Whether you admit it or not, he died for you. At the very least, you should show him some respect and remember his name!" After saying this, he stood up and walked away, finding a corner far from the little girl, wrapped himself in a blanket, and seemed to fall asleep.

The little girl looked at Hu Xiaotian, still biting her lip. Hu Xiaotian's words clearly hurt her pride. She stood up and walked in the opposite direction, moving quickly as if trying to get away from Hu Xiaotian and the campfire. When the shadow of the large rock enveloped her small figure, she looked even more fragile and helpless, but her gaze remained as determined as ever. No matter when, she never let go of the blue printed cloth bundle in her hand.

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