Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Lantern Festival

Xu Daoyan kept this matter deeply in his heart, determined to seek justice for the fallen soldiers.

Leaving Li Chaofeng in the army was not a good thing. After all, the incident had happened thirteen years ago, and it was not appropriate to bring it up now. He had to find the right opportunity.

He closed his eyes and continued his cultivation. There were still about fifty pounds of high-grade earth spirit stones left. Now that he had reached the realm of Earth Stone Body, he could take a break.

He began to refine high-grade wood spirit stones, integrating them into his liver to enhance the resilience of his tendons and ligaments, better protecting his muscles. At the same time, this would strengthen the power of the Spring Rain and expand its range.

The five organs of the human body are interconnected. Being strong in just one area is meaningless and can lead to an imbalance of the five elements within the body.

Xu Daoyan continuously refined high-grade wood spirit stones, integrating them into his liver, transforming them into the energy of growth, and then tempering his tendons and ligaments. Unconsciously, he practiced until dawn, feeling a sense of comfort throughout his body!

Today was the Lantern Festival. Early in the morning, the entire Stone Dragon City was bustling with activity. Much of the snow and ice had melted, and the sky was clear with the warm sun shining down, casting a gentle golden glow and bringing a wave of warmth.

"Bean curd pudding, fresh bean curd pudding, fragrant steamed buns..."

"Freshly baked osmanthus pastries, no charge if you don't like them."

"Candied haws, delicious candied haws, one coin per skewer, big and tasty."

Tian Tian was very playful. Just after the hour of Chen, she dragged Xu Daoyan out. The streets were lively and prosperous.

She sat down casually, ordered two bowls of bean curd pudding and four meat buns, and started eating with large bites, looking very content.

Xu Daoyan was taken aback and asked in confusion, "We are cultivators, and having a human essence pill is enough. Why eat these things, which are full of impurities and need to be refined out of the body, which is very troublesome!"

"You really are a fool. Do you have to wait until you're hungry to eat these things? Sometimes it's just a taste. Cultivation isn't about completely abstaining from the world. Feeling happy is enough," Tian Tian quickly picked up her second meat bun and started eating.

Xu Daoyan felt as if he were in a different world. Since he left home, he had never eaten these things again, always using human essence pills to solve his problems. He had almost forgotten what home-cooked dishes tasted like.

In his view, without the feeling of home, eating these things felt meaningless.

"Tian Gongzi, there's something I find very strange and have been puzzled about," Xu Daoyan said, grabbing a meat bun and taking a bite.

"Speak!" Tian Tian drank a large mouthful of bean curd pudding, exhaled a puff of warm steam, and smiled, her fair skin and delicate features making it hard to believe she was a man.

"I don't think you're a man. You look very beautiful, almost like a woman, but that's not right. Many women aren't as beautiful as you," Xu Daoyan said seriously.

"Is that so?" Tian Tian felt flattered by Xu Daoyan's compliment and said, "This gentleman's appearance makes even the most beautiful women feel ashamed. It's well-known, so there's nothing strange about it. You'll get used to it eventually!"

"Oh..." Xu Daoyan lowered his head and started eating the bean curd pudding and meat buns. After a moment, he left a couple of silver coins and left.

"Thank you, sir." Xu Daoyan's generosity delighted the waiter.

Tian Tian walked to the busiest street, where various toys were sold.

"Rattle drum, five coins each." A vendor shook a rattle drum, making a pleasant jingling sound.

"Puppet, twenty coins per pair." Two exquisite puppets, one male and one female, moved with the strings, performing various actions.

"I'll take them all." Tian Tian held a rattle drum and shook it happily.

Xu Daoyan spent two taels of silver and carried a pair of puppets. Suddenly, he felt as if he were playing with Wu Xiaobai again.

In the past year, so much had happened that Xu Daoyan's mindset had changed greatly. It seemed he had grown from a child into an adult.

He had lost his original innocence.

Now, looking back, these small toys were indeed quite interesting. They were things he had heard of before but never had the money to buy or even find.

"Hey, there's something else fun over there." Tian Tian shook her rattle drum and ran toward a street performer's stall.

Xu Daoyan felt a headache coming on. Today, he wouldn't be able to cultivate. For him, cultivation was now the most urgent matter.

"You want to cultivate, but I won't let you. Hehe." Tian Tian thought to herself, watching the performance with great interest. The performer spat out a rocket that shot up into the sky, reaching a height of several dozen feet!

The day passed quickly, running from one street to another. By evening, they were at a roasted mountain chicken stall, where Xu Daoyan and Tian Tian looked at each other, each holding a roasted chicken, their mouths greasy.

"Why are you looking at me!" Tian Tian said, her mouth full.

"How can someone from a wealthy family eat the same things as common people?" Xu Daoyan found it strange. For someone of Tian Tian's status, they should be eating delicacies, yet she was eating such ordinary food and enjoying it.

"Uninformed!" Tian Tian rolled her eyes at Xu Daoyan, tore off a large piece of chicken, and chewed it happily.

Xu Daoyan shrugged and said no more. The two of them finished the roasted chicken, wiped their mouths clean, paid the bill, and left the stall.

"Comfortable!" Tian Tian patted her stomach, squinted her eyes, and smiled brightly, looking at the night sky dotted with stars.

Xu Daoyan looked at her profile, her fair skin, long neck, bright, sparkling eyes, and felt as if she had stepped out of a painting.

"What are you looking at?" Tian Tian asked, noticing Xu Daoyan's gaze.

"Oh, nothing. Here, have something to eat." Xu Daoyan pulled out a paper-wrapped package of round, white candies.

"Hmm, what's this?" Tian Tian had never seen them before.

"These are sugar beans, made by my mother. You can't buy them outside." Xu Daoyan didn't know why he had taken them out.

"Can I try?" Tian Tian looked at Xu Daoyan.

"Sure." She picked up a small white sugar bean with her delicate hand, put it in her mouth, and after a moment, frowned. "A bit sour."

"Then what?" Xu Daoyan smiled.

"Then it gets sweet. Delicious." Tian Tian was delighted, her smile somewhat silly, which didn't seem like something a man should do, but Xu Daoyan found it strangely attractive.

"Right, my mother said that life is a mix of sour and sweet." On the Lantern Festival, Xu Daoyan suddenly missed his mother.

"Let's buy some lanterns. Did you know? Releasing lanterns is a way to mourn the dead and bless the living!" Tian Tian ran to the street where lanterns were sold.

There were colorful lanterns of all kinds. Tian Tian said to Xu Daoyan, "Pick two lanterns."

Xu Daoyan chose two red, lotus-shaped lanterns. Tian Tian laughed and asked, "Why did you pick red ones?"

"Aren't you the one who likes this color? If I picked something else, you'd complain!" Xu Daoyan said helplessly.

"You're smart." Tian Tian held a red lantern and walked to the river. "This river is called the Stone Dragon River. The entire city drinks from this water source. Place the lantern on the water, and it will carry your thoughts and blessings for your mother to Pomegranate Village."

Xu Daoyan smiled, said nothing, lit the lantern, and gently placed it on the water. Tian Tian placed hers next to his and laughed, "You're so clumsy. Your lantern must be clumsy too. Don't worry, I'll guide it so it won't get lost."

The river shimmered, reflecting the light of the lanterns, creating a beautiful scene.

Many elders, children, and young couples came to the river to release lanterns, each carrying their inner wishes.

Boom!

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the sky, and colorful fireworks burst into the air, transforming into thousands of streamers that fell gracefully, creating a stunning sight.

Xu Daoyan and Tian Tian looked up, their faces illuminated by the colorful lights.

"Fireworks! So beautiful." Tian Tian exclaimed.

"Yes, they are beautiful." It was the first time Xu Daoyan had seen fireworks. In Pomegranate Village, such things were impossible.

"Is this your first time seeing them?" Tian Tian asked.

"Yes." Xu Daoyan nodded. "Have you seen them many times?"

"Once, with my seventh brother..." Tian Tian suddenly realized she had said too much and quickly changed the subject. "When I was with seven guards passing through a big city, fireworks are not allowed in Youzhou."

Xu Daoyan was stunned for a moment but only nodded, saying nothing.

The fireworks were brilliant but fleeting, and the people of Stone Dragon City were immersed in joy. Xu Daoyan and Tian Tian walked through the bustling market.

They heard someone shout, "Whoever can solve the last three hardest riddles in a row will win the grand prize."

Tian Tian's eyes lit up. "Let's go solve the riddles."

"I don't want to go." Xu Daoyan felt awkward.

"Stop talking so much. Let's go." Tian Tian pulled Xu Daoyan to a platform. Xu Daoyan felt strange as her fair, slender hand held his arm, but as a man, he had never experienced such a gesture and could only go along with it.

Clearly, the riddle-solving had been going on for a while and was almost over.

"Three people go to see flowers on the same day, a hundred friends are from the same family, a field of grain with a pile of fire, and two flowers in the cross of a character." A man on the platform said, "Guess four characters!"

Tian Tian nudged Xu Daoyan and smiled. "Do you know the answer?"

"I can't read." Xu Daoyan was speechless. He truly couldn't read, and his cultivation was taught orally by the old beggar.

"Country bumpkin, you can't even read!" Tian Tian rolled her eyes.

"Do you know the answer?" Xu Daoyan retorted.

"Of course I do!" Tian Tian said confidently.

"Then what is it?" Xu Daoyan didn't believe her.

"Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter." As people whispered and discussed the answer, Tian Tian had already given it.

"Oh? Why?" the man asked.

"Three people on one day is Spring, a hundred friends plus one is Summer, the character for grain plus fire is Autumn, and the character for text with two dots is Winter," Tian Tian explained.

"Amazing." The man was impressed and continued, "Legal code, the answer is related to the Way of Music."

"Breaking the character for king into twelve, the code is law. Is the answer the twelve tones?" Tian Tian answered.

"Truly a genius. The last riddle, if you can solve it, the grand prize is yours," the man looked at Tian Tian, very satisfied, and everyone's attention was on her.

Xu Daoyan was also surprised. He didn't expect Tian Gongzi to be so capable!