Chapter 86

Zi Rao could not turn her gaze away, nor could she think; she just stared back, her bright eyes filled with surprise, in that quiet, illuminated corner. Not until he closed his eyes gently and smiled lightly did she recover from that strange emotion and go toward him against the flow of the crowd.

The flowing light was sparse, drifting onto her sleeves, sinking into the depths of his elegant eyes, and tingeing them with a faint, soft glow.

Zi Rao was enveloped by that gentle gaze, the surprise in her eyes not yet faded, but filled with strands of joy, "You... aren't you at the villa? Why did you suddenly come out?"

Zi Hao lowered his head and said faintly, "I wanted to see you, so I came."

Zi Rao raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at him closely. The clear, smiling expression between his brows seemed to reveal a rare sense of relaxation and leisure.

She craved this smile of his. In her memory, when she was very young, she loved to look for his eyes at the magnificent palace banquets, past the suave and gallant laughter of her father the King, past the cold and beautiful appearance of her mother the Queen. Among thousands of people, he would always lift his eyes the moment her gaze lingered, smiling unintentionally. That brief moment seemed like a perfect expression cracking slightly, revealing a trace of the truth hidden beneath his cold and elegant exterior. That feeling always made her feel strange and happy, like holding a precious little secret—a secret in the deep palace halls that belonged only to him and her, unknown to others.

Through many twists and turns, deep and shallow thoughts, all folded into the pupils as tenderness, "The wind is cold at night. If there is something to do, I can go back. Why did you have to make a special trip into the Chu capital?"

Zi Hao looked at her and smiled faintly, "If you go back, there are some things you won't see."

"What is it?" Zi Rao raised her eyes to ask. Zi Hao smiled without answering, a touch of mystery in his eyes, further piquing her curiosity.

Suddenly, she heard the crowd behind her make sounds of surprise. She turned her head in astonishment, only to see that in the upper reaches of the distant Chu River, there was a faint, brilliant, and dazzling light flowing downstream, shimmering and gradually unfolding in this boundless night.

Compared to ordinary people, Zi Rao's eyesight was naturally much better. By now, she had seen clearly that it was actually countless bright lantern flames. She gave a light "Ah" and could not help but take a few steps forward involuntarily.

Zi Hao smiled and followed her. Seeing her stop blankly again, he took her hand and led her toward the higher part of the bridge.

Ten thousand lanterns in the river followed the current, stars and dots connecting into one piece, reflecting the water like silk and the waves like jade, quietly illuminating this world of heaven and earth, flowing all the way to the clouds, into the moonlight and starlight.

Endless starlight shone upon this boundless sea of lanterns; flawless clear flames shone upon this boundless mortal world.

At this moment, the brilliant scenery seemed to enter a dreamlike realm. Zi Rao could not take her eyes away, could not make a sound, letting the flowing light and beautiful flames spread across heaven and earth, illuminating her face and eyes. And the person beside her was quietly gazing at her, thousands of lanterns gently floating and rippling in the dark depths of his pupils.

The bright warmth of a day and a night seemed to want to burn out all the beauty, brilliance, and lingering affection of this life in this moment of companionship. The dazzling light was so bright that it made one unable to keep looking.

Zi Rao closed her eyes, only holding his hand tightly. Deep within her dark, thick lashes, a clear, shimmering light was quietly hidden.

Under heaven, no one understood the Eastern Emperor Zi Hao better than the Nine Princess. He had always disliked noise; even as a youth, he disapproved of his father's endless hunting and banquets, often feigning illness to avoid them. After ascending the throne, he was even more quiet and simple; even the servants in the Changming Palace were half the number of the previous dynasty. Unless it was a grand ceremony, he rarely participated in person.

The twenty years of Emperor Xiang and Empress Feng had long exhausted the last vitality of the eight-hundred-year-old glorious dynasty. Passing down to the current Eastern Emperor, the world he shouldered was left with only disaster, war, and devastation. Others did not understand his temperament, but she did; the world did not know his hardships, but she did. Yet, on this Mysterious Origin Night, on this thousand-mile clear river, he lit ten thousand lanterns for her, indulging in this one night of romance, lighting up the darkness she was tired of, and warming this cold human world.

Perhaps only because, many years ago by the Feng Pool, she had unintentionally said with a smile that the moment countless lights dispel the darkness is the most beautiful scenery in the world.

Zi Rao turned her head in a daze, wanting to say something, but could not utter a word, only hearing him ask softly, "Is it a pity to go back?"

She lingered on the warmth of the smile in his eyes and said softly, "Yes. If we didn't go back, wouldn't it be nice to stay like this forever?"

Zi Hao suddenly stretched out his finger and pressed it lightly against her lips, "If you have a wish, shouldn't you go to the Xuan Nu Shrine to make it tonight?"

Zi Rao was even more stunned, her eyes widening. After a long while, she knew to ask him, "You... believe in making wishes?"

Seeing her surprised appearance, Zi Hao only found it interesting. Heaven, earth, ghosts, and gods—whether he believed or not did not seem to affect the fact that on such a night, he was accompanying her to do something that made her happy.

He raised his eyebrows slightly and asked her if she wanted to go. Zi Rao curved her eyes with languid charm, took his hand, and stepped forward with joy.

"Hurry, the sacrifice at the Xuan Nu Shrine is about to begin. Let's go and see!"

Just at this moment, a loud noise suddenly rang in everyone's ears. The masses looked up, just in time to see a golden light shoot up into the sky, brilliant flames like rain, blooming with dazzling light in the center of the night sky, catching everyone off guard and dazzling their eyes.

Immediately afterward, countless flames from all directions shot straight into the sky, one after another, beautiful and magnificent fireworks blooming across the sky, shocking the heart and soul. In an instant, the entire Shangying City was as bright as day, flowing with color and illuminating heaven and earth.

Such colorful flames rivaled the brilliance of the stars and moon. Bright gold and silver dazzled like fire, constantly shooting up and blooming, like the light of the scorching sun, filling the entire sky, each time more dazzling and eye-catching than the last.

The dragon eaves and golden roofs of the Chu Palace, the glazed green tiles of the noble mansions—the nobility of the entire city all vied for brilliance in these endless flames, as if it were a golden palace in the heavens, with ten thousand scenes of splendor. The sacrificial ceremony at the Xuan Nu Shrine had already begun, and the ten thousand people of the Chu capital had all come to participate in this major annual event that combined family, state, and military sacrifices. This overwhelming momentum of fireworks made the crowd boil, and one person's name was cheered by thousands of people from the beginning of the celebration.

Shao Yuan Jun Huang Fei, the God of War of Great Chu, the peerless hero of the Nine Domains, the young marshal who held the military and political power of the Chu State with a strong posture.

When he personally ascended the sacrificial altar to preside over the grand ceremony, and when the Liefeng Cavalry displayed their military might before their eyes, just like every expedition and every triumphant return, almost all the people of Chu shouted his name with utmost reverence. Because every Chu person knew and firmly believed that as long as Shao Yuan Jun was there, the Chu State would be the strongest in the Nine Domains; as long as Shao Yuan Jun was there, the Chu State would be like these sky-vying flames, prosperous and never declining!

At this moment, who knows how many gazes followed the stunning figure high on the sacrificial altar. On this night in front of the Xuan Nu Shrine, who knows how many women's dreamlike wishes were made.

"It's Huang Fei." The crowd gathered toward the Xuan Nu Shrine, and the bridge became relatively quiet. Zi Rao looked into the distance at the almost fanatical scene and said with some emotion, "The world-shaking Liefeng Cavalry, the name of the Great Chu God of War is deafening! You say... if one day you face him, what are your chances of winning?"

Zi Hao was focusing on the red armor and bright swords in front of the sacrificial altar. Whether because of the firelight or the stars and moon, there was a sharp, shimmering light in the unknown, deep stillness of his eyes.

Spread like eagle wings, gathered like sword blades, ten thousand people as one, the sound shaking the heavens. The killing intent honed in a hundred battles, the heroic spirit of life and death and blood-stirring passion, were enough to boil the blood of any man—such an army pushed the might of Great Chu to its peak, making all its citizens proud to bear its name, making one feel the pleasure of drawing a sword and roaring, of fighting to the end at first sight! Seeing her ask this, Zi Hao raised his eyebrows slightly, "If both sides are prepared and line up for a decisive battle, the odds of winning are fifty-fifty."

"Oh?" Zi Rao asked curiously, "You mean, you have no certainty of winning?"

Zi Hao smiled and added faintly, "But if it's a surprise attack with strange troops, deciding life and death in an instant, he has no chance of winning."

Zi Rao was even more surprised, "Huang Fei is famous for his strange strategies and risky calculations when using troops. Could it be that he has a better chance of winning than this?"

Zi Hao smiled without answering, his eyes like the sea, encompassing composure. Zi Rao tilted her head, borrowing the flames from the sky to admire the arrogant sharpness he revealed inadvertently, "I know you spent a lot of time and have studied almost all of Huang Fei's battles. When you finally chose him, was it because you thought he would definitely win the Chu-Xuan war?"

Zi Hao lowered his head and smiled, coughing lightly, "I chose him because he is not the King of Chu."

Zi Rao was stunned, then her eyes turned. He gazed at her for a moment, his expression returning to that silent, waveless calm, "And he will also need the Imperial Capital even more."

Their eyes met, reflecting the bright light and flying flames. Zi Rao saw countless fireworks blooming silently in the depths of his deep eyes, then fading away, a piece of light and dark, rising and falling. The inexplicable emotion deep in his brows was like the fleeting brilliance of this moment, yet his gaze was stained with the light and warmth of the fireworks, as if they would never fade, in the smile she looked at him with.

That smile was charming and affectionate...

Zi Rao was still holding his hand, looking up at the brilliant fireworks under his gaze. Those lights and shadows, cold and warmth, no longer stained those clear, glass-like eyes. After a long, long time, she said softly, "Zi Hao, let's not go to the Xuan Nu Shrine."

Zi Hao felt slightly surprised, "Why?"

Zi Rao turned around, the wind blowing her clothes and hair, "That is the Xuan Nu of the Chu State; she cannot manage my seven emotions and six desires. My prayer is here."

Her crystal-clear fingertips pointed lightly at her own heart. She thus unfolded a smile to him that was more beautiful than the fireworks, so beautiful it did not seem to belong to the human world. Her other hand, however, covered his snow-white, cold robes. Zi Hao's gaze seemed to be frozen. The moment her fingertips touched his chest, it was as if the sky full of flames bloomed in his heart, blooming into boundless heart-flowers—a deep pain that was so bright, warm, and scorching.

(End of chapter)