Repeatedly broken branches

The Flower Festival arrived as scheduled. It wasn't even evening yet, just as the sky was beginning to darken, when people started setting off fireworks. From a distance, you couldn't see what the fireworks looked like; you could only hear the sound of them bursting in the sky and their light.

Xiao Mu wore a pale yellow moon-white gauze dress, her hair styled in a flying cloud bun, adorned only with a white jade tassel hairpin. She wore no earrings, which made her appear even more elegant and glamorous. Her skin was delicate, and her beautiful eyes sparkled, giving her an indescribable playfulness and charm. In particular, the white jade bracelet on her fair wrist was like the icing on the cake, making her look even more refined and otherworldly. Her light-colored outfit exuded a noble air, and she did not look like a woman from an ordinary family at all.

Dressed so elegantly and ethereally today, Xiao Mu didn't dare to take big steps.

As she was going downstairs, she happened to see Aya sitting there drinking tea. She turned to her and smiled, "Aya, let's go!"

Aya looked up following the sweet voice. The girl's skin was as smooth as jade, her eyes were bright and sparkling, her eyebrows and eyes were like paintings, her voice was soft and melodious, and she walked towards her with a supple waist.

Ling was slightly taken aback, his heart skipped a beat. This feeling seemed familiar. He even felt that this wasn't the first time he had seen such a beautiful Xiao Mu, but it was indeed the first time.

In an instant, all the tea drinkers turned to look at Xiao Mu, staring at her in disbelief, their mouths watering.

"Let's go," Aya said calmly.

In truth, he was in a state of great unease. He didn't understand why he felt this way about Xiao Mu. It wasn't that he hadn't seen beautiful women before, but he always felt that this one was different. He couldn't explain why, and he felt extremely suffocated.

As dusk fell, the street was packed with people. Women dressed in beautiful dresses, smelling of perfume, and adorned with their favorite flowers in their hair, walked hand in hand with their best friends through the crowded street, all just to catch a glimpse of the dazzling fireworks.

Xiao Mu and Ling arrived at the riverbank, where a row of gardenias were planted. When the wind blew, the pleasant scent of gardenias wafted over, making people feel refreshed and relaxed.

Ling looked up and her gaze fell on Xiao Mu's hair. "Why didn't you wear any flowers in your hair?"

Xiao Mu smiled and said, "I don't like these flowers. I like tuberose, but it seems there aren't any tuberoses here. It's okay, I'm not a local woman anyway. We're just here to stroll around, so don't worry about it. Let's just treat it as watching fireworks."

Ling casually plucked a gardenia branch and tucked it, along with the twig, into Xiao Mu's hair. His voice was clear and cool, "This flower goes very well with your dress."

Xiao Mu raised her hand and touched the gardenia, her gaze falling on its reflection on the river. It perfectly reflected Ling's beautiful profile. Looking at it this way, his nose really does resemble Yu Yanjing's nose—high and straight. His brow bone is also very similar, giving off a sense of arrogance yet gentleness. Sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, that's all there is to it.

"Let's go check that out there, the fireworks are even more spectacular!" Xiao Mu tugged at Ling's sleeve and strode towards the crowd ahead.

There were too many people. Even though Xiao Mu was holding onto Ling's sleeve, she was quickly separated from her by the crowd. She tried her best to push through the crowd to find Ling's shadow, but she was soon pushed to the dock in front of her.

The dock was empty, but Aya was nowhere to be seen.

In addition, it was very dark, with only a few lanterns lit in front of the shops. Xiao Mu became a little scared. Since her ten years of imprisonment, she had become even more afraid of the dark and of being alone.

She called out to the crowd, "Aya, Aya! Where are you!"

But no one responded.

Xiao Mu's face turned deathly pale, and she could no longer smile. She continued to shout at the crowd, "Ling! Ling, can you hear me? I'm at the dock!" Her voice was trembling with fear. She should have brought Silver Snake Dance with her. She didn't know she would be delayed for so long, and she didn't know she would be participating in the Flower Festival!

"I'm here!" Ling jumped down from the sycamore tree next to her and landed steadily on the ground.

He had been searching for Xiao Mu ever since he discovered she was missing. There were so many people that his voice was barely audible, so he had to use his light-footed skills to climb up a tree. The higher he stood, the clearer his view became. Before long, he spotted Xiao Mu standing helplessly and frailly by the dock.

In that instant, he couldn't wait to be by her side.

I want to hold her tightly.

But he couldn't do it.

Xiao Mu pounded Ling's chest, looking flustered. "I was so scared! There are just too many people. Let's not wander off, or we'll get lost again."

Aya nodded. "Then I'll go buy fireworks. You wait for me here and don't go anywhere else."

Xiao Mu sat obediently by the dock waiting for Ling.

A moment later, Ling came over carrying a box of fireworks. Xiao Mu asked curiously, "What color are these?"

Aya said calmly, "It should be red. We'll know once it's been left out for a while!"

Immediately, Ling lit a piece of thread that looked like a fuse, and pulled Xiao Mu to the tree behind them.

"Boom!" A wisp of firework shot straight into the sky, blooming into a beautiful golden color. The dazzling fireworks danced wildly in the sky, and the golden fireworks turned into golden rain that fell down, illuminating the dark night sky.

"So beautiful, it's actually golden." Xiao Mu looked up and stared intently at the blooming fireworks, her eyes reflecting the dazzling golden rain.

Aya turned to look at her, but she was focused on the fireworks and didn't notice Aya's gaze at all. It was an unprecedented, indescribable emotion that flashed by, but it stole a trace of darkness from his eyes.

Xiao Mu closed her eyes and prayed in her heart: I hope to see Yu Yanjing soon, I hope we will never be separated again, I hope everything will return to peace.

They hadn't seen each other for a long time; they couldn't count how long it had been. All they remembered were countless, many difficult nights.

Even after the fireworks ended, they showed no sign of wanting to go back.

On a whim, Ling rented a boat and rowed with Xiao Mu to the other side of the river.

The other side is also Luyang's territory, but it is sparsely populated and few people go there.

The Flower Festival has ended, the crowds have gradually dispersed, and the tranquility of the night has returned.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, they arrived at a forest, a birch forest, where they could hear the occasional hooting of owls, which sounded quite frightening.

Sleepiness washed over her, and Xiao Mu, her eyes still blurry, looked at Ling and said, "Let's go back, we don't even know what time it is!"

"it is good."

When they reached the shore, the two looked at each other in disbelief. The small boat that had brought them to the other side had forgotten to tie its rope and had drifted to the middle of the shore on its own.

Aya sighed, "It seems we can't go back tonight; we'll have to stay here."

Xiao Mu's eyes widened. "Here? You? Me?" Her tone was filled with disbelief. "A lone man and a lone woman, people will gossip about us to death!"

Besides, she didn't want Yu Yanjing to know, as this might be disloyal. But the boat had already drifted to the center of darkness. Although she could swim, the river was raging and the current must be very strong. Even if she could swim, it wasn't a good decision!

But Aya is a man, and the thought of spending the night with him here makes her heart pound. She doesn't know what she's nervous and afraid of. What if... Aya does something to her?

No, no, Aya isn't that kind of person!

What kind of person is he?

Oh no, what should I do? If I refuse, will he think I'm narcissistic if he doesn't mean it at all?

But if you swim back, you're very likely to be swept away by the river!

But she was so sleepy now, she had no energy left, and she really didn't want to walk anymore.

"Don't worry, I'll stay here, you can sleep there, isn't that fine?"

Aya pointed to a tree about two trees away from him.

Aya was already leaning against the tree, quietly closing her eyes.

Xiao Mu slowly walked to the tree opposite him. As soon as she leaned against it, she was overwhelmed by sleepiness. She couldn't stay awake any longer. Whatever, it's just one night. She'll sleep it off and it will be over soon.

Ling opened her eyes and, by the moonlight, secretly gazed at Xiao Mu, who was already asleep. The girl had fair skin and a beautiful face, with delicate red lips, and a pale gardenia flower was adorning her hair.

"Are you asleep, Ling?" Xiao Mu suddenly asked.

Aya had already closed her eyes and let out a soft "hmm" through her nose.

Xiao Mu was feeling very sleepy, but she just couldn't fall asleep. Without opening her eyes, she slowly said, "If you're asleep, why are you making noises?"

Ling slowly opened her eyes. In the moonlight, the girl's eyes were slightly closed, her skin whiter than the moonlight, her cherry lips tightly closed, and her graceful figure was fully revealed. He said calmly, "What is it?"

Xiao Mu shook her head. "It's nothing, I just can't sleep and wanted to chat with you for a while. If you're sleepy, just go to sleep and don't worry about it."

Aya's lips curved slightly, and she lowered her voice, saying, "I'm not sleepy."

Is there someone you really, really want to see?

Aya answered without hesitation, "Yes."

"Me too."

A hint of disappointment flashed through Aya's heart, but the girl's lips curled up slightly as she softly said, "Unfortunately, I guess he has already forgotten me."

Xiao Mu felt increasingly uncertain. If Yu Yanjing still cared about her, why hadn't he come to find her? She had already traveled all the way to Chaoyang Kingdom. Didn't he know that? If he went to Jiuguang and found Zhou Tingxi, Zhou Tingxi would definitely tell him. So why hadn't he come to find her?

That's true. He's the emperor. Just based on that alone, his love can't be as exclusive as others', where he only loves one person.

Ling said coldly, "Since you've forgotten me, why don't you forget him too? There are so many men in the world, why bother getting entangled with him?"

Xiao Mu pursed her lips, her eyes still tightly closed. "You're right, but I haven't returned something to him yet. Actually, I still want to ask him in person why. But if he really doesn't love me anymore, wouldn't I lose face by doing this?"

Aya replied, "Yeah, it really is embarrassing."

Xiao Mu stuck out her tongue and smiled lightly, "It doesn't matter. So what if I lose face? I like him a lot and love him very much. Face doesn't matter to me anymore. Let's not talk about me anymore. Let's talk about your guy!" Xiao Mu changed the subject.

Aya's eyes dimmed. What reason did he have to be angry? Didn't he also have someone in his heart? Although he didn't know if it was true or not, just thinking about it would make his heart soften unconsciously.

"There's nothing to say. We may never see each other again in this lifetime." Aya's gaze shot towards her, but she didn't know that Aya hadn't closed her eyes and was still looking at her.

Xiao Mu nodded slightly after a slight hesitation and said, "It's better if we don't meet. That way, we can start a new life. Isn't that great? With your outstanding looks, there must be many women who like you, right?"

"Not many." Just Shen Shanshan, and she's so noisy, annoying, and shameless. If she weren't Shen Ruoxuan's sister, he would have torn her to pieces long ago, leaving not even a bone behind.

Xiao Mu confirmed again, "Impossible, right? No woman likes you?" That would be too blind. He's good-looking, from a good family, and has a good personality. Logically speaking, there should be a long line of women who like him. He must be too modest, which is why he refuses to admit it.

Aya calmly asked, "Why would anyone like someone like me?"

No wonder that woman left him; she probably couldn't stand his personality. Who could stand him? He was even afraid of himself. When he went crazy, he was like a trapped beast.

He killed his nine older brothers with his own hands. They were his brothers who had grown up with him. Although they had spoken ill of him, insulted and beat him, they were still his brothers who were blood relatives. If he could do that, what else wouldn't he do? Those women must be very afraid of death, so they dared not like him.