Jing Hengbo’s rich imagination immediately conjured up many man-eating ghosts, strange tales, midnight horror bells, and crazed killers…

The wind whistled behind her buttocks, nearly freezing her urine, yet she felt nothing, crouching there studying what exactly that motion was for.

The black shadow suddenly stopped.

She became even more nervous, even less able to urinate.

The black shadow waited a while.

She also waited a while.

In the darkness, wind rustled through the mountain forest – all sounds were accompaniment to a horror suspense thriller.

Just as Jing Hengbo finally couldn’t bear it and decided to personally take a look, having already forgotten her pants weren’t pulled up and preparing to stand directly, the black mass finally spoke.

He said: “Pants.”

At this voice, Jing Hengbo nearly stumbled and fell onto the rocks.

The next instant she quickly crouched down, grabbed her pants, and while her fingers stiffly fastened her belt, cursed loudly: “Gong Yin, what the hell are you doing in the middle of the night instead of sleeping? You scared me to death!”

The black shadow slowly stood up. Only then did Jing Hengbo realize he had been sitting cross-legged behind the tree, holding a large mass of something that covered his body, while his head was hidden behind the tree, making him look like a large mass without limbs.

She wanted to see clearly what that large mass was, but Gong Yin flicked his hand and the thing flew up to the treetop, mixing among a large cluster of leaves where it couldn’t be seen.

She suddenly understood his earlier words and became furious: “You were peeping at me using the toilet! Pervert!”

“I was sitting here perfectly fine when suddenly someone ran behind me and started relieving herself. I thought I’d wait for her to finish before getting up, but she was like an endless flowing river…”

Jing Hengbo lunged at him in embarrassed fury, hands reaching for his mouth: “Then let you smell these hands that haven’t been washed after that endless flow!”

Her hands were caught and she was dragged toward the shelter, pressed onto the bed, then he turned and went out again. A moment later, something crashed out of the man in brocade’s shelter with a clang. After a while, Gong Yin came in with a wooden basin missing a piece.

Seeing that polished basin, Jing Hengbo knew it belonged to the man in brocade. This particular pervert had made many utensils in one afternoon – he could make anything and made everything beautifully. Even a basin was so perfectly round it could be in textbooks.

No need to ask – Gong Yin had played tricks again, taking ready-made items from the all-capable great pervert.

“It’s cold, you’re injured, don’t go out. Use this here.” He concisely placed the basin under the board bed.

Jing Hengbo felt a bit embarrassed, but more inclined to laugh. After laughing, her heart felt slightly sour – he had always been this meticulous and patient, meticulous to the point of being fussy, but this fussiness was only ever for her alone. This feeling had been absent for so long, and every time she was pathetically moved by it.

She suddenly asked an unrelated question: “What kind of basin was this pervert’s?”

“Face washing basin,” he answered.

Jing Hengbo immediately felt extremely delighted. She smiled and patted the bedside: “It’s late, let’s sleep together.”

Expecting to see him blush, instead he didn’t even pause, saying: “Coming right up. You sleep first and warm it up for me.”

Jing Hengbo made an “uh” sound, staring as he went out, like a husband preparing to bathe while she was the wife responsible for warming the bed.

She discovered the great god was becoming increasingly impossible to tease.

After a while Gong Yin came in. As soon as he lifted the curtain, Jing Hengbo felt a bit of warmth. Seeing him actually get directly into bed, she couldn’t help crying “ah ah”: “What are you doing?”

“You want me to sleep on the ground?” he said. “If both of us collapse, who would take care of whom?”

Jing Hengbo remembered he had actually just awakened from several days of coma and his true qi hadn’t fully recovered, so she obediently lifted the animal pelts.

Gong Yin glanced – half the space there was already empty.

Hehe, duplicitous woman.

Jing Hengbo was resentful – where was that aloof emperor who used to push her eight zhang away at every turn?

Sigh, when men started becoming cunning and taking advantage, she actually missed the initial awkward, cold various rejections.

Sick!

Cursing herself, she turned over in a huff and slept, wrapping all the animal pelts around herself with her butt facing him.

Gong Yin merely smiled faintly, lying down beside her. Sleeping beside her certainly wasn’t to take advantage, nor because his true qi hadn’t recovered – he wanted to check how her true qi state was.

He lay down, still half a foot away from her. In the darkness, the female form beside him rose and fell gracefully like the most beautiful mountain range.

She really didn’t know that she was most beautiful when lying on her side, because no masterful brush in the world could describe such exquisite curves.

He couldn’t help quietly turning over, suddenly seeing her animal pelt wasn’t wrapped properly, exposing a section of her waist. This would easily catch cold, so he reached out to pull the pelt for her.

Just as his hand reached out, she swooshed around, pressing his hand against her back, smugly laughing: “I knew you were a wolf in your bones…”

Before she finished speaking, the bed board creaked.

Gong Yin reacted extremely quickly, scooping her up and rolling off the bed. Immediately there was a loud crack as the bed board split from the center seam, closing inward and slamming together heavily. If not for Gong Yin’s quick reaction, they would now be flattened between the bed boards like meat filling.

In Gong Yin’s embrace, Jing Hengbo began cursing: “You psycho murderous bastard…”

No need to ask – it must be the man in brocade guessing Gong Yin would steal things, so he simply set a mechanism in the bed board. One person sleeping was fine, but two people sleeping past the center line would trigger the trap, the bed boards closing to make human filling.

Jing Hengbo felt it was truly exhausting living in the same world as someone like the man in brocade.

She deeply sympathized with his girlfriend and future wife.

The man in brocade’s laughter came from afar: “Wasn’t I creating intimate opportunities for you two? Why curse me instead of thanking me?”

“Sister will definitely create ten thousand such opportunities for you and your mistress!” Jing Hengbo retorted from Gong Yin’s arms without yielding.

Gong Yin certainly wouldn’t argue with anyone – arguing was women’s business. His attention was on the bed board. After calculating the mechanism’s force, speed, and closing effect, he couldn’t help secretly feeling regretful.

The man in brocade wasn’t wrong – this mechanism’s force in closing the bed board wasn’t great, completely insufficient to cause harm.

Actually, just closing like this once seemed… not bad at all…

Jing Hengbo naturally had no idea he was thinking this at the moment. She pinched him: “How do we sleep now?”

Gong Yin merely touched somewhere with a click, then said: “Fixed.”

This time they slept peacefully. Jing Hengbo had been tired for so long – this was her first peaceful sleep in days. Immersed in his faint scent, she felt particularly secure. At first she deliberately postured with her back to him, but as she slept she moved closer, finally embracing him like an octopus. In the middle of the night she suddenly let go, reaching to grope beside her. After groping for a long time without finding anything, she slapped the wall with a smack but still didn’t wake. After a while her hand reached out again, this time making pulling motions, whooshing the animal pelt from Gong Yin’s body over to cover behind herself.

Having made so many small movements, it was remarkable she never woke up.

Gong Yin opened his eyes, watching her still busily fidgeting in her dreams. She was repeating the habitual motions from caring for him the past few days – sleeping while looking for a basin to apply cold water compresses, sleeping while pulling covers to tuck him in.

Gentle pain rose in his eyes, tender as the night’s moonlight. He reached out to gather her over, fixing her in his arms. Unable to struggle anymore, she slept obediently.

Gong Yin waited until she was truly fast asleep before quietly getting up and returning to his previous position under the tree.

The man in brocade peered out from his shelter. He seemed never to need sleep, seeing Gong Yin’s figure gliding faintly through the night, snorting disdainfully through his nose.

The boy wrapped in animal pelts lifted one eyelid, glanced around, his eyeball rolling beneath the eyelid.

…

A horse galloped through the wind, scattering faint wine fragrance along the way.

Jade City, the Emerald tribe’s capital, came into view.

Guards at the city gate saw a horse charging toward them and moved to intercept, but the rider controlled his reins and horse, lightly slipping past the human wall. Before they could shout and level their spears, he tossed down a jade tablet.

White and yellow emerald, cleverly carved with the character “Ying.”

The city guards weighed the jade tablet and exclaimed: “The Ying family!” They quickly withdrew their spears and stepped back, watching the rider roll away, thinking which young master of the Ying family was this, returning from hunting? Where were the usual vast retinues?

The rider went straight to the royal palace, stopping his horse before it. The rider was wondering how to announce himself when suddenly the palace gates slowly opened. The road before and behind the gates stretched straight with not a single figure in sight.

The rider was stunned. His expression changed for an instant, but ultimately he spurred his horse forward. The palace gates closed heavily behind him with a thunderous sound.

Then a shadow flashed out.

With the momentum of a furious dragon and wild wind, it pounced.

In that instant, the rider seemed to want to dodge, seemed to want to fight back, but ultimately didn’t move, only his posture somewhat stiff.

“Bang.” What hit his chest wasn’t a soft, warm body, but a pair of vicious pink fists.

Wailing nearly burst his eardrums immediately.

“Ying Bai! You finally deign to return! You finally deign to come back!” Those fists rained like storm and wind on Ying Bai’s chest, the force absolutely not gentle. “You heartless, unfeeling bastard! Only when our son dies do you deign to return!”

Hearing the last sentence, Ying Bai’s hand finally swung out. Bang – the woman was sent under his horse. He leaned down slightly, looking at her tear-blurred eyes with ruined makeup.

“Where would I have a son?”

Each word asked coldly.

A guilty expression flashed across the Emerald Queen’s face, immediately replaced by fierce aggression: “This king bore him with you!”

“Why didn’t I know?”

“Because you’re heartless and ungrateful!” The queen pointed at his nose: “Because you played around then abandoned me!”

Ying Bai closed his eyes.

The imperial guards who had been driven back and were watching from afar looked on in terror, afraid the queen would be killed in a moment of displeasure by this man who had emerged from the Emerald tribe – the legendary strongest and most outstanding man of the Emerald tribe.

Today the queen’s plan for meeting Ying Bai had been thoroughly discussed with her trusted advisors. Some said to be mournful and gentle, moving him with emotion – women’s vulnerability could best arouse men’s protective instincts. Others said to be calm and rational, carefully laying out the truth – women’s excellence could equally make men submit. But ultimately, the queen chose to be herself.

To be her sixteen-year-old self.

To be the self who at sixteen had wholeheartedly admired Ying Bai, but because of her violent temper and inability to love properly, was not liked by Ying Bai.

So many years had passed. Because of those entanglements, he had left in anger and never returned. Yu Bai Jin Shu’s name shook Dahuang, his reputation for romantic affairs and love of wine spread throughout the world. Year after year she heard his legends – first with resentment, then longing, then indifference, then as if watching someone else’s story, a previous life’s story. He lived that previous life with golden spears, iron horses, rouge, and pleasure quarters while she lived this life with orphan and widow keeping each other company forever. Those initial obsessions and inexplicable sorrows were slowly washed away by time until everything seemed no longer so unbearable.

She had planned to continue this way. After many years she had come to understand that the greatest gift of loving someone was giving them freedom.

Only in midnight dreams, remembering those old matters, she would still feel wronged to the point of choking, the knot in her heart unresolved, which she bit down and swallowed.

Until something happened to her son and the solid heart defenses built over many years collapsed thunderously. She suddenly began to hate him.

Why should she free him? Why should she suffer to the point of death while he lived carefree without burden?

Being herself again, releasing the anger suppressed for years, she felt – exhilarating!

Ying Bai gazed at her. After years of separation, she seemed to have grown uglier, with many spots on her face that she didn’t even cover with powder. He remembered she used to use half a jin of powder if there was even one more spot on her face.

To her accusations, he merely smiled.

No feelings to begin with – how could there be heartlessness?

As for playing around then abandoning – he wasn’t the one who played around.

“Speak clearly,” he said. “Though I’d very much like to have a son, one that suddenly pops up should be forgotten.”

“Ying Bai!” The queen suddenly lunged at him again: “New Year’s Eve twelve years ago – have you forgotten!”

Ying Bai shuddered.

In an instant, light and shadow swirled before his eyes – brilliant palaces, red scarves and emerald sleeves, melodious strings and bamboo, elegant ritual music, fireworks filling the sky, pavilions and deep chambers…

Past events flowed by like water in an instant.

Then he smiled somewhat wistfully.

Having passed through so many flowers without being touched, could it be that just that one mistake had left fruit?

“His name is Yu Wuse. Wuse – colorless, also white.” The queen suddenly regained her calm, looking up at him: “He’s eleven, intelligent and generous by nature. He loves cooking and brewing wine. Because he heard that daddy likes wine and fine food, he hopes that someday, with his own skills, he can keep daddy’s person, so the family of three can truly live together happily.”

Ying Bai’s body trembled. His hand reaching for the wine jug stopped.

His expression was full of disbelief.

“Three days ago he was kidnapped. We chased all the way to Tianlie Canyon, then he was thrown into the canyon by that assassin…” She choked up, grabbing his horse’s head and forcefully turning it in a direction: “Ying Bai! You go! If he’s alive, rescue him! If he’s dead, retrieve his bones and avenge him! This is what you owe him! What you owe him!”

…

“My name is Yu Wuse.” The boy sat across from Jing Hengbo, roasting a bird for her, smiling somewhat shyly: “This name is very feminine, I don’t like it, but my mother likes it. Sigh, you women are always so unreasonable.”

Jing Hengbo laughed heartily: “NO NO, not all women are unreasonable. How about this – be my sworn little brother? I’ll change your name to one you like.”

“My mother won’t agree.” He said seriously, carefully cutting the bird meat and applying salt.

“She will agree.” Jing Hengbo chuckled. Black Water Queen VS Emerald Queen – who would win?

“Hey, where did Chrysanthemum go?” She took the bird meat Yu Wuse handed her and looked around.

When she woke up in the morning, half the bed was empty. She didn’t know when he had gotten up. Jing Hengbo felt he’d been quite sneaky lately.

Actually, she had many questions in her heart that she wanted to discuss with Gong Yin, such as what was up with that Sang Tianxi, why he hadn’t been poisoned. But she had been too tired last night, falling asleep as soon as she closed her eyes. And Gong Yin seemed to be deliberately avoiding her, not wanting to discuss these things. Was it because it was inconvenient with outsiders present, or was there another reason?

She felt that though Gong Yin seemed to have explained everything to her, the doubts in her heart were growing more numerous.

Yu Wuse smiled. This child had two small dimples on his face and looked very adorable when he smiled. The more Jing Hengbo looked at him, the more familiar his face seemed, yet there was no one surnamed Yu among the people around her.

Yu Wuse stood up to hand her the roasted food. As his body leaned forward, something dropped from his chest with a patter, about to fall into the fire. Jing Hengbo waved her hand and rescued the item.

Looking at it in her hand, it was an old book with characters on the cover that were blurred and unclear. She could vaguely make out the words “All Things… Poison.”

The book was suddenly snatched away. She was startled and looked up to see barely concealed tension on the boy’s face. Seeing her looking over, he realized his loss of composure and quickly smiled: “This is something my mother gave me, saying it’s very precious, but I can’t really understand it.”

Jing Hengbo nodded while gnawing on bird meat, seeing Gong Yin emerge from the forest with an armload of mushrooms. Yu Wuse took them and skillfully picked out some brightly colored fungi, saying: “These are poisonous, can’t be eaten.”

Gong Yin nodded.

“I’ll go prepare New Year’s Eve dinner for you all, guaranteed to have surprises.” Yu Wuse ran off carrying a pile of food.

Jing Hengbo watched his retreating figure: “A tribal prince who can develop such character – his mother must be quite remarkable.”

“The Emerald Queen keeps a low profile,” Gong Yin said. “Legend has it she was hot-tempered in her youth, which caused the old king to depose and reinstate her several times. But ultimately the throne still went to her. After ascending, her temperament became much more restrained. Though the Emerald tribe is prosperous, they’ve always been well-behaved.”

“You seem to know little about the Emerald tribe. Ying Bai is also from the Emerald tribe – didn’t he tell you?”

“Ying Bai never mentions the Emerald tribe at all,” he answered lightly.

A flash of inspiration suddenly struck Jing Hengbo’s mind. The flash was so sudden it stunned her for a moment.

No way, right?

She stared straight at Gong Yin, as if wanting to find mutually confirming answers on his face. But Gong Yin’s expression didn’t look good – the fact that someone had such a grown son was quite a shock to him as a man of similar age.

So he immediately made her sleep again, until she woke to noisy sounds. It seemed many people were nearby, but the voices never approached. After a moment, the man in brocade floated over with his “stupid humans” expression particularly pronounced.

Gong Yin glanced and said: “The Emerald royal army rappelled down ropes to the canyon floor, probably looking for their prince. But they can’t get in – this fellow set up a formation array early this morning.”

“The life gate opens in the waterfall,” the man in brocade said calmly.

Jing Hengbo silently prayed for the Emerald royal army.

“Dinner is served!” Yu Wuse’s cheerful voice came, accompanied by waves of wonderful aromas.

Jing Hengbo slurped and sat up instantly – New Year’s Eve dinner!

She was so excited little tears flowed – after two years in Dahuang, her first New Year’s Eve dinner with Gong Yin!

Sigh, if only those two eyesores weren’t here.

But without Yu Wuse, whether this New Year’s Eve dinner could be prepared at all was very questionable.

The man in brocade was someone who insisted on refinement anytime, anywhere. For this New Year’s Eve dinner, he had specially made another table in the afternoon. A round table at that.

Several tree stumps served as seats. His own stump had clear grain patterns, perfect annual rings, polished smoother than smooth could be.

Bonfires were clustered around for warmth. Smooth wooden plates held the dishes.

Though there were no red lanterns or firecrackers, in this mountain valley it was already quite remarkable.

And the dishes were surprisingly abundant.

In the center, a roasted wild boar leg gleamed with oil. It emitted a special fragrance – Yu Wuse said he had rubbed it with matsutake mushrooms.

Four surrounding dishes: roasted wild chicken, roasted wild rabbit, roasted venison, roasted fish.

Four cold dishes: sliced beef, cold mixed earth moss, cold mixed pine mushrooms, cold mixed dried bean curd strips.

Two hot soups: wild bird egg mushroom soup, white fish soup.

Two pastries: roasted buns, sliced millet cake.

Jing Hengbo stared at this full table, dumbstruck. This table of dishes wouldn’t be much in any of their palaces, but this was a winter canyon where food was scarce and nothing grew – where did all this come from?

“I went and picked up some things,” Yu Wuse smiled innocently. “A lot of food fell from your carriage, I picked up some of it.”

Only then did Jing Hengbo remember that she had loaded food onto the carriage initially. When the carriage was destroyed and fell off the cliff, some of it should have been scattered at the canyon bottom – things like cold beef, millet cake, and buns should have been retrieved.

But the scattered items must have been spread far apart. This child must have run many roads. Jing Hengbo looked at his eyes, thinking he must have also seen the great army searching for him. Was this currying favor with everyone to seek early release? Since he could run around the canyon looking for food, why didn’t he try to notify the army?

She suddenly felt this child was also quite strange, but seeing Gong Yin and the man in brocade both seemed indifferent about everything, Jing Hengbo herself became lazy with thinking – being with the two smartest people in the world and still having to think hard would be asking for trouble.

Jing Hengbo sat down, seeing the deep green forest spreading before her, dotted with the army crashing about in the formation in the distance, torches twinkling like fireflies. Overhead were deep blue cliffs and an even deeper blue sky. In the far distance, a waterfall hung like white silk connecting heaven and earth. The deafening water sound, after being buffered by the forest, became deep background music here, and the canyon was spacious with heaven and earth within view.

Eating New Year’s Eve dinner in such an environment was truly a wonderfully rare experience. Jing Hengbo felt it had much more atmosphere than opening a hundred tables in a palace with wine cups clinking, and it saved her from giving red envelopes to subordinates on New Year’s Day.

“Thank you for your hard work.” She personally ladled soup for the child. Yu Wuse accepted it, took a sip, looked intoxicated, and smiled: “Sister, you must try this soup. This is snow mushroom, the most tender thing. It’s a priceless treasure – normally even in the palace, you can’t eat it just because you want to.”

Jing Hengbo reached out, but her bowl was taken by Gong Yin. Jing Hengbo smiled and reached past him to take his bowl.

The two each ladled soup for the other. When they set down their bowls, they couldn’t help but look at each other and smile.

Between lovers, tender emotions naturally flowed like clouds and wind. Even Yu Wuse couldn’t help showing a slight smile.

Across from them, the man in brocade ladling his own soup pressed his lips together, suddenly missing Little Cake a bit.

He wondered if Little Cake would ladle soup for him at this moment?

No. If she really did ladle it for him, that bowl would definitely be doctored – either especially awful-tasting or would give him diarrhea.

Would he ladle soup for Little Cake?

Probably not either.

If this soup was made by Little Cake, there would be no chance for any cats and dogs to taste it, okay?

Across from him, the cats and dogs were all tasting soup, their smiles hazy in the steam.

The man in brocade found it glaring and hoped the great army would attack the valley right now, while also thinking he really should return quickly.

Jing Hengbo raised her soup bowl, gesturing to the three people beside her: “Gathering together for New Year today, whether willing or not, it’s still fate. Let’s make New Year wishes. I’ll start.”

Gong Yin turned his head, gazing at her.

But Jing Hengbo didn’t look at him, taking a sip of soup and saying: “I wish for all people I love and who love me to be healthy and well, and for every New Year to be better than the last. I wish for my enemies to have a good day today, but for every day after today to be worse than the day before.”

Yu Wuse burst out laughing, the man in brocade smiled ambiguously, and Gong Yin’s lips curved slightly, thinking Jing Hengbo was still too kind.

“I know bad people never cease to exist in this world, and petty people are everywhere, but I hope when encountering these bad people and petty people, all those I love will be there, trusting each other, being honest, and united. That way my persistence has meaning, and even retreat would be happiness.” She drained the soup like drinking wine: “I hope they understand that women aren’t just dodder flowers – for their persistence and love, they can each be as magnificent as mountains!”

She raised her bowl high: “Cheers to sisters as magnificent as mountains!”

Only Yu Wuse got up to clink bowls with her. The man in brocade’s expression seemed half-smiling, half-disdainful, glancing sideways at Gong Yin. Gong Yin’s eyes seemed to have starlight flashing, holding his soup bowl as if holding a thousand-jin wine cup in deep contemplation.

“My turn, my turn,” Yu Wuse crawled on the table, finally showing some youthful liveliness. “I hope my mother becomes gentler and gentler. I hope to inherit the throne early so she can’t force me to study martial arts anymore. I hope all people who made her cry get punished and die quickly—”

“What death talk on New Year’s?” Jing Hengbo laughingly stopped his words, seeing a flash of hostility between the boy’s brows.

“Your turn, you two.” Seeing the two great gods not speaking, she urged them.

The man in brocade sighed long: “To eat what I want to eat every day.”

Jing Hengbo waited a moment and asked: “That’s it?”

The man in brocade’s “stupid humans” expression returned. Jing Hengbo cursed “foodie” and turned to Gong Yin.

The steam from the soup bowl obscured his expression. She only heard him say lightly: “I wish there were no more choices in the world.”

Jing Hengbo felt the great gods playing at being profound was too annoying!

Every sentence was clouded in mystery – sounding like nothing at first listen, but able to radiate throughout the universe when you thought about it. Show-offs all talked like this.

On New Year’s, she wouldn’t argue with two-dimensional characters. She sat down to eat and drink. With Gong Yin and the man in brocade present, Jing Hengbo ate with confidence. Only now did she seriously taste the soup – it was indeed rich and fresh, the snow mushrooms smooth as clouds and jade, with an indescribably wonderful mouthfeel that made her eyes shine as she loudly praised it.

Yu Wuse, like a qualified chef with strong desire to showcase his cuisine, actually got up again and brought over a strange-looking pot, smiling: “There’s one last main dish – hot pot!”

Jing Hengbo laughed: “Oh, so Dahuang has hot pot too?”

“I heard it came from the East…” Yu Wuse didn’t finish before the man in brocade suddenly cut him off: “What ingredients did you put in?”

“I used wild boar leg bones and white fish from the pond to simmer base broth all night. Those white fish have thick scales and fat that melt completely when boiled. Added the most essential parts of various meats, plus the freshest wild mushrooms, wild onions for fragrance, and finally…” Yu Wuse magically produced a finger-sized small bottle from his belt, uncorked it, and like presenting a treasure, passed it under everyone’s noses. A rich wine aroma spread, overpowering all the other fragrances on the table.

Even Gong Yin said: “Good wine.” Then added: “Just too strong. Must be wine mother or such.”

Yu Wuse smiled: “You’re truly an expert. This wine was brewed by my master, called the Wine King, sold by the drop. This small bottle could intoxicate three grown men. My master is the Emerald tribe’s foremost wine-brewing expert. I begged so hard to get this bottle, originally planning to use it as starter for my own brewing. Who knew before I could use it, I got kidnapped.” He winked at Jing Hengbo: “Sister, want to try?”

Before Jing Hengbo could respond, Gong Yin already said lightly: “She doesn’t drink.”

Jing Hengbo chuckled and cursed: “Chauvinist pig.”

Yu Wuse laughed: “Just asking for fun. Even if I really brought it out to drink, I’d be reluctant. This is for flavoring – one drop is enough.”

As he spoke, about to pour into the hot pot, he suddenly stopped and handed the bottle to the man in brocade: “Smell this – isn’t it fragrant?”

The man in brocade took it, glanced at it, nodded, and played with the jade bottle: “This bottle is quite nice.”

Jing Hengbo saw the bottle was only finger-joint sized, shaped like bamboo, with emerald jade quality – indeed very interesting.

The man in brocade flicked the jade bottle with his fingertip, producing a clear sound, and praised again: “Good jade!”

His manner actually seemed like he’d developed interest in the thing.

Jing Hengbo found it strange. This man in brocade obviously came from wealth and luxury and should be accustomed to fine things. Though this bottle was nice, it shouldn’t move him this much, right?

Yu Wuse looked longingly at the bottle, also seeming very reluctant. Jing Hengbo propped her chin and smiled: “Since he likes it so much, just give it to him – consider it ransom for your freedom.”

She was intentionally reminding Yu Wuse to take this chance to curry favor with the man in brocade, hoping this pervert would be in a good mood and release him. But Yu Wuse seemed not to understand, looking expectantly at the man in brocade.

The man in brocade played with the bottle for a while before pouring one drop into the hot pot. Immediately fragrance rose, an indescribable tempting flavor that seemed to stir all the gluttons in one’s belly. Jing Hengbo couldn’t help but lean over, nostrils flaring, cheeks slightly red, even her eyes full of moist, greedy light.

Seeing her like this, Gong Yin simply filled a bowl for her. Several people began eating. Jing Hengbo quickly stuffed herself full of fish and meat, began feeling greasy, and feeling thirsty from overeating, her target shifted to the lightest wild bird egg mushroom soup.

She quickly ladled herself a bowl and another for Gong Yin. She naturally ignored the man in brocade, and Yu Wuse had already eaten too much, holding his belly to digest.

Everyone drank the soup. Jing Hengbo burped with satisfaction, thinking this New Year’s Eve shouldn’t be spent all night with cats and dogs, and quietly tugged Gong Yin’s sleeve.

The two left the table, strolling in the moonlit canyon. The canyon floor was flat, and because of the cold, the ground was frozen hard and smooth, gleaming with ice.

Some swamps had also frozen, appearing like a black skating rink under the dim light.

Jing Hengbo suddenly got interested, ran back to Yu Wuse’s temporary kitchen, found several slippery furry pelts, cut and tied them to her shoe soles, grabbed Gong Yin’s hand, and rushed toward the ice surfaces.

“Careful not to fall…” Before Gong Yin finished speaking, she had already let go of his hand, gliding gracefully like a swallow past him.

In an instant she seemed like a shooting star, flashing and gliding on the ice. After slightly crouching, she performed graceful extensions. Sometimes spreading her arms like a flamboyant butterfly dancing on ice, sometimes putting her hands behind her back with black hair flying beside her cheeks. This was also a sport showcasing feminine beauty – the flexibility of the waist, the strength of legs, the elegance of neck, the streamlined figure – like a bright, beautiful silver blade, slicing through ice, through night, through the canyon’s silence.

Gong Yin stood before the ice, his eyes full of her reflection. This woman could find joy anywhere, never giving up or sinking in hardship, finding her own freshness and happiness. This was a state of mind only those with great wisdom and good fortune could possess – unbreakable, indestructible, perfect and satisfying.

This was exactly the her he loved – forever bright, graceful as a butterfly. Beautiful not only in appearance, but more so in having a heart that loved life.

Only such a woman could ignite his silence – one heart lamp becoming blazing fire, burning quietly with a whoosh.

On the slope, a figure stood with robes fluttering – the man in brocade, watching the woman below whose laughter rang like silver bells, drawing circle after circle on the ice. Loneliness suddenly surged in his eyes.

Jing Hengbo spread her arms, facing the wind, refreshing air flowing through her chest on this night. Starlight sparkled in the sky, all gently entering her heart.

Getting warm from skating, she threw off her outer robe, wearing only her inner garment, spinning on the ice.

The last time she ice skated was in that modern world. Then she had ice skates – a brilliant red pair. Little Cake, who didn’t like sports, always held the railings, and Little Transparent honestly skated along the edges. Only she and Taishi Lan would skate in opposite directions every time, colliding again and again, insisting on turning ice skating into bumper cars.

Now, where were they? Cunning Little Cake, honest Jun Ke, cold Taishi – what were you all doing? Did you know that at this moment, I was in a remote canyon, skating on swamps facing a waterfall?

“Ah ah ah ah where are you all?” she suddenly shouted. “Can you hear my voice? Happy New Year! Everyone must be well!”

Her voice carried far – could the people she missed hear it?

“Whoosh.” Jing Hengbo glided backward and suddenly appeared before Gong Yin, grabbing his hand: “Come!”