Li Tai and Hipatia returned from touring the mountains. They exchanged courtesies and parted ways. Yun Ye stood in front of the main building watching—one gracefully went to find Xinyue, while the other walked over leisurely. His guards were covered all over with strange flowers and grasses, or oddly-shaped tree roots. The two had played for an entire day.

Yun Ye didn’t ask, and Li Tai didn’t answer. After the greeting, Li Tai entered the bamboo building to bathe and change clothes. He could be heard singing inside, his mood quite pleasant. Xinyue came looking for Yun Ye, and seeing her husband frowning as if thinking about something, asked what the matter was.

“Would you find it strange if Qing Que married Hipatia?” Yun Ye asked Xinyue.

“What’s strange about that? Feelings have long been secretly growing between those two—they just don’t know it themselves. Hipatia even curses Qing Que in her sleep. I still understand the principle of ‘deep love leads to harsh criticism.’ Could it be that husband has other thoughts?”

“Our family of five is already living very well—why look for more trouble? How could Hipatia compare to you? I’m just expressing some sentiment about the wonders of fate. Should we give those two a push?”

“Good heavens, let’s not commit such sins. Those two are both troublemakers. They have feelings but no matchmaker’s words. I won’t be a lecherous matchmaker, and you should do it less too—it’s indecent.”

“Last night when I stripped you naked you didn’t say such things. Only now do you know about indecency—too late!”

Bedroom talk with Xinyue couldn’t be said under broad daylight. As soon as he said it, she became angry. Although at night he could still strip her naked, he could only do it, not talk about it.

Na Rimu was as happy as a hen that had just laid an egg, giggling incessantly. Even during meals she didn’t stop, holding her rice bowl while lifting the door curtain to look at the woodpile in the square.

The woodpile was heaped like a small mountain, just waiting for the sun to set and the moon to rise before being lit. Who knew how the elder determined there would be no clouds obscuring the moon tonight? At dusk, aside from a wisp of sunset clouds at the horizon, the weather was extremely clear. The azure sky was full of birds returning to roost in the forest. The elephants on the mountainside also trumpeted as they returned to their valley resting place.

Meng Lu poured a large bucket of boiled pine resin onto the woodpile, tossed in a torch, and flames leaped into the sky. The threshing ground was illuminated brightly. The great fire seemed to be a signal—countless women wearing blue-black clothes emerged from the darkness. They quickly arranged circle after circle of tables around the bonfire. Various delicious and not-so-delicious foods were placed on the tables, among which the essential item was orange-yellow bananas.

Yun Ye, Li Tai, and Li Rong, at the elder’s invitation, ascended a specially erected platform. Xinyue, Na Rimu, and Lingdang were also invited onto the platform to watch. Na Rimu and Lingdang, who had never experienced such grand occasions, were quite embarrassed, clutching Yun Mu and Yun Xiang without letting go, completely lacking Xinyue’s inviolable noble bearing.

“How have you endured such a wife for so many years? Even daughters of great aristocratic families don’t have your wife’s commanding presence. After a few more years of cultivation, hehe, she’ll be comparable to my mother.”

Li Tai was not at all unfamiliar with fermented wine. He held a long reed straw in his mouth and looked like he had already drunk quite a bit. However, he only shared one jar with Yun Ye—if he drank with others, Prince Wei would become angry.

The grand elder smiled with his mouth that had few teeth remaining, scattering a handful of white rice on the ground. Jars of fermented wine were placed on the tables. A large group of elders held hands and circled the bonfire chaotically twice, then laughed and said the worship of the gods was complete—everyone could dance now. They all returned to the platform to watch the young women’s performance.

“Marquis, the area around the village is full of men. They look like Liao people and seem to have ill intentions. Should we capture them all?” Liu Jinbao brought his mouth close to Yun Ye and quietly asked.

“Capture what? Without those men, what moon would there be to jump at? Those men are all here to snatch women. These women dressed up beautifully are waiting to be snatched. If you capture them all and these women have no men to snatch them, they’ll tear you apart and eat you. If you’re capable, you go snatch one yourself.”

Liu Jinbao was delighted upon hearing this and said quietly: “Marquis, are you telling the truth? Can I also go snatch one? That big-eyed young lady has been staring at me for half the day. I’ll change clothes and cover my face and go right over.”

“You can snatch her, but don’t cover your face. Since the young lady likes you, then go. In any case, you can’t marry her and bring her home—I heard you can marry into her family.” Liu Jinbao followed him with much hardship—having an opportunity to reward him wasn’t bad.

“That won’t do. I’m a grown man—if I married into her family, I’d have no face to see people. My ancestors would be shamed too. I’ll just enjoy myself tonight. I’ll go prepare right now.”

Watching Liu Jinbao’s hurried departure, Li Tai’s guard captain’s face was full of envy. Li Tai kicked him, indicating he could also go. The guard captain struggled for a moment but still guarded Li Tai without leaving. After all, he was a professional bodyguard—far better than a scoundrel like Liu Jinbao who let lust lead his thoughts.

A group of young girls came out calling “hai hai” in formation. Yun Ye quietly explained to his wives and concubine: “Those coming out now are all the village’s girls who just came of age this year—also the most precious. These girls aren’t allowed to be snatched unless she’s willing. Whoever uses force will be scorned to death by everyone.”

“Hmph, wilderness coupling can become a celebration—truly shameless. These barbarian sorts don’t understand human ethics. Random coupling is intolerable to heaven and earth.” Xinyue completely had the face of a gossipy busybody. Hearing this, Yun Ye’s mouth twitched and he decided not to speak further, leaving Na Rimu and Lingdang looking bewildered.

Yun Ye saw that Hipatia had actually appeared in the formation and couldn’t help being greatly alarmed. He elbowed Li Tai, who was already fascinated by the fermented wine. Li Tai followed Yun Ye’s pointing finger and looked, greatly startled. Just as he was about to jump up, Yun Ye pressed him down.

“Don’t say your brother didn’t tell you in advance—a woman like Hipatia, if you want to marry her it probably won’t work. She’s unwilling. I’ve long heard Xinyue say that Hipatia very much wants a child. Her purpose in participating in the moon-jumping festival today is probably this—either a single night of passion, or let another man take advantage. Don’t underestimate Meng Mountain—among so many men, there might be one who moves her heart. Once she’s entered the arena, she must follow Meng Mountain’s rules. Look, the men’s circle is already approaching the women’s circle. Wow, one man didn’t succeed—that tall one behind him might make it.”

Li Tai could bear it no longer. He jumped off the platform and without any hesitation hoisted Hipatia over his shoulder and left. The guard captain hesitated, not knowing whether he should protect the prince, until Yun Ye kicked him again and only then did he hurriedly chase after them.

“May your spring dreams leave no trace!” Yun Ye cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to Li Tai from afar. Just now Hipatia hadn’t resisted at all—their good fortune would surely come to pass.

“Husband, I also want to go down and dance. Come down with me!” Na Rimu tugged at Yun Ye’s sleeve, constantly urging him. Xinyue slapped Na Rimu’s back and said: “Look, the people below are all savages. Husband is a frail scholar—how could he be their match? Do you really want to be hoisted away by someone?”

Yun Ye most hated when people called him a frail scholar. He pulled Na Rimu and jumped down to the threshing ground. Xinyue couldn’t stop them even by pulling. She could only tightly grasp Lingdang, threatening her not to go down.

Yun Ye had long known how to do the circle dance. Na Rimu was slow at learning other things, but she was quite nimble at learning to dance. In just a few moves she danced quite convincingly. A younger elder picked up a copper drum and began beating it. The drumbeats were casual yet fervent. The people below danced even more joyfully. Na Rimu gripped her husband’s hand tightly because the women beside her had already changed several times—all hoisted away by men who burst out from the darkness.

Xinyue’s disdainful expression gradually faded, slowly turning into longing. Her husband and Na Rimu were playing very happily. She felt some regret—she should have let herself go and played. Just as she was disappointed, she discovered her husband had also hoisted Na Rimu up. In a few steps he leaped onto the platform. The tired Na Rimu’s small face was flushed. She grabbed the fermented wine and took a fierce sip, adjusting her breathing with satisfaction. Yun Ye didn’t rest—he hoisted Xinyue down with flailing limbs, forcibly inserting her into the crowd to dance.

Joy was contagious. Meng Na held Xinyue’s hand and twisted her body even more exaggeratedly. When the drumbeats intensified, she even loosened her hair, shaking her head to let her hair fly. Xinyue unconsciously also began twisting and kicking her legs, though her magnificent clothing stood out very conspicuously in the crowd.

The grand elder pointed at the Yun Ye couple and introduced them to the other elders, his face full of wrinkles from smiling. That such noble guests could play so happily at Meng Mountain was also everyone’s honor. As for that even more noble guest Prince Wei Tai, he only considered him a good friend of the distinguished guest.

Xinyue’s breathing became heavy. For a lady of a great family to persist for one incense stick’s time in the intense moon-jumping was already quite remarkable. Xinyue suddenly cried out because she discovered that Meng Lu, who had painted himself pitch black, had suddenly hoisted Meng Na away. As he left, he even flashed his big white teeth at her in greeting.

Yun Ye was also exhausted. He tried to hoist her but discovered he no longer had the strength to lift Xinyue. The two could only return to the platform hand in hand. Lying on the platform sticking out his tongue and panting, Yun Ye saw Lingdang crawl over with a face full of resentment. For the first time, he discovered that having many wives was truly an exhausting matter.

Xinyue gleefully watched her husband, drinking the fermented wine with slurping sounds. She also held Yun Mu and kissed him, then kindly took Yun Xiang from Lingdang’s arms, indicating that Lingdang could go dance…

Yun Ye ate a bite of banana, then drank a sip of fermented wine. Immediately his spirits rose again. With a great shout, he dragged Lingdang to dance. The scene was extremely harmonious. Women were constantly being hoisted away, and women constantly joined in. Many women with disheveled hair and grass stalks all over their bodies actually returned, their clothes not even properly worn, half their soft bosoms exposed, dancing even more vigorously…

No one watched the moon, and no one paid attention to the dance movements anymore. Everyone was madly twisting their bodies, venting excess energy. Primitive, primal, wild—yet also thoroughly satisfying.

The moon-jumping dance was originally a dance organized by the village for the propagation of descendants. When this dance began, even the grand elder didn’t know. He only knew that he had participated in the moon-jumping dance when he was very young. For Meng Village, the moon-jumping dance was as important as eating and sleeping.