Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 434 Winter Solstice
P.S.: It's tough. I was half asleep this afternoon and realized I couldn't write anymore, so I grabbed my phone and posted a delay message, thinking I could get up around 8 am and post it around 10 am. But when I woke up and checked the time, damn it, it was past 4 am! I was stunned. I slept at 1 pm, that's 15 hours...

I'll make up for it today.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Lu Xingzhou had no idea that someone outside was self-harming, and that his relationship with Sheng Yuanyao had naturally progressed and his long-cherished wish had been fulfilled. He was extremely satisfied.

Originally, it was thought that even a fierce general like Pei Chuyun, who possessed the Charming Maiden Mystic Art, could not withstand more than a few rounds. Sheng Yuanyao, who had always seemed to be the least skilled in cultivation, was even less likely to be able to withstand it since it was her first time.

At first, he didn't even dare to use the Great Joy and Bliss Sutra, because that technique was too intense and he was afraid that Sheng Yuanyao wouldn't be able to withstand it, so he was very cautious.

However, he forgot that Sheng Yuanyao had learned the Great Joy and Bliss Sutra with him. He didn't circulate his internal energy, but Sheng Yuanyao instinctively began to circulate it.

As the two poles attract each other, his technique naturally activated, instantly putting both of them into a meditative state.

Then Lu Xingzhou confirmed that the reason Pei Chuyun couldn't withstand it wasn't actually a matter of male and female cultivation techniques.

It's not that the little demoness lacks physical training; her cultivation doesn't follow this path. She relies entirely on the Charming Maiden Mystic Art to dominate in such matters. Once she loses her advantage in cultivation techniques, and everyone competes on physical strength, the little demoness becomes a pushover, easily crushed.

Now that Lu Xingzhou has forged his Golden Dragon Body, how could a mere little demon girl withstand him?

On the contrary, Gua Mei was a martial arts practitioner from beginning to end, and was originally very agile, like a cheetah. This time, the Demon Realm tempered her Wind and Thunder Body, and her endurance was far superior to that of the little demon girl.

Look at those legs wrapped around her waist; there are actually some faint muscle lines. Lu Xingzhou even felt that if he hadn't trained his body, he would have been crushed by her.

The two were evenly matched and fought for three or four rounds... but in the end, Sheng Yuanyao was the first to be defeated.

No matter how strong her body is, she can't compare to the Dragon Emperor...

Long Qinghuang could last seven rounds, so what makes Agua think she can?

Even with all its muscles, the leg couldn't hold on any longer and fell limply, bouncing twice before going still.

He was drenched in sweat, his hair was wet and stuck to his forehead, as if he had been pulled out of the water, and he stared blankly at the ceiling.

Lu Xingzhou thought he looked exceptionally good.

The defeat GIF even had sound; Sheng Yuanyao, already exhausted, still muttered, "Why can Long Qinghuang win seven times... I'm not convinced..."

Her voice was a little hoarse, yet she still wouldn't admit it... Lu Xingzhou was both amused and annoyed, and took a silk handkerchief to wipe her sweat: "You..."

After wiping away her sweat, he cleaned up the mess from their battle. Sheng Yuanyao snapped out of her daze, her gaze shifting to his face. Seeing his focused and gentle expression, her heart softened as well: "Xingzhou..."

"Ok?"

"So this kind of thing really feels so good... and my cultivation level has increased a lot."

Lu Xingzhou just smiled.

Sheng Yuanyao weakly reached out and tugged at him: "Stop wiping, come up and lie down."

Maybe I'll want it again after I've rested, so why bother wiping it? Humph.

Lu Xingzhou readily lay down on her, and Sheng Yuanyao comfortably buried herself in his shoulder: "If I had known it would be this comfortable, I wouldn't have been so stubborn. What brother... well, even if we are brothers, we can still have some fun."

Lu Xingzhou kissed her forehead: "My Agua has principles, which is a good thing. Now we are a proper engaged couple, opening our hearts to each other without any worries. That's what it means to meet like the wind and dew, and for a melon to ripen and fall from the vine."

"What do you mean by 'your little melon,' and then 'the melon ripens and falls from the vine'?" Sheng Yuanyao almost laughed when she heard this, and lightly punched him. Even though she loved gossip, she never felt that her nickname was "little melon," although Old Sheng sometimes called her a melon. Did those two melons mean the same thing?

However, Sheng Yuanyao also knew that if Lu Xingzhou had wanted to seduce her into bed earlier, she, who already liked him, would most likely have succumbed to sweet words and been completely taken advantage of. The fact that he never did so was a sign of respect for her persistence, while he secretly planned a marriage proposal in his heart.

Although he had quite a few suitors, oh well, that doesn't matter. In short, Sheng Yuanyao could understand his feelings, and her heart softened even more. She was also a little annoyed that she hadn't done it... She could actually guess that Pei Chuyun had already done *that*, and with Long Qinghuang, she didn't know if there were others... Anyway, he would take responsibility, and her insistence had left her in the running, which was a huge loss.

If he had ulterior motives from their first meeting, then I, who easily won first place, could have easily gotten it! *sobs* Who knew him before me?! Honestly, among those who had ulterior motives from their first meeting, Sheng Yuanyao was one too—Lu Xingzhou was handsome, after all. This is what you call mutual attraction, both lustful.

With a mix of sweetness and regret, Sheng Yuanyao nestled comfortably in the man's arms and fell asleep without realizing it.

I'm so tired.

Yuan Muyu looked at the sky; it was already slightly light.

She had no idea what she was thinking that night... The snow gradually covered her head and shoulders, turning her hair white overnight.

Today is the winter solstice.

Yuan Muyu slowly brushed the snow off her body and then slowly stood up, leaning on the pillar.

I wanted to see how good they were... and I saw it.

Pei Chuyun said, "He helped me a lot, and he didn't ask for anything in return. He just wanted to be in a relationship..." So she fell in love. Then she looked at this identical situation and wondered what she was doing.

Ye Tinglan said, "There are things here that I cannot bear to part with, so even the Immortal Realm is no longer of concern to me." Then she looked at this identical situation and wondered what she herself was doing.

Sheng Yuanyao took out the withered grass circle, worthless, yet etched in her heart. Looking at herself, she saw ten years of deep affection discarded like trash.

She says she loves him... Compared to them, where is the love?

The world moves forward relentlessly, regardless of anyone's will. Just as snowflakes arrive in winter, even a boy who has left home will find his place. No one waits for you in the same place.

Yuan Muyu turned and glanced at the houses over there before silently leaving.

If one is to sever ties, this should be done to ensure a complete break.

…………

The next day, the young couple woke up to find the sun already high in the sky... Well, that's not quite accurate, because the snow was falling even harder, and there were thick clouds in the sky, so there was no sun.

However, faint voices could be heard coming from Qingyao Garden—Qingyao Garden is a tourist attraction that charges admission, and with the first snow of the year, it meant that some people had come here to enjoy the snow.

Sheng Yuanyao looked up at Lu Xingzhou, and Lu Xingzhou was also looking at her. The two smiled at each other.

Sheng Yuanyao got up and dressed, muttering, "Look at the time, we don't even know how long it will be before we get to the yamen."

"Why bother with that?" Lu Xingzhou stood up and hugged her from behind. "Madam, are you unaware that today is the Winter Solstice and you are not going to the yamen?"

Sheng Yuanyao blinked, then remembered: "Really... What a loss!"

"What's the loss?"

"I should have stopped it from opening today."

"So General Sheng admits that this place was pre-arranged yesterday?"

Sheng Yuanyao's face burned, and she stomped on his foot angrily: "I arranged everything myself, but you took advantage of me and left me alone. Are you proud of that?"

"I'm just proud that I found a good wife." Lu Xingzhou hugged her, and the two of them secretly looked out the window into the distance.

Faintly visible below the mountain, by the lake, were scattered young men and women, each holding an oil-paper umbrella, admiring the snowy scenery and seemingly reciting poetry. Sheng Yuanyao chuckled, "You poets are really something. Coming here in this heavy snow, with umbrellas still in hand? Are you paying to torture yourselves?"

"Why are we poets the only ones? I'm not one."

“Aren’t you one yet? The words on your stone tablet have been praised by the literati of the capital as a tablet that can hold the capital in high esteem.” Sheng Yuanyao said with a smile, “If it weren’t for your stone tablet, Qingyao Garden, where people have died, would not be as glorious as it is now.”

"That's great, we're making money. They can do their thing, we'll do ours." As Lu Xingzhou spoke, he slipped his hand inside the clothes that Sheng Yuanyao had just put on.

Warm and smooth, so much fun.

Sheng Yuanyao's breathing became slightly rapid, but she did not stop the man's hand.

Things are different now. Now that they're getting married, it's something to be happy about for a man to be infatuated with his own body.

The feeling of having people in the distance made Agua feel a little ashamed, so he whispered, "I...I'll go tell them that the inn is not accepting guests today. Then you, you can do whatever you want."

Actually, the guesthouse is a whole area, not just this one small courtyard. Just like staying at a guesthouse, there's absolutely no need to book the whole place.

The young general, however, was still a bit naive as a new wife.

Lu Xingzhou naturally wouldn't refute her little opinion. The two held hands and went out the door, intending to find the person in charge here to give instructions.

As soon as I stepped out of the house and reached the steps, I saw a group of men and women walking up the mountain.

The person in the lead looks familiar; who else could it be but Miss Pei, the famous talented woman from the capital?
Sheng Yuanyao immediately understood how these inexplicably and untimely snow-appreciating poets had appeared, and she gritted her teeth: "Pei Chuyun, are you looking for trouble?"

Pei Chuyun stopped and looked Sheng Yuanyao up and down several times, focusing on a certain part of her body. She said in a cool tone, "The marriage hasn't even been discussed yet, and... tsk, General Sheng is really as eager as a wolf."

"I wonder who it is that's so eager and impatient." Sheng Yuanyao immediately adopted the air of a hostess: "I'm sorry, everyone, the mountain inn is not open today. If you want to explore, please go boating on the lake."

Someone asked, "How can we go boating on the lake in this heavy snow?"

"That's none of my business. Go find whoever invited you." Sheng Yuanyao raised her voice: "Steward Zhang, close the gates and see the guests out!"

Pei Chuyun said, "We're giving you money to tour the entire area, including accommodation!"

"I'll give you your money back." Sheng Yuanyao put her hands on her hips. "So what if your Pei family is rich?"

Pei Chuyun sighed: "What a spendthrift woman."

Before he could say anything more, Lu Xingzhou grabbed his ear.

Pei Chuyun: "?"

A group of young men, women, scholars, and writers behind them stared in disbelief.

Lu Xingzhou pulled Pei Chuyun over, putting one arm around her and the other around Sheng Yuanyao, and said in a strong voice, "I'm sorry everyone, but today our family is celebrating the Winter Solstice, so even the lake is closed. We'll refund all the money and give you some compensation for your travel expenses. It's just a small token of our appreciation."

People watched him with blank expressions as he embraced two women.

Is money what we care about?

You chased us away, and now what are you, a man and two women, trying to do here? Huh?
(End of this chapter)