Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 519 The Moon Reflects Hanchuan
One sentence brought to light the awkwardness that Lu Xingzhou and Jiang Yuan had deliberately avoided mentioning, and the bubble of "nothing happened" that the two had been maintaining was directly burst.

Jiang Yuan's face burned, and she jumped up immediately: "That was an accident! It was a trap!"

Dugu Qingli nodded silently: "I'm familiar with this matter."

Jiang Yuan was furious: "How can I be compared to you?!"

Dugu Qingli felt that since you even stole my lyrics, what else was different?

But after doing some calculations, he felt that the lines didn't belong to him alone, and that his statement seemed unreasonable, so he changed it to: "What you said is not without merit, after all, I wasn't selling my body before that."

Jiang Yuan jumped up and down: "It's not like I, Jiang Yuan, am unwanted. I would only steal a man like you guys if I were taken by a pig! I'm warning you, don't tell anyone about this accident, lest it affect my future dating prospects."

Dugu Qingli looked at her suspiciously, analyzing the truthfulness of her words.

If they really weren't here to steal it, why would they go around spreading rumors? Just get as far away from me as possible, okay?

Lu Xingzhou hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped. First of all, you really have been taken advantage of by a pig... Secondly, you actually have a hard time finding a partner, at least in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Everyone in Daqian knew that Lu Xingzhou and Jiang Yuan had been engaged. If it were before, it wouldn't have mattered. But now that Lu Xingzhou held immense power, who would dare to compete with Lord Lu for a woman? No one dared to gamble on whether the two still had feelings for each other.

If the Frost Kingdom and the Demon Realm knew about this, Jiang Yuan probably wouldn't be able to find a partner even if she went abroad. Given Lu Xingzhou's status in both kingdoms, no one would dare to try and steal him away. Right now, things are barely okay, based on the premise that people abroad aren't aware of this.

Another possibility is that the opposing side would do this.

Thinking of this, Lu Xingzhou suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. If there really was some enemy deliberately trying to seduce Jiang Yuan, wouldn't this idiot, who was trying to distance herself from him, be easily deceived? Thinking of that scene, his eyes turned a little gloomy.

Dugu Qingli, with her keen senses, turned to look at Lu Xingzhou. It was strange; Lu Xingzhou hadn't seemed this gloomy in a long time. What had these conversations done to make him so somber?
Little White Hair reached out and grasped Lu Xingzhou's hand with a hint of worry.

Feeling the cool touch of her slender hand, Lu Xingzhou came back to his senses and smiled self-deprecatingly: "If Miss Jiang is unwilling to talk about it, then so be it. I suppose Miss Jiang wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous and make decisions on her own without Mr. Jiang's permission... I will discuss this matter with Mr. Jiang when we return to Beijing next time."

Jiang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's right, that's exactly it. Go ask my grandfather."

"Furthermore..." Lu Xingzhou paused, then changed the subject slightly: "I am willing to help Miss Jiang find her things because we fought side by side this time, and I want to make some compensation since Miss Jiang didn't gain much. The Emperor's Blood that Miss Jiang mentioned should be a treasure of higher caliber in both realms, which is beyond the scope of compensation."

Jiang Yuan muttered, "I was just saying that. What I really meant was that you don't need to pretend to be rich."

Lu Xingzhou said, "But if Miss Jiang wants my help to find something as a collaborator, we can discuss some conditions."

Jiang Yuan waved her hand weakly: "Forget it, I was just saying it casually. I didn't expect anyone to find it, so what's there to talk about?"

Lu Xingzhou asked, "What if I have a clue? Or something similar?"

Jiang Yuan scoffed, "You wouldn't even know what Emperor's Blood is if I didn't tell you. Now you suddenly have a clue. Men's words are indeed deceitful."

Lu Xingzhou blinked: "What if it really is?"

Jiang Yuan waved her hand: "Then you can name any conditions you want!"

Before she could finish speaking, her words caught in her throat, and she stared blankly as Lu Xingzhou pulled out a piece of blood encased in ice.

The blood circulates in the ice, seemingly alive.

Jiang Yuan slowly opened her small mouth wide, her peach blossom eyes revealing extreme shock and longing. Her heart was pounding so hard that Dugu Qingli could hear it.

Lu Xingzhou scrutinized her expression: "You know her?"

"I...I know him." Jiang Yuan stammered, "You...how could you have this..."

This blood actually belonged to the Ice Prison Sect. Ling Qixuan, unaware of its purpose, casually gave it to Lu Xingzhou as a favor. The power contained within the blood was definitely above the Super Grade level, but it was certainly far inferior to the so-called Emperor Blood; it couldn't possibly be Emperor Blood. However, Lu Xingzhou felt there should be some connection, and sure enough, when he took it out, it stunned Jiang Yuan.

"Don't tell me this is the blood of the Emperor?"

"No, no." Jiang Yuan's mouth was a little dry: "Although it's not imperial blood, it's from one of the generations with a very close bloodline to the imperial blood... Where did you come from?!"

"So it's useful to you?"

"Yes, it's very useful." Jiang Yuan raised her head, her eyes pleading pitifully, "Could I have this?"

Dugu Qingli: "...You still say you're not a stinking beggar."

Jiang Yuan sniffled, not daring to refute.

She desperately wanted this. She never imagined that Lu Xingzhou would actually pull out something like imperial blood, something so almost impossible to obtain.

To be honest, even if she truly possessed imperial blood, she might not be able to absorb it at her current cultivation level; she could only watch helplessly. On the contrary, this diluted blood from several generations ago was like a divine gift to her, something she could completely control.

Lu Xingzhou said, "You said I can name any conditions I want?"

Jiang Yuan instinctively gripped her collar and took a step back warily.

Lu Xingzhou looked him up and down and scoffed, "Come on, I didn't even want you even if you pounced on me yourself."

Jiang Yuan dared not speak her anger, and forced a smile, saying, "Yes, yes, Lord Lu has countless beauties around him, how could he possibly be interested in a lowly beggar? May I ask what conditions Lord Lu has? Do you want to know about the Ancient Realm? Shall I tell you now?"

Dugu Qingli: "..."

Lu Xingzhou wanted to laugh, but deliberately kept a straight face and said, "That would be too difficult for you. I already told you I would ask your grandfather."

Jiang Yuan swallowed her anger and said, "Actually, I can decide that."

"Because you're a little princess?" Jiang Yuan smiled ingratiatingly but didn't answer, secretly wondering if she could beat the two of them.

"I heard you and Chu Yun are best friends?"

"Yes, yes, Yun'er and I are very close. The Marquis is doing this for Yun'er's sake..."

Lu Xingzhou didn't think Pei Chuyun would be genuinely good to him at all, and said, "Do you know that Chuyun used to be my maid?"

"what?"

"Work as my bodyguard for a year, and this is yours."

Jiang Yuan gritted her teeth, making a grinding sound: "We, the Jiang family, do not submit to others!"

"You still want to date, so sooner or later you'll be subservient to someone else."

Jiang Yuan: "?"

Dugu Qingli finally understood why Lu Xingzhou had put on this show; he was actually jealous.

She even denied being a prostitute or a mistress.

Sometimes I feel that Jiang Yuan is quite unlucky. This blood clearly belongs to the Ice Prison Sect. If Ling Qixuan hadn't pretended to be generous and given it to Lu Xingzhou, then this blood would be sitting in this treasure vault, rightfully distributed to Jiang Yuan as spoils of war. But since Ling Qixuan gave it away, the blood isn't part of the Ice Prison Sect's treasure vault anymore; it belongs to Lu Xingzhou… and then that jerk will have it all to himself.

It's too awful.

Thinking of this, Little White Hair squeezed Lu Xingzhou's hand, unsure whether he was sympathizing with Silly Jiang or feeling jealous himself.

Sensing the little white hair's jealousy, Lu Xingzhou finally sighed and handed the blood directly to Jiang Yuan: "Alright, take it for now... If you don't want to be subordinate to anyone, then as a collaborator, you'll follow my orders and protect me for a year, is that alright?"

"Huh?" Jiang Yuan was dumbfounded, holding the ice cube.

That condition is acceptable, but shouldn't you give me something after it's completed? If you give it to me now, and I don't fulfill it, wouldn't you be at a huge loss?
In truth, Jiang Yuan didn't think her "protection" was worth the price. She had witnessed Lu Xingzhou's strength firsthand; he was no less powerful than herself. Beside him was a stinky white-haired guy who could transform into a demon at any moment, and his strength was equally terrifying. Outside, in a wheelchair, sat the Yama King, who could jump around in front of the Formless Ice Demon…

Why would they need their own "protection"... and the price they're offering is priceless. No, "priceless" doesn't even begin to describe it; this is something that could drive the ancient world mad.

Lu Xingzhou sighed: "Just consider it that I think your strength is not enough right now, so I'll improve it for you first. Alright, alright, it's getting dark, go and rest."

After saying that, he grabbed Dugu Qingli and ran away, seemingly unwilling to talk to Jiang Yuan any further.

Jiang Yuan held the ice cubes and watched his retreating figure. Her peach blossom eyes gradually became complicated, and she bit her lower lip.

Dugu Qingli accompanied Lu Xingzhou hand in hand towards the Ice Prison Sect's guest house, remaining silent as if admiring the Ice Prison Sect's night view.

Ice flowers bloom on both sides of the mountain path, crystal clear and white, opening to greet the moon, shrouded in icy mist, a truly beautiful sight.

Lu Xingzhou casually picked a flower and gave it to Dugu Qingli, saying carefully, "I apologize, don't be angry."

Dugu Qingli remained expressionless: "What crime have you committed?"

Lu Xingzhou said cautiously, "I shouldn't have been so greedy and developed feelings for Jiang Yuan again."

Dugu Qingli said, "I wouldn't say I'm greedy... it's just that I'm not happy that you're doing this in front of me."

Lu Xingzhou also turned to look at her.

The young girl lowers her head to gently smell the ice-cold flower; the scene is picturesque.

Seeing Lu Xingzhou looking at her, Dugu Qingli added, "But when I pinched you, you immediately gave up, and I was very happy."

Lu Xingzhou scratched his head.

"Lu Xingzhou..."

"Ok?"

"I didn't understand before why men and women would break off plant genitalia and give them to each other, even though the lewd implications were considered beautiful."

Lu Xingzhou: “?”

No, how did it become a vulgar innuendo? How did you analyze the data?
But Dugu Qingli continued, "When you picked flowers for me, my heart pounded... and then I understood that all men and women in the world feel the same way."

Lu Xingzhou reached out to touch her head, but then raised his hand and hesitated.

“Because a man can be unhappy with a single word, and happy with another, and delighted with just a casually picked flower…” Dugu Qingli said in a low voice, “They say that the heart of cultivation should be like the moon reflected in a cold river, without any ripples. I used to think that there was nothing special about it. Isn’t that how people are born? Now I understand. It’s really different. It turns out that a person’s mood can be completely independent of themselves.”

Lu Xingzhou said nothing.

"Now I understand Aunt Fuyao's madness a little. She feels that it's not right for her heart to be swayed by a man's words... Caught between two difficult choices, she made a regrettable decision, and in the end, there was no going back, leaving her with nothing but regret."

"And you?" Lu Xingzhou finally asked, "What would you choose?"

Dugu Qingli stopped and turned to look at Lu Xingzhou, her blue eyes clear and pure: "If Hanchuan were personified, the moon would shine brightly on the ice and snow, and the world would be shrouded in darkness. This is what is meant by 'feelings change with people.' But Lu Xingzhou, can you become the moon that shines eternally above Hanchuan?"

In the distance, on a cliff, Yuan Muyu sat in a wheelchair, gazing at the moon from the edge of the cliff.

The sound of the young man and woman talking drifted into Yuan Muyu's ears. Yuan Muyu looked at the moonlight and remained silent for a long time.

(End of this chapter)