Yang Delun was alone in the back alley, hitting the wall with his right fist four times, his knuckles throbbing with pain. He was utterly humiliated. He was angry. He had never been humiliated like this in his life.
Since he was a teenager, he had failed to accomplish anything meaningful. He recalled five years ago, when he was wandering the street, trying to figure out what to do next, someone had approached him and asked if he was the hunter Zhao Renshu.
Since then, he had been imitating Zhao Renshu, and his life had dramatically improved. As long as he pretended to be this person, he could get everything he wanted; no matter where he went, he would have women, food, and money. He had been about to catch a "big fish" and settle down, and then the real Zhao Renshu had appeared and utterly defeated him. He took off his priest's clothes, symbols of his deception, and threw them on the ground.
A voice whispered in his ears.
Yang Delun turned around, startled. "Who is there?" he demanded.
"I can take away all this shame," a Woman's voice purred. "All you have to do is say yes."
"Who are you?" Yang Delun asked, his heart pounding.
"I am Xianmu," the voice giggled.
"Where are you?" Yang Delun pressed, looking around wildly.
Xianmu giggled again. "I am everywhere, but it depends on whose vessel is more suitable for me."
"Show yourself," Yang Delun commanded, desperate.
Then a shadowy figure emerged from the wall, twisting into a vaguely humanoid shape. Yang Delun jumped back, a scream caught in his throat and started running.
Xianmu chased Yang Delun, her shadowy form gliding effortlessly along the wall. "Running away won't solve your problem. Are you going to always run away forever? Are you willing to accept failure and pretend to be someone else? Or do you want to control and show to those who insult you that you are more than what they see?"
Yang Delun stopped, panting, and then slowly turned around. Throughout his life, he had always pretended to be someone else. If he had the opportunity to truly suppress those who insulted him, he would seize this opportunity with both hands.
"How can you help me?" Yang Delun asked, his voice raw with desperation.
"I can give you everything. All you have to do is say yes," Xianmu promised.
"If I agree, can you give me the ability to defeat Zhao Renshu and become the greatest hunter ever?" Yang Delun asked, his eyes gleaming with ambition.
"If you say yes, I can do anything," Xianmu purred. "What do you say?"
"Yes, I accept you!" Yang Delun said strongly, his voice filled with newfound resolve.
Xianmu flowed towards Yang Delun's body and merged her shadowy form with him. Xianmu tasted a strong sense of jealousy deep in Yang Delun's heart. On the other hand, Yang Delun could feel immense spiritual energy running through his entire body, circling in every cell inside him, a thrilling sensation. He punched a hole in the wall with effortless force, and the whole wall vibrated, cracking in a zigzag shape. Now he could take revenge. The knife attack had failed to kill Zhao Renshu, but his punch would not fail this time. Just then, a middle-aged man rushed out of the house, startled, and shouted.
"You fool! You have to pay for the damage to my wall!" the Man yelled, grabbing Yang Delun's right shoulder.
Yang Delun turned around, his eyes cold and devoid of emotion. He grabbed the man's neck with his right hand, lifted him effortlessly from the ground, and squeezed hard. He felt the bones in the man's neck crack slowly, and the sickening cracking sound of the bones deeply satisfied him. The man stopped struggling, his eyes wide in terror, and then Yang Delun pulled the deceased body closer. He absorbed the strength of the dying man by pressing his lips to the man's lips, draining his life force. He dropped the lifeless body to the ground and walked into the busy street, his eyes gleaming with dark power.
The last night of the Lantern Festival was busier than usual. Since this was the final night, there were more stall vendors. From the front of the street to the end of the street, there were many food, jewelry, toys, and clothing vendors on both sides of Sunset Street.
Lee Dachin stopped at one of the jewelry vendors. The jewelry vendor was set up just outside a jewelry store. Lee Dachin began to look at the trinkets and ornaments on the stall.
"Is there anything you like?" Fang Yaoting asked, standing casually beside Lee Dachin.
Lee Dachin was taken aback by Fang Yaoting's voice, not having noticed him approach.
"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to scare you," Fang Yaoting said. "Where are your friends?"
"I lost them somewhere in the crowd," Lee Dachin admitted with a shrug.
"Do you like jewelry?" Fang Yaoting asked.
"I haven't given Ping'an a wedding gift yet," Lee Dachin said, picking up a silver bracelet, admiring its craftsmanship. "Boss, how much is this?"
"That will be fifty coins," the Vendor Owner said. "It's pure silver. I can't reduce the price."
Lee Dachin sighed. "That's okay."
The vendor owner held up another bracelet with similar features. "But this bracelet is metal, and this is only ten coins."
While Lee Dachin was still deciding, Fang Yaoting looked at all the displayed items on the table. He picked up a delicate gold butterfly perched on a silver flower hairpin. Then he walked behind Lee Dachin and, with a gentle hand, fixed the hairpin into Lee Dachin's hair. He then walked back to stand next to Lee Dachin.
"There," Fang Yaoting smiled at Lee Dachin, his gaze warm. "A beautiful hairpin, suitable for a beautiful person." He casually placed a gold ingot on the table. "This is for the bracelets and the hairpin."
The vendor owner happily picked up the gold ingot, his eyes wide. "Thank you! If you see something else you like, go ahead, take it!"
Lee Dachin was shocked by Fang Yaoting's actions. "Childe Fang, I can't accept this."
"It's already on your hair. I'm not taking it back," Fang Yaoting said firmly. "It's yours, you can use it to do whatever you want."
The vendor owner picked up the silver bracelet Lee Dachin had admired, wrapped it in a small gift box, and gave it to Lee Dachin. Fang Yaoting and Lee Dachin walked side by side down the busy street.
"Thank you, Childe Fang," Lee Dachin said, handing the wrapped gift to Fang Yaoting. "You can give it to Ping'an."
"Why me?" Fang Yaoting asked, confused.
"Prove to Baiyu and Ping'an that you accept them as husband and wife," Lee Dachin suggested, a knowing smile on his face.
Fang Yaoting knew he couldn't win the argument, so he took the small, wrapped present and put it inside his inner robe. He always had a weak heart for beautiful men.
"Childe Fang, please don't buy anything expensive next time," Lee Dachin requested, a slight blush on his cheeks.
"I don't plan to buy it, but when I look at your beautiful, silky long black hair, I think this hairpin is more suitable for you than any lady on this street," Fang Yaoting replied, his gaze intense. He stopped and looked at Lee Dachin. "If you feel uncomfortable, just give me a present in return."
Lee Dachin and Fang Yaoting then spotted Guo Longtong, Lim Peizhi, and the Huang sisters on the other side of the street. They were at a game table.
"Look at them over there," Lee Dachin said, pointing across the street.
Fang Yaoting grabbed Lee Dachin's right wrist with his left hand.
"Childe Fang, please restrain yourself, we are in public," Lee Dachin whispered, trying to pull his hand away.
"Just to make sure I won't lose you," Fang Yaoting smiled, tightening his grip playfully.
Fang Yaoting held Lee Dachin's right wrist as they crossed the road, with him taking the lead. When the two walked towards their friends, Fang Yaoting's hand subtly slipped from Lee Dachin's right wrist into Lee Dachin's right hand. He grasped Lee Dachin's hand tightly, walking openly towards their friends.
"Dachin, over here!" Guo Longtong shouted, waving his hand high.
Lee Dachin and Fang Yaoting crossed the road to meet the group. Lee Dachin slowly removed his hand from Fang Yaoting's.
"Gentlemen and ladies, come and play!" the Vendor Owner of the game stall called out. "Knock down ten ceramic vases off the table with three balls and win a prize!"
"Let me try," Lim Peizhi said, stepping forward. "We don't have occasions like this in Waterfall City."
The Vendor Owner stacked five small ceramic vases on the bottom, then stacked four on top of the five, then three, then two, and then stacked one on the very top, forming a precarious pyramid.
"Good luck," the Vendor Owner said happily.
Lim Peizhi gave the vendor owner three coins, and the vendor handed him three cloth balls.
Lim Peizhi threw a ball precisely in the middle. Except for two vases, all the vases fell off the table. Lim Peizhi threw another ball and knocked down the remaining two on the small table.
"Congratulations!" the Vendor Owner exclaimed. "Choose any lantern you like!"
Lim Peizhi turned to Huang Yueliang. "Which lantern do you like?"
"That one," Huang Yueliang said, pointing at a beautiful lantern with two butterflies painted on it.
"Wonderful choice, my lady," the Vendor Owner smiled. He took the paper lantern and handed it to Huang Yueliang.
"Wow, this is a beautiful butterfly painting," Lee Dachin smiled, looking at the lantern.
Suddenly, all ten ceramic vases were knocked down by a single ball.
The vendor owner shouted, "Wow!" He clapped his hands loudly and yelled excitedly. "I have never seen anyone knock out ten vases with one ball! Congratulations!"
"Choose one," Fang Yaoting said to Lee Dachin.
"Huh?" Lee Dachin turned to Fang Yaoting, surprised.
"Choose a lantern for you," Fang Yaoting clarified.
"The one with the flower and the butterfly," Lee Dachin said shyly, pointing to a lantern.
The vendor grabbed the lantern with the butterfly on top of the flower, much like the hairpin Fang Yaoting had just given him. The vendor smiled and handed the lantern to Lee Dachin. Lee Dachin's cheeks turned red.
"Wow, I didn't know that Childe Fang would be so accurate," Zhao Renshu said from behind, a teasing note in his voice. The lovers smiled and walked towards them.
Fang Yaoting ignored Zhao Renshu, his gaze fixed on Ping'an. "Are you getting one?" he asked her.
"I already have two," Ping'an replied, looking at Guo Baiyu and Zhao Renshu, who were standing beside her.
"Heh... all ladies except Hongse have one," Zhao Renshu teased, putting three coins on the table. The vendor gave him three balls. He walked over and stood beside Guo Longtong. He threw three balls at Guo Longtong. "Here, get a lantern for the lady," he smiled at him, referring to Huang Hongse.
Guo Longtong took the three balls. He stood behind the marked line, holding two balls in his left hand. He held one ball with his right hand. He moved the ball back and forth between his eyes and the stack of ten vases. When he was about to throw the ball, he hesitated and withdrew. He continued to do this for about ten minutes, agonizing over the throw.
"Just throw the darn ball already!" Zhao Renshu became impatient, yelling.
Guo Longtong finally threw the ball, but it didn't even touch the ceramic vase. Instead, it hit the edge of the vendor's table, bounced back, and hit him directly on the left forehead. He dropped the other two balls and covered his forehead with his two hands. Everyone watching collectively groaned with an "Ah" expression of disappointment.
Lee Dachin rushed to his friend. "Are you okay?" He moved Guo Longtong's hands and examined the injured site. "Not too bad," he murmured, then gently pressed on Guo Longtong's forehead. "Does this hurt?"
"Just a little bit," Guo Longtong murmured, burying his head on Lee Dachin's chest in embarrassment.
Lee Dachin patted him gently on his back. "You will be fine. We hold pens instead of swords, remember that."
"Still…" Guo Longtong mumbled, his head still resting on Lee Dachin's chest.
Huang Hongse picked up the two remaining balls on the ground and threw them at the ceramic vases. The first ball hit all the vases, except for one. She threw the second ball and cleanly knocked down the last vase on the table.
Huang Hongse turned to Guo Longtong. "You can pick a lantern," she said, her voice still cold.
Guo Longtong raised his head from Lee Dachin's chest and looked at Huang Hongse. He smiled, a happy blush spreading across his face.
"Can I really?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes," Huang Hongse said coldly, her expression unchanging.
Zhao Renshu returned to Ping'an and Guo Baiyu. "I don't know, Baiyu. How could he miss the ball from that distance?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Are you sure he is your cousin?"
Guo Longtong happily held his new lantern. "Hey, guys, they are going to set off fireworks soon! I know the best place to watch the fireworks!"
"Where?" Huang Hongse asked, intrigued.
"Dachin, do you remember?" Guo Longtong asked his friend.
"Yes," Lee Dachin smiled shyly.
"Last year, Dachin and I were on the roof at Sunrise Inn," Guo Longtong recounted. "We were enjoying ourselves, but for some reason, the ladder fell down. After the fireworks, there was no one to help us down, so we were stuck there all night!"
"The next morning, some waiters found us, which is a good thing," Lee Dachin added, chuckling at the memory.
Qingyu, who was sitting silently on a distant roof, looked at the people below, a chilling smile on her face. "Hmm... a beautiful place," she murmured to herself, "but it will soon be ruined."