klisemfg Chapter 473 The Moonlit Covenant of Snow Moon City, the Dark River is Approaching! (1)
Chapter 473 The Moonlit Covenant of Snow Moon City, the Dark River is Approaching! (1)
Meanwhile, in Snow Moon City, a thousand miles away...
On the top floor of the City Lord's Pavilion, Baili Dongjun stood leaning on the railing, gazing at the southern horizon.
The night wind blew his snow-white robe, making it flutter loudly.
He was carrying a wine gourd, the very one he had given Hu Bufei that day, called "Cangshan Snow," but it was now empty.
"Dong-kun!"
Footsteps sounded behind her, and Yin Luoxia came over carrying a plate of pastries, placing it on a low table next to the railing.
"Thinking about Apocalypse again?"
Baili Dongjun turned around, took the pastry, took a bite, and mumbled, "Fairy Sister, is Hu Bufei settled in?"
"It's all been arranged long ago!" Yin Luoxia nodded. "At 'Tingyuxuan' in the west of the city, seniors Luo Fengzhong and Luo Nianse take turns guarding it, and Luo He is also by my side, ensuring that nothing goes wrong."
"That's good!" Baili Dongjun breathed a sigh of relief and took another swig of wine.
Yin Luoxia looked at him, hesitant to speak.
“Say what you want to say. Why should I hide anything from you?” Baili Dongjun raised an eyebrow.
“Dongjun,” Yin Luoxia carefully chose her words, “you’ve caused such a commotion to save Hu Bufei this time, Tianqi… I’m afraid they won’t let this go so easily.”
“I know,” Baili Dongjun said calmly. “Xiao Ruojin has just ascended the throne and is looking for a place to establish his authority. My outburst is like slapping him in the face. It would be strange if he didn’t come to Xueyue City to retaliate.”
"Then you still..."
“Those who should be saved must be saved.” Baili Dongjun interrupted her, his eyes resolute. “The Hu family and the Baili family have a history. Hu Bufei has been wronged, and I cannot sit idly by. This is a matter of morality, and also… a principle that my grandfather taught me.”
Yin Luoxia was silent for a moment, then sighed softly, "I understand the reasoning. It's just that Snow Moon City is now a target of envy and suspicion. If the imperial court really sends a large army to attack..."
“They won’t.” Baili Dongjun shook his head. “The war in the southwest is not over yet. Xiao Ruojin would never dare to ask my junior brother to divide his troops. At most… he’ll send some Jianghu methods.”
"Jianghu methods?" Yin Luoxia frowned. "You mean..."
"Shadow Sect, Dark River!"
Baili Dongjun uttered the names of two organizations, his eyes growing cold. "If Xiao Ruojin wants to deal with Snow Moon City, she can't do it openly, so she has to resort to covert methods. Shadow Sect's Dark River is best known for its assassinations."
Yin Luoxia's heart skipped a beat: "That Hu Bufei..."
"So we need to have Seniors Luo Fengzhong and Luo Nianse guard it." Baili Dongjun looked towards the west of the city. "No matter how powerful the Dark River is, it won't be so easy for them to kill someone under the noses of two Free and Unfettered Realm experts."
He paused, then suddenly laughed: "Besides, I'd like to see just how much Dark River has improved over the years."
His smile carried the arrogance of youth, as well as the confidence of a top-ranked expert.
Time flies.
The boy of yesteryear is now a renowned city lord, a peerless master who can raze the Dali Temple to the ground with a single sword strike.
But the sincerity and passion in their bones have never changed.
"Oh, right," Baili Dongjun suddenly remembered something, "Where's that good-for-nothing Sikong Changfeng? Is he out with his wife again?"
Yin Luoxia couldn't help but laugh: "That's right! Qiuyu has been having severe morning sickness lately, and Sikong Changfeng is taking good care of her, staying by her side every step of the way. They even moved the pharmacy to their yard."
“This guy…” Baili Dongjun shook his head and chuckled, “Back in Medicine King Valley, he was a fearless and indomitable man, but now he’s become henpecked.”
"Isn't this a good thing?" Yin Luoxia laughed. "Men are more stable once they have a family, unlike you who always leave me alone in Snow Moon City..."
Seeing Yin Luoxia's coquettish reproach, Baili Dongjun's cheeks immediately flushed red, and he quickly took Yin Luoxia's hands to comfort her:
"Oh...this...it's my fault, it's my fault, fairy sister, I'll take you with me next time, okay..."
Yin Luoxia let out a soft moan and leaned against Baili Dongjun's chest.
A night breeze blew by, bringing a cool breeze from the distant mountains.
Yin Luoxia nestled in his arms, her ears already flushed a peach-blossom red, her fingertips unconsciously twirling around the front of his shirt, her voice barely audible:
"Who...who asked you to bring it? I don't care..."
Even so, she unconsciously hugged him even tighter.
Baili Dongjun felt the warm, soft jade in his arms, and the faint fragrance unique to Yin Luoxia lingering around his nose. His heart pounded wildly.
He looked down to look at her, but his gaze met hers as she quietly raised her head.
Their eyes met, and both of them were startled, then quickly looked away as if they had been burned.
"Ahem..." Baili Dongjun cleared his throat, trying to hide his burning ears. "Um... Fairy sister, look at the moon tonight, it's quite round."
Yin Luoxia followed his gaze and saw a crescent moon hanging obliquely in the sky. It was nowhere near full.
She couldn't help but chuckle, her eyes sparkling with a mixture of reproach and tenderness: "Silly boy, it's only the seventh day of the lunar month, where would you find a full moon?"
"Huh? Really?" Baili Dongjun awkwardly scratched the back of his head and chuckled twice. "No wonder you look a little thin..."
A night breeze swept by, lifting a few stray strands of hair from Yin Luoxia's forehead.
Baili Dongjun subconsciously reached out and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingertips inadvertently touched her slightly cool earlobe, and both of them trembled simultaneously.
Yin Luoxia lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering gently like butterfly wings. Moonlight shone on her fair profile, casting a soft silver glow, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
"Dongjun," she called softly.
"Ok?"
"If the people from the Dark River really come... you have to be careful."
Baili Dongjun felt a warmth in his heart and grasped her slightly cool hand: "Don't worry, if they dare to come, I will make sure they don't leave alive."
He paused, then leaned closer and chuckled in a low voice, "Besides, don't I have Fairy Sister protecting me?"
Recalling their shared battles in their youth, Yin Luoxia's eyes softened with a gentle smile as she playfully scolded, "You're always being cheeky. You're the city lord now, your cultivation far surpasses mine. You should be protecting me!"
"Hehe, that must be it..." Baili Dongjun chuckled.
As he laughed, Baili Dongjun suddenly fell silent, gazing intently at Yin Luoxia, his eyes reflecting the moonlight and her image.
"Fairy sister," he said softly, "when the world is at peace and I withdraw from the martial world, I will take you to Jiangnan!"
I've heard that at this time of year, the lotus flowers in West Lake are in full bloom, and the Su Causeway is bathed in spring light, while the Broken Bridge is shrouded in lingering snow… We can take a small boat, brew a pot of wine, and enjoy the misty, rainy scenery of Jiangnan.
Yin Luoxia's heart fluttered as she imagined that scene, her eyes shining with longing: "Just the two of us?"
“Just the two of us.” Baili Dongjun nodded, as solemnly as if he were making a vow.
Yin Luoxia felt her cheeks burning and quickly turned her face away, but couldn't hide the upturned corners of her mouth: "Who...who wants to go with just the two of you..."
But the hand gripping his sleeve tightened subtly.
The sound of the night watchman striking his clapper came from afar, exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
"It's past midnight," Yin Luoxia said softly. "You have to get up early tomorrow to handle city affairs, you should rest."
"Let's stay a little longer." Baili Dongjun rarely acted like a spoiled child, trapping her between himself and the railing. "Anyway, I'm the city lord, so no one will dare say anything if I get up late!"
"So the city lord can break the rules?" Yin Luoxia raised an eyebrow and poked his chest. "Don't forget, you promised Sikong Changfeng you'd practice spear techniques with him first thing tomorrow morning!"
Mentioning Sikong Changfeng, Baili Dongjun's face immediately fell: "That guy only has eyes for his wife lately, his marksmanship has become rusty, and he even needs me to spar with him..."
Before the words were finished, a voice filled with laughter suddenly came from downstairs:
"Baili Dongjun! Who are you saying has rusty marksmanship?"
Both of them were startled and hurriedly separated.
They saw that Sikong Changfeng had appeared in the courtyard at some point, arms crossed, looking up at them with a half-smile.
Beside him, Liu Qiuyu, arm in arm, smiled radiantly, clearly also there to watch the spectacle.
"Well, you two, staying up so late to admire the moon and talk about love?" Sikong Changfeng winked mischievously. "Lord City Lord, you have quite the refined taste!"
Baili Dongjun's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Si-Sikong Changfeng! Weren't you going to take care of Qiuyu? Why are you here eavesdropping on our conversation?!"
"I didn't eavesdrop!" Sikong Changfeng said innocently. "You were talking too loudly, it was heard throughout half of the City Lord's Pavilion—right, Qiuyu?"
Liu Qiuyu smiled slightly and nodded.
Yin Luoxia was so ashamed that she couldn't lift her head and wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Baili Dongjun was both ashamed and angry. He stomped his foot and jumped off the third-floor railing: "Sikong Changfeng! Take this!"
"Come on then!" Sikong Changfeng laughed heartily, gently pulled Liu Qiuyu aside, and rushed forward like lightning.
Under the moonlight, two figures, one in white and one in green, clashed in the courtyard, startling all the night birds in the garden.
Yin Luoxia and Liu Qiuyu stood side by side under the corridor, watching the two men fighting fiercely, and smiled at each other.
The night is still long.
Meanwhile, on the official road a thousand miles away, three fast horses were still galloping, the sandalwood gourds in their arms swaying gently with each bump.
In the wind, Su Changhe's hushed voice could be faintly heard:
"Muyu, after this is all over, shall we really go buy a house? It has to be by the water, the kind you like..."
Su Muyu did not answer.
But in the darkness of the night, his cool and aloof expression seemed to soften for a moment.
……