It was over. Bai Yi thought to himself that this time it was truly over. What if Xiao Shiyun actually fell in love with him, but then discovered that Bai Yi did not truly love him back? He would probably be executed.
“No, Xiao Shiyun, you cannot fall completely in love with me. You only need to like me a little bit,” Bai Yi said seriously.
His love felt so humble that Xiao Shiyun could no longer stand it. “Can you show some backbone? Where did your momentum from earlier go? Since you are pursuing me, be bold enough to ask for all of my affection.”
“No, I was just joking earlier. Do not take it seriously. How about this, Xiao Shiyun? Give me thirty days to pursue you. I want to get to the point where you are willing to follow me home.” Bai Yi planned to use thirty days to touch his heart; if that failed, he would try for another thirty.
“Fine. I shall see how you intend to pursue me.” Being boldly courted was a first for Xiao Shiyun, and he found the experience quite novel.
“Then you go wherever I take you. Tonight, you listen to me,” Bai Yi declared.
“Lead the way,” Xiao Shiyun replied.
Bai Yi asked, “Where is the brothel located?”
Xiao Shiyun’s face darkened, and his voice turned cold. “Your way of pursuing me is to take me to a brothel for pleasure?”
He grabbed Bai Yi’s wrist and began to drag him away forcefully. Bai Yi struggled and sat back with all his weight. “No, listen to me! Did you not just say you would listen to me? You are always going back on your word. Where is your dignity as an Emperor? For someone of your status, you are being quite difficult.”
Xiao Shiyun released him and flicked his sleeve. “Then explain why we are going to a brothel.”
“You know I have amnesia. I just want to experience the local customs and culture. Besides, with the two of us together, what could I possibly do? We used to go to bars together all the time and had a great time. Just say whether you are coming with me or not.”
Xiao Shiyun thought for a moment. Going to a brothel together was indeed a novel idea. He decided to see what Bai Yi was up to. “Let’s go,” he said simply.
The carriage, made of dark wood and gold, stopped in front of Zuixiang Pavilion late at night. The entire Yuanbao Street was bustling like a marketplace, with falling peach blossoms and the scent of wine filling the air. Colorful lanterns on white paper and glass frames hung from every shop as far as the eye could see. Even though it was nearly midnight, no one was asleep.
On the street, there were merchants from the Western Regions and groups of female warriors drinking together at wine shops. No one dared to disrespect the women with their swords resting on the tables. The whole world felt alive. Bai Yi could not describe the feeling; it was a silent shock. He felt like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
A sense of freedom from the world of martial arts blew into Bai Yi’s collar, making him want to explore the ancient deserts and the surging Li River. He wanted to leave behind a memory that no one else in the world but him would ever know.
Getting off the carriage, Bai Yi let out an exclamation. “Xiao Shiyun, is this the Northern Realm? I want to buy some wine at that Du Family Wine Shop first. Look, those wine jars are so beautiful!”
The small, beige jars were only the size of a palm. They had black-lacquered seals and were covered with floral cloth. Two rows of them were neatly arranged on the table.
A figure in black wearing a bamboo hat stood lean and tall. A leather belt cinched the waist of his brocade robe, and he held a long sword with a gold dragon pattern in his arms. He leaned against the wine shop door, waiting impatiently.
“Have you never seen a marketplace in the North? Even a three-year-old child has been here. This is an ordinary street. I have no idea what you find so interesting.”
A youth in white, wearing a matching bamboo hat, retorted, “I have amnesia, so I have never been here. Why do you have no sense of romance? This is such a beautiful night, and you are completely ungrateful for your luck.”
From Bai Yi being certain that Xiao Shiyun had amnesia and wanting him to remember being a college student, to Xiao Shiyun suspecting Bai Yi’s identity as the Provincial Governor, Bai Yi had started to believe that he was the one with amnesia. Regardless, the goal was to get Xiao Shiyun to go home with him.
The wine shop owner, seeing big customers, smiled widely and introduced his wares. “This is osmanthus wine, and next to it are peach blossom, peony, and rose wines. Which jar would the two young masters like?”
“Xiao Shiyun, which one do you think tastes best?” Bai Yi asked.
The man in black said, “One of each.”
“Right away! I will get them for you!” The owner moved the wine to the carriage. There were twenty small jars in total. Fortunately, the carriage was large enough that even with the storage boxes filled, there was still plenty of room inside.
“That will be fifty taels of silver, sir.”
Bai Yi fumbled for his wallet but found only twenty taels. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and said, “Can you make it cheaper? I had no idea your wine was this expensive. Other shops sell wine for only a few copper coins. Twenty taels is my final offer.”
The owner frowned. “I sell many jars of wine a day, and no one ever bargains with me. Besides, if you do not buy it, plenty of others will. I truly cannot go any lower; I would be losing money.”
“You are about to close shop anyway. Who else but us is going to buy so much wine in one go? You could not sell twenty jars in five days. Lower the price, or we leave.” Bai Yi used the same bargaining tactics he had used with shopkeepers at the mall back in university.
“Since you are buying twenty jars, I can lower it slightly. Forty-five taels. Take it or leave it.”
“Let’s go! We are not buying!” The figure in white grabbed the man in black’s wrist, but he did not budge.
Bai Yi thought to himself: Beg us to stay, call us back. This owner can definitely go lower.
After walking fifty meters and hearing no one call him back, Bai Yi’s heart sank. He stopped, turned around, and walked back. Standing before the owner and the man in black, he said confidently, “Lower it a bit more, and you will surely make more money in the future.”
The owner gave a scoff. “Fine, I will lower it. Moving these jars back and forth is too much work anyway. Forty taels! Besides, your friend is the one who wanted the wine. Why not let him pay? Are the two of you not a couple?”
The man in black lifted his bamboo hat and took a banknote from his sleeve. It was a hundred-tael note with the official seal of the Northern Realm. He handed it to the owner. “Keep the change.”
“Much obliged! You truly are a generous soul! I can see you are a person of noble status and great wealth. Have a safe journey, sirs.”
After buying the wine, Bai Yi and Xiao Shiyun walked out of the shop. Bai Yi said, “Why did you give him so much money? Do you know we lost out? I spent all that time bargaining for nothing!”
Xiao Shiyun stuffed several banknotes into Bai Yi’s hand. “It was not for nothing. To be honest, your performance just now was more interesting than the night banquet. The emotional value was quite high, and I am satisfied. Also, when we are out, can you try not to embarrass me?”
Bai Yi felt the banknotes and broke into a huge grin. “Of course, Your Majesty. This humble servant will never embarrass you.”
He took a jar of rose wine from the carriage, stood under a pear tree, and tore off the cloth seal. A strong scent of wine hit him, starting intense and then fading into delicate floral molecules that mingled with the scent of the pear blossoms.
“Xiao Shiyun, let’s just finish this jar between us. One sip for me, one sip for you. You do not mind, right?” Bai Yi laughed and tapped the jar.
“If I do mind? Bring a wine cup over.” The man in black gave the order with a touch of arrogance. Bai Yi helplessly returned to the wine shop to ask the owner for a small white porcelain cup, which he then handed to Xiao Shiyun.
“Can the Emperor drink now?” Bai Yi held the neck of the jar with his left hand and supported the base with his right, pouring the wine into the small cup.
Xiao Shiyun’s fingers were moistened by the overflowing wine. Counting the drinks at the night banquet, he was about to break his usual record today.
Moonlight filtered through the tree branches and scattered on the cobblestone path. The spring night lamps seemed to have a unique scent. Perhaps it was the combination of the temperature, the strength of the wind, and the background noise of bustle and quiet that gave Bai Yi the feeling that he wanted to live like this forever.
He raised the wine jar and tapped it against the small cup that Xiao Shiyun had lazily raised. “Cheers! Xiao Shiyun, you have to remember who I am. If one day I am gone—not dead, just gone—you must not forget me.”
Anything could happen. What if Xiao Shiyun did not return with him, but he still transmigrated back?
Bai Yi tilted his head back and took a large gulp of wine, his mind wandering to things that had not happened. That swallow of wine felt truly refreshing, making him stop worrying about the future.
The trees and the moon were slowly spinning. Bai Yi tried to stand straight, but his vision was still tilted. He took two steps back and was pulled forward by a warm, powerful hand.
Xiao Shiyun’s hand holding the wine cup paused. He said, “You will not leave. Whether you go or stay depends on my mood.”
He also drained his cup in one gulp. The scent of peony blossoms bloomed around them. At this moment, it would not be an exaggeration to describe the feeling as eternal.
Bai Yi pointed at his cup and began to laugh uncontrollably. “Pretentious.”