The twenty-fifth hexagram.
“Haven’t you always wanted my gift?”
During this trip to the Changming Sect, the only injury Shi Li sustained was having his lips bitten sore by Jun Yanye.
By the bank of the Ying River, where the water shimmered brilliantly and flower petals and leaves drifted along the current, Jun Yanye leaned down to kiss Shi Li.
Shi Li often wondered whether Jun Yanye truly understood the meaning of a kiss or simply treated it as a habit of venting and punishment.
“Enough…” Shi Li pushed Jun Yanye away after a few shoves, gently rubbing his reddened lower lip with the pad of his index finger. “It’s already split, and you’re still biting!”
“Where did you go today?” Jun Yanye asked.
“I went back to my old home and casually「borrowed」a few things.” Squatting by the river, Shi Li picked up a branch and poked at the surface of the water.
“You didn’t call for me.”
“If I had brought you along, the spectacle would have been far too grand, and it would have scared those people in the Holy Domain to death. They probably would have immediately struck a posture of going to war with the Demon Realm and doubled the security, which would have messed up my plans instead.”
“Rest assured, I’ve already reached the Nascent Soul stage, and I am also the number one divine diviner in the world, so nothing will go wrong.” Shi Li tapped Jun Yanye’s robe with the branch. “You can’t be this overprotective, you have to let the kid go out and gain some experience.”
Jun Yanye: “…”
He had no idea what kind of image he held inside Shi Li’s heart.
“Gui Chi sent a letter saying that he and his master will return after finishing the Mid-Autumn Festival, and by that time, we will head back to the Demon Realm,” Jun Yanye said.
“The Mid-Autumn Festival, huh.” Shi Li revealed an expectant look and swallowed hard. “I love eating crabs so much, so I’ll definitely have to feast to my heart’s content by then!”
On the morning of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shi Li and Jun Yanye welcomed their first guest who came to celebrate the holiday and deliver gifts: Fox Three and his family.
“Two benefactors, happiness and joy on the Mid-Autumn Festival. I am Yue.” Fox Three’s husband was a sturdy, large white fox, much taller than Fox Three, snowy white and fluffy all over, with a large tail swaying back and forth.
“Happiness and joy,” Shi Li smiled as he stepped forward to welcome them, gently touching the baby fox held in Yue’s arms. “Oh my, it’s already a month old.”
“Ying-ying.” The little fox made a delicate, low whimpering sound in her sleep.
“We named her Ze, simply so she will never forget your grace and favor,” Yue smiled and said. “Today we also prepared a small token of our appreciation, and we hope the benefactor won’t look down on it.”
“Hahaha, look!” Fox Three pulled two jars of osmanthus wine from behind his back. “I heard that the benefactor especially loves to drink, so I begged the cave master to let me bring over the two jars that were brewed with the finest fragrance.”
“I caught the scent of the wine ages ago.” Shi Li smiled from ear to ear, then glanced at Jun Yanye. “You brought me wine, but what about the Exalted Lord?”
Fox Three pulled a small bottle from his bosom and shoved it into Jun Yanye’s hand.
“What is this?” Jun Yanye examined the white glazed bottle in his palm, which contained a pale red, crystal-clear liquid.
Fox Three smiled without explaining. “The Exalted Lord will know once he tries it. This stuff works wonders, ten times a night is not a problem, and it’s even purer than the bone-melting and soul-intoxicating wine from last time.”
Jun Yanye: “?”
“Hahaha…” Shi Li laughed so hard he collapsed onto Jun Yanye’s shoulder and couldn’t get back up.
Previously, Jun Yanye had asked him for an illustrated manual, and Shi Li had in turn asked for aphrodisiac wine. Fox Three had assumed he desperately needed it, understood completely, and managed to track down an even better item.
Jun Yanye forced himself not to crush this small bottle on the spot.
Before the fox family departed, Shi Li presented a jade bead to the little fox to assist her in taking human form.
After the three of them left, Shi Li stood at the cave entrance watching the backs of the family of three as they departed, gazing for a long time.
“What are you looking at?” Jun Yanye asked.
“The big white fox is really pretty.” Shi Li’s gaze remained glued to their tails, unable to pull away.
Without uttering a single word, Jun Yanye turned around and walked back into the cave.
Night fell, and the Wanyou Valley was lively and bustling with bright candles everywhere. Each monster cave was preparing to celebrate the holiday, and the customs of each cave differed slightly, each with its own unique characteristics.
Gui Chi’s cave dwelling was putting on a musical dance to offer to the moon goddess, and naturally there were also banquets and entertainment.
At the banquet, a huge, fragrant basin of steamed crabs was served. Shi Li grabbed a crab in one hand and held a saucer of vinegar in the other, eating with great delight.
Jun Yanye had no interest in edible things, but watching Shi Li eat was clearly much more entertaining.
When Shi Li ate, he looked as though he had never tasted anything good in his entire life, acting a bit greedy, yet greedy in a cute way, often revealing an intoxicated expression like a pitiful little puppy.
When Shi Li grew tired of eating, he would rest for a while, stretching out his ten fingers and sitting there in a daze, zoning out.
“Shi Li, let’s play a lantern riddle game,” Jun Yanye said, looking at the festive lanterns hanging inside the monster cave. “Don’t use divination.”
“Huh? That’s the only thing I’m good at, and you even banned me from it!”
“Riddle question: candied coptis chinensis.” Jun Yanye recited a lantern riddle written on a festive lantern. “Category: guess a four-character idiom.”
Shi Li’s fingers gestured in the empty air for a moment. “Um.”
During the time it took to guess this lantern riddle, Shi Li consumed yet another crab, drank three cups of wine, and finally surrendered, saying, “I really can’t guess it. Could it be that you know?”
“I know.”
“What is it?” Shi Li honestly didn’t believe that a demon like Jun Yanye could understand mortal lantern riddles better than he did.
Jun Yanye called over the little monster who had written the lantern riddle and asked, “Candied coptis chinensis, what is the answer?”
Butterfly Sprite: “Exalted Lord, it is sharing weal and woe.”
Jun Yanye told Shi Li, “It is sharing weal and woe.”
Shi Li: “…”
Utterly shocked!
Even this counted as guessing a lantern riddle!
“Do you know why there is the word「guess」in front of lantern riddles?” Shi Li informed Jun Yanye. “Asking other people doesn’t count!”
“Then let’s try another one.” Jun Yanye recited the riddle question from another lantern: “Staying indoors for fifteen days, guess a four-character idiom.”
While thinking, Shi Li polished off another three crabs.
“The lantern riddles you picked are all so difficult,” Shi Li shook his head and said. “I’m not guessing anymore.”
Outside the cave not far away, the sound of music had already begun, with hordes of monsters singing and dancing to please the moon goddess.
“Let’s go watch the dancing.” Shi Li took Jun Yanye’s hand.
Neither Shi Li nor Jun Yanye could understand insect dances; they only knew that amidst those spinning and flying movements, there was a certain blessing they wished to convey to the moon goddess.
“During past Mid-Autumn Festivals, the Changming Sect would always perform Chang’e Flying to the Moon,” Shi Li said to Jun Yanye. “Have you ever seen this play?”
“I’ve forgotten.”
“Chang’e is Houyi’s wife, and the Queen Mother bestowed an elixir of immortality upon Houyi. The ending of the story is that Chang’e ate that elixir of immortality and became an immortal fairy in the Palace of the Moon.”
“What happened?” Jun Yanye still didn’t understand.
Shi Li held up five fingers. “Pick one finger. Whichever one you pick, I’ll tell you the corresponding version.”
Jun Yanye gazed at Shi Li’s hand and pinched his little finger.
“Well, Chang’e fell gravely ill, and Houyi wanted to cure her illness, so he lied to her, saying he had already eaten the immortal medicine given by the Queen Mother and that there was one left, hoping Chang’e would eat it and become an immortal with him. After Chang’e ate it, she realized she had been tricked, but it was already too late.”
Jun Yanye seemed unsatisfied with this story and pinched Shi Li’s index finger as well.
“A story can only be told once,” Shi Li said.
Pondering for a moment, Jun Yanye said, “Destiny can only happen once, but stories can be told countless times.”
Shi Li smiled, neither agreeing nor objecting, and simply said, “Come, let’s go admire the moon.”
Jun Yanye stared intently at Shi Li.
With curved smiling eyes, Shi Li said, “Haven’t you always wanted my gift?”