"Woohoo~~"
A desolate tune, reminiscent of the flying sand in the desert, sounded at the bow of the boat. It was remote and desolate, yet without the slightest hint of sorrow.
It gave people the feeling as if they were in the vast desert of rolling sand, and a wandering swordsman was riding a horse, slowly walking through the endless sand dunes...
?
A trace of surprise flashed in Luo Ning's beautiful peach-blossom eyes. She looked at Ye Jingtang's handsome side profile and couldn't help but admit in her heart that this little rascal was incredibly handsome when he wasn't being handsy, especially the way he was playing the tune now...
The little bird seemed to recall the days when it had gone on escort missions with Ye Jingtang. It hopped over and squatted between the two of them, chirping along:
"Goo~ Chirp chirp..."
Since it had chirped along many times before, it actually didn't go off-key.
Luo Ning's expression softened. She sat in front of Ye Jingtang, picked up the little bird, and lowered her head to stroke the feathers on its wings. Her skirt hung over the river water, swaying gently in the wind, and she remained silent.
After a long time, the tune came to an end.
Ye Jingtang released his hands and glanced towards the northwest. He somewhat missed the days when he had gone on escort missions in the Gobi Desert near the border. His adoptive father had walked drunkenly ahead, and old escort masters like Yang Chao had told vulgar jokes beside him.
"You're a grown man, yet you can play a tune?"
"It's a tune from the sandbars and deserts. When I used to go on escort missions near the border of Liangzhou, I often traveled there. The journey was long, and to amuse myself, I learned it. How is it?"
"Just so-so."
Luo Ning turned her head aside and looked around.
"What are you looking for?"
"A xiao (a vertical bamboo flute), or a pipa would do too..."
Ye Jingtang looked at her rosy lips:
"Lady Luo can play the xiao?"
Luo Ning had a cold expression, but there was a hint of pride in her eyes:
"I'm a woman born in Jiangzhou. I'm proficient in the four arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting."
"Heh..."
There was no xiao on the boat, and Ye Jingtang couldn't bring himself to say the cheeky line, "I happen to have one here." Instead, he looked towards the riverbank:
"Wait a moment."
Then he leaped up, stepped on the blue waves, and after a few ups and downs, he reached the riverbank.
Tap tap tap...
Soon, Ye Jingtang returned again, holding a green bamboo stalk that he had cut from the riverbank in his hand.
After sitting back beside her, Ye Jingtang drew his saber and continuously sliced and cut. Then he used the tip of the saber to make holes and crafted a rather rough bamboo flute.
It was made on the spot with almost no craftsmanship, but there were only the two of them and the little bird in the world. As long as it could make a sound, there was no need to be too demanding.
Luo Ning took the bamboo flute, examined it for a few moments, and then brought it to her red lips:
"Woo——Dudu——Woo~ Dudu~~..."
Under the faint moonlight, the two of them and the little bird sat side by side at the bow of the boat. A gentle and soft flute melody with the charm of the water town sounded. The sound quality was rough, and the tune was a bit off, but it didn't affect the beauty and carefreeness of the scene.
Ye Jingtang looked at her delicate side profile. When he noticed Lady Luo's cold gaze looking over, he turned his eyes away and looked towards the moonlight.
After a moment, Luo Ning put down the bamboo flute. Perhaps she was also reminded of her hometown. With a complex look in her eyes, she took a gentle breath and then asked again:
"What other tunes can you play?"
Seeing that Lady Luo was quite interested, Ye Jingtang thought for a moment, put his hands together again, and began to play a little tune from his memory:
"Woohoo~ Woohoo..."
As soon as the tune reached her ears, Luo Ning was slightly taken aback—the tune was very pleasant to hear, but she couldn't tell what style it was. She had never heard it before...
Luo Ning blinked her eyes, put on the dignified and cold demeanor of the leader's wife, and listened attentively.
But soon, she noticed that Ye Jingtang was just playing a few tunes over and over again. She opened her mouth and asked:
"Why are you only playing this part?"
Because this is all I can remember...
Ye Jingtang smiled and turned his head: "How about I sing it for you?"
"You're a grown man, and you can sing too?"
"Ahem—A group of bloodthirsty~ ants~ attracted by the rotting flesh~..."
(―)??
Luo Ning tilted her head slightly, her red lips slightly parted. Before she could be shocked, Ye Jingtang couldn't hold it in any longer. He raised his hand and said:
"Forget it, forget it. This tune is too avant-garde and not suitable. Let's compose poems and couplets instead, um..."
Luo Ning sat up a little straighter, looking very skeptical:
"You can compose poems and couplets?"
Ye Jingtang said with a hint of pride: "I grew up near the border and have been roaming the martial arts world since I was a child. I know a bit of everything."
Ye Jingtang's extraordinary martial arts skills and handsome appearance had already surprised Luo Ning. She really didn't believe in her heart that this little rascal was also talented in literature. After thinking for a while, she said:
"Composing poems and odes isn't as simple as just humming a few lines. Do you think that just because I'm from the martial arts world, I have no knowledge at all?"
Ye Jingtang smiled: "How about we make a bet? If I can compose a poem and Lady Luo thinks it's good, then I win. Otherwise, I lose. What do you think?"
Luo Ning wasn't a naive little girl. She squinted her eyes slightly:
"What do you want?"
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes and looked at Lady Luo's red lips.
?!
Luo Ning's face turned cold, and she raised the sword in her hand again.
Ye Jingtang smiled: "If we're going to bet, let's make it a big one. If I can't come up with a poem, I'll strip naked and swim from here all the way to Qingyun City. How about that?"
"Chirp?"
The little bird's eyes lit up, indicating that it was very eager to see that.
Although Luo Ning felt that she might be at a disadvantage, the stakes Ye Jingtang offered were truly astonishing. Driven by curiosity and the desire to win, she warned coldly:
"It must be a masterpiece with neat rhythm. I've read a lot of books, so don't try to fool me by copying a random poem!"
"Er..."
Ye Jingtang's expression froze, as if he was in a dilemma.
Seeing this, Luo Ning immediately gained confidence. Her beautiful peach-blossom eyes turned slightly cold, and she taunted in her ethereal and clear voice of a mature woman:
"What? You were so full of bravado just now. Are you afraid to make the bet now?"
After considering for a long time, Ye Jingtang still nodded. Then he looked at the scenery and began to think.
"..."
Luo Ning stared coldly, not feeling the least bit guilty. After all, according to the bet, it had to be a masterpiece in her opinion.
Even if Ye Jingtang really managed to come up with a poem and the rhythm was neat, as long as she said it was just so-so, wouldn't Ye Jingtang still lose...
"The west wind ages the waves of Dongting Lake, and overnight, Lady Xiangjun's white hair grows more..."
While she was secretly thinking, these unexpected words reached her ears.
Luo Ning's expression froze slightly. She raised her eyes and looked blankly at the man beside her.
Ye Jingtang turned his head, and their eyes met. He smiled and said:
"After getting drunk, I don't know that the sky is in the water, and my boat is filled with clear dreams weighing down the galaxy. What do you think, Lady Luo?"
?!
Luo Ning was directly stunned. Looking at the handsome little rascal with a smile on his face, she realized in her heart—Oh no, I've fallen into this little rascal's trap!
Luo Ning's face turned cold, and she stood up, trying to run away, but Ye Jingtang held her shoulder down.
Ye Jingtang looked slightly dissatisfied: "Is Lady Luo going to renege on the bet?"
Luo Ning's face turned red, and her eyes were filled with shame and anger: "You little rascal! You deliberately set a trap for me, right? How could this poem possibly be written by you?"
Ye Jingtang frowned: "Then who do you think wrote it?"
"..."
Luo Ning had indeed read a lot of books, but she really hadn't heard this poem before. She gritted her teeth and retorted:
"Dongting should be a lake, but this is a river..."
"It's a small lake in Liangzhou. I was inspired by the scene in front of me."
"Then who is Lady Xiangjun?"
Ye Jingtang blinked his eyes: "Pei Xiangjun, my employer. Haven't you met her?"
??
Luo Ning was stunned and was left speechless by this retort. After thinking for a while, she said:
"Why does she have so much white hair?"
"It's an exaggerated metaphor. Her family's business isn't going well, so she's worried."
Ye Jingtang looked at the dumbfounded Lady Luo and shook his head, teasing:
"I thought Lady Luo was really a woman of her word. Sigh... Could it be that Lady Luo thinks this poem is just average and not a masterpiece?"
"You!"
Luo Ning bit her lower lip, speechless. She turned her head aside, putting on the appearance of an ice-cold fairy and ignoring Ye Jingtang.
Ye Jingtang stared at Luo Ning for a moment, shook his head, stood up, and placed the little bird on his shoulder:
"Forget it, forget it. Let's go back. It's not interesting, right, little bird?"
"Chirp."
The little bird nodded vigorously, thinking that Sister Xiaogua couldn't accept defeat.
Luo Ning's face turned red and white in turns. When she saw that Ye Jingtang was really about to leave, she said coldly:
"Come back here! Who can't accept defeat?"
Ye Jingtang threw the little bird aside and sat back down, looking at Luo Ning, who looked like a "cheated female swordsman":
"Hmm?"
Luo Ning felt that she had been greatly deceived, but she couldn't go back on the bet she had agreed to. After thinking for a moment, she said:
"You must have cheated. If you can compose another poem that I haven't heard before and it's a masterpiece, then I'll believe you."
Ye Jingtang said helplessly: "Lady Luo, this isn't fair. The previous bet has already been made. If you want me to compose another poem to prove myself, we should make another bet after fulfilling the previous one. Otherwise, if you keep asking me to prove myself, won't I be in the wrong even though I'm right?"
Luo Ning gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with anger, and she looked at the surging river without speaking.
Ye Jingtang took this as a tacit agreement. He blinked his eyes and tried to lean towards her cold and beautiful cheek.
Luo Ning tensed up all over. Her hands tightly clutched the hem of her skirt, and she wanted to lean back and avoid him. But because of the bet, she ultimately didn't move. She just closed her beautiful peach-blossom eyes and put on the appearance of a "humiliated female swordsman" with the look of "nothing is more sorrowful than the death of the heart. You can have my body but not my heart," and two lines of clear tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes.
"Woo~"
Their lips met, eliciting a soft cry.
Luo Ning's fragrant shoulders trembled slightly, and her mind instantly went blank.
This kiss was much clearer than the previous fleeting one. The man's burning breath rushed towards her, and the indescribable touch impacted her mind, making her feel dizzy and even having difficulty sitting steadily.
There was no one on the thousands of mountains on both sides of the river, and there was only a light as small as a bean in the middle of the river.
The man and the woman stood side by side at the bow of the boat, silent, with only a thousand tender feelings remaining...