102. Success Amid Failure
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Luoyin did not hesitate to run into his room, only to find Yinying grinning at him in the candlelight.
"Xiaobai, such prime entertainment! I was entertained!"
"You-! Tch!" Then his eyes narrowed at Yinying. "You left your son's side simply to come and tease me?!"
"No, no, to celebrate with you!" Yinying beamed. "With this, it can be said you're fully mortal! You've experienced one of the worst mortal emotions... Shame!!"
"Go away!" Luoyin ordered and Yinying vanished with a loud snicker.
~"Xiaobai! What a marvelous spectacle!"~ Immortal Kai's voice visited Luoyin's mind from a great distance!
Yin Xing, ~"Ahahahaha! Elder brother, it was too much!"~
Old man Bao, ~"Umh. A truly magnificent 'display'."~
~"Tch!"~ Luoyin bitterly blocked his mind to telepathy!
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Meanwhile, Weiyan had laughed so much for the first time in her life, and she was nearly bent over in laughter.
Tong was on the floor, slapping her knee. "Fried swallow! My Lady, this 'Silver Fall' might chase away all the swallows from Yue City!"
"Ahem." Weiyan shook her head, quickly comporting herself, but she couldn't resist a final amused glance at the skies.
The fireworks had been funny... Perhaps the silliest thing she had ever seen, and she hated to see it go!
She and Tong sat outside for a while, simply enjoying the mildly chilly air, but when it was late, Tong headed to the side room, and Weiyan went back inside.
A brilliant light instantly drew Weiyan's gaze to the meal table, where the vase of glowing flowers sat, brighter now in the dark of night, and she couldn't resist admiring the delicate blooms and petals, arranged with such care.
There were even blooms out of season, like plum blossoms and camelias which were no longer in bloom, or like the lotus, which hadn't bloomed yet, and osmanthus, which wouldn't appear for many months.
Would someone really go to such lengths to harm another?!
And why did it feel so compelling? Like it was drawing her in...
Deciding to take a risk, she waved a hand to remove the fiery shield, then drew in a deep breath and tentatively stroked a Lotus petal...
There was an instant explosion of colour and Weiyan briefly wondered if she had indeed fallen for a trap!
But the colours swiftly spread around, showering the room in tiny glowing particles like fireflies, and Weiyan was suddenly surrounded by Luoyin's aura.
Meanwhile above the petals, glowing characters arose to form the words,
~Falling Silver, Gentle Swallow~,
The words reminded Weiyan of the funny line, 'Silver fall loves fried Swallow', and she snickered. But she let out a soft gasp when the words faded away and were replaced by a poem which read,
~
Where silver dust falls, love thoughts arise,
A soft-winged swallow drifts through my skies.
As silver descends and swallows soar near,
Without a word, my longing is clear.
~
And then the entire thing dissolved in a puff of colourful smoke, sinking into the glowing petals, and Luoyin's aura slowly faded away.
Weiyan drew in a breath, finally remembering to breathe, and she staggered slightly as her heart beat faster and faster.
Even without his aura, she would have guessed who sent this impossibly beautiful gift, as the poem had been written with their names dusting almost every line.
The poem from the fireworks was also too similar to this one, and she let out a soft sigh, realizing who had made the fireworks!
'A-Yin!' She suddenly wanted to see him- needed to see him! And she swiveled, swiftly dashing out of the room...
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Meanwhile, in his candlelit room, Luoyin tapped his foot in annoyance.
"Tsk! Aiyaya, I'm not going to hear the end of this tomorrow!" He rubbed his chin. "Ah! Shouldn't I just pretend it was deliberate...?!"
But the immortals knew! 'And Yanyan, she-!'
What if she guessed, because both their names were in that ridiculous poem?!
He screamed in frustration, muffling it with his hands.
Then he shot to his feet. 'Cheer up! You have thousands of years of shining accomplishments! One failure won't kill you!'
But that wilted quickly, as he recalled the sound of Weiyan's laughter, and he sat heavily.
"Tsk!" Even amidst the embarrassment, her laughter sounded like the most pleasant thing he had ever heard...
If only she hadn't been laughing at his expense!
'Forget it.' He blew out a sigh. 'At least I got her to laugh! I'll do something similar for Qixi!' He vowed, preparing to lie down.
But then, he froze as Weiyan's aura was suddenly around him, and he heard her light footsteps approaching.
His doors were pushed open a second later, and there she was, silhouetted against the beautiful moon rays.
Luoyin blinked in confusion.
Then shot to his feet. 'She's really here!'
"Yanyan! What are y-?" Her weight suddenly crashed into him in an unexpected hug, making him nearly lose his balance, but he swiveled with her, his hand sliding around her waist, effortlessly catching her in a dip.
There was a magic moment, where their hairs and robes settled, while they themselves remained still, their gazes locked.
Then he tugged her up, but rather than release him, Weiyan's arms went around him again, pulling him close in a full hug which made his senses reel as her scent and aura wove around him.
'What miracle is this?!' He wondered.
Surely no one would watch those fireworks and run to hug the perpetrator!.
"Yanyan!" He attempted to break the hug... "What's the matte-? Ack!"
She suddenly squeezed him so tightly that he might have passed out if he hadn't been fortifying his body all this while!
"C- Can't breathe!" He forced out, and she instantly let him go.
She turned a furious shade of red and attempted to run off, but Luoyin grabbed her shoulders, holding her in place.
Their faces were so close that he could see soft candlelight on her dark lashes, and he smirked. "Yanyan, you want to leave after doing as you please?"
She bowed her head, not daring to meet his gaze, but he gently lifted her chin. "Yanyan, were you moved by my beautiful fireworks earlier?" He teased, not really expecting a reply, but her lips moved,
"I was... moved." She spoke softly, her irises still avoiding him! "Th- The flowers and the poem... a- and even the fireworks!"
'She touched the flowers!' He realized, and warmth crawled up his neck.
Which meant she saw the poem- the real poem...
A success amid failure!
But then he realized the last thing she just said.
"Ei...?" He began, teasingly. "You were moved by the fireworks?! Heh! Even the pig and cabbage?"
Her eyes narrowed. "I- I didn't mean- not that part!"
"Too late!" He chuckled. "I'll ensure I always buy you pork and cabbage from now on!"
"*F- Fujun!" She gasped, and playfully slapped his upper arm.
(*husband!)
It was something she had picked up from the flower house...
"Oh, you should really call him 'Fujun'! It doesn't mean much, but men are a little moved by it!" One of the courtesans had advised.
...'a little'... They said.
It didn't seem like 'a little', as Luoyin froze, and then his grip slightly tightened on her shoulders.
"What did you call me?" He asked, and her irises finally settled on him uncertainly.
"Fuju-...?" Weiyan never finished as Luoyin leaned down and touched his lips to hers.
It was fast and gentle at first- no different from the first time she had kissed him, but once again, it was hardly enough!
The mere touch of lips lit a spark, and his arms went around her, one holding her waist to him, while the other slid behind her neck, angling her head better to deepen the kiss.
All Weiyan managed was a swift breath before she was swept away, and she quickly grabbed onto his arms as her legs went weak.
Luoyin caught her, his arm around her waist anchoring her to him, and as his tongue darted into her mouth, she let out a tiny yelp of pleasure, an insistent heat curling somewhere in her middle.
She found herself growing bolder, and her tongue darted out to dance with his, while her hand moved up to caress his face.
But as her fingers trailed over his ears, it pulled a direct response from a certain region, and he groaned, swiftly catching her hand and breaking the kiss.
"Yanyan, aren't we moving a bit quickly?" His asked, his breaths quick and heavy.
They had just confirmed each other's hearts recently, and he had only 'confessed' today...
They could spend more time together, and slowly ease into this type of thing.
If he gave in to the things he wanted to do right now, wouldn't it scare her away?!
What he did not expect was his quiet, innocent wife to narrow her eyes at him, and then suddenly strike, her fingers hitting two all-too-familiar accupoints.
"Yanyan, you-!" He began, before falling backwards, onto the bed, as she thought,
'I won't let you go any more!'
And she joined him on the bed, leading to a night of soft gasps and gentle sighs, as a light spring shower began to fall, despite the brilliant moon...
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~~~