Chapter 359

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Chapter 359: Those Wonderful Things

Love.

This word seemed a bit distant to Bai Wei.

He had lived for so long, yet he never had a serious relationship with anyone. Perhaps there was one in the past, but gradually, the chance was lost.

In the nineteenth generation of Diwu, love seemed impossible. Looking back now, it felt more like a family connection than true love.

No one in the world can perfectly replace another. The so-called replacement often means that the person from the past has been forgotten.

Bai Wei came to heal his inner wounds. He thought it would take a long time to accept, but in reality, Diwu Qiansui took only seven days to enter his heart. Men who appear stubborn and refuse with so many words often indicate how much they lack care. They are sensitive, afraid of others touching the soft wounds buried deep within them.

When he softened his heart for the first time, it marked the complete failure of his resistance.

Boy meets girl.

A simple story.

After three years, they finally grew close in a true sense for the first time.

Diwu Qiansui became his guide, holding Bai Wei’s hand as they traveled through famous rivers and places. She wasn’t in a rush to take him back to her hometown like a girl eager to bring her lover back for a lifetime. Instead, she casually led him around.

They walked, they stopped, they saw the vastness of the world. But after a few months, they realized they had only traveled a small part of it.

In the blink of an eye, another six months passed.

Bai Wei arrived at the outskirts of Diwu Qiansui’s hometown.

The people became fewer, while supernatural beings became more frequent.

After crossing a certain boundary, Bai Wei found himself an outsider in this world. As a human, he seemed out of place, while Diwu Qiansui seemed liberated, unfurling six fluffy tails.

Bai Wei reached out to touch them, but she blushed and slapped his hand away.

Qiansui raised her finger, “So many eyes are watching, don’t mess around.”

Bai Wei, curious, asked, “So we can touch in private?”

They arrived at a fortunate time, just in time for the Qiqiao Festival.

The streets and market were bustling all through the night, with a starry sky above, flowing rivers, and bridges.

The world of monsters was quite prosperous, reminding Bai Wei of the scenes in the southern part of the Qiantang River. He was so familiar with the scenery there that it filled him with emotion.

They walked and stopped through the market.

Suddenly, Diwu Qiansui’s eyes lit up, and she smiled, saying, “Let’s make a bet.”

Bai Wei asked, “What kind of bet?”

The little fox pointed to the pairs of monsters on the street and said, “Today is the Qiqiao Festival. Do you know what it’s for?”

Bai Wei nodded. He certainly didn’t forget. It seemed that the human tradition of the Qiqiao Festival also appeared in the fairy market. Both humans and fairies wouldn’t miss any opportunity to make money.

She giggled, “There are a lot of goods at the market today. Let’s choose a gift for each other. Whoever chooses the better one wins. What do you think?”

Bai Wei thought to himself, she’s such a silly girl. Is there really a difference between good and bad gifts?

He didn’t refuse and nodded, “Sure, that works. But what happens if we win or lose?”

Diwu Qiansui said, “If you win, you have to promise me something.”

Bai Wei smiled, “And what if you lose?”

The fox spirit took a few steps back, hands behind her back, and bent down, “I won’t lose, I promise.”

They parted ways, agreeing to meet after an hour. Bai Wei wasn’t in a rush and wandered casually around the market.

Soon, he found a gift he thought Diwu Qiansui would like.

A hairpin.

Bai Wei asked, “Is this hairpin for sale?”

The vendor nodded, “Yes, it’s for sale, but it’s not cheap. It’s made of Kunlun jade.”

Bai Wei took out a silver note.

“What is this?” The vendor tilted his head, looking at it, “A few pieces of torn paper won’t do.”

Bai Wei was speechless. It suddenly occurred to him that silver notes weren’t accepted in this market. He had some silver coins with him, but they weren’t recognized here. The vendor said most transactions were done by bartering goods or exchanging for spiritual plants that could enhance cultivation.

What kind of cultivation realm?

Bai Wei stood in front of the stall, lost in thought. Without money, he probably couldn’t buy anything.

Seeing his distress, the vendor pointed to the young man, “Give me the thing around your waist, and I’ll give you the hairpin at the original price.”

Bai Wei had a long sword hanging from his waist. The sword sheath had been lost many years ago, and its origin wasn’t very mysterious. He had bought it and used it comfortably for seven or eight years.

He took off the sword and handed it over. It was just a sword, and he didn’t really care about it. Besides, the sword had been in its sheath for a long time and didn’t even have a proper one.

The vendor took the precious sword and asked, “What is the name of this sword?”

Bai Wei had never thought about this question before. Zhan Zhao and Ouyang Chun had asked, but he always answered, “Nameless.” Now that he was finally going to part with it, Bai Wei thought he should give it a name. A brilliant idea flashed through his mind.

He said, “Yunhu.”

An hour passed in the blink of an eye. Bai Wei stood on the stone bridge, waiting, gazing at the flowing water and the lights on the riverbank. His eyes were slightly unfocused.

There were red ribbons with wooden plaques hanging from the willows nearby. He was thinking about whether or not he should write something and hang it up as well.

Then, he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. He turned around, smiling, ready to ask if she had received a nice gift.

But as he turned, his gaze became fixated.

The girl was still beautiful, but her long black hair had been cut just below her shoulders.

“Is it inappropriate?” Diwu Qiansui touched her short hair nervously.

“No, it’s very fitting.” Bai Wei withdrew his surprised gaze, hiding his expression, and even said some cheesy compliments, “It looks so good, I couldn’t help but be distracted.”

“Really? As long as you like it. You’ve mentioned before that girls with short hair look livelier, so I…” Diwu Qiansui’s fox ears twitched. “Speaking of which, guess what gift I brought you?”

Without waiting for Bai Wei’s answer, she took out a sheath for an obsidian sword from behind her. “Ta-da~ Surprise! Did you expect this? I saw your sword hanging on you before but couldn’t find a suitable sheath. I knew I would find one here. This sheath is made of magical iron that can change size. It will definitely fit. Try it on with your sword.”

The girl showed off her cleverness and enthusiasm but didn’t notice Bai Wei’s momentary hesitation and forced expression.

“Huh? Where’s your sword?” Diwu Qiansui also noticed Bai Wei’s waist was empty, and his cherished sword was missing.

“…I sold it.” Unable to hide it anymore, he told the truth.

“Ah?” The little fox froze for a second. She widened her eyes, raised her small fist in anger, and swung it toward him, “You, you, you… idiot! Stupid! Unreasonable! I… I…”

She didn’t have any money left, and the only valuable thing she had was her hair. The beautiful hair of a fairy fox was worth a lot, after all. It took ten years or even several decades for her hair to grow. She had cut it off and exchanged it for the sword sheath, so naturally, she was angry her plan didn’t work out.

But as Bai Wei took out the jade hairpin, her little dissatisfaction quickly disappeared.

Qiansui understood, and she smiled, remembering, “It seems we can’t use money here…”

She pursed her lips, looking at Bai Wei, who was innocent and naïve. They looked at each other, like a clever one and a fool.

If she lost the treasure sword, the sword sheath was useless. If she lost her long hair, the hairpin wouldn’t be helpful either.

Bai Wei asked, “So, who won?”

Qiansui’s face showed no signs of worry or sadness. She smiled like never before, stood on the stone bridge, and shouted toward the river.

“Neither of us won. It’s a tie. Both of us are silly fools!”

Another wooden sign with a red ribbon hung from a willow tree by the river during the Qiqiao Festival.

These stories were small things in the journey, nothing too thrilling.

A very ordinary little story, but also a very ordinary and beautiful one. The scholar’s days became simple and beautiful, able to forget worries and unhappiness.

Those beautiful things were like pearls scattered on the ground after opening a box, shining brightly, easily picked up with just a reach.

Bai Wei fell into an ordinary, common love, like an ordinary person, enjoying every moment of beauty.

Until all the pearls in the box were completely poured out, leaving only an empty wooden box.

Three years later, Bai Wei fell into a coma, and Diwu Qiansui aged overnight.