Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 359 - The Grand Finale (4)

At night, Heishi City lit up with all sorts of lights.

The skull lanterns now came in several colors, not just blue and green, but also white and red. At a glance, they flickered and changed, more lively than a lantern market in the mortal world, with a hint of the eerie amidst their brilliance.

Gu Baiying walked slowly down the street.

Nighttime in Heishi City was always more bustling than during the day. With his handsome appearance and outstanding demeanor, it wasn’t long before a bold demoness came up to him and tried to hook his arm. He gave her a cold glance and used his Xiu Gu spear to block her advance. The woman reluctantly let go and walked away with a disgruntled expression.

A demoness walked by holding large, snow-white skulls, occasionally bending down to sniff them, and smiled, saying, “It smells so good.” It was Guishou Flower, and upon closer inspection, many demons around held a bunch of them.

Gu Baiying suddenly realized that today was the Qixi Festival.

Not far away, someone was selling silver locks. The vendor, a beautiful woman with red hair, was shouting loudly with her hands on her hips: “Harmony Heart Locks! The same model as the Demon Queen’s! Lock your lover, lock your feelings. Just write both names on the lock, hang it on a tree, and then use the key to lock it, and the two will stay together for a lifetime!”

“Only two hundred magic pearls each, sold in sets of ten, buy ten get one free, buy fifty get ten free, a great deal!”

The price had even gone up.

Gu Baiying looked at the silver locks hanging from the branches. The vendor, seeing this, eagerly approached him, “Young Immortal, would you like to buy a lock? How about taking ten with you?”

He glanced at the silver locks and said, “No need,” and walked forward.

The vendor wasn’t offended but looked at his retreating figure with some hesitation, thinking, “Why does he seem a bit familiar?”

The next moment, a customer inquired, and she pushed aside her brief doubt and energetically continued to attract customers.

Gu Baiying continued walking forward.

The streets of Heishi City felt both familiar and strange. Following his memory, he approached a familiar stall at the street corner.

The vendor was a middle-aged man in a silver robe, his hair styled into small braids. He was idly staring at the ants on the ground, seemingly lost in thought. When he saw someone approaching, the man perked up, stood up, and called out, “Take a look, take a look! Red Rhodonite Peony Pink Ghostly Snowflake Mica Bracelet, this is the last batch! For men with bad luck in love, wearing this will surely attract romantic prospects within three days. It’s very effective!”

Gu Baiying paused for a moment. The vendor stepped forward with a smile, “Young Immortal, would you like to buy one to wear?”

The vendor didn’t recognize Gu Baiying, but Gu Baiying found it somewhat amusing and replied casually, “You said years ago that this was the last batch.”

“Eh?” The vendor was taken aback, studying Gu Baiying for a moment before exclaiming, “Oh, it’s you! I remember you drew a bad fortune from me back then, and the next day my stall was shut down.” He spoke in a friendly manner, “If I had known you were the Young Princess’s lover, I wouldn’t have let you draw that fortune.”

When he mentioned Young Princess, there was no trace of sorrow on his face. Demons were generally open-minded, regarding life, death, and illness as mere common occurrences and not dwelling on them. When one Demon King passed, there would naturally be another to take their place. The mortal world came and went as always.

“Your fortune was accurate,” Gu Baiying said flatly.

“Accurate? It’s all fake,” the vendor waved his hand dismissively. “To be honest, none of the fortunes in that tube were good. They were all bad fortunes. It was just to make customers feel better and to sell them some items to overcome their misfortunes, making some magic pearls in the process. Who knew it would coincide with the Young Princess’s stroll and result in my stall being shut down.”

Gu Baiying was taken aback.

So it was all fake?

He had often wondered if he had missed something in that fortune, but now he realized it was all just a series of coincidental errors.

Yet, it seemed to have unwittingly come true.

The vendor continued to chatter, “But after being warned by the Chaos Hall, I’ve reformed and turned over a new leaf. I wouldn’t dare do that anymore. Today is the Qixi Festival, so come on, Young Immortal,” the man pulled out a jar from under the stall, “draw another fortune. I guarantee all the fortunes inside are good ones, for a good omen!”

He wanted to refuse but, at the last moment, changed his mind. He set aside his Xiu Gu spear and shook a fortune stick out of the jar.

A wooden stick fell to the ground. Gu Baiying bent down to pick it up. It was a red stick with the following inscription: “The wind plays with the bamboo, and I thought it was the jingling of a golden pendant; the moon shifts the shadows of the flowers, and I mistook it for the coming of a jade beauty.”

The vendor came over to take a look, laughing heartily, “Ah, this is an excellent fortune! Congratulations, Young Immortal. It seems good things are coming your way!”

Gu Baiying was momentarily stunned, then smiled slightly as he looked down, handing the stick back to the vendor and saying, “Thank you.”

Around him, the sounds of music and voices blended together. The lights resembled stars, illuminating the entire city in a splendid night.

Further ahead, a shadow puppet show was being performed.

Last time, there had been many people watching the shadow puppet show, with crowds packing the area. However, Heishi City later restricted overly explicit performances in shadow puppetry, causing the shows to become bland and ordinary. The demon audience, who preferred bold and passionate displays, lost interest in these subtle and melancholic performances. Now, only a few older demons remained standing in front of the puppet show.

Gu Baiying stopped in front of the shadow puppet show.

The play depicted a scholar falling in love with a general’s daughter.

The puppeteer’s voice was long and drawn out, and the lyrics were elegant. It sang of the scholar’s love at first sight for the young lady and his endless longing. It sang of the destined relationship between the scholar and the young lady, of their mutual affection.

“On a night with a soft moonlight and a quiet spring in the flower shade, how can I look at the bright moon without seeing the person in the moon?”

“Deep in the boudoir, I feel lonely and have no way to pass the beautiful spring. I guess the wandering poet must pity the person who sighs endlessly.”

A rebel general wanted to abduct the young lady, but the scholar used a trick to save her. At this time, the minister’s wife wanted to break off the engagement, and then there were private meetings, trips to the capital, examinations, and rumors…

The demons had altered the later parts of the lyrics, making them less elaborate than before. The audience found it too mundane and unexciting, and the crowd in front of the stall gradually thinned out. Eventually, only one young man remained.

He stood in front of the shadow puppet show, listening attentively to this otherwise unremarkable performance.

The ups and downs of sorrow and joy, the fluctuations of love and hate, were all condensed into a few lines of lyrics. The people of Heishi City had strong desires and could not tolerate such sorrowful and mundane performances. The audience was sparse.

Gu Baiying had never listened to such performances before, always feeling that these tales of romance and separation had no connection to him. Yet now, he stood quietly in front of the shadow puppet show, listening to a story of reunion that no one else was paying attention to.

The scholar achieved top honors, returned home in glory, and married, fulfilling his lifelong wish.

The characters in the play sang: “May we never part, may we always be united through the ages, wishing all those who are in love to become companions.”

Wishing that all lovers under heaven become partners.

It was a cliche, happy ending.

He watched the conclusion alone.

The surroundings were noisy, and the lights gradually dimmed. An elderly person emerged from behind the shadow puppets and looked at the young man before him. Slowly, he said, “Sir, the show has ended.”

His eyelashes lowered, and his silhouette cast a solitary shadow in the dimming lights. After a long pause, he finally replied, “Mm.”