Chapter 139: Is Lord Dongjun in love? First, she has to fall in love with you!
“Look at which one you like, and I’ll buy it for you,” Li Mo said in front of the lantern stall.
Yan Lingji felt her hand loosen and only then came back to her senses from her earlier daze. She placed her hand in front of herself, grasping it with the other hand. The lively blue eyes no longer had the usual vitality; instead, they seemed a bit awkward. Pressing her soft lips together, her expression on her face was quite complex. Without even bothering to carefully choose, she glanced at the stall and immediately fell in love with the last lantern. Pointing at it, she said, “This one.”
“This one is indeed excellent, with bright colors and exquisite beauty, which matches the lady’s beauty.”
Suddenly, a soft voice sounded next to Yan Lingji. Turning her head, she saw a woman who had appeared beside her at some point. Dignified and noble, with features like a painting, her beauty was beyond words. “It’s you?”
She expressed a slight surprise. The person speaking was the same woman they had competed with in the courtyard at the inn. The woman had a gentle smile on her lips and said softly, “What a coincidence, running into you two again.”
After saying that, her gaze lingered on Li Mo for a moment before returning. Li Mo’s lips twitched, “Indeed, quite a coincidence.”
Could it not be a coincidence? With so many people at the lantern festival and so many vendors selling lanterns, they had to meet here.
After exchanging greetings, he asked the boss again, “How much does this lamp cost?”
The boss rubbed his hands and said, “I’m sorry, this lamp is not for sale.”
“Not for sale? Then why hang it here?”
Yan Lingji paused for a moment, her gentle voice tinged with a hint of disappointment. The boss, who was not young, was long past the age of being infatuated with women. But upon hearing Yan Lingji’s voice, he couldn’t help but feel his heart beat faster. He explained, “Old man here gifts this lamp, as long as you can guess the riddle on it, the lamp will be yours.”
“A gift?”
Yan Lingji blinked her eyes. There’s such a good deal? Are the people from the Central Plains really foolish? The woman beside her chuckled, “So it’s guessing riddles.”
Li Mo, however, understood as soon as he heard it, “How is the guessing done?”
There would never be such a foolish boss in this world. It’s more like gambling with the lamp. You have to pay a certain deposit as a bet. If you can guess the riddle, you can take the lamp and get your deposit back. Otherwise, the deposit is gone. So, compared to selling lanterns, this way is more appealing and profitable. The boss explained, “Thirty yuan deposit, unlimited number of riddles to guess.”
“If neither of you guessed right, I will also give you a lamp.”
It means, with thirty yuan, you can guess from start to finish. How many lamps you can take depends on your skills.
Yan Lingji listened and pursed her lips. She said the people from the Central Plains were foolish, but turns out she was the foolish one. There are a total of seven lanterns hanging here, even if all were sold, it wouldn’t be more than thirty dollars. This old man is really cunning!
“Let’s go, it’s not worth it.”
She may be mischievous at times, but she’s not stupid!
The woman next to her also shook her head slightly. This boss’s accounting was indeed shrewd. You have to guess all correctly to get back the deposit. As long as there’s one wrong guess, it’s a foolproof deal. No need to think, the better the lantern looks, the harder the riddle will be. Li Mo, however, stood still, took out the money bag from his waist, and handed it to the boss. “Let’s play.”
The boss opened it and saw, “Oh, this is quite a lot.”
Li Mo chuckled, “It’s okay, you hold onto it for now.”
After all, you will have to give it back to me later, too lazy to count it now.
The woman beside them showed a hint of curiosity on her gentle and beautiful face. She sensed the confidence in Li Mo’s words. She looked at him with interest. The boss was stunned, his heart fluttered by his smile. The crowd around gradually increased. Not because the boss’s stall was particularly attractive. But because there was a blind man standing next to two stunningly beautiful women, such a combination was somewhat eye-catching. At this moment, Li Mo asked the woman beside him, “Could the lady please help me read out this riddle?”
It would be too outlandish if he read out the riddle himself. As for Yan Lingji, she couldn’t read much. The woman with a calm and beautiful face lightly nodded, “Sure.”
Yan Lingji gently tugged at Li Mo’s sleeve and whispered, “There are so many people watching, shall we leave?”
She wasn’t embarrassed by being watched. She was just worried that Li Mo might be laughed at if he couldn’t figure it out. Li Mo patted the small hand pulling his sleeve, reassuringly said, “Don’t worry.”
Yan Lingji blinked her eyes and looked at the big hand on her hand back, feeling speechless. He’s taking advantage of me again!
Guess away, guess away, in the end, it will be you who embarrasses yourself!
The riddles were written on bamboo pieces hanging below the lantern, starting from the first one. The woman raised her hand to steady the spinning lantern and read out loud, “First riddle: Red bride, climbing a high building, heartaches, tears fall. What object is described?”
“Candle.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Mo remembered the answer. The woman paused. Yan Lingji also paused. Even the boss next to them was stunned!
Yan Lingji hadn’t even clearly heard the question, and Li Mo already answered!
The boss looked Li Mo up and down. Oh, didn’t expect it. This blind man is quite remarkable!
“Congratulations, you two, you guessed the first riddle correctly.”
The boss pulled out a bamboo slip with the answer written on it from the lantern to show them.
He indicated that he was truthful and willing to accept defeat without cheating.
Yan Lingji saw Li Mo really guessed right, and immediately raised the corner of her mouth.
Pointing to the first colored lantern, she said, “Is this mine?”
The boss took down the colored lantern and handed it to her, saying, “This gentleman guessed right, so it naturally belongs to the young lady.”
Yan Lingji happily accepted it.
The colored lanterns obtained in this way seemed to be more interesting than buying them with money.
The lantern riddles became more difficult as they progressed.
As long as one lantern was not guessed correctly, the boss could make thirty dollars tearfully.
Unless Li Mo could guess all seven correctly, the boss would not return his deposit.
So the boss was not worried!
The woman looked deeply at Li Mo and her soft voice sounded again, “Second question: Sitting is sitting, standing is sitting, moving is sitting, lying down is sitting.”
The woman slightly furrowed her eyebrows.
The difficulty of the second question directly increased by one level.
The difficulty lay in the lack of any hints.
Was it a word puzzle or a riddle? No one knew.
While she was contemplating, Li Mo’s voice came again, “Frog.”
Counting the number of sitting words with her fingers, Yan Lingji slowly raised her head to look at him.
Then she turned her gaze to the booth boss.
The boss smiled, pulled out a bamboo slip with the answer from the lantern.
Taking down the lantern, he handed it to her, saying, “Congratulations, you guessed right again.”
Yan Lingji joyfully accepted the lantern.
The woman looked at Li Mo again with surprise.
If she were to guess, she could figure it out too.
But it definitely wouldn’t be as easy as Li Mo.
He almost immediately provided the answer as soon as she mentioned the riddle.
He didn’t even need time to consider.
She couldn’t help but be curious.
Was this person’s thinking too fast?
Yan Lingji held six lanterns in each hand, the joy in her sapphire blue eyes couldn’t be hidden.
After receiving the seven-colored lantern handed over by the boss, she hesitated for a moment.
Turning to the woman, she said, “How about giving this lantern to you?”
Someone who had been with them for so long without any relation, even helped with lantern riddles.
If she didn’t show some appreciation, Yan Lingji felt embarrassed.
Moreover, they lived in the same courtyard.
Giving her a lantern was a way to express gratitude.
The woman looked slightly stunned at the seven-colored lantern handed to her.
“Are you willing to give me the one you liked?”
She asked.
Yan Lingji blinked at her, “I have plenty.”
The woman glanced at the six lanterns in her hands, nodded thoughtfully, and took it from her.
“Thank you very much,” she said.
At this moment, the movements of Li Mo on the side suddenly caught her attention.
The boss held a few coins handed over by Li Mo, a pained expression frozen on his face.
Puzzled, she asked, “What is this…”
Li Mo chuckled, “It’s not easy for the old man to make a living, we are just here for fun.”
“The bet is yours, and we’ll take these lanterns,” he continued.
As the saying goes, willing to accept defeat, the lanterns were won by Li Mo, so technically he didn’t need to give back the money.
But… he won by cheating.
The lantern event happened only once a year, there was no need to let others go through this trouble for nothing.
The boss held the money in his hand, stunned for a while, then thanked them repeatedly.
The woman looked at Li Mo with a deep sense of astonishment in her eyes.
This person seems to be somewhat different from those encountered before. She saw in Li Mo a kind of humanity she had never seen before. It was something she had never possessed.
The three of them left the lamp stall and walked together in the bustling market. The enchanting Yan Lingji and the dignified and noble woman were two completely different styles.
Li Mo was sandwiched between them, attracting many jealous glances along the way. The woman’s mouth always held a gentle smile, looking very friendly. Li Mo and Yan Lingji both had their hands full of things, so there was no way to stroll down the street. The woman also seemed satisfied, so they all went back to the inn together. When the innkeeper saw them return together, he couldn’t help but stare. Did they get together so quickly?
There are three rooms in the courtyard. Each room is in a different direction. A shared courtyard in the middle. Room one is the room where the woman lives. After returning, she closed the door and opened the window to look at the night sky.
But tonight the night sky was covered by dark clouds, making her plan to stargaze fall through. The reason why she agreed for those two to stay in this courtyard was because she suddenly saw the black cloth on Li Mo’s eyes. She had done stargazing calculations before, and the opportunity she sought was in Xianyang.
Changxing Star, also known as the Morning Star, represents the arrival of dawn. It is a symbol of hope and wishes. It symbolizes wisdom and talent. Finding the person or thing represented by this star, she can unlock the mystery of the seven mansions of the Azure Dragon.
Changxing Star appears in two different positions in the east and west each day, indicating that this opportunity comes from the east to the west. This star also has another name, called Tai Bai Star. Belonging to the metal element, metal restrains wood. Wood represents eyes in the human body’s five elements.
If this opportunity refers to a person, and in the case of metal restraining wood, it means he is a person with eye problems.
So when she saw Li Mo, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Seeing the coin hanging from Li Mo’s waist, she became more certain of her thoughts. The reason why Li Mo paid with golden beans was because he had brought Han coins.
And Han coins cannot be circulated in Qin Country. The coins used for guessing lantern riddles were change provided by the innkeeper.
Han is located in the east. Coming from the east to the west of Qin Country, he is also a blind person. A blind person who can guess seven lantern riddles in one go. It also fits the wisdom represented by Changxing Star.
In this way, it seems to match the results of her stargazing calculations. Whether it is as she calculated, she can observe him again during this time.
The woman withdrew her thoughts. Just about to close the window and rest, she saw Li Mo suddenly open the door and walk out. Sweaty and flushed, looking very hot. Hot? Dongjun looked at the snowflakes starting to fall outside, slightly puzzled.
Li Mo ran into the house with a dejected face. Blowing in the bone-chilling cold wind, he gradually felt the heat in his body subside. This lady was really overdoing it. Taking a bath for half an hour. With her figure and looks, one can’t stand to look at her for a glance, let alone half an hour!
Everywhere was white, almost blinding him!
Take a bath and let me know so I can retract my perception range. Looking but not able to touch, it’s better not to look at all!
Li Mo sighed in the courtyard. “Why are you sighing, sir?”
Suddenly, a soft voice came from the side.
The noble figure walked out of the room. Li Mo frowned slightly. When he saw that name on the innkeeper’s register in the afternoon, he knew the identity of the other party.
Fei Yan, a very beautiful name. Just like her. Surname Ji, name Fei Yan. Coupled with her noble and dignified temperament,
Li Mo immediately thought of someone. Yin and Yang Master Dongjun! The love idiot who abandoned everything for love, but was ultimately deceived by Yan Dan, that scumbag, and ended up a lovelorn fool. Deceiving her into bearing his child, and then using her to kill his own master so he could become the leader of the Mo family. In the end, standing on the moral high ground, blaming and abandoning the other with a grand and righteous image and attitude.
Heck!
What else besides a scum bag? Wanting to accomplish big things but also wanting to keep your hands clean.
Hinting the people around you to take action, achieving your goals and then excluding those who took action. Don’t talk about hypocrisy, it’s just downright treacherous!
Even though Dongjun may be cold-blooded and ruthless towards others, she is completely devoted to those she cares about. Clearly possessing the strength to crush Yan Dan, yet behaving like a doormat, unable to retort or retaliate. Knowing you are being used and still making excuses for the other party. Love brain, terrifying indeed!
But fortunately!
Judging by the timeline, Dong Jun has not yet fallen for that scum bag. Right now, the two probably don’t even know each other.
“Oh, it’s nothing, just encountered some troublesome matters.”
Li Mo didn’t turn around, making an excuse.”
Troublesome matters?”
Fei Yan’s footsteps were light, almost inaudible. Hands still habitually resting on her abdomen, she appeared extremely dignified. As they walked, she said, “Today Sir seems to be sharp-minded, I didn’t expect there were things that could trouble Sir.”
“I don’t know what’s bothering you, but speaking out may be helpful, even if I, a little lady, can’t necessarily help.”
Li Mo smiled. I feel greedy for the fire starter in the room, and I also want to light your cigarette. Can you help too? Don’t be surprised, if her love brain kicks in, she could really pull this off!
But the premise is, she has to fall in love with you first!
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