This mountain towers into the clouds and is covered with jade. It stands on the earth like a straight seal, making people look up to it.
In this high mountain surrounded by green trees, a long staircase winds up the mountain in a zigzag shape. A square red-painted ladder fence is faintly visible among the dense trees. At night, there are bright lights on the fence posts.
, illuminate this road. If viewed from a distance from the bottom of the mountain, the path illuminated by these lights is like a ladder to the sky, entering the clouds step by step.
The top 100 winners of this Chilou sword fight, plus the bachelors who were shortlisted for the autumn palace examination, approximately 200 people, under the arrangement of Chun Guanshi, put on uniform clothes and paraded through the streets on horseback, attracting countless people to watch and cheer.
The long swords on the waists of the swordsmen were hung with purple embroidered tassels, and the bachelors, dressed in flower and bird embroidered clothes, rode horses through the main road of Luojing, surrounded by guards, and circled the city.
During this period, countless people came out to watch, and the roads were filled with flowers and spices. Some nobles or wealthy people would also sit in the restaurants and teahouses on both sides of the street to look at it carefully. If they thought it was good, they would even ask their servants to send them tokens on the spot.
Marriage proposal and the like.
Many swordsmen from poor families may have never been welcomed or taken seriously by others before, and lived a life of poverty, but when they succeed in leaping over the dragon's gate, they will become the targets of countless people's expectations and optimism. Even if you have no family,
They can marry young ladies from aristocratic families who were beyond their reach in the past and become the object of admiration for countless people.
And even women will receive overtures from many noble people at this time. If they close their eyes, they can also get a good marriage. Compared with ordinary women who marry into high families, such talents will get more respect.
And freedom is no longer limited to living in the backyard.
After the parade has gone through a lively circle, it is often near dusk. They will rest for a while and then head to Yuzhang Mountain to prepare for climbing the mountain.
And this is often called the ladder to heaven by the world, and it is the most proud and glorious moment in the lives of countless people.
The team moved forward step by step, and from time to time there were sounds of shouting and reading. It was the spring officials at the front of the team who were reciting sacrificial texts and congratulations.
The pines swayed, and talents in purple and red uniforms climbed up the stairs. Step by step, the prosperous city under their feet gradually took on another scene in the field of vision, magnificent and glorious.
Immediately, everyone was in a great mood for poetry. During this period, many student swordsmen wrote while walking, expressing the joy and heroism in their hearts.
Compared to those elites who needed to climb mountains, Lorraine Hill took a Tianma horse-drawn carriage and went directly to the top of Yuzhang Mountain.
In the circular open space surrounded by white jade railings, the carriage slowly descended. A pair of light white shoes poked out from the door and stepped lightly on the ground like a white wall. Then, following the line of sight upward, there were snow-white stockings and light gold tulle.
The skirt, the white silk lining, the gold leaf embroidery on the sleeves, the slender fingers, the delicate collarbones, the few strands of silver hair, the pure and flawless face, and the faintly twinkling jade on the forehead.
Several female officials who had been waiting aside stepped forward and said, "Welcome to the arrival of the Golden Bird Priestess."
Afterwards, these high-ranking female officials in gold embroidery led Lorraine Hill towards the corridor to one side.
Walking beside this fence carved with white jade and looking down, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery below with thousands of lights dotting the land in Luojing.
However, compared to flying in the night sky on weekdays, the scenery here is a little different. The scenery below seems to be separated by a layer of transparent and clear water, with ripples of light and orange lights.
After turning around the palaces and buildings, a large venue appeared in front of Lorraine Hill.
The whole thing is like a large trapezoid built along the mountain, extending down one by one along the mountain. There are several round tables on each large trapezoid to entertain guests. These trapezoidal terraces are all on the edge of the mountain, where you can
Overlooking the beautiful night view of Luojing and admiring the beautiful moonlight.
Although there is no longer a bright moon, the starry sky is still beautiful and fascinating.
In the center of the venue, there are several round tables surrounded by stars, among which the top and middle tables are made of amber jade, like the bright moon of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Although no one was seated at this time, this table must have been specially reserved for the emperor's family.
After arriving at the venue, Lorraine Hill was first taken to a side terrace by the female officer, where a woman wearing a golden phoenix costume was already waiting for her.
"This is the current empress, Her Royal Highness Queen Zhaoyue." Jin Xiuchunguan on the side introduced Lorraine Hill.
"I have met Her Majesty the Queen." Lorraine Hill lifted her skirt and nodded, performing court etiquette.
"Don't be so formal."
A soft voice came from above, and Lorraine Hill raised his head and looked at it slowly.
The Queen Zhaoyue does not look old in appearance. She is dressed in a complicated and splendid dress, which is embroidered with golden and white phoenixes. At the corners, there are weeping branches of gorse.
She sits on a sapphire seat, with layers of phoenix cloud headdresses on her head, and many pearl pendants hanging from it to embellish it. Although her appearance is not the kind of beauty that makes people marvel, she is also graceful, round, dignified and gorgeous.
, naturally possessing a calm and noble temperament.
"You must be Luo Lan."
When the girl looked at the queen, the other party was also looking at the girl. His eyes looked at this flawless and beautiful girl, showing some approval from time to time.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Come and sit for a while. I have heard a lot of rumors about you recently." The kind queen waved to Lorraine Hill and asked her to sit next to her.
"There's still some time before the tail-burning feast, so it's time for us to have a chat."
"Yes." Lorraine Hill responded softly, then walked forward slowly and sat on the jade throne next to the queen.
"How old are you this year? You look very young. When I say young, I don't mean young in appearance, but young in demeanor and temperament."
"In fact, I have seen many witches and maidens. Although they are not old in appearance, when meeting and talking to them, you can still feel that they are different from ordinary people. They are either indifferent and traceless, or they are willful and willful. Even though they are sitting there,
Next to me, it’s like another world thousands of miles away.”
The queen talked about the past softly, and seemed not to care whether Lorraine Hill answered in time.
"I'm actually not very clear about my age, but I haven't been awake for a long time, maybe less than 20 years." Lorraine Hill said true words.
"Do you often fall asleep?"
"Well, sometimes I feel sleepy."
"It's very hard, I know." She picked up Lorraine Hill's hand and held it gently.
"Having power beyond ordinary people, sometimes you will unconsciously feel more responsibilities."
"It is obviously possible to do it, but it cannot be saved in the end. It is more uncomfortable than having no hope at the beginning."
"Ordinary people can have various reasonable excuses and reasons to escape, but for us, these are not suitable."
"When it becomes the hope of all, it becomes a sin not to live up to it."
"People will not be harsh on a drunkard on the street, but they will consider the emperor within the framework of a saint. A little carelessness will lead to all kinds of criticism."
"Because when a person is in that position, he doesn't just live for himself."
"This is also the reason why many flying immortals and goddesses obviously have powers beyond the ordinary, but they are rarely revealed in the eyes of the public."
"Revelation means reputation, and reputation will in turn bind people's behavior."
The queen talked about her own feelings and seemed to be helping Lorraine Hill analyze the pros and cons.
"I said some incomprehensible words unknowingly. I hope you won't be offended. In fact, I rarely see anyone I can talk to, so I couldn't help it for a while." The queen turned her head and looked at the person next to her.
girl.
"No, I'm actually very grateful to His Highness for telling me these things."
"What a good boy. I feel like you are a little different from those goddesses. Maybe it's because you are still young."
"I heard before that you are planning to return to the Western Continent after the Autumn Moon Lantern Festival is over?"
"Yes." The girl nodded.
"Is there any family you miss over there?"
"My family...maybe I don't have any, but I have some good friends." Several faces appeared in Lorraine Hill's mind.
"Gee, that's not bad. It's better than being alone."
"After you go to the Western Continent, you can come back and visit occasionally. I look forward to you telling me stories about the west."
The queen chatted briefly with Lorraine Hill about everyday things, and occasionally mentioned things from her childhood. At that time, she had not yet married into the palace, but was living in the high mountains of Nolan Continent.
"The villagers there will raise a big bird with black and blue feathers, which usually carries people across the canyons and shuttles between the mountains... and the local indigo dyeing skills are very good. I slept in it when I was a child.
The bed is made of blue-dyed calico, which is washable and long-lasting."
"In ancient times, Nolan Island belonged to a small country called Youya Country. This country was also one of the Six Blue Bird Kingdoms. There were many high mountains in the country, which were covered with snow all year round. However, some canyons had a mild climate, which could be used to grow fruit trees and food.
, and raised many people.”
"In the snow-covered mountains, a small river of snow water flows down. The water is cold and clear. It winds along the valley, and small towns are dotted around it like pearls..."
"Every autumn, it gets cold in the mountains, and people work in ugly coats filled with bird down. Although it doesn't look good, the warmth in the mountains at night is reassuring."
Listening to the queen talking about the past, time passed slowly.
After a long time, a burst of shouting and noise gradually came from the bottom of the mountain, and at this time the queen also stopped talking.
"It seems that tonight's talents have arrived." She looked at the girl.
"I remember that one of them was a senior from the same school as you and entered the finals."
"Yes, that is Senior Brother Gu Lie, who is of the same generation in the sect."
"The Xiangyu sect is really full of talented people. There are three heroes such as Qingyu Shangxian in the distance, and you, Gu Lie, and Jinhua are nearby. It seems that the inheritance of the Burning Incense Immortal will not fade easily."
"You must be tired of sitting with me for a while, haha. I'll ask Xiaoyu to come over and play with you. When the banquet starts, just come and join."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
After that, the queen gave instructions to the female official beside her, and soon she brought a girl wearing blue and black gauze and gorgeous clothes, who was Xiao Yubing, the daughter of King Huainan.
She has a beautiful appearance, graceful figure, and walks briskly.
"Grandma Queen, did you call me?" She was a little happy and lay in the Queen's arms acting coquettishly.
"Okay, you're not young anymore now, so you can't be as naughty as you were in the past."
After briefly educating the granddaughter, the queen introduced the silver-haired girl next to her.
"This is the Golden Bird Witch who will be consecrated tonight, Luo Lan. She comes from the Xiangyu Sect and was the one who solved the disaster in the Ximu Mountains last time."
"I see that you are about the same age, so why not do some activities together tonight? It just so happens that Yu Bing is familiar with this area and can take Luo Lan around for a walk."
"Yeah, no problem, Grandma Queen." The girl agreed calmly, and then turned her eyes to Lorraine Hill who was standing aside.
"My name is Xiao Yubing, and you must be Luo Lan." Then she stretched out her white hand.
"Yes, I am Lorraine."
Lorraine Hill gently held this hand, and then Xiao Yubing led her to one side.
"Then let's go first, Grandma Queen~" Immediately, the two of them walked into the cliffside promenade shrouded in pine trees.
After some distance away from the terrace where the queen was, the princess slowed down a little.
"Gee, weren't you a little nervous just now? In fact, you are always like this when you meet a big shot for the first time. Even though I am the granddaughter of the queen, I was also very nervous when I entered the palace for the first time."
"Well, maybe it's not the first time. I was carried in by someone when I was a child, but then I became sensible and knew what to pay attention to."
"Actually, Grandma the Queen is a very nice person and is very tolerant of us granddaughters. But you have to be more careful in front of the Emperor's Grandpa. The Emperor's Grandpa is a very serious person. It's best not to do strange things in front of him."
Xiao Yubing took Lorraine Hill's hand and told some things about the royal family. Perhaps only her favored granddaughter dared to comment so wantonly.
"Ah, here we are."
After that, the two stopped in front of a special terrace. Compared to other terraces, this place was more like a harbor. There were several crescent-shaped boats parked inside, and there were several golden-armored guards standing next to them.
"This is a moon ship, it can float on the sea of clouds and water."
She pulled Lorraine Hill down the steps and approached the white jade boat step by step.
"These boats are carved from special clear jade and are the only ones that can float on cloud water."
She explained the secret of the ship to Lorraine Hill, and then told the guards that she needed a small boat to take her companions out for fun.
"Your Highness, this... If it's normal, it would be fine, but today there is a tail-burning banquet, and if you row a boat at this time, I'm afraid..." The guard looked at the two stunning girls, and was stunned for a while.
Thinking of my responsibilities again, I hesitated for a while.
"It doesn't matter, just give it to me. I am following the order of Her Majesty the Queen to bring Lorraine, the golden bird witch, here to play."
With the tiger flag ordered by the queen, the princess easily persuaded the guards to bring out a small boat.
"If the princess is taking Mr. Luolan to play in Yunshuihai, please be more careful on the way. If you fall from the boat, it is equivalent to falling into the sky." Although the princess's strength is well known, but few
The guard still warned him carefully to avoid any accidents.
"No problem, I know this."
After stopping the nagging of several people, the slightly willful princess took Lorraine Hill's hand and entered the small boat, then moved the white jade oar, and the small boat rowed towards the night sky outside Yuzhang Mountain.
.
The boat floats in the sea of clouds and water around Yuzhang Mountain, rising and falling gently. When the jade oar is moved, a slight sound of water can be heard from the side.
Lorraine Hill curiously put his hand into the cloud water, and a cool touch came from the palm of his hand.
These clouds and water seem to be lighter than air and can float in the sky, and their texture is extremely clear. Through this vast sea of clouds, one can overlook the night view of the city below.
Since there is no moon tonight, the sea of clouds and water is dotted by the bright lights below. When the boat and oars move the transparent clouds and water, the orange lights and shadows in it are also shattered, shining with the brilliance of broken gold.
Accompanied by the sound of the white jade oars, the boat moved forward gently, and the scenery in front of and around it became more and more vast. Looking up, you can see the stars and sand of the Milky Way, and looking down, you can see the brilliant lights.
The vast emptiness of the stars and the bustle of the mortal world surrounded and immersed the small boat, as if there was nothing else in the world.