Faceted Jade a.k.a Carven Jade [ENG Translation]

CHAPTER 68

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"Happy New Year. May you be happy and prosperous."
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Due to Fu Changling's height, the umbrella became somewhat crowded when he crammed himself under it.

Neither of them suggested using the expulsion spell to shelter themselves from the rain. Qin Yan appeared to have forgotten, whereas Fu Changling had deliberately forgotten.

The surrounding sound of raindrops falling gave him the impression that he and Qin Yan were hiding in the rain. His shoulder was brushing against Qin Yan's, and Qin Yan's scent lingered on the tip of his nose. All of this gave him an especially warm and fuzzy feeling.

For a brief moment, the cold rain and the winter chill no longer mattered.

Such a state of mind had gradually stabilized Fu Changling's mentality, and he came to the realization that he seemed to have no bottom line when it came to Qin Yan. He was willing to risk anything for Qin Yan, even his own life, as long as he smiled.

Fu Changling was somewhat dazed when he realized this.

Not that he even knew when this thought had occurred to him, but it felt like something that was unavoidable, yet it also came as no surprise.

After they had walked only a short distance, the rain slowly subsided. For the latter part of the way, Fu Changling walked very slowly, with Qin Yan carrying the lantern ahead of him to illuminate the path, while Fu Changling trailed behind.

Observing Qin Yan's shadow and the spots where he had walked, he proceeded to trod on Qin Yan's tracks, making an effort to walk on the same spots with each step.

He took great pleasure in doing something so mundane. He wished that this road would stretch on forever, that he and Qin Yan would be the only ones left in this world, and that he could just keep following him like this always.

The two made their way back to the inn and into the corridor. Halfway down the corridor, Qin Yan abruptly paused in his steps and turned to gaze in a certain direction.

Fu Changling almost bumped into Qin Yan, but fortunately, he was able to stop just in time behind him. He was left slightly perplexed as to why Qin Yan had halted and looked up to see that he was staring into the distance. Then he turned his head to follow his gaze, wondering, "What's up?"

"Fireworks," uttered Qin Yan, and while Fu Changling was still at a loss, he saw fireworks shoot up into the air in the distance and suddenly erupt into bloom in the sky.

The two leaned side by side on the railings, gazing over, as the fireworks went "bang, bang, bang" in the distance. Only at this point did Fu Changling realize, "It's the New Year?"

"Mm."

"Do people let off fireworks to celebrate the New Year in the mortal world?"

"Many places do."

"Have you ever seen these fireworks?" Fu Changling turned to look at the person in the flickering light of the fireworks. His unperturbed expression revealed a tinge of nostalgia as he gazed up into the distance. "I have."

Then a subtle tenderness nudged its way into his eyes. "I used to love watching fireworks when I was a kid. Shīfù would take me to the mortal world to see them every New Year."

"I was very small at that time," Qin Yan described slowly. "Since I was too short to see anything, Shīfù lifted me up and let me sit astride his neck. I was very happy every time I saw the fireworks go off."

"The Hongmeng Heavenly Palace has strict rules. It didn't sit well with me or Shīfù. That's why every New Year was the happiest time for us, because on that day, we weren't at the Hongmeng Heavenly Palace."