Chapter 32: Leisurely Reminiscences

"Eat up and drink up, brothers! Tomorrow we march into the Western Deadlands!"

"To the brothers of the Grave-Robbers Guild, a toast from us Liaodong retainers!"

"You stood your ground against those Star-folk! You are all true heroes!"

"And at Jinchuan, you crushed the wolf-raiders—even greater heroes!"

"All heroes!"

"Drink! Drink some more!"

The ruins of the headquarters, once dead silent and desolate, were now filled with the warmth of life. Although both the retainers and the Grave-Robbers had set sentries on watch, the aroma of rabbit-deer meat braised in large pots wafted through the carved pillars and painted beams of the side hall.

Though they were lagomorphs that resembled deer, the rabbit-deer meat smelled remarkably like mutton, yet without a hint of gaminess.

"Braised rabbit-deer, ah—this is a true delicacy from back home in Liaodong!"

"Oh my, this meat looks divine. Come, everyone, dig in!"

"Drink up, keep drinking!"

Long Zhu snatched a wine flask from a Grave-Robber brother nearby and began gulping it down.

"Drink less, we have serious business to attend to tomorrow." Dai Longmei snatched the flask away, causing Long Zhu’s wolf ears to twitch uncontrollably.

"Oh, come on, Fifth Brother, let me have one more sip, just one more!"

"Forget it. If you keep drinking and get drunk, I’m not carrying you into the Western Deadlands tomorrow." Dai Longmei gave Long Zhu a light kick on the backside, drawing another round of laughter from the men gnawing on the meat.

Dai Longmei walked over to the pot, served a platter of braised rabbit-deer, and headed out of the side hall.

"Meizi," Dai Yousheng said leisurely, picking his teeth with a toothpick, "you didn't lose that jade lion I gave you, did you?" He looked at Dai Longmei with a meaningful gaze.

"Hmm? No, Uncle Yousheng, it’s right here, hanging around my neck." Dai Longmei pulled out the jade lion.

"Good... that’s good."

Dai Longmei paused, ready to step out of the side hall.

"Who are you going to see?" Dai Yousheng asked.

"I’m going to see Lily."

Dai Yousheng chuckled, pulling his old pipe from his robes. "Tsk, tsk, you and that little fox have gotten quite close."

"Honestly, Uncle Yousheng, she isn't a fox; her soul is just trapped inside that fox's body."

Seeing Dai Longmei’s serious expression, Dai Yousheng chuckled again. "Alright, alright, she’s not a fox spirit, she’s a fair maiden then." He looked at Dai Longmei teasingly. "What? Don't like the proper young ladies in the city? Prefer wildflowers and weeds? Even ones that grow underground?"

"Uncle Yousheng! Stop teasing me."

"As for her and me—" Dai Longmei wanted to say they weren't like that, but the words died on his lips. After reuniting with Lily at Gaodazhu, he truly felt a glimmer of joy in his heart.

"It’s not like that, Uncle Yousheng."

"Heh, you kid..." Dai Yousheng lit his pipe and took a deep breath. "Forget it, I don’t understand the affairs of the young. Besides, we retainers are born for the battlefield; we know nothing of romance." He patted Dai Longmei on the shoulder. "I just need to see how that girl’s body is holding up."

"Hmm? Oh, you mean to see if the Jade God is protecting her vessel..."

"I mean to see if she’s pretty enough to deserve you."

"..."

"Hahaha, go on, go on."

Watching Dai Yousheng walk back toward the pot, Dai Longmei blushed slightly, shook his head, and went to find Lily.

Where was Lily? The little fox was sitting alone in the rock garden outside the side hall, gazing at the bright, full moon.

"Why are you sitting here all by yourself, lost in thought?"

Hearing that lighthearted tone, Lily’s low spirits rose significantly, and the aroma of the braised meat brought her a sense of peace.

"Some things just have to be thought about alone..." Lily looked up at the moon, her voice low, lacking its usual bright and cheerful spirit.

"I suppose so, Lily." Dai Longmei sat down beside her, looking at the fox form. Under the moonlight, somehow, he seemed to see through the fox body to the beautiful soul within—the very same beautiful figure he had seen years ago. It made our young general blush and rub his eyes.

"Why do you keep staring at me?" Lily turned her head. Those jade-green eyes, identical to the ones from all those years ago, sent ripples through Dai Longmei’s heart once more.

"Is the fox fur dirty?" Lily asked. "Oh, don't tell me it’s matted! That wouldn't look good at all, help me—"

Seeing Lily return to her lively self, Dai Longmei smiled with relief. "It’s not matted. It looks great."

"What’s great about it? This is just a strange fox body. My real self..."

"I mean... your eyes are beautiful. Like... jade jewels." Dai Longmei wanted to praise her, but that was all he could manage.

"Eyes... beautiful... I..." Lily turned away, shy. She remembered what the mysterious female voice had told her when teaching her Void Qi: "Void Qi originates from the Dantian, but the Dantian is born of the human soul. The windows to the soul are the eyes. By observing the eyes, one can observe the soul."

"If they’re beautiful... you should praise them more."

"Huh?"

"What kind of praise is 'jade jewels'? There are so many exquisite gems in the Heavenly Jade..."

"These are the only pair of eyes this girl has."

"They really are beautiful!"

"You... what?"

"They’re beautiful, like jewels, really beautiful!"

"You... Meizi, you..."

One praised with the awkward sincerity of a green youth; the other stared back, face flushed, into the equally limpid eyes. For a moment, two souls who had weathered so much bloodshed and travel felt a sudden flutter in their hearts.

"Are they beautiful..." Lily looked up. In Dai Longmei’s gaze, the fox form vanished, leaving only those crystalline, jewel-like eyes. They held a touch of shyness, but more so, a feminine tenderness he rarely saw.

"Are they beautiful... Meizi..."

Lily called him "Meizi" for the first time. As she spoke his pet name, she felt a surge of joy.

"They are! Li—"

"Call me Li'er!"

Both of them froze for a moment.

"Li'er... that's a name only someone close to me can call me..."

"But I am close to you..."

"Call me Li'er!"

Lily’s bright eyes met Dai Longmei’s again, but this time they were filled with urgency and happiness.

"Alright... Li'er, your eyes... are truly beautiful."

Her bright eyes blinked, masking the flutter of her heart. Dai Longmei scratched his head, his heart racing. He hurriedly grabbed a piece of mutton bone from the plate and began gnawing on it. His comical appearance made Lily laugh like silver bells.

"I wanted to say this back in Jinzhou—the way you eat is just like Zhu, so silly, haha."

"Mind your own business! I eat how I want!" Dai Longmei tried to grab the mutton leg from the plate, but Lily snatched it first.

"The mutton leg... *munch munch*... is mine!"

The two ate and laughed until the night grew deep.

"Hey, Li'er."

"Hmm?"

"We first met in a cell, didn't we?"

"Hahaha, that's true. I think you were the one who gave me braised rabbit-deer back then, too."

"Heh... that was the first time we faced danger together."

"Say, did you really go to Dongsong after that?"

"Would I lie to you? That old man, the Jade God—your teacher—went with me to seal the gate."

"The gate must be sealed; otherwise, my father would be in danger."

"Yes, but..."

Dai Longmei watched as Li'er’s bright eyes dimmed once more.

"Something happened."