Chapter 797: Starry Sky and the Girl (Part One)
A mouthful of wine entered his throat, like a burning iron wire. Chen Changsheng nearly choked, swallowing with great difficulty, and his face instantly turned bright red.
He hadn't expected that someone like Luo Bu would drink such a harsh, spicy wine.
Of course, the main reason was that he truly rarely drank.
After arriving in the capital, he had only tasted wine for the first time, drinking it beside the ox bone pot on Fushui Road with Xu Yourong, and then with Tang Tang.
For someone who doesn't drink, the only reason to drink is who you're drinking with.
He began to miss the ox bones on Fushui Road, the Plum Garden Inn, and the big banyan tree in the National Academy.
That year, on the big banyan tree, he had a long conversation with Tang Thirty-Six in the twilight.
He handed the wine flask back to Luo Bu and said, "I have a friend who wants to do something, but his family doesn't agree. They think he's messing around, so he's under a lot of pressure."
Luo Bu laughed, his eyes like stars in the night sky, extremely bright, with infinite warmth hidden deep within—or perhaps it was called passion.
Chen Changsheng's eyes were also bright, but that brightness didn't come from the depths of his gaze; it came from purity, like something washed clean by water for many years.
Luo Bu looked at him and said, "Has anyone ever told you that your eyes are like a mirror?"
Chen Changsheng didn't understand what he meant and let out a puzzled "Hmm."
"A clear mirror can reflect a person, can capture the slightest movements between heaven and earth, and can easily uncover many problems."
Luo Bu held the wine flask with two fingers and gently shook it, saying, "You guessed right. My problem doesn't come from myself, nor from the outside world, but from my family. To be precise, my transfer from the Ranger Cavalry and demotion to Banya Horse Ranch was my father's idea."
Chen Changsheng thought for a moment and said, "He wants you to be safer?"
"No one can know what my father is really thinking. Many years ago, including myself, many people thought he was just a mediocre man, his thoughts revolving only around family interests. But later events proved that everyone who thought that way was the true mediocrity."
Luo Bu took a sip of wine as he said this, then continued, "From childhood to adulthood, my father has treated me extremely well. I once doubted this kindness, but after that incident, I no longer doubted it. Yet this genuine kindness is now my real problem."
He thought back to that year again.
His father walked down the mountain path without even glancing at him, lying there gravely wounded.
Suddenly, birds startled from the forest, and his father's cheerful, gratified laughter echoed through the woods.
Chen Changsheng also thought back to that year.
He walked down from the Mausoleum of Books, while his master walked up toward the mausoleum. They passed each other on the sacred path like strangers.
"Actually, I envy the pressure that comes from this kind of concern."
After he said this, a moment of silence settled by the stream.
Both were young, yet each carried their own burdens.
Suddenly, the sound of water arose. A silver-white cold-water fish leaped out of the stream, chasing the starlight as it swam along the mountain brook.
Their gazes followed it, drifting toward the wilderness at the end of the stream.
"If the injuries in your meridians have healed, if you look closely, you might notice that area is slightly brighter."
Luo Bu raised the wine flask in his hand, pointing toward the distant north, as if making a toast or offering a sacrifice.
Chen Changsheng knew what he meant. When he had traveled south from the Snow Plain with Su Li ten thousand li, during the first few nights, he occasionally saw that halo of light in the north. And Zhe Xiu, who rarely spoke, had mentioned it several times in the National Academy.
In the night sky there, besides the southern Milky Way, there was also a bright celestial body.
Legend said it was the Demon race's moon.
Drinking was a leisurely affair, and drunken talk was naturally idle chatter. Starting from the Demon race's moon, they talked about the sternness of Snow Old City, the terrifying abyss, the decadent and insane tendencies of Demon nobles in art, the green gems on the Demon General's armor, and then the conservatism and dullness of the Great Western Continent.
Most of the time, Luo Bu did the talking, while Chen Changsheng only occasionally responded with a word or two.
In their idle chat, Luo Bu displayed an unimaginable breadth of knowledge, his words spanning tens of thousands of li of mountains and rivers and tens of thousands of years of time.
If Chen Changsheng hadn't read through the Daoist Canon since childhood and traveled tens of thousands of li himself, he wouldn't have known how to keep up the conversation.
But precisely because he had read through the Daoist Canon since childhood and traveled tens of thousands of li, even though he wasn't skilled with words, he could occasionally chime in with a few sentences or even argue a few points.
For a genius, what's often most lacking isn't friends, but someone to talk to who can understand what they mean.
Perhaps for this reason, this idle chat over wine went very pleasantly. Both Luo Bu and Chen Changsheng were very happy.
The longer they chatted, the broader the topics became, and the deeper they went. The more Chen Changsheng listened, the more he admired Luo Bu. Luo Bu was like a clear, deep pool—unremarkable on the surface, yet one could never fathom its depth. Was there anything in the world he didn't know?
Who exactly was this young officer with the full beard?
The more Chen Changsheng thought about it, the more he felt this person was truly remarkable. Both his insight and his demeanor were so admirable.
When Luo Bu began to recount the five mistakes Emperor Taizong and Wang Zhice made during the Great Zhou cavalry's second northern expedition, Chen Changsheng couldn't help but review the extraordinary people he had met in his life. He found that whether it was Gou Hanshi, Zhe Xiu, Tang Tang, or Su Moyu, none of them matched this man.
He even felt that in some respects, even Senior Su Li might not surpass him.
Someone like Luo Bu—no matter how well he could share joys with common soldiers—wouldn't he feel stifled or lonely in such a remote horse ranch?
If not, why would he sit alone under the starlight, far from the campfire, and talk with him for so long?
The more Chen Changsheng thought about it, the more he felt that Luo Bu shouldn't stay at Banya Horse Ranch. He should go to Songshan Military Prefecture.
Luo Bu saw that he wanted to say something but hesitated, guessed what he was about to say, and smiled. "The Demon race has already retreated. What use is there in going to Songshan Military Prefecture now?"
Chen Changsheng said, "One day, the Demon race will return."
A hint of appreciation appeared in Luo Bu's eyes. "In recent years, there haven't been many people as clear-headed as you. But... I still won't go to Songshan Military Prefecture. After I send you there in a few days, I'll leave this place."
Chen Changsheng asked with concern, "Where are you going?"
Luo Bu said, "Return to the mountain."
Chen Changsheng wanted to ask him to come out of seclusion.
But he had begun to miss that mountain.
Of course, he had always been missing that girl on the other mountain.
Just like Chen Changsheng had been doing for the past two years and more.
This feeling of longing was truly contagious. No words were needed, nor even a glance.
Silence fell by the stream again. For a long time, neither spoke, gazing at the faint residual moonlight barely visible over the northern wilderness, silently missing someone.
No one knew how long passed before Luo Bu turned his head and looked at him, asking, "Is there a girl you like too?"
...
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(WeChat public account has made some minor adjustments. Friends are welcome to explore. Of course, columns like the Nightfall afterword are still retained for everyone to look back on during the long wait for updates. Additionally, the once-a-year WeChat Q&A is about to make a comeback. Mainly, I want to chat with everyone, just like these two silly kids by the mountain stream. You can send your expectations, doubts, and questions about life, work, and updates to the public account. In a few days, I'll reply to everyone. The public account is maoni1118)