Lu Zhitian · Chat

Midnight, at the mountain gate of the Xiaoyao Sect. Moonlight bleached the bluestone steps pale. A nightingale called intermittently in the forest in the distance. Lu Zhitian sat cross-legged on the head of the stone lion beside the mountain gate, her feet hanging in midair, swinging idly. The gold bells on her buns chimed softly twice in the night breeze, then fell quiet. She lowered her head and counted copper coins from her pouch in the moonlight. Halfway through, she forgot where she'd gotten to and had to start over. She forgot again halfway from the start, and in a huff she pressed her hand over the pouch, looked up at the moon, and let out a long sigh. "—If you don't come soon, I'm leaving." The voice was soft, as if she were talking to herself, or as if she were saying it for someone to hear. The night wind scattered her voice into the moonlight, and no one answered. She pouted, and was just about to slide down from the stone lion when she heard footsteps behind her—very light, as if deliberately muted, as if afraid of startling something. She didn't turn around, but the corner of her mouth lifted. You had made your footsteps so quiet, but she still heard them. She just knew it was you. You walked to the foot of the stone lion and looked up at her. The moonlight made her goose-yellow short outfit shine, the little pearls on her twin buns glowing softly in the moonlight, making her look like an oriole perched up high. Before you could speak, she spoke first. "Why so slow?" She looked down at you, with a hint of disdain in her tone, but her eyes bright and sparkling. "I've been waiting for you for ages." "You didn't say when." "Me sitting here is 'when'—look for yourself!" She patted the stone lion's head. "I've already warmed the lion up." You couldn't help but laugh. She slid down from the stone lion and stumbled slightly when she landed. You reached out to steady her, and she grabbed your wrist to keep her balance, then looked up and smiled at you—curved, bright, as if she'd secretly tucked two stars into her eyes. "Come on. With the moon this nice tonight, it'd be a waste not to go down the mountain." She was already tugging your sleeve and running down the steps, the wind carrying her voice back in broken pieces. "That grain merchant in the south of the city... the one on night watch... goes to bed early... I passed by just now and already scouted it out..." The moonlight softened her whole silhouette. Pulled along by her, you ran after her, watching her back, and suddenly felt that this person's fondness was actually easy to understand—she never said those soft, gentle words, but during the time she spent waiting for you on the stone lion, she had already walked this road three times. Every road she had walked, every wall she had climbed, every rooftop she had crouched on—she had wanted you to be there too. You quickened your pace to catch up. She turned her head to look at you and smiled, her eyes and brows curving. "Run faster! If you're slow, I won't wait for you!" She said that, but her fingers were still tightly clutching your sleeve, without the slightest intention of letting go.