Cry of the Midnight Jackdaw

Chapter Forty-two,
Mountain Winds

“Xiao’Zuo?”

Xiao Zuo seemed like he was pricked by a needle, and slightly guiltily moved away his gaze, then walked in, “The scenery in this garden is quite nice.”

When Xiao Zuo was passing by He Xuan, He Xuan extended his two straight and long legs, crossed them, then lazily propped them on the wooden stool in front of the chair. Perhaps he went out to ride horses today, he was wearing a riding suit on the lower half, the black long pants tightly wrapped over his tight and firm long legs made from practising martial arts for many years, outlining his enviable muscles- from a small distance, Xiao Zuo could even imagine the scary power contained within those legs, just like a cheetah’s taut back storing power in wait.

He Xuan glanced at him through the bottom of his dense and thick eyelashes, then passed the bronze goblet in his hands to him, and cushioned both arms at the back of his head, then lazily narrowed his eyes, saying, “Newly-brewed rice wine, it’s very sweet, you will like it.”

Xiao Zuo subconsciously received it, then when he put the wine cup close to his lips, a wave of faint fragrance of alcohol hit the nose, it was a nice-smelling fragrance of rice, with no aggressiveness to it, just like the lands planted with grains, carrying a tenderness and tranquility that made people at ease.

The inside of that cup was still left with one half, He Xuan probably did not like this sweet of a wine, otherwise, with his nature of drinking wine like water, it would have long been emptied out with not a single drop left. Xiao Zuo drank all the wine in the cup, took out a handkerchief and wiped his mouth, then placed the wine cup on the stone table beside him. The shadows cast by the sun on the side hit the interweaving tree branches, creating spread-out dark colours on the stone table.

“It’s quite tasty.” Xiao Zuo stuck his tongue out to lick the drop of wine on his lips, then turned to see He Xuan remove his laziness some time ago, and was staring at him, just like he saw some delicious prey. His heart jumped, lowered his head and lightly coughed, and slightly stiffly switched the topic, “What are we doing at night?”

“There is a banquet at Zhan Chuan’s at night, do you want to go look?”

Xiao Zuo recalled Fu Zhan Chuan’s words, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded his head, “Alright.”

He Xuan lifted his eyelids and looked at him in slight surprise, and spoke with ambiguity, “Didn’t you typically not like this kind of banquet? Ig thought you would not go.”

He Xuan watched Xiao Zuo hang his head down, the evening glow hovered over his neck, leaving a warm illumination. He seemed like a glass cup seeping with light, created by the best craftsman with the power of an entire nation, holding up a peerless nobility, yet was also the most fragile and breakable in the world.

“So what if I don’t like it.” Xiao Zuo lightly opened his mouth, his slightly shaking eyelashes seemed like feathers flowing with light, scratching at He Xuan’s heart, “In the end, I still need to learn to like it.”

He Xuan stared at Xiao Zuo’s profile, the lines of his profile were soft, his skin was fair, like a sleeping lotus blooming in the palm of the hand. Yet it grew in the wrong place, the noble sleeping lotus was grown in the icy mountaintop, layered with frost, and grew with a prideful, solitary air of loftiness. After a long time, he then took back his gaze like nothing happened, and stood up from the chair, “As you like.”

When He Xuan brought Xiao Zuo there, people were already drunk all around, these guests conversing with drunk eyes leaned on chairs with crooked postures, still muttering about what hardships of the commoners, the courts abusing governance and whatnot. Xiao Zuo saw Fu Zhan Chuan sitting on the right side with one eye, his hands were even holding a jar of wine, with that outer robe spread with stains of wine. His two eyes laxly stared at the front, moving the jar of wine to his mouth from time to time, unknown if there was even wine inside it anymore.

He Xuan arrived in front of Fu Zhan Chuan in a few short steps, and knitted his eyebrows and wanted to take the jar of wine in his hands. But Fu Zhan Chuan behaved like drunkard acting shamelessly, and held that jar of wine firmly like a precious baby, so He Xuan used two fingers in disgust, and very easily took it out from his hands.

Once Fu Zhan Chuan did not have the jar of wine in his hands, he immediately shamelessly made a pouting face, that looked seemed just like He Xuan stole his beloved wife or concubine, but when Fu Zhan Chuan saw He Xuan did not have a hint of returning it to him, and his eyes went red, Xiao Zuo suspected he would cry out loud in the next second.

“Halt.” He Xuan took one step back, and very much was not willing to associate himself with these drunkards. He randomly placed the jar of wine to the side, then took out a white cloth from his sleeves, and carefully cleaned the two fingers he used to touch it again and again, then set out some patience to take a glance at Fu Zhan Chuan who seemed like he was going to sleep soon, but his words were directed at Xiao Zuo, “Looks like we came late, today’s banquet has probably already ended.”

Xiao Zuo felt a bit regretful, but he did not show it on his face, and only indifferently swept by the noble and renowned scholars in the hall, “There will always be a chance next time.” After finishing, he paused, then inconspicuously made a few steps towards Fu Zhan Chuan’s side, and said, “Then are we…… heading back now?”

“If not?” He Xuan turned his head and was about to head out the door, “Ig have no hobby in conversing with drunkards.”

Xiao Zuo hurriedly made a small run to catch up, and followed at He Xuan’s back out the doors of the courtyard.