“A-Xi, do you really remember nothing at all?”
This winter, the question Bai Shuo asked most often while lounging on the porch of the Grand General’s residence was this very one.
Bai Xi sat at her desk, head down as she copied lines from The Female Virtues, replying helplessly to the ever-chatty Bai Shuo, “I remember nothing, nothing at all.”
“Oh, such a pity! You didn’t see that Divine Lord—he was so handsome!” Bai Shuo said with a dreamy sigh, leaning lazily against the porch, basking in the sunlight as she ate grapes. Her eyes sparkled with admiration. “His eyes were purple, you know, just like…” She looked up at the sky, murmuring, “Like a purple moon.”
Bai Xi looked up, curious. “What did you say? A purple moon?”
Bai Shuo froze, quickly waving her hands. “Nothing, nothing.”
She gazed at Bai Xi’s gentle, serene expression and let out a long sigh. That terrible night, A-Xi, known for her timid nature, had forgotten everything, and perhaps it was for the best.
Bai Xi looked back at her sister and sighed deeply as well.
Putting down her brush, she spoke earnestly to Bai Shuo, “Shuo’er, you’re a young lady. It’s one thing to speak about handsome men at home, but if word gets out, it’ll seem improper. And all those wild tales of yours…” She paused, her tone filled with concern. “You must never mention them in front of others.”
Since their return from the lantern festival on the night of the Lantern Festival, Bai Shuo had been incessantly muttering about monsters and immortals, claiming that a deity had rescued them from a bandit and a nine-headed serpent demon. But according to the official story, they’d merely gotten separated on the crowded streets and were found by their father and his guards in an alley in the southern part of the city.
When Bai Shuo first spoke of meeting gods and monsters on the Lantern Festival night, their father had sternly punished her according to family rules, making her kneel in the ancestral hall for an entire day. After that, though Bai Shuo never mentioned the events of that night to others, she became particularly fond of reading strange tales about gods and monsters.
It seemed that getting lost had indeed frightened Bai Shuo senseless, Bai Xi thought, shaking her head, feeling both pity and concern for her sister.
Looking at Bai Xi’s head-shaking and sighs, Bai Shuo remembered the promise she’d made to her father in the ancestral hall, pursed her lips, and kept silent about the events of that fateful Lantern Festival night.
She closed her eyes, recalling her father’s words in the ancestral hall.
“Ridiculous! I already said you two sisters got lost in the southern city. And yet here you are, spouting nonsense in front of your mother and sister!”
“I’m not lying! Father, that night, A-Xi and I were indeed abducted by a monster, and a god saved us! Didn’t you find us behind the imperial tomb outside the city? The ones who took us turned into bones!” Bai Shuo argued, her large eyes wide with conviction.
In the Bai family’s ancestral hall, Bai Xun looked at his youngest daughter, who was standing with her head held high, unwilling to be persuaded. He sighed. “Shuo’er, your sister will one day enter the Eastern Palace as the Crown Princess. If people learn she was once abducted, how do you think she’ll be able to hold her place in society?”
Bai Shuo, who had been as fierce as a fighting cock, suddenly softened upon hearing this. She looked at Bai Xun, her mouth trembling as she lowered her head. “I understand, Father.”
Seeing her dejected expression, Bai Xun sat cross-legged beside her, gently patting her head. “Now, tell me, what exactly happened that night?”
Bai Shuo’s eyes lit up. Ever since she’d woken up, Bai Xun had been busy with affairs of state, returning late each evening. A-Xi, who had been brought back to life, had forgotten everything, and her mother burst into tears whenever she mentioned the events of that night. She had been longing to share every detail of that terrifying night with someone close, but the opportunity had eluded her.
With excitement, she recounted the events of that Lantern Festival night to Bai Xun, not a hint of fear in her eyes, only admiration for the black-robed, ancient-looking Divine Lord. Yet, no matter how she tried, she could not recall the name of the deity who saved her.
Though young, Bai Shuo was sharp-witted. She omitted the part about Bai Xi’s attempt to end her life, merely saying that Bai Xi had fainted from fright and hadn’t seen the god who descended from the heavens to save them.
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