Chapter 313: Chapter 126 Winning the Lantern_1
The floating lanterns drifted leisurely into the distance, illuminating the night sky like stars.
Lu Tong looked up at them until a vendor on her side who sold lanterns hailed her.
"Miss, do you like floating lanterns? Would you like to take one home?" the owner, wrapped in a sheepskin coat, asked with a smile, bustling about, "We have all sorts of designs; take your time to choose!"
Lu Tong came back to her senses, about to decline, when a voice at her side spoke up before her, "Sure."
Lu Tong turned around to face a familiar figure.
Pei Yunmeng?
Today, he wore a deep red brocade robe with clustered eagle patterns, which made his stature stand out like a pine tree, and his demeanor even more extraordinary. He didn’t appear as sharp as when he wore his official attire; instead, he seemed like a nobleman out for a night stroll, captivating and radiant.
Lu Tong took a step back and said, "Lord Pei?"
There were all sorts of floating lanterns on the stall, and Pei Yunmeng casually picked one up, teasingly saying, "I didn’t think Doctor Lu would be interested in watching the lanterns; I thought you didn’t care for such things."
"Occasionally I indulge, but not as leisurely as Lord Pei seems to be all the time," Lu Tong replied coolly.
The lantern vendor, noticing Pei Yunmeng’s extraordinary attire, grew more enthusiastic and even changed how he addressed Lu Tong, "Miss, tonight’s the Lantern Festival, and our little stall is joining in the festivity. With three arrows, if you can hit that one—" he pointed across the street—"I’ll give you a flower lantern!"
Lu Tong followed the direction he pointed to.
The little stall was originally set up with a small colorful tent in the market, with all sorts of lanterns hanging inside and out. On the wall inside the tent hung a giant "fortune" character, calligraphed in round and large strokes on a red background. Next to her was a shiny, lacquered buffalo horn bow, with arrow feathers adorned with big, red festive ribbons, giving it a joyous appearance at first glance.
"Get a good omen!"
The owner then looked at Pei Yunmeng, "The lady likes the lantern; you, sir, seem to be an extraordinary archer. Win a lantern for the lady!"
Pei Yunmeng raised an eyebrow, took the longbow from the owner’s hand, but before he knew it, Lu Tong snatched it away.
"I’ll do it myself," she said.
Pei Yunmeng paused.
Because of their remarkable appearance, their stopping here had already drawn quite a crowd. People initially thought Pei Yunmeng would help Lu Tong win the lantern by shooting the arrows, but to their surprise, Lu Tong took the bow and arrow to do it herself. Soon enough, many onlookers stood by, watching Lu Tong’s movements.
Lu Tong raised the bow and arrow.
The buffalo horn bow was heavy and large, and it seemed almost incongruous in the hands of the slim woman, almost making one worry that her delicate arms would snap under its weight.
The gesture of holding the bow appeared to be a bit strained, and her arrow-noch was not quite practiced. Pei Yunmeng watched for a moment, then stepped forward to hold her arm, "Don’t shake."
Lu Tong was taken aback.
A cool breath came from above her head; he was exceptionally good at maintaining a proper distance, with a forceful but gentle touch, steadying her from behind as he adjusted her archery stance.
Lu Tong looked up and could see his handsome jawline. His arms reached around from behind, encircling her shoulders, like an almost-there embrace.
Still, it was too intimate.
Lu Tong’s brows furrowed slightly and she loosened her grip on the bow and arrow.
"Whoosh—"
The released arrow sped off its course, striking the edge of the "fortune" character, the ribbons falling to the side.
Sighs of disappointment rose from the crowd, "Ahh, it missed!"
"Still not good enough."
Pei Yunmeng’s gaze moved slightly, looking at Lu Tong with some surprise.
Lu Tong looked at the misfired arrow, a trace of disappointment flickering in her eyes.
It missed.
Truth be told, this wasn’t her first time drawing a bow.
Back then, on Luomei Peak, Lady Yun needed corpses for her medicine-making, and Lu Tong had to travel to Chaos Burial Mound from time to time. Once, she stumbled upon a corpse mauled by wolves, likely a trapped hunter who had starved in the snow; the body was eaten clean, with traps scattered around and a broken bow and arrow.
Lu Tong buried the body and took the bow, re-wrapping it with string, thinking to use it to hunt foxes and rabbits for dried provisions, but she never hit her target—the mountain animals were too fast, and her archery skills were not that advanced.
However, handling the bow and arrow every now and then, she had developed some feel for it. Still, the bow broke again after a few years, and no amount of string could fix it. Lu Tong put it aside, and eventually buried it along with Lady Yun on Luomei Peak.
After several years, drawing the bow again, she was inevitably out of practice.
Some men in the crowd watching the spectacle started to tease, "Young maiden, don’t waste your arrows. Let the bow go and let your lover win you a lantern!"