The grand sect tournament was scheduled to be held at Wanjian Sect at the end of the first lunar month. At this moment, Mei He should have returned to make preparations.
However, since she and Gong Yu had broken the Yin-Yang Seven Stars Formation in the Tianshui Secret Realm, she now had to restore it before returning to Wanjian Sect.
With Gong Yu and Mei He gone, Xie Bai couldn't sit still. Finding an excuse to gather the members of Wanjian Sect, he proposed, "Today is the eighth of the twelfth lunar month. There's no festival customs here at Tianyin Division, and it's unbearably dull. Why don't we go down the mountain for a little excursion?"
Ji Rong was speechless. Was Xie Bai really so bored that he had to forcibly insert himself into the Laba Festival celebrations? This was getting ridiculous.
Gu Baiyi, however, remained silent for a long time, saying nothing.
In her past life, by this time, she had already returned to Wanjian Sect. Since she was close to Qiu Sushuang, they had naturally spent the festival together.
But good times never lasted long. Later, the Saintess of the Divine Sect, Mei Lixue, deduced that a Heavenly Demon had appeared in the southeast.
At the same time, a noble in the capital was found dead, the culprit wielding a top-tier sword technique. With these clues combined, suspicion fell upon Wanjian Sect for harboring a Heavenly Demon.
Eventually, Gu Baiyi's identity was exposed. Qiu Sushuang died protecting her, and with nothing left to live for, she wished for death.
Ji Rong's palm strike atop Tianji Peak had been a form of mercy.
What she hadn't expected was that the Heavenly Demon bloodline possessed a self-healing ability. She fell off the cliff, and by sheer chance, Bai Yushuang saved her. In the end, she failed to die.
So, the Laba Festival of her past life was a rare, precious memory, at least back then, it had been warm. Her friends were still alive.
But after that, she never wanted to acknowledge this festival again. After all, it was on this day that the noble of the capital had died, the beginning of her nightmares.
As a player, Ji Rong naturally knew that the Laba Festival was the day the "Su Bai" CP made a qualitative leap.
So, despite having no interest in the holiday, Ji Rong nodded in agreement with Xie Bai, saying, "Might as well. No harm in taking a look."
Take a look?
Gu Baiyi narrowed her eyes. That didn't sound like something her Senior Sister would say.
Ji Rong, however, remained unfazed under her scrutiny.
Hah, what do you know? If she could witness some CP moments firsthand, what was a little suffering in return?
—
Since it was the Laba Festival, the night in Tianshui County was ablaze with lanterns, the streets packed with people. Among them were citizens wearing black robes with red accents and donning ferocious exorcist masks, performing the traditional "Laba Sacrifice."
Ji Rong looked at the beast-headed masks, then at the three people standing beside her, and felt utterly desolate.
Where was her CP sweetness?
The dancers moved with an ancient yet eerie rhythm. Among them, monks in dark robes with crimson sashes held talismans, chanting sutras.
Dressed in red, Xie Bai looked even more like an exorcist dancer than the performers themselves.
He had even somehow acquired a talisman, posing as he made gestures and muttered, "I heard that exorcist dances originated in ancient times. Seeing it now, it does seem mysterious and unfathomable. Judging by the rituals, it might even have connections to witchcraft."
Gu Baiyi smiled and replied, "The Laba Sacrifice was originally meant to ward off ghosts and honor the gods. If it's truly as you suggest, then wouldn't the ritual end up attracting evil instead? Wouldn't that make all the citizens' efforts a waste?"
Xie Bai glanced at the knife-wielding dancers, then sighed, "If real demons ever came knocking, would a mere dance even help? If you ask me, they'd be better off preparing a coffin at home. That way, they'd feel more at ease."
There was no point arguing with someone like him. Gu Baiyi simply smiled and said nothing.
After all, Xie Bai had been this contrarian in their past life as well. There was no expecting him to be any different in this one.
Ji Rong, standing off to the side, wasn't concerned with their bickering.
She was just full of regret, why was she even here?
She had only wanted to use the Laba Festival as an excuse to enjoy some CP moments. But Qiu Sushuang and Yun Ying had ended up getting pulled into a formation restoration job by Mei He.
Now she was stuck, flanked by a deranged protagonist on one side, an eccentric villain on the other, and a reluctant "toolman" male lead trailing behind.
Life was tough.
As she was lamenting, a group of young men wearing red headbands and dark blue robes came dancing and singing down the street.
They carried large war drums, crossing the bridge in their exorcist performance.
Leading them was the main dancer, masked, draped in a bear pelt, and wielding a halberd and shield, portraying Fangxiang, the deity of exorcism.
The lead dancer was lean, his face hidden beneath the fearsome mask, only his bright, star-like eyes visible.
He led the young men in the Laba ritual, their thundering drums shaking the night, an awe-inspiring display.
Ji Rong looked at the dancer and thought, This must be some cult leader in the making.
The dancer seemed to sense something. His gaze pierced through the crowd, landing directly on her.
For some reason, even though his face was obscured, Ji Rong had the distinct feeling that his eyes carried a smile.
[Ding! Unlocked character favorability +10]
Ji Rong: "..."
Good grief, was there even a favorability system for unknown characters?
Gu Baiyi followed Ji Rong's gaze to the masked dancer, then turned back to observe Ji Rong.
A moment later, she casually stepped forward, her movement just enough to block their line of sight.
Ji Rong, seeing this, assumed Gu Baiyi knew the mysterious dancer and tentatively remarked, "The lead dancer seems quite different from the others."
Of course, she was referring to his movements—because compared to the others, his dance was absolutely amateurish.
Stiff movements aside, he exuded an air of righteousness that completely ruined the eerie atmosphere. Rather than exorcising spirits, he looked more like he was leading troops into battle.
However, Gu Baiyi misinterpreted Ji Rong's words, assuming she meant it as praise.
She turned slightly and nodded, saying, "Indeed, quite different, he's shorter than the others."
Ji Rong: "..."
He might not be as tall as an adult man, but he definitely wasn't short.
Gu Baiyi remained expressionless as she continued, "And judging by his family background, he must come from a prestigious lineage. Otherwise, with his lack of skill, he wouldn't have been chosen as the lead dancer."
This time, Xie Bai actually agreed with Gu Baiyi's words and echoed, "Senior Sister Gu is absolutely right. In all my life, I have never seen such an absurdly mismatched dance. If not for the claim that it was meant to ward off evil, I would have thought he was charging into battle."
Ji Rong was speechless. Why did she feel like these two sounded so sour?
Well, it made sense. If she recalled correctly, Xie Bai's background in the game wasn't particularly impressive, and Gu Baiyi had spent her entire life being labeled as someone of "unknown origins" by NPCs. It was only natural for them to throw some shade.
Curious, Ji Rong shifted her steps slightly to the left, wanting to see what was so special about the young man who was being targeted by both the protagonist and the antagonist.
Just as she managed to catch a glimpse of a crimson hem, her vision was suddenly plunged into darkness.
Ji Rong: "…"
What the hell was this sudden blackout?
Frowning, she reached out with her right hand and felt something rough and uneven against her face. Judging by the texture, it seemed to be a mask.
She was speechless. With a cold expression, she lifted the mask off her face—
Only to come face-to-face with Gu Baiyi, who was also wearing a mask.
Unlike Ji Rong's full-face mask with a fierce, grotesque design, Gu Baiyi wore a Kunlun Slave mask that only covered half her face. A red cord was tied at the edge of the mask, looping around her dark hair in a neat knot by her ear.
Ji Rong was stunned by Gu Baiyi's antics.
Randomly putting a mask on someone, what kind of childish move was that? If someone was going to do this, it should at least be to their wife, not to a villain.
Expressionless, Ji Rong remarked mockingly, "I never noticed before, but it seems Junior Sister Gu has quite the childish streak."
Gu Baiyi chuckled softly and replied in a warm voice, "I merely happened to pass by a shop and bought two masks. It's just a small way to blend in and partake in the festive spirit."
Ji Rong let out a cold laugh, unwilling to argue with her.
She reached out, intending to return the mask to Gu Baiyi, but before she could, the latter took it, and then promptly pressed it back onto Ji Rong's face.
Ji Rong: "…"
Damn it, are you done yet?
Gu Baiyi's lips curled into a smile, her delicate jawline accentuated by the flickering lantern light.
With the Kunlun Slave mask partially covering her face, her features seemed to soften. Her fingers lingered on the mask, and through the cold surface, her fingertips nearly brushed against the skin beneath.
Then, she withdrew her hand, leaned in close to Ji Rong's ear, and murmured, "Senior Sister, everyone around us is wearing masks. If we don't, we might draw unnecessary attention."
Ji Rong was unimpressed. So what if people got suspicious? It wasn't like she had anything to hide.
But seeing how cautious Gu Baiyi was, she thought it over. Fine, she'd wear it. Following the heroine always meant encountering danger, it was wise to have some precautions.
Little did she know that Gu Baiyi's reasoning was complete nonsense. She simply didn't want Ji Rong staring at that young man any longer.
Yet a new problem arose, Ji Rong pondered. With her entire face covered, how was she supposed to walk properly?
Just as she was contemplating this, a cool hand suddenly grasped her right hand.
The fingers were long and slender, with a faint chill to them.
Ji Rong instinctively tried to pull away, but Gu Baiyi only tightened her grip.
Her voice was gentle, as if she were right beside her, "Senior Sister, the Nuo dance ceremony has ended. There are many people around, and you can't see the road clearly. Why don't you follow me?"
Ji Rong: "…"
Like hell I can't see the road, don't act like you don't know why!
Still, it had been a long time since someone had held her hand like this. And Gu Baiyi's hand was… nice. Cool, soft, smooth, like velvet against her skin.
So she didn't resist, letting Gu Baiyi lead her forward, destination unknown.
In the darkness, the faint chants of monks echoed around them.
Fireworks bloomed in the sky. The townspeople pressed their hands together in prayer, seeking blessings from the gods.
At that moment, Gu Baiyi released Ji Rong's hand. Watching as Ji Rong removed her mask and gazed out at the moat of Tianshui County, Gu Baiyi stood beside her, silent.
Floating lanterns drifted across the river, clustering together like a cascade of stars spilling over the water.
At some point, they had been separated from Xie Bai and Ye Chuyang.
Ji Rong stood atop the city wall, looking up at the sky filled with countless Kongming lanterns. Below, the people shut their eyes, praying to the gods.
Gu Baiyi stood next to her, her eyes reflecting the flickering lights, yet she merely smiled, making no move to offer prayers.
Ji Rong couldn't help but ask, "Why don't you pray to the gods?"
Gu Baiyi smiled faintly and said, "The things people desire most are often the things they can never attain. That alone proves that wishes aren't granted just because one prays."
Ji Rong thought the heroine might be having one of those moody, philosophical moments again. Keeping her expression calm, she responded, "If you never even try, how would you know you can't get it?"
After all, wasn't she herself surviving purely because of her immense will to live?
Gu Baiyi looked into Ji Rong's tranquil eyes. For a brief moment, her heart seemed to stop.
Then she snapped out of it and chuckled, thinking her Senior Sister really did say the boldest things.
But she liked that.
So she nodded, smiled, and said, "Then I shall give it a try."