"Where are we going?"
Before Bibi Dong could react, she was pulled out by Huo Yuhao.
The two stood side by side in the spatial tunnel. Just this moment of transmission made Bibi Dong feel exceptionally long.
She subconsciously tightened her grip on Huo Yuhao's hand, seeming a bit afraid of the Douluo Continent they were about to arrive at.
She was once driven mad by love, played in the palm of her closest teacher, dragging her dirty body to scream despairingly at that cruel world.
The powerful empire she built with her own hands almost destroyed this continent. Now she was about to return to her homeland. That complex feeling was something ordinary people couldn't understand.
The Haodong Power flowed in their tightly clasped hands. Seemingly sensing her mood change, Huo Yuhao took a small step forward.
"We are all evil little monsters. There are always Ultramen wanting to kill us..." The boy's shoulders, though not broad, seemed able to block everything ahead for the girl behind him. His powerful words showed his determination.
"In that case, let's trample the world under our feet—"
Arriving at the exit, the light at that moment illuminated Huo Yuhao's back, so dazzling that the girl couldn't fully open her beautiful eyes.
This was an ancient city integrating pseudo-Gothic and pseudo-Renaissance styles.
The majestic spires and gorgeous flying buttresses appeared solemn and mysterious under the setting sun. On both sides of the street, pseudo-Baroque buildings stood solemnly. Stone carving patterns refracted little lights in the sun, as if telling the glorious history of the ancient city.
With the movement of sunlight, the bustling market gradually dispersed. Night market vendors set up stalls along the street. Various goods were dazzling, from bright fabrics to exquisite accessories, all attracting the eyes of passers-by. The hawking sounds of vendors rose one after another, interweaving with the distant church bells into a living city symphony.
"This is..." The corner of Bibi Dong's mouth twitched slightly, and her beautiful eyes were full of crystal tears.
"Yelin City." Huo Yuhao hugged the girl gently, comforting her emotions.
Under the setting sun, the carved doors and windows cast mottled and diverse shadows, like exquisite silhouettes. Street cafes began to welcome the first batch of customers. The rich aroma of coffee and the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. Gentlemen and ladies talked elegantly in open-air seats. Whispers and laughter drifted gently in the wind, adding a touch of vitality to this ancient town.
The stone bridge where the two stopped was the best place to watch the prosperity of the city. Huo Yuhao felt Bibi Dong's palms sweating slightly. Her eyes revealed a trace of shock at this beautiful scenery. Their gazes passed through the crowd and could see the church spire in the distance. That was the landmark building of Yelin City. Under the setting sun, the church spire was like a sharp sword pointing to the sky, wrapped in golden light, appearing more sacred and unreachable. Sunlight shone through the stained glass windows, mottling on the exquisite tapestries and sculptures. The devout chanting echoed in the church. Believers prayed devoutly in front of the altar. A quiet and sacred atmosphere shrouded every inch of space.
"Maybe everything is a coincidence, but thank heaven." Huo Yuhao chuckled: "Do you know what day it is today?"
His words made Bibi Dong's delicate body tremble violently. Then she raised her face full of disbelief and looked at the young man beside her.
How could she forget this important festival? That was the regret of her life...
Lights began to light up in the shops along the street. The orange-yellow light echoed the afterglow of the setting sun, laying a warm tone for the city's night in advance. Bursts of delicious food aroma came from restaurants, inviting passers-by to stop and taste. Music overflowed from a corner, floating gently in the air.
In the square, people dressed in gorgeous clothes, either strolling leisurely or talking by the fountain. Vendors pushed carts full of goods, their hawking sounds rising one after another, adding a touch of liveliness to this ancient city. Children chased and played by the fountain. Their laughter interwoven with splashes formed a cheerful movement.
Huo Yuhao and Bibi Dong occasionally heard the sound of small boats rowing across the water in the distance. Those were tour boats shuttling in the river, carrying tourists to appreciate the style of this ancient city.
As lights were lit, Yelin City showed another kind of prosperity. Pedestrians on the street gradually increased. Carriages rattled on the stone road. Gentlemen in tailcoats, arm in arm with ladies in evening dresses, walked into the brightly lit theaters or concert halls together.
In the distance, the bell of the clock tower rang, echoing in the empty sky, announcing the end of the day. Pedestrians looked up one after another. That towering clock tower appeared more solemn and ancient under the setting sun. Some tourists took out drawing boards, trying to capture the beautiful scenery of this moment and record this short and eternal instant with paintbrushes.
This young and beautiful couple attracted the attention of many passers-by, but no one disturbed the time they spent together.
Under the night curtain, Yelin City was prosperous yet tranquil. Light and shadow interlaced, like a moving oil painting, making people intoxicated in this magnificent place of the other world. The Lantern Festival of Yelin City was the most splendid night of this ancient capital. On both sides of the street, simple and unsophisticated buildings were decorated with colorful lights. Occasionally, a breeze blew, and the hanging lanterns swayed gently with the wind, making pleasant tinkling sounds. These lanterns had various shapes, some like blooming flowers, some like dancing butterflies, and some like dragons riding clouds and mist, as if to take people into a dreamy world.
"Lantern Festival..." Bibi Dong choked with sobs, trembling all over uncontrollably. Beside her, Huo Yuhao told the origin of this festival like presenting a treasure.
When Huo Yuhao returned to the Heavenly Soul Empire from the Dragon Realm back then, on the way to control the flood, he came to Yelin City alone behind Xian Lin'er's back.
What all partners didn't know was that he used up the one hundred million gold soul coins brought out from the Holy Spirit Cult and sent people to repair this ancient city again according to the style of ten thousand years ago.
In addition, Huo Yuhao also controlled the security of this city with spiritual power and set up a large number of protective measures outside Yelin City. Countless thorns and a deep moat prevented the flames of war in the Heavenly Soul Empire from reaching this ancient city.
Although he understated his actions, Bibi Dong knew clearly that this was his intention for her.
"Let's go to the square." Huo Yuhao rarely showed a boyish nature, pulling Bibi Dong to walk quickly towards the square.
In the square, a grand lantern fair was being staged. A huge lantern tower stood in the center, lights interlacing, dazzling. Around were various performances, acrobatics, lion dances, operas. Every program attracted numerous spectators to stop and watch. Children holding small lanterns shuttled through the crowd. Laughter filled the whole night.
The festive atmosphere infected everyone. Regardless of age, they were enjoying the happiness of this moment. Couples held hands, sweet smiles appearing on their faces under the lights. The girl remembered that after she was released back then, she naively fantasized that that man would come here.
Then she came, but alone, incompatible with everything around.
At this time, countless lanterns rose slowly from the city, like stars dancing in the human world, or like dream bubbles, flowing little by little on the river of night. The light of colored lanterns interwoven, weaving a huge net, lifting the whole city gently, as if whispering to the moon.
Under the lanterns, the two held hands and whispered softly. Their shadows crossed on the stone road, swaying gently with the breeze, just like two hearts clinging tightly together under the moonlight. Bibi Dong unconsciously leaned her head on Huo Yuhao's shoulder, watching him point at the star-like lanterns in the sky with youthful spirit.
Amidst the lights, citizens' laughter and chatter drifted with the wind. Huo Yuhao and Bibi Dong's faces were also dyed with warm colors by the lights. Everyone's eyes shone with expectations for the future and joy for the present.
Higher in the sky, some special lanterns rotated slowly. They were red or yellow, emitting soft light, like stars falling from the sky to the human world, making people couldn't help looking up.
"Yuhao, Yuhao..." Bibi Dong suddenly wept with joy, murmuring the young man's name in a low voice.
Looking at the sky full of lanterns, Huo Yuhao couldn't help singing softly for the girl—
"In the sky where quietly twinkling stars scatter.
Prayers unable to be conveyed fill heaven and earth.
What flickers in the lanterns is exactly the unbloomed future.
Reluctantly dropping light spots.
Look, it's already the mature time to bear the fruit of hatred.
Once picked by hand, the world will end.
Falling tears are the symbol of purity.
And those tears will vanish completely after feeling warmth.
Only that beautiful dream remains to tear you apart.
Tenderness and truth in cold eyes.
Mutually shining stars go against the sky.
Until prayers of hatred fall from this sky.
I don't need bouquets sad for me.
Realize the wish before the heart collapses.
Witness the moment when people's wishes are filled with brilliant light.
These wings desired but unobtainable, no one doesn't weep for them.
Life played a symphony filling the sky.
The moment wishes burn out in the sky.
Flowers must be blooming on the nostalgic homeland.
Until the end, the gentle moon shadow teaches people the way forward.
Quietly twinkling stars pray in the sky.
Your wailing is exactly the end of this dream."
This song was like the girl's elegy once, that unbearable desperate memory. Sung by Huo Yuhao mixed with spiritual power at this moment, it gave the girl the courage to look straight at the past and move towards the future.
Sky full of lanterns, like the Milky Way hanging upside down in the sky, or fireflies dancing in the night. Lights were bright or dim, interweaving into warm halos, sprinkling on the stone bricks of the ancient city, as if time stopped at this moment.
The shadows of the two were elongated under the lights. The young man gently raised his hand to brush away the black hair on the girl's forehead, his action incredibly gentle.