Reborn as a Hatrack in the Mystical Land-Chapter 750: Destined Encounter
The nighttime scenery of the Fan Di Sea was vastly different from during the day.
In the daytime, the sea surface, blazing under the hot sun, appeared like a giant sapphire, now transformed into varying shades of dark jade.
The returning fishing boats emitted sounds like sobbing horns, and the sea water slapped against the base of the Moon Goddess Tower, clapping continuously.
From the highest point of the tower, a beam of light radiated out, enveloping the entire Fan Di Sea, driving away restless sea beasts and guiding the returning fishermen far from home; for over a thousand years, the Moon Goddess Tower had played such a role at Fandi Port.
During the day, many tourists from other regions would ascend the tower to look out from the arched windows at the top, where they could see the cerulean sky and azure sea and, if lucky, witness the stunning sight of flying fish leaping out of the water.
This bustling scene always lasted until dusk, after which the tourists gradually took their leave.
The local navy of the Dragon War Empire stationed there would lock the doors of the Moon Goddess Tower, and by night, the tower would shed its daytime charm and stand as a defending lighthouse.
At night, intruding into the Goddess Tower was prohibited; it was said that trespassers would offend the Moon Goddess and bring upon her curse.
Of course, since tourists from out of town were unaware of the goddess’s curse, the kind-hearted fishermen would repeatedly warn them.
That night, as usual, the local navy locked the tower doors.
When the moonlight lit up the clouds next to the top of the tower, a slender and delicate figure awkwardly climbed over the windowsill of the tower’s ground floor and carefully jumped into the Moon Goddess Tower.
The owner of the silhouette crept around, her beautiful eyes blurred by a layer of mist caused by the sea breeze.
A delicate blush tinged the young girl’s tender face; this was her first time away from the supervision of her parents and maid, in a completely unfamiliar place.
The moonlight was good that night, and inside the Moon Goddess Tower, with arched windows on all sides, it was bright enough without any need for other lighting.
The spiral staircase increased floor by floor, and the girl lifted the hem of her skirt, carefully climbing towards the top of the tower like a little wild cat.
"The local fishermen say that if you climb up the Moon Goddess Tower on the sixteenth night, you will see fairy fish jumping out of the sea. Seeing the fairy fish is said to bring good luck," the girl thought to herself.
The girl had skin as pale as cream, a full forehead, lips red as Hongling, and her elegant attire made her look like a sprite in the moonlit night.
She had grown up in a small inland kingdom, Shang Kingdom, far from the ocean, never having seen the true face of the sea.
If she hadn’t persistently pleaded with her parents to accompany them on the journey to the coastal city of Fandi Port in the Dragon War Empire, she might have remained forever detached from the sea.
During the day, she had just disembarked from the empty ship, and when the ship landed, she caught sight of the tower, quiet amidst the raucous tide and sea breeze, and was utterly stunned.
At that moment, she felt as if her breath had been captured, her heart thumping wildly.
She couldn’t wait to ascend that tower.
As she disembarked, the enthusiastic sailors told her the legend of the Moon Goddess Tower, as well as the tale of the rare fairy fish that could only be seen at Fandi Port.
Since it was nearly dusk at the time of disembarkation, her parents were reluctant to let her visit the tower, promising instead to take her there early the next day.
The girl had no choice but to reluctantly agree.
That night, she tossed and turned in her comfortable bed, unable to sleep until the maid accompanying her started to snore softly.
It was as if an invisible hand inside her heart was relentlessly strumming, making it difficult for her to fall asleep.
After opening the window, she saw the Moon Goddess Tower again, bathed in the soft lighthouse glow.
Without a moment’s hesitation, the girl decided to explore the Goddess Tower at night.
The tower was tall, and the steps were steep.
As the girl carefully watched her footing, she looked around cautiously.
After entering the Goddess Tower, she couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed; from the bottom to the top, there was nothing distinctive about the tower’s interior.
She waited until she stepped onto the highest level.
The view suddenly widened, the moist and enthusiastic sea breeze slapped her cheeks, and outside of more than ten arched tower windows lay an endless sea.
What truly amazed the girl, however, were the countless exquisite reliefs carved on the tower, and even though she did not understand what those carvings were, the girl still widened her eyes, staring at those intertwining and as complex as ancient vines patterns.
After looking for a while, the girl walked to the largest arched window ledge.
The windows of the top floor of the Goddess Tower were wide open, just like floor-to-ceiling windows, with a sign next to them from the local Sea Defense Army cautioning "Visitors stop here."
The girl didn’t care about these signs; though she seemed tame in personality, she actually had a wildness within.
She disregarded that sign and gazed towards the distant sea.
She did not see the Fairy Fish spoken of by the sailors; the sea surface alternated between darkness and light, and the girl tiptoed, trying to see further.
Just then, a fierce sea breeze suddenly picked up.
The sea wind lifted the hem of the girl’s dress, and her slender body, like a butterfly, was blown haphazardly by the wind.
The girl screamed, frightened and immediately closed her eyes, and just when she was about to fall, she regretted not heeding her parent’s advice, saddened that she shouldn’t have come looking for some Fairy Fish.
A pair of hands, almost as exquisite as carved jade, stretched out from one side of the window sill, timely encircling the girl’s waist and powerfully pulling her body back from outside the window ledge.
The girl fell into a burning chest, smelling a faint scent of alcohol.
Amidst hearty laughter, she opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was a robe embroidered with dazzling, blood-like cherry blossoms, and moving her gaze upwards, she saw a sharply defined chin, and a pair of deep black eyes that could contain the entire ocean, and finally, she also saw a bottle of liquor.
A drunkard drinking at the Goddess Tower in the middle of the night?!
This drunkard was really good-looking.
The girl blushed, her hands and feet flustered, trying to break free from the drunkard’s arms.
Little did she know, the drunkard suddenly raised a finger, pressing it against her lips, a faint scent of alcohol wafting over.
"Shush! Keep it down, it’s blooming."
Blooming?
The girl widened her eyes, following the drunkard’s hand, she looked towards the wall.
On that stonewall filled with indecipherable reliefs was unexpectedly growing an unremarkable dandelion.
The dandelion silently bloomed, releasing its fluffy spherical seeds.
With a gust of wind, the fluffy balls on the dandelion dispersed.
The fluffy parachutes under the moonlight transformed into a rainbow-like brilliance.
The girl was captivated by this miraculous sight, forgetting she was lying in the arms of a strange man who had been drinking.
She raised her hand, catching a colorful dandelion seed. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
As the girl grasped the fluffy seed, the wall dandelion quickly withered away, and an intact carving now bore a missing piece.
"This is Divine Grass, a type of spirit wood that legend says grows from the belly of the Inheritor God," The man’s pleasant voice came again, he looked down at the girl within his arms as beautiful as a full moon.
"I want to take it back to Shang Kingdom," the girl laughed, then suddenly remembered something, her little face instantly flushing red. She struggled out of the drunk man’s embrace, embarrassedly said, "Who are you? Why are you in the Goddess Tower in the middle of the night?"
"I am Yue Nian," the man laughed recklessly, gazing at the girl’s increasingly red face, his eyes filled only with indulgence.
