The sun set behind the western mountains, lanterns began to glow, and inside the Baohe Palace of the Forbidden City, the crowd surged like a flowing river.
On New Year's Eve, Jiajing Emperor hosted a banquet for his ministers, with over a thousand seated guests, and countless palace maids, eunuchs, dancers, and singers.
The palace was radiant with lights, booming with drums and music, and the cacophony of voices resonated throughout.
Outside the Purple Gold City, in the Capital, every household lit lanterns, gathering together to eat rice cakes, drink Tusu Wine, and snack on melon seeds.
"How many players do you think are among these people?" Turquoise Pool whispered into Li Changzhou's ear.
"At least one from each nation, I suppose," Li Changzhou replied with a smile, picking a slice of chilled mutton with his chopsticks as his eyes swept across the hall.
Several cultivators and players who were spying quickly averted their gaze.
He put down his chopsticks, casually picked up a cup of wine, and asked Turquoise Pool, "Are you alone on this mission?"
"There are five more, but I don't know where they've gone to," Turquoise Pool also picked up a cup and clinked it with his.
"I believe you."
Turquoise Pool gave him a glance and, almost simultaneously, they both took a sip. A gorgeously dressed palace maid, graceful in carriage, brought in spicy live rabbit and phoenix tail oranges.
Turquoise Pool, after noting the palace maid's petite and cute appearance, barely twelve or thirteen years old—a child really—picked up a phoenix tail orange and gave it to her.
Once the palace maid left, amidst the congratulatory words from the Sumatran envoy, Li Changzhou whispered to Turquoise Pool, "I feel nauseous at the sight of rabbits now."
"Don't vomit on me."
"It's just an exaggeration that the world of the honey pot has too many rabbits."
"Once the Moon Base is built, you can throw the rabbits up there, create a 'Moon Rabbit' dish, charge two thousand per rabbit; while Quanjude charges two hundred for a duck. Once tourism kicks off, you'll advertise stuff like 'Coming to the Moon and not trying the Moon Rabbit is like making a wasteful journey,' and you'll wish you had even more rabbits," Turquoise Pool softly whispered, her mischievous smile enticing.
"Clever!" Li Changzhou applauded, then with a smile, he said, "Speaking of roast duck, it reminds me of a TV series—"
Both of them said simultaneously, "A Love Through Time."
"We must drink to that," Li Changzhou raised his cup again, and Turquoise Pool, with a smile, raised hers too.
"Back when I watched that series, when Zhu Yuanzhang was enjoying that roasted duck, Qian Xia drooled with cravings. The next day, I took my slingshot, bagged a wild duck, and roasted it in the grove," he reminisced.
"Was it really wild, or someone's pet duck?"
"Wild. Didn't think you'd watch such TV dramas. Don't the young ladies from rich families all practice piano and guzheng?"
"I can play the flute too," she replied.
"Let's keep it proper here in Baohe Palace, shall we?"
"Huh? What's improper about playing the flute?" asked Turquoise Pool, her eyes feigning innocence while the corners of her mouth revealed a teasing smile, "By the way, speaking of Ming Dynasty TV series, have you seen 'The World's Number One'?"
"Hulong Mountain Villa, yes, I've seen it," Li Changzhou tasted some chicken from Diannan, "This is tasty."
Turquoise Pool tried it with her chopsticks and commented, "Average. 'The World's Number One' features the Zhengde Emperor, the one before Jiajing, and includes characters like Yagyū Yukihime and Yagyū Piaoxu from Japan."
"God-slaying One Slash!" Li Changzhou enacted with a chopping hand, "Qian Xia once used this move on me as a child. Poor me, not yet fully-grown and being pinned down and beaten by her."
Turquoise Pool covered her mouth, laughing merrily.
After laughing, she gave him a reproachful look and said slightly out of breath, "What I meant was for you to watch out for these foreign beauties, you know, the God-slaying One Slash, Avici Three Strokes, Dominating the World."
"You understand," acknowledged Li Changzhou, lifting his cup, "To you."
Their conversation was filled with laughter and whispers, occasionally gesticulating, as their gazes swept around, making some in the hall tremble in dread.
Cultivators could sense the ocean-like mana within their bodies, and players recognized Li Changzhou, notorious as the King of Black Fog who had slaughtered millions.
There were even rumors that he is the one known as "Unmatched" and "No Taboos."
But, in truth, the two were simply chatting about TV shows of the Ming Dynasty and enjoying the songs and dances on New Year's.
As the international New Year's greetings concluded, hundreds of singers and dancers took the stage, performing amidst music and voices, creating a lively and bustling spectacle.
Li Changzhou, watching the performances, couldn't help but miss Yang Qinglan and his sister, wondering what they were up to at the moment.
Estimating it was around 9:30 PM, the performances paused briefly, and the Baohe Palace fell into silence, punctuated only by the faint crackling of candle flames.
"By decree—" the Ritual Eunuch announced loudly, "We invite esteemed immortals and grandmasters to display their Immortal Laws, to exorcise ghosts and dispel evil!"