T/N: Thank you so much to Habitual lurker for the generous donation! I’ve finished up the last three extras, so I’ll post them all at the same time.
Although Liu Xian’an often imagined himself walking barefoot in the extremely cold and boundless fields of snow when he was at home, in reality, often when the north wind blew the first yellow leaf in Baihe City, even the most sensitive birds wouldn’t react. But the village servants were already running in and out quickly, preparing a warm brazier for their lazy young master. And Madam Liu would also give him an extra soft and fluffy cotton quilt—because he always lay down and refused to move, and he was very prone to the cold.
A-Ning said: “I hear that it is very cold in the northwest, even colder than Wangcheng.”
Liu Xian’an lay in the spacious carriage and leisurely answered, it is naturally cold in the northwest, and Yumen is covered in wind and snow. I have read about it in poems before, and this time, I finally have the opportunity. I want to experience it immersively.
A-Ning reminded: “But the young master is so afraid of the cold.”
Liu Xian’an waved his hand casually. No matter, I can also not be afraid.
As a result, on the first day upon arriving at Yacheng, he was blown down by the strong wind at the border as soon as he got out of the carriage and sat down on the ground. His hair and robes flew up in chaos, hitting his face painfully.
Liang Shu directly carried him into Xiao Wang Palace.
Liu Xian’an, who had a messy head of hair that was not very immortal-like, wiped two handfuls of sand from his face and turned to look around. Although this palace was almost as simple as the one in Wangcheng, and just as old, it was very tall and strong, and the brazier in the room was effective enough. Once the windows were closed and the whistling desert wind was blocked, there was no noise.
The bed, bedding, and pillows in the room were all new and looked extremely soft and fluffy.
After bathing meticulously, Liu Xian’an wrapped himself up comfortably and refused to get up again.
Travel the avenues, travel the avenues.
Liang Shu sat on the edge of the bed. He pinched his cheek with his fingers and pulled it: “Sleeping as soon as you get here. Why don’t you go see the military camp with me?”
“Won’t go, it’s too cold. I don’t want to move.” Liu Xian’an half-closed his eyes and went far away. “I’ll wait until the spring cold passes.”
Others slept in and saw the sky, but Second Young Master Liu slept in and saw the moon.
Liang Shu nodded: “Okay, let’s wait until spring passes.”
A-Ning sighed upon hearing this. So every day, he had to lift his young master out of bed with great strength, put warm clothes on him, supervise him to go out for a walk, and then have him do some health-preservation exercises and move around.
Liu Xian’an was cooperative most of the time, but sometimes he was truly lazy and would run back while saying perfunctorily: “I’ve already walked enough today.”
A-Ning asked: “Where are you going?”
Liu Xian’an got in bed and answered confidently, I have walked through three thousand worlds, walked 90,000 steps, and my legs are sore! Just as he was talking, he fell asleep again and completed a lengthy dream. Later in the evening, Liang Shu returned from the military camp after finishing his official duties. With the spring chill on his hands, he took that person out of the warm quilt—it was very annoying, but fortunately, Second Young Master Liu had no temper. When he was woken up, instead of being angry, he felt very fortunate.
“What did you dream about?” Liang Shu asked.
Liu Xian’an replied: “I dreamed that I was walking.”
He had walked through wind and snow, up a very tall mountain. For a lazy fellow, this was very tiring, so Liang Shu held him and coaxed him patiently for a long time, and promised to send him the best war horse in the three thousand worlds.
But he was rejected. Liu Xian’an emphasized: “I have my own horse.”
Liang Shu thought for a moment about what he had seen that morning, the little red horse pacing leisurely among the sturdy war horses, chewing a mouthful of bean cakes and fodder. He nodded: “En, that is indeed your horse.”
“Your Highness, take good care of it for me.” Liu Xian’an yawned. “When the weather isn’t so cold, I will ride it into the desert. How did it go in the poem, a silver saddle glows against a white horse, passing as swiftly as shooting stars in flight.” Although his horse was a red horse, the meaning was the same.
Liang Shu followed his advice to an extent—until two months later. The few servants in the outer courtyard of Xiao Wang Palace had not yet managed to see Second Young Master Liu in person. All they knew was that this immortal lump lay around all day long, talking about mysterious things in his sleep, such as “It can live forever because it generates its own energy” and “Retreating after accomplishment is the Heavenly Dao,” as if he was about to ascend in the next moment.
Therefore, everyone sighed with emotion. As expected of the person brought back by the prince!
In the afternoon, the small courtyard was warmed by the sun. A-Ning felt hot, so he removed two of the braziers from the room, then picked up a medical book beside the bed and lay beside the bed to read it. He fell asleep and suddenly felt something move behind him. He opened his eyes and quickly rubbed them, chasing after. “Why are you up, Young Master?”
Liu Xian’an stood at the door and stretched hard: “Don’t you hear the birdsong? Summer is coming.”
A-Ning was delighted, not so much for summer, but for the fact that the young master was willing to put something big on his agenda!
In the outer house, Zhao Xiaomao was playing with a wooden bird. He was a well-known naughty monkey in the house, always mischievous and troublesome. Recently, he had learned some boxing and kicking skills from Gao Lin, and jumped around even more lawlessly. There was simply no moment of peace. The noise caused Zhao Xiaomao’s father to stop being stingy, and he spent a lot of money on a gadget for his son to go out and play with, hoping that he could calm down for a while.
Zhao Xiaomao did play, but he took a different approach. Instead of letting the gadget fly around, he dismantled it into multiple parts and studied its internal structure carefully.
The little girl next door had initially come happily to fly the wooden bird, but ended up seeing a pile of broken wood, and was naturally uninterested. She turned to leave, but was pulled by her pigtails, and was so angry that she picked up stones and threw them. Zhao Xiaomao was hit, and just squatted on the ground while covering his head, laughing. He seemed to be very happy, and had a silly appearance. Standing under a tree not far away, Liang Shu had a splitting headache.
The little girl finally ran away crying, and Zhao Xiaomao did not chase after her. Instead, he continued to focus on his own precious wooden pieces until he was flicked on the head.
“Aiyo!”
“What aiyo?” Liang Shu pinched his shoulders with two fingers and said in disgust: “You brat, how come you have only grown in stature but not in ability?”
“Your Highness.” There were no rules in Xiao Wang Palace, and the little one didn’t have to comply. Zhao Xiaomao wiped his dirty hands on his body and argued unresignedly: “Uncle Gao praised me for my ability.”
“Don’t listen to him, he is an old bachelor himself, and has the same problem as you.” Liang Shu frightened the child. “If you keep going like this, you may not be able to find a wife in the future.”
Zhao Xiaomao felt very indifferent: “If I can’t find one, I can’t find one. I see that Uncle Wang, Uncle Li, Uncle Qian, Uncle Song, Uncle Ma, and Uncle Zhang all have no wives.”
One sentence hit His Royal Highness Xiao Wang’s pain point hard. He really didn’t understand why the northwest camp was so rich in bachelors. Seeing that this little brat had the tendency to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors, Liang Shu taught him tirelessly. He frowned and said: “Why do you see what is not there, rather than what is there?”
“Who has one?”
“I do.”
Zhao Xiaomau thought of the adults’ conversations and was very curious. He immediately lowered his voice and asked, “Is it that good-looking Sleeping Immortal?”
Liang Shu was quite satisfied with this sentence. Yes, it is the good-looking immortal.
The two stood talking under the tree. Zhao Xiaomao caught a glimpse of a white shadow from the corner of his eye and turned around, opening his eyes wide: “Wow.”
Liang Shu followed his gaze and saw that the immortal had gone out by himself. It was impossible to wear a big jacket in this weather, as it was too windy, so A-Ning found a good-fitting cotton jacket for his young master. The material was made from the best flowing cloud satin in Jiangnan. When walking, it was like the wind blowing through a bamboo forest, handsome and elegant, flowing and momentous.
Zhao Xiaomao had never seen such a good-looking and elegant person before, and was stunned for a little while. He even felt extremely embarrassed and wiped his dirty hands on the back of his clothes. It was almost the same as when Cheng Suyue quietly tugged on Liu Xian’an’s sleeve when she first met him, which showed that they truly came from the same nest.
Liang Shu came forward and asked with a smile: “You’re finally willing to come out for a walk?”
Liu Xian’an said: “Summer is here.”
“En, summer is here, but it is still a little cold outside.” Liang Shu pulled up his cloak for him, grasped his cold fingertips, and asked: “Didn’t you bring a heater?”
A-Ning quickly ran back to get it. Liu Xian’an glanced over Liang Shu’s shoulder at the child standing under the tree and asked, “What is his name?”
Zhao Xiaomao was a nickname, but he had a personal name he had taken in order to attend school, which was Zhao Wudi, Invincible!
In the beginning, Zhao Wudi was born in the military camp. Wudi, invincible and good at fighting, the name had good intentions. As a result, before Zhao Xiaomao was old enough to go to the battlefield, he first fought and became invincible in school. Lao Zhao brought cured meat every day to apologize to the other parents. In a rage, he changed his son’s name from the Wudi “Invincible” to the Wudi “Landless,” to remind him that he and his father were poor and had nothing, not even half an acre of fertile land. If you don’t work hard, there will be no land now or in the future.
It was the first time Liu Xian’an had heard such an arbitrary name, but it unexpectedly fit this desolate borderland. He said, “It is a good name. Without this death trap land, he will be victorious in every future battle.”
Zhao Xiaomao didn’t understand. What was death?
Therefore, Liu Xian’an stood under the tree and told him what “birth and death” meant. A child who did not like to study would naturally not understand the so-called “disciplines of life and death,” but he could vaguely understand the literal meaning.
It meant that his enemies would not be able to find any of his weaknesses in the future, so he would be victorious and invincible!
Zhao Xiaomao was stunned: Am I so powerful?
“The path to eternal life is written in your name. If you study hard and think hard, you may be able to understand something in the future, but if you really don’t like studying, there is no need to force it.” Liu Xian’an bent down to pick up the wooden parts on the ground and studied their structure. “A human lasts just a few decades. What is important is to stroll in freedom between heaven and earth.
Stroll in freedom between heaven and earth. Zhao Xiaomao liked these few words and thought with ambitious exuberance: “Okay. In the future, I will stroll freely between heaven and earth.”
When A-Ning ran back with a heater in his arms, Liu Xian’an had reassembled the wooden bird and was making it fly around with a circle of people watching.
As for where the circle of people came from, because the news that Second Young Master Liu had come out spread quickly throughout the entire city, everyone came one after another with the mentality of viewing an immortal. Then they really saw a shining immortal in front of a dilapidated old house, standing tall and unstained in the dust. He looked out of place with the surrounding environment.
Surely he was deceived by the prince’s sweet words, right?
Everyone was very perturbed, perturbed but clapping, and the wooden bird finally flew into the sky amidst warm cheers. Zhao Xiaomao said in surprise: “How can it fly so high?”
“This is not very high.” Liu Xian’an patted his shoulder and raised his head with a sigh. “The real high is ninety thousand li above the clouds.”
While Zhao Xiaomao was still counting on his fingers how high ninety-thousand li was, Liu Xian’an had already stepped out of the courtyard gate. He planned to visit the military camp and see his horse.
Liang Shu said: “The military camp is a bit far from here. If you go now, I am afraid you will have to stay the night.”
Liu Xian’an acquiesced, then we will stay in the desert.
Xuan Jiao galloped all the way, bringing the two of them toward the outside of the city. At this time, the red sun was high in the desert. Wild geese flocked in groups, and the defensive city walls were like giant dragons circling and winding toward the deepest part of the sky. The first glance was so shocking that Liu Xian’an couldn’t tell whether this was reality or if he had accidentally fallen into the Three Thousand Worlds.
“Your Highness, Second Young Master Liu.” Gao Lin came on horseback, followed by a group of subordinates. They had just gone to the desert to hunt many wild animals, including a wolf, several gazelles, and a rare snow leopard cub.
Liu Xian’an asked: “Did you also bring this to eat?”
“No!” Lieutenant General Gao immediately denied it. This little fellow has only a few ounces of meat.
Liang Shu reached out and picked the cub up. It screamed, squeak squeak squeak, with blood still oozing from its hind leg. Liu Xian’an grabbed it to take a look and said: “It was bitten.”
Liang Shu glanced at Gao Lin.
Lieutenant General Gao waved his hands repeatedly. I don’t know, but I’m not the one who bit it.
The surrounding soldiers all laughed, and someone said: “Your Highness, we picked this little leopard up on the roadside. We feared it would not survive if left outside. Lieutenant General Gao said that we should take it back for the doctor to have a look.”
“Can it be healed?” Liang Shu asked.
“It can.” Liu Xian’an rubbed its furry body with the band of his fingers and hugged it back into his arms. “It is still young, and should recover soon.”
The snow leopard cub also knew how to discriminate. When being carried by Gao Lin, it was squirming and twisting, screaming miserably for most of the way, noisy enough to make people’s windpipes hurt. Now that it was being held by a different person, it immediately stopped and tilted its head, opened its two black, gem-like eyes and purred incessantly in a delicate and charming manner.
Gao Lin: “Hey!”
And the soldiers were also wide-eyed. How could it judge people by appearance?
This news spread from ten to a hundred, and by evening, everyone in the military camp had heard the legend that “Second Young Master Liu can easily control a ferocious beast.”
As for what sort of beast, some said it was a wolf, some said it was a leopard, and some said it was the prince—of course, the latter was indeed quite ferocious.
As for Second Young Master Liu’s appearance, it was originally peerless in heaven and earth, but with this, it became increasingly ethereal.
Suddenly, the military doctor, Lao Zhang, who was responsible for taking care of the snow leopard and the groom, Lao Li, who was responsible for feeding the little red horse, became the envy of everyone. Gao Lin was rather happy as he walked and listened. He wanted to have more fun and happy events in the military camp, which was better than fighting.
Liu Xian’an took care of the snow leopard’s injured leg, and then went with great interest to find his horse. Upon finding it, he was stunned and almost didn’t recognize it: “Why is it so fat?”
“Second Young Master Liu, it is so fierce when grabbing fodder, ah.” Lao Li also complained, “It can eat from one end of the trough to other in one meal.”
He couldn’t hold it back, and he also didn’t dare to tame it. After all, it was the prince who brought it here personally, so he could only indulge it. With a body covered in fat, the whole horse jiggled when it ran.
Liu Xian’an: “……”
The little red horse: “……”
Lao Li added: “But this horse has a good physical foundation, and gains and loses weight quickly. Now that the weather has warmed up, Second Young Master Liu can ride it out for two of hours each day. In less than half a month, it will definitely be sturdy and strong, comparable to Xuan Jiao!”
Liu Xian’an began to feel dizzy as soon as he heard this. Going out on horseback two hours a day, what is the difference between this and walking 8,000 steps? I won’t ride.
Liang Shu promptly hugged his shoulders: “It doesn’t matter, I will send someone to train the horse for you in the future. But you can ride it out tomorrow, and we’ll go to a fun place.”
“A fun place?” Liu Xian’an asked, “Where?”
“Mao’er Slope,” Liang Shu replied. “It is a border market held once per month. There are not only common folk, but also many traders from all over the world. There are a lot of rare things, and perhaps there are some medicinal materials. Even if you don’t buy them, you can still enjoy the excitement.”
Liu Xian’an didn’t really like to join in the fun, but he liked to join in the fun with Liang Shu. Whether it was going to Mao’er Slope or any other slope, as long as the two of them were together, he felt very happy. Thus, he agreed.
Considering that the little red horse had to run a long distance the next day, Liang Shu kindly gave it an extra day of rest. He took Liu Xian’an to ride on Xuan Jiao and walk around the desert again. Nighttime in the northwest was very different than in Jiangnan. The sky was dyed the deepest ink blue, and the huge silver moon rose slowly like a disc hanging low, surrounded by wisps of light pink clouds. The beautiful image floated continuously in the wind, making it seem like another time and place.
Liu Xian’an sat on horseback and watched for a long time. It was difficult for him to express his inner feelings in words. After a long while, he said: “In my dreams, there is also such a big, bright moon hanging at the top of the tallest mountain, with immortals flying on cranes across it. They brew wine from the dew, and when they are drunk, they lay freely amongst the clouds.”
Liang Shu embraced him from behind and answered leisurely: “Perhaps there are immortals living on this full moon. Who knows for sure.”
Liu Xian’an said: “Then I want to climb up and have a look.”
Liang Shu gave a little hiss and said: “Now, ah?”
Liu Xian’an turned to look at him with a smile.
Liang Shu took advantage of the opportunity to steal a kiss: “Don’t go, stay with me in this world.
“Ascending to the moon, just hearing about it makes me tired. It is better to leave it to people thousands of years later.
As he spoke, he kicked the horse’s belly to signal it to turn around and head back to camp. No matter how beautiful the moon was, it was enough to just look at it a couple of times. It was windy and cold in the middle of the desert night, and it was not worth making his family’s lazy egg sick.
Liu Xian’an huddled in his arms, not forgetting to turn his head and look at the moon again. This cold, giant thing made him yearn for it, but also made him slightly afraid. He closed his eyes and imagined that it should be extremely cold there, and that the black cloud shadows may be the sea and mountains on the moon. Seas and mountains, a vast, boundless world. As for how vast and boundless it was specifically, it could be about ninety thousand li to ninety million.
When he thought that if he went to the moon, he would be alone among the mountains, rivers, and seas for ninety thousand li, Liu Xian’an unconsciously shuddered. That was thousands of times larger than the snowy fields in his dreams. Could it be that it went on for all eternity? The Sleeping Immortal was so absorbed in anxiety and sorrow that his brow was knitted. However, there was suddenly a warm touch on his ear. Liang Shu leaned down and hugged this person to him with one arm, whispering: “You don’t need to go there.”
With these six words, Liu Xian’an instantly felt at ease. Right, ah, he didn’t have to go ninety thousand li away. Because there was someone in this world who was hugging him hard. He was very safe, his defenses were very strong, and he was not able to move.
Liang Shu turned his head to kiss his neck, which made Liu Xian’an feel a little ticklish. The two of them returned to camp in such an intimate and ambiguous manner. As soon as they returned to the tent, Liang Shu’s hands were already moving to inappropriate places. Liu Xian’an swatted him: “Bath!”
Liang Shu vowed in his ear: “When the weather grows completely hot, I will take you to Heaven’s Bath.”
Liu Xian’an didn’t understand: “What is Heaven’s Bath?”
“There is a fresh spring deep in the desert, like a bright pearl embedded in the silver grass in the wilderness,” Liang Shu said. “But it is still a bit cold now, and you can’t bear it.”
Liu Xian’an thought that “can’t bear it” here probably had two meanings, but he didn’t want to inquire in detail. He played dumb and gave a perfunctory uh-huh, we’ll discuss it again. I don’t really want to go bathe in the wilderness. What if we encounter a wolf, or if when we are bathing, a herd of goats suddenly comes up to drink water next to us. It would be very strange.
So it was better to bathe in the tent.
The soldiers had not taken into account the major change that their prince was no longer a bachelor, so the bathtub they sent could only hold one person tightly. It could be seen that his monthly salary had not increased, and that it was not entirely due to Lieutenant General Gao’s stinginess. And the bed was also narrow. Not only was it narrow, but it also swayed. It was no problem for one person to lay down, but when two people lay down, it began to creak, creak, groan, groan under the load, as if it might break in the middle at any time.
Liu Xian’an said urgently: “This won’t work!”
Liang Shu also felt that the broken wooden board was really not good, so he simply took the person out of bed. At the same time, he did not neglect to take the cowhide blanket next to him in order to prevent the table from being too hard and hurting his family’s pampered lazy egg.
The table was very strong, and did not fall apart. The only one who fell apart was Second Young Master Liu. There was nothing that could be done. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was truly difficult to resist.
He even felt that if he really walked ninety million li, he would also be this tired. His back would be sore when he slept, and even more so when he woke up.
A-Ning helped this person up, poured a cup of warm water, and brought it to the bedside, asking: “Is the young master still going to Mao’er Slope today?”
“Not going, I’ll go tomorrow.” Liu Xian’an drank three cups of water and lay flat on his back, unwilling to move again.
A-Ning hesitated to speak.
Liu Xian’an had a headache. I didn’t want to, but the prince was full of lust.
A-Ning: “……”
Okay, Young Master, have a good rest. You don’t need to tell me such details.
Liu Xian’an turned over while holding his waist, and ordered: “Where is the little snow leopard? Bring it and show it to me.”
A-Ning brought the cotton nest from next door and said: “It is a lot more energetic now. It ate some minced meat in the morning, and its medicine had been changed. This nest was sewn by Cheng-guniang herself.”
When Liu Xian’an heard this, his expression was solemn and he first put his hand into the nest to press it carefully. A-Ning lowered his voice, don’t worry, young master. It is all cotton. There are no missing needles or thimbles.
“The craftsmanship is so good?”
“…..Actually, it is not that good.”
Because the sewing was really ugly. The thread ends were messy, the stitches were sometimes sparse and sometimes dense, and the cotton was not evenly filled. In short, she was still the Cheng-guniang whom they were all familiar with.
The snow leopard held Liu Xian’an’s fingers and played with them, licking and biting. Its fur was soft, as well as its belly, and its whole body was sleek and smooth, very delightful. When it was tired of playing, it would lie down on the bed and fall asleep, leading a life that anyone would envy. At least, His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was very envious. Not only envious, but also jealous. When he returned, he buried his head in his sweetheart’s chest and said bitterly: “Who allowed you to sleep with it?”
Liu Xian’an put the leopard cub on his shoulder: “Then the prince can hold it.”
Liang Shu picked it up with two fingers in disdain and dropped it into the nest, causing the cub to bare its teeth and ao ao for a moment.
In the end, it didn’t ao at anyone. His Royal Highness Xiao Wang was determined to retaliate, and didn’t care if it was only as big as his palm or had grown into an adult beast. He cast a frigid glance at the snow leopard cub, which shocked it to the point that all of its fur exploded. It turned around and tucked its tail, buried its head and pointed its furry butt at him, concentrating single-mindedly on being angry.
Liu Xian’an: ……
This is also fine.
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Extra Four << Table of Contents >> Extra Six
Neon Dragonfly Translations 