The Chronicles of Emberstone Farm [Cozy Fantasy] [Farming LitRPG]-Chapter 261 – Good Fortune Lucky Draw
“Real deities? What do you mean?”
She looked around and then lowered her voice. “I didn’t see any, but the clan members said they saw heavenly presences.”
“What? Oh no, how could I miss it?”
“I didn’t see any either,” she said in her regular tone of voice.
We went inside, where Prince Baiyu asked me the same thing, and again I had to admit that I hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary.
Shuye and his wife, along with Scholar Wu, were listening but didn’t interrupt our conversation.
“There was a halo of light over the parade, and I could barely see anything, but I felt the presence of…” He frowned and seemed to search for the right words. “Divinity.”
I tried not to be skeptical. “And what does that feel like?”
“Like a zidan from..” He pointed up at the ceiling, but obviously he meant the heavens.
“Okay.” I shrugged and dismissed the topic from my mind. Once talk turned to the clan members’ precious zidan, human understanding and logic went out the window. It was a sixth sense that non-clan members simply didn’t have, and it was indescribable. One might as well describe colors to someone blind from birth. “What’s for lunch? I only had a very light meal at the temple, and I’m famished.”
***
After a meal and a nap, I rose at sunset to eat dinner at the inn. We had all missed the famous marriage market.
Night fell, and it was time for us to go to the night festival.
“Beware of tall, beautiful strangers,” said Scholar Wu to me and my apprentices. “Don’t follow them out of the brightly lit areas.”
“Oh, is this about the phantom foxes?” I grinned at the maids who were all giggling. “But what if they’re really, really, ridiculously good-looking?”
One of the maids shrieked with laughter and said, “Then I’d happily be caught by a fox!”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Deming move closer to Fengying and wrap his arm around her waist as though he was worried she would be carried off by foxes. I noticed that my housekeeper and chef were wearing matching sets of red silk robes. They looked very cute together.
I was wearing a very fancy set of clothes, called the [Moonlight Serenade], for this special occasion.
[Moonlight Serenade:
When the last sliver of daylight disappears, the world of fairytales truly awakens.]
The dress was white silk with sheer overlays dotted with countless tiny, reflective sequins that caught the light like sparkling stars. The sleeves were wide and flowing, while the skirt cascaded in soft layers. The waist was belted with a silver-embroidered silk sash with a crescent moon ornament. The look was completed with matching white silk slippers adorned with starburst embroidery, and a domino mask of pure white, edged with silver filigree. Prince Baiyu also put on a white outfit to match my color.
Though I liked this one better, I had considered wearing the black version, called [Night Serenade] instead, since wearing a pure white dress seemed like asking for trouble when I was going to an outdoor festival. I was relieved when Prince Baiyu demonstrated a simple cleaning spell he could use, so I was able to choose the one I liked.
However, I made sure to eat my fill of dinner so that I wouldn’t be tempted to eat the messy food from the stalls.
Inside the temple complex, the outer courtyard was filled with temple stalls selling various charms, amulets, and talismans, but everything was determined by a random draw. Red lanterns hung on every stall, bathing everything in a soft pink light, and everyone was dressed in their best festival clothing. Red seemed to be a popular color, and most people wore fox masks. The air was cool and refreshing, and the crowd wasn’t too stifling since it was outdoors.
We bought dozens of random draw tickets, and we queued up at every stall, not leaving each one until we had at least one of every kind of item they had. Most of the stuff we got was regular goods, but I managed to get a complete set of special items.
[Dragon Charm:
A smooth, palm-sized piece of blue jade, so dark it almost seems to absorb the light around it.
Lucky Dragon Set: Part of 1 of 3]
[Dragon Amulet:
An ancient-looking bronze coin amulet with a square hole in the middle, etched with mystic symbols and a coiling dragon.
Lucky Dragon Set: Part of 2 of 3]
[Dragon Talisman:
A piece of yellow paper with an auspicious symbol drawn on it in vermilion ink.
Lucky Dragon Set: Part of 3 of 3]
No stat or exp bonuses were written in the System item descriptions, which meant these were simply collectible items. I didn’t know why these were special compared to the others, but I got eight more sets anyway, since it was always good to have extras in case I found a use for them later.
As we were leaving the courtyard, an attendant asked us to go inside the temple to meet Lady Hoshi. The titular head of the Fox clan was still a child; therefore, she wasn’t allowed to go to the Night Festival, which was for adults only.
“Isn’t it past your bedtime?” I smiled at the little girl who met me at the door to one of the side temples. “Your dance was superb.”
She struck a dance pose. “Thank you. I practiced it a million times!”
Lady Meihui arrived, looking flustered. She was as beautiful as ever and was wearing a plain white priestess' robe. “Lady Violet, we couldn’t find who made that banner. The workers said a member of the Fox clan told them to hang it there, but I certainly don’t remember ordering that.”
“It’s a prank!” said Lady Hoshi. “Today is a day for every good fox to prank someone!”
Lady Meihui patted her on the head absentmindedly. “May I take a look at the items you got from the stalls?”
“The items? Why?”
“The priestesses told me there seem to be a lot of things that were mixed in with the official temple merchandise.”
“Oh! I thought it was strange that there were dragon items there.”
I took out a basket from my inventory and poured the charms, talismans, and amulets inside to show her what we got.
She sighed and shook her head. “I can give you a refund.”
“No!” I almost yelled as she reached into the basket. “I like those ones the best.”
Her hand stopped, and she said, “May I take a closer look?”
I calmed down and gave her permission. “Okay.”
Lady Hoshi tugged on my sleeve and got on tiptoe. I bent down to let her whisper into my ear.
“It’s the phantom foxes; they love to play jokes.” She let go of my sleeve and giggled.
Lady Meihui finished inspecting the dragon items and said, “I don’t understand. Who would put these in with the other charms? These are very precious. I can sense a strong aura of good fortune emanating from them.”
“Well, I, for one, am satisfied with these high-quality lucky draw prizes.” I grinned. “Do you want a set? I have extras.”
“No, thank you,” said Lady Meihui. “We only use fox charms here.”
“Understandable.” I put the basket of charms back into my inventory.
Lady Hoshi ran off somewhere and returned with a two-inch square silk-wrapped package. “I made a fox charm for you. Don’t open it or the good luck will fly away.”
“Thank you!” I put it in my pocket and bowed to her.
After that, there wasn’t much more discussion. We said our goodbyes and parted company.
Prince Baiyu, who hadn’t said a single word, waited until we had left the temple premises before saying, “May I take a look at those prank items?”
I handed over a set and waited as he turned them over in his hands.
“There is a strong qi in them. It’s not much stronger than the qi from the regular charms,” he said. “But it feels as though there is something there that I can almost, but not quite sense.”
“It’s a mystery to me.” I shrugged. “Do you think it could be the work of the deities you say you saw in the parade? They could have been mischievous trickster fox gods!”
“They do say that fox spirits are everywhere in this mountain.”
“What kind of pranks do they do?”
He took my hand and placed it on his arm. “They love to lure beautiful men and women to their own parties. Please stay close to me.”
“You, too. I don’t want you to be carried off by a foxy lady!”
We smiled at each other and strolled down the winding stone steps on the side of the mountain. Lanterns were hung all over the path to light the way, and peddlers holding trays of trinkets, drinks, and pastries were hawking their wares everywhere. It was a lively and riotous sight. I bought a small bottle of shampoo made from flowers and herbs harvested from the mountain forest, and a few cookies, which I washed down with hot tea from my inventory.
Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, the night festival’s atmosphere changed. I saw two paths. One was broad, brightly lit, and led directly to the village where the night market was currently being held. The other one was a narrow, winding path that led away from the village into the darkness.
“The Moonlit Path of Dreams, also called the Lover’s Walk.” Prince Baiyu grinned down at me. “Shall we?”
.
!
Chapter 261 – Good Fortune Lucky Draw
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