Beauties in Simulation Cross over into Reality

”They’re a perfect fit. In fact, they feel even more comfortable than the ones made by the Textile Bureau,” Xiao Mo said honestly.

”I’m glad Brother Your Majesty likes them.”

Qin Siyao looked at the shoes on Xiao Mo’s feet, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly as a trace of indescribable tenderness flashed through her eyes.

”Thank you, Mujiu. But since you’ve given me a gift, I can’t accept it without offering something in return.” Xiao Mo asked his bride-to-be, ”Is there anything you want, Mujiu?”

”Emmm...” Qin Siyao pressed a delicate hand to her fair chin, pondering seriously. She glanced at the sky outside, and her eyes lit up. ”Brother Your Majesty, when I came to the Imperial City before, I saw a very beautiful place. Would you take me there to see it?”

”Now?”

Xiao Mo glanced out the window. It was already late in the afternoon; the sun would be setting before long.

”Mhm...” Qin Siyao tugged on the hem of Xiao Mo’s robe. ”Right now would be perfect...”

”Alright, let’s go then.”

Xiao Mo didn’t refuse.

He, too, felt he could use a walk and a chance to relax.

Before long, Xiao Mo had a carriage and horses prepared. The carriage was no different from that of an ordinary wealthy family, sufficient to conceal their identities.

Following Qin Siyao’s directions, the carriage headed toward the outskirts of the Imperial City.

After about the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, the carriage stopped at the foot of a mountain.

The group ascended the mountain and reached the summit.

After confirming the surroundings were safe, Wei Xun waved his hand, and he and the guards withdrew to stand watch on the path up the mountain.

On the summit, only Xiao Mo, Qin Siyao, and her Maid, Ming Yue, remained.

At this moment, the sun was gradually setting in the west.

The once-scorching sun had become a crimson sphere. Its last rays sliced diagonally across the mountain ridge, painting the rocky cliffs a warm orange.

The distant mountains, layered like strokes of cyan-blue ink, gradually blurred and dissolved into a thin, violet haze.

Flocks of birds skimmed across the silken red dome of the sky, their wingtips teasing apart the cottony clouds, shattering them into a sky full of scale-like crimson clouds.

The evening light slid down the stone cliff beside them, inch by inch, like a bolt of golden silk being gathered up after unfurling for the entire day.

Heaven and earth were filled with a fetching crimson, like a bride in her red wedding attire, shyly lifting her veil, timid yet full of hope for the future.

Xiao Mo sat on the mountaintop, gazing at the world spread out before him.

Qin Siyao also gently smoothed her skirt, her fair, slender legs pressed together as she sat sideways beside her future husband, watching the setting sun with him.

”What do you think, Brother Your Majesty? Is this place beautiful?” Qin Siyao turned her head to look at Xiao Mo and asked softly.

”Yes, it’s truly magnificent,” Xiao Mo nodded. ”The greatest beauties in this world are nature’s own creations. This mountain is nestled among other peaks, allowing one to look down upon the majestic ranges and also see the smoke from the hearths of the mortal world. It feels as if one could reach out and touch the clouds, or pluck the stars and moon from the sky.”

Xiao Mo turned his head and looked at the young woman beside him. ”I wonder how you found this place, Mujiu? I never even knew it existed.”

”I’ve loved mountains and rivers since I was a child. Whenever I go to a new place, I always seek out the mountain ranges. I’ve had some free time lately, so I’ve been taking walks in the outskirts. Brother Your Majesty, you live deep within the Imperial Palace and rarely leave the Imperial City, so of course you wouldn’t know about this place.”

Qin Siyao covered her mouth and giggled softly. From beneath her long lashes, her enchanting eyes lifted slightly to gaze at his face.

”And did you know, Brother Your Majesty? This mountain has a story behind it.”

”A story?” Xiao Mo asked, curious.

”Yes...”

Qin Siyao nodded, gazing at the sunset on the horizon.

”Legend has it that a long, long, long time ago, this land was part of the Ancient Qin Kingdom.

In the Ancient Qin Kingdom, there was a Princess.

This Princess, you see, was doted on by her father the emperor, her mother the empress, and her brothers from a young age. She knew nothing of the world’s worries and was utterly carefree.

Then one day, the Princess met a little boy.

The little boy became the Princess’s guard, protecting her and even saving her life once.

After that, the little Princess and the little boy grew up together.

The little boy had great talent for cultivation and was very diligent. He was even more brilliant at leading armies in battle. At a young age, his name was known throughout the world.

And the little girl, in turn, grew into a young woman.

One day, the girl realized she had fallen in love with him.

When he returned to the capital in triumph after his victorious campaigns, he asked the Sovereign of the Ancient Qin Kingdom for her hand in marriage, and the Sovereign gladly consented.

The girl was also overjoyed to marry him, hoping only to support her husband, raise their children, and grow old with him.

The Princess looked forward to her wedding day, imagining herself in a red wedding dress and red veil, bowing with him in the marriage ceremony, hoping that on their wedding night, he would be the one to slowly lift her veil.

But...

Perhaps it was because the girl had been too happy.

Sometimes, too much happiness must be paid for.

Not long after,

The Princess’s imperial father and mother, and her two brothers, all passed away.

In the end, the only family the Princess had left was the man she loved.

He led armies to war time and time again, his might shaking the Imperial Court with each victory.

Every time he went off to war, the Princess would come to this very mountain to watch, to wait, to gaze...

And every time, he returned.

The Princess believed he would always return.

But one time, the Princess waited for a long, long time, and he... he never came back...”

As she spoke, the young woman hugged her knees, the corners of her lips curling into a slight smile.

Her smile was like the moon behind a thin mist; you could see its shape, but you couldn’t feel its joy.

”Later, the Princess disappeared.

Some say the Princess gazed after her fiancé for so long that she turned into a stone.

Others say the Princess never stopped searching for him, believing that even finding a single Residual Soul of his would be enough.

But in any case, this mountain was later given a name.

It came to be called Wangjun Mountain.”

’This Princess of the Ancient Qin Kingdom was truly a devoted lover,’ Xiao Mo sighed inwardly upon hearing Qin Siyao’s story. ”Did the Princess ever find him in the end?”

Qin Siyao turned her head to look at the man beside her, her crystalline eyes filled with his reflection.

When Qin Siyao didn’t answer, Xiao Mo turned his head to look at the young woman, asking in confusion, ”What’s wrong?”

Qin Siyao playfully stuck out the tip of her tongue. The flash of pink was like a newly opened petal, or the shy tenderness of a morning dewdrop, vanishing back into her smile in an instant. ”I won’t tell Brother Your Majesty right now~”

Getting to her feet, Qin Siyao gently brushed the dust from her clothes. ”Brother Your Majesty, the sun has set. We should head back before it gets completely dark.”

”Alright...”

Xiao Mo also stood up.

Although Xiao Mo was still quite curious about the ending, he decided not to press the issue for now since the lively young woman wasn’t telling.

’There will be plenty of time in the future, anyway.’

After the two descended the mountain, they returned to the Imperial City.

As Qin Siyao wanted to walk around the city for a while, Xiao Mo let her out of the carriage and returned to the Imperial Palace on his own.

On a street in the Imperial City, Qin Siyao curtsied and watched the carriage slowly drive away until it disappeared from sight.

Her Maid, Ming Yue, stood by her mistress’s side, wringing her small hands, still thinking about the story the Princess had told earlier.

After a long moment of hesitation, Ming Yue couldn’t help but call out softly, ”Princess...”

”What is it?” Qin Siyao asked.

”Princess... that story... the one you told His Majesty earlier... I... I’m being bold, but... could... could I know how the story ends?”

Ming Yue’s voice was filled with apprehension. She had loved such storybook tales since she was a child and was desperate to know the ending.

”You want to know, too...” Qin Siyao smiled faintly.

”Mhm.” Ming Yue nodded emphatically.

”Then I won’t tell you either~”

At some point, a mask had appeared in the young woman’s palm.

Parts of the mask had a faint reddish tinge—whether from rust or the blood of its original owner, it was impossible to tell.

And the mask’s ancient appearance spoke of untold ages it had endured.

The young woman gave a light laugh, put on the mask, and walked forward.

The pedestrians on the road were like phantoms of time, endlessly streaming past her.

It seemed the Princess from the story was just like this, forever walking forward.

Alone, she walked through towns filled with desolation.

Alone, she sat in a lonely boat, the riverbanks shrouded in mist.

Alone, she watched the clamor of the mortal world, fleeting as birds in flight.

Alone, she gazed as a sky full of fireflies turned to fragrant grass.

Until the green mountains still stood, but her dark hair had turned to winter’s white.