After two days of traveling, Luo An finally made it to the capital. Even though it wasn't the festival yet, the streets already looked beautiful. Colorful decorations hung everywhere, making the place that looked boring most of the year look lively.
Luo An headed to an inn and got a room for a few days so he could be there until the Spring Festival. There was still a day left so Luo An used that time to go get a meal and buy some food for his horse. The market here was way bigger than in that village so he got many different things, including some meat, rice and vegetables.
On his way back to the inn, he stumbled across a stall that sold lanterns, charms and animal masks. Luo An's eyes immediately landed on a fox mask, which he took a licking to right away. He rushed to the stall with his bags of food and bought it without a hesitation, swapping his veil for it. His eyes fit perfectly though the holes, seeming as if they were part of the mask itself, shining brightly under the setting sun.
The day of the festival finally came, people from all around the country gathered in the capital to celebrate it. Luo An walked down the full streets with his fox mask, looking all around to see many different things. At the end, his steps brough him to the lion dancers that he always adored, yet unlike any other year, this time he was determined to try it himself. He was quick and sneaky so stealing a costume wouldn't be too hard, but while he could be the head, there was no tail. After a long thought, he decided to push this thing to the back of his head for a while and enjoy the festival for a little longer before trying to do anything about his dream.
It was still a few hours until the midnight but the atmosphere was already very exciting. Other than the lion dancers, there were also dragon dancers and many other performers. By now the street was filled with children with lanterns and animal masks, families bonding and people appreciating all the beauty. Luo An made his way to the stage and watched the roleplay of many stories.
The actors all did a great job and all the kids watching cheered happily as they watched. Luo An's eyes stayed on the performers the whole time, following all their moves and listening to everything that was happening. It was truly a beautiful thing to witness.
The stories all came to an end and it was almost midnight. Luo An walked around, eating snacks and waiting patiently for the countdown. This was definitely his favorite part of the year and nothing could beat it. All the decorations, performances and fireworks at midnight always made it exciting, no matter how many times you witnessed them.
Soon it was finally time for the countdown. Everyone gathered and watched impatiently.
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The long awaited fireworks rose to the sky, exploding into many different colors. For Luo An, this was a sign that it was time for him to go. He began to head back to the inn to rest and get ready to depart tomorrow. In each hand, he held a bag with many sweets he bough. For him, there was never enough of them. This should definitely last him weeks.
"Luo An!"
Upon hearing his name, Luo An turned only to come face-to-face with none other than Qin Yaozu. "You're back again? Didn't expect to see you so soon! 3rd time this week, is it?" Luo An laughed. Qin Yaozu on the other hand didn't find it as funny. "You have something that belongs to me. My sword to be precise."
"Oh, your sword? And why should I give it to you?"
"If you won't, I will make sure you regret it."
Luo An gave the man a smirk. "Fine, I'll give you your sword. But I have a condition." Qin Yaozu frowned. "What kind of condition?" Luo An walked closer to him, leaning in to whisper into his ear. "Do the lion dance with me, will you, gege?" Qin Yaozu pushed Luo An away. He wanted to immediately say no, but then he remembered how the last two encounters they had ended up. It would definitely be hard to get it back if Luo An didn't hand it over willing so though gritted teeth, Qin Yaozu mumbled: "Fine."
Luo An was overjoyed, his dream would finally come true tonight. He quickly put the bags of sweets into one hand and grabbed Qin Yaozu with the other, running back towards the main street. Once there, he sneaked behind the stalls and snatched a costume from the resting lion dancers and ran out of the city. Qin Yaozu glared at him the whole time. Never in his life would he think he'd be doing this, especially with the rabid fox, Luo An.
"Who's gonna be the head?" Qin Yaozu asked. Luo An looked at him with a wide smile on his face, his eyes shining through the holes in the mask. "Me, of course."
"Why did I even bother asking?" Qin Yaozu said, raising an eyebrow. Luo An pulled the costume over his head. He felt like never before, this was something he dreamed of since forever and now he was finally experiencing it.
Qin Yaozu stared at man. "Is this your first time?"
"Okay I admit. I've never done this before.. Have you?"
"A few times."
Luo An held up the head and his jaw dropped. "Really? Gege is very lucky then." Qin Yaozu only rolled his eyes. "If that's what you think. I don't want to be here the whole night so listen carefully. Let's try something that you can do alone. Keep a strong grip on the head and do as I say." Luo An paid attention to every word. "I never knew there was something I could do alone. Alright, what first?"
"Let's try something easy. Take a step to the side and raise the head." Luo An nodded, lowering the head over his own and did as he was told, taking a step to the left and raising the head. "Lower it, step back and repeat the same thing but to the other side," said Qin Yaozu. Luo An once again did as he was told, going back to his original position and repeating the movements to the right. "Did I do it right?" he asked nervously. Qin Yaozu nodded. He couldn't help but smile a little. "Do you wanna try something a little more difficult now?"
"Of course I do!"
Qin Yaozu nodded and got behind Luo An, holding him by the hips. "You have to trust me on this one. Don't let go and believe that I won't either." Before the other could respond, he was lifted high into the air. Luo An yelped and instinctively kicked his feet, making it look like a roaring lion. He was soon back on the ground, panting. "Woah... That was so amazing! Can we do it again?" Qin Yaozu rolled his eyes, but this time there was a kind smile present on his face. "Alright, but this time it'll be a little different."
Once again, Qin Yaozu liftedLuo An into the air, yet this time, he didn't put him down on the ground but rather make him land on his bended knees. Luo An started to shake a little, struggling to balance on the other's legs when he heard a soothing voice. "Calm down, I told you to believe that I won't let go. You're safe as long as I'm holding you." This helped quite a lot and Luo An eventually steadied himself. He raised the head a little and looked forward. "Ready to go down?" Qin Yaozu asked.
"Yes."
Luo An was slowly lowered and soon stood on the ground. "You did great," Qin Yaozu praised. "Now try to lead me. You're the head after all. Just imagine that you're a lion and move freely." Even though he was hesitant, Luo An agreed and attempted to lead the way. He moved gracefully, mimicking the lion dancers he always watched. It started to feel like the two of them were connected and were really a lion. They danced, they jumped, Qin Yaozu read Luo An's mind. At first Qin Yaozu thought that this would be annoying and he'd hate every second of it, but he was actually having fun. They danced for close to an hour before getting tired.
Luo An sneaked the costume back to where he found it and both of them headed to the inn. Qin Yaozu couldn't help but stare at Luo An the whole time, examining him carefully. He always heard that this man was violent and evil, yet after meeting him, he always only saw him acting like a child. His gaze slowly lowered and stopped at his feet. "What happened?" In Yaozu furrowed his brows. Luo An turned to him. "What do you mean?"
"Your foot, it's bleeding."
"Oh, is it?" Luo An looked down and sure enough, his foot was covered in blood. He stopped and raised his leg only to find a piece of glass sticking out of it. Qin Yaozu's eyes widened and he immediately picked him up, rushing towards the inn. Before Luo An could react, they were both at his room. Qin Yaozu sat him down on the bed and went down to the innkeeper to get a bandages. When he came back, he sat in front of Luo An and held his foot. "How could you not notice it? It's so deep! Almost penetrating your entire foot! It must hurt badly," Qin Yaozu said while pulling out the glass. "It doesn't hurt at all, I barely feel it."
"What do you mean 'you barely feel it'?"
"I never really felt pain before." This answer shocked Qin Yaozu quite a lot. He stared up at Luo An for a while before going back to pulling out the glass and bandaging the wound. Even though he wanted to know more, it was not his place to ask. They weren't friend, neither did they know each other well. It would definitely be rude.
Qin Yaozu finished treating the wound. "There. Maybe you should start wearing shoes"
"I don't like shoes very much, they limit my feet from moving freely."
Qin Yaozu was dumbfounded. This guy really was something. Instead of continuing on that topic, he asked something else. "Since you got what you wanted, can you give me back my sword?" Luo An looked at him and chuckled. "Oh, right! I completely forgot about this part of our deal. I'll get it for you." Before Luo An could get up to get the sword, he was pushed down. "You're injured, tell me where it is and I'll get it." Luo An stared at him in disbelief but ended up pointing to where he kept the sword. "It's over there." Qin Yaozu got his sword but instead of leaving, he sat back next to Luo An. "Aren't you leaving?"
"You seem stubborn. I'll watch over you until your foot heals and then I wish to have a duel with you. If I win I get to take you to my sect and turn you to justice for what you did to my shidis before giving you to the emperor."
"What if I'll win?"
"What do you want?"
Luo An went quiet. What could he ask for? After a moment of thinking, something came to his mind. "If I win, I want to lion dance with you again."