Chapter 139: The Festival of Star Return

October the tenth brought fine weather and a bright, radiant sun.

Lu Liaole, fully adorned in the splendid ceremonial attire of the White Barbarians, turned this way and that before a bronze mirror, admiring his reflection. Only after Princess Vanilla offered lavish praises with a beaming smile did he leisurely step out of his room.

The picturesque White Flag Valley had taken on a festive new appearance today. The thick trunks of the trees were wrapped in vibrant red silk, exuding an air of joyous celebration. With a wide grin, Lu Liaole surveyed his surroundings as though he were the master of White Flag Valley. Nodding in satisfaction, he walked deeper into the valley.

More than two thousand three hundred Tang soldiers, now dressed in brand-new White Barbarian garments, sat quietly upon the ground, gazing with excited expressions at Lu Liaole standing before them.

"Brothers! Today marks the day of your rebirth. Nominally, you are no longer soldiers of the Great Tang, but the personal guard of Lady Yuanzhen. Here, you will take wives, have children, and plant your roots to survive. But I hope you will never forget that you are soldiers of the Great Tang. It matters not if you cannot return to the Tang; the place where you plant your roots is the Great Tang within your hearts!"

Overcome with emotion, Duan Xiaohe sprang to his feet and roared, "Might to the Great Tang!"

Lu Liaole dashed over and shoved him right back down, while waving a hand to stop the cheers of the others. Glaring fiercely at Duan Xiaohe, Lu Liaole walked back to his original spot.

"Xianchu Zhongtong was incompetent, causing you to suffer defeat on the battlefield. But today, countless White Barbarian women from all directions will come here to choose the warriors of their hearts. Go! Display your strength, your martial prowess. In this battle, you must not lose!"

As soon as Lu Liaole's voice fell, the two thousand and more young soldiers burst into unanimous cheers.

"Hmm!" Li Sansui, acting as Lu Liaole's personal bodyguard, stroked his beard with a sudden look of realization and nodded repeatedly. "Only now does this old man finally understand the crafty tricks of you brat. You bedded the original-sin lady of the White Barbarians, and now these soldiers are going to sleep with countless White Barbarian women. By then, these White Barbarian lands will be filled with the seed of us Tang people, which can also be considered a great victory for the Great Tang. It's just that the opponents of these soldiers have been replaced by White Barbarian women."

"Uncle Li! Did you talk this much when you were by Master Uncle's side?" Lu Liaole felt thoroughly exasperated at having his thoughts laid bare.

"Haha!" Li Sansui chuckled softly. "My master often schemed against others too, but you brat possess a far more bizarre and infinitely more interesting set of crafty ideas in your head."

Rolling his eyes at this unvenerable old man, Lu Liaole turned with a beaming smile to look at Zhou Liuzi.

"Liuzi! Aren't you interested in picking a White Barbarian beauty here to be your wife?"

"Young Master, not everyone is blessed with peach-blossom luck like you, running into beauties wherever you go." Zhou Liuzi kept his gaze fixed straight ahead, leaving Lu Liaole feeling thoroughly bored.

Clear, melodious singing drifted into the depths of the valley. Lu Liaole grew excited once more, pointing toward the outer area and shouting loudly, "The White Barbarian women have begun to arrive! Bullfights, dogfights, cockfights, horse racing, wrestling, archery—come on, brothers, move, move, move! It's your turn to shine!"

Taking the lead, he dashed eagerly outward. Looking out, the festival grounds of White Flag Valley had transformed into a world and ocean of flowers. Countless barbarian women in brightly colored attire chatted and laughed softly, vying with one another in beauty. Densely packed, there were no fewer than ten thousand of them. Lu Liaole drew in a sharp breath. How on earth had Fengyao managed to gather so many women? His meager force wouldn't even be enough between their teeth.

The bold and warm-hearted barbarian women caught sight of this troupe of young men emerging from the valley. Their faces lit up with smiles as they pointed and whispered among themselves. Some of the maidens even began to chant mountain songs: "O ho di li huo, a ho yong!"

Lu Liaole's scalp tingled. He turned to glance at the soldiers behind him, only to find that those formerly excited fellows had all grown rather nervous. Dumping them into the care of Duan Xiaohe, he scampered off in a flash to find Fengyao.

"Sister Fengyao! What on earth is the meaning of this?" Lu Liaole demanded, pointing in exasperation at the sea of women.

Fengyao shook her head helplessly. "Isn't this the doing of your good friend, Lord Yang Luodian? Didn't you boast to him grandly about how celebrations are the best way to heal the wounds of war? Lord Yang figured that it isn't only our White Barbarian tribe that experienced the pain of war. So he summoned the neighboring Yi, Yao, and Naxi tribes as well. What you see before you is only a fraction; by evening, even more people are expected to arrive."

Lu Liaole was dumbfounded. Had his original plan for the Tang soldiers to sow their seed among the White Barbarians now transformed into sowing it across all the various Jiuli tribes in the vicinity? Even with the aid of the Golden Bayeh Holy Water, these Tang soldiers wouldn't be able to endure such a workload.

Things had progressed to a point beyond the sway of Lu Liaole's will. Firecrackers popped in succession, and the crowds gathered for the festival broke into song and dance, laughing with abandon.

Duan Xiaohe and his men were swallowed up into the crowd like a tide. Lu Liaole silently offered them a few blessings in his heart, then obediently stayed by Princess Vanilla's side.

Duan Xiaohe truly possessed some genuine skills, taking first place in both horse racing and archery. Coupled with his dashing and handsome appearance, he was actually selected as the most handsome man of the festival. Fengge, wearing gorgeous garments and holding a yellow oil-paper umbrella, stood out with exceptional beauty among the young women performing the *Dolohe* dance, and was chosen as the most beautiful woman of the festival.

Seeing the two of them paraded about as a pair of lovers, Lu Liaole pressed his lips together with a sour expression.

"If my husband is feeling envious, you are quite welcome to join in the festivities down below," Princess Vanilla said, resting her hands on her lower abdomen as she looked at Lu Liaole with a giggling smile.

By this point, how could Lu Liaole not understand that Vanilla was speaking in sarcasm? Hearing this, he straightened his expression and declared, "I have already married the most beautiful princess of Nanzhao; how could I possibly look with envy upon those fellows? I was merely sighing in my heart at how wonderful it is to have a scene of jubilation before us without war."

"The previous war caused too many casualties on both sides; otherwise, how could we have a situation of more women than men before us today? Younger Brother Liaole, you must prevent the next war from happening, you hear?"

Fengyao appeared beside Lu Liaole from out of nowhere, gazing at him with a beaming smile.

The two women beside him were vastly different—one mature and brimming with exotic charm, the other fresh, youthful, and vibrant. Filled with a sense of supreme fulfillment, Lu Liaole actually entertained the grand delusion of holding beauties in both arms and possessing the entire world. Naturally, he could only dream.

The sun slowly began to sink below the horizon, and the celebrating crowds successively laid out fine wine and delicacies to enjoy to their hearts' content.

"Wuwuwu!" A long horn sounded, followed by the thunder of hooves as hundreds of horsemen escorted the King of Nanzhao, Geluofeng, alongside several close ministers, into the middle of the roadway in White Flag Valley.

Beaming, Fengyao led a group of guards to welcome them. Princess Vanilla, however, plucked at Lu Liaole's sleeve and retreated to the side.

The jubilant crowd instantly quieted, bowing in reverence to the King of Nanzhao. Lu Liaole watched as Fengyao, wearing a gentle smile, walked side by side with a majestic-looking middle-aged man approaching forty, whispering to one another from time to time. A deep sense of loss welled up within him; after all, the master of this place was the King of Nanzhao, not himself.

"I hear that this festival held by your White Barbarians is to memorialize that benevolent Lady Baijie. The King of Nanzhao burned the Pine Torch Building, and Lady Baijie died a loyal martyr for her country—complete nonsense!" Geluofeng swept his gaze around, his expression gloomy.

Unfazed, Fengyao retained the smile on her face. "Your royal father failed to win Lady Baijie, yet Your Majesty has taken me, Lady Yuanzhen, as your wife. My White Barbarian tribe lost seventy percent of its men fighting for Your Majesty and for Nanzhao; surely Your Majesty need not bicker over such a trivial matter."

Geluofeng's eyes flickered slightly. He walked straight to a dais specially constructed for him, sat down, and remained silent.

"This humble minister believes that holding such a festival is of immense benefit in strengthening the cohesion among the various tribes of our Nanzhao. The sixteenth day of the twelfth month is when the moon completes its cycle, the sun reaches its limit, the stars return to their paths, the numbers approach completion, and the year begins anew. Your Majesty may command the various tribes to hold a festival on this day, to be named the Star-Returning Festival, to celebrate the harvest and pray for the coming year."

Yang Luodian stepped forward and bowed to Geluofeng.

Geluofeng glanced at Fengyao beside him, then looked out at the joyous scene below the platform, and said to Yang Luodian in a deep voice, "Granted!"

As night fell, clusters of bonfires were lit one after another, their soaring flames illuminating the night sky almost as bright as day. Jar after jar of fine wine was brought to the people singing and dancing by the bonfires, and they drank deeply and merrily.

A venerable elder lit a torch in his hand and passed it to the most robust young man beside him. Gradually, countless torches flared to life, winding through White Flag Valley like myriad fiery dragons—a magnificent and breathtaking sight.

"To His Majesty! To Lady Yuanzhen! To the State of Nanzhao!" The voices of several thousand young men rang out. The burning torches dipped in unison toward the high platform where Geluofeng and Fengyao sat, creating a sea of dancing fire.

Geluofeng's body trembled slightly, startled by this sudden outburst of sound.

"To battle for His Majesty! To battle for Lady Yuanzhen! To battle for the State of Nanzhao!" The powerful shouts echoed powerfully throughout the valley.

Geluofeng turned pale, looked at Fengyao, and adopted a remarkably warm tone.

"My Lady! What is the meaning of this?"

Inwardly, Fengyao felt immensely proud. It seemed the idea Lu Liaole had dreamed up had truly given the king a formidable display of authority. Let's see if he ever dared to look down upon her White Barbarian tribe again.

"These are my newly formed White Barbarian guards. The soldiers are all young White Barbarian men who stepped out of the deep mountains. They are willing to fight to the death for Your Majesty and for this humble concubine. Your Majesty, what do you think of their military might?"

A faint smile bloomed on Fengyao's face as she turned to gaze at Geluofeng.

"Not bad, not bad! Who would have thought that after suffering such heavy losses, the White Barbarians still have so many warriors willing to fight for Nanzhao? This is the fortune of Geluofeng, the fortune of my Lady, and the fortune of the State of Nanzhao!"

Geluofeng raised his wine cup and drained it in a single gulp, outwardly appearing utterly delighted.

Bowl after bowl of fine wine was poured down; the celebrating crowds grew intoxicated, and the night itself became drunk. Pairs of amorous young men and women in the mountains, beside the streams, and under yellow oil-paper umbrellas plucked their moon-lutes and played their jaw harps, whispering their mutual longing.

Geluofeng rose, took Fengyao's delicate hand with tender affection, and walked toward her quarters.

The sight squeezed Lu Liaole's heart with an uncomfortable tightness. He chugged several large bowls of wine and grew thoroughly drunk as well.