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As the pair of sworn brothers arrived into town, they noticed how particularly lively it was tonight. It was a celebration of some sort but not a typical one.
There, seated in the middle of the square were various girls getting ready to participate in a needle-threading contest. Street lanterns had been either purposely dimmed or snuffed out, all so the participants could only rely on the moon as their light source. It wasn't much longer until the competition started, and the girls soon got to work.
Most of them squinted as they focused hard on getting their thread through the eye of the needle. When they proved unsuccessful and the thread began to fray, they pulled back said string. After mending it with a roll of their thumb and pointer finger or by wetting it in their mouths, they jumped right back into the competition, attempting to get the string through the needle once again.
It was rather entertaining to watch, especially with the spectators eagerly onlooking and cheering for the participants. However, both Lianfang-zun and Zewu-jun knew they couldn't stick around. After giving each other a knowing look, they dispersed themselves from the crowd and continued making their way through town.
Eventually the pair happened upon a bridge adorned with flowers of varying colors. Lined atop the wooden floor beams were burning incense sticks inserted into their own individual holders.
Like in the square, many people were gathered here as well. Their eyes were directed to the sky, searching for a certain triad of stars. Some of the onlookers were quick to spot them, gasping and pointing them out to those around them.
It was then that the dots connected. The threading competition created in honor of the weaver girl. The bridge resembling the flock of magpies. The stargazing for the asterism that told the story of Niulang and Zhinu.
"The Evening of Sevens…" Lianfang-zun uttered softly, more to himself than anything. Slowing down to a halt, he looked upward himself to locate the trio of stars.
"Evening of Sevens?" The Lan sect leader echoed in query, having come to a standstill as well.
Gazing upon his sworn brother, Zewu-jun noted how intently the man searched the sky with his ever curious eyes. The way the moonlight bathed him was indeed a heavenly sight to behold. He nearly lost himself in his staring, until an angelic-sounding voice broke him out of his reverie, deep brown eyes locking with his own.
"You haven't heard the tale before? The one about the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?"
Lan Xichen shook his head in response.
Redirecting his gaze to the sky, Jin Guangyao soon lifted up an arm and pointed to the subject of his explanation. "Do you see that star?" He asked before shifting his arm to the next point of interest. "And that one?"
Receiving nods and hums in response, he lowered his arm and continued with his story. "They represent Zhinu and Niulang, the weaver girl and cowherd respectively. Zhinu was the weaver of the clouds, and the daughter of the Jade Emperor and Heavenly Queen Mother. Niulang was in charge of the celestial herds.
"One day, the two met and fell in love, but Zhinu's parents wouldn't allow it so they banished Niulang to Earth. Some time after that, Zhinu's sisters asked their mother if they could go to Earth with Zhinu and take her for a swim in the river. The Queen Mother granted them permission, but little did she know that Zhinu and Niulang would cross paths again.
"Niulang happened to be passing by said river, and it was then he bribed Zhinu with a proposal for marriage."
"He bribed her?" Lan Xichen inquired, his interest piqued.
Jin Guangyao nodded. "Yes. He'd taken her clothes, but he promised to give them back if she married him. She figured out that it was her Niulang and so she accepted. She stayed on Earth with him; they got married and lived a happy life together.
"But soon enough, the Queen Mother found out what happened. She sent guards to bring her daughter back to Heaven. Niulang followed after them, determined to get her back, but before he could the Queen Mother created a vastly wide river between them, separating them once again.
"Zhinu was so devastated that all she could do was cry. Her cries ended up drawing the attention of nearby magpies; they were so touched by her sadness that they formed a bridge to connect the lovers to each other. Even the Queen Mother felt pity, and so she allowed the magpies to form that bridge once every year, specifically on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.
"See that twinkling star beneath the other two?" Jin Guangyao inquired, pointing it out to Lan Xichen like before.
Again, the man beside him hummed a yes as he nodded.
"That one is meant to symbolize the magpie bridge," the Jin sect leader enlightened, a soft smile soon gracing his lips as he turned to face his Er-ge. "It's somewhat of a tragic love tale, but at least there's a bit of a happy ending to it."
Lan Xichen returned the smile with his own equally subtle one. The story was indeed tragic, but it did have its moments of happiness. It was then that Zewu-jun started drawing parallels to his own life.
The first time he met Meng Yao, he was instantly drawn to him; he wanted to get to know him better, but obligations on both their parts kept them from doing so. It wasn't long until Meng Yao had to part, but not before bidding Zewu-jun farewell.
The next time they saw each other was under difficult circumstances for them both; Cloud Recesses had been attacked by the Wen Sect, and Meng Yao had been exiled from the Nie Sect. Together, the pair gave each other strength and support, forming a close bond with one another. Eventually, they had to part ways again, but it was only a matter of time before Meng Yao began sending him coded messages. The man had joined the Wen Sect, but it was done in an effort to aid with intel however he could. It was thanks to him that they held the upper hand against the ruthless Wen Ruohan, ultimately succeeding with the Sunshot Campaign.
After that, the two had become sworn brothers along with their now deceased Da-ge, Nie Mingjue. Meng Yao had also been accepted by the Lanling Jin Sect and had changed his name to Jin Guangyao. Ever since then, Lan Xichen and Jin Guangyao began to frequent each other more often, visiting each other or going on night-hunts together.
And then, the inevitable happened. Jin Guangyao was to get married to Lady Qin Su. It wounded Lan Xichen deeply, but he did his best to hide it, not wanting to give into selfishness and jealousy. He remained calm, supportive for A-Yao. For if Qin Su made him happy, then who was he to keep him from that happiness. And so he bottled up his feelings, all for A-Yao's sake.
Through the years they kept frequenting each other, and their bond only grew all the more stronger. Perhaps Lan Xichen couldn't always have A-Yao by his side, perhaps he couldn't be with A-Yao in the way he would have liked, but it didn't matter as long as their friendship kept them united like it always had.
Suddenly, as if to break him out of his thoughts, a droplet fell down the side of his face. There was no way he could be crying, right? He couldn't have let himself become that vulnerable, not in front of A-Yao. But then he felt more droplets, one landing on the top of his head, another on the back of his hand. It was starting to rain.
The smile once gracing Jin Guangyao's face had faded away at this point. Surely it must have been some cruel trick of fate, the skies showering down on the festivities. It was said that rain on this particular day represented two things: the river sweeping up the magpie bridge, and Zhinu and Niulang's tears.
Jin Guangyao purposely chose not to disclose those details to Zewu-jun. The story was tragic enough as is, and he didn't have it in him to hurt his Er-ge.
If anything, this symbolic rain felt like a looming omen over his own head, a foreshadowing that a tragic end was drawing near.