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After the flowers, many butterflies of various colors danced in the air, followed by beautiful stars, and then a series of novel and stunning patterns: falling snowflakes, silver waterfalls, and designs of gold and silver jewels... The most special was an image of a man wielding a sword while a woman played the piano, as if they were real.
"What is this? A Miracle?" Yue Yunfei exclaimed, pointing at the sky in astonishment.
The others shared his thoughts. In the Great Zhou Dynasty, even firecrackers were made from dried bamboo; fireworks had not yet been invented! Everyone was mesmerized. Not just them; in an ancient world free from pollution and towering buildings, all the people in the capital could see the beautiful spectacle in the sky. Those who had planned to rest early rushed into their courtyards, looking up with mouths agape, all in a daze. Even the emperor lost interest in deep conversations with his beauties, having someone bring out a chair for him to sit outside the palace and enjoy the view alongside them.
Of course, like Yue Yunfei and the others, the emperor regarded the fireworks as a Miracle—after all, there had been too many Miracles lately. He sent someone to investigate and learned that the fireworks came from Li Wei Feng's residence. The emperor's expression darkened as he waved his hand to dismiss them and continued to admire the fireworks.
"It’s not a Miracle; it’s fireworks," Wen Zixia explained to the guests to prevent any misunderstandings. "The fireworks were purchased by my sister-in-law from overseas. They are said to be made from sulfur, charcoal, and Nitre mixed with various other materials."
"Made by humans? I thought it was a divine manifestation!" a middle-aged man with a long beard exclaimed in surprise.
"I never expected that the barbarians overseas possessed such technology. Are there other advancements beyond our own?" an elder furrowed his brow. "It seems we need to remind His Majesty to pay attention to these foreign barbarians!"
Just then, another beautiful display of Xinyi patterns burst forth in the sky, shimmering with colors. The crowd was once again entranced.
Wen Zixia couldn’t help but recite: "Flowers bloom countless times under the moon; five-colored auspicious clouds surround the red platform. Suddenly falling to earth, startled by scattered starlight, they fly into the air like raindrops. Angrily crashing against jade bowls, they overturn clear snow; boldly stepping on golden wheels, they rise like thunder. The night grows deep as people gradually disperse; colorful lanterns return with lively poles."
This "Fireworks Show" was composed by Qiu You during the Ming Dynasty. Hanno occasionally recited lines that Wen Zixia had heard before; he felt they perfectly suited the scene before them.
The fireworks lasted for a full hour, and everyone gazed up for that entire time. Only when the last firework faded into the night sky did they reluctantly lower their heads and rub their sore necks. Yet no one complained; they all sighed in satisfaction at having witnessed such beauty up close.
Among the crowd, Jiang Haozhi stared eagerly at the newlywed house. If he weren't afraid of disturbing others during their wedding night and getting beaten up, he would have rushed in immediately to discuss collaboration with the bride and groom.
Inside the bridal chamber, springtime warmth enveloped everything. Elder Brother Li used fireworks to send away all those causing a ruckus during the wedding night; no one disturbed him and his bride's harmonious melodies anymore.
The next day, although there were no parents-in-law to greet, Hanno still woke up early and personally prepared a rich breakfast for his aunt, uncle, and his relatives from the Wen family. Before breakfast, Li Zhou Le Yue and Li Yishu served tea to Hanno. After drinking tea offered by his younger siblings, Hanno finally became part of their family.
After breakfast, as everyone gathered together to chat, suddenly an Eunuch arrived to summon Elder Brother Li; it was an invitation from the emperor.
"It must be about last night's fireworks," Elder Brother Li said confidently.
Hanno pursed his lips; he remained wary of Li Xuan Zong: "Perhaps."
Elder Brother Li pulled Hanno's hand and said, "Don't worry, he won't do anything to me until he's finished digging through what's in my head."
Hanno smiled, "He'll never be able to exhaust the knowledge in your mind."
On the first day of their marriage, the groom was called away by the emperor. In a bad mood, Hanno took out some mahjong tiles and invited a few friends to play. Mahjong originated from Ma Tiao, a game that has been recorded in ancient China. Li Zhoule and the others understood the basic rules of Ma Tiao, and Hanno quickly taught them how to play mahjong. They all picked it up quickly. Hanno, Li Zhoule, Li Yishu, and Wen Ziyu played together while Wen Zixia assisted Li Zhoule, and Wen Zixue helped her Second Brother. Hanno didn't cheat using Divine Sense, but his luck was particularly poor, losing four or five rounds in a row. Li Zhoule had the best luck, doubling his chips compared to before the game. After Hanno gave Li Zhoule another winning tile, the four of them were shuffling the tiles when a servant came in to report: Jiang Haozhi was visiting.
"Hey, why is Brother Jiang here?" Li Yishu asked curiously. "Isn't it rude for him to come after our wedding yesterday?"
Wen Zixia thought for a moment and smiled, "I bet he's here for the fireworks. Just wait and see; besides Jiang Young Master, General Yue and Doctor Geng will surely come by as well."
Hanno stood up and said, "Li Yishu, come with me to meet Jiang Young Master. He's definitely here to discuss the fireworks collaboration."
"Fireworks collaboration? Sister-in-law, can such beautiful fireworks be supplied to Jiang Family like lighters?" Li Yishu asked.
Hanno nodded, "Fireworks aren't rare where we come from. Although due to government regulations prohibiting fireworks in cities, there are now very few manufacturers compared to lighters that are everywhere. But as long as we contact a good manufacturer, we can place long-term orders."
Li Yishu smiled, revealing two dimples. "That's great! We can collaborate with Brother Jiang now. Sister-in-law, Brother Jiang is a good person; he values fairness in business and is a reliable partner."
Hanno laughed, "Since you've chosen Jiang Haozhi, you should talk to him about it. It's better to work with someone familiar; I have high hopes for him too."
"Okay, Sister-in-law, don't worry; I won't let you down," Li Yishu promised confidently.
Jiang Haozhi's visit to the Li Family was very successful; he left happily. Outside the door, he ran into the couple Yue Yunfei and Geng Shi'an who had come together.
"I knew you'd have your eye on fireworks," Yue Yunfei teased upon seeing Jiang Haozhi.
Jiang Haozhi rolled his eyes. "You're no different."
Yue Yunfei replied, "I'm not like you; I wouldn't trade something as beautiful and dreamy as fireworks for money—I'd rather enjoy it with my wife."
The previous night's Fireworks Festival had left many women envious; countless women returned home asking their husbands to find fireworks for them after seeing them. Others didn't dare disturb the Li Family due to their unfamiliarity with Elder Brother Li or their lower status. However, Yue Yunfei and Geng Shi'an were good brothers of Elder Brother Li and didn't care whether he was newly married; they came over right away.
Jiang Haozhi bared his teeth at Yue Yunfei but chose not to engage with this "if you don't show off your love you'll die" guy. He lifted his chin and walked straight ahead.
"Cut it out, you guy without a wife to care for you," Yue Yunfei muttered, not bothering to have the doorman announce them as he pulled Mo Yan, the Princess, into the Li Residence.
Elder Brother Li understood the personalities of his two friends well. He knew that with the Fireworks Festival approaching, they would definitely come looking for fireworks. He had specially saved ten boxes of fireworks he brought back from the modern world to share with them. Once they received the fireworks, they left with their wives, claiming they were going to test the effects of the fireworks. Hanno wanted to tell them that the white fireworks didn't work well and were better at night. However, before he could say anything, they had already dashed out of the residence. Hanno retracted his Erkang Hand and pouted. Since there were no more fireworks left in the residence, those two could go find Jiang Haozhi to buy some.
Elder Brother Li returned after having lunch, but how could he be full after dining with the Emperor? Hanno served Elder Brother Li a bowl of noodles, which he devoured hungrily.
"The Emperor did indeed ask me about the fireworks. I told him according to our external regulations, so he should believe me. However, we need to offer some to the palace," Elder Brother Li wiped the grease from his mouth and recounted his visit to the palace. "But Nono's intuition was indeed correct; the current Emperor has already developed a barrier against me. He just hasn't realized it yet."
"Then let him never realize it," Hanno said with a smile that sent chills down Li Yishu and the others' spines. "Before I sever ties with the Emperor, I can use Soul Transfer to make him forget many things."
Elder Brother Li chuckled, "It won't come to that!"
Elder Brother Li requested half a month off for his wedding and stayed by Hanno's side at all times. They only spent two days in Dazhou before returning to the modern world under the envious gazes of Li Yishu and Wen Ziyu. After returning, they didn't linger in D City for long; they quickly bought tickets for a second flight to S City in Jiangnan. How could they get married without seeing their parents?
The Taoist temple was located on a mountain on the outskirts of S City. Although there was public transportation that could take them close to the temple, it required two transfers. The two decided to take a taxi directly to the temple. Since it wasn't a day for rituals or a holiday, there weren't many visitors at the temple—only Taoists inside and some incense-burning devotees along with children and teenagers learning martial arts.
Hanno and Elder Brother Li were treated as tourists visiting for leisure when a man in his forties wearing a Taoist robe approached them and greeted them respectfully, "Are you two kind souls here for sightseeing?"
"Kind souls" is what Taoists call ordinary people. Although many Taoists now refer to ordinary people as practitioners or gentlemen, some still use "kind souls" or even "Merit Master." The man had short hair tied into a single bun adorned with a wooden crown carved from boxwood—a genuine Taoist appearance—indicating he was likely the Host Taoist of the temple.
Hanno performed a standard Taoist greeting—something he learned from Han Dad—and said, "Greetings, Daozhang. We are here looking for someone. My father Han Jiancheng teaches martial arts here."
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