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Today, two chapters of 3,000 characters each.
April 1, evening.
The city lights had just begun to bloom, like scattered stars descending into the mortal world, gently pushing back the darkness.
The Chang'an Branch Society of the Winding Stream Banquet-a rare neutral haven in the northeastern corner of Chang'an, removed from worldly strife-was bathed in an unprecedented mingling of fervor and tranquility.
Today was the grand occasion of its contest against the Wenhua Pavilion, renowned throughout the Imperial Capital, and tension and excitement permeated the air.
Nightfall marked not the beginning of silence, but the raising of a curtain on bustling splendor, draping the contest in a mysterious, dazzling veil.
Streams of people wove through the streets, bustling crowds converging on this focal point from every direction. Their conversations and laughter intertwined into a lively overture.
Amid the scattered lights, the main building of the Winding Stream Banquet's branch society looked all the more majestic.
Upswept eaves lifted the dusk, while twelve glazed soul power lamps cast warm yellow halos over the blue-brick walls.
The crowds passing through the moon gate trod along moss-mottled flagstones. The fragrance of wisteria, steeped in a scholarly air, drifted over the three-turn bridge and swirled beneath corridor eaves hung with bronze chimes.
The gilded seven-treasure chandelier hanging from the main building's dome had already kindled three thousand candle flames, bathing the carved wooden railings inside in gold.
A nine-turn corridor wound down from the third floor, accompanied by murmuring water, secluded depths, and a beautiful waterscape.
Eight Immortals tables crowded the first-floor hall, every one filled with people conversing quietly or waiting in rapt attention.
Attendants in short indigo tunics threaded through the crowd with silver-gilt trays. The cloying sweetness of candied green plums mingled with ambergris,