In front of such a big crowd, Lu Zheng couldnât exactly whip out a Five Thunders Bombarding the Top, or throw up a mass Blinding Technique and scare them all insane.
If he planted a Spell Seal that only took effect afterward, it would be useless against what had already happened.
Lu Zheng thought for a moment, got interested, and decided to play with them right where they were the proudest and most eager to succeed.
Whatâs the fun in just killing someone? You have to destroy their hearts too!
"Zhengâzhengâzhengâ"
A piece of the "Feathered Robe Dance" slowly rose, the zither sound distant and ethereal, clear notes curling in the air, the tune resplendent and gorgeous, lingering on and on, like a soft murmur by oneâs ear, like celestial music drifting down, like a dazzling court dance, like a song from the Celestial Palace.
Everyone turned their heads at once and saw that the small patch of space both sides had just been arguing over had already been taken.
A Yaoqin lay on a low table; behind it, a young man in cloudâwhite Scholarâs robes sat crossâlegged, his figure straight as a pine, his gaze gentle as jade, a faint smile on his lips. With long sleeves lightly swaying, both hands plucked at the Yaoqin before him, sending clear and soaring notes ringing into everyoneâs ears.
At his side stood a woman in a primroseâyellow, bambooâgreen, tightâwaisted dress. She held a short sword no longer than two feet in each hand, crescent brows and starry eyes, heroic and valiant, standing tall and proud.
But most eyeâcatching of all was the center of that notâsoâlarge space, where two women, in gauzy long sleeves, moved with drifting steps, waists supple as flowing silk, bodies whirling and fluttering, starlight in their eyes, cinnabar on their lips, jadeâlike faces dewy as dawn, slender hands beckoning softly.
One wore a floorâlength, pink gauze dress patterned with crystalline Peach Blossoms, a redâgold peach blossom hairpin in her hair, peachâblossom eyes brimming with tender affection, red lips vivid, seductive and enchanting.
The other wore a teal, cloudâandâwater, mistâlight pleated dress with a phoenixâtail hem, her hair bound with a simple pale hairpiece, bright eyes brimming with wit, her figure graceful, like a lotus rising unsullied from clear water.
The two unrivaled beauties, like Celestial Palace Fairies, one dazzling, one elegant, descended to this little plaza of the Mortal World to dance to the "Feathered Robe Dance."
"Holy shit!?"
"The fuck!?"
"Wow!!!"
The Hanfu crowd, the kimono crowd, and the park visitors who had just been quarreling, spectating, and watching performances all froze in shock. Several people who were streaming on their phones subconsciously swung their cameras over, and what appeared before their livestream audiences was a celestial music and dance straight out of heaven.
"Holy shit!?"
"Check the background! The uploader didnât turn on beauty filters!"
"So beautiful!"
"Never heard this music before, but it sounds amazing!"
"So damn cool!"
"This is what real nationalâstyle music and dance looks like. Iâm absolutely losing it over this! Already reposted and shared! Everyone come watch!"
"Ahahaha! Beating that sakura dance into the ground!"
"A masterâs arrived for sure. Must be some expert nearby who couldnât stand watching anymore and rushed over to help. Those little Japs probably never dreamed a real master would show up."
"çœ can only be written this big!"
"Quit yapping, stop spamming the chat, youâre blocking my view!"
"Then why donât you just turn the chat off yourself?"
Never mind the people on siteâShen Ying and Liu Qingyanâs music and dance had a vortexâlike pull, drawing more and more people over. Yet everyone was surprisingly selfâaware, not crowding too close, leaving enough space for more people to gather and watch.
"Thâthatâs Tao Ying, right?" The eggâfaced girl whoâd had lunch with them earlier recognized Shen Ying at a glance. "I was just saying we should see if we could get Tao Ying to come out, but then I thought she didnât bring any outfits... I didnât expect..."
"Didnât expect them to be this professional! Bet all their gearâs in the car!" the roundâfaced girl said in open admiration.
The other two nodded in unison.
Word of mouth spreadâone to ten, ten to a hundredâand soon both the onlookers and the livestream viewers all knew that one of the dancers on site was Tao Ying, a mildly famous uploader in the costumeâchange niche. Shen Yingâs homepage instantly saw a spike in followers.
Meanwhile, the music and dance on the plaza were reaching their finale. The music rose higher, the clear notes turned more ethereal, and Shen Ying and Liu Qingyanâs movements grew ever softer, as if they were flying up from the human world to become Immortals.
In the next instant, Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan shared a smile and then retreated to opposite sides.
At the same time, the zither tune shifted; two heavy "zheng zheng" notes rang out, carrying a hint of clashing metal and warhorses.
Then...
"Qiangâqiangâ"
Two low chimes like Dragon roars sounded, and the onlookers only saw a flash of cold light before the heroic woman whoâd been standing by the zither player had already drawn her swords and soared into the middle of the clearedâout space.
"Holy shit!?"
"The fuck!?"
"Are they using wires!?"
"What do you think?"
"Is that Lightweight Skill? It just felt like she flew over super fast and super smooth."
"No, but she definitely has topâtier dance foundation and Martial Arts foundation. Iâm blindâguessing this boss trained in real Chuan Wu."
"No shit, genius. Look at the swords in her hands!"
Lin Wan held a twoâfoot short sword in each hand, cold light glittering, a soft glow rippling along the blades. Sliding to the center of the plaza, she couldnât help but let out a soft laugh, then lifted her arm with an easy flick, pale hand relaxed.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Both short swords flew from her hands.
"Aaaahhh!"
After screams from both inside and outside the phones, everyone saw the two short swords trace an arc in midair, then, guided by the red ribbons tied to their hilts, circle back into Lin Wanâs hands. Her body shiftedâhalf dance, half Martial Artsâas she wove and leapt, rising and falling, light as a flying swan, graceful as a swimming Dragon, truly like Luoshen descended, treading waves with delicate steps.
"Holy shit!"
"Scared me to death!"
"Oh my god!"
"This feels incredible!"
"What even is this? Martial Arts or dance? It reminds me of a poem... could it be..."
Before the viewers could finish typing it out in the chat, a clear, melodious voice accompanied the zither and rang in everyoneâs ears.
"Once there was a beauty of the Gongsun clan, whose Sword Dance stirred the Four Directions.
The spectators stood like mountains, their colors drained, as heaven and earth rose and fell with her.
Blazing, like Hou Yi shooting down nine suns,
Graceful, like the emperors riding Dragons through the sky.
She came like thunder reining in wrath,
And stilled like rivers and seas congealing to clear light.
Red lips, jeweled sleeves, lonely in their brilliance, yet in late years her disciples spread her fragrance.
The Linying Beauty at Emperor Baiâs court,
Danced this wondrous piece, her spirit soaring high.
..."
"Granny Gongsunâs Sword Dance! Holy fuck! It really is Granny Gongsunâs Sword Dance!"
"Aaaahhhh! Itâs so beautiful, Iâm actually crying!"
"I finally get what âso beautiful it makes you cryâ feels like! This is overwhelming!"
"Iâm losing it over this! Iâm absolutely losing it! Iâm seriously losing it, Iâll say it three times because it matters that much!"
In all the livestream roomsâespecially those of Hanfu streamersâgifts flew across the screen, even the topâtier rockets were launched one after another, drawing in huge numbers of viewers.
Those who entered saw Lin Wanâs Sword Immortalâlike dance: two short swords occasionally shooting out like Flying Swords, weaving and circling through the center of the space.
"The fuck? A descendant of Granny Gongsun a thousand years later?"
"Sheâs so beautiful and so badass, okay? Iâm begging this sis to debut. Just let her do this once in any film or TV show and the numbers will explode. Are people in the film industry blind?"
"Drop the Sword Immortal sisâs handle, please!"
"Streamer, you HAVE to get contact info for these big shots. Let them pop into your stream a couple times and youâll be rocketing straight to the top tier."
"Hahaha, I just saw those little Japs flash by in the frameâ their faces were hilarious!"
"Streamer, streamer, switch the camera angle?"
"Get lost, Iâm watching the Sword Dance!"