Chapter 352: You Also Like Yu Xiang’er?

Jubilant Melody Hall, established by the South Melody Conservatory, had branches in over seventy large cities across the Yu Dynasty, offering year-round performances. However, its primary mission was to scout and nurture talents for the conservatory.

Jubilant Melody Hall held auditions every Spring and Autumn, inviting any child interested in cultivating musical skills to participate.

After studying at Jubilant Melody Hall for three to five years, students would leave as excellent musicians or dancers, receiving the same level of hospitality as noble and royal families. Those who were given a chance to stay permanently at Jubilant Melody Hall were guaranteed to become renowned figures.

Of course, the best among them—those who excelled in both cultivation and music—were sent to South Melody Conservatory to explore the true path of music cultivation.

The core disciples of the South Melody Conservatory were the top musical prodigies from the nine provinces. One could only imagine the extent of their remarkable talents.

At this point, Chu Liang had so many questions in mind. Could it be that Li Feiyu has been hiding in Jubilant Melody Hall in Donghuai City all this time? Or perhaps the owner of this dudou[1] is in the Jubilant Melody Hall and she knows Li Feiyu? With these doubts in mind, Chu Liang took the dudou and returned to the inn with Yun Chaoxian. This crucial piece of evidence, obtained with great effort, could not be left with Tang Shi and Ji Lingyu.

After all, they were still competitors.

Similarly, even though Ji Lingyu could easily find the owner of the dudou by wandering around Jubilant Melody Hall and identifying the person whose aura matched it, she would never take Chu Liang and his group along. Their cooperation ended once they discovered Jubilant Melody Hall.

As they walked down the street, Yun Chaoxian asked, "What should we do next?"

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He had become accustomed to relying on Chu Liang. With the wisdom he prided himself on in the Great Astral Sect, he concluded that since Chu Liang was wiser, following him would be the right choice.

"Although Miss Ji won't help us find the owner directly, knowing the general area makes it easier. At worst, we can borrow a spirit dog from somewhere else, which will serve the same purpose," answered Chu Liang.

"A spirit dog?" Yun Chaoxian thought for a moment and said, "Thunderbolt Stronghold surely has one. Should we go ask them?"

"Uh..." Chu Liang smiled guiltily and said, "If we really have to go to Thunderbolt Stronghold, I won't show up. Do you know anyone there?"

"Yes, I do." Yun Chaoxian nodded confidently.

"Who?" Chu Liang asked.

"Deng Yixiao. I fought him last time at Mount Shu," Yun Chaoxian said with a grin.

During a massive brawl between the disciples of the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten on Mount Shu, the Monastery Tower aided the Thunderbolt Stronghold. As a result, Yun Chaoxian had confronted Deng Yixiao.

"..." Chu Liang fell silent for a moment.

It seemed Brother Yun couldn't really distinguish between "acquaintances" and "enemies."

After a pause, Chu Liang said, "Let's not rush. We'll go check out Jubilant Melody Hall first."

Chu Liang thought that Li Feiyu, being the Heroic Thief of Jiangnan, would often be out and about. If they could find someone suspicious or ask around about anyone who had behaved strangely, visited unusual places last night, or had close relations with outsiders, they might find some clues.

They needed to conduct more investigation before making any decisions. With this in mind, the two arrived at Jubilant Melody Hall.

The Jubilant Melody Hall in Donghuai City wasn't very large, but it was bustling with activity. Many people were entering and leaving through the main door and main hall. As Chu Liang and Yun Chaoxian stepped inside, they saw a square table in the main hall. Behind it sat a middle-aged woman in musician's robes, seemingly there to greet guests.

Seeing them approach, the woman looked up and asked, "Here to see the performance?"

"Uh... yes." Chu Liang nodded immediately. "Can we go in?"

"Turn left here, go to the end, and line up for tickets," the woman said as she pointed to a nearby corridor.

"Thank you," Chu Liang said. Then, he headed in that direction with Yun Chaoxian.

However, after walking through the corridor, they didn't find a ticket booth. Instead, they saw a door that seemed to lead out of Jubilant Melody Hall.

What's going on?

Chu Liang wondered.

With doubts in mind, he opened the door.

"

Whoa—

" The two exclaimed in unison.

Behind the door was a large open space crowded with people. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that they were in a winding queue, with countless heads stretching into the distance. Chu Liang felt that even the entire audience at the Mount Shu Summit couldn't compare to the number of people gathered here.

"What's going on?" The two were bewildered.

As they wondered, they suddenly saw two people ahead turn around. One was a stern man with a red saber at his waist, and the other was a masked man wrapped in white cloth.

The stern man was none other than Ren Hongdao, the Senior Brother of the Great Astral Sect, and the masked man, judging by his build and eyes, was Zhang Chen.

It's them! Did we accidentally leak the news? Did we?

This was Chu Liang's first reaction.

But in the next moment, he heard Ren Hongdao speak, "Junior Brother, Young Hero Chu, do you also... like Yu Xiang'er?"

Yu Xiang'er?

Chu Liang recognized the name because anyone familiar with the South Melody Conservatory would know about the three unparalleled geniuses of this generation. Yu Xiang'er gained fame first, followed by Xue Lingxue, and then Shen Qingyan.

Yu Xiang'er came to Donghuai City?

Chu Liang had only heard a bit about her, but Yun Chaoxian knew nothing. Yun Chaoxian, being a muscular man, could only remember who was the best fighter of his generation.

But both of them nodded and replied simultaneously, "Oh yes, yes."

Even though they didn't know who Yu Xiang'er was, they just nodded.

"I've liked Yu Xiang'er for a long time," Chu Liang said seriously, racking his brain to recall the details. "My favorite in the South Melody Conservatory is Xu Xiang'er and my second favorite would be Shen Qingyan. But looking across the entire martial world, my ultimate favorite is Jiangjiang of Mount Shu Sect! Jiang Yuebai![2]

These were the exact words he had heard from Lin Bei that day; he had only changed one name.

Upon hearing this, Ren Hongdao—a stern man who had slept with a saber since childhood and whose glare could make children on the street stop crying—suddenly smiled as if he had found a kindred spirit.

He grabbed Chu Liang's hand and said, "I also like these two, but my favorite is Shen Qingyan, with Yu Xiang'er as a close second. Since you like them too, we are good friends."

"Ahaha..." Chu Liang tried to mimic Ren Hongdao's smile while recalling how Lin Bei had said it. "Qingyan! Qingyan! She is beautiful and has a sweet voice!"

Ren Hongdao immediately continued excitedly, "My face shines with joy for Qingqing who has my heart!"[3]

Caught up in Ren Hongdao's enthusiasm, Chu Liang let out a cheerful shout, "Yay! Yay..."

It was Zhang Chen who cleared his throat and said, "Ahem, Brother Ren... let's be mindful of our image."

Hearing this, Ren Hongdao quickly crossed his arms over his chest, stood up straight, and resumed his stern demeanor. He whispered, "It's fine. Not many people know me anyway."

After a bit more conversation, Chu Liang discovered that Yu Xiang'er from the South Melody Conservatory was scheduled to perform here tomorrow. This explained the large crowd lining up for tickets today.

As core disciples of the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten, Ren Hongdao and Zhang Chen could have secured high-level seats at Jubilant Melody Hall by revealing their identities, thereby avoiding the queue. However, Zhang Chen had already lied about heading elsewhere to avoid being recognized in Donghuai City and causing problems for the team. Therefore, he joined the queue wearing a mask to maintain his disguise.

Seeing their appearances, Chu Liang tentatively asked, "Are you two watching the performance so leisurely because you've found some clues about Li Feiyu?"

"Not yet," Zhang Chen replied. "We have no clue at all. It just so happened that Brother Ren is interested in Miss Yu's performance, so I came with him to enjoy and relax."

"I see..." Hearing this, Chu Liang felt relieved.

Zhang Chen then asked, "Isn't it the same for you two? Have you had any clues?"

"We haven't either." Chu Liang and Yun Chaoxian immediately shook their heads.

However, Ren Hongdao started staring at Yun Chaoxian and suddenly asked in a state of confusion, "If you haven't found any clues, why are you blushing?"

"

Huh?

" Yun Chaoxian became even more nervous.

Chu Liang, being at the side, answered, "Brother Yun might be feeling shy that he is about to see Miss Yu."

"Yes, I'm shy," Yun Chaoxian said.

"That's understandable," Ren Hongdao nodded. Then, glancing at Yun Chaoxian, he asked, "But why are you not only blushing but also sweating?"

"Uh..." Chu Liang interjected, "Brother Yun might be feeling a bit hot."

"Yes, I'm hot," Yun Chaoxian agreed.

"We who practice martial arts are impervious to heat and cold. How can you be hot? And why are you shaking?" Ren Hongdao pressed further.

"..." Chu Liang was struggling to come up with an answer at this moment and he couldn't help but inwardly criticize Yun Chaoxian for his weak nerves.

But then, Yun Chaoxian answered the question himself.

"I might be a bit cold..."

1. This is an undergarment used by women. ☜

2.

https://www.wuxiaworld.com/novel/young-noble-be-monster-slaying/yns-chapter-71

These were Lin Bei's exact words in chapter 71. ☜

3. "卿卿我心，为你欢颜 (Qing Qing Wo Xin, Wei Ni Huan Yan)" can be translated into English as "Our hearts are entwined, and I find joy in your smiles." It’s another play on words in which the start of the phrase is Qing and the end is Yan with the combination being Qingyan, the name of their favorite musician in South Melody Conservatory ☜