Chapter 760: The Dragon Dancer

The City of Azure Waves, Fuyao Kingdom.

As the largest island kingdom in the vast East Sea, the Fuyao Kingdom was as prosperous and thriving as the nine provinces under the rule of the Yu Dynasty. The only difference was that the Yu Dynasty had more than ten large cities, whereas the Fuyao Kingdom could only sustain one—the City of Azure Waves. Beyond the city, the kingdom consisted mostly of rural fields and countryside, with the only exception being the capital city.

Even so, the prosperity of the City of Azure Waves alone was enough to astonish visitors.

On the third floor of the city's renowned Flower Pavilion, Chu Liang and Lin Bei sat in silence behind a thin curtain inside a private room.

"Can you appreciate this?" Chu Liang lowered his eyelids. "Because I sure can't."

In the Flower Pavilion's main hall, there was a group of female dancers performing on the grand stage. They all wore extravagant and lustrous gold-white dresses. This style of clothing was quite exotic, and the designs were rather unique.

However, the women's faces were covered in thick white powder, and their lips were strikingly red. Watching from a distance, ordinary people might not think there was anything strange about it, but cultivators had keen eyesight and would find it quite eerie.

"This crappy place is just like this." Lin Bei also seemed disinterested. "No wonder Miss Xue and Miss Tie didn't want to come."

At the moment, Lin Bei was dressed in a loose dark-blue robe and held a circular fan, looking every bit like a local of the Fuyao Kingdom.

There were two cups of clear wine and various small plates of snacks on the table in front of them… but the pair didn't find any of the snacks particularly appetizing.

…

Chu Liang was visiting the Fuyao Kingdom at Xue Lingxue's request to help investigate her impersonator.

If the goal was simply to cancel the concert in the Fuyao Kingdom, the South Melody Conservatory could have just announced that Xue Lingxue wasn't holding a concert tour and warned the public not to be deceived.

Nonetheless, if they did that, Xue Lingxue's mysterious impersonator would become even harder to track down and capture, making it impossible to resolve the problem for good. Thus, the South Melody Conservatory chose not to make any public announcements and instead planned to investigate the situation in secret.

If Xue Lingxue wanted to request the assistance of a seventh-realm Eminent One from her sect, she certainly could have. Nevertheless, it was widely acknowledged within the world of immortality cultivators that Chu Liang was incredibly intelligent. He would definitely be a far better choice than any of the seventh-realm Eminent Ones in her sect.

Yun Chaoxian was preoccupied with his sect's matters and couldn't accompany them, so originally, this trip was meant for just Chu Liang, Xue Lingxue, and Tie Chui.

However, when Lin Bei heard that Chu Liang was heading to the Fuyao Kingdom, he immediately said, "What a coincidence! I have a friend in the Fuyao Kingdom who just invited me over as a guest. Since you're all going too, why don't we travel together?"

Chu Liang was no longer surprised by Lin Bei's wide network of connections. Lin Bei had already demonstrated that before he even joined the Foreign Affairs Hall, and later, as the leader of Mount Shu's Four Overlords, it was inevitable that he would socialize with others. Most of the people he met sought to befriend him first, and given his loyal nature, it was only expected that he would have friends everywhere.

Now, Lin Bei was no longer the reckless youth he once was. In the martial world, he was known as "Mount Shu's Protector of Justice, Red Cotton Peak's Timely Helper", and it was not an exaggeration.

The friend who had invited him to the City of Azure Waves was the head of a prominent local family, who had previously visited Red Cotton Peak to discuss a partnership.

Thanks to Lin Bei's connections, Chu Liang's group was warmly welcomed upon arriving in the City of Azure Waves. Lin Bei's friend had prepared a spacious residence for the group to stay in and arranged for them to watch a performance at the Flower Pavilion that evening.

The Fuyao Kingdom had always flourished in the refined cultural pursuits of intellectuals[1], earning the title of the "Kingdom of the Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon,"[2] with a particular reverence for music and dance.

Thanks to that, the South Melody Conservatory, which specialized in music and dance, enjoyed a prestigious status in the Fuyao Kingdom comparable to that of the sects in the Divine Nine. Unfortunately, the disciples of South Melody Conservatory had never paid much attention to this island kingdom in the East Sea and had never performed there before.

For that very reason, news of Xue Lingxue's tour had caused quite a sensation throughout the Fuyao Kingdom.

…

A while later, a skinny middle-aged man with a mustache stepped into the private room and greeted Lin Bei and Chu Liang.

"Brother Lin Bei! Ah, and this must be the renowned Young Hero Chu! I've looked forward to meeting you for a long time. It's an honor to meet you at last!"

Chu Liang and Lin Bei both stood up to greet him. "Master He Feng."

The He Family was one of the most prominent families in the Fuyao Kingdom. They had various businesses involving spirit plants, spirit beasts, medicinal pills, enchanted tools, and more. As a result, they had significant ties with Red Cotton Peak.

After the brief exchange of pleasantries, He Feng sat down with a smile. "It's been so long since we last met, Brother Lin Bei! I regret not inviting you here to have some fun earlier. To think that Young Hero Chu would come as well—what an unexpected honor!"

"Really?" Chu Liang smiled as well. "I was actually worried that I wouldn't be very welcome in the Fuyao Kingdom."

Chu Liang was not lying. Every member of Silver Sword Peak, starting from Di Nufeng to Chu Liang, had been considered a long-time enemy of the Fuyao Kingdom.

"Mm…" He Feng hesitated for a moment. "It's true that a small number of the Fuyao Kingdom's citizens aren't particularly fond of you. However, your victory was earned with your skills and power. You didn't use any devious methods; you fought honorably and won. Those who are sensible would naturally accept the loss."

He Feng then turned to Lin Bei and asked, "Brother Lin Bei, what do you think of Fuyao Kingdom's music and dance?"

Lin Bei looked at those pale, ghostly faces and hesitated for quite a while, trying to find the right words.

"

Heheheh!

" He let out a hearty laugh. "Fuyao is indeed worthy of its title as the Kingdom of the Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon. This dance performance… certainly has a rather unique charm."

"Brother Lin Bei, there's no need for undue praise. Compared to the renowned dancers of the Yu Dynasty, the songstresses and dancers of the Fuyao kingdom hardly measure up." He Feng chuckled softly. "Nevertheless, those dancers are not the ones I want you to see. I invited you here today because there will be a performance by the Dragon Dancer later."

"Dragon Dancer?" Chu Liang uttered. He had never heard of that person before.

With a brief explanation from He Feng, Chu Liang and Lin Bei understood who the Dragon Dancer was.

It turned out that "Dragon Dancer" was the highest title for dancers in the Fuyao Kingdom. The current holder of the Dragon Dancer title had been recognized as the most exceptional dancer in the kingdom in recent years.

Lin Bei responded eagerly, "A performance by the finest dancer in the Fuyao Kingdom is certainly worth looking forward to."

The three of them continued their conversation while more performers went on stage. Female singers sang, accompanied by musicians playing instruments. They were quite good. Nonetheless, Chu Liang and Lin Bei were accustomed to the South Melody Conservatory's performances, so none of the performances in the Flower Pavilion left much of an impression.

A long while later, the performers on stage stepped down, and the atmosphere in the venue suddenly heated up.

"

Whoooa!

"

Excited cheers rang throughout the Flower Pavilion, calling for the arrival of the Dragon Dancer. It seemed she was immensely popular.

Amidst the resounding cheers, a long sheet of multicolored muslin dropped down from the top of the Flower Pavilion, gracefully landing on the center of the stage. Then, as if caught by a whirlwind, it spun several times, dazzling the audience with its movement.

In the blink of an eye, the long sheet of muslin seemed to have transformed into a woman wearing a dress with long, flowing sleeves. The woman was tall and well-proportioned, making the silky muslin dress look like a cascading waterfall.

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

This woman had flawless and radiant skin. Her brows were arched like distant hills, and her eyes limpid like calm waters, with subtle ripples running through them. Her face carried a cool yet gentle beauty, and her figure was so perfect that even the slightest change in size would diminish her allure.

Had she been the first one to appear, she would already be considered a rare beauty. However, appearing after the previous performers with their strange, heavily painted faces made her look like the most beautiful woman in the world.

Lin Bei immediately joined the cheering crowd. "Dragon Dancer!"

Chu Liang, on the other hand, remained seated, calmly and quietly appreciating the Dragon Dancer's beauty. Though he and Jiang Yuebai were far apart, he always kept in mind the principles of a virtuous man.

Once the cheers of the crowd subsided, the Dragon Dancer gave a gentle nod of gratitude to the audience. Then, with a graceful sweep of her flowing sleeves, she began her performance.

For anyone that had reached the first realm of cultivation and above, their flexibility and motor coordination far surpassed that of ordinary people. That meant there was no movement cultivators were incapable of doing, and that was why ordinary dance movements rarely left a lasting impression on them.

However, the Dragon Dancer's dancing was exceptionally fluid. From her very first movement, it was as if she had struck a hidden node in her body that connected her to the Heavenly Dao. The way she stretched her waist and limbs carried a rather magical allure, entrancing whoever was watching. It was like her dance had cast an illusory spell on the audience, though without any harmful intent.

"As expected, she seems to have connections to some Dao," Chu Liang remarked, nodding in admiration.

After reaching the seventh realm, his understanding of the Great Dao had deepened significantly. Whenever he observed the world, he couldn't help but view everything through the lens of "seeking the Dao." This was a common affliction among seventh-realm Eminent Ones. They instinctively searched for even the slightest opportunity for enlightenment. Perhaps this was the true meaning of what it meant to attain the Dao in the Dao Attainment Realm.

Just as the audience was becoming fully entranced by the Dragon Dancer's performance, a startled scream suddenly rang outside the Flower Pavilion. "

Ah!!!

"

Immediately after, there was a loud sound.

Boom!

A shadowy figure burst into the pavilion through a wall, appearing out of nowhere. The shadowy figure grabbed the Dragon Dancer and charged out of the pavilion through another wall.

In the blink of an eye, the Dragon Dancer, who had just been performing on stage, vanished before everyone's eyes.

All that remained was a sinister demonic qi lingering in the air.

There was a brief moment of stunned silence before someone in the crowd shouted, "The Dragon Dancer has been abducted!"

1. Literature, paintings, etc. ☜

2. Basically calling it a kingdom of poetry, romance, and elegance. ☜

GLTD Alternate Universe's Thoughts

Translator: LD