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In September of the fifteenth year, on the first day, Crown Prince Yan Dan suddenly saw a hundred birds flying and was inspired. He ordered the creation of feathered garments to wear on the birthday of the King of Chu. His stunning dance, with graceful arm movements that resembled birds in flight, attracted countless flying birds upon its completion. Thus, it became a celebrated tale. Everyone praised that Crown Prince Dan's dancing skills were unparalleled.
Yan Dan was humble; whenever he spoke to others about it, he simply said, "Not at all, not at all."
The world admired him for being capable yet not arrogant; Dan was indeed a gentleman.
"Yan Family — Crown Prince Yan Dan, Chapter Three"
San Chun's face was slightly darkened. The kind of dance she performed involved grotesque masks that were incredibly ugly; what did it matter how beautiful one looked?
She tried to decline, saying she couldn't dance, but the Steward insisted, "That day I saw you dancing very well with Quail Orchid; the name you called seemed to refer to a rodent."
Thinking back on this made San Chun's face turn even darker. When passing through Jian City, there was a performance by a Dance Troupe. When Quail Orchid saw her walking by during practice, she insisted on pulling her in to dance together, claiming that having her company would surely bring joy. At that time, San Chun didn't grasp her intention and later realized that what Quail Orchid meant by joy was merely to have fun at her expense.
She had no idea how to dance; even if she had learned before, she had mostly forgotten. Unable to refuse Quail Orchid's insistence, she could only move her waist a little.
Quail Orchid seemed unsatisfied from the side and kept calling out, "Without song to accompany the dance, it cannot be fully enjoyed."
With no choice, San Chun could only sing a newly learned song. Her so-called new learning was just something she had heard from the village children; she didn't remember all the lyrics.
She placed four fingers atop her head to mimic a fat mouse and sang: "Shrew Mouse, Shrew Mouse, without food for my millet! At three years old you pierced me; you do not care for me. I will leave you and go to that joyful land..."
This was from "Wei Feng: Shrew Mouse," which had spread widely among the poor during the reign of King Ping of Wei. The village children found it amusing and often pretended to be Shrew Mice, though most did not understand what they were singing about. San Chun vaguely understood some meaning but was too lazy to delve deeper; after all, it wasn't anything good—she only danced along with the children occasionally when bored for some amusement.
She was already beautiful, and when she made such a comical gesture, she instantly attracted many gazes. It was unclear how many people gathered around, and some even joined her in dancing, creating an incredibly joyful and lively atmosphere.
Quail Orchid did not expect such a scene and couldn't help but feel inferior. Even the Shang Family was greatly impressed; this was what they called "popularity." It was truly a pity that San Chun, who could garner such attention, wasn't performing Kabuki.
However, when San Chun got serious, what she did could hardly be called dancing; it was merely a child's game of pretending to be a mouse. At that moment, hearing him mention the past when he was teased, she naturally didn't feel very happy. But the Steward repeatedly emphasized that if they were unwilling, they might as well leave the Dance Troupe.
Without work, it would be equivalent to cutting off their livelihood. San Chun looked at Qing, who nodded slightly, and he had no choice but to grit his teeth and say, "Alright."
Later, when asked why he agreed, he smiled faintly and said, "I have my own reasons."
For his sake, she was willing to entertain others, although she didn't know why he acted this way.
Seven men dressed in snow-white dance costumes stood on the right side of the forest, waiting to take the stage. The Steward handed them two sets of clothing and two masks. Qing's was a white ghost mask, while San Chun's was black, resembling the two messengers of Yin from Chinese folklore. The dance steps were quite simple according to the Steward; they just needed to jump a few times on their left foot, then on their right foot, and spin a few times to complete it.
After trying it out, both passed the basic requirements and followed the Dance Troupe into the performance area.
This was the Ritual Dance, specially prepared to pray for the King of Chu. The King had been unwell and bedridden for several days. Feng Lingjun did not forget to pray for the King during the banquet; such sincerity was enough to earn praise from the world.
There were nine performers in the Ritual Dance. The dancers wore white clothing and various ghostly masks, adorned with silver ornaments and copper bells around their necks, waists, hands, and feet. There was no musical accompaniment; most of the dance movements were freely expressed by the dancers while the followers only needed to master the simplest steps.
As soon as the Ritual Dance began, the lively atmosphere from earlier vanished instantly. Everyone's faces turned solemn as they pressed their palms together in prayer. They were likely praying for the King of Chu.
Since they were new members, Qing and San Chun were placed at the back. They danced back and forth while observing the leading dancer's movements at the front. Among the nine performers, only one held an Iron Sword; the rest wielded wooden swords. The lead dancer was truly a born performer; every movement exuded a sense of sanctity, reminiscent of an ancient sword deity guiding humanity.
As the dancer jumped closer to the main seat, just as everyone had their eyes tightly shut, he suddenly swung his Iron Sword towards Feng Lingjun seated at the main position.
The surrounding warriors had their hands together in prayer, and by the time they realized what was happening, it was too late.
Azure Eyes acted swiftly; he removed his mask and threw it, hitting the sword's blade. The sword was deflected, and then it struck the face of one of Feng Lingjun's attendants beside him, causing blood to spurt out instantly, splattering the shocked Feng Lingjun's face with bright red blood. The splatters were quite horrifying.
Taking advantage of this moment, Qing snatched a Bronze Sword from a warrior and engaged in battle with the dancer.
The incident happened so quickly that many people did not see what transpired. Some even saw the bloodied face and screamed, "Lord Jun has passed away."
This loud exclamation caused many who were far away and unaware of the situation to start crying, and soon there were wails echoing everywhere. While crying, they shouted, "Lord Jun has passed away."
It was truly remarkable that this handsome Lord Jun, in his thirties, could still maintain a sense of humor in such a situation. He wiped the blood off his face and said softly, "I am not dead; I am still alive."
Upon hearing Lord Jun's voice, everyone was greatly relieved, and countless people rushed over to comfort him. It was evident that Lord Jun had quite a good rapport with others.
The Shang Family member patted her chest, perhaps relieved that she had not been seated next to him just moments ago. However, tension soon returned because the assassin had blended in with her Dance Troupe. She could hardly absolve herself of blame.
San Chun was worried about Qing and looked over in that direction, only to see the dancer-assassin being forced back repeatedly by him, unable to fight back at all.
She felt a surge of joy, knowing that there were not many swordsmen who could match him. The other warriors from Fengling Duke's Residence surrounded them, leaving no room for intervention. Azure Eyes saw that he had performed well enough; with a flick of his sword tip, he struck the assassin's throat, blood gushing out like a flowing stream.
Feng Lingjun watched with delight and personally left his seat to bow deeply to Qing, saying, "Thank you, Hero, for saving my life."
Qing bowed deeply, "I am truly honored by Lord Jun's great kindness."
Feng Lingjun smiled as he helped him up, "I wonder where the Hero is currently on duty?"
"On duty is a title for officials; I am merely guarding the Dance Troupe," Qing hurriedly replied.
Feng Lingjun looked surprised, "Such skills are indeed underappreciated. Would the Hero be willing to serve in the manor?"
This was exactly what Qing had in mind, and upon hearing this, he bowed again, "It would be my honor."
Feng Lingjun was kind-hearted and did not wish to take away what others cherished. He then asked the Shang Family, "What does everyone think?"
"Indeed," the Shang Family replied with a graceful bow. "Today's incident is my fault; I hope Lord Jun can forgive me."
Feng Lingjun raised an eyebrow, "What? Did you arrange the assassination to test this Lord's reaction?"
The Shang Family was startled and quickly knelt down, "I would never dare! I truly did not know of this person's evil deeds."
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