Manyun, the girl from Fenglai Qi brothel, had been dancing when she retreated behind the curtain and hadn’t emerged for quite some time. The audience below grew increasingly restless.
“Hey, where is she? How did she just disappear while dancing?”
“Didn’t they say today would feature new songs and dances, plus a competition for spending the night with the beautiful new girl Manyun?”
“This dance doesn’t look particularly special—just a few different moves. We’ve seen it all before…”
“Fenglai Qi has always lacked novelty, never able to compete with the neighboring Yan’er Mei and Die Shuangfei. That’s why they racked their brains to come up with this new dance performance to attract customers. I thought there would be something fresh, but after all this, it’s still the same old routine…”
The music suddenly changed.
The gentle, lingering decadent melody ceased. After a moment of silence, women’s voices rose in unison chanting.
It wasn’t really chanting—there was no melody, no accompaniment. In the complete silence came the harmonized “ah, ah, ah…” sounds from women’s voices. The sounds began extremely soft, carrying hints of breathlessness, like whispered sighs carried by night winds, bearing the rich fragrance of tuberose and striking the swaying golden hooks beside the bed.
The audience’s expressions gradually shifted from initial bewilderment to slight flushing, their eyes beginning to brighten.
“Ah… ah… ah…” The women’s harmonies grew louder and more urgent. The extreme monotony paradoxically focused people’s attention. Everyone’s hearts began pounding—their hearts were first gently stirred, then vigorously aroused. All the blood in their bodies seemed to surge along with the gradually rising pitch, while images flashed through their minds: young beauties in towers, spring winds among willows, golden tents and embroidered bedding, white jade emanating fragrance…
The crowd of spectators unconsciously pressed forward, faces flushed, palms sweating.
Behind the curtain, a group of women knelt and chanted in unison according to Jing Hengbo’s instructions. Seeing the excited state of the men outside, they were all somewhat astonished.
The madam crouched to one side, eyes blazing.
She had never imagined that without gorgeous dancing, without exposed skin, without seductive movements, without frivolous music—merely the sounds produced by women’s voices in unison—could make people’s blood surge with such intensity.
“Didn’t you say you were going to dance? Dance! If you dance well, I’ll agree to any request!” The madam’s suspicion transformed into anticipation as she urged Jing Hengbo repeatedly.
Jing Hengbo curled her lips, grabbed a half-face feathered mask and put it on, picked up a prepared iron rod, and swept through the curtain.
Everyone looked up, eyes lighting up.
A woman had suddenly appeared on stage with an alluring figure. Though she wore a mask covering half her face, her exposed eyes were captivating and seductive, with slightly upturned outer corners—rare phoenix eyes. Her pupils were large and lively; even when still, they seemed like spring water, and the slightest glance was brilliantly radiant.
The half-face mask was butterfly-shaped, adorned with flying feathers forming butterfly wings, but even those colorful feathers dancing in the wind couldn’t match the spirit in her eyes.
Some experienced pleasure-seekers began cheering, recognizing that these eyes alone marked this woman as exceptional.
More people focused their attention on the woman’s clothing—that rarely seen crimson body-hugging dress that tightly outlined every curve, each undulation forming exquisitely crafted lines.
Not to mention the dress’s short sleeves and length, revealing arms and legs with lustrous skin, slender but not gaunt…
“Heaven-gifted allure, unparalleled beauty in the mortal world…” The experienced pleasure-seekers drooled pools of saliva.
“But what’s she doing with that rod? She’s not going to perform staff-fighting, is she? Such a beautiful woman—what a mood killer…”
Not far away in a large tree, people were also whispering.
“She’s come out! She’s out! It really is Her Majesty the Queen!”
“State Preceptor, should we now…”
Yelu Qi propped his chin, watching Jing Hengbo with great interest, waving his hand.
“Let’s all watch first before deciding.”
It seemed the new queen was about to perform a dance? He was very curious to see what kind of stunning and extraordinary dance Her Majesty the shocking queen could perform.
He adjusted his sitting position, unconsciously touching his belt again—ever since his belt was stolen, he seemed to have developed this lingering habit.
His fingers felt cool against the belt, but his heart was somewhat warm, chaotic, complex, angry, and torn between laughter and tears.
Such complex emotions, all because he’d encountered the new queen who was completely out of tune.
Such complex emotions—he hadn’t experienced them for many years.
He never would have imagined that a woman without the strength to truss a chicken could make him repeatedly lose control and react passively.
Her indulgence, arrogance, ease, and wantonness blazed brightly like a boldly unfurled banner that suddenly appeared in his field of vision, suddenly and fiercely struck his face. Soft and vivid in its undulation, he seemed to have his very breath choked off.
Living in Dahuang for over twenty years, he’d seen countless women, including many stunning beauties, but none had ever existed so vividly, possessed so boldly, announced themselves so freely, yet remained so utterly charming.
Others’ brilliance still contained restraint, bearing fear and submission to this world’s rules; her brilliance knew no boundaries, shattering the iron walls and barriers of this human world with a single gesture.
It was hard to imagine what kind of sparks would fly when the most rule-bound and doctrine-obsessed position of Dahuang Queen met such an unrestrained character.
He suddenly felt very expectant.
…
The wooden stage surface had gaps. Jing Hengbo inserted the flat end of the rod into a gap and secured it.
This was both her dance prop and her weapon—if problems arose, she was counting on this rod for protection.
As for the dance she was about to perform… pole… oh no, iron rod dancing.
Jing Hengbo revealed a mischievous smile—pole dancing? She’d never studied it systematically, only watched with interest. She couldn’t perform the most standard professional dance.
But these country bumpkins had never seen it either.
Still with that simple chanting accompaniment, she opened her body, completely relaxed, raised one long leg, and suddenly executed a split against the rod!
Her supple body stretched into a line like a crimson flame serpent. The safety shorts under her dress were the same brilliant red, and the men’s gasps nearly blasted the stage boards apart.
Tree leaves rustled violently as Yelu Qi, who had been reclining, suddenly sat up. His movement was so abrupt he nearly fell.
“That move…” one guard beside him stared blankly.
“That body…” another guard’s face turned blood red as he quickly covered his face, yet left large gaps between his fingers for peeking.
Yelu Qi steadied himself, then suddenly straightened with serious expression: “What’s all this fuss about! All Da Yan dances are like this. And what are you all doing here anyway? Don’t the surroundings need guarding? Won’t enemies take advantage and sneak up? And I told you to constantly relay Gong Yin’s whereabouts! Who gave you permission to slack off here? Go quickly!”
“…”
The guards were driven from the tree, looking back every three steps, wailing as they walked: You clearly said we’d all watch together just now!
…
On stage, Jing Hengbo slithered down like a snake, hooking the pole with one leg in a flying spin.
The frozen moment’s posture resembled a graceful dahlia swaying in spring wind.
People’s eyes caught flashes of brilliant color like wind, while their minds seemed to roar with surging flames and wind.
Truly novel!
“Dance! Dance!” A young master suddenly leaped from his seat, pushed through the crowd, stumbled to the front of the stage, and pulled out a handful of banknotes to throw onto the stage. “Keep dancing! I’ll reward you! Reward you!”
Banknotes fluttered like butterflies, rustling through the sky. No one picked them up, and Jing Hengbo didn’t even glance at them. A crowd pounced on him: “Go to hell! You’re blocking our view! Get lost!”
In the tree, Yelu Qi’s mouth twitched as he clutched a handful of leaves, suddenly wanting to throw them all at these bastards’ heads and shave off their gleaming scalps.
Or use the leaves to bury that woman on stage who was performing incomprehensible moves that were both shocking and heart-stirring.
“State Preceptor! State Preceptor!” The guards who’d been sent away to gather intelligence returned, but despite calling three times, the usually sharp-eared State Preceptor didn’t seem to hear.
…
Jing’s iron rod dance almost instantly reached its climax.
The split that triggered shouting was nothing—a 360-degree rotation caused another whirlwind of chaos, the beautiful curves revealed by her arched and inverted posture made the men’s legs weak, and the ribbon-like folding and turning made the cheers nearly lift the roof.
Split, arch, hook-turn, reverse, flying pole, wrapping pole, hanging upside down… Beyond the realm of seduction, this was a dance that extremely showcased women’s flexible beauty. From fingertips to toes, everything spoke of extension and lingering charm. The hardness of the rod highlighted the woman’s softness as she transformed into a brilliant colored ribbon, freely rising and falling in people’s amazed vision.
The women’s harmonized chanting and calling gave this dance an extremely simple yet extremely fitting essence—invitation, waiting, and shouting. Responding to surging blood, summoning the beast hidden deep in hearts, anticipating a bloodthirsty seizure.
Everyone began to feel that such music and such dance were truly made for each other.
Later, the courtyard actually grew quiet. The men opened their mouths wide, wanting to cheer for this surging, seductive dance, yet afraid their shouts would disrupt the rhythm of song and dance. They could only breathe rapidly, stretching their hands out from afar, their eyes full of urgent longing.
In the tree, Yelu Qi had mangled a large bunch of innocent branches before hearing the guard’s report: “Right State Preceptor Lord Gong Yin has entered Da Yan territory!”
Yelu Qi’s smile froze slightly as he glanced at Jing Hengbo.
Gong Yin had actually come personally across thousands of miles to meet her. What would happen when someone like him encountered such a magical woman?
Thinking of this, he felt somewhat irritated.
Intuitively, anyone who met Jing Hengbo might suffer; instinctively, he suddenly very much didn’t want these two to meet.
“State Preceptor, there’s also a letter.” A guard quietly stood on tiptoe and whispered a few words in his ear. “From the Zhanyu tribe…”
Yelu Qi unfolded the letter, reading the first time absent-mindedly, his eyes occasionally glancing toward Jing Hengbo. Gradually his expression grew serious as he focused on reading. After finishing, he closed the letter and it silently disintegrated in his palm. His complexion gradually shifted from the earlier slight flush to a somber pallor.
“Let’s go,” he said.
“Ah? Leave now?” The guards were astonished. “Aren’t we going with the queen?”
“Such a rare treasure should be left for those with destiny to enjoy…” Yelu Qi’s lips curved in a mysterious smile, yet he didn’t get up, instead lying back comfortably.
“Sir, aren’t we leaving?”
“Oh, let me finish watching first.”
“…”
With a flip, she climbed to the top of the rod, hooked her legs around it, and spun three circles in succession. The woman’s wild wavy hair flew through the air while her outstretched snow-white arms resembled a pair of light cranes.
“Excellent!” The cheering exploded like fire, igniting this considerable space. Wild shouting and waving arms gathered into an ocean of excitement. The busy Yelu Qi’s hands continuously shot leaves—swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—at those overly excited fellows trying to climb the stage, shaving off patches of hair without anyone noticing.
At the peak of the crowd’s emotional celebration.
“Bang.” The courtyard gate was suddenly smashed open, and a large squad of constables rushed in.