Chapter 11: Fame Spreads Across Shangyun Prefecture (Part 2)

“Excellent! Yao Niang’s famed performance of ‘Moonlit Rain on the Lute’ truly lives up to its reputation!”

On stage, Yao Niang had just concluded her pipa performance, and a wave of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the audience.

For today’s performance, Yao Niang had chosen a gown that revealed her delicate shoulders, her slender waist cinched tightly by a crimson sash, the deep hues of her skirt accentuating her graceful figure. Her hair was swept up into a high, languid yet elegant chignon, adorned with only a few ornaments and a single red silk ribbon, lending her an ethereal and refined air.

Undoubtedly, the beauty of the performer complemented the beauty of the music—a flawless performance.

“Though this year’s dance by Xiao Baisu from the Yan Residence was quite innovative, compared to Yao Niang’s pipa, it still lacks a certain charm. When Yao Niang plucks the strings, my heart quivers along with the music. It seems the winner this year will once again be Yao Niang,” praised Master Su after watching the performance.

“There are still performances yet to come, Brother Su. It’s best not to jump to conclusions,” replied Shopkeeper Hu.

But Master Su dismissed the caution, joining the crowd as they moved to the next performance venue.

“Next up are the Gongsun sisters, sent by the Celestial Kingdom of Tiansheng. It’s said they’ll perform a sword dance. To make their debut on such a grand stage and be scheduled right after Yao Niang—truly unfortunate,” Master Su remarked with some pity for the sisters.

Arriving at Lingye Lake, the site of the Gongsun sisters’ performance, Master Su found himself dazzled by the beauty before him.

The Ling Liquid Lake at the Yan family estate was the most unique among all garden lakes. The special aquatic plants at the lake’s bottom glowed a brilliant blue by night, illuminating the clear waters all the way to the depths, pure and beautiful as spirit stones, hence the lake’s name.

It was the season of falling winds, and white petals floated across the water, adding further enchantment to the scene. But what truly captured all attention was the maiden standing upon the lake’s surface: clad in a pink dancer’s robe, sword in hand, head bowed. From the shore, onlookers could only see the pale, slender nape of her neck and the alluring curve of her form.

Most astonishing of all, her figure was perfectly mirrored in the water, as though one stood above and another below—a pair, one on the lake, one beneath.

“This Ling Liquid Lake is truly a marvel. But why is there only one person? Weren’t there supposed to be two sisters?” Master Su wondered aloud in confusion.

“Master Su, look more closely. The lady above wears a jade gourd at her waist, while the ‘reflection’ beneath wears a bell. That’s not a reflection, but the other Gongsun sister,” Shopkeeper Hu pointed out.

“What!” Master Su stared at the ‘reflection’ below, stunned and speechless.

Others in the audience began to sense the extraordinary nature of the performance, holding their breath as their eyes fixed on the lake.

“Gongsun Fu and Gongsun Rong present the sword dance—‘A Mirror of Water and Sky,’” announced a herald from Tiansheng.

From the far side of the lake came the sound of a zither. The audience saw yet another young woman dressed identically, though her face was indistinct from the distance.

As the zither played, both the figure above and the one below began to dance, their movements in perfect harmony, as if a single soul inhabited two bodies. Each change of stance, every step, mirrored one another exactly, foot to foot, like the reflection in a still pool. As the music quickened, their dance grew ever more rapid, yet their spins and leaps remained perfectly synchronized, each landing and gesture a flawless echo.

As the zither piece neared its end, the dancer above touched her sword lightly to a floating petal, while the one below arched gracefully in the water before mirroring the gesture with her own blade.

Only then did the guests realize that the figure beneath the water was not a reflection, but a living dancer.

In an instant, thunderous applause erupted for the pair.

“The Gongsun sisters’ sword dance is sure to become famous throughout the Eastern Domain. The Tiansheng Kingdom has truly outdone itself this year,” Master Su declared.

This time, Shopkeeper Hu offered no rebuttal—the sword dance had far exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even he, a self-professed zither fanatic, watched in awe.

“The musician behind them is also a master, no less skilled than Yao Niang herself,” Shopkeeper Hu whispered.

The dancers above and below the water finished their performance, stepping forward, joined by the musician who emerged from behind the lake.

Only then did the guests realize—the Gongsun sisters were actually triplets.

“Gongsun Fu, Gongsun Rong, and Gongsun Lian thank you for your kind attention,” the three sisters said, bowing gracefully to the crowd.

Watching from the back, Yao Niang felt a pang of nostalgia. She recalled her own first triumph over Xiao Baisu on stage, a scene much like this. She hadn’t expected that one day she’d stand in the same position as Xiao Baisu once did.

“Truly, the new always surpasses the old,” Yao Niang sighed.

Beside her, Jiang Tianzhi snorted, “But I can’t help but bristle at the thought that they’re from Tiansheng.”

With a flick of his sleeve, he strode off toward the next performance.

At the final venue, Moon Lotus Lake, Jiang Tianzhi was stunned by the sight before him.

The entire lake shimmered silver beneath the moonlight. Above, countless white spirit lanterns floated in the sky.

As the crowd arrived, the Yan residence began their announcement.

“Su Yue, guqin performance: ‘High Mountains and Flowing Waters.’ Accompanied by dancer Yue Lingzhi.”

As soon as the announcer finished, the clear, crystalline notes of the guqin, as if a mountain spring striking stone, echoed from the pavilion at the lake’s center. From afar, only the silhouette of the musician could be seen.

Jiang Tianzhi narrowed his eyes at the sound—it was not merely skillful, but transcendent. The familiar “High Mountains and Flowing Waters” became, under these fingers, a true immersion into mountain and stream. The music resonated with the laws of nature itself. Every practitioner present could sense their own spiritual power flowing and shifting in concert with the tempo.

The musician was a rare master, yet the view on the lake was even more enchanting.

As the guqin played, unopened white lotus buds began to unfurl. Amidst the blossoms and leaves, a slender dancer stood by the water, the moon at her back—only her graceful silhouette and fluttering sleeves visible.

Suddenly, as the piece reached its climax, waves rippled outward from the dancer at the center of the lake. The moonlight made the waves shimmer with silver, the lotuses rising and falling among them as if in a celestial realm.

At the end, the dancer leapt lightly, sending ripples across the water. Where the peaceful waves met the surging ones, the latter were instantly calmed. The lake returned to stillness.

At that moment, all the lotus flowers closed their petals, as if they had never bloomed. From the heart of the lake, a narrow stone bridge appeared, leading to the shore. The dancer crossed it slowly, bringing the audience back to their senses.

Su Yue switched off the voice transmission array embedded in the jade pendant on her guqin, then carried the Silk-Threaded Zither to the shore.

All eyes turned to her—and to her instrument.

“These special strings, formed from spiritual energy, and the engravings on the body—could this be the legendary Silk-Threaded Zither, ranked fourth among famous instruments? They say it’s an unparalleled spiritual tool for supporting and enhancing performances. Remarkable that such a young master has achieved such skill,” an elderly man observed, scrutinizing Su Yue from head to toe.

Su Yue set the zither on the table prepared on the shore. The moment she released it, the instrument, which had been shining with spiritual light, lost even its tuning pegs, becoming a bare plank of wood.

“They say this zither is notoriously temperamental, refusing to be played by any but its chosen master. So when it leaves her hands, it reverts to a simple board?” other guests marveled.

Everyone present was captivated by the sight of someone chosen by such a legendary instrument. Only when it came time to vote did they remember the contest was not yet over.

In the end, with the combined prestige of Su Yue, Lingzhi, and the famed instrument, they unexpectedly surpassed the Gongsun sisters to win the competition.

As Xiao Baisu presented them with the prize symbolizing victory, her eyes brimmed with tears.

“At last… the title I lost has finally been reclaimed.”

At that moment, Su Yue, still bewildered by the guests’ praise, had no idea that she—a sword cultivator who could not even play the guqin—had become the most celebrated guqin master in the Eastern Domain of the True Spirit Realm. Her sudden fame would lead, inevitably, to a string of troublesome adventures.