A Terrible Dance

Lu Yang, the "portable old lad," was seriously contemplating a question. As a transmigrator armed with modern knowledge, he hadn't just joined the number one sect under heaven after crossing over—he had even become the junior brother to the number one cultivator under heaven. An ancient immortal resided within his body, the highest-ranking young master of the nobility was his close friend, and his own cultivation talent stood at the contemporary pinnacle, with scarcely a handful across history who could rival him. So why was it that whenever an opportunity arose to show off, it never seemed to be his turn? … "Fellow Daoist Lu Yang, please join me inside for a chat." From behind the green gauze curtain, Ye Mengyin's voice drifted out once more. No one present was surprised. If even a lyric poem like Lu Yang's couldn't satisfy Ye Mengyin, then the fault wouldn't lie with them, but rather with the Lotus Tower deliberately refusing to entertain guests. Amidst envious and adoring gazes, the Immortal Fairy parted the green gauze and finally laid eyes on Ye Mengyin, who hadn't shown her face in days. The Immortal Fairy had a vague impression of her; after all, she was the one who had hosted the Dao Seeking Sect's one hundred and twenty-thousandth anniversary celebration back then. Rumors throughout the Imperial City described Ye Mengyin as enchanting, utterly captivating, and breathtaking enough to steal one's heart at first glance. Indeed, Ye Mengyin was every bit as gorgeous as the rumors suggested. Because of her innate charm bones, every single gesture of hers possessed a distinctive allure, exceeding even Tao Yaoye and Lan Ting in sheer seductiveness. Yet the Immortal Fairy felt nothing of the sort. Ye Mengyin wasn't even as pretty as she was. Meeting the Immortal Fairy's crystal-clear gaze, Ye Mengyin was immensely taken aback. The allure of her charm bones affected even her senior and junior martial sisters within the sect. When Meng Jingzhou had defeated her back then, he had relied purely on willpower. This was the very first time someone had ever looked at her with such pure, undisturbed eyes. "Fellow Daoist Lu Yang, it has been quite some time. Why not step into my private quarters for a chat?" Blushing, Ye Mengyin extended her very first invitation to a male cultivator to enter her boudoir. Only a sheer curtain of green gauze separated them from the hall outside, leaving their voices and movements plainly visible to the crowd, which made it impossible to relax. "Sure," the Immortal Fairy readily agreed without overthinking. Inside the boudoir, a dot of cinnabar adorned the space between Ye Mengyin's brows. She wore a flowing, luminous gown intricately embroidered with colorful soaring celestials and auspicious clouds. As she began to dance, the hems fluttered and strands of her hair drifted on the breeze, imbuing her with an ethereal grace. Watching such a dance was immensely beneficial to one's state of mind. "Your dancing is no good at all," the Immortal Fairy said, unable to watch any longer. Her dance was utterly lacking—far inferior to Zhu Tian's. "Dance must flow from the heart, guided by the spirit. Look at your movements: they are entirely rigid and mechanical, completely devoid of soul." "Come, learn from me." The Immortal Fairy personally stepped forward to demonstrate. Her movements were light and graceful, resembling a breathtaking fairy descending from an ancient scroll. Every furrow of her brow and fleeting smile possessed an inexplicable magic, far surpassing a dance that merely relied on the passive bonus of charm bones. Ye Mengyin was dumbfounded. Senior Brother Lu Yang knew how to dance? She had entered the Dao through dance and possessed the greatest natural talent for the art in the entire Charm Sect; otherwise, she wouldn't have been qualified to represent them in the Dao Seeking Tournament. Ye Mengyin had always believed that among her peers, no one could rival her in dancing. Who would have guessed? While it was true that none among the female cultivators could, there was actually a man who could. *Could it be that Daoist Buyu is also an expert dancer?* Ye Mengyin recalled the various rumors concerning Daoist Buyu, but she had never heard of such a thing. Although the Immortal Fairy's dancing was elegant and moving, she was currently using Lu Yang's body. To an outside observer, the scene looked exceedingly awkward. Fortunately, Ye Mengyin genuinely loved dancing. Paying no mind to the bizarre dissonance of Lu Yang's performance, she earnestly followed along with the Immortal Fairy's instructions. "Yes, that's it! You have to grasp the meaning behind the dance, not simply mimic the steps." In truth, the Immortal Fairy danced even better than Zhu Tian. Both Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi had learned from her. However, because she held her status in high regard back in ancient times, she had always had Zhu Tian take the stage to perform during gatherings of immortals while she simply watched from above. Even though Ao Ling and Jiang Lianyi had studied under her, their natural talent for dance still fell short of Zhu Tian's. Inside the spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy wore jade and gold ornaments in a high topknot, with vermilion eyeshadow swept over the corners of her eyes. Clad in bright yellow robes, she danced gracefully across the great hall. From the tips of her dark hair down to her smooth, rounded toes, every inch of her skin radiated vibrant vitality. It had been a long time since she had danced, so she had to perform simultaneously in both the spiritual space and reality to regain her feel for it. Lu Yang stared blankly as the Immortal Fairy danced, seriously pondering whether any minister in history had ever been qualified to watch an emperor perform a dance. After a full dance, Ye Mengyin was left breathless with exhaustion, yet her smile was radiant. She could feel her own progress in the Dao of dance—immense progress, in fact. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Lu Yang!" She bowed deeply and solemnly, not daring to show the slightest lapse in courtesy. This brief bit of direction had spared her ten years of bitter cultivation; addressing him as "master" would hardly be an exaggeration. Yet one question still puzzled her. What had Lu Yang truly meant by that final line, "suddenly turning back, that person is there, where the lantern light wanes"? Had it genuinely been written for her? If it had, his demeanor upon entering her boudoir didn't seem to reflect that at all. Could it be that Senior Brother Lu Yang saw how poor her dancing talent was and felt disappointed in her? The more Ye Mengyin thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. … The lyric poem composed by the Immortal Fairy at the Lotus Tower spread across the Imperial City in record time, shocking even the Great Confucians of the Hanlin Academy. A great piece of poetry could not only pass down through the ages, but more importantly, it could serve as a cultivation method for Confucian cultivators. "This is several degrees superior to anything written by that Old Scoundrel Buyu! I'm afraid Lu Yang's learning doesn't merely stem from Old Scoundrel Buyu; his innate talent for Confucian cultivation must be astonishing!" "Spells and divine abilities, sword cultivation, Confucian cultivation… This boy's talent surpasses even Old Scoundrel Buyu's. The outside world claims he possesses the talent to become an immortal, and it seems the rumors speak the truth." "Pay attention to the closing lines of the second stanza: 'Having searched for her thousands of times in the crowd, suddenly turning back, that person is there, where the lantern light wanes.' People on the street say this was written for a young girl from the Charm Sect, but this old man holds a different opinion." "Why not enlighten us, Brother Zeng?" "You must have heard plenty of rumors about Lu Yang. Among them, have you ever heard a single tale concerning romantic affairs? Not once! This proves that Lu Yang likely doesn't care for matters of love, and this poem is far from as shallow as the world makes it out to be." "Under that premise, look at the line again: 'that person is there, where the lantern light wanes.' Who is 'that person' referring to? Most likely, it refers to himself!" "The meaning of that line, then, is that Lu Yang has endured countless trials and hardships in his cultivation, searching endlessly for something he could never grasp. In the end, an epiphany struck him, and he realized that what he had been seeking all along was none other than his original heart!" "I have seen far too many cultivators lose their original hearts after stepping onto the path of cultivation. Though accomplished in their arts, they wander through life in a daze, leaving them powerless when attempting subsequent breakthroughs." "He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened! By weaving his insights on cultivation into this poem, Lu Yang intended to awaken countless cultivators, urging them to engage in deep self-reflection and shatter their mental obstacles!" "*Hiss…* That truly does seem to be the case! This young man possesses extraordinary genius!" … At the Second Prince's official residence. The Second Prince stared at the intelligence report in his hands, his eyes burning with intense ambition. "To contend for the throne, Lu Yang's assistance is indispensable. The time has come to make contact with him."