Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 64

"Young master, you have come to my farm, so you should be treated this way. However, this pill is precious, and only three can be produced each year."

Lu Wei met Zhao Yi's gaze and nodded amicably: "Young master, you may try one pill first. I will protect you!"

"Thank you, Steward Lu!" Upon hearing this, he had no more reservations, followed his instincts, swallowed the pill, and sat cross-legged to meditate.

Just then, the Snow Woman came on stage in the performance hall on the first floor. Today she was not dancing, but instead she took a bamboo flute and played the tune: White Snow.

The music of "White Snow" is widely circulated in Yan and Zhao and is a classic piece. Lu Ni once played it on the guqin for the steward in Luqiu Pavilion, so he was not unfamiliar with the piece.

The Snow Woman's White Snow is slightly different from the ordinary White Snow Music. Lu Wei doesn't understand music, but his keen senses help him identify the difference.

Upon closer listening to the music, one can also discover that the young Snow Maiden used internal energy while playing it, and regardless of where her internal energy came from, this awareness alone is enough to show that she will surely become a world-renowned dancer in the future.

Among the many dancers who have given up these days, Yuki-onna is one of the very few who has been able to maintain a high level of artistry, and is therefore very popular with the audience.

The entire audience held their breath during her performance, and cheers resounded after she finished playing the last note.

She put away her flute, bowed, and prepared to leave.

The stagehand announced, "Snow Princess's performance is over, next act..."

Just then, a young voice suddenly came from the VIP room on the second floor: "One more song."

The servant's voice immediately ceased, and the Snow Maiden's body stiffened, her backward steps halting.

Both of them had been informed beforehand that the VIP guest in the VIP section today was the behind-the-scenes boss of Tantai.

His true identity may not be comparable to that of the powerful and wealthy during the prosperous period, but as the boss, he must have the full knowledge of the identities of all the people in Tantai!

The guests below didn't know the identity of the person on the second floor, but they could guess from the behavior of the servant and Xue Ji that he had an extraordinary background.

No one is so blind as to want to stand up for others, not even a drunkard.

The entire room fell silent.

"I said, one more song!"

The calm voice rang out again. The Snow Maiden gripped the bamboo flute tightly in her hand, and her already fair face turned even paler. Her eyes trembled as she stared at the two figures behind the veil on the second floor. Her lips parted slightly, as if she was about to take a step forward and say something.

But the announcer dared not give her that chance. He hurriedly struck a high note on the chime bells and shouted, "Next piece, played by Yuki-hime!"

After shouting, he made a silent gesture to the musicians around him. Instantly, the silence was broken, and the beautiful music started again. Judging from the prelude, it was still "White Snow".

Seeing the servant's pleading gestures in the distance and the eager gazes of the musicians, the Snow Woman lowered her head...

When he looked up again, a gentle smile had returned to his handsome face.

She put the bamboo flute to her lips, but the music that played was not "White Snow," but another piece of music.

The musicians quickly changed the tune to match Yukihime's performance.

The audience was quiet for a while, but they quickly became engrossed in the music again.

Looking at the reactions of the people below to his bluffing, Lu Wei smiled faintly and made eye contact with Xue Nu for two seconds through a layer of gauze. The latter lowered her eyes to avoid his gaze.

As the sound of the flute resumed, the steward extended his inner force to examine Zhao Yi's physical condition: the digestion of the cultivation pill was extremely slow, and it was estimated that most of the medicinal power would be lost and wasted after a month.

There's no other way. The Power Pill can accelerate the cultivation of internal energy, but in order to ensure that the user's foundation is solid, its growth efficiency is linked to the user himself.

Zhao Yi's aptitude and the limited time he could dedicate to cultivation meant he was simply wasting his potential.

For Li Mu's sake, the investment of a mere thousand gold pieces was well worth it. Moreover, Steward Lu even skimmed off a few feathers, keeping seven for himself.

It wasn't a huge loss.

After the Snow Woman on the first floor finished playing another tune, both she and her servant stopped what they were doing and waited for the important person upstairs to speak.

Calculating the time Zhao Yi would wake up, Lu Wei stared at the figure on the stage below and gently tapped the table:

"You are Yukihime?"

"Yes."

The Snow Woman lowered her eyes, not looking up, deliberately hiding her coldness, and answered in a crisp voice.

"In the north there is a beautiful woman, peerless and independent."

The steward continued searching for verses haphazardly, clapping his hands lightly as he recited them: "Not bad, come upstairs."

Upon hearing this, the audience fell silent; even the servants and musicians remained seated, not daring to utter a sound.

The Snow Woman placed her hands together in front of her, biting her lower lip tightly. She looked down at her exquisite skirt for a long time, then looked up. Just when everyone thought she was about to say something like she did last year, the Snow Woman simply said calmly, "Yes."

Then, she turned around, letting the bamboo flute fall from her hand, roll around on the stage, and then step by step up the backstage steps to the second floor.

The audience remained silent, while the announcer let out a heavy breath and struck the chime bells: "Next act..."

The performances on the first floor are a completely different world from those on the second floor.

Lu Wei and Zhao Yi were in a private VIP box. An old retainer stood guard at the door. Xue Nu, exuding a cold aura, passed by him and stepped inside.

"Xue Ji greets the two gentlemen."

The little snow maiden bowed respectfully, her eyes lowered.

"Your snow is very interesting, play another tune here."

Lu Wei said with his back to her. At this moment, Zhao Yi had just finished digesting the initial digestion. He sensed the 'huge' progress in his internal strength and was about to thank Director Lu when he suddenly found that there was another person in the private room.

"What is this?" Frowning, Lord Xiaopingyuan looked at Lu Wei.

"She is a local dancer, and I really like the music she is playing."

"I see!" Zhao Yi chuckled, not even glancing at Xue Nu. "If the steward likes her, he may take her with him. There are many women in Tantai. If you have other interests, you may take them with you as well!"

"My lord!" Before Lu Wei could respond, Xue Nu lowered her head and interrupted their conversation.

"Did I ask you to speak?!" Zhao Yi looked disgusted. He had been in a good mood, but was interrupted in front of Lu Wei by his nominal subordinate, and felt that he had lost face.

"Snow Princess was redeemed last year, but she still performs on the Tantai stage." Snow Maiden ignored his anger and continued speaking to herself:

“I am not your merchandise and cannot be given away at will. I have come here to explain this to you two in person. If I have offended you, Yukihime may leave Dantai now.”

"Snow Princess takes her leave."

Her bird-like voice was filled with determination and a hidden pride. After speaking, she nimbly turned around and prepared to leave.

"Stop!" Zhao Yi was furious at being rebuked like this, but Lu Wei was still there, so he couldn't lose his manners and just said coldly, "Xue Ji, right? I've heard of you."

"I know about what happened last year. I've never cared about dancers like you. Whether you stay or leave is up to you."

"But now that I have promised you to Steward Lu, if you step out of this door, there will be no music and dance hall in Handan or even the entire Zhao Kingdom where you will find refuge!"

The Snow Woman paused in her departing steps, her body trembled slightly, but she couldn't take another step.

Her hands, crossed over her chest, clenched tightly together, her mind blank.

"Steward Lu, I'm leaving this woman to you. I'll head back now to arrange things with Prime Minister Guo."

Zhao Yi whispered something to Lu Wei, got up and left. Just as he passed by the stunned Snow Woman, the Snow Woman moved slightly, about to make her next move, but then an invisible pressure stopped her completely. From her body to her expression, the Snow Woman could not make any movement.

The pressure only dissipated after Lord Xiaopingyuan left the private room and the door closed again. The Snow Woman broke free too forcefully and fell to the ground, a small single-edged dagger falling from her sleeve.

Zhang Zhao drew the dagger into his hand. The steward examined the character 'snow' at the base of the blade and shook his head.

"Miss Xueji, you don't want Gongzi Yi's words to come true, do you?"

Chapter 86 Jade Flute

That invisible pressure just now clearly emanated from this so-called 'Manager Lu'. Given the depth of his internal strength, I...

The snow woman slowly stood up, straightened her clothes and tidied her slightly disheveled hair, maintaining her elegance:

"Chief Steward Lu is highly skilled in martial arts, Young Master Yi is kind-hearted, and Young Master Jia was once concerned about the country and its people. Xue Ji is just a lowly dancer, yet she is valued by these gentlemen. It is truly Xue Ji's good fortune."

Her words were full of sarcasm, yet she dared not truly utter the insults directly. Lu Wei tossed the dagger back to her feet and met her stubborn gaze.

"If a person wants to die, they are capable of doing anything in a moment of impulse, but if they fail to die, it is not easy for them to make up their mind again."

The Snow Maiden lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling slightly: "The Snow Princess's body is of temporary use to Steward Lu, and the Steward will naturally not let the Snow Princess die."

"Oh~" Lu Wei's gaze roamed over her body without restraint: "How much gold is your body worth?"

Hearing this tone, as if weighing goods, the Snow Woman's gaze unconsciously returned to the dagger on the ground: "...ten thousand gold pieces."

"The feeling of being a pampered person, huh?" The steward chuckled softly, raising his hand to pour himself a glass of wine from the table. "I was just about to have you play 'White Snow' again here, but Young Master Yi interrupted me."

"Now that he's gone, you can continue."

"..." Sensing that the gaze had disappeared from her body, the Snow Woman's tense body relaxed slightly. She bowed slightly and said, "Snow Princess's instrument... was left on the stage below, so I cannot play it for the Steward."

"Then dance for me."

Lu Wei spoke casually, as he considered himself to be easy to talk to.

"Is it not feasible to operate here?"

Seeing that she remained motionless for a long time, the steward pressed her further.

"Snow Princess obeys." Hearing the urging, Snow Woman took a step back. Her heart was wavering, but as soon as she took the familiar dance step, the chaos immediately subsided.

Whenever she is dancing or listening to music, she can feel that she is truly alive.

The young man before him was far more powerful than that of Gongzi Yi, and he couldn't kill him from this distance.

With a flick of her short silk sleeves, the Snow Woman's eyes sparkled, and even in this small private room, she could deliver a graceful and exquisite dance performance.

This was Lingbo Feiyan, a dance Lu Wei had never seen before, and one that Xue Nu had vowed last year never to perform in front of others again.

If you disobey, bloodshed will surely follow.

But today, forced to lose focus, the Snow Woman subconsciously performed her most skilled dance, and she no longer cared about the consequences of breaking her vow.

The faint pressure of internal energy reappeared in the private room, and the gentle air currents touched her skin. Xue Nu felt as if her whole body was being seen naked and she was dancing naked.

Intense discomfort overwhelmed her tranquil mind during the dance.

Lu Wei sipped his drink, his mind completely focused.

Due to cultural differences and other reasons, the taste of alcoholic beverages varies from country to country: Yan wine is spicy, Qi wine is soothing, Chu wine is warm, and Wei wine is robust.

But this Zhao wine is smooth.

Staring intently at the Snow Maiden's slender shoulders and waist, the Steward, due to his focused concentration, automatically released his inner energy to protect himself: This dance is indeed much better than the witch dance of Chu!

Lu Wei highly praised the shamanic dance from Chu because of its inherent mysterious religious color and the strong exotic flavor of the dozen or so shamans.