spiritual homeland

Huang Chaoan's meaning is very clear.

If she didn't leave the Pei household, Xue Hongbi would remain the arrogant and favored concubine. Her time at the music and dance troupe would be merely a formality. While life in the Pei household might not be entirely pleasant, at least she wouldn't have to make such a choice.

While vying for favor and currying favor is certainly exhausting, it is far easier than betraying one's own children or upholding one's principles even at the cost of one's life.

Huang Chaoan continued to ramble on: "Wouldn't it be better if you stayed at the Pei residence? Why did you have to get involved in this mess? Besides, you only said you wanted to stay after you clearly knew what I meant."

He suddenly swung his hand fiercely and slammed it onto the table in front of Xue Hongbi.

His face was contorted with rage: "Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for me?"

This person is utterly depraved, yet he believes that anyone who opposes him is deliberately trying to antagonize him.

Ah Qiu, who was lying on the roof tile, had his hands clenched into fists inside his sleeves.

She had committed many assassinations, but never before had she confronted the evil in human nature so directly.

Xiao Chang'an had already noticed her and whispered in her ear, "Sister, how do you want this person to die? I can do it for you."

Although A-Qiu was focused on watching the movements below, she did not expect that he had approached her so silently, and she was completely unaware of it.

Her assassin instincts kicked in, and she immediately became alert. She glanced at Xiao Chang'an with a complicated expression and said in a low voice, "You're so young, you should kill fewer people."

He added, "Killing too many people is bad for one's character."

As she said this, she was thinking of the words that her master, Wanqiqing, had entrusted to Gongye Fusu.

"In urgent situations, one should act expediently."

If anyone should be killed, it should be her.

Xiao Chang'an chuckled and said, "Sister, you sound like you have a lot of experience in killing people."

A Qiu was speechless. She realized that she herself seemed to be unable to be wary of Xiao Chang'an. But this child was extremely clever, and saying more would only lead to more mistakes. So she simply kept quiet and offered no explanation.

The two looked down again.

Xue Hongbi closed her eyes for a moment before opening them.

She said slowly, "Let me tell you why I insist on going against you."

"Why did I change my mind and decide to stay because of what you said, even though I was just going to the dance club for a short while?"

Huang Chaoan paused for a moment, then sneered, "I thought you were just being arrogant, thinking you could protect the entire dance troupe with the help of your wife. I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful. Now, speak."

Xue Hongbi asked, "Huang Chaoan, do you have a home?"

Huang Chaoan was taken aback by the question, then roared, "Where would a musician have a home! You're asking a question you don't know the answer to!"

Those who became entertainers either had family members who committed crimes and were thus exiled to the entertainment troupes in various places, naturally having no home. Or their parents were entertainers, but this was very different from the peaceful family life of ordinary people. The parents served the entertainers year-round, never returning home at night, and the children grew up in the entertainment troupes.

Another type is those who were sold into prostitution by their parents at a young age and grew up with their masters and musicians.

But in either case, there will be no home.

Xiao Chang'an then whispered in A Qiu's ear, "Sister A Qiu, do you have a home?"

Ah Qiu was also taken aback by his question.

As a Lanling assassin, she naturally didn't have a home in the conventional sense. However, she had a sect, which could also be considered a home.

Of course, she couldn't tell Xiao Chang'an, because he only saw her as a musician. As Huang Chao'an just said, musicians naturally didn't have homes.

She retorted irritably, "Do you have one?"

Xiao Chang'an pursed his lips, and after a moment said, "My home is deep in the mountains, but the scenery is beautiful, with towering peaks. I'll take you there sometime."

A-Qiu almost choked on his words. She thought to herself that he was clearly just a child, yet he spoke like an adult.

I don't know which sect or school of thought he belongs to.

Xue Hongbi ignored Huang Chaoan's roar and said to herself, "That's right. We originally had no home. Musicians were originally slaves. In the Pei family, we were always servants who carefully served our masters, but we had a higher status."

"You, Huang Chaoan, are now the music master, in charge of all the people in the music bureau, but there are probably quite a few masters above you who need you to serve. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come up with this brilliant idea of ​​using the dance troupe as a favor."

Huang Chaoan was also stunned by what she said, and after a moment he gritted his teeth and said, "What do you want to say?"

Xue Hongbi said, "But after so many years, when I returned to the Music Bureau, I finally felt like I had come home."

The first thing she saw in the dance troupe was a group of timid girls, huddled together around Sun Ci like frightened chicks clustered around their mother hen. Their faces, though made up, revealed a mixture of curiosity and fear, and Sun Ci softly comforted them.

In this place, which was rumored to be the "Demon Kingdom" before she came here, she actually felt a familiar feeling from her childhood.

"One, two, three. Turn around. Step forward. Left hand grabs wrist, pulls right arm. Excellent!"

The old instructors back then would also call out the commands again and again with the same earnestness, praising her for doing a good job. Although their tone was stern, they never really blamed them for anything.

Even when the children grew up and it happened to be the golden age of Yuefu, they began to learn to compete and show off their talents, refusing to give way to each other.

Even when such a major incident as tearing the dance costume before the performance occurred, the old instructor only expressed his heartache and spoke with great sincerity.

She never really blamed any of them.

What Xue Hongbi never told anyone was that the current dance troupe was very similar to the one she had when she was a child.

The girls simply followed their teachers, jumping, turning, flipping, and practicing all sorts of movements. Every day, they watched the flowing dance moves and listened to the music played by the uncles, aunts, and musicians.

Dancing is dancing, singing is singing. There are no extraneous thoughts.

Simple, clean, like a blank sheet of paper.

Therefore, as soon as she arrived here, she decided that she would spend the rest of her life here.

The Echoing Corridor where geisha practiced their skills was the place she knew best from childhood. It bore the tooth marks of generations of geisha's wooden clogs. The legend of the "Oni Geisha" was certainly terrifying, but it protected their childhood and adolescence.

Born and raised in the world of music, she took dance and music as her lifelong spiritual refuge—this was her initial, vague wish.

After Huang Chaoan approached her, her will emerged from the chaos and became clear and resolute.

What Sun Ci can do, Xue Hongbi can do as well.

Although the Pei family lived in luxury, she was always an outsider to Master Pei, Madam Pei, and the eldest daughter.

The Yuefu (a type of folk song) is the hometown she deeply cherishes in her dreams.

She wants to protect this hometown and hopes it will become even better.

Do you know the significance of the Music Bureau to a generation of musicians?

Xue Hongbi stood up, the flickering candlelight in the night illuminating her face, making it shine.

She casually picked up a sharp pair of copper crane scissors and trimmed it until it shone a little brighter.

Large candle flames crackled and fell, bursting and extinguishing in the endless darkness of the night.

Huang Chaoan was taken aback by her sudden calmness and was speechless for a moment.

Xue Hongbi held up the scissors in the candlelight and examined them carefully. The edge of the copper blade gleamed with a sharp, thin light.

"It is the sacred temple in the hearts of all musicians in the Southern Dynasties for 480 years. No matter how humble a musician is, he will be proud to be a descendant of the Music Bureau."

"It is a temple created by slaves, because, with the exception of a very few musicians, most musicians throughout history have been unfree. We sang and danced in shackles, adding to the festive atmosphere of every era."

"But the Yuefu once had its freedom, and the highest representative of that freedom was Shi Changqing. Sun Ci and I both witnessed the glory of that era and were remembered as symbols of that era. That was the previous generation's 'Bai Zhu'."

Huang Chaoan saw Xue Hongbi holding the bronze crane scissors and turn her gaze towards him, which suddenly shone with a dazzling light, just like the scissors.

A chill ran through him for no apparent reason, and he shouted, "Put down the scissors and get out!"

Xue Hongbi smiled silently, and as expected, she gently placed the scissors on the table next to the lampstand.

She walked out the door step by step, but backwards.

Those piercingly bright eyes were like those of a ferocious female beast.

"The Music Bureau is the homeland of the musicians' spirit, and our last refuge. My lord, if pushed to the limit, even slaves will fight to the death."

Huang Chaoan spat out each word through gritted teeth: "But slaves can't compete with the mastiffs of the Divine Mastiff Camp. Instructor Xue, we'll see."

A Qiu was escorted back to the West Wing of the Pear Blossom by Xiao Chang'an.

The boy moved with the speed of the wind and the agility of a wolf. He carried A Qiu by the waist as they passed through the eaves and tiles, as if riding the wind.

A Qiu sent Xiao Chang'an there, but Xiao Chang'an had to personally bring her back. If Xue Hongbi knew her arrangements had led to this outcome, one wonders what she would think.

Xiao Chang'an only put A Qiu down when they reached the sleeping quarters of the dancers.

A Qiu turned to go inside, but paused and turned back, saying, "Thank you very much, Eunuch Xiao, for today."

Xiao Chang'an's smile remained unchanged: "Just call me Chang'an."

A Qiu curled her lips and said, "If one day I am fortunate enough to know the true identity of Inner Envoy Xiao, I might call him that. But I dare not now."

She said she dared not, and she truly dared not. The more she interacted with this young man, the more she felt that he was a man of deep cunning and extraordinary character.

Xiao Chang'an smiled and said, "At that time, it may be that Chang'an is no longer worthy to be friends with you, sister."

A-Qiu had already turned her head, but upon hearing this, she turned back in surprise and asked, "What?"

Xiao Chang'an had already leaped into the air, his voice, still carrying a hint of laughter, still echoing in mid-air:

"What I said still stands. If you ever change your mind and want Huang Chaoan dead, just let me know!"

A Qiu felt relieved, thinking that although the boy was quirky and clever, he was actually not bad to her.

However, when it comes to taking someone's life, why would Jing Ke, the chief assassin and master of the Divine Weapon Hall of Lanling Hall, need to rely on others?

Surprisingly, the dormitory is still brightly lit tonight.

A-Qiu entered the bedroom in surprise, only to find that the geisha, who should have been asleep, were all sitting on their respective couches, wrapped in blankets, but no one spoke, just silently watching her.

A Qiu was puzzled, but then he heard a clear, cool voice say, "You have violated the curfew."

It was Zhang Exu. She stood up from her bed, holding an old, yellowed notebook or something similar. She read aloud, "Shi Wanqiu left at 3:45 PM."

On the other bed, Cui Luzhu also stood up and reported, "Time of return: 2:45 PM."

Both girls had their hair down and wore no makeup. This was the first time Ah Qiu had paid attention to their true appearances since they had known each other for so long. Although they were different heights, they were both pretty and well-proportioned girls.

Ah Qiu almost choked. So many people staying up all night just to catch her breaking the law?