A dance to exorcise evil
Ah Qi is imposing in size. Although he has no spiritual pressure, ordinary people dare not approach him, which invisibly creates a small space for them.
Ye Wuzhou exuded a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay; Shen Yunzhou had sharp eyes; Ji Qianqiu was burly and imposing; Xie Chen had a refined yet unpredictable demeanor; Fang Li had a beautiful face… This group of people was truly eye-catching as they walked through the crowd, yet people dared not easily approach them.
The lantern festival is bustling and prosperous, but it also harbors filth and corruption.
Unbeknownst to anyone, a group of low-level, wicked cultivators mingled among the crowd.
They coveted the abundant life force and soul power of the city's many living beings, attempting to secretly set up an evil array to extract their souls for cultivation.
As midnight approaches, the yin energy is at its peak.
Those few evil cultivators quietly occupied several corners of the lantern market, their hands forming obscure hand seals, and sinister spiritual power began to spread silently.
Suddenly, the warm glow above the lantern festival dimmed inexplicably, and a faint, eerie wind swirled up the dust on the ground, bringing a chilling sensation.
The once noisy crowd gradually quieted down, and a strange sense of palpitation and panic spread among them, with children beginning to cry restlessly.
"What happened?"
"It's suddenly so cold..."
"The light...the light seems to be off?"
Fang Li's expression hardened; she keenly sensed the sinister fluctuation of spiritual energy. "Some evil spirit is causing trouble," she whispered to the people around her.
The eyes of the people around him instantly sharpened.
Frost gathered on Ye Wuyang's fingertips, Shen Yunzhou's hand rested on the sword hilt, Ji Qianqiu's muscles tensed, and Xie Chen's gaze swept around, quickly calculating the source.
However, there are too many ordinary people here. If they use their superhuman powers, they are very likely to expose their identities and cause even greater trouble.
As panic threatened to escalate and the evil magic was about to take shape… Fang Li's eyes flashed as she caught sight of the temporary platform erected in the center of the lantern market to select the "Lantern King." Her mind raced, and she instantly came up with an idea.
"Help me block them." She whispered to Ye Wuyang and Shen Yunzhou beside her, then her figure flickered, nimbly passing through the crowd like a fish. She lightly touched the railing with her toes and gracefully leaped onto the brightly lit platform.
The crowd below was immediately struck by a sight: a woman dressed in simple, elegant clothes stood amidst thousands of lights, her face beautiful and her demeanor ethereal.
"Is she the girl who just moved in?" someone recognized her.
Fang Li took a deep breath, suppressing the ripples within her body caused by the use of her meager spiritual power.
She smiled at the panicked crowd below and said in a clear voice, "On this festive night, why are you in such a panic? I am not very talented, but I would like to offer a dance to add to the festivities and dispel the chill."
The voice was clear and melodious, carrying a strange, soothing power.
Before anyone could react, she had already begun to dance.
With a gentle sway of her sleeves and a twirling figure, her steps, seemingly casual, subtly harmonized with a profound rhythm. At each landing point, with each turn, the chaotic spiritual energy emanating from her fingertips precisely embedded itself into the void.
To outsiders, the woman's dance was unparalleled, graceful as a startled swan and as lithe as a swimming dragon. Her flowing robes seemed to be accompanied by a stream of light, making her even more dazzling than all the lanterns around her.
The dance moves carried an indescribable power of holiness and purification, bringing peace to the mind and spirit, and the panic and chill from before vanished without a trace.
Only the few evil cultivators who were secretly casting spells were utterly horrified! They discovered that their evil magic was being rapidly purified by an invisible force!
The backlash struck, and the group groaned, blood trickling from their mouths. They looked in terror at the dancing figure on the platform, and dared not linger any longer, fleeing in disarray into the crowd.
The chilling wind dissipated, the lights came back on, and warmth returned.
The crowd was captivated by the exquisite dance, completely mesmerized.
"A fairy...a fairy descended to earth!" someone shouted first, immediately drawing countless echoes. "A dance that could topple a city! Evil spirits vanished!"
In the audience, Fang Li's "family" members reacted in different ways.
Ye Wuyang stood still, his eyes fixed on the figure on the high platform. The temperature around him plummeted, and a thin layer of frost even formed on the ground beneath his feet.
Several lecherous men who had been drawn to the dance and tried to squeeze forward suddenly shivered, their limbs stiffened, and they awkwardly retreated.
Shen Yunzhou kept his hand on the sword hilt, his body as straight as a pine tree, his eyes sharp, constantly scanning every corner around him. Anything that might pose a threat to Fang Li would be met with his cold gaze.
Ji Qianqiu stared in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape, almost forgetting to breathe, muttering, "My goodness... Junior Sister is so beautiful..." His saliva seemed about to spill out. Xie Chen, standing beside him, remained expressionless, but "inadvertently" stomped hard on his foot. Ji Qianqiu cried out in pain, snapping back to reality, and awkwardly scratched his head.
Xie Chen himself waved the jade fan that he had taken out again at some point, with his usual light smile on his face and undisguised admiration in his eyes.
Fang Li was multitasking, dancing with great enthusiasm, but secretly feeling a little smug:
"System! Wasn't my maneuver cool? I could slay demons and also... uh, spread positive energy! A win-win situation!"
The system was giving her a huge shout-out in her mind:
"Host looks absolutely stunning! But... those guys in the audience seem to be really jealous... tsk tsk, they smell so sour!"
As the dance ended, all evil spirits were banished. Fang Li stood still, slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed from the exercise, making her even more radiant under the lamplight.
She smiled sweetly in the direction of everyone in her courtyard, her eyes crinkling with a hint of relief and playfulness after completing her task.
Almost the instant she smiled!
Ye Wuyang and Shen Yunzhou moved at the same time! They both subconsciously took a step forward and reached out their hands, seemingly wanting to help her as she got down.
Their movements stopped simultaneously. Their gazes met briefly in the air, a clash of coldness and sharpness, as if invisible sparks were crackling.
Ye Wuyang withdrew his hand expressionlessly, placing it behind his back, his fingertips slightly curled.
Shen Yunzhou slowly lowered his hand from the hilt of his sword and looked calmly at Fang Li, though his jawline was taut.
Ji Qianqiu looked at this and then at that, scratched his head, as if he wanted to say something, but Xie Chen gently pressed his arm down with his fan.
Xie Chen chuckled softly, fanning himself, breaking the delicate silence: "Your dance is superb, defusing the crisis without a trace. You've worked hard; let's go back now." His gaze, however, fell on Fang Li.
Fang Li was a little bewildered by the strange atmosphere below the stage. She gave a dry laugh, nodded obediently, and jumped off the platform. Amidst the increasingly loud discussions about "fairies," the group left the still bustling lantern festival.
Meanwhile, the rumor that "the girl who moved from the west alley is a fairy descended from heaven, and her dance can exorcise evil spirits" has quietly spread throughout Blackstone City.
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