Chapter 65 Extremely rigid; even the most rigid will eventually be rejected…
Since Li Chen said so, Han Shannan could only suppress his panic and quietly observe everything that was happening before his eyes.
Their location was near the back corner, not a place that would easily attract attention. Fortunately, their eyesight was good; otherwise, at this distance, they probably wouldn't even be able to see what the person on the platform looked like.
After the platform was fully raised, before most of the people present could even react, someone suddenly chuckled and said, "Junior Sister is now the boss, quite the grand display. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was trying to intimidate us former fellow disciples."
All eyes immediately fell on the person who had spoken.
In the area closest to the statue, a section was left untouched.
In that area, there were only five tables and chairs. It was obvious that the people sitting there were not ordinary people.
As expected, Li Chen heard someone whispering to his friend from afar, "The seven people sitting over there are disciples of Fairy Biyun, and also fellow disciples of the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion."
Another person said, "It seems the Pavilion Master of Weeping Dew Pavilion and her fellow disciples don't have a very good relationship. In this situation, her fellow disciples are even trying to embarrass her..."
"I heard it's because Fairy Biyun is biased and dotes too much on the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion, which has caused dissatisfaction among her fellow disciples."
"Then that Pavilion Master of the Weeping Dew Pavilion must be exceptionally talented, right? Perhaps she's the disciple chosen by Fairy Biyun to inherit her mantle? It's a pity her legs are crippled..."
"Yes, a dancer's legs are more important than their life. It's such a pity, sigh..."
"Hey, how did the Pavilion Master of Weeping Dew Pavilion become crippled? I've never heard of this before. There's never been any news about the Pavilion Master of Weeping Dew Pavilion from Biyun Pavilion either. What's this Pavilion Master's name?"
"Who knows? Maybe Fairy Biyun doesn't want her to recall painful memories, so she doesn't want anyone around her to talk about it..."
The people around whispered and talked, but the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion, sitting on the high platform, seemed not to hear it, nor did she seem to think that the person who spoke just now was disrespecting her. She still had a faint smile on her face, "It's been many years since I last saw you. Senior Sister, you are even more beautiful than before. I suppose your dancing skills have also improved more than before."
The person addressed as "Senior Sister" by the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion was dressed in a silver-white dress and sat upright in her seat. Under the glow of the spirit stone above her head, she was like a dazzling star, extremely radiant and attracting attention.
Such unrestrained beauty is impossible to ignore; if one were to catch a glimpse of her on the street, it would surely be unforgettable for a lifetime.
Despite her stunning beauty, this woman seemed to have a rather unpleasant temper. Hearing the words of the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion, she sneered and said, "You don't need to flatter me at this time. I'm currently facing a bottleneck in my dance practice and can't make any progress for the time being, which is why I've managed to spare some time to come and take a look at your place. Otherwise, even if you sent me ten million taels of gold, I wouldn't set foot in your place."
The Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion said in a very good-natured manner, "I naturally know that Senior Sister is usually busy. After all, the position of Pavilion Master of Biyun Pavilion was originally intended for you by Master. Now that Master is not in good health, all the affairs of Biyun Pavilion will naturally have to be taken care of by Senior Sister."
Upon hearing this news, the crowd, who had been whispering amongst themselves, fell silent instantly, all holding their breath and staring intently ahead.
This competition is called the Biyun Contest, because the winner is to inherit the name of Fairy Biyun and the position of Biyun Pavilion Master.
Although the title "Fairy of Azure Clouds" is just an empty name, it is something that countless people who pursue the art of dance desire to obtain throughout their lives.
Almost everyone here came to compete for the title of "Fairy of Azure Clouds" and the position of Pavilion Master of Azure Clouds Pavilion. Now, suddenly, it is said that the position has already been decided. Wouldn't all of them who have come from afar become a joke?
The woman naturally felt the gazes coming from all directions, and a hint of annoyance appeared on her face. She couldn't help but say, "Master originally intended to pass this position to me, and all my fellow disciples know this! Who knew you would do something to make Master suddenly change his mind and agree to let you create this 'Biyun Contest'!"
The Pavilion Master of Weeping Dew Pavilion said gently, "Senior Sister, among Master's disciples, you are the most talented in dance. Master naturally had this thought in the past, but..."
She paused, looking somewhat hesitant, "It's just that in recent years, perhaps Master has seen that you haven't made much progress and haven't been able to replicate her youthful style. That's why she asked me to choose a suitable successor for her."
The people around the woman looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
Hearing the words of the Pavilion Master of Weeping Dew Pavilion, the woman was extremely surprised and furious. "What right do you have to speak to me like that? What right do you have to guess my master's thoughts?! Don't forget, you are the least talented of my master's disciples, and the one who has disgraced her the most. You have no right to say such things!"
"If it weren't for the fact that your parents happened to help your master in the past, you wouldn't even be qualified to step into the Biyun Pavilion. Your master only took you, a person of mediocre talent, as a disciple to repay your parents. Otherwise, with your talent, you would never have seen your master in this lifetime!"
As she finished speaking, a series of gasps rose and fell around her, clearly indicating that what was happening was far beyond the imagination of these newcomers.
The Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion sighed, “My talent is indeed not high, so I have to spend more time practicing dancing. In my spare time, I also serve my master and senior sisters well in order to get some guidance and learn a little bit of the basics so that I can make a living after I go down the mountain.”
"It's just a pity that I have no talent and bad luck. Just now, when Master and Senior Sister were in danger, I covered their retreat but was captured by bandits. I thought that Master and Senior Sister would bring people to rescue me, but I never expected that I would be rescued by a passing sword cultivator."
"Sigh... I barely survived three days with the bandits. During those three days, I wonder if my senior sister thought of me?"
Hearing her words, everyone around was stunned, their faces full of disbelief, as if they never expected that they would hear so many secrets about the Biyun Pavilion when they were just here to participate in the Biyun Competition.
The woman said, "What? Are you blaming me, or regretting that you covered up the lineage for me and my master?"
"It was said that you were covering our retreat, but it was really just that you were slow. Neither your master nor I asked you to do that. Besides, after your master and I entered the city, we reported it to the authorities. No one came to rescue you because the government was too slow. How can you blame us?"
"To be honest, you only have yourself to blame. The reason my master and I went down the mountain was because His Majesty invited us. With your talent, we shouldn't have taken you with us. If you hadn't pestered my master so much, it should have been Fifth Junior Sister who went with my master and me. How could it have been you?!"
The fifth junior sister, pointed at by her, immediately looked panicked and hurriedly waved her hand to indicate that she should not be involved. Then she looked at the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion and said, "Junior sister, I, I didn't mean to go at that time! And you know what the eldest senior sister's personality is, she has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. She still cares about you very much. After she and Master came back, they saw that your leg injury had not healed, so she specially brought you medicine at night, didn't she?"
She paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Besides...besides, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Junior Sister, look at you, although you have injured your leg and can no longer stand, haven't you still built such a large business? The reputation of your Weeping Dew Pavilion is now not much worse than that of the Azure Cloud Pavilion."
"I heard you've even made connections with the cultivation world, and that old patriarch of the cultivation world is your friend. Such an achievement truly fills me with admiration and envy..."
The woman who had spoken earlier glared at her fiercely, seemingly very dissatisfied with what she had said. "Who knows if those rumors are true or false? What connections could she possibly have with the cultivation world? Even if she did, so what? Those puppets are ultimately just inanimate objects. No matter how well they dance, they can't make any progress. They're so rigid that they'll eventually be rejected."
As she finished speaking, the surrounding atmosphere fell into complete silence.
After a long while, someone finally spoke up: "Senior Sister, we've been fellow disciples for many years, so we have some kind of bond between us. Besides, Junior Sister did a lot for us when she was still on the mountain, so why say such things?"
The woman they called "Senior Sister" snorted coldly and said, "Isn't she just upset that Master didn't love her before, and that after her leg was injured, he advised her to leave Biyun Pavilion?"
"But she doesn't even consider that her legs are crippled. What can she do at Biyun Pavilion? Let alone practice dancing, she can't even do cleaning work. Besides, although Master sent her down the mountain, he also gave her all his life savings. Otherwise, how would she have had the opportunity to create this Qilu Pavilion?"
Hearing her words, everyone around her remained silent, as if they didn't know what to say to respond.
But the protagonist of this turmoil, the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion, still smiled and said, "Senior Sister's temper hasn't changed at all over the years. It's truly something to miss. Senior Sister is right. If it weren't for Master, how could I have achieved what I have today?"
"I invited all of you senior sisters and junior sisters here today to repay your kindness and to express my gratitude for your care over the years. Especially my eldest sister, I will never forget your kindness in this lifetime. Please make yourself at home in Biyun Pavilion and don't feel awkward."
These things happened so suddenly, and he heard so many secrets that Han Shannan felt his mind was a little overwhelmed.
He crouched down, leaned close to Li Chenjin, and whispered, "Why does this sound so strange to me? Don't you think there's something fishy going on here?"
Li Chen nodded. "Indeed, there are quite a few strange things. But we still don't know the true nature of the Pavilion Master of the Weeping Dew Pavilion. It's best to wait and see."
As the two of them were talking quietly, the banquet officially began with the ringing of a bell by the Pavilion Master of Qilu Pavilion.
The maids who had suddenly appeared and led them to their seats before disappearing again have now reappeared from nowhere, each carrying a beautifully presented dish.
Before long, the tables in the hall were filled with all kinds of delicacies, and some of the dishes even looked more exquisite than what she had seen in the Pure Realm, which showed that the Weeping Dew Pavilion was very wealthy.
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