Chapter 639 Beauty, Sword Dance
Inside the county government hall, the lights were on, and people were singing and dancing.
This place was originally the offices of officials. Its furnishings were not extravagant, yet it possessed an air of authority. But now, laughter and music had swept away any semblance of solemnity. The person sitting in the main seat was still laughing and shouting incessantly—
"Drink, keep drinking, and keep singing and dancing!"
This person was Chaci.
He was probably in his thirties, with the lower half of his face almost entirely covered by a thick beard, revealing only a pair of deep-set eyes and a bright red, bulbous nose. Perhaps due to his addiction to alcohol and women, his eyes were also bloodshot from alcohol, with dark circles under them; he looked like someone who had indulged in excessive pleasure and lived a life of debauchery.
Originally, even if one was of noble status in the Western Turkic Khaganate, one could only enjoy ordinary beef and mutton and strong liquor. But once he entered the Central Plains, and came to Qi County, a grain route in the Taihang Mountains, he learned for the first time that the food and wine in the Central Plains were so abundant, and the songs and dances were so wonderful. He also realized that life could be enjoyed in such a way, and he became unstoppable. Every night, he would hold a grand banquet at the county government office and enjoy the songs and dances until dawn.
However, no matter how much he drank or how much he indulged in pleasure, two things always stayed by his side—
Firstly, there was the birdcage at his waist that he always kept touching with his left hand.
The birdcage was only slightly wider than a hand and was made of exceptionally thin and brittle wooden strips. Although it looked sturdy, it could be crushed with a gentle squeeze, or even if he accidentally fell.
The tiny red-feathered bird, no bigger than an egg, would immediately dart out.
Secondly, there were the two samurai standing beside him.
He brought twelve warriors from Qi County with him. Two were on duty, and the rest went to rest. They took turns every two hours to protect him.
The two men were tall and stood guard around him like a screen, one on his left and one on his right. They were expressionless, with their right hands on the hilts of their swords at their waists, looking wary. They seemed oblivious to the alluring dance of the beautiful dancers in front of them.
Seeing these two formidable figures, the people serving drinks in the hall were all very cautious and dared not even breathe loudly.
When Chaci gave the order, they naturally dared not neglect it.
These people were all prominent figures and gentlemen from Qi County. Because of the fall of Taiyuan, Qi County had also fallen under the rule of the Western Turks. They had no choice but to come and flatter this Western Turkic envoy to protect their property and lives. Therefore, as soon as he spoke, everyone raised their glasses and drank. Meanwhile, in the center of the hall, several dancers once again danced gracefully to the accompaniment of string and wind instruments, their alluring figures displaying a captivating charm before the crowd.
Chaci raised his wine glass and drank the wine in one gulp. At this point, he was already somewhat drunk.
After putting down his glass, and looking at the alluring figures before him, the smell of alcohol rose in his head, and he suddenly felt annoyed. He frowned and said, "What are you all dancing for? Get off the stage!"
The dancers, having somehow offended him, dared not be negligent and quickly stopped and withdrew.
The other customers around him were also watching him cautiously.
Nachaci poured himself another cup of wine, downed most of it in one gulp, then stroked his beard and said, "Women from the Central Plains dance too softly, not as energetic as us grassland women!"
No one dared to object, and they all forced smiles and agreed.
"Yeah yeah."
“The Special Envoy is right.”
"It is Your Excellency who truly appreciates the beauty of women. The dance of women from the grasslands is indeed more vigorous and powerful."
Listening to their flattery, Nachaci felt annoyed again. He slammed his wine glass to the ground, splashing wine everywhere. He slurred, "Hurry up and give me a good dance, or I'll kill you all!"
Everyone was immediately terrified.
They had only prepared these songs and dances, which usually made Chaci happy. But he suddenly acted out of character today. And in such a hurry, where could they find any grassland women to dance for him?
Just when everyone was at a loss, suddenly, the sound of drumming rang out from behind a screen on one side of the hall.
The drums thundered, though they had only served as accompaniment to the previous string and wind instruments, with only a slight mixing of sounds. But now, all the other instruments stopped, and only the drums sounded. Their powerful and majestic sound filled the entire hall, enveloping everyone.
Everyone gasped for breath.
Chaci frowned as well: "Hmm?"
The moment he frowned, the two warriors beside him immediately became alert, their brows furrowing as they scanned their surroundings intently.
Just then, a slender and beautiful figure appeared at the entrance.
All eyes immediately turned to her—standing at the door was a beautiful dancer, barely twenty years old, with eyebrows like distant mountains and eyes like bright stars. Though she wore light makeup, her cherry-red lips were stained exceptionally bright red, making her look delicate and alluring. She wore a snow-white long dress, spotless, like snow-covered clouds. Only the tightly cinched waist and her cherry-red lips were bright red, outlining her slender waist beautifully. Her whole being exuded a captivating charm amidst its understated elegance, breathtakingly beautiful.
Chaci's eyes widened suddenly, his bloodshot eyes filled with the image of that slender figure.
At this moment, the woman walked into the lobby step by step.
Just as she reached the center of the hall, the two samurai standing beside Chaci simultaneously widened their eyes, drew their swords with a whoosh, and shouted, "Watch out!"
"It's an assassin!"
Just as their shouts rang out, another drumbeat sounded.
At the same time, the woman gently extended her jade-like arm. When her wrist slowly rose to shoulder level, everyone could see that she had been holding a sword in her right hand, which had been hanging by her side. The cold light was only concealed by the fluttering of her skirt.
Such a beautiful dancer is actually—an assassin?!
Just as everyone was shocked and the two warriors were about to rush forward with their swords, the dancer suddenly flipped her jade wrist, and the long sword in her hand flashed twice, creating a sword flower. Then she turned to the side, and with her long sleeves fluttering, she was like a flower that suddenly bloomed. The long sword in her hand also transformed into a silver dragon and flew straight into the sky!
"Wait!"
Nachaci raised his hand to stop the warriors who were about to rush forward, but his eyes were fixed on the beautiful dancer as if by an invisible thread.
Those around her, upon seeing her stance, immediately came to their senses—
This is sword dance!
Because they feared Chaci, and because Chaci was lecherous and fond of drinking, the songs and dances he offered were mostly seductive and pleasing. In addition, Chaci did not allow anyone carrying weapons to approach him, so they didn't even dare to think about sword dances. They didn't know who it was, but tonight, precisely when Chaci no longer wanted to enjoy those light songs and dances, he offered this sword dance.
You've come at just the right time!
Everyone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief, and a few even wiped the sweat from their brows. The next moment, everyone's eyes were once again focused on the dancer.
The dancer moved with agility, twirling several times before suddenly stopping. Her robes billowed in the air, like a fleeting moment after a brilliant bloom, before settling quietly, like a flower stamen cascading to the ground, soft and alluring yet tinged with a touch of melancholy. Her longsword, wielded by her supple, serpentine arms, slowly circled before her.
Finally, it lay before her.
The cold light illuminated those clear, bright eyes.
On the other side of the sword, another pair of greedy and lewd eyes were reflected, staring intently at her without blinking.
Chaci gazed greedily at the dancer, slowly setting down his wine cup with one hand, then gently stroking his thick mustache, his ecstatic joy overflowing.
His recent indulgence in wine and women had indeed brought him great pleasure, but a man like him, once satisfied, would only become more insatiable. So, he wanted to find an even more beautiful woman and enjoy even more spectacular songs and dances. Unexpectedly, at this moment, his dream came true, and such a beauty appeared before him. Moreover, her dance was neither the light and graceful dance that had satisfied him in the past few days, nor the wild dance on the grassland that he was already familiar with, but a sword dance that he had never seen before, combining strength and gentleness. How could he not be overjoyed?
So he raised his hand again and gently beckoned to the dancer, saying, "Beautiful lady, come here."
Under his lewd and greedy gaze, the dancer remained unhurried, raising her hand several times. With a flick of her sleeves, her slender waist spun freely like flowing water, and the long sword in her hand moved like a silver dragon, riding the wind and lightning. She herself seemed to be a white cloud drawn by the silver dragon. Accompanied by the rumbling sound of drums, like thunder in the midst of wind and clouds, she took a step, lifted her leg, flipped, and moved nimbly.
After the lightning and thunder, the longsword suddenly slashed through the sky, creating a dazzling trail of light!
"good!"
Chaci was overjoyed and excited, and even more anxious, scratching his ears and cheeks. One hand kept scratching his beard, while the other hand seemed to be about to leave the birdcage at his waist.
He kept saying, "My beauty, come here quickly!"
A bright light immediately flashed in Qiu Shui's bright eyes.
The dancer pursed her cherry lips, a captivating smile curving her lips, and suddenly brought her long sword down from above, stopping precisely in front of her, pointing directly at Chaci, whose eyes were bloodshot with excitement.
Nachaci was almost mesmerized by her charming smile, and his left hand, which was originally holding the birdcage, was about to be raised.
The dancer, holding a sword, no longer moved with the fierceness of before. Instead, she moved with a gentle, soft grace, slowly walking towards Chaci with graceful steps, her movements swaying with each step, the tip of her sword lightly touching the ground.
It was as if they were hooking the other person's soul.
Just as she walked to the front of the main seat, almost a table away from Chaci, the drumbeat suddenly subsided.
As the drumbeats resounded, her jade-like arm suddenly stretched forward—
"careful!"
The warriors on both sides reacted quickly. As soon as they saw the long sword in her hand about to stab Chaci, they rushed forward to block Chaci's way!
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