"Hey, Team Leader, did you hide your presence for the drama effect?" Alaric asked Ken as the group of five walked again toward another attraction. This time, George promised to show them a place where the best minds of the city played their music.
"Tiara and Henry won with a bang, so I wanted to achieve the same," Ken smiled. Just like the other artists, he also donated his art piece for "the glory of the Serene Lotus Sect".
"It was a great drawing," Tiara admitted, her words affirmed by a nod from Henry.
"Mhm, thanks," Ken said before turning to their chaperon, "George, what kind of instruments are popular here?" Ken asked. He was curious about the instruments the Xianxia world had.
"There are many instruments, also some from other cities. The local musicians prefer the guqin and the zither, but others bring with them drums, pianos, and more."
"Pianos?" Ken asked in surprise. He did not expect to see those in a Chinese fantasy world.
"You don't know them? They are essentially large boxes with keyboards. When you press the keys, they emit sound. They were imported from the Varuna empire on the Qiteria continent," George explained the instrument's origins.
"Hmm, sounds like the Qiteria continent's culture is quite different from ours," Alaric remarked.
"It is different, I heard they have different food, different music, and different martial arts."
The group soon arrived at a stage where a beautiful woman in a yellow cheongsam sat with a large zither placed on a table in front of her.
"This woman is Samira Nour, she is quite skilled as a musician, albeit our Lotus Bloom City has better ones to offer. I still find myself inviting her to play for me quite often, and sometimes she even likes to dance afterward, hehe," George added the last comment with a rude chuckle.
"She is indeed beautiful, I guess she promotes her music career with her looks. If it's known she is favored by the young master of the city, she probably gets many other invitations to perform," Alaric saw through her reasons to sell herself to George.
"I guess so. As long as we both win, why not?" The other man shrugged. He had nothing against helping a lady out passively with his name in return for a good service.
"She's quite popular for a mediocre musician." Ken noticed a relatively big crowd gathering around the stage.
"You will understand why soon. Although her music might not be the best, she knows how to attract men," George explained and Ken suddenly noticed the crowd was indeed mainly consisting of male listeners.
The soft murmur of the crowd hushed as Samira delicately positioned her fingers on the strings of the zither. With a graceful slide of her hands, she began her musical tale.
Her body swayed gently to the rhythm as she played, her fingers dancing skillfully over the strings. The cheongsam she wore seemed to be an extension of herself, fitting snugly against her curves, accentuating her grace and allure. The crowd watched, entranced not just by her beauty but by the sheer emotion she poured into her performance.
"I see now, it's indeed… enticing," Alaric agreed before turning to Tiara, "Is there any technique involved?"
"No, she's just naturally alluring," Tiara clarified. She knew her teammate thought that the woman was using some kind of Charm technique, but she was simply a beautiful mortal who knew how to tempt men.
Samira's eyes remained closed, yet her face seemed to transition through a spectrum of emotions, resonating with the narrative her music spun. The quiet interludes between her melodies spoke volumes, extending the lingering sentiment that her music stirred within the hearts of the audience.
"She is one of the most expensive workers in the Red Love Brothel, you can also rent her for a night or two if you're interested," George told Alaric.
"Why are you saying that to me?" the other man furrowed his eyebrows, making George embarrassed before he realized, "Oh, never mind. Anyway, I'm not interested." Alaric looked around him swiftly as he realized his companions were a woman, a child, and a monk. He was the only one who had the potential of renting a prostitute.
"Of course, Young Master Alaric is honorable," George hurried to praise.
The lingering final note echoed as Samira took a heavy breath, pushing her ample breasts forward. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced modestly at her audience, a storm of applause and cheers broke loose. She smiled at them, her white teeth contrasting with the cherry-red lips.
With a bow that revealed a cleavage and a turn that gave a teasing sight of her other assets, she left the stage.
"Seems like the male fans are leaving," Ken said. The men were indeed trying to follow the woman.
"She doesn't agree to anyone, and those she agrees to, normally can't afford the price," George's smug grin was wider, as if he had gained another point in some unseen competition. Tiara, however, seemed unimpressed, her face cold as she turned her gaze away disinterestedly.
"Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last," Henry said as he also ignored the woman.
The group suddenly noticed the lack of Alaric's response, and looking around them, they found out he was gone.
*Ring*
People were already getting away from the area when a strong sound of a string being pulled reverberated throughout the avenue. For some reason, despite being a single note, it was beautiful and captivating.
Everyone momentarily turned their heads toward the stage, Samira included, finding a handsome man with a strong jaw wearing blue robes descending from the sky in pirouettes, a guqin was circling around him in tandem.
*Pluck.*
The moment Alaric's fingers brushed against the strings of the guqin as he landed gracefully on the stage, a sweet melodious harmony unfurled through the air, wrapping around every soul present. The crowd halted their steps, a collective breath held, as the music seemed to weave a silken net drawing them closer to the heart of the tune.
*Pluck. Pluck. Pluck.*
With each note, Alaric's fingers danced gracefully over the strings, eliciting a cascade of harmonies that intertwined with the cool night air. His eyes were closed in serene concentration, yet his soul was reaching out to every individual, communicating through the tender strings of the guqin.
"Hmm, I did not know he could play music," Tiara commented.
"Oh, you'd be surprised," Ken answered with a smile.
The audience found themselves bewitched into a collective trance, the world beyond the melody seemed to blur and fade. The avenue, once in the process of emptying itself, was now the center of activity again.
Alaric's face was calm, but his fingers moved with a fiery passion. Each chord struck resonated with the yearning, the joys and sorrows of life. His body swayed gently with the rhythm as if he was one with the music.
"Wait, could it be that…?" Tiara asked in surprise.
"In the pursuit of genuine success, there is no room for deceit, for it taints the pure waters of achievement," Henry commented.
"Didn't you cheat in your contest too?" Ken asked, getting a shrug from the monk.
The guqin cried, laughed, and sang under Alaric's tender ministrations, its voice clear and resonant amidst the silent reverence of the crowd. It told tales of love and loss, of daydreams amidst moonlit nights, each note seemed to have a life of its own, echoing within the depths of every heart.
As the final note resonated through the avenue, lingering sweetly before gently fading away, Alaric opened his eyes to a crowd standing in awe-struck silence. The crowd awakened from its charmed state slowly and an applause began hesitantly, a single pair of hands clapping, then another, and another, till a wave of applause and cheers broke the silence that the melody had cast.
Alaric bowed and vanished, leaving a trail of lightning in his path that disappeared almost instantly. Only fifth-stage cultivators or higher stood a chance of finding him among the thousands of people.
"I thought I'd find you here, Sir. I remembered you were in this group during my performance. Would you like to visit my room tonight? I might… perform just for you if you do," a sweet voice came from behind the group.
Turning around, Ken and his companions found Samira smiling at Alaric, her hips swaying from side to side as she walked.
"Ahm… Maybe-" Alaric started his words awkwardly as his eyes were busy and he started using different organs to think other than his brain.
"No, we will go back to our sect soon," Ken cut him midsentence, causing the man to look at him with a betrayed gaze.
"What, do you really want someone that he tasted first?" Ken answered his stare with a nod toward George.
"I guess not," Alaric admitted.
"Haha… they are very good friends of mine, they always follow the code of honor between men," George explained their disdain toward him in a more flattering way to Samira.
"I see, that's a shame then. I will be taking my leave now, feel free to come over if you change your mind," Samira bowed, revealing her two mounds in the process as she stepped back.
"She'd be a natural if she got Tiara's inheritance. It's wasted on a woman with such a foul personality," Alaric said rudely.
"And then you'd be singing our secrets to a prostitute by the end of the night. With your self-control, you should be thankful it's me with the inheritance," Tiara bit him back.
"Enough bickering. We've had our fun at the festival, now it's time to return to our training," Ken declared, earning nods of agreement from the rest of the group.
"Young Master, there are still 6 more days to the festival. Why don't you stay at my place?" George offered.
"Top disciples are at the top because they cultivate instead of indulging themselves in mortal celebrations. That's why you're stuck at the fourth stage."
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