As part of understanding Yue Huan, he had certainly read the script. In “Yan Chi Xiao Hong Qiao”, Yue Huan loves vocal music. Jinuo raised a large group of musicians and performers, among whom Xu Jinfeng was most favored. Before entering the palace, he was a male escort who could play instruments, dance with swords, sing, compose poetry, and play chess.
Now, to help Luo Yingbai catch the ghost without causing panic among the onlookers, the only option was for Xia Xianning to go on stage. With time pressing, although he didn’t like this character, he had no room to be picky.
Fine, he’ll be Xu Jinfeng – a male companion, an entertainer, which somewhat matches Luo Yingbai’s previous roles. He hoped Luo Yingbai wouldn’t burst out laughing on the spot.
With the situation urgent, Xia Xianning threw on the costume with determination. Fortunately, the clothing was plain and not as horrifying as he imagined. The loose garment completely covered his modern outfit. He strode towards the center of the stage.
The script described Qionghua Princess, though angry, having no choice but to rise and perform a dance for Yue Huan, who would accompany her on the zither.
Luo Yingbai’s zither notes were sharp, even those who didn’t understand music could hear the murderous intent. Each note seemed to strike directly at one’s heart, impatiently urging. Wen Qianqian had already circled the table, preparing to dance.
At that moment, a voice rang out: “Your Majesty, the Princess appears unwell and inconvenienced to perform. If Your Majesty doesn’t mind, this humble Jinfeng would like to dance with a sword to accompany you, and humbly requests Your Majesty’s permission.”
As the voice spoke, a man in a wide blue robe walked to Wen Qianqian’s side and bowed.
Luo Yingbai: “…Pfft!”
Wen Qianqian: “…”
The plot ran like an unleashed wild dog, getting further and further away.
Wen Qianqian stared at him blankly, not knowing how to act. In real life, if Xia Xianning would protect her like this, she could even laugh in her dreams. But at this moment… why did everything feel so wrong?
In the original work, the development was supposed to be a conflict between Yue Huan and Qi Changfeng, then a falling out, with the princess pleading for reconciliation, and Yue Huan agreeing for the sake of his beloved. However, those who have read the original work know that from the moment Luo Yingbai asked Wen Qianqian to come out and dance, the plot completely collapsed.
Yue Huan showed no goodwill towards the princess, seemingly deliberately making things difficult for her. Her husband, Qi Changfeng, remained silent, and then an unscripted musician unexpectedly appeared to defend the princess.
The bewildered crowd had no idea that even more shocking events were to come.
Luo Yingbai saw Xia Xianning put on a piece of clothing and approach, almost laughing under the table. He forcibly suppressed his laughter and impatiently waved his hand, signaling a palace maid to present a sword.
The confused palace maid, following the Prince’s indication, finally found a long sword and inexplicably handed it to Xu Jinfeng, who was determined to perform a sword dance.
While they might not have noticed Luo Yingbai’s random script changes, they could certainly tell that a scene without Xu Jinfeng had been forcibly inserted by Xia Xianning. Some immediately began to discuss:
“I don’t know. Did they change roles at the last minute? Is Young Master Xia trying to break into the entertainment industry? These second-generation officials really know how to have fun.”
“I can’t understand why Young Master Xia would want such a role…”
“This is love! Can’t you see who he’s doing this for?”
If Xia Xianning heard these comments, he would probably spit blood, but now he had no time for that. Taking the sword from the maid’s hand, he immediately felt it was made of peach wood with a spell cast upon it.
Xia Xianning pretended to dance with the sword, twirling it and thrusting backward, tracing an invisible magical seal in the air. A faint golden light burst forth, which only Luo Yingbai could recognize as the Tianxuan Seal, a Taoist method for exorcism.
The golden light illuminated Yue Huan’s figure, half-hidden in the night. His features were as beautiful as described in the text, but his complexion was dark, his eyes red, resembling a zombie crawling out of a grave.
This spirit had already undergone a transformation and was nearly becoming a demon!
He grinned at Xia Xianning, revealing a hideous smile, dodging the sword’s edge and then lightning-fast reaching for Xia Xianning’s throat.
Only when truly engaging in combat did Xia Xianning realize how troublesome this opponent was. Seemingly possessing fragments of an evil spirit’s soul, Yue Huan could gather massive amounts of negative energy with the slightest movement. While he and Luo Yingbai were not afraid, prolonged exposure to this energy could harm the bystanders’ life force.
To others, Xia Xianning appeared to be dancing alone, but he was actually locked in an intense struggle with Yue Huan, unable to decisively subdue his opponent.
At this moment, a zither sound emerged, clear and flowing like water, subtly joining the battle.
As Luo Yingbai’s fingers moved, the air around Yue Huan seemed to form shadowy shackles. Yue Huan momentarily froze, allowing Xia Xianning to seize the opportunity and thrust his sword toward Yue Huan’s chest.
Seeing him succeed, Luo Yingbai breathed a sigh of relief, stopped the zither music, and coldly told Xia Xianning: “Not bad sword dancing, but too much killing intent. Not what this prince appreciates.”
He was steering the plot back to requesting the princess dance. Xia Xianning sheathed his sword, discreetly retrieving a soul-capturing bottle from his sleeve, responding: “Please forgive me, Your Highness. Jinfeng’s skills are lacking. But Jinfeng cannot bear to see the princess humiliated…”
He Yue’s barrier was undisturbed, so Yue Huan must be here. But where?
This undetectable feeling was far more terrifying than directly facing danger. In this situation, everything seemed horrifying, and everyone looked suspicious. Luo Mingbai’s nerves were stretched to the limit, his scalp tingling, almost able to hear his own heart pounding against his chest.
The others were completely unaware of the danger, still playing their roles under the director’s guidance.
Luo Mingbai raised his hand absentmindedly, allowing her to move, his eyes still fixed on Xia Jianning.
At the moment she approached, Luo Mingbai suddenly felt a subtle sensation. His back went cold, his head slightly dizzy, and all sounds around him seemed to fade.
Suddenly, Luo Mingbai swiftly raised his hand, quickly grabbing the palace maid’s wrist!
Yue Huan, it was definitely her!
But just as their skin was about to touch, he was quickly pulled back by someone.
Luo Mingbai looked up to see Xia Jianning standing in front of him, slapping a yellow talisman onto the palace maid, which instantly turned to ash.
He had also quickly sensed the danger and rushed over, breaking free from Wen Qianqian.
The unusual talisman confirmed that Yue Huan was indeed possessing the palace maid, and Wen Qianqian was merely under his spell!
Xia Jianning’s actions were blocked by the maid’s body, so no one saw the talisman. But at least they could see the plot had shifted from “princess confessing to the musician” to “musician pushing away the princess and lunging at the maid” – what a thunderous plot twist!
What was originally a routine variety show had now become so unexpectedly exciting that it had stirred everyone’s enthusiasm. The fans could no longer contain themselves. Someone whistled loudly, shouting: “Xu Jinfeng, you’re a life winner! Turning down the princess’s embrace to fight the emperor for a maid!”
“Go for it, Xu Jinfeng, you’re so inspiring!”
