Chapter 28: She Sings, She Dance

When Dugu Baitian woke up, it was already noon. He had slept soundly and deeply, and the waiters in the inn had come in several times but couldn't bear to disturb him. They had quietly left his wash basin and other toiletries by his bedside.

Dugu Baitian woke up and rinsed his mouth. Suddenly, he felt that something was not right, and then he remembered that he was still wearing a mask on his face. He quickly took off the mask, washed his face again carefully, and then put the mask back on, taking care to make sure it was secure. The mask was now his talisman. Without it, if he were to walk out in the open, he might encounter a rash martial arts expert who would try to take him down in the name of justice.

Last night seemed like a dream, but it was all real. Dugu Baitian stepped outside and took a deep breath of "fresh" air, which was actually no longer fresh since it was already noon. He walked to the main hall of the inn and passed by Xuan Xuan's room. He listened carefully and heard her even breathing. That lazy girl had not yet woken up. He had wanted to invite her to have lunch together, but he dismissed the thought.

Dugu Baitian went straight to the main hall and chose a table that no one else was occupying. Although it was already lunchtime, strangely, there were not many people in the hall. He ordered a bowl of porridge, a few steamed buns, and some meat and vegetable dishes. He had thought about ordering a pot of wine, but he felt that it was no fun drinking alone, so he decided not to.

Just then, there was a commotion outside.

"Miss Liu is coming!"

"Really?"

"We want to see Miss Ruyan!"

"No, we are responsible for Miss Ruyan's safety, and we will not allow anyone to see her."

"Just one glance, please."

Then there was more arguing.

Dugu Baitian was curious about what was going on. Who was this Miss Ruyan, and why was everyone so eager to see her? He called over a waiter and was about to address him as "little brother," but then he realized that it might be impolite. So he said, "Excuse me, sir. What is happening outside, and why is it so noisy?" The waiter looked at him strangely when he called him "sir," but patiently explained it to him.

"Sir, you're really lucky today. Miss Liu Ruyan passed by here, and maybe you can have a glimpse of her beauty. Those people outside are all waiting on the road where Miss Liu Ruyan must pass by, preparing to see her beauty.

Dugu Baitian asked, "Who is Liu Ruyan?"

The waiter's eyes widened in disbelief and said, "Sir, are you kidding me? Liu Ruyan, the famous singer and dancer of the Qingfeng Empire, you've never heard of her?"

"I'm not from the Qingfeng Empire."

"Oh, I see. That's why. Although Liu Ruyan is well-known in the Qingfeng Empire, for some reason, she rarely accepts invitations from other countries to perform. But you're really not wasting your trip to the Qingfeng Empire this time. Let me tell you about Liu Ruyan."

While eating, Dugu Baitian listened to the waiter's chatter.

"Liu Ruyan is so beautiful, like a fairy descending to earth."

"Oh, she's that beautiful." Dugu Baitian replied indifferently.

The waiter seemed to have opened the chatterbox and talked endlessly.

"Sir, do you know why she's called the double master of song and dance? It's because her singing and dancing skills are unparalleled in the Qingfeng Empire. No one can compare to her."

"I thought her singing and dancing were unparalleled in the world."

The waiter said, "I know you may not believe it, but Liu Ruyan's singing and dancing skills are really incomparable. If you see and hear it with your own eyes and ears, you will definitely believe it."

"Have you seen and heard it yourself?"

"No, but my cousin's uncle's niece's husband's aunt's sister-in-law's son has seen and heard it with his own eyes and ears. It is said that Liu Ruyan's singing is like a saying, 'This song should only be heard in heaven, not on earth.'"

"Yes, that's the sentence. Although it seems to describe a piece of music, it's not an exaggeration to use it to describe her singing voice. Her singing voice is simply too wonderful, even more delightful than the songbirds on the trees. Her dancing skills are also mesmerizing."

Dugu Baitian looked at the excited innkeeper and couldn't help but smile. He found it amusing that a woman he had never met before could captivate him so much. At the same time, he became curious about this Liu Ruyan.

Seeing the smile on Dugu Baitian's lips, the innkeeper said, "Sir, please don't doubt me. I'm telling the truth. Did you hear the commotion outside? Most of those people have seen Miss Ruyan's performance before. When they heard that she would pass through here, they specifically waited here all morning."

"Oh, they have seen Liu Ruyan's performance before," Dugu Baitian said.

"Yes, indeed. Miss Liu is truly a great person. Last year, there were droughts in many places in the empire, and she traveled around to raise funds for the disaster areas. She pleaded with large merchant guilds for donations and held charity performances in major cities to raise funds. She even came to Fenghuo City not far from here for a charity performance. Many people in our small town went to see it, but unfortunately, I couldn't go at that time," the innkeeper said with a regretful expression.

Dugu Baitian smiled and said, "But today you have the opportunity to see her."

"It's not easy. There are many guards protecting her outside, and no one is allowed to approach," the innkeeper said.

Dugu Baitian finished his lunch with a pleasant yet curious mood, wiped his mouth, and suddenly felt the stubble on his face. He then remembered that he was currently playing the role of a man in his late thirties. He finally understood why the innkeeper looked strange when he called him "sir" earlier. It was indeed strange for a man in his late thirties to call a young man in his twenties "sir," but fortunately, he was not a martial arts practitioner.

Dugu Baitian looked outside the inn and saw that the street was crowded with people, completely blocking the traffic. Even the roofs on both sides of the street were filled with people. A group of soldiers were almost overwhelmed by the local residents. This Liu Ruyan's charm was not indifferent. Dugu Baitian couldn't help but anticipate her appearance, wanting to see what this legendary woman was like.

Just then, someone shouted, "Miss Liu is coming."

The crowd immediately became agitated, and the voices of the people were clamorous. The soldiers rushed out of the crowd and separated from the common people. They saw a carriage approaching from a distance, with many more guards than here.

The crowd began to push forward, and the soldiers here quickly drew their swords, while the archers nocked their arrows. However, the crowd showed no sign of retreating. The situation immediately became tense, and there was a possibility of a confrontation and a fight between the two sides.

At this moment, a galloping horse approached, and a young general rode on it. The horse arrived swiftly.

The young general shouted from afar, "Everyone, don't be impulsive. Miss Liu is coming soon. She will see all of you, but please clear the way and move to the sides, because Miss Liu has urgent matters to attend to in Kaiyuan City after meeting everyone."

The tense atmosphere instantly eased, and the crowd slowly moved aside. The soldiers who were on high alert also let out a sigh of relief.

The carriage finally approached and stopped in front of the crowd.

The curtain of the carriage was slowly opened, and a girl of fifteen or sixteen jumped down from the carriage. She had big, watery eyes that blinked playfully, a cute little nose, and rosy lips, looking mischievous. Dugu Baitian was a bit disappointed. Was this the famous "dual beauty of song and dance," Liu Ruyan, who was actually a mischievous little girl?

However, everyone's gaze was still focused on the carriage. At this moment, another woman in purple clothes walked down from the carriage. She looked to be in her early twenties, very beautiful. She had a tall and graceful figure, picturesque features, fair cheeks, a straight and cute nose, and red lips. She was truly a stunning beauty, comparable to Sutu Mingyue and the masked Xuan Xuan he had just seen.

There was silence all around, and everyone was staring straight at her.

Dugu Baitian was also greatly shocked, but he quickly regained his composure. Although this beauty was indeed stunning, she still fell short compared to Li Shi, who was known as the most beautiful in the world. As someone who had already seen the peerless beauty of Li Shi, he would not be as entranced as others.

Without a doubt, this beauty was Liu Ruyan, and the mischievous girl from earlier must be her maid.

Liu Ruyan spoke slowly, "First of all, I want to thank everyone for your warm welcome to Ruyan. I apologize for making you wait here."

The crowd immediately shouted, "It's our honor to see Miss Liu's beauty."

Liu Ruyan continued, "I am only passing through Tongzhou town this time, and I have a reason for not performing for everyone." Her voice paused, and then she continued, "Do you all remember the history of forty years ago? The Baiyue Empire invaded our country with an army of five hundred thousand. Wherever their iron hooves went, they left no one alive who dared to resist. In less than a year, half of our Qingfeng Empire's territory fell under their control, and the empire was plunged into a bloody storm. Who was it that rose like a comet during the national crisis, reorganized the remnants of our army, and defeated the enemy with only one hundred and fifty thousand troops? Who was it that took the enemy general's head in the midst of tens of thousands of enemy troops, and reclaimed our Qingfeng Empire's lost territory? It was General Li, the lord of the first city of our Qingfeng Empire."

"General Li forever!"

"General Li forever!"

The thunderous shouts echoed throughout the small city.

The glorious history always inspires the patriotic enthusiasm of the nation, filling people with a strong sense of national pride. The role of heroes is no less important than the illustrious history of a country. The legends of heroes can make the blood of young people boil, and strengthen their ideals. It can also make the elderly continue to hold on to their heroic aspirations even in their twilight years. The splendor of a nation is always linked to its heroes, and both are the pride of the nation.

After the excited crowd calmed down, Liu Ruyan continued, "Forty years ago, we did not win the war easily. The Empire lost countless civilian. Our invincible commander, General Li, also suffered serious injuries and has been tormented by internal injuries for the past forty years. Little did anyone know that General Li's beloved wife died while protecting him from an assassination attempt on the enemy commander. Over the past forty years, General Li has suffered physical pain from his injuries and endless grief in his heart for his deceased wife. But just yesterday, General Li suddenly fell critically ill. Do you know what happened when General Li lay on his sickbed, murmuring and humming the songs his wife loved to hear?"

At this point, Liu Ruyan's voice choked with emotion, and she composed herself before continuing, "When his majesty learned of this, he immediately sent someone on a fast horse to order me to rush to the capital overnight to sing for General Li."

Upon hearing this, everyone could no longer hold back their tears, and the sound of crying filled the air.

"We have wasted Miss Liu's time. We apologize to General Li."

"We wish General Li a speedy recovery."

"We are the guilty ones."

Even the soldiers burst into tears as they learned of the news.

Dugu Baitian was also deeply moved.

In the hearts of the people, General Li was undoubtedly the pride of the country, the source of national pride, a true hero. Behind every hero, there are countless hidden sorrows, and what outsiders see is only their lofty image when they wear their halo. Who would have thought that behind the glory lies such a tragic story?

It took a long time for everyone to calm down, but their faces were filled with sorrow.

Liu Ruyan spoke, "Today, I can only offer you one song, and I will apologize to everyone another day."

The crowd shouted in unison, "No, we are the guilty ones. We have wasted your time, and we apologize to General Li."

Liu Ruyan waved her hand, and the voices of the crowd immediately quieted down.

The gentle and melancholic singing voice drifted away:

"The roses wither daily,

the bright moon departs,

like a mad queen in a birch forest.

I smiled slightly, she kissed me gently

and took my heart, rolling in the azure sky,

wearing a crown of stars and swaying it in her arms,

guarding it on the clouds and reflecting its image on the water.

She placed it in a rose bush, soaking it with the fragrance of roses,

emotionlessly placing it in the boundless emptiness,

giving it warmth, transparency, and goldenness.

When dawn comes, she sends it back to my bleeding chest,

my heart like a desolate baby,

like a drowsy star, wet and fragrant."

The carriage had long gone, and everyone was still immersed in the song, tears streaming down their faces. Even the eyes of Dugu Baitian were slightly moistened by the poignant story of General Li Lin.

The sorrowful and melodious singing of Liu Ruyan touched the pain in his heart, and the beautiful face of Sutu Mingyue once again emerged from the depths of his heart. He knew deeply that this feeling had long since passed with the wind, but he could not forget it. The bright and beautiful face of that woman always floated in his heart, and it was his eternal pain.

Wiping the corner of his eye, Dugu Baitian turned and walked towards the inn.