Magnificent Beauty
“In spite of Daren Academy’s enduring polished reputation as one of the most important places to study at for any serious academician, it inevitably started to feel too old-school for the younger generation that had continued to modernise with each passing generation. The academy itself had no way of sensationalising itself solely as a place where knowledge was abundant. In its history, all graduates were individuals who enrolled as young students and graduated as old graduates. While true that the graduates were astute and honoured individuals, it seemed that they were all copies of each other. Thus, its popularity paled in comparison to academies that produced graduates of all different characters. By education standards, Daren Academy did no wrong, but it struggled to establish itself as a leader in education if one assessed it based on appearances. The imperial court recruited officials almost solely from Daren Academy, resulting in people lamenting that the academy didn’t live up to its reputation.
“Ever since Huang Yuzao took up leadership, Daren Academy underwent enormous changes. Since he expanded their offerings to thirty-six subjects, scholars had the ability to choose other careers aside from civil servant jobs. Aware that the next generation didn’t necessarily share his hobbies, he encouraged students to seek their own development paths, granting students unprecedented autonomy in development. Among the additions that made the academy more colourful and livelier in contrast to its past stuck-in-the-mud and outdated image was the academy idol event.
“Students were permitted to pursue their own interest and nominate themselves for the idol competition, while the tutors of Daren Academy would support them. Since its introduction, the competition had evolved into one of the academy’s most important event.
“To nobody’s surprise, the event was criticised for being beyond the scope of education. Of course, there were some who supported it. Had Huang Yuzao not adamantly advocated for it, the event would’ve been abandoned already. If the competition didn’t have a childish aspect to it, then it wasn’t a true representation of the students’ pursuits.
“Daren Academy enforced strict disciplinary practices, but they had produced a number of atypical talents in recent years because they started accepted students who otherwise should not have been accepted. Consequently, there were questions raised about Daren Academy copying Qiyuan’s playbook. All in all, though, Daren Academy’s evolution was irrefutable.” – Chapter three of Daren Academy’s Guide, Black and White Reflection, Academy Edition.
The first day of Daren Academy’s idol competition saw the completion of the rites, mathematics and calligraphy contests.
In the rites event, Che Gulu’s team took first place, followed by Wu Dayong and Song Chi’s teams, respectively.
In the calligraphy event, Che Gulu’s team took first place. Shi Weiliang and Mu Anan came in as runner ups, while Song Chi’s group placed third again.
In the mathematics event, Su Xiao’s team came out on top. Song Chi’s team came in second place, and Wu Dayong’s team picked up third place.
Based on the results thus far, Che Gulu led by a large margin, but his team’s failure to place in the top three in the mathematics contest reduced the gap considerably.
Quanmu had secured second place for the overall, and Song Chi’s group had secured third place.
According to the original plan, Song Ou’s group would forfeit to Su Xiao’s group, and Su Xiao’s group would throw the contest to Che Gulu, who’d then forfeit the prizes to Su Xiao. Alas, Su Xiao and Song Chi had made it known that neither side was going to follow the agreements any longer, meaning it now came down to a contest of true competence. It was a rather awkward situation for the reason that Che Gulu reaped all the benefits from the disregarded agreements.
“Crapmu…”
“Trashmu…”
“Filthy.”
“No sportsmanship whatsoever… Trash.”
“Shameless… Shameless Wu Dayong.”
Other classes harshly denounced the Quanmu class after the first day due to Su Xiao and Wu Dayong’s tactic. 30% of the contempt actually came from their own class; the girls who participated, in particular, pulled no punches lambasting the boys who they now evaluated even more negatively. The face of Quanmu – Wu Dayong – could’ve soaked up all the praise easily, but he had already left for he, Zhou Teng and He Shi needed to take the imperial exams. As such, Su Xiao and the girls had to bear all the spite.
Su Xiao was not one who’d let harmless words stop him from achieving his goal. Besides, he wasn’t even a student of Daren Academy, so what reason did he have to care? He was supposed to be at war with descendants of the Seven Champion White Princes, yet he had no qualms seeking Jin Zhaoying’s advice. Unlike him, though, the girls didn’t have skin as him. Therefore, they stayed in their classroom.
“Today is music, chariotry and archery.”
Mu Anan had her head down, a scary smile and was always writing. Needless to say, she didn’t hear or see Wang Zi count off the contests.
“Shi Weiliang will take care of music. As for Chariotry and archery, they will depend on the boys. Considering Brother Yan Ling is even ranked as one of the Seventeen Hidden Dragons, surely he can handle it, right?”
Shi Weiliang, in an unconfident tone, replied, “Don’t say I’ll take care of it. There’s no guarantee I’ll win. Wu Dayong’s group is all to blame for this. Why insist on taking part in the idol competition when you have imperial exams, as well? We’d have much better chances if they were still competing. Wu Dayong really should be renamed to Wu Wuyong!”
“Don’t say that.”
Shi Weiliang had a bad feeling as soon as she saw Wang Zi’s smirk, but she was too slow to react.
“Didn’t he swear to marry you?”
All the girls whistled as Shi Weiliang went bright red in the face.
“He was just fooling around!” Shi Weiliang stomped, but it only motivated her classmates to giggle.
“Hehehe, you declared in front of the whole class that you’d marry him if he won.”
Other classmates: “Yeah!”
“Is there any chance he’d win?! I was just riled up. He, like his name, is useless. His academic scores are inferior to mine. He has no chance of winning.”
Shi Weiliang and Wu Dayong had a typical daily argument yesterday, with neither of them giving way. Emotionally riled up, Wu Dayong asserted, “If I win, your family has to feed me for three years!” Unwilling to back down, Shi Weiliang fired back, “Forget feeding you, I’d marry you!”
Wang Zi cackled, “So… are you going to marry him if he wins?”
“H-he… won’t win… If he does, you’ll have to be his concubine!”
Now it was Wang Zi’s turn to have a taste of her own medicine. “N-no, that was all you! I never said that!”
As Wu Dayong and Shi Weiliang went back and forth yesterday, Shi Weiliang dragged her best friend into the bet after Wu Dayong stated, “Who’d want you for a wife?!” to which Shi Weiliang responded, “Wang Zi will be your concubine, then! Both of us will marry you! If you don’t win the exams, you can go jump into the ocean!” While Shi Weiliang looked meek and prim, she had a wild side when it came to gambling.
“You agreed to it. I remember it. Everyone else remembers it, too, right?”
“I dare any one of you to raise your hand!” Wang Zi swept her enraged gaze over all her classmates, shutting them all down.
“I remember,” Mu Anan whispered.
“Anan! You betrayed me!”
“Hehe, but I do remember. Ah, Brother Yan Ling.”
The girls stopped arguing instantly.
Tang Ye probably would’ve remained invisible after entering had it not been for Mu Anan pointing out he had entered.
Tang Ye bobbed his head. “Hello.”
Tang Ye was perplexed as to why the class fell silent as soon as he entered. It never occurred to him that he had an appearance and aura that intimated men and galvanised women to act prim. Though he was only nineteen, he had solidified himself as one of the Seventeen Hidden Dragons. Accordingly, plenty of female students had their eyes on the single as soon as he arrived at Daren Academy, and he only grew more popular once they knew his status. Among potential-husband candidates, he had the whole package. As expected, then, girls would try to impress him. Little did they know how tough of a nut to crack he was.
“Where is Xiao Han?” queried Tang Ye. He never picked up on the fact that girls were trying to impress him. “There is only an hour before the competition starts. Has Xiao Han not arrived yet?”
“Not yet. He went to pay Jin Zhaoying a visit, but he said he’d be back before the competition starts.”
The first event was music, so Tang Ye wasn’t too concerned if Su Xiao wasn’t there by then. The thing that he couldn’t work out was why Su Xiao needed to see Jin Zhaoying at this point. Without considering the first round over the next three days, Su Xiao should’ve been the one teaching Jin Zhaoying archery and chariotry. After all, she rose to her current position through intellect, not martial arts.
Tang Ye was interrupted when he caught the sight of someone in his peripherals. “Why are you here?”
“Is there a rule stipulating I can’t come here?” Si Fu brushed her bangs by her temples with a smile. “The academy is open today. How could one waste an opportunity to expand their horizons? We Qilin Guards need stress relief activities, too, considering our work load.”
All the girls came to the same conclusion when they saw Si Fu’s long legs, hourglass figure and smile – none of them could hold a candle to her. Her friendly tone towards Tang Ye almost had them in tears.
Tang Ye tried to think of an explanation for the misunderstanding, but he didn’t know where to start, so he said, “Enjoy your tour,” then spun around.
Needless to say, Si Fu wanted to clobber the block of wood.
Though Shi Weiliang and Wang Zi wanted to ask who the beauty was, Tang Ye looked uninterested.
“I have a case to tell you about.”
Tang Ye spun back around to Si Fu instantly. “What?”
“This way.”
Tang Ye followed Si Fu into the courtyard without another word. Upon arrival, he asked, “What case? Did you come here for it?”
Si Fu didn’t visit for work. The idol competition was a big deal, so plenty of people working for the government attended, which led to her thinking that she might bump into Tang Ye there. The last thing she expected was to be discussing a case with a block of wood.
“It’s the, uh… Ming Feizhen’s assassination.”
“There’s news on Bronze Mask?”
Bai Yeshuang and Shen Yiren were more experienced detectives than Tang Ye. Having said that, he learnt how to pick up on key points quickly from Ming Feizhen.
“No… but we recently discovered a group that means Ming Feizhen harm called Bird Worship Cult.”
“Bird Worship Cult?” Tang Ye wrinkled his nose. “What sort of demented cult is it?”
“Who knows? The head of the group is shrouded in mystery. It’s speculated that they have covered they are affiliated with the imperial court and Seven Champion White Princes.”
“Such a person exists?”
Si Fu nodded and then sighed. “The capital has yet another matter to tackle now.” She then glanced at Tang Ye, who was thinking, and quietly questioned, “Do you have plans tonight?”
“No. Big Bro is off to the exams. Xiao Han and I are holding down the fort here. We do need to discuss tomorrow’s schedule, that being said.”
“You call Su Xiao Xiao Han and he refers to you as Yan Ling?”
“Yes.”
In socialite, nobility and academic circles, referring to someone directly by their name was considered rude. In the martial world, there was a mixture of how to address someone; it should’ve been obvious based on how often people referred to others by random titles and names. That being said, those born into prestigious martial arts families, particularly families tied to the orthodox sects, would still address each other by their courtesy names. Su Xiao and Tang Ye were used to it since they grew up in families that emphasised following all the formalities. What stuck out was the fact that Tang Ye didn’t address Ming Feizhen by his courtesy name, but Si Fu chose not to ask about it since there was something more pressing to ask.
“Since you’re free after the day’s competition, how about w-”
“Wait.” Tang Ye flicked up a hand as he cast his gaze into the distance. “Give me a moment,” he said before heading off.
Si Fu tracked Tang Ye to see an eighteen-year-old girl holding a bag of mantous, strolling through the strolling through the corridor. She didn’t try to be special, yet she created a picturesque vibe akin to a maiden strolling through drizzle on a mountain path.
“Miss Bai.”
Si Fu realised Bai Yumo was no ordinary maiden from the way Tang Ye called out to her.
Bai Yumo supposedly waited for Tang Ye to close in before reacting. She looked at him confused and asked, “You are?”
“Tang Ye,” answered Tang Ye.
“Oh…” Bai Yumo giddily scrubbed her head. “Um… Who is Tang Ye?”
At this point in his life, Tang Ye was used to dealing with people who seemed to always be lost.
“We’ve met a few times before, most of which consisted of me giving you trouble. You may not remember, but Monk Xun Feng must have mentioned, or more likely, cursed me frequently.”
The mention of Xun Feng gave Bai Yumo an epiphany.
“Ooooh, it’s you.” Bai Yumo enthused, “I remember you now! Sorry, I’m rather…” She suddenly took two steps back as if it was urgent. At the same time she retreated, she reached for her broadsword at her sash. Because she didn’t bring her weapon today, however, she ended up pulling out a mantou and pointed at Tang Ye. “What do you want?”
“Nothing.” Tang Ye easily took the mantou from Bai Yumo’s grip, leaving her unsure what to do with her hands. “My Big Bro thinks you’re suspicious, and I do, too, so I want to ask you directly: are you Six Blades Bronze Mask?”
“No! Who is Bronze Mask?”
Bai Yumo had her vigilance dialled up as high as it could go, and so did Tang Ye. If she was Bronze Mask, then he was no match for her. Tang Ye slowly put the mantou into his mouth, slowly chewed and slowly swallowed as Bai Yumo watched on with her eyes wide.
Once he finished eating the mantou, Tang Ye said, “You best not be lying.”
Only once Tang Ye retreated a step did Bai Yumo feel secure. Unfortunately, that didn’t reduce the rage she felt over having her food stolen for some random reason. She pulled an angry face, only for him to look over his shoulder, prompting her to change her face back to normal as fast as lightning and count off her fingers.
“Wh-what?”
“The mantou… is a little cold,” Tang Ye informed before leaving.
Bai Yumo watched Tang Ye leave with a radiant and enchanting old woman dressed unbecomingly.
“What a jerk!” Never had Bai Yumo met such a big jerk in her life. Not only did he take her mantou, he also took his sweet time, causing it to go cold and then complained about it to her. “What an absolute jerk!”
Bai Yumo didn’t stop jogging for anyone until she returned to the room her group assembled. Only once she sat down in the room she was familiar with did she feel relieved. The others were all confused to see the usually laid-back maiden look furious and running.
Ling Shaoxuan inquired, “What’s the matter?”
“Don’t remind me! I ran into a jerk!”
They were all surprised to hear Bai Yumo could hate someone.
Bai Yumo took out a mantou and bit into it as if it owed her money, then took out another one and went over to give it to Xun Feng. “I understand you now!”
“Th-thank you.” Xun Feng was as confused as could be. Since he knew how protective she was of her food, though, he was smart enough to express appreciation if she shared.
Ling Shaoxuan knew something happened, but he was never interested in girls’ issues, so he sheathed his sword. “You came back at the right time. The three of us are up next. Let’s go!”
***
They walked for a while before Si Fu finally asked the question she’d been dying to ask. “What was that about?”
“What about it?”
“Stop playing the fool!”
Si Fu: What was that reunion-between-a-male-and-female-lead-in-a-novel scene about?! Why did you suddenly question her?! Is it because she’s pretty? If you had questions for why, just ask her? Why did you take her mantou and even eat it? Why did you even intimidate her afterwards? Is that your way of hitting on girls, you block of wood? You made all three typical moves when hitting on girls!
“You need to improve your observation skills,” stated Tang Ye.
Now it was Si Fu’s turn to not understand.
“Did you notice that she had a vice-like grip on her mantou? That proved she cares immensely about the mantous. She looked depressed when I pinched one from her, which further supports that.”
Si Fu: Probably because she’s a glutton?
“I deliberately ate it in front of her to anger her, hoping to make her reveal an opening. I never expected her to have such good control over her emotions.”
Whatever do you mean?! The refined maiden pulled a face at you because you stole her mantou!
“As for what I said before I left… I was just sharing my opinion. It really was a little dry and cold.”
Si Fu was a thought away from palming herself on the face.
Though it was called a music contest, they weren’t tested on traditional music theory. Based on traditional definitions, expertise in music theory didn’t refer to musical performance capabilities. It was still a part of Confucianism, but the definitions had evolved with the times. In the distant past, musical skills, especially the type of performances to be displayed today, were frowned upon. Musicians who relied on performances to earn a living were considered pathetic. The landscape had changed, nevertheless. Starting from the previous dynasty, music was given respect, and musicians were honoured more than any previous dynasty. Perhaps they were no longer as valued now compared to a century ago, but they were no longer considered pathetic or bottom-tier of society. Therefore, there was no shortage of young individuals eager to pursue music aspirations.
The musical contest didn’t abide by antique standards. Instead, students were encouraged to perform freely for the professional musicians and professors to score. It was practically a concert. The freedom granted was a major reason the music contest was one that most were enthusiastic about. Up until now, it was the event with the most spectators.
All competitors had arrived at the venue and carved off, leaving the centre vacant for those performing.
The music tutor for the imperial family, the Director of Music for the academy and music industry, and most importantly, a legend of the music industry, Professor Guan, were invited to judge the music competition. Professor Guan, also hailed as the best string-instrument player in Jiangnan, was the head judge.
The legend in his fifties had either shaken his head in disappointment or raucously criticised the performances thus far. The highest praise he had given out so far was a small nod and two words, “Not bad.”
Ling Shaoxuan made his way to the performance spot, catching the eyes of everyone present with his snow-white robe. Xun Feng followed behind him, carrying an iron broadsword for whatever reason. Needless to say, Professor Guan frowned when he saw the two of them show up without a music instrument.
“Are you two performing as a duet?‘
“This one is performing alone. Monk Xun Feng is merely assisting,” answered Ling Shaoxuan.
Professor Guan questioned, “What are you two going to perform?”
A performance with assistance was typical. In saying that, bringing a sword would make sense if there was a sword performance to accompany music, but a broadsword?
Ling Shaoxuan drew his sword slowly using Mount Lu Sword Sanctuary’s signature method. The sound of the sword tip’s flicker was akin to music from a bamboo flute, while the breeze added a serene ambience. He cracked a smile and announced, “Please watch on as this one performs a piece for you.”
Ling Shaoxuan thrust forward, while Xun Feng blocked with the broadsword. Despite the clash of sharp weapons, nobody could sense any hostility. Instead, the sound of the two blades gently grinding was comparable to nature’s melody in the mountains. Ling Shaoxuan drew his sword backwards to thrust again and again. The remaining echoes stacked on top of each other became a legato piece. Howbeit, each thrust produced a different pitch, ensuring there was an actual musical piece being played. As Ling Shaoxuan retracted his sword in a circular motion this time, the friction against the air produced a soft and slow sound.
Mount Lu Sword Sanctuary disciples practiced their Flying Thrust technique underneath waterfalls; if thrusting droplets of water was possible for them, then this performance was a walk in the park for Ling Shaoxuan.
Ling Shaoxuan’s piece soothed the mind. Even by the time he sheathed his sword, nobody looked uncomfortable for a split second. It wasn’t until a while after he was done did he receive a thunderous ovation.
Professor Guan nodded. “Not bad. Combining music with martial arts, a fine performance, indeed.”
Ling Shaoxuan racked up the highest score thus far.
Due to the pressure of meeting Ling Shaoxuan’s standard, successive performers haplessly made blunders in their performances.
Shi Weiliang planned to perform on a stringed instrument, but there was no way she could outshine Ling Shaoxuan’s performance no matter how good she was at music. Both Tang Ye and Wang Zi signalled for her to just try her best and not stress over it. Shi Weiliang, nonetheless, showed a rare expression of determination and headed to the performance spot without her instrument.
“I… will sing a piece.”
Not even Shi Weiliang’s friends were aware why she wanted to sing when she never made any practiced singing for the contest. Once she started singing, though, nobody made a sound as they listened to the song they’d never heard before. It wasn’t the emotions she roused that enchanted everyone but the tune and lyrics themselves. It was hard to imagine she’d be the lyricist given the contents.
Xun Feng and Ling Shaoxuan gave each other a nod. Xun Feng whipped his sleeve to shield Ling Shaoxuan behind him. Ling Shaoxuan stealthily drew his sword and flicked the tip.
Shi Weiliang grimaced, losing her control over her perfect breathing.
The basic technique from Flying Thrust emitted a formless and nigh silent sound that hurt the target. The technique wouldn’t inflict any damage unless the performer utilised a high concentration of energy; however, it was enough to interrupt the flow of qi and blood in ordinary folks. As a consequence, Shi Weiliang’s voice was impacted.
Tang Ye realised what was going on from Shi Weiliang’s abrupt and brief pause. Before he could make his move, though, Bai Yumo pushed Ling Shaoxuan out from Xun Feng’s back. Ling Shaoxuan sheathed his sword awkwardly as he glared at Bai Yumo. Bai Yumo glared back and grouched, “Why are you picking on her?!”
“Hmph.”
Xun Feng didn’t step in since he and Ling Shaoxuan accomplished their goal.
While Shi Weiliang was able to finish her song, it was imperfect. When perfection was the goal and she had to impress Professor Guan of all people, he most likely penalised her the majority of her points.
“I… I…” stammered Shi Weiliang, once she finished singing. Tears eventually started coursing down her face.
“Twenty years… Twenty years… It has been twenty years since this old man has heard ‘Magnificent Beauty’. The great Li Longlong rose to fame through the song. She stole every woman’s thunder when she performed the dance atop the city wall. After she married off to Beijiang later on and never returned to the capital, ‘Magnificent Beauty’ has never been performed again. This old one never expected to hear it again. If you are not first place, nobody else is deserving of the honour!”
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