Between the two dance pieces, there was a simple transition music, a solo organ piece. The delightful lody flowed like an evening breeze brushing the treetops, coaxing a flock of birds into soft chirping.
The young warlock and witch slowed down their dance steps, but their bodies remained close together, showing no intention of parting.
"The rhythm of the next piece should be a bit more relaxed, not as pressured as this one." Jiang Yu’s expression visibly relaxed. Earlier, Zheng Qing’s flustered dance was practically a disaster; it wasn’t until the music slowed that the young cost student regained his composure, matching the witch’s rhythm.
"rlin above... Actually, my dancing isn’t that bad; I was just a bit nervous," Zheng Qing muttered softly, his mind full of thoughts on how to prove himself with the next dance. The heat on his face finally subsided, allowing him to feel the slight chill of the night breeze once more.
Then he started racking his brain, pondering what new topics to chat about.
A crisp cough sounded in his ear.
Blinking in confusion, the boy realized that the witch, so close at hand, hadn’t coughed. He glanced around; the nearest wizard was more than ten ters away.
"Is there a problem?" Jiang Yu, sensing the confusion in Zheng Qing’s expression, asked sensitively.
"Perhaps I’m just hearing things," the boy replied, his tone uncertain. anwhile, he suddenly recalled the ergency training session at Greenhill Mansion—when conversation feels awkward and there’s nothing to say, talking about art is the best option.
"Music, dance, clothing, and architecture, these beautiful concepts fill the gaps beyond magic in our world," Zheng Qing recited in a poetic manner.
Jiang Yu gave him an odd look but said nothing.
This isn’t what Su Shijun taught—shouldn’t she say sothing? The thought flashed through Zheng Qing’s mind, and he gave a dry cough, pressing on bravely, "Do you know why wizards are also enamored with art?"
Jiang Yu chuckled lightly, "Why?"
"People are enamored with art because it is the only trace we leave behind in this world... It shares the sa history we’ve walked and tells the most genuine joys and sorrows," the boy solemnly echoed words he had morized countless tis before, feeling quite pleased with himself for expressing sothing profound and aningful.
However, unexpectedly.
The witch seed unimpressed by this topic.
"Do you find dancing with boring?" Jiang Yu squinted, the smile on her face vanishing without a trace.
Zheng Qing stumbled slightly, feeling his dance steps getting chaotic again, and forced a laugh, "I don’t quite understand what you an..."
Jiang Yu said nothing, but the boy heard a burst of overlapping laughter in his ear — this laughter was exactly the sa as the earlier cough, and this ti, Zheng Qing finally identified the source of the ’hallucination’.
He tilted his head hard and looked at his shoulder.
A thumb-sized little fox, holding its belly, was laughing so hard it nearly fell, the four hazy and fluffy tails resembling arms, randomly pounding Zheng Qing’s shoulder, creating a racket.
A chilling sensation zipped from the tailbone to his forehead, causing him to shiver involuntarily.
Hallucinations, it’s all hallucinations.
He chanted in his heart, trying hard to look away and ignore the little fox on his shoulder. But his dance partner had no intention of ignoring this ’hallucination,’ her gaze fixed intently on the little fox.
"Su Councilor?"
Jiang Yu’s voice carried a hint of inquiry, but her tone was assertive, a flash of annoyance in her eyes—after all, foxes with four tails were not common, and even fewer were present at the ball.
"Hey? Hey!"
The little fox, who had been laughing uproariously, seed to just realize its unintentional exposure and leaped off Zheng Qing’s shoulder in alarm. In the blink of an eye, it transford from a thumb-sized fox into a thumb-sized beauty, reverting to its usual composed and elegant deanor—though the four tails still swayed and undulated behind her.
"Apologies, I was just here to notify my dance partner to get ready for the next piece."
Having shrunk in size, Su Shijun’s voice was crisp, her tone much livelier. After explaining her intention, she criticized the warlock for the topic he had just started: "By the way, I should have told you that you can only use those generalized platitudes when ’left speechless at a dance’... Speaking such things to a lady is very impolite. Why would you think that a talented witch like Student Jiang Yu, from a prestigious clan, wouldn’t be familiar with this routine?"
Having said that, she adjusted her skirt and politely nodded slightly at Jiang Yu, "I apologize for my dance partner’s rudeness."
Jiang Yu did not accept Su Shijun’s apology.
She pretended not to see the semi-transparent little figure on Zheng Qing’s shoulder, continuing to hold one of his arms with a hand and placing her other hand on his, slowly rotating on the grass.
The organ solo used for the transition was nearing its end, and the prelude of the third dance piece began to play intermittently. The cello, clarinet, oboe, and flute successively emitted the sounds of spring, yet Zheng Qing felt not a shred of spring’s warmth, his whole body seemingly frozen.
"The pace of this upcoming waltz is quite slow; just follow my steps, and you’ll be fine," the witch in the red dress softly reminded the young man.
Zheng Qing swallowed carefully.
A sharp pain tugged at his ear.
The thumb-sized maiden on his shoulder was pulling his earlobe with all her might, reminding loudly: "I warned you, you only have one dance to go!"
At this mont, Zheng Qing truly wished for a stone to fall from the sky and knock him out.
Perhaps the gods heard his prayer.
An abrupt voice suddenly erged at the ears of the three wizards.
"If none of you can decide, how about handing him over to ?"
Accompanying the cheerful voice, a gigantic, almost boat-like black and red high heel dropped from the sky. It seed heavy yet landed lightly, stepping right onto the young warlock and witch.
Zheng Qing instinctively stepped back, his hand already clutching the grey cloth bag at his waist. In contrast, Jiang Yu remained much calr, even restraining the boy’s hand about to draw the charm gun.
Coming to his senses, Zheng Qing realized that the giant high heel was seemingly so form of ntal illusion.
But the owner of the high heel was not.
At this mont, the owner of the high heel was standing smiling in front of Zheng Qing.
"Korma?"
Su Shijun’s slightly surprised voice sounded in Zheng Qing’s ear. As the uninvited guest appeared, a mber of the Upper House of the Moon Council erged from a hazy light. Being the main guest of the Moon Ball, she promptly arrived at the scene upon sensing the sudden presence of a mysterious Big Wizard.
User Comments
0 comments from readers