Wind of Freedom

"I'm sorry, I might not be able to carry you for the rest of my life... Forget about me after dawn."

The thoughtful and warm-hearted man left the female swordsman with only his back view as he walked out of the Daoist temple, a scene that brought tears to the eyes of countless female viewers.

The final scene of the play shows the female lead standing in front of an unnamed grave, leaving behind a snow lotus flower, the favorite of the thoughtful and warm-hearted man.

Then, the curtain fell, and all the members of the Heavenly Dream Drama Troupe came out to give their thanks. The audience responded with thunderous applause, and even some of the judges were moved to tears while clapping.

"So touching! I haven't seen such a wonderful performance in a long time. Heavenly Dream Drama Troupe is now in the bag; the Nine Arts Phoenix Fledgling is theirs for the taking!"

"The screenwriter went too far, not even letting the male and female leads end up together. That line, 'After dawn, forget me,' broke my heart."

"A flawless masterpiece! It features exciting action scenes, a touching love story, and a tragic ending. The props and acting are also impeccable. The Emperor Peak Drama Club is out of the running now. Even if they performed just as well, they would have to hand over the crown in the end."

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Si Shuiyun challenged Si Ming, "Listen to what the audience is saying. Surely not everyone here is a plant you hired?"

"It is indeed an excellent work, I won't deny that." Si Ming also applauded.

"You know that's good. Those little tricks are useless. In the end, the outcome of a drama comes down to the drama itself. As long as the quality is high and you perform with your heart, you will gain the audience's approval. In the face of the bigger picture, your schemes and plots are just a joke."

Si Shuiyun was happy to see Si Ming make a fool of himself, so she naturally took the initiative to kick him while he was down without any psychological burden, especially since the young lady wasn't there and she didn't have to worry about losing face.

Just then, a sarcastic dissent suddenly arose from the crowd.

"As expected, it's a love story. The Heavenly Dream Drama Troupe really put in the effort; they knew the judges liked this kind of play, so they deliberately catered to their tastes."

"Yes, yes, they're definitely going to win this time. Regardless of how well they acted, as long as the judges are satisfied, that's all that matters."

"It's just another love story with one woman and multiple men, the same old tale in a new guise. Nobody believes they didn't try to please the female judges!"

Si Shuiyun knew that Si Ming would not give up so easily, so she had been listening intently. These objections naturally did not escape her "monitoring". At the same time, she also noticed that several judges immediately stopped smiling and looked rather ugly.

Flatterers are always looked down upon. Heavenly Dream Drama Troupe's pandering to others will undoubtedly provoke resentment once exposed. No member of the judging panel admits to liking to be fawned over.

"You actually resorted to such a despicable method to smear us!"

"Didn't you yourself say that 'in the face of the big picture, those schemes and plots are just a joke'? As long as the quality of your work is excellent, why be afraid of my little tricks?"

Si Shuiyun said angrily, "Don't be too happy yet. Your method is a double-edged sword. Although it successfully aroused the judges' aversion to love scenes and caused the Heavenly Dream Drama Troupe's score to drop, you will be no exception and will also be implicated."

"Oh, really?"

Hearing Si Ming's nonchalant tone, Si Shuiyun's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly realized. "Isn't the script you wrote a romance?"

"Shh, no spoilers, spoilers are shameful, just keep watching and you'll find out."

Si Ming kept her in suspense, whetting Si Shuiyun's appetite and making her grit her teeth in anger, yet Si Ming was powerless to do anything about it.

At this moment, the performance of the Emperor Peak Drama Club began. Again, before seeing the performers, one could hear their voices. A vast, melodious, ancient, and enigmatic piece of music rang out, immediately attracting everyone's attention. They all tilted their ears to listen, because this melody was one they had never heard before.

What kind of music is this?

Si Shuiyun questioned Si Ming, and although there was no reason, her intuition told her that it must have been done by him.

"Celtic music, you can think of it as the music of the Western Luo Continent."

"So your script is also a Western story? What's it called? Be careful it doesn't get too popular!"

"Thank you for your concern, but I am very confident about it. The play is titled 'The Wind of Freedom.'"

Chapter 308 The Wind of Freedom

The curtain slowly rose to the accompaniment of melodious music, revealing a natural pastoral scene: a babbling brook and a green meadow, all created using Divine Arts. Since the last performance, Si Huaruo had become increasingly skilled at using Divine Arts to create the scenery.

"Countryside style, could it be a story about rural romance?"

"I don't think so. Look at their clothing; it's clearly not Huaxia style. It's more like that of the Western Luo Continent."

That's Western rural romance.

Si Ming vaguely overheard similar discussions, which made him feel slightly relieved, because this was exactly the result he wanted. When everyone thought you were going to play a love story, a sudden change would pique their interest and turn their previous dislike into goodwill.

For example, a certain magical girl work had a somewhat dull beginning and an unconventional art style, which lowered the audience's opinion of it. However, when a certain senior became a headless knight and broke the routine of the magical girl series, the original bad impression rebounded into a good impression, and it went from a bad work to a masterpiece.

The opening of "The Wind of Freedom" follows the audience's expectations, depicting a beautiful and harmonious village like a paradise. Although the villagers are not wealthy, they are simple and honest, and their neighbors are as close as brothers and sisters, truly embodying the saying, "The villagers are very harmonious, and the old and young men are even more sociable."

Amidst the birdsong and fragrant flowers, the female lead, played by Si Huaruo, gracefully makes her entrance. This is the first time she hasn't had to dye her hair, allowing her to appear naturally without looking awkward. As a result, she seems quite cheerful. However, the character she's playing is a lively, Primal Qi, and somewhat mischievous country girl who is well-liked by the villagers and has a kind heart. Therefore, her high spirits don't break character; on the contrary, they help her bring the role to life.

The first act of the play establishes the historical context and introduces the main characters. It must be said that although Si Huaruo brought the character to life, compared to the suspenseful Heavenly Dream Drama Troupe that immediately grabs the audience's attention from the start, the plot of their performance is undoubtedly much inferior. The content is too straightforward and lacks suspense.

The female protagonist already has a lover when she first appears. He is handsome and gentle, and the two are engaged. In addition, she has kind parents and friendly neighbors. The female protagonist is already in a state of life's success. The whole story is full of fairytale atmosphere, warm and beautiful.

However, this kind of plot doesn't attract viewers. People only like to see a happy ending, not to watch the male and female leads constantly engaging in romantic scenes. As the famous saying goes, "If the protagonists are happy, the audience isn't happy."

"What's going on? Is the first act the end? Perfect love, harmonious family, not even a single conflict. What exactly is the Emperor Peak Drama Club trying to portray?"

"Perhaps... the next scene will feature a village bully who tries to forcibly take the female lead as his concubine, and then the male lead will rise up in anger, defeat the bully with the help of the villagers, and win back the female lead."

Normally, people might not mind this kind of plot, but after being spoiled by the previous show, they can no longer tolerate this kind of mediocre content.

"Who wants to watch this kind of plot! I don't think they even considered winning with the plot; instead, they bet on the Otherworld Domain style. Although some people have used Western Luo Continent as a background before, their performances were all too superficial. The Emperor Peak Drama Club has clearly done their research in this area. The props are very exquisite, and the way the characters speak is full of Western style. It's not a case of false advertising."

The so-called Western style is actually the old-fashioned translation style, with occasional dark humor that makes Si Ming very embarrassed. After all, foreigners would never speak in such a pretentious manner in daily life, but for the people of the Sea Continent, this is how Westerners talk. It is the authentic Luo Continent accent.

Just as China people are often portrayed in movies as kung fu and cheongsams, while Japan are often depicted as ninjas and kimonos, these labels, though perhaps a source of great annoyance for the individuals involved, serve as vivid symbols of the characters to viewers who haven't personally experienced them.

Just when most people were feeling extremely disappointed, the second act began, and then, glasses shattered all over the floor.