The Handsome Man (Continued)

At this moment, Yuezheng Yao's song reached its climax. Stimulated by the music, the excited audience screamed, stood up and applauded, and exclaimed from time to time, "The performance is so realistic!" "The fighting is too intense!" "It feels like the performance is stealing the show!" "Get off the stage! Laozi came here to listen to Yuezheng Zhengyao sing, not to watch an opera."

They were completely unaware that someone had actually been killed on stage, right before their very eyes.

It was only thanks to the assassin wearing armor that the gushing blood was blocked, and the sight of the gunshot wound was also concealed. Otherwise, if someone had actually seen someone being shot and falling, and seeing blood splattering, even the most oblivious person would have realized something was wrong. But right now, they just thought the two were putting on a show, and even the sight of the armor being pierced was considered a visual trick, like it looked like the person inside the box was being pierced, but in reality, not even a scratch was seen.

On one side of the backstage area, Si Ming said anxiously, "Is the lighting technician an idiot? Why isn't he turning off the lights now? It'll be easier for us to drag him away when the stage is dark."

Yu Shuying said, "I guess he doesn't know exactly what happened on stage. Maybe he just thought it was an unexpected incident, like the audience did."

"We need to send someone to inform him immediately, but until then, we must ensure the performance continues 'normally' without any mishaps, otherwise all our previous efforts will be in vain."

Si Ming looked around, found an unsheathed sword from where the props were stored, threw it towards Murong Qing on the stage, and transmitted his voice, "Use the Vast Cold Immortal Sword Art to hold out for a while, I'll immediately contact the organizers to discuss the matter."

Murong Qing was slightly surprised, realizing that the other party was trying to force her to continue performing. Fortunately, she was not shy or timid and was already used to being watched by everyone. Although there were more audience members now, it was not enough to make her nervous. After sighing helplessly, she immediately changed her weapon and began to move around on the stage.

The Vast Cold Immortal Sword Art is essentially a sword dance. If not intended for combat, its moves strive for elegance and graceful posture. A flurry of sword blossoms bloomed around Murong Qing, like a galaxy scattering. The girl within the sword blossoms moved with light steps, like a phoenix soaring or a dragon swimming in the Milky Way. Her naturally beautiful face was further accentuated by the sword light. For a moment, white light shone like a ribbon, indescribably beautiful, her battle skirt billowing, a breathtaking sight.

"The stage is so big, it seems a bit empty for just one person to perform."

Si Ming glanced around and immediately fixed his gaze on Ying Zhou. He casually pulled a blunt knife from the pile of props and tossed it to him. "You go too."

Ying Zhou was momentarily taken aback. "What would I do up there?"

"Just like regular practice, isn't your goal to become a big star? This is a good opportunity to get a feel for the atmosphere and lay a solid foundation for the future."

Ying Zhou firmly refused, saying, "I'm going on stage to be the lead singer, not a backup dancer."

Si Ming ignored him, grabbed the other person's waist, and threw him onto the stage with a "Go!"

"You bastard, I knew nothing good would come from going out with you!" Ying Zhou cursed in mid-air.

But he still went on stage after all. He was a very proud person and didn't want to do something as humiliating as going backstage in front of tens of thousands of viewers. So he had no choice but to bite the bullet and compete with Murong Qing.

Over the past year and a half, Murong Qing, in order to correct Ying Zhou's bad habits and prevent him from corrupting his younger brother, had taught him a lesson many times under the guise of martial arts instruction. The two had a tacit understanding and did not need to cooperate in any special way to stage a standard teaching battle, which, in the eyes of others, became a pre-rehearsed martial arts show.

Pop Yuezheng Yao promptly switched the song to her famous song "Saber and Sword Smile," which complemented the "backup dancers" perfectly.

Si Ming secretly gave Yuezheng Yao a thumbs up for her quick thinking and then hurriedly went to find the person in charge of the scene. After a brief explanation, the person understood what had happened with the series of unexpected events. He then used the communicator to direct everyone on site to make quick adjustments to the program.

With everything done and realizing there was nothing more he could do, Si Ming was about to retreat to the backstage area to rest when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"I didn't expect it to really be you, Junior Brother. I thought your back looked familiar, and then when I saw Murong Qing on stage, I was sure it really was you."

Turning my head, I saw Ke Chajing, the former Captain of the school's martial arts team. She seemed to have become a member of the Mohist Knight Guard and was in charge of security for the concert.

"I told you from the beginning that it was most likely a junior brother or sister, which is why I asked you to keep the news quiet and not raise any alarms."

The speaker was Hu Jixian, the former vice- Captain, who, as always, followed Ke Chajing closely, as if he were her shadow.

"Shut up! How can we rely on guessing to make something this important? Of course, we have to confirm it with our own eyes," Ke Chajing retorted, dissatisfied.

"But you still acted first and informed me later."

"Of course, I had to consider that if you guessed correctly, it would delay my junior brother's important business. I had to weigh the pros and cons before making a decision."

As Ke Chajing spoke, she waved to the back, and several Mohist Knight Guards filed out, secretly infiltrating the crowd and taking control of all the poisoned and paralyzed terrorists.

After hearing this, Si Ming understood why their breakthrough hadn't attracted the attention of the Mohist Knight Guards. Even though Liu Qingqing had silenced them, such a commotion should have been noticed quickly.

"What a coincidence to run into you two here!"

Hu Jixian said, "This is no coincidence. We are both students at Linked Mountains University and work part-time as Mohist Knight Guards. We naturally have to participate in our school's missions, and we can also get to listen to a concert for free while we're at it."

"I got in through a special martial arts admission, barely making it through," Ke Chajing said, pointing at Hu Jixian and scoffing. "As for this guy, don't let his appearance fool you, he's actually a top student, the kind who wouldn't be surprised if he passed the Heavenly Black Earth Emperor exam."

Hu Jixian corrected him, "I consider myself to have the face of an intelligent person, so in terms of appearance, I would undoubtedly be considered an excellent student."

As her longtime partner, Ke Chajing showed no mercy. "Yes, yes, a fox-like face with squinty eyes, looks very sinister, and indeed, she is quite despicable."

She turned to Si Ming, "I know you and Murong also got into Linked Mountains University. I remember you were going to join the martial arts team after the semester started. I was quite disappointed that we couldn't compete together in the Martial Dao League in high school. I didn't expect to run into each other again in college. It'll make up for that."

When this matter was mentioned, Si Ming felt quite apologetic. They had clearly agreed to compete in the National Martial Dao League and bring glory to the school, but first the demon tide broke out and the whole city suffered. No one had the mood to care about anything else. Then they were busy with the Grandmaster Trial and often went out. Later, they even went to the Barbarian Continent for a year. When they returned, everything had changed.

All of this was far removed from the high school life Si Ming had envisioned. Logically, he should have been enjoying his youth at school. A purely romantic type would have formed a club where all the members except himself were girls, then loudly proclaimed, "I have very few friends!" A more adventurous type would have sweated it out, made friends through boxing, met a group of diverse companions, and ultimately become the national champion, running together under the setting sun—

He had none of those connections because he came into contact with gangs, Lineage, and religions, eventually becoming the leader of the martial arts world.

"I will definitely apply to join when school starts," Si Ming promised.

Ke Chajing smiled, then nudged Si Ming with her elbow and pointed to the stage, saying, "Remember to keep a close eye on your girlfriend, or someone might steal her away."

She's not my girlfriend yet.

"Then we must hurry. Junior Sister Murong is beautiful, and excels in academics, martial arts, painting... She's already making waves, performing on stage with the diva Yuezheng Yao. Keep in mind there are many students from our school in the audience, and those senior students are practically ravenous. Once she enrolls, she'll be pursued by countless men. Although Junior Sister Murong is calm and worldly-wise, and won't be fooled by those boastful guys, there are also true elites at Linked Mountains University. They're not comparable to those who consider 'bold, meticulous, and thick-skinned' as their guiding principle."

Si Ming chuckled, "Is this some kind of 'come to my door asking for a slap in the face' scenario? Using jealousy and rivalry to drive the plot is practically a trope from urban novels. But Murong Qing is neither a naive, pretty face nor a scheming woman. She's a person with ideals and aspirations, of high moral character, and above all vulgar interests. Anyone who treats her like an ordinary girl is destined for disappointment."

Ke Chajing retorted, "Your attitude is wrong. Don't assume that all the women around you will be devoted to you and keep your promise forever, as if there are no other men in your life but you. Wake up! That's a virgin's fantasy! If your girlfriend is ugly, that's one thing, but if she's even slightly pretty, there will be people eyeing her every day, trying to steal her away from you at any moment. If you don't act quickly, you'll regret it when she becomes someone else's girlfriend."

Si Ming nodded and said, "Senior Sister is right. So, you and Senior Brother Hu must have already settled down, right? Otherwise, with both of you being so outstanding, there must be plenty of people trying to steal you away."

Ke Chajing blushed slightly, glanced at Hu Jixian, and hurriedly explained, "I... I don't have that kind of relationship with him. We just happened to go to the same university and didn't have any other fellow villagers, so we had no choice but to team up. Anyway, don't try to play matchmaker."

Hu Jixian stroked his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face, then suddenly reached out and pressed his hands on Ke Chajing's shoulders, causing her to tremble.

Then Hu Jixian said in a serious tone, "You're a good person, but we're really not a good match."

"... Why did you reject me?! And I didn't even say anything and you're already giving me the 'friend card'? How narcissistic do you have to be to think I'd confess to you?! I should be saying that to you! I like guys with big eyes, you have no chance, give up now, no matter how much you beg me, I won't say yes!"