The Qin Clan Makes a Fool of Itself

"Another one!"

"That's right! Another song, another dance!"

The spectators were all excited. The effect of the high-grade dance manual was especially astonishing.

Shopkeeper Yang watched without taking his eyes off the stage. The Mo Clan's performance today far surpassed the Qin Clan's in previous years, and was even more outstanding than the Mo Clan itself at its peak.

His Heavenly Ox Chamber of Commerce would also make a name for itself this year.

Shopkeeper Yang's heart surged with excitement, and he was glad he had given Mo Sanniang a chance.

The Heavenly Ox Chamber of Commerce was responsible for selecting ceremonial music and dance for the imperial dynasty. If the dancers performed outstandingly and won the favor of princes and nobles, the chamber would also have many chances to gain prominence.

It could be said that when one prospered, all prospered. That was one reason Shopkeeper Yang cared so much about this matter.

On top of that, without any rivals these past few years, the Qin Clan had only grown more lackluster, and Shopkeeper Yang had long since grown tired of it.

Once the Mo Clan had left the stage, it was the Qin Clan dancers' turn to perform.

The spectators' gazes immediately returned to the stage. The Qin Clan's dancers had also been carefully chosen for their looks and figures, so it would come down to their dancing skills.

The Qin Clan matriarch watched her dancers from below the stage, inexplicably feeling a little nervous.

She didn't know why, but she couldn't quite feel at ease. Looking toward the Mo Clan, she saw Chen Ning watching her side with a radiant smile.

He even raised a hand in greeting.

The gesture made the Qin Clan matriarch's skin crawl even more.

But things had reached this point, and there was no room to turn back. Besides, she didn't think there was no hope for her side.

At last, someone began playing the zither, and as the music sounded, the Qin Clan dancers began their performance.

Perhaps, having seen the vast ocean, they no longer cared for lesser waters. The spectators looked at the stage with little interest, while many were still savoring the Mo Clan dancers' splendid performance.

The Qin Clan dancers could only grit their teeth and complete the dance they had rehearsed. Fortunately, they had learned from a mid-grade dance manual, so if they could perform it in full, the effect wouldn't be too bad.

But Chen Ning was not someone who repaid malice with kindness. He believed in settling every grudge.

Even the Qin Clan woman probably hadn't expected Chen Ning not only to turn the tide without a word and let the Mo Clan shine.

He had also long been prepared to give her a taste of her own medicine.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If he didn't let the other side taste the helplessness of not knowing what to do, how could that count as proper hospitality?

With a thought from Chen Ning, Heaven-Stealing Ghost Hand quietly activated!

Onstage, two dancers' gauze scarves suddenly flew into the air and whipped two spectators across the face.

Not only that, the scene onstage descended into complete chaos.

First, the dancing fans inexplicably flew out of the dancers' hands.

Then their flowing sleeves tangled together as though they had come alive, tripping several dancers.

Even the Qin Clan's zither player at the side was not spared. A string suddenly snapped and sprang into Shopkeeper Yang's coiled hair.

It looked just like an antenna.

The sight was enough to make anyone struggle not to laugh, and the spectators had already burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... Did the Qin Clan come here to make us laugh?"

"This is hilarious... I take back what I said before. The Qin Clan wasn't lowering itself by competing with the Mo Clan. It was reaching above its station!"

"Hahaha, exactly, exactly! I say the Qin Clan shouldn't dance. They should perform acrobatics instead. They'd surely stand head and shoulders above the rest! No one could match them!"

"Right, right! Why not hold a Happy Comedian contest? Who else could it be but them?"

Chen Ning had blended into the crowd and was cracking a plate of melon seeds as he chimed in.

"Brother, what is a Happy Comedian?"

Someone looked at Chen Ning and asked.

"Never mind, never mind. Let's watch the show."

After brushing off the question, Chen Ning returned to where the Mo Clan was gathered. The moment Mo Sanniang saw him, she was about to kneel, but Chen Ning hurriedly held her up. "No need. I don't go in for that. Have those three girls been sent to a physician?"

"They've already been taken to a medical clinic. The apothecary said it was nothing serious. After taking Spirit-Awakening Pills, they'll recover in two days."

"That's good. Luckily, that fat woman didn't use a deadly poison, or I wouldn't have let him off."

With that, Chen Ning sat back down in his chair and waited for things here to conclude.

There was no suspense about the result. The other side had never been able to match the high-grade dance manual in the first place, much less when Chen Ning had also helped direct a comedy for them in repayment.

The Qin Clan dancers slunk off the stage, and Shopkeeper Yang calmly stepped up. He had just pulled the antenna out of his hair.

He announced calmly, "I believe everyone knows the result, so I won't waste words. This year's Autumn Year Banquet-"

"Wait!"

Just then, a deep voice rang out.

The Qin Clan head stepped out of the crowd and cupped his fists slightly toward Shopkeeper Yang. "When the Qin Clan took the stage, someone from the Mo Clan tampered with our performance, causing this debacle. Once I've caught the culprit, there will still be time for you to discuss the Autumn Year Banquet, Shopkeeper."

Qin Wansheng fixed his hawklike eyes on Chen Ning.

Then he sneered. "Brat, you're not a member of the Mo Clan, yet you've meddled in its affairs. How many heads do you have to answer for this?"

"Do you have any evidence?"

Chen Ning spoke calmly.

"I don't need evidence. My word is evidence!"

Qin Wansheng spoke overbearingly, making everyone present tremble in body and spirit.

"The Qin Clan head really is overbearing. I reckon the Mo Clan is in for trouble."

"I hear there's an important figure from Spirit Province's cultivation world backing the Qin Clan. But Qin Wansheng wouldn't bring that person out unless he had no other choice, would he?"

"Of course. After all, it can't be brought into the open. It's common for those famous, major sects to collude in secret with influential clans in the secular world."

An uproar swept through the crowd.

Still, everyone could imagine that if the Qin Clan lost this qualification, its clan's interests would be at stake.

Naturally, it couldn't let the matter rest so easily.

Now it remained to be seen how the Mo Clan would resolve this.

"Brother Qin, since you have no evidence, aren't you going a little too far?"

As the person in charge of the Heavenly Ox Chamber of Commerce, Shopkeeper Yang naturally had no fear of Qin Wansheng. Besides, in previous years, Qin Wansheng had always been the one flattering him.

"Shopkeeper Yang, my Qin Clan is determined to win this qualification this year. You can only choose my Qin Clan."

Even when facing Shopkeeper Yang, Qin Wansheng was just as overbearing.

Shopkeeper Yang was so furious that he laughed. "Then I'd like to ask why I can only choose your Qin Clan."

"Because I represent the Dragon-Seeking Sect..."

Qin Wansheng lowered his voice, making sure only Shopkeeper Yang could hear him.

The moment Shopkeeper Yang heard this, cold sweat poured down his face. He had never imagined that the one behind Qin Wansheng would actually... actually be the Dragon-Seeking Sect!

"May I ask which person's wishes you represent?"

Shopkeeper Yang asked cautiously.

Qin Wansheng waved a sleeve and said smugly, "The eighth elder, Lin Xiaotian. Surely you've heard of him..."

"And... his esteemed self is a guest at my residence right now."

Qin Wansheng smiled confidently, while Shopkeeper Yang pondered the matter in silence.

How could a mere shopkeeper like him afford to offend a super sect like the Dragon-Seeking Sect?

With a guilty look in his eyes, Shopkeeper Yang silently turned to the members of the Mo Clan and said helplessly, "For this year's Autumn Year Banquet... the Qin Clan will attend as usual."