"So it was him!"
Ning Rongrong recognized Wei Fan.
So this guy was from the Moonlight Pavilion. No wonder he could sneak into the Imperial Palace.
She had just heard Grandpa Jian say that a thief had fought Ge Long and even injured him.
Could that have been this guy too?
All she wanted to say was, Good hit!
Now, whenever Ge Long's name came up, she thought of that old pervert leaning over her and sniffing her.
Disgusting!
She suddenly grew curious about Wei Fan.
This man really was impossible to figure out.
"Rongrong, who?"
"N-no one. Dad, you must have misheard."
When Ning Fengzhi stopped asking, she let out a long breath of relief inwardly.
I nearly gave myself away!
"The boundless horizon is my love."
"Flowers bloom beneath the endless green mountains."
To the beat of the music, Wei Fan led everyone in a cheerful Square Dance.
The music that suddenly rang out left everyone utterly dumbfounded!
Uh...
When had these princes and nobles ever seen anything like this?
They froze in sheer awkwardness!
Raised wineglasses hung motionless, faces staring at the stage went blank, and morsels of food held between chopsticks never made it into their mouths.
Good grief!
Seriously, good grief!
What kind of dance was this?
They had never heard of or seen anything like it!
"Pfft!"
"This is so funny!"
Ning Rongrong could not help laughing.
She found Wei Fan more and more interesting.
Stealing treasure, dancing... even his mannerisms.
Everything about him was right up her alley!
Below the stage, Tang Yuehua's expression was utterly sour. She had known Wei Fan would never let her rest easy.
He had actually performed his self-created Square Dance at such a grand imperial celebration.
After today, she might as well close the Moonlight Pavilion.
With this spectacle of demons dancing wild, what noble would ever come to her Moonlight Pavilion to learn court etiquette again?
Noticing the many gazes gathering on her, the head of the Moonlight Pavilion, she wished she could find a crack in the ground and crawl straight into it.
"Heh, heh, heh~~~"
The song ended, and the dancing stopped!
Quite a few people began picking up the utensils they had dropped, while servants started wiping up wine that had spilled from their glasses...
Although it was over, that melody was still playing in their heads.
It was far too catchy!
It was practically a mudslide crashing through the celebration's performances.
It had left every last one of them dumbfounded!
What an unforgettable impression!
"Excellent!"
Xue Ye stood up and applauded.
Although the others did not understand what made it so impressive, Xue Ye had risen to applaud. How could they possibly remain seated?
For a moment, thunderous applause filled the air!
It brought the celebration straight to a climax.
"This dance suits me!"
"Pavilion Master Tang, why have I never seen it before?"
Xue Ye genuinely liked this dance, especially paired with that maddeningly catchy music.
It put him in a cheerful mood!
"Our student Wei Fan created it himself. This is also our first performance."
Tang Yuehua had never expected Square Dance to receive such favor.
It was utterly unexpected!
"You must be Wei Fan?"
Xue Ye's gaze settled on Wei Fan, who stood front and center.
He finally understood why this young man occupied that position. He was the dance's creator.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Wei Fan stepped forward twice and bowed slightly.
"It's him?"
Ning Fengzhi's expression shifted slightly as he recognized Wei Fan.
"Dad, who is he?"
Ning Rongrong hurried to ask. She was simply too curious about this man.
"Wei Fan, who led the Elephant Armor Academy team to the overall championship in the Elite Tournament two years ago."
"But why would he be here?"
Ning Fengzhi was puzzled.
"So it's him!"
Ning Rongrong had thought the name sounded familiar earlier. It turned out that the man who had taken her along to steal treasure was actually Wei Fan, that champion.
Now, Ning Rongrong was not only even more curious about Wei Fan; the first stirrings of romance were budding in her heart.
Ning Fengzhi was not the only one. Quite a few Soul Masters present also recognized Wei Fan, but they could not understand why the prodigy from two years ago had suddenly taken up dancing.
"May I ask what this dance is called?"
Xue Ye asked.
"Square Dance!" Wei Fan answered.
"Square Dance. An excellent name!"
"An excellent dance, and an excellent name!"
Xue Ye praised it even more warmly.
"What a good name. The dance looks cheerful too."
"I can still see them spinning around in my head."
"When I get back, I'll send my child to the Moonlight Pavilion to learn this dance."
"..."
Although many of these princes and nobles could not appreciate it, they knew this was the right thing to say.
"Very good!"
"Pavilion Master Tang, these young people you have trained for the Empire are all outstanding."
"Reward them!"
"I hereby grant Wei Fan the title 'Founder of Square Dance.' Henceforth, he may freely enter and leave the Royal Music Hall, and I award him fifty thousand Gold Soul Coins and one thousand bolts of silk."
"Award Pavilion Master Tang twenty thousand Gold Soul Coins and five hundred bolts of silk!"
"Award the others ten thousand Gold Soul Coins and one hundred bolts of silk!"
Xue Ye bestowed the rewards on the spot.
Everyone was delighted to hear it.
They had never dreamed that performing a single Square Dance would cause such a tremendous stir.
An unexpected windfall!
An unexpected windfall!
Tang Yuehua's face burned. Accepting this reward left her conscience uneasy.
She clearly had not done anything!
The atmosphere was warm and harmonious, save for the looks in two people's eyes.
One was Qian Renxue, who was impersonating the crown prince.
Could the man who entered my room that night really have been Wei Fan?
His build looked far too similar!
But this was absolutely not the outcome she wanted.
The other was Ge Long, who had arrived looking bedraggled after his fruitless search.
Both of their gazes were fixed on Wei Fan.
"Wei Fan, from now on, come to the Imperial Palace and teach me Square Dance."
Xue Ye had already made up his mind. Once he learned Square Dance, he would drag those old women in his harem out to dance with him.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I can't!"
"I'm a Soul Master. I still need time to cultivate."
Wei Fan refused on the spot.
Teach this old man Square Dance?
What a joke!
He had far too many things to do. Besides, now that he had obtained the Vast Sea Cosmic Shroud, he intended to hide far away and never set foot here again for the rest of his life.
Wei Fan's outright refusal of Xue Ye's request made the nobles hold their breath.
He just refused him!
This was the first time they had ever seen anyone refuse a request from Xue Ye.
This kid has some nerve!
We're done for. We're done for.
The nobles who had just danced felt their hearts skip a beat.
Wei Fan had made Xue Ye lose so much face that he might vent his anger on them as well.
The rewards they had just received would probably be taken back.
"Father, let me teach you!"
Xue Ke stepped forward at that moment to smooth things over.
"Surely you wouldn't refuse to let your daughter teach you?"
Xue Ke ran to Xue Ye's side and spoke in a wheedling voice.
"Nothing could be better than having my little princess teach me."
"Wei Fan, you're right. Cultivation should be more important for a Soul Master. I hope you can become a powerful Soul Master and serve the Empire."
Xue Ye did not insist. Ning Fengzhi had just quietly told him about Wei Fan's identity as a Soul Master.
The Heaven Dou Empire still needed to win over a prodigious Soul Master like him, and this Square Dance performance was an excellent beginning.
Before you continue