A Solo Dance

After hearing about Grandmaster Yun, Yi Xuan had grown quite curious about her. It was not that kind of interest between a man and a woman, of course. He admired this extraordinary woman from the bottom of his heart.

Though she lived in the cultivation world, she dared to defy the cultivators who stood high above everyone else. Born with an Eighth-Grade Spirit Root, she could have become one of the people at the very top of this world, yet she had given up that opportunity, simply because she could not accept it.

She could not accept how lowly ordinary people were before cultivators in this world.

Compared with the natives of this world, Yi Xuan could empathize more readily with Grandmaster Yun. After all, he came from a world moving toward equality for all.

In that world, the greatest wish of everyone in his country, from top to bottom, was equality. Although they were still a long way from that goal when Yi Xuan left, there really was a group of people striving for it.

That was also why Yi Xuan admired Grandmaster Yun. In his former world, a group of people had wanted change, but here, there was only Grandmaster Yun herself.

Such resolve-to march on even against ten million-would move people wherever it was found.

As Yi Xuan was reflecting on this, someone who looked like a maid came to the center of the hall and announced, "Today, Grandmaster Yun wishes to invite a guest to watch her perform a solo dance!"

Boom!

At this news, the hall erupted. The people who had just been talking in low voices began craning their necks and shouting.

"I'm willing to offer a hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones!"

"Humph! You have the nerve to offer a hundred Spirit Stones? Do you take Grandmaster Yun for a beggar? I offer twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones."

Although the pleasure boat was in the mortal world, there was no shortage of cultivators aboard.

What Yi Xuan had not expected was that there would be cultivators with such deep pockets on the boat.

Twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were equivalent to two hundred thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones. Take Fatty Lin beside Yi Xuan, for example. Though he had a considerable fortune, parting with twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones would put a serious dent in it.

Once the offer of twenty Mid-Grade Spirit Stones rang out, the entire hall fell silent.

Yi Xuan thought no one on the boat would bid higher, but after a moment of silence, a voice called out, "Twenty-five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones!"

That voice seemed to have flipped a switch.

"Twenty-seven!"

"Thirty!"

"I offer forty!"

In the blink of an eye, the bids were nearing a hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones. The maid standing in the center of the hall had never seen anything like it and was too frightened to speak.

At that moment, the boat's manager came forward and cupped his hands to the people around him. "Everyone, everyone, please quiet down and hear me out."

Once the crowd had settled down, the manager smiled and said, "As you all know, although Grandmaster Yun dances aboard my pleasure boat, a little boat like mine has no power to dictate what she does."

"Nonsense!" a voice called out from the crowd.

The manager was not angry. He continued, "You have all heard plenty about Grandmaster Yun. I would just like to ask: when have you ever heard of anyone exchanging Spirit Stones for a chance to watch Grandmaster Yun perform a solo dance?"

At the manager's words, the hall fell silent.

People began whispering. "That's true. I've never heard of Grandmaster Yun dancing for someone because of Spirit Stones."

"The last time was when disaster struck Yue Prefecture. Great Benefactor Xu, who was well known there, gave away his entire fortune to save countless common people. Only then did Grandmaster Yun go and perform a solo dance for him!"

Hearing their discussion, the boat's manager continued, "It seems you all understand now."

He then pointed to the maid behind him. "Clearly, this maid was interrupted before she had finished relaying Grandmaster Yun's message. Why don't we let her finish?"

At the manager's words, the maid came to her senses. She walked step by step up to Yi Xuan and bowed to him.

Yi Xuan was a little confused about what she meant, but he returned the bow.

The maid's eyes lit up when she saw him return her bow. "Young master, Grandmaster Yun invites you inside!"

"Me?" Yi Xuan pointed at his own nose. "What does she want me for?"

Fatty Lin, however, caught on and hurriedly pushed Yi Xuan forward.

Before anyone could react, Yi Xuan had already followed the maid into the depths of the pleasure boat.

Only then did the people in the hall realize what had happened.

"Why him?"

"Who is that man? He actually caught Grandmaster Yun's eye!"

"I'm not leaving! I'll wait right here for Grandmaster Yun to come out. I want an answer!"

What happened in the hall no longer had anything to do with Yi Xuan. He was now sitting in Grandmaster Yun's private chamber.

He looked at the woman across the table, his face tense, and kept drinking his tea.

It was true that Yi Xuan could remain as steady as Mount Tai around beautiful women, but only through a phone screen or from a sufficient distance. Now that he was this close to such a peerless beauty, he was more nervous than he had been the first time he met a Nascent Soul patriarch like the Supreme Elder.

Yun Shulan was somewhat disappointed as she looked at Yi Xuan across from her. Back in the hall, the way he had looked at her had been remarkably indifferent, and that was what had aroused her curiosity.

She had not expected him to behave like this face-to-face. Yun Shulan had already decided that his earlier behavior was an act.

But since she had invited Yi Xuan in, it would not do to send him away without performing a solo dance.

Yun Shulan had no choice but to ask, "May I ask what piece you like, young master?"

Hearing her question, Yi Xuan blurted out without thinking, "Gokuraku Jodo?"

"Hm? What piece is that?" Yun Shulan had only wanted to quickly perform a solo dance for Yi Xuan and then have him leave, but she had not expected the piece he casually named to be one she had never heard of.

Yi Xuan also realized his mistake and hurried to make amends. "Whatever you like, Grandmaster Yun. I just said that offhand; it doesn't count!"

Yi Xuan had only meant to avoid making things difficult for Grandmaster Yun, but his words grated harshly on Yun Shulan's ears. Grandmaster Yun's face flushed red, and she asked angrily, "Are you insulting me, young master?"

With that, she actually began to laugh. She laughed so hard that tears appeared in her eyes. "Must you cultivators show how high and mighty you are every moment of the day? Hahahaha! It was like that in the past, and it's still like that now! Mm... mm..."

Seeing Grandmaster Yun begin to cry in the middle of her laughter, Yi Xuan was somewhat at a loss and tried to comfort her. "Grandmaster Yun, I didn't mean that. Besides, I'm different from other cultivators!"

Hearing Yi Xuan's words, Grandmaster Yun looked up and sneered. "What's different? Aren't you all just powerful bloodsuckers who see ordinary people as ants?"

"Uh, I'm not very powerful," Yi Xuan explained.

"Oh? Then it seems you're just a little bloodsucker who's only just started out!" Grandmaster Yun had wiped away her tears by now and looked at Yi Xuan with some disdain.

Being looked at like that made Yi Xuan terribly uncomfortable. Not knowing how to explain, he could only brace himself and say, "I'm a Rootless Person!"