Chapter 54

54 If he did not call himself benwang, then he was a beauty! Part II

This time, she chose to follow the faith, but she also refused to lose!

Bai Hua accepted the fabrics and got into her stance. Bai Yu started playing the familiar song from her guqin, the same song that the original had played and made a name for herself. This new Bai Yu could play it because it was the same song used in the series, as well as how rhythmic gymnastics from Bai Hua was similar to the series.

The performance from two beauties charmed the audience into silence. Though Bai Yu’s guqin sounded slightly off, it was fulfilled by the never-seen-before style of dancing. Red magic poured out of the guqin and spread out to cover the entire stage before turning into countless butterflies.

Bai Yu did not realize how or in what form her magic was released. She only recalled her guqin skill from her past life while sending out magic according to how she felt it in this life. Even with strange sounds from guqin and an unusual dance that were unfamiliar to the audience, the butterflies could fill all those gaps and create a complete performance.

Seeing that, Bai Hua also started intertwining her gymnastic dance with magic as well. Grey aura slowly emanated from the dancing figure. She abandoned the fabrics and used her magic instead. Controlling her magic while dancing was much easier and more beautiful than fabrics.

Still, her movements could not stun everyone more than the grey magic. Grey magic from the miss who was known as a useless woman who was void of magic. But the truth was now revealed. She was a magic user, even one with a higher level than Bai Yu’s red magic and only one-fifth lower than Ouyang Mingxian’s black level. Every noble in the banquet was made to realize that Bai Hua was not what the rumor said at all.

Mist of grey magic manifested again, surrounding Bai Hua’s whole body before forming a large lotus that slowly opened its petals, revealing Bai Hua standing inside. The image of the mysterious lotus was accompanied by the song from guqin that was slowly fading away together with red butterflies, ending with the sole figure in the middle of a grey lotus.

Loud applause echoed throughout the stage. Praises for Bai Hua seemed as if endless.

Ouyang Hongxian was greatly pleased by this performance. Both Bai Yu and Bai Hua were given equal rewards. However, the only thing Bai Yu could think of was how grateful she was toward the Emperor. The equal rewards were meant to be a consolation for her since her red magic faded away before the song even ended.

.....

This time, Bai Yu was truly and completely lost. She did not lose because Bai Hua had superior skills, but because she did overestimate her own strength!

Bai Yu could not help but blame herself. She only thought about training martial arts, forgetting that both her magic and skill were not as good as the original. What happened in the woods that day motivated her to start training in self-defense. Furthermore, she was preoccupied with designing clothes and creating a business out of them. In the end, she neglected to consider that she was only an ordinary person...an ordinary person like her should not try to accomplish many things at once, otherwise, all would end up failures. Like what she went through today.

The banquet continued. Bai Yu whose face was sheen with sweat from exerting herself to use magic. She returned to her seat with Bai Hua sitting behind her, according to their statuses. However, after the Emperor and Empress left, her sister became much more popular.

Some noble came to talk to Bai Yu, but she chose to leave the party instead. Now that there were no more ceremonies, those who wish to drink or converse could do so freely without concern about men mingling with women like when the Emperor was still in the banquet.

Bai Yu walked along the snow-covered path with an empty head. Though this area was considered a part of the banquet, the path was quiet because most guests were still inside. She lifted her skirt to look at her feet that sank into the snow. Bai Yu had already forgotten how exquisite the accessories and dress were, and how much they cost.

She forgot even the weight on her head because her heart felt equally heavy.

The villainess was muddled...

If Bai Yu let go of her pride and accepted the gaze that Bai Hua had sent, would this kind of thing still happen?

Or should she practice guqin more, following what her mother had insisted, to avoid losing like this? Or should she not come to the banquet in the first place?

But...was this really that big of a deal to her?

Or just losing once did not mean losing forever?

And was it even necessary to compete?

What did she really want?!

Thud!

“Careful!”

“Owww!”

Immediately as the warning was heard, Bai Yu’s arm was pulled back, saving her from falling on the stone lamp along the path. The person who helped her was also the one that she had bumped into so hard that she staggered. If it was other times, she would not lose balance, but today was special, with all the accessories in her hair that felt like anchors.

Bai Yu moved away from the helping hands to stand on her own. She lifted her face to look at the good Samaritan. “Thank you, I...”

The golden eyes fixed her to the spot.

The owner of the gleaming eyes arched an eyebrow. “Will there be a time that benwang meets you normally?”

Benwang?

Bai Yu’s eyes widened as she stared at the person who addressed himself as a high-rank prince. Even while knowing that she would be rude, she continued to gawk at him and ended up feeling insecure.

Because other than the golden irises that showed how his magic was stronger than hers...his face was also much more beautiful than hers as well!

Ever since crossing into this world, Bai Yu had only met women with devastating beauty that could conquer cities and spark wars. And this person was clearly the male version of that.

He had an oval face that was unusual to see among men, and thin lips that Bai Yu felt were strangely familiar. Those features, when combined with the nose that was like a work of art, then erased away all the familiarity she felt. Only the sharp gaze in those eyes could stop his beauty from getting out of hand. Still, those long eyelashes made Bai Yu suddenly envious. And his brows that were dark like men’s but at the same time shaped thin like women’s...This was truly the beauty that resulted from a perfect mixture of femininity and masculinity!

Bai Yu glanced at the pure white that this beautiful man was wearing. It made him look like an immortal, or an angel, opposite to her who was the she-devil in pitch black.

So pretty...

If he did not call himself benwang, then he was a beauty!

“Are...are you really a man?” Bai Yu could not help herself asking. Confusion and hesitation she felt a while ago were replaced by astonishment and curiosity. Bai Yu never realized that this man helped pull her away from confusion every time they met.

From the word ‘benwang’ uttered by that beautiful lips, Bai Yu wracked her brain to recall every male royal she knew. In the end, she still did not know who this man was. The golden eyes that signify powerful magic made it harder for her to think of anyone besides the Emperor who had the highest level of magic like this.

Bai Yu started from listing off princes who had the possibility to progress to gold magic. And from that list, there was only Ouyang Feilong who fit the criteria. But the last time they met he still had silver eyes, and he wore a mask at all times, so this person could not be him...

“Little fool, you mistook benwang for a woman?”

Could not be him, my ass!

“Ouyang Feilong!”

“Did benwang allow you to say benwang’s name?” The beauty gazed at Bai Yu with his sharp golden eyes. Even with this dazzling face, Wangye’s aggressiveness never waned.

“Y...you.” Bai Yu stepped back. She unconsciously pointed her finger at the man who kept walking toward her.

“Benwang what?” His large hand gripped her finger and moved it away from his face. How insolent could this woman be? She called his name, pointed her finger at him, did she think he would not punish her because she was Bai He’s sister?

“Y...you...”

Bai Yu’s fear was left behind when she was shocked from discovering that this beauty was the same person as the foul-mouthed man in the dragon mask. Even more unbelievable was the fact that he could progress from silver to gold level magic in only a few days!

“What is it, hm?”

Golden eyes stared deep into the jet-black ones that were shaken. It was the first time she looked at him like this.

“You...”

Ouyang Feilong raised an eyebrow, waiting to see Bai Yu’s reaction.

Was she excited? Or scared?

“You’re so very pretty!”

This Bai Yu so very admired Ouyang Feilong!