Chapter 119

119 The most beautiful and refined Meihua Lady in history! Part II

How much True did you top-up?

Dulcet tunes were conjured from Bai Yu’s fingertips. She chose to start with a slow rhythm, like a continuation of the poem in the morning, before gradually increasing the tempo to rouse fighting spirits. The progression resembled her competition with Fan Lu.

Bai Hua already expected Bai Yu to weave the beginning of her song into the last one to take advantage of the residual emotional impact from the last round. She moved her body, dancing slowly along with the melody that was starting to rush. The figure in pink danced swiftly and fluidly, with movements that were neither too aggressive nor too gentle. The pink of her dress contrasted beautifully with the black of her magic ribbons.

Despite being only the beginning, her dance matched perfectly with the rousing sound of the guqin. The black ribbons in Bai Hua’s hands resembled the dancing swords on the battlefield.

Though her plan was seen through, Bai Yu’s finger never wavered. She had expected that someone like Bai Hua would know, or at least, would have prepared different styles of performances in advance. Her magic was dancing, and Bai Yu’s was guqin. In order to display their skills, they had to rely on the other person’s to complement their own.

However, Bai Yu had the upper hand. She could use her music to control Bai Hua’s dance. If Bai Hua did a slow dance to her fast-paced song, it would be the same as giving up. Therefore, the heroine, going along with her, created a smooth and elegant dance as fast and decisive as Bai Yu’s notes.

The one in control of the music lifted her face and exchanged a glance with the one dancing slightly off the center of the stage, avoiding obscuring her. The corner of Bai Yu’s mouth lifted.

Bai Hua watched her smile with a worried heart.

Slender fingers moved faster, increasing the rhythm more and more. Her smile turned into a challenging sneer.

.....

Bai Hua pressed her lips tightly. She had begun to realize that matching with the song was no longer enough. The rhythm now had become so fast that she could not clearly see how Bai Yu’s fingers moved.

And more importantly, Bai Yu had not used magic yet!

Bai Yu lifted her chin, trying to call back her confidence. The gaze that was once soft had now turned still, hiding every emotion and thought beneath. Her heart was beating as fast as the song. The performance that she had just thought of was now going to be used to incorporate this music that was no different from war drums.

She tightened her grip on the ribbons. Then, she raised her arms high, tiptoeing herself and spinning. Her magic ribbons and dress followed her movements, flowing and spiraling in a circle, resembling a small whirlwind with Bai Hua at its eye. The audience applauded. Their hearts raced at the same rhythm as Bai Yu’s song. A dancing style that used ballet techniques was a strange sight for the people here.

This was a competition that was stunningly harmonious as if it had been prepared in advance.

But for Bai Yu, it was merely an illusion.

Thunk! The sound of the guqin stopped at the same moment as the black-and-pink whirlwind ceased. The hall was silent.

Bai Yu held her guqin, then stood up and took the spot that squarely faced Bai Hua. Two beauties were standing on the opposite side of the stage, calmly looking at each other.

Silence had opened up the opportunity for the audience to run wild, as their hearts were still pounding from the excitement. They felt strangely exhausted; some were panting as if they, too, had performed.

The silence after the sound of the guqin and the pressure from the goddess in white seemed to be a message that the battle had just begun. It was from here on that the war goddess would swing her sword in earnest.

Bai Hua finally understood why up until now, Bai Yu had not used magic at all. This woman was only toying with her. She gripped the ribbons tightly, flicking her wrists as she crossed both arms over her head. When she drew her arms apart once more, a black lotus appeared over her head.

It was a display fit for a True god heroine. Bai Hua’s lotus gradually bloomed.

Bai Yu strummed the guqin in her arms. Her slender figure stood elegant and tall. At a flick of her fingers, the sound of the guqin echoed throughout the hall. Then, a petal from Bai Hua’s lotus mysteriously fell.

Thrum! Bai Yu picked her strings again. And another petal fell.

Again, and again.

Bai Hua could now guess that Bai Yu was using magic to destroy her lotus. She swung her ribbons before the lotus would entirely disappear. She twirled once, changing the plucked lotus petals into nine smaller lotuses surrounding herself.

It was a beauty with a different taste from Fan Lu’s plum blossoms. This competition was truly ambrosia to the audience’s hearts.

But alas, a frail beauty could not stand the harsh reality. Bai Hua’s nine lotuses were easily shattered by one movement of Bai Yu’s hand. Black dust drifted in the air.

Bai Yu pinched her lips together tight, intending to conjure her lotus again to continue the performance. Suddenly, her eyes and the audience’s widened. The black dust from the destroyed lotuses started to form and become...

Butterflies!

“Look!” A high-pitched voice from a woman on the second floor shook everyone out of a stunned daze.

“Those butterflies...”

“Miss Bai Yu’s butterflies!”

“Impossible. Those might be butterflies, but she has red magic...”

“Look! On the stage!”

Bai Yu smiled, satisfied to see Bai Hua’s visible confusion in her eyes as she stared at the butterflies born from her own magic. Her peach blossom eyes then moved to her, to which Bai Yu responded with silence and calmness. She snapped her finger once.

Snap! The butterflies then turned into a familiar-looking lotus.

“Tha...that...”

“She can use it!”

“She has black level magic!”

“Impossible...did she just advance in rank?”

Bai Yu did not answer those questions. In her mind, she was thanking the black jade from Ouyang Feilong. Just now, it had unleashed the magic that she had stored within, raising her magic level to black at the right time.

The ability of this jade was a secret kept within the Ouyang dynasty. Still, it did not escape Yue Nan’s eyes. He was the reason why Bai Yu knew that the identification jade of Da Yang’s royalty had a special property. Ouyang Feilong once used it to store his golden magic and turn it into silver magic. She was not certain as to how he could do so, despite having already given the jade to Bai Yu. She herself used her ability to absorb magic to move her magic into the jade, for the sole purpose of revealing it in this competition.

Bai Hua tried to shake herself out of shock. She might not be sure whether the lotuses she had conjured were truly hers or not, since they later turned into butterflies, but she was certain that the black ribbons in her hands were hers.

Truthfully, Bai Yu had not used her magic at the beginning of the performance because her magic had already advanced to level black. She could not reveal it yet, so she tried to lure Bai Hua to display her magic during her dance. Then, she took the opportunity when the lotus was formed to cut its petals with her black magic that could blend into Bai Hua’s.

After the lotus disappeared, Bai Yu dissipated her magic into black dust as well, before creating butterflies, which seemed to have been so closely associated with her already. Still, in order to manipulate the opponent, she said, “Are you still sure that the magic you’re using is really yours?”

The clear yet cold voice was uttered from Bai Yu’s lips. She was only saying so to confuse Bai Hua, and not to demand an answer. She put her hand on the strings again without waiting to hear a word from the other person.

Thrum!

This time, she did not create a melody, only creating separated, rhythmic notes as she advanced toward her half-sister.

Bai Hua exchanged a glance with the approaching opponent. She began dancing once again, even though the sound from Bai Yu’s guqin was not a song but a sound that more and more resembled war drums.

Black ribbons whipped past Bai Yu’s face to stop her movement. Bai Yu spun around, evading the black light that reflected a dangerous glint. It seemed that her half-sister finally understood that Bai Yu did not intend to compete in magic with her...she wanted to create a battlefield!

Thrum! Ribbons shot toward Bai Yu again. She strummed her guqin in response, and the same black-colored magic immediately cut the ribbons. Bai Hua had never learned how to fight before, but to the audience, her dance showed a battle between the dancer and the musician.

Bai Hua started twirling once more. She increased the strength of magic in her ribbons while moving on the balls of her feet toward Bai Yu with a surprising speed. Bai Yu narrowed her eyes to gauge her movements before she, too, spun herself, countering Bai Hua’s direction and avoiding the ribbon that was meant to wind around her wrist.

The scene of the two beauties, one white and one pink, spinning past each other on the stage was as if they were engaged in a coordinated dance. Thundering applause resonated throughout the performance hall.

Seeing that Bai Yu had successfully evaded her ribbons, Bai Hua stopped moving. She had planned to stop the sound of the guqin through its player in hopes that she might be able to turn the tide of the performance. She turned around and whisked her ribbon at her opponent again. This time, it successfully entwined Bai Yu’s wrist while she was distracted.

Bai Yu was pulled along by Bai Hua’s force. She tried to keep her balance and strained against Bai Hua. Bai Hua’s strength might not be weak, but Bai Yu had been training martial arts, so she was not easily dragged along by her. Furthermore, it was impossible that Bai Yu would not be able to see the ribbons with her eyesight. The heroine could catch her because she intended to be caught!

Bai Hua took the opportunity while Bai Yu was struggling against the bind on her wrist and whipped the ribbon in her other hand to coil around the guqin in Bai Yu’s arm. Then, she pulled on both ribbons.

Bai Yu, who did not expect Bai Hua to aim at her guqin, let it slip out of her arm.

Because of two forces from the scuffling between Bai Yu and Bai Hua, the seven-string guqin was suddenly thrown into the air. Bai Yu twisted her hand to grab the ribbon around her wrist. Her magic slashed through it in one move.

At the same time, she sprang up with her martial arts, trying to grasp her guqin. However, as her fingertips came close, a ribbon pulled it further away.

Bai Yu glared at Bai Hua, annoyed. What an irritating woman!