With a swift strike, the sword pierced through the demon, killing it on the spot.
"Subdue demons and vanquish evil, heavenly blessings!"
On both sides of Divine Martial Street, the crowd roared like ocean waves, each wave louder than the last. In front of the bright red gates of the Imperial Palace, in the center of the circle, two performers dressed as a god and a demon bowed to the audience and stepped back. The warm-up martial arts performance was over, and the crowd was buzzing with excitement. The streets were packed, and even the rooftops were filled with daring onlookers, clapping, shouting, cheering, and dancing in wild celebration.
Such a grand occasion was truly a sight to behold. In the history of the Divine Joy Kingdom, if any Lantern Festival parade was to be remembered as unprecedented, it would definitely be today!
On the high platform, rows of nobles in their fine clothes and jewels looked down with polite smiles. Inside the palace, a long line of hundreds of people waited in silence. The bells rang loudly, and the national teacher stroked his non-existent long beard and said, "Open the way, warriors!"
"Present!"
"Jade maidens!"
"Present!"
"Musicians!"
"Present!"
"Horsemen!"
"Present!"
"Demons!"
"Present."
"Divine Harmony Warrior!"
No one answered. The national teacher frowned, sensing something was wrong, and turned to ask, "Divine Harmony Warrior? Where is the Crown Prince?"
Still, no one answered. The "demon" who had spoken earlier paused, removed the mask with a fierce face, revealing a fair and delicate face.
The young man seemed about sixteen or seventeen years old, with pale skin and lips, clean and tidy, but with eyes like two bright and flickering obsidian stones. His soft hair had a few fine strands falling over his forehead and cheeks, giving him a quiet and obedient appearance that sharply contrasted with the fierce demon mask in his hand.
He softly said, "The Crown Prince has left."
The national teacher almost fainted.
He barely managed to stay conscious, remembering the importance of the situation, and said, "What?! How did he just leave like that?! When did he leave? The parade is about to start, and the platform will go out with only demons and no gods. If everyone spits once, I won't survive! Mu Qing, why didn't you stop him?!"
Mu Qing lowered his head and said, "Before leaving, the Crown Prince asked me to tell you not to worry, everything will proceed as usual, and he will be here soon."
The national teacher was anxious and said, "How can I not worry? What do you mean by 'soon'? What if he doesn't make it in time?"
Outside the palace gates, the people who had been waiting since early morning were growing restless and began shouting for the parade to start. A Taoist hurried over and said, "Master National Teacher, the Empress sent someone to ask why the parade hasn't started yet. The auspicious time is almost over, and if we don't start now, it'll be too late."
Hearing this, the national teacher wished for a sudden rebellion to ruin the Lantern Festival parade.
How could such a mess happen at such a critical moment!
If it were anyone else causing this trouble, he would have been furious by now, maybe even drawn his sword. But this was his most treasured disciple, and someone else's most precious son. He couldn't scold or punish him, let alone kill him. Instead of killing him, he'd rather die himself!
Just then, a person ran through the dark palace gates and into the palace, loudly asking, "Master National Teacher, why haven't you given the order to start? The time is almost up, and everyone outside is getting impatient!"
The newcomer was also a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, tall and straight, with wheat-colored skin, carrying a black longbow and a quiver of white arrows on his back. His lips were tightly pressed, and his brows furrowed. Despite his young age, his gaze was firm. Seeing him, the national teacher grabbed him and asked, "Feng Xin! Where is your Crown Prince?"
Feng Xin was startled, then seemed to understand something, and his eyes filled with anger as he glared at Mu Qing. But Mu Qing had already put the demon mask back on and was silent. Feng Xin said in a deep voice, "There's no time to explain! Let's start, the Crown Prince won't let you down!"
There was no choice. Going out without the Divine Harmony Warrior was a disaster, and delaying the start was also a disaster. The national teacher waved his hand in despair and said, "Play the music, let's go!"
Upon receiving the order, the music began, and at the front of the long line, a hundred royal warriors shouted in unison, stepping forward to lead the grand parade.
The warriors in front symbolized cutting through thorns on the road of life. Following them were carefully selected virgins, graceful and beautiful, scattering flowers with their delicate hands. The musicians sat on golden chariots. As soon as they exited the palace gates, they drew gasps of admiration, and the crowd scrambled to grab the flowers. However, no matter how grand or extravagant, these were just preludes to the main event. The grand platform, the final grand platform, was about to appear.
The grand platform, pulled by sixteen white horses with golden bridles, passed through the deep palace gates, slowly appearing before tens of thousands of people. On the platform, a demon in black, wearing a fierce mask, held a nine-foot-long saber in front of him, ready for action.
The national teacher's heart tightened, hoping for a miracle. However, no miracle appeared. The crowd was in an uproar. On the high buildings, nobles frowned slightly, looking at each other and asking, "What's going on? Why isn't the Divine Harmony Warrior on the platform?"
"Isn't the Crown Prince here?"
"Where's Brother Lian?"
In the center of the high building sat a handsome man and a gentle, elegant woman with fair skin. They were the king and queen of the Divine Joy Kingdom. Not seeing the person who should have appeared, the queen looked worriedly at the king.
The king held her hand, reassuring her with his gaze to stay calm and not worry. But the crowd on both sides of the street was not so easily calmed, shouting even louder, as if they would tear the roof off. The national teacher wished he had the courage to end it all right there.
However, on the platform, Mu Qing remained calm, even without his opponent, diligently performing his role as the "demon," striking the long saber heavily on the ground in front of him.
Amidst the tense atmosphere, the black-clad youth confidently played his role as the "demon."
Despite his thin and scholarly appearance, Mu Qing wielded the incredibly heavy nine-foot-long saber with ease, as if it weighed nothing. Dozens of Taoists playing demon slayers leaped onto the platform, only to be knocked down and sent off by him one by one. To be fair, the swordplay was quite spectacular, earning some cheers. However, most people were not there to see the "demon causing trouble" scene, and they shouted, "Where is the Divine Harmony Warrior?!"
"Where is the Crown Prince?"
"We want to see the Crown Prince as the Martial God! Banish the demon!"
On the high building, a voice angrily shouted, "Where's my cousin? What is this nonsense?! Who wants to see this stuff? Damn it, where's my Crown Prince cousin?!"
There was no need to look; the loudest shouter was undoubtedly Qi Rong, the young prince. Sure enough, many people looked up to see a young man in light blue brocade, wearing a collar, angrily waving his fist at the crowd below. The building was too high to jump from without breaking a leg, so he grabbed a white jade teacup and threw it down.
The teacup flew rapidly towards the back of the demon's head, seemingly about to knock him out, but the demon sidestepped slightly, and with a flick of the saber, caught the teacup on its tip.
The teacup wobbled but stood steadily on the saber's tip, earning another round of applause. Mu Qing flicked the saber, sending the teacup flying, and a Taoist below caught it. He continued to play his demon role, wielding the saber and cutting down opponents. Qi Rong was furious and wanted to throw more, but the queen called for someone to restrain him, finally pulling him down. However, the expressions of the royal family grew increasingly serious, with some unable to remain seated.
The sudden disappearance of the Divine Harmony Warrior before the Lantern Festival parade was no laughing matter!
At that moment, the crowd erupted in cheers louder than any before. A white figure descended from the sky, landing in front of the black-clad demon!
The person landed, the heavy white robes forming a large flower shape on the platform, a golden mask covering his face. He held a sword in one hand and lightly flicked the blade with the other, producing a pleasant "ding" sound. The movement was calm and composed, as if the black-clad demon before him was of no concern. The demon slowly pointed the saber at him, and the white-clad warrior stood up.
Qi Rong's eyes lit up, his face flushed, and he jumped up, shouting, "Cousin! Cousin is here!!!"
Everyone was stunned.
This entrance was truly like a god descending from the heavens, incredibly bold!
The city wall was at least a dozen feet high, yet the Crown Prince, a noble figure, had jumped directly from it. In that moment, many thought a real god had descended, and now realizing it, their blood boiled, and their skin tingled as they clapped with all their might.
Qi Rong shouted and clapped until his voice was hoarse and his hands were red. The king and queen exchanged a smile and joined in the applause. The other royals relaxed and followed suit, applauding and praising.
On both sides of Divine Martial Street, the crowd surged, with hundreds and thousands of men so excited they wished they could break through the guards and rush up to cheer.
On the platform, the black and white figures faced off, the god and demon each brandishing their weapons, finally engaging in battle.
Seeing they had made it in time, the national teacher relaxed and joined the high platform. After nodding to his colleagues, he found a seat to watch. The king smiled and said, "National teacher, how did you come up with such a stunning entrance? It was truly spectacular."
The national teacher wiped his sweat and laughed, "It was indeed spectacular. But to be honest, it wasn't my idea. It must have been the Crown Prince's."
The queen patted her chest and said, "That child is so reckless, jumping from such a height without a word. I was almost about to stand up."
The national teacher couldn't help but feel a bit proud and said, "No need to worry, Your Majesty. The Crown Prince is exceptionally skilled. A mere dozen feet high is nothing to him. He could easily handle a wall several times higher with his eyes closed."
The queen's face lit up with joy, and she said warmly, "The national teacher has taught him well."
The national teacher laughed heartily, "Not at all. The Crown Prince is a genius, with extraordinary talent and noble blood. It's our great fortune to teach him. I have a feeling that with the Crown Prince here, today will be the most spectacular Divine Harmony Festival in history."
He used the word "heaven" four times in a row, smoothly and naturally. The king smiled slightly and turned to watch, saying, "Let's hope so."
In the Lantern Festival parade, the Divine Harmony Warrior and the demon warrior were the two most important roles. Both had to be exceptionally skilled youths. Especially the Divine Harmony Warrior, whose attire was strictly regulated and extraordinarily ornate. Fully equipped, the outfit could weigh forty to fifty pounds. The warrior had to perform for at least two hours, circling the city several times under the heavy burden, without any mistakes. How could they not be highly skilled?
Fortunately, both youths were outstanding. The clash of swords and sabers was thrilling and well-rehearsed. The king asked, "Who is playing the demon fighting the Crown Prince?"
The national teacher cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, that is a young Taoist from the Royal Temple named Mu Qing."
The queen said softly, "I think this child fights well, only slightly weaker than the Crown Prince, probably about the same as Feng Xin?"
Hearing this, the national teacher's expression was unconvinced. Qi Rong, who had been eating grapes on the queen's lap, spat out a grape skin and said, "No way! He's much weaker, far behind. Not just anyone can compare to my Crown Prince cousin!"
Hearing this, the queen laughed and patted his head, and the nobles laughed heartily, teasing, "Qi Rong is really attached to his cousin, can't go a day without praising him."
Below, the crowd roared, "Fight! Beat him! Kill the demon!"
The shouts grew louder and louder. Qi Rong joined in, cupping his hands around his mouth to shout, "Cousin, go! You can beat him with one hand, show this kid what you're made of!"
Suddenly, the demon on the platform swung a saber, and the warrior blocked it with a sword, but he was surprised.
In the parade, the fight was meant to please the gods and entertain, using at most seventy percent strength, stopping short. However, after blocking the saber, the warrior's sword almost flew out of his hand. Clearly, the opponent had used full strength.
Xie Lian slightly raised his head and said loudly, "Mu Qing?"
The youth playing the demon said nothing, swinging the saber again. Xie Lian had no time to think, blocking several more strikes, thinking, "This is more interesting than the fake fight earlier." With that, his spirits lifted, and he became more engaged.
The cheers grew louder, weapons clashed, and sparks flew. The more intense the fight on the platform, the louder the cheers below. Suddenly, a sword whistle sounded, and a blinding white light flashed, causing the crowd to gasp and hold their breath.
The demon's nine-foot-long saber had been knocked out of his hand by the Divine Harmony Warrior's slender sword, embedding itself in a stone pillar on the side of the platform.
Some curious onlookers tried to pull the saber out, but even with all their strength, it wouldn't budge, leaving them amazed, "What kind of saber is this, and how strong is it?!"
On the grand platform, the Divine Harmony Warrior flicked his sword, producing a clear "ding" sound, and a soft laugh came from behind the golden mask.
Xie Lian said calmly and cheerfully, "Well fought. But you still lost."
The demon, having lost his weapon, knelt silently, clenching his fists. Xie Lian twirled his sword, and amidst the cheers from all directions, was about to deliver the final blow to "kill" the demon when suddenly, screams erupted from above!
Startled, Xie Lian sheathed his sword and looked up, only to see a blurry figure falling rapidly from the city wall.
In a flash, without thinking, he leaped up, light as a feather.
He soared up, his sleeves spreading like butterfly wings, landing gracefully, as light as a white feather. He held the person securely in his arms, his feet firmly on the ground. Xie Lian breathed a sigh of relief and looked down.
In his arms was a small child, face wrapped in bandages, dirty all over, curled up in his embrace, staring at him in a daze.