“Er… alright!” said Lanling.
Yin Ji then sat down in front of the old harpsichord.
To be honest, Lanling found it astonishing that such an instrument existed in the Barbarian Wasteland. It was not surprising to find one in Rakshasa City, but the fact that the Silver Alliance also had one was truly unexpected.
At that moment, he genuinely wanted to know who was responsible for the smuggling trade between the Human Kingdoms and Rakshasa City.
Seated before the keyboard, Yin Ji fell into silence and hesitation. For a long time, she did not touch a single key.
She simply did not know what to play. She had learnt countless pieces, but most of them were associated with the Dragon Temple, and she did not want to play any of those.
“There is one composition that is extraordinarily brilliant,” Yin Ji said. “When it reached the Yan Capital Temple, it was hailed as the greatest masterpiece of the past hundred years. I loved it back then and practised it for a very long time. But… it was written by my enemy, so I do not want to play it.”
Lanling remained silent, thinking to himself, “That was composed by Beethoven.”
After pondering for quite a while, Yin Ji said, “I will play ‘My King’s Silhouette’ instead. It was written by the Queen of Dongli for her husband, King Jiang Shang of Dongli, the greatest hero among all the Human Kingdoms.”
Lanling nodded.
Yin Ji began to play.
The long forgotten melody echoed through the room, stirring countless memories within Lanling.
It had been a very long time since he had touched an instrument. The last time he had played was when the Dragon Temple’s vast aerial army descended upon him, just before Zhi Yan attempted to kill him.
He had no intention of touching a keyboard again.
“My King’s Silhouette” was a piece unique to this world. It was beautiful and overflowing with emotion.
It possessed a kind of feminine grandeur.
A grandeur filled with elegance rather than overwhelming majesty.
The best way to describe it was, a storm contained within a teacup.
Normally, that expression carried a negative meaning. Yet for this composition, it was entirely complimentary.
The Queen of Dongli had wanted to portray her husband’s magnificent heroism and unwavering loyalty to the Dragon Emperor. Yet the entire piece overflowed with her love and admiration for him. Even its grandeur was softened by the warmth and grace of a woman’s devotion.
The Queen of Dongli was an extraordinarily, extraordinarily, extraordinarily, extraordinarily beautiful woman.
Four “extraordinarilys” were used here.
One only had to look at Jiang Xue to imagine just how beautiful she was.
There was another comparison as well.
She was Ji Xiuning’s aunt, Ji Yingsuo, the younger sister of the Flame Emperor Lord.
She had once been a candidate Saintess of the Dragon Temple. Had she not married King Jiang Shang, she would likely have become one of the Dragon Temple’s Sky Priests by now.
When she was twenty one years old, the Dragon Temple visited the Kingdom of Dongli. There she met Crown Prince Jiang Shang, and the two of them fell in love almost instantly.
There was little hesitation.
As the eldest princess of the Flame Empire and a candidate Saintess of the Dragon Temple, she immediately left both the Temple and the Flame Empire, effectively eloping to Dongli.
At the time, it caused an enormous political upheaval, creating severe tensions between the two most powerful nations in the world.
The Kingdom of Dongli itself fiercely opposed the marriage, believing it to be a conspiracy by both the Flame Empire and the Dragon Temple.
But who was Jiang Shang?
Did he care in the slightest what the world thought?
Ignoring every objection, he married Ji Yingsuo regardless.
From that day onwards, the two became the most admired couple under heaven.
Their love needed no words to describe.
For decades, they remained inseparable.
Some people claimed that the Dragon Temple destroyed a woman’s ability to love, both physically and mentally.
That was both true and false.
For someone like Ji Xiuning, the Temple employed its highest level of education rather than psychological conditioning.
They were raising rulers.
Future masters of the world.
Future leaders of the Dragon Temple.
Ji Xiuning had never been stripped of her emotions.
She understood everything.
She knew everything.
Ji Yingsuo, Ji Xiuning’s aunt and the Queen of Dongli, also understood everything.
The only difference was that the two women chose entirely different paths because they possessed different personalities and pursued different ideals.
Enough of that digression.
In short, “My King’s Silhouette” was a love song.
A genuine declaration of love.
It was breathtakingly beautiful and deeply moving.
In a sense, Ji Yingsuo was considered a traitor to the Dragon Temple.
Yet disciples such as Yin Ji and Meng Tuoluo still regarded her as an idol, a woman brave enough to pursue both love and freedom.
Because of this, nearly every disciple had practised “My King’s Silhouette” countless times.
Yin Ji was no exception.
Her decision to play it today clearly carried another meaning.
It was also her confession to Lanling.
Lanling understood immediately.
Yin Ji’s artistic ability surpassed Zhi Ning’s but remained below Meng Tuoluo’s.
Zhi Ning lived only for revenge.
Her heart was clouded, making it impossible for her to attain truly exceptional artistry.
Yin Ji, by contrast, possessed an innocent, pure heart combined with remarkable intelligence.
Her talent and purity allowed her to reach a very high artistic level.
Yet she still could not surpass Meng Tuoluo.
Meng Tuoluo was simply far too obsessive.
She was someone completely immersed within her own world.
Yin Ji, on the other hand, possessed wisdom, innocence, kindness, and a relatively tolerant and righteous heart.
So in terms of artistry, she fell short of Meng Tuoluo.
But her performance might actually have sounded even more pleasant.
Listening to someone like Meng Tuoluo demanded tremendous mental energy.
The same was true of listening to Lanling.
Lanling was even more obsessive and extreme than Meng Tuoluo.
From his own perspective, both he and Meng Tuoluo were rather unpleasant people.
Meanwhile, Yan Nai’er and Yin Ji were both incredibly… incredibly lovable.
Without realising it, Yin Ji finished playing.
She looked at Lanling with dreamy eyes and flushed cheeks.
This had been a confession.
She gazed at him expectantly, hoping he had understood the emotions hidden within the music.
She did not expect him to possess extraordinary artistic appreciation.
She only hoped their hearts could connect, that he would understand what the melody was trying to tell him.
How could Lanling possibly fail to understand?
Back on Earth, he had merely been a highly skilled amateur pianist.
But after arriving in this world, countless experiences, an increase in spiritual power, greater innate talent, and everything he had gone through had quietly elevated him into the ranks of true artistic masters.
After hearing only the first few notes, he could discern a performer’s personality, understand the emotional state of both the performer and the composer.
For certain pieces, very few people in this world could rival him.
Even so, he had no intention of touching a keyboard again.
At least not until he reclaimed the Human Kingdoms.
“Well?” Yin Ji asked.
“So so,” Lanling replied.
Yin Ji immediately became furious.
It felt as though pearls had been thrown before swine.
Like playing beautiful music to a deaf ox.
It was as if, I gave my heart to the bright moon, yet the bright moon shone only upon a dung heap.
“You’re not even as good as I am,” Lanling added.
“What nonsense! You uncivilised brute! A barbarian who knows nothing about art!” Yin Ji snapped. “This is the greatest love song of the Human Kingdoms. It was written by the most beautiful woman in the world for the most handsome and greatest man in the world, her husband!”
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll play it for you,” Lanling said.
“Go on then! If you can even play three correct notes, I’ll chop off my own hand!”
Lanling grabbed her, pulled her across his lap, and delivered a rapid series of firm smacks to her backside.
“In future, if you ever use matters affecting the survival of the nation to bargain with me, or make such childish demands again, I’ll spank you until you can’t sit down,” Lanling said.
“You bastard… Lanling, you’re a complete bastard! A blind, ignorant bastard!”
“My eyes must truly be blind to think I could ever share my heart with a cold blooded butcher like you.”
“You’re nothing but a brute. A heartless tyrant who only knows how to fight and kill!”
Yin Ji shouted angrily.
But halfway through her scolding, she suddenly stopped.
Because the rhythm of Lanling’s spanking perfectly matched the melody of “My King’s Silhouette.”
That infuriating man had actually turned her backside into a musical instrument, using his palm to perform the song.
Bastard.
Complete bastard.
Utterly unforgivable.
Yet…
There was somehow… something strangely delightful about it.
He had understood.
He had simply pretended not to.
And this domineering response was his answer.
It was his way of saying, I understand your feelings, but do not expect the response you imagined. This is all the response I am willing to give.
For Yin Ji, however, that was enough.
Being understood mattered more than anything else.
As for Lanling’s response…
Perhaps it was even better than the romantic harmony she had once imagined.
…
After dozens of smacks, Lanling finally stopped.
He had not been gentle.
At first Yin Ji cried out loudly.
Later, she gradually became quiet.
Looking at her again, her eyes were filled with dreams and fantasies.
Her earlier anger had completely vanished.
Lanling was speechless.
No wonder her eyes were so full of life.
She truly possessed an extraordinary imagination.
A girl so innocent, intelligent, delicate, and beautiful ought to have lived a life as sweet as honey.
Instead, she had been cast into this cruel land.
Unfortunately, the very person responsible for that misfortune was Lanling himself.
“Enough,” Lanling said. “Tell me.”
“Nightmare Flower,” Yin Ji replied. “The Mammoth Clan fears the Nightmare Flower above all else. If its sap touches them, or even if they smell its fragrance, they immediately fall asleep. It is an innate weakness in their bloodline.”
Lanling asked inwardly, “Nightmare Flower? What is that? Mirror, do you know?”
Mirror Demon King replied, “Master, I do not recognise that name alone. Different regions use different names for the same things.”
Yin Ji climbed off Lanling’s lap and picked up a pen and parchment.
At first, she sketched the Nightmare Flower in a highly abstract style.
After thinking for a moment, she switched to a graphite pencil and drew it using realistic shading.
The illustration was remarkably lifelike.
She truly was talented in many different fields.
“Realistic, isn’t it?” Yin Ji said. “This technique is called realistic sketching. It revolutionised painting throughout the Human Kingdoms. It was also invented by a man called Suolun. He was a genius artist, a scoundrel in love, and a ruthless butcher.”
Lanling instinctively licked his lips.
Before long, Yin Ji finished the drawing.
Lanling examined it carefully.
He had never seen anything like it.
“Mirror, have you seen this before?” he asked.
“Master, everything I know comes through the minds of my spiritual servants. Much of that knowledge is abstract…”
It had never seen it.
That was the Mirror Demon King’s tragedy.
It could only directly observe things within its own territory.
Everything else had to come from the memories of others.
Even if someone had seen the Nightmare Flower before, unless it had left a deep impression, it would simply remain buried among countless forgotten memories.
“That was all I saw,” Yin Ji said. “I don’t know where it grows. I’m not even sure whether it’s truly a plant.”
“Even this information is extremely valuable,” Lanling said sincerely.
Yin Ji immediately frowned.
She looked unhappy.
For some reason, hearing Lanling thank her only irritated her even more.
Afterwards, Lanling questioned Xie Li Khan, Chi Yan, Gou Li, and everyone else he could think of.
None of them had ever seen the Nightmare Flower.
He even questioned nearly every well travelled person in the Flame Demon Tribe.
No one recognised it.
Seven days later.
Si Si appeared before Lanling once more.
“My husband, I’ve confirmed it. Nao Shu’s secret trump card is indeed the Mammoth Clan warriors.”
As expected.
Although Lanling already knew, he still allowed a pleased expression to appear on his face.
He then showed Si Si the drawing of the Nightmare Flower.
“Do you know what this is?”
“Dream Sunflower,” Si Si answered immediately.
Lanling was overjoyed.
“Do you know where it grows?”
Si Si nodded.
“It is something between a plant and a crystal. It grows deep underground. We love eating it. After eating it, you feel completely carefree, as though nothing else in the world matters. But you mustn’t eat too much. Otherwise your mind becomes as muddled as Qing Qing’s, constantly drifting in a daze.”
“Can you gather some now?” Lanling asked.
“Of course,” Si Si replied. “But only I can reach those places. They are deep, narrow underground tunnels. I have to transform into my serpent form to enter them.”
“Then collect as much as you possibly can,” Lanling said.
“Certainly,” Si Si smiled. “But I have one condition.”
Lanling immediately developed a headache.
Not another condition.
“You must let me serve you once.”
She teasingly stuck out her soft little tongue and slowly licked her crimson lips, looking utterly seductive.
…
The following day, Si Si returned.
An entire chest filled with Dream Sunflowers stood before Lanling.
“My husband, it’s time for you to keep your promise,” she said.
Soon afterwards, the room echoed with Lanling’s heavy breathing.
…
The next day, Lanling, Gou Li, and Chi Yan Khan departed for the Mammoth Clan’s territory to test the effects of the Dream Sunflower.
At the same time, the Black Demon Banner’s million strong army had begun gathering outside Black Demon City.
That very day, an honoured guest arrived.
Every senior member of the Rakshasa Clan knew that a new favourite had risen within the royal family.
It was Meng Tuoluo, the new Princess Consort of the Little Rakshasa King.
She had come on behalf of the Little Rakshasa King to inspect Black Demon Banner’s preparations for war.