Chapter 99: Poetry and Swordsmanship

The singing began, and the actors took the stage.

All the audience in the theater fell silent, appreciating the performance on stage.

The scenery was lavishly arranged, the actors' expressions were earnest, the singing rose and fell, presenting a splendid drama before the eyes of the people.

Lei En watched attentively for a few minutes, feeling that this art form was much like in his previous life.

Unfortunately, whether in his previous life or in Ai Lun E Si, perhaps he truly lacked artistic talent, or perhaps it was a matter of aesthetic difference; he tried for a moment, yet still could not quite appreciate it.

No matter how superb the performance, how melodious the singing, Lei En always remained detached, unable to become truly immersed as others did.

Viola was indeed very engaged; during the intermission she discussed a few lines, telling Lei En that the creator of this opera was President Haxilin.

The plot summary is simple: the male lead is a handsome, dashing noble son who falls in love with a socialite of common birth, essentially a famed courtesan; the two love each other, but the noble family opposes them, leading to various misunderstandings and a breakup. Later the male lead suddenly awakens, abandons everything to be with his beloved, but arrives too late—she has already perished.

In short, it is a love tragedy.

A tragedy destroys something beautiful for the audience to see; this is a universal truth. People watch, entranced, and many female spectators sob softly, soaking their handkerchiefs with tears.

Lei En does not understand appreciation, nor is he a sentimental person, so he is not deeply moved; had he not been with Viola, he would have already drifted off.

Finally, after nearly two hours, the opera concluded.

In the theater, thunderous applause rang, and the actors returned to the stage to take their bows.

Lei En stood up with everyone to applaud; he noticed that Viola beside him had slightly reddened eyes, clearly moved by the opera.

She looked back, her eyes full of deep affection.

A smile appeared on Lei En's face, and the two gently clasped hands, sharing a smile as if their hearts were linked.

"It's time," Viola said calmly, no longer as nervous as on the way to the grand theater, whispering, "Let's go to the temple behind us; the priests should have already prepared."

"Alright," Lei En nodded.

Viola lowered the fine veil on her hat, shielding her face, and naturally slipped her arm through his, exiting the theater box.

Along the way, the two deliberately avoided the departing audience, venturing deeper into the grand theater.

The layout of the Yongge Grand Theater is roughly divided into three sections.

The frontmost part is the publicly open performance center, the main body of the theater, an enormous circular structure.

Beyond the back of the theater lies a vast garden.

The garden's design boasts a stunning, dreamlike beauty: stone-paved paths wind through, leading to flower pavilions and gazebos; exquisite sculptures appear everywhere, along with fountains exuding magical aura, their water tinkling; meticulously trimmed trees and vines complement soft magical lighting, making a stroll feel like walking in a dream, leaving one reluctant to leave.

Looking beyond the garden's end, under the night sky, one can faintly see a solemn yet serene temple.

Both the garden and the temple are accessible only to members of the Art Association and followers of Longhaired Lady.

Viola explained, "Outside Longhaired Lady's temple, gardens are usually built, allowing followers to express their artistic talents and serving as important places for their interaction."

"So that's how it is."

Lei En suddenly understood; he saw in some garden corners several couples holding hands while strolling, or sitting on benches whispering, occasionally emitting joyful laughter.

Isn't this a dating sanctuary, much like the little grove at school?

"I'll take you for a walk in the garden; this is also a step before the ceremony," Viola said with a smile, "From this moment, it may attract Longhaired Lady's attention."

Lei En felt a slight alarm in his heart, and naturally agreed.

The two linked arms and entered the garden, strolling leisurely, admiring the masterpieces of the artists. Occasionally they bumped into other couples, exchanging slight nods as they passed.

Lei En did not look back, yet he was clear that each couple they passed later glanced back at him and Viola.

After walking farther away, they would still whisper softly.

"Gossip truly is human nature, no matter which world..."

Lei En sighed inwardly, looked at Viola beside him, and found her mind wholly focused on him, paying no attention to anyone else.

"Stay focused," he quickly gathered his thoughts.

The garden was vast; after wandering for half an hour and covering only a small portion, they felt it was enough and proceeded directly to the temple.

Longhaired Lady's temple was not towering; a row of round columns supported the dome, its architecture elegant and classical, and facing the garden was a semicircular archway adorned with numerous reliefs.

Architecture is also art; the temple itself was a massive artwork.

When Lei En, arm in arm with Viola, emerged from the garden, he instantly saw a group of people waiting before the temple's doors.

His first impression of these people was that it felt like stepping into a celebrity agency.

Regardless of gender or age, none of the ten‑plus individuals lacked handsome men or beautiful women.

Some wore formal attire with dignified bearing; others dressed casually, unkempt, yet each possessed a unique aura, seemingly beyond the mundane, elegant and distinctive, making any of them the focal point in a crowd.

What Art Association? Clearly it's an Appearance Association!

Lei En muttered to himself, noting that the deity Longhaired Lady, truly bearing a "beautiful" divine office, favors good‑looking followers, and not a single priest is unattractive.

He quietly activated his soul eye, gave a cursory scan, confirming that these people were priests of the Beauty and Goodness Church.

At the head was the President of the Art Association, Count Haxilin.

Below President Haxilin, the others' souls were shrouded in the fire of faith, intensely blazing; each was at least a devout loyal follower, and most worshipped only Longhaired Lady.

However, after Lei En finished observing their souls, his heart sank.

He saw that several people's soul colors bore red—mostly light red, with one or two dark red—signifying hostility toward him.

They come with ill intent!

Lei En's gaze swept over these individuals, almost all men, and he instantly guessed what was happening.

In the Beauty and Goodness Church, yin dominates yang; female followers outnumber males, and there are more female priests than male. Only five or six men were present, yet aside from President Haxilin, almost every man's soul was tinged red.

"I have become a public enemy of men in the Art Association."

Lei En was unfazed, gripping Viola's hand even tighter, with a hint of showing off.

Under everyone's gaze, Viola and Lei En walked side by side toward the temple doors.

At this moment, the temple doors remained closed.

President Haxilin did not delay, saying directly, "The ritual altar has been set up; you may go in. We will stand outside, praying with you to Longhaired Lady, requesting that she grant the Divine Technique."

"Thank you, President," Viola replied calmly.

Haxilin nodded, turned to face the temple doors, and prepared to open them.

"Please wait a moment, President."

A handsome voice suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's gaze.

Only Haxilin remained unmoved, focusing his spell, releasing a white light that activated the runes on the temple doors; the heavy stone doors swung inward, revealing the interior.

After completing this, Haxilin slowly turned back and asked, "Yetezi, do you have something to say?"

The speaker was a man in his thirties, handsome and slightly delicate, tall and slender, dressed in a fitted deep‑blue suit, sword at his waist, a finely crafted seven‑string lute on his back; his bearing was timeless, and anyone who saw him couldn't help exclaiming what a handsome man, enough to win countless maidens' hearts.

Lei En had seen this person not long ago, on the opera stage just now, where he played the male lead.

In the opera, Yetezi was a dashing noble son; offstage he was not a commoner either, wearing a noble's badge on his chest.

From Yetezi's soul, one could see he is a Level‑5 Magic Swordsman.

Lei En examined him closely and found the fellow was no ordinary Element‑type Magic Swordsman; several Elements were rare, like a scarce extraordinary profession, yet not fully refined.

In short, this person's strength was impressive.

The other suddenly spoke, and Lei En was not surprised at all; at first glance he sensed this person harbored the greatest hostility toward him, so remaining idle would have been odd.

He glanced at Viola beside him.

She, hidden behind a gauzy veil, wore a blank expression, seemingly emotionless, yet her tightly clenched hand betrayed her thoughts, clearly furious.

Yetezi stepped forward two paces and loudly said, "President, please forgive my rudeness. I merely wish to ask whether the scripture stipulates that entry to the Lady's Temple requires being a follower of the Lady or a true artist?"

Haxilin did not hesitate, nodded, and said, "That rule does exist."

"Thank you, President," Yetezi bowed politely, then turned to Lei En, stepped forward two paces and asked, "Mr. Lei En, are you a follower of the Longhaired Lady?"

"No," Lei En replied calmly.

"Then, do you understand art?" Yetezi asked again.

Lei En had roughly guessed his intention and suddenly found it rather interesting.

Every move of this person resembled a stage performance: his speech rose and fell with cadence, he was courteous, his attire meticulously coordinated, his demeanor flawless as if rehearsed, appearing slightly flamboyant yet oddly natural.

Is this because he's too immersed in the role, treating himself as the protagonist of life?

Or is he playing some role‑playing game?

Lei En speculated inwardly and replied with a teasing tone, "I know a little."

Because he did not answer Yetezi immediately, his complexion turned odd, which others took as a sign of guilt.

"Who dares say Lei En doesn't understand art?"

Viola could not help but defend, "Everyone, you've all heard of 'Viola by the Lakeside'; Lei En is the composer of that score. Can one who writes such beautiful music not be called an artist?"

"If Mr. Lei En were the composer, he would of course qualify to enter the temple, but unfortunately he is not," Yetezi retorted loudly.

He came prepared, pulling several sheets of paper from his close‑fitting pocket, opening them to show the crowd.

"Mr. Lei En took an elective art course at Cleden Academy; here are his attendance record and transcript."

"In three years, Mr. Lei En attended fewer than five classes, never passed an exam, and produced no presentable works."

"How could such a person have created the marvelous piece 'Viola by the Lakeside'?"

Yetezi passed the sheets past the priests, finally handing them to Haxilin, and said, "President, please review them."

Haxilin leafed through the transcript, his expression slightly grim.

The priests' eyes were full of doubt; most were women who had heard the beautiful music, and it was Viola who moved them with that piece, promising other benefits, thereby gaining their consent, with a majority vote allowing Viola to hold the prayer ceremony early.

But now it seemed the composer was someone else.

Everyone immediately speculated; it was clear Viola was the true creator.

Lei En wore a calm face, but thought inwardly, "Damn, this guy's tactics are impressive—he not only got hold of my academy transcript, but also guessed the truth."

This time there was no arguing; he truly wasn't the original author.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Viola finally could not hold herself any longer, growing anxious.

She knew exactly Lei En's situation at Cleden Academy and that he had been obscure before, yet she had seen his musical talent with her own eyes and heard the birth of that score, never doubting it.

However, this matter truly defied explanation; no one would believe it if spoken.

"This is Lei En's work."

Viola offered a somewhat feeble defense, glared at Yetezi, and asked coldly, "Yetezi, what benefit do you gain from doing this?"

"Viola, I'm not targeting you. I'm merely upholding the Lady's dignity; it's not that any vulgar commoner may enter the temple and desecrate the altar," Yetezi shrugged nonchalantly, his expression sincere, as if truly considering the church.

He looked at Viola's exquisite face, his complexion softened, and a hint of admiration and frenzy flashed in his eyes.

"Oh, Viola, Longshande's most beautiful and noble violet, I don't know what kind of man could match you, but I know…"

Yetezi spoke in an operatic aria, his emotions rich, rhythm undulating, with strong resonance.

Lei En felt his scalp tingle, about to interject, when Yetezi pointed at him, his tone rising, "But I know this swindler certainly doesn't deserve you; he must be driven out!"

The priests seemed affected by his words, glancing at Lei En with expressions of disgust.

Viola, furious, retorted, "Drive Lei En out, then who will perform the ceremony with me? You?"

"It would be an honor!"

Yetezi immediately adopted a startled‑flattered demeanor, "Of course, I would rather have you, Viola, pray alone, without having to perform love before the Lady; I'm sure you'll receive her response."

Lei En could no longer tolerate this fellow; he was truly a reincarnated drama king.

He had already discerned Yetezi's pathological mindset—madly infatuated with Viola, repeatedly rejected, and internally treating her as his unattainable desire, a classic "I can't have her, and no one else can"—hence his self‑sabotaging actions.

Dealing with such a person requires no more words; fists are the simplest and most direct.

As for being barred from the temple, Lei En didn't mind; after all, with the Phonograph as his contribution, he wouldn't partake in the prayer ceremony and would have no issue.

Viola would eventually be on his side.

After the ceremony ends, he'll settle the score with that drama king.

Lei En calmly thought, just as he was about to let Viola enter the temple, Yetezi threw a provocation glance, sneering: "Mr. Lei En, I heard you're a member of the Demon Extermination Squad, so your strength must be pretty good, very adept at combat?"

"My strength is okay, I guess." Lei En's gaze shifted, and he asked, "Mr. Yetezi, do you want to fight me?"

Yetezi laughed again, "Actually I don't like fighting people, but I want to challenge the thing you're best at, to prove that you're unworthy of being Viola's lover. None of us are worthy of Viola."

Lei En was fretting about having no chance to strike, and unexpectedly he stuck his face forward himself.

But he didn't want to merely hurt the opponent; he also wanted to crush this arrogant fool psychologically, so he asked, "Mr. Yetezi, what else are you good at?"

Yetezi looked pleased, and loudly declared, "Poetry and swordsmanship."

Lei En's eyes lit up, and he immediately had an idea: "Then let's contest poetry and swordsmanship."

(End of chapter)