At one o’clock on Thursday morning, Xia Yu sat upright in An’s piano room, his fingers dancing as he played “The Pontiff’s Dancer.”
The piece’s name originates from a medieval folk tale.
Historically, the Pontiff who betrayed the Dark Moon Church and usurped the nation’s power had a favored subordinate, a knight wearing armor and wielding a greatsword.
No one had ever seen the knight’s face. Rumors claimed she never removed her helmet, and she led her troops to clear obstacles for the Pontiff and waged wars across the land.
Because of her lightweight armor, her nimble movements, and the Pontiff’s reliance on her, she was hailed as the Pontiff’s dancer.
Legends say she was originally a royal descendant of the former monarchy, captured by the Pontiff and cruelly trained, transforming from an elegant noble into a bloodthirsty assassin.
This piece depicts the journey from tranquility to turmoil and finally to madness. Composed during the chaotic era before this world was unified, it was the Ninth District composer’s protest against the military conscription of minors.
The first part has a gentle rhythm, depicting the dancer’s noble life. The second part begins to change, representing the turbulent rebellion. By the third part, the rhythm becomes nearly frenzied, illustrating the dancer’s madness and distortion. This section heavily tests the performer’s finger speed.
After playing the final note, Xia Yu’s hands trembled slightly.
“You’ve already mastered this piece,” An Siyao said happily. “What would you like to learn next? The Twin Princes of Betrayal or Hymn to the Sun?”
“No, let’s take a break,” Xia Yu didn’t want to learn a new piece for now.
He played “The Pontiff’s Dancer” once more, then paused the five-times experience card timer and silently said, “Skill Panel.”
His music skill had already reached level 3, and his dexterity had improved to level 2.
At this level, he should be qualified to apply for a pianist job, right?
So far, he had learned “Courage Under Fire,” “The Virgin Without Purpose,” “The High Tower of Lothric,” “Before Rosaria’s Bed,” and most recently, “The Pontiff’s Dancer.”
Though he knew only a few pieces, they were sufficient for playing in a café.
With a satisfied smile, Xia Yu stood up and left the piano room.
There was still an hour before the game ended. He might as well rest in the girl’s room for a while.
His early departure caught the maid waiting outside the piano room by surprise, and it took her a while to react and greet Xia Yu.
The maid felt uneasy about her own rudeness, and her anxiety increased when she noticed Xia Yu staring at her.
A few days ago, Xia Yu had tamed the head maid so thoroughly that the maids had developed a great fear of him.
“What were you doing just now?” Xia Yu asked.
Upon hearing this question, the maid’s heart sank.
Had he discovered her secretly using her phone?
Xia Yu added, “I mean, what task were you doing just now?”
“Cleaning the storage room.” When she realized Xia Yu wasn’t talking about using her phone, instead of relaxing, the maid became even more flustered—the unknown was more terrifying than the known.
“I see. No wonder.”
As the maid began to wonder, she saw Xia Yu extend his hand toward her. Thinking of scenes from TV dramas where maids were slapped by evil young mistresses, the maid closed her eyes tightly.
However, Xia Yu’s hand did not land on her cheek, but instead rested on her head.
From between the maid’s hair, Xia Yu retrieved a small gray fur ball.
Taking the maid’s hand, he placed the fur ball in her palm.
“Wear a hat when you clean,” Xia Yu said, continuing on his way.
The maid stood still for a moment, placed the fur ball in her pocket, and caught up with Xia Yu. Her heart was no longer filled with the previous fear.
After delivering Xia Yu to his room and confirming he didn’t need anything else, the maid took out her phone and sent a message in the group chat.
[The young lady touched my head tonight!]
There were quite a few maids who cultivated, so someone replied quickly.
[What happened?]
[Are you sure she touched your head, not hit it with something?]
[No, I had a bit of dust in my hair from cleaning the storage room tonight, and the young lady picked it off for me.] Recalling the moment, the maid smiled.
[Really?]
[Really! I even smelled the young lady’s scent—it was amazing! Her hands were also super beautiful!] The maid blushed.
[Emmmm, are you just stressed out and gone crazy?]
[You’re the crazy one! Don’t you think she’s been especially handsome every evening lately?]
The maid group fell into contemplation.
[Come to think of it, that’s true.]
An intense discussion ensued in the maid group chat.
After chatting for a while, the topic predictably began to wander.
[I heard the mistress’s birthday is coming up soon.]
[What does that have to do with us? The banquet won’t be held here anyway.]
[No, the young lady will be going there, right?]
…
Unaware that he had just given the maid a significant emotional jolt, Xia Yu stood on the balcony in his bedroom, looking at the night outside while eating the freshly delivered white rice balls.
Too bad he couldn’t take them home. Otherwise, he could let Xue also taste them.
Thinking again about what he had previously checked—each rice ball cost a thousand coins—Xia Yu sighed.
The method of making these rice balls wasn’t particularly unique. The reason they tasted so good was due to the careful selection of ingredients.
Especially inside, they required octopus meat from a species Xia Yu had never even heard of, and this octopus was only found on a single small island worldwide.
“Are you not coming tomorrow?” An Siyao asked.
“You promised me a day off after two days,” Xia Yu said.
An Siyao’s body was in a state of fatigue, which had a significant impact on her mental state.
“Then what piece do you plan to learn the day after tomorrow? There are some pieces I also don’t know. If you want to learn them, I can ask Auntie Dong to find a pianist,” An Siyao continued.
“No need. I don’t want to learn any new pieces for now,” Xia Yu planned to take a break. After playing the piano for so many days, often for eight hours at a time, he had already grown somewhat weary.
Hearing Xia Yu’s words, An Siyao felt a bit anxious. Since Xia Yu had started using her body, he had almost constantly been learning piano. Now, suddenly not wanting to continue was a change—had something happened?
“Will you really come the day after tomorrow?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t stand you up,” Xia Yu said.
“Mm.”
After finishing this topic, Xia Yu chatted about the girl’s life and learned many interesting tidbits about high society.
At two o’clock in the morning, Xia Yu returned to his own body.
As he sat up, a string of subtitles floated before his eyes.
[Congratulations! For the first time a skill has reached level 3, you have received a reward.]
[Body Search 1/1: Access to body functions under certain conditions.]
Unexpectedly receiving a reward delighted Xia Yu. The Body Search function was also quite practical.
Moreover, more importantly, he now knew that fulfilling certain conditions would grant rewards.
If reaching level 3 for the first time brought a reward, then reaching level 4 would likely bring one too.
Today, he couldn’t enter An Siyao’s body. He had originally been debating whether to enter the black cat’s body or find someone else.
The main dexterity bonus from the black cat’s body was already his, so entering the black cat’s body wasn’t particularly meaningful. However, if he could freely choose, he didn’t have any good options at hand.
Now he didn’t need to worry anymore. Using the Body Search function, he could find a suitable body.
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