L.F-Hist.Novelist Chapter 1169 - 1110. Muchen’s Sword Dance & Poem
Chapter 1169 - 1110. Muchen’s Sword Dance & Poem
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(A/N: Don’t forget to give those power stones to Skyrim everyone!)
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Muchen gripped the hilt, the steel reflecting the light of ten thousand lanterns. The chatter of the banquet entirely ceased. The greatest warriors, the sharpest strategists, and the wealthiest kings on the continent held their breath, turning all their attention to the young dragon preparing to dance in the center of the unified world.
The steel caught the ambient light of ten thousand lanterns, shimmering like a mirror of the empire’s prosperity. He did not immediately draw the blade into a martial stance. Instead, the young Crown Prince turned his gaze toward the raised alcoves where the revered imperial musicians sat.
With a voice that was remarkably steady, completely devoid of the nervous tremors that would typically afflict a boy his age under the scrutinizing gaze of the entire known world, Muchen addressed the chief musician.
"Venerable masters," Muchen called out, his tone polite yet carrying the undeniable, inherited authority of the imperial bloodline. "The serene melodies of the bamboo flute and the gentle weeping of the guqin are perfect for a feast of peace. But a sword cannot dance to a whisper. I ask that you change the tune. Put on a blood pumping rhythm, something fierce and driving, to accompany the martial spirit of my performance."
The chief musician, an elderly master who had played for emperors of the fallen Han, immediately bowed his head so low it nearly touched his instrument. He understood the command perfectly. He raised a single hand, signaling the grand orchestra.
The serene, ethereal plucking of the strings vanished. In its place, the massive, ox hide war drums positioned on the upper balconies erupted.
THOOM. THOOM. THOOM.
The heavy, rhythmic beating was visceral, vibrating through the stone floors and rattling the wine in the golden goblets of the guests. Following the drums, the rapid, aggressive strumming of the pipa kicked in, playing a fast paced, ascending tempo that mirrored the frantic, blood pumping chaos of a battlefield cavalry charge.
It was a warlike, dominant melody that demanded attention and stirred the blood of every veteran in the room.
The moment the music shifted, Muchen moved.
He did not just swing the sword, he became an extension of the steel. The Crown Prince launched into a breathtaking sequence of martial choreography that completely belied his young age. He began with a sweeping, circular motion, his black and gold silk robes flaring out around his boots as he pivoted on his heel. The longsword hissed as it cut through the air, drawing a perfect arc of reflected light.
Muchen’s footwork was immaculate. He transitioned seamlessly from the grounded, immovable stances of the heavy infantry to the light, leaping, evasive maneuvers of the vanguard skirmishers.
He thrust the blade forward with explosive power, stopping the razor sharp tip a mere fraction of an inch from the empty air, demonstrating a terrifying, absolute control over his physical momentum.
As the war drums reached a fever pitch, Muchen leaped into the air. He spun like a whirlwind of dark silk and flashing iron, executing a complex aerial parry before landing silently, perfectly balanced on one leg, the sword held high in a triumphant guard.
All around the grand hall, the guests watched in absolute, mesmerized silence.
The generals and the military officials, men who had spent their entire lives studying the geometry of death, leaned forward in their seats, their eyes wide with profound respect.
Guan Yu stroked his long beard, nodding in deep, silent approval at the boy’s flawless edge alignment. Zhang Fei grinned a wide, feral grin, recognizing the explosive, raw power hidden within the precise movements. Xu Huang, Pang De, and Zhang He exchanged stunned, knowing glances.
They could see it clearly, the unparalleled warrior blood, the terrifying martial talent, and the indomitable, predator’s instinct of Emperor Lie Fan had been perfectly, flawlessly passed down to the Crown Prince.
The vassal kings and the tributary lords, particularly those from the far eastern peninsula and the southern jungles, simply marveled in quiet terror. They looked at the young boy, barely a man, wielding a deadly weapon with the grace of a seasoned veteran. It was a stark, physical reminder that the Hengyuan Dynasty was not just built by a single, extraordinary man.
The lineage was secure. The next generation was already a weapon. If the son was this magnificent, this lethal at such a young age, the empire would be invincible for a century.
Up on the imperial dais, the emotional weight of the performance was entirely different.
Empress Ying Yue sat with her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her beautiful eyes shimmering with unshed tears of absolute, overwhelming maternal pride. She watched her son, the boy she had carried through the turbulent, uncertain days of their rise to power, commanding the attention of the world with strength and dignity.
To her left, Diao Chan watched with a soft, affectionate smile, incredibly proud of the grace and elegance Muchen infused into the deadly art. Cai Wenji admired the historical and cultural perfection of the dance’s structure. Lu Lingqi, the martial goddess of the harem, nodded vigorously, her fierce eyes tracking every thrust and parry, immensely proud that the boy possessed a true warrior’s spirit. Zhen Ji clapped her hands silently in her lap, marveling at the sheer aesthetic beauty of the performance.
Sitting in the row designated for the imperial children, Muchen’s twin and his younger siblings watched their older brother with wide eyed, absolute awe. They pointed their fingers, whispering excitedly to one another as Muchen’s blade caught the lantern light, viewing him not just as a brother, but as a mythical hero stepping straight out of their bedtime stories.
As the frantic strumming of the pipa reached its climax and the war drums prepared for their final, earth shattering beat, Muchen executed a rapid, blinding flurry of strikes. He spun the sword gracefully behind his back, catching it with his other hand, and dropped to one knee.
He thrust the blade downward, halting it just a hair’s breadth above the crimson carpet, entirely synchronizing his final, immovable pose with the ultimate, echoing BOOM of the drums.
He froze, his breathing steady, his head bowed, the perfect image of a young dragon resting after conquering the storm.
For a single heartbeat, the grand hall was utterly silent, and then, the room erupted.
The cheers were deafening, a massive, spontaneous tidal wave of applause and roaring approval that shook the high, gilded ceilings. The guests leaped to their feet. The praise was not polite, obligatory court clapping, it was genuine, raw, and thoroughly astounded.
They praised the physical performance, but more importantly, they praised the profound energy and the deep, symbolic meaning of the dance, the representation of chaos being masterfully brought under control by the imperial blade.
Standing near the forefront of the civil tables, the inner circle advisors nodded their heads in deep, profound satisfaction. Jia Xu, Zhuge Liang, and Xun You saw the unshakeable confidence of the Crown Prince, recognizing that the political stability of the future was in incredibly capable hands.
Nearby, the five State Teachers, the brilliant minds tasked with shaping the intellect of the realm, nodded their heads in unified, scholarly approval, looking at the future Emperor and seeing the perfect synthesis of martial virtue and disciplined mind.
But the most important reaction came from the center of the dais.
Emperor Lie Fan stood up from the golden Dragon Throne. He did not care for the strict, stoic constraints of imperial protocol in this moment. He clapped his hands together with resounding, booming force, his face split by a massive, fiercely proud smile.
"Magnificent! Truly magnificent!" Lie Fan praised his son, his voice cutting through the roaring cheers of the hall.
Muchen remained on one knee for a moment longer, allowing the applause to wash over him. Then, he smoothly rose to his feet. He sheathed the ceremonial longsword with a sharp clack and handed it back to the waiting imperial maid.
Turning to face the dais, Muchen cupped his hands together and bowed deeply to his father, thanking him for his praise. He then pivoted, facing the vast expanse of the banquet hall, and offered a sweeping, respectful bow to the entire assembly of guests, acknowledging their thunderous cheers with the poised humility of a true sovereign.
Slowly, as Muchen remained standing in the center of the hall, the massive cheers and the frantic clapping began to die down, rippling into a quiet, respectful hush.
Muchen straightened his posture and looked back up at the throne. "If it pleases Imperial Father, and our honored guests, I would like to recite the poem I have prepared next."
Lie Fan, his eyes shining with anticipation, slowly took his seat back upon the golden throne. He rested his hands on the carved armrests and nodded his head, granting his absolute permission. "Of course, my son. The floor is yours. You may start whenever you are ready."
Muchen closed his eyes for a brief second. He took a long, deep breath, centering his mind, pulling the vast, heavy history of the empire into his lungs. When he opened his eyes, they were clear, focused, and burning with a poetic intensity.
He pitched his voice perfectly, ensuring that the acoustics of the cavernous hall carried every single syllable to the furthest tables.
"When the yellow sky fractured, and the Han fell to ash,
The rivers ran crimson, the warlords did clash.
The fields lay in ruin, the innocent wept,
While shadows of tyranny over us crept.
From the eastern horizons, a tempest was born,
A dragon of iron, to weather the storm.
He carried the mandate through blizzard and mud,
And forged a new world from the iron and blood.
To the south where the rivers run wide and run deep,
To the west where the treacherous mountains do sleep,
The banners of Hengyuan now flawlessly wave,
A testament built by the brilliant and brave.
Now the forges are quiet, the armor is cold,
The harvests are heavy, a mountain of gold.
The children can wander, the elders can rest,
For the Black Dragon’s shadow has blanketed the west.
I look to the dais, to the father, the king,
Whose unyielding spirit makes all the earth sing.
A toast to the era, to the peace we have won,
The nightmare is over. The dawn has begun."
As the final, echoing syllable of the word begun faded into the high rafters of the palace, an absolute, profound silence enveloped the grand hall.
It was a silence deeper than the one that had preceded the sword dance. It was the silence of thousands of men and women absorbing the profound, emotional weight of the verses.
The poem was not just a clever arrangement of words, it was a perfect, striking encapsulation of the tragedy, the struggle, and the ultimate, miraculous prosperity they had all lived through. It carried the themes of celebration and unification, yet it was anchored by a deep, reverent praise to the Emperor who had made it all possible.
For a long moment, no one moved. Several hardened veterans of the early campaigns wiped silent tears from their eyes, the memories of the ’rivers running crimson’ hitting them with the force of a physical blow.
Emperor Lie Fan was the very first to break the emotional spell.
He stood up abruptly, the heavy jade beads of his crown clicking wildly. He did not just clap, he cheered. It was a loud, booming cheer of absolute, unadulterated joy. Empress Ying Yue immediately followed suit, rising to her feet beside him, her face radiant, clapping her hands hard, her jewelry chiming with the force of her applause.
The Emperor and Empress breaking the silence acted as a physical shockwave. The entire hall woke up from their emotional stupor and immediately followed suit.
The guests leaped to their feet once more. The clapping was thunderous, frantic, and filled with a deep, resonating respect. They cheered for the poem, they cheered for the Crown Prince, and they cheered for the Emperor who had inspired such a magnificent tribute.
Lie Fan raised his hands, slowly calming the roaring crowd, though he remained standing. He looked down at Muchen with a gaze of overwhelming affection.
"That was spectacular, Muchen. A masterpiece of both the body and the mind," Lie Fan praised him, his voice thick with emotion. "But true wisdom recognizes its teachers. Tell me, and tell this court... who helped you in creating such a flawless sword dance, and who guided your brush to write such a magnificent poem?"
Muchen smiled, his posture remaining perfectly respectful. He did not attempt to hoard the glory for himself.
"Imperial Father is correct to ask," Muchen replied clearly. "I was heavily guided. For the sword dance, I must express my deepest gratitude to the Royal Bodyguard, General Zhao Yun. He spent countless hours in the training courtyards, refining my stances and teaching me the discipline of the blade."
At the mention of his name, Zhao Yun, standing near the perimeter of the dais in his gleaming silver armor, stepped forward and bowed deeply, his face a mask of humble devotion, though his eyes shone with pride for his royal student.
"And as for the poem," Muchen continued, gesturing toward the tables of the civil officials, "I owe my understanding of meter, history, and emotional resonance to the Royal Preceptor, Master Zhuge Jin, and the Royal Tutor, State Teacher Lu Zhi. They guided my brush and helped me find the words to honor your legacy."
Zhuge Jin and the venerable Lu Zhi stood up from their respective seats, bowing deeply toward the Emperor and the Crown Prince, deeply honored to be publicly recognized for their vital roles in shaping the future sovereign’s mind.
Lie Fan nodded his head, looking at the three exceptional mentors.
"General Zhao Yun, Master Zhuge Jin, Master Lu Zhi," Lie Fan announced, his voice carrying the weight of imperial decree. "You have done a spectacular service to this dynasty. Your dedication to the Crown Prince is a dedication to the eternal stability of Hengyuan. You have my profound thanks, and you shall be heavily rewarded by the treasury for your efforts."
The three men bowed again, chorusing their unworthiness of the Emperor’s praise. Lie Fan then turned his attention back to his son. "And as for you, Muchen. A spectacular performance demands a spectacular reward. You have honored your family and your empire tonight. Name your reward, and if it is within my power, it shall be granted."
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Name: Lie Fan
Title: Founding Emperor Of Hengyuan Dynasty
Age: 36 (203 AD)
Level: 16
Next Level: 462,000
Renown: 2325
Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 11)
SP: 1,121,700
ATTRIBUTE POINTS
STR: 1,010 (+20)
VIT: 659 (+20)
AGI: 653 (+10)
INT: 691
CHR: 98
WIS: 569
WILL: 436
ATR Points: 0