Chapter 62 - The Prelude

(Lian Li POV)

Unfortunately we didn't catch any fish in the end. Not due to a lack of trying but we had just been so distracted by Master's beaming smile that we couldn't go on to compete anymore.

I'm sure the pictures Manami will make later will be the best ones we've ever created.

I wouldn't be surprised if this batch became even more popular than the bath ones.

Master had also released the ones he caught back into the pool, giving his thanks to the stall tender for the time before leaving.

I volunteered to gather the catchers to return to the stall tender while they waited just ahead of the stall.

"Good work," I nodded as I passed him the catchers.

"All for Master," he prayed, his tone of voice holding more reverence than ever before.

"Anything to report?"

"None at the moment, but all of us are in position."

"Very well, report to us immediately if anything amiss comes up."

"Yes, High Priestess."

"All for Master," I prayed.

"All for Master," He echoed.

I rejoined the group and we followed Master to view the other stalls.

The Courtyard was more crowded now as more people joined in on the festivities, tasting the stall food or participating in the game stalls.

Quite a number of them stopped when they saw Master, exchanging New Year greetings with him.

Cai Hong was still holding on to Master's left hand while his right hand remained empty.

Needless to say, the four of us wanted to hold that hand too but we weren't thick-skinned enough to ask if we could hold it.

Cai Hong tilted her head back, spotting us staring at Master's free hand wistfully.

She smirked at us before looking up towards Master, her face one of pure excitement, "Papa! There's a lot of people!"

"Mmhmm… It's a big festival after all," Master laughed, nodding to a few Sect members who waved at him.

"Muuu… Will big sisters get lost?" Cai Hong asked innocently.

Master turned back, watching us squeeze our way through the crowd while making sure our eyes were directed elsewhere.

He stretched his free hand towards us, "Come closer now, wouldn't want any of us to get lost in this crowd."

I felt my heart skip as I grasped his hand, Master's warmth coursing through me from the touch.

Manami immediately went for his arm, wrapping her own arm around his.

Cai Hong then clambered up Master's side, settling herself on top of his shoulders and leaving his other hand free for Eris and the arm for Diao Chan to hold on to.

"Ok… This wasn't what I had in mind but I guess it works," Master commented awkwardly.

"Papa! I'm tall!" Cai Hong exclaimed.

"Yes, yes. Now sit properly or you might fall."

"Okies~~"

I entwined my fingers with Master's, enjoying the feeling of Master's touch.

We waded our way through the crowd, gathering stares from all around us.

The number of people stopping Master to give New Year greetings significantly lessened.

"Master… Stage…" Eris asked, pointing a finger towards the large stage near the centre of the Courtyard.

"Ah, there should be a performance going on now, do you girls want to watch?"

We nodded in unison.

Master altered his path to head towards the stage where a large crowd had already gathered to watch.

We found a spot nearby that granted us full view of the stage, just as two fox youkai entered the stage with two stringed instruments.

"Ah, the shamisen. A classic," Diao Chan commented fondly.

They sat down at the corner of the stage, taking their time to tune their instruments while another fox youkai stepped onto the stage, this one with maroon hair and six tails.

"Ara? That rabid dog is the last one I expected to perform a kabuki…" Manami commented.

I raised my eyebrow at her but Manami just shook her head in response.

The musicians stummed their lute and the girl began to dance and sing in very deliberate slow motions.

Almost everyone became captivated by her voice and movements, watching her closely as if in a trance. Even I could not help but give my full attention to her performance as she swayed to the slow, haunting tune.

She sang of a poor village girl who loved another within her village, yet despite all her love and efforts, the other had shunned her love.

But even faced with the rejection, she continued to shower them with love and care, heedless of how the others had told her it was a fruitless venture.

She sang of how her loved one had caught the eye of a tyrant one day, the tyrant spriting them away to his palace and separating the two of them. The audience cursed at the tyrant, even I felt anger at how the two had been separated apart so unjustly.

The village girl cried her heart out, but yet she was powerless to stop it from happening.

But she had not given up on rescuing her loved one.

The song reached its climax when civil war broke out within the country, the village girl inciting a rebellion to overthrow the tyrant.

The crowd leaned in as the battle reached its apex, the rebels storming the tyrant's castle and the village girl breaking down the doors to the tyrant's room herself.

There was an epic duel to the death, the village girl having grown into a skilled war