Chapter 97

In mid-February, the severe cold had passed, and although the weather was still quite cold, the temperature was not as low as before. The empire had achieved a great victory, grain prices were stable, and with the approach of the New Year performance, the people, who were at ease, were increasingly coming to the capital for the annual grand event.

The capital of the Qiankun Empire was an ancient city over two hundred years old, stretching twenty miles in length and fifteen miles in width, covering an area of three hundred square miles, with a permanent population of nearly one million. Although it had undergone multiple renovations, the traces of time were still visible everywhere, imparting a sense of profound weight and solemnity.

When Jiang Xingchen first saw this ancient city, he could not hide his amazement. The weight accumulated over time was far beyond what Hongyuan City could compare to.

After greeting Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou, Jiang Xingchen no longer rode in the carriage. He called on the old man to be his guide, led Mie'er down, and squeezed into the crowd entering the city. Being in the capital for the first time, he naturally wanted to take Mie'er around.

Upon entering the capital, Jiang Xingchen saw a more prosperous scene than in Hongyuan City. The streets were filled with pedestrians, and carriages flowed continuously. There were countless shops and signs.

The little girl's face was beaming with excitement, her head swaying from side to side, looking at one thing and then another, feeling as if her eyes couldn't keep up.

The old man, with his head held high, introduced the sights as they walked, acting like a local.

A month later, when the old man led them to a street, Jiang Xingchen finally experienced what it meant to have a crowd. The throngs of people were almost as dense as those on the pedestrian streets of major cities on Earth.

"Kid, this is Jinnong Street, the largest market in the northern part of the city... Have you ever seen such a scene before?" the old man said proudly.

"Pfft! What's so special about this? I've seen markets where people are so packed they can't move!" Jiang Xingchen sneered, glancing sideways at the old man.

The old man's eyes twitched, and he pointed at Jiang Xingchen, saying in a low voice, "Kid, can your face get any thicker? You can even tell such lies, who would believe you!"

"Pfft! Believe it or not, it's up to you!" Jiang Xingchen ignored him, leading Mie'er forward, thinking to himself, "If you saw the crowds in the subway in Shanghai, you'd be scared to death!"

The old man stared at Jiang Xingchen's back, gritting his teeth, "This little brat, he's just not comfortable unless he's opposing me..."

After leading Mie'er around the market and buying some clothes and small accessories, they were about to head back when Mie'er suddenly tugged at his sleeve, "Brother, look, there are flowers for sale!"

"Huh?" Jiang Xingchen was puzzled, "What season is it? How can there be flowers?"

Turning his head and following Mie'er's finger, he saw two bouquets of flowers in bud on a stall.

"These are pink昙 (tan) flowers. The nobles in the capital like to place these flowers in their homes as decorations. During the New Year performance, these flowers sell the fastest... Usually, pink昙 (tan) flowers break through the ice in February, making them the earliest blooming flowers, and their blooming period lasts until mid-March... To be honest, due to this year's severe cold, they are blooming a bit late and haven't opened yet!" the old man explained.

"Let's go take a look!" Just as Jiang Xingchen was about to lead Mie'er over to buy them, a short little girl had already squeezed in front of them and bought the two bouquets of pink昙 (tan) flowers.

"Ah!" Mie'er pouted, her cheeks puffing up.

Jiang Xingchen's gaze remained fixed on the little girl, his expression strange.

"Brother! What are you looking at?" Mie'er's lips were pouted high, expecting her brother to comfort her, but he just kept staring at the girl's back.

"That girl is a beast person!" Jiang Xingchen patted Mie'er's head, smiling, "Let it go, we'll look for more, see if there are any others!"

"Don't bother!" the old man stopped him, explaining, "The pink昙 (tan) flowers haven't bloomed yet, so few people go out to look for them. This one was probably found by chance and picked up!"

"Oh!" Jiang Xingchen nodded, then asked curiously, "If these flowers are valuable, why doesn't anyone grow them?"

"How can no one grow them!" the old man shook his head, smiling, "The problem is that they can't be grown!"

Jiang Xingchen frowned, shaking his head, "That's strange, taming wild beasts is difficult because the wild beasts in this world are too fierce! But taming plants is also so difficult..."

Shaking his head, Jiang Xingchen put the matter aside for the moment, leading Mie'er and following the old man away.

The place they settled in was a large mansion that the Duke of Dingbei had already found for them, located in the northern part of the city.

After resting for a day, Jiang Xingchen and Wan Rou went to the military headquarters with the Duke of Dingbei to meet the marshal.

Although the marshal had never met Jiang Xingchen, he was quite familiar with him. The invention of the catgut and the sewing technique, as well as the military drum and winter fishing, had brought great assistance to the empire's military.

Therefore, the marshal did not put on any airs. However, even so, the aura formed by his long tenure in a high position still made Jiang Xingchen somewhat nervous. If not for his strong mental fortitude, he might not have known what to say.

After some casual conversation, Jiang Xingchen lightly coughed and said softly, "Marshal, I would like to borrow a hundred soldiers from you, what do you think..."

"Oh! For the dance performance, right? Sure, no problem!" The marshal's response was surprisingly generous, waving his hand and giving the order. Soon, a hundred soldiers were brought over.

"Perform well, I have high hopes for you! Make sure to beat Yuan Lao's son!" The marshal patted his shoulder, with an encouraging look on his face.

"What about Yuan Lao's son!" Jiang Xingchen was a bit dazed, completely unaware of what the marshal was talking about. Later, after hearing the Duke of Dingbei's explanation, he understood that the son of the head of the noble management department was in the Cai Feng Dance Troupe, and the instrument called "bodan" was also brought by him.

Afterward, Jiang Xingchen and his group took their leave. The marshal's smile then faded, and he said in a low voice, "This time, the chances of Jiang Xingchen winning the dance performance are not high. I hope this child doesn't become too arrogant and can't handle the blow..."

That afternoon, the largest performance venue in the northern part of the city released a message: The inventor of the big drum, the Zijing Dance Troupe, which received unprecedented praise in the New Year dance pre-selection, will perform "Men Should Be Strong" in this venue, with three performances per day!

When this news came out, many people recalled the "Men Should Be Strong" performed during the New Year dance pre-selection.

"Zijing Dance Troupe, why are they performing in the capital? Didn't they refuse to perform again when many people asked them to?"

"Pfft! Do you even need to ask? They must have seen that the Cai Feng Dance Troupe is so popular now, and they can't sit still!"

"Exactly, but will it make a difference now? Look at the Cai Feng's performance, I don't believe Zijing's can be that good!"

"Why not go and see tomorrow? They made such a big fuss at the time, who knows what level it is!"

"Actually, this is better, otherwise, the New Year dance performance would be too bland!"

"Let's go, let's go, let's go buy tickets..."

Soon, the area outside the performance venue in the northern part of the city was crowded with people queuing to buy tickets. The venue manager was so happy he couldn't keep his mouth shut. Such competition made them the ultimate beneficiaries...

The next day, Jiang Xingchen, Wan Rou, Mo Hongxian, and the others brought their instruments to the performance venue early in the morning. When they arrived, the hundred soldiers had already arrived.

These soldiers were somewhat excited. They learned the night before that during the Hongyuan City dance pre-selection, six ordinary soldiers from the Seventh Legion had a big break, and now they were living very comfortably just because they performed with Jiang Xingchen.

Such an opportunity, they naturally wanted to seize, and if they performed well, they might end up like those six.

Following Jiang Xingchen into the backstage, they changed into their costumes. Jiang Xingchen faced the soldiers and asked calmly, "Are you ready to accept cheers and glory?"

One sentence, and the breathing of the hundred soldiers instantly became heavy, their eyes shining, and they all shouted in unison, "Yes!"

The hundred voices roared, the sound shaking the heavens, and it even echoed from the backstage to the front.

The two thousand people in the venue were originally engaged in lively discussions, but after this roar, they fell silent, their eyes fixed on the stage.

"Go!" Jiang Xingchen waved his hand, leading Wan Rou and the hundred soldiers onto the stage.

"Boom, boom, boom, boom... Boom, boom, boom, boom... Boom, boom, boom, boom..." The strongly rhythmic prelude began, the curtain slowly opened, with Jiang Xingchen and Wan Rou in the center, and the soldiers on both sides.

The audience in the venue had never heard the song "Men Should Be Strong." The rhythm of the "General's Order" immediately captured their attention.

Jiang Xingchen's first line was even more stunning, as he raised the pitch of the song by an octave, yet it didn't sound shrill. His voice was so high and powerful that it seemed to pierce through the ceiling, making everyone feel exhilarated.

As the song progressed, Jiang Xingchen's pitch continued to rise, like waves crashing against everyone's eardrums.

The hundred soldiers also performed exceptionally well, with grand and powerful moves, short and powerful actions, and perfect synchronization, as if they had become one. The visual impact of the collective performance of over a hundred people was immense.

In addition, their roars during the breaks in Jiang Xingchen's lyrics, combined with the singing, created a feast for the ears.

The audience enjoyed the intense audio-visual experience, not even noticing that the entire song, except for the big drum, had no accompaniment.

During the interlude, Wan Rou, dressed in a fiery red outfit, did not just play two big drums but controlled four big drums at once.

After long-term promotion, the audience, who had become somewhat immune to the drum rhythms, were once again stirred by the strong rhythm and began to clap in time with the beat...

After the last line was sung and the drumming stopped, the audience burst into thunderous applause and cheers, which lasted for a long time.

The audience felt, besides the uplifting lyrics, a sense of exhilaration, as if they had broken out in a sweat and felt refreshed.

And some music experts, upon realizing that Jiang Xingchen had not used any accompaniment, all exclaimed, "Finally, an opponent for Cai Feng!" (To be continued.)