Cohabitation with Sword Spirit-Chapter 174 - 144

November 15, 2017

Central District, QingCyan Cloud yun City, Yun Meng Grand Theater

On the stage, Shen Qingming was gently panting, striving to move the True Essence and Qi Blood within her body to ease the fatigue brought on by the energetic dance routine just performed.

At the same time, she needed to calm the surge of excitement deep inside her heart.

Below the stage, tens of thousands of fans filled every seat, aisle, and passageway, waving colorful candles rhythmically. The multicolored candlelight illuminated their passion-filled faces as they swayed and shouted along to the music and dance on the stage, pushing the theater's atmosphere from one climax to another more intense one.

Shen Qingming was not new to scenes like this. As the newly rising popular idol known as Spirit Cat in QingCyan Cloud yun City, while her main occupation was still Immortal Cultivation, she participated in quite a few performance events like this. She had even performed at Yun Meng Grand Theater twice before.

But never before had she experienced such a popularity explosion and a full-house spectacle like this.

The Spirit Cat Plan's popularity, while winning Shen Qingming the admiration of countless gentlemen, from some Mortal World merchants to the head lady of the first Noble Family in QingCyan Cloud yun City, had considerable fan numbers but lacked in coverage. Her popularity was more concentrated among males... So seeing those blushing girls below the stage screaming and cheering, Shen Qingming couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.

That person...is this popular among girls too.

"Thank you all for your support, I love you forever!"

Just then, a sensually enchanting voice sounded in her ear. Li Wanqing, dressed in a short top and skirt with Spirit Cat patterns, waved enthusiastically to the audience below the stage, continually blowing kisses to the female fans.

"We love you too!"

Below the stage, thousands responded in unison, like a tidal wave, even from mortal mouths, carrying the momentum of a Saint's edict.

"Next, I'll bring you a song, 'Thousand-Year Love'!"

Shen Qingming was startled by the words: "Hey, isn't it supposed to end now?!"

Li Wanqing paid no attention and, with a snap of her fingers, the theater's music started playing melodiously, while she herself began a joyous dance. The True Essence inside her transformed into a captivating light, the hem of her splendid short skirt swirling, modest yet enough to set tens of thousands of viewers' blood boiling.

"Are you crazy?!"

But before Shen Qingming could protest, Li Wanqing had already taken a step forward, pulling Shen Qingming's hand and hugging her, joining in the dance together.

... 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

This final dance of "Thousand-Year Love" lasted a long time, until the voices of the audience started to become hoarse, and the new audience members rushing in nearly broke down the entrance door, only then did this day's performance finally come to an end.

In the end, Shen Qingming really couldn't stand being held by Li Wanqing any longer, so after the dance ended, she went off to rest, leaving the spirited Li Wanqing on stage to thank the audience.

"Thank you all for your support, thank you! Today, although it's my debut performance, everyone's enthusiasm really moved me! Especially Sister Yingying, thank you for bringing so many wonderful sister friends to support me!"

Below the stage, Yingying smiled warmly.

Having been taken care of by Li Wanqing so much, now hearing of her debut as an idol, of course, they had to fully utilize their influence in women's circles to draw as much popularity as possible.

"Also, for those gentlemen who came specifically to see me fail, weren't you disappointed? Wasn't me wearing the mini skirt cuter than you imagined? Those of you who wanted to whistle and tease me, weren't you involuntarily charmed by me? Thank you for the tickets, thank you for the tips, thank you for your awkward yet shy appreciation! Please come again next time to see me and Spirit Cat Qingming perform!"

Li Wanqing's speech was filled with the sincere enthusiasm an idol must have, but to the audience below, it sounded full of sarcasm. However, before they could say anything, suddenly, in the front row center of the VIP section in the audience, a young man stood up, gently waved towards the stage, and consecutively sent over a hundred golden Flying Swords.

Seeing this, Li Wanqing widened her eyes in surprise: "Tha-Thank you to this big spender—oh no, this honored patron for the generous tip!"

The Golden Sword tip is a newly proposed event in the Spirit Cat Plan, specifically provided for those fans with plenty of money to burn. At performance venues and the like, they can purchase various gifts from the organizers to tip the idols.

The cheapest and most common are flowers and catnip, which can be purchased with loose Silver. Slightly more expensive ones like Spirit Talisman and Cat Crystal are priced around a hundred taels of Silver up to one or two Spirit Stones. The most expensive is the Spirit Cat Golden Sword, produced by Jiulinglu Company through professional institutions, made using precious Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and advanced processing technology. Each sword costs three taels of mark Silver to produce, with a favorable price of a hundred Spirit Stones, and a member discount price of only ninety-eight Spirit Stones, reflecting a wealth of sincerity from wealthy fans.

Once introduced, the Spirit Cat Golden Sword was well-received. The last time Shen Qingming performed solo, she received over ten Golden Swords in one night, fully demonstrating the economic prosperity of the QingCyan Cloud yun City people.

This time, the combination of Shen Qingming and Li Wanqing in the performance had an explosive effect, receiving over thirty Spirit Cat Golden Swords, more than double what Shen Qingming received for a solo performance, achieving the marvel of 1+1 being greater than 2.

Unexpectedly, at the end of the performance, a wealthy patron suddenly gifted over a hundred Golden Swords! This practically bought out the entire inventory the company had purchased recently!

More than a hundred Golden Swords shimmered with the dazzling, yet cheap, glitter powder in front of the stage, instantly quieting the uproarious audience.

Such a patron caught Li Wanqing's attention too, and she switched to a sweet, idol-like smile, saying: "Would you like to come up for a photo?"

While speaking, Li Wanqing carefully studied this generous young gentleman.

He appeared to be in his twenties, with handsome and valiant features, an ethereal and outstanding temperament. By looks alone, he could rank in the top five of those who left an impression on Li Wanqing, only surpassed by Mr. Wang Jiu. If it weren't for her lack of interest in men, this man's face alone would have caught her attention.

Besides his looks, Li Wanqing couldn't discern much else. He had just gifted over a hundred Flying Swords with a wave, seemingly exhibiting Immortal Cultivation skills, but his True Essence was restrained, and his Divine Sense concealed, making it impossible to gauge his cultivation. Thus, appearance and age became unreliable as many who look young could be over fifty or even seventy, while some who appear mature may actually be only four...

Nevertheless, this young gentleman had an inherently amicable aura. Given Li Wanqing's usual attitude towards men, she would generally offer a polite, formulaic smile regardless of their wealth. Want to go on stage for a photo? Get a surgery first.

Li Wanqing rarely extended an olive branch, which caused a commotion among the lingering audience. Some members of the female fan club, led by Yingying, even fainted on the spot.

But the young gentleman just smiled and shook his head: "There's no need, the performance is over, everyone should be leaving, I won't take up more time."

Saying this, the young gentleman turned and left, leaving Li Wanqing to shrug somewhat helplessly on stage. Yet, moments later, Li Wanqing suddenly heard a voice close by.

"Later, I'd like to visit Miss Spirit Cat Qingming, would that be convenient?"

Li Wanqing glanced back at Shen Qingming, who had already left the stage, hesitated slightly but, remembering her idol status and duties, smiled and used the Yuqing Spell to transmit her voice: "Of course, once the audience disperses, I can take you for a brief backstage tour."

——

The staff at Yun Meng Grand Theater, with their exceptional professional quality, managed to evacuate tens of thousands of spectators in a short time. As expected, Li Wanqing saw the elusive and generous young gentleman below the stage afterward.

Just moments ago, he had seemingly left with the majority, but now, in the blink of an eye, she saw him standing below the stage with a gentle smile.

"Is it convenient now?"

Li Wanqing didn't immediately lead the way, instead glanced around him: "Are you an outsider?"

The young gentleman nodded: "I came from Shen City, I heard there were excellent performances here, so I specifically came to see them, and I must say it was worth the trip."

"From Shen City? No wonder you'd part with your wealth so readily, yet you look unfamiliar." Li Wanqing chuckled, "You've only been in Qingyun City for a short time, and you're already captivated by Spirit Cat Qingming?"

The young gentleman simply smiled and said nothing.

Seeing she couldn't pry anything more, Li Wanqing didn't bother to speak further, turned around, gestured for him to follow. She was not worried about this wealthy fan having any freakish habits; after all, no one could be stranger than the person backstage who insisted she wear a miniskirt after winning a sparring match...

Shortly after, Li Wanqing led him to the backstage door. Before they entered, they heard Wang Jiu and Shen Qingming's conversation coming from inside.

"Considering your pure and lovely style has been showcased in Qingyun City for a few months, fan fatigue is inevitable. To maintain your popularity, it's necessary to change your performance style. Based on today's performance results, incorporating a bit of seductive charm should have a good effect. In summary, I think switching to a miniskirt is a reasonable choice."

"…What nonsense are you spouting!"

"Furthermore, to complement the miniskirt's performance effect, the style of underwear should be considered. I have a few recommended styles here; wait a moment for me to put the first one on for you…"

"No changing!"

"Stop moving around, how am I supposed to change your underwear like this?"

Hearing this exchange, Li Wanqing's facial muscles twitched involuntarily, but before she could speak, she felt an abrupt surge of fire behind her.

The always gentle and smiling young gentleman suddenly transformed into an Angry-eyed Vajra, striding forward, pushing open the backstage door: "What are you doing!?"