The girl smiled back, relief flickering briefly in her eyes.
They continued dancing while conversing with each other.
"What should I call you?" he asked.
The dancer hesitated for just a fraction of a breath.
"Xi," she replied, smiling softly. "Xi Yu!"
Bai Zihan nodded, committing the name to memory.
Whether it was real or fake, he didn't know.
Bai Zihan asked a few more questions—small ones, harmless ones.
About food.
About seasons.
About customs.
And slowly, carefully—He pieced it together.
She knew how to act like a mortal.
But she didn't think like one.
Her habits were trained.
Either she was like Luo Qing—someone who was a mortal yet served a powerful clan—
Or she was a cultivator pretending to be mortal.
Either way, she wasn't just a dancer from a troupe.
Around them, laughter rose.
More young masters joined the dancers.
The music did not stop.
It grew livelier—drums joining the flutes, laughter rising as more cups were refilled.
