1. Zhaixing Tower (Part One)

The imperial palace of Chu, Zhaixing Tower.

The moon was bright and the stars sparse. The bronze bells hanging from the eaves chimed softly. At the very top of the palace, the luminous night pearl shone brilliantly, like a high-hanging moon, illuminating the carved beams and painted rafters, a scene of unparalleled splendor.

Music and song filled the air.

The dancer’s white jade feet stepped across the floor, smooth as a mirror.

Red gauze was tied around her ankles, her seductive eyes full of allure. Every frown and smile seemed to exude a charm that seeped into the bones, as if determined to entice the person seated high on the couch to fall into the mortal world.

She was not the only one.

The old eunuch standing quietly to the side with a horsetail whisk was sweating on his forehead, sneaking glances at the person on the couch, stammering as he spoke: "Your... Your Majesty, this is a dancer sent from Dongzhou. Not only is her dancing unparalleled, but I hear her skills in bed are also... also exceptional."

The current emperor of Great Chu was quite accommodating, leaning lazily on the couch and responding indifferently.

"Mm."

His voice was low, both flippant and languid.

He wore a luxurious white robe, with black cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs and collar. Only sixteen years old, not yet of age, he was famed for his "radiant beauty," his features both bewitching and exquisite, lips crimson, nose high and straight, striking and decadent.

Looking at the enchanting dancer below, William Clark said carelessly, "From Dongzhou?"

The eunuch trembled, his voice quivering: "Y-yes."

William Clark tilted his head, inky black hair brushing his cheek, his gaze innocent and pure: "I've heard that women from Dongzhou are famed for their slender waists, fond of dieting, light as swallows. Is that true?"

The eunuch was stunned, his face turning pale: "It seems... it seems so."

By now, the music had stopped. The dancer gracefully saluted, then knelt on the ground.

William Clark let out a soft laugh, walking down barefoot. He was very thin, his skin sickly pale, so the blue veins on his wrists and ankles were faintly visible.

As he approached, the dancer’s body went rigid, not daring to move.

Rumors about this tyrant flashed through her mind in an instant, leaving her mind blank with fear, but remembering the Empress Dowager’s instructions, she quickly calmed herself.

She was sent by the Empress Dowager... It’s fine, it’s fine...

Then, she heard the person above speak slowly in a cold voice.

"If you are truly as light as a swallow, this place is a hundred feet high. How about you perform a dance of flight for me?"

The eunuch’s face turned ashen, and he looked up abruptly.

The dancer was terrified, her beautiful face full of panic as she looked up in a frenzy: "Your Majesty."

William Clark smiled, but said nothing.

At that moment, a wild wind rose, and suddenly a flock of birds flew into Zhaixing Hall from outside. They were small, with blue feathers and yellow tails, circling around the dancer.

It was as grand as a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, but in this silent, cold palace, it seemed especially eerie.

While the dancer was still in a daze, she suddenly felt her hair being pecked by the birds, and the red gauze on her wrist was caught by their claws. The dancer suddenly cried out: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! No, Your Majesty!"

She looked up in terror, trying to grab the hem of that person’s white robe, but as she crawled forward, a sharp pain shot through her eyes, her vision filled with blood—a bird had pecked her eye blind.

"Ah—!" The dancer clutched her bleeding face, her screams ringing out together with the bells on the palace eaves.

She broke through the flock of birds and stumbled out, but the doors and windows were tightly shut, and only the terrace outside was bathed in moonlight.

William Clark glanced to the side and said with a smile, "Play the music."

The musicians, who had been scared witless, quickly came to their senses, their trembling hands plucking the strings, the vertical flute and konghou sounding clear and melodious.

The dancer had gone mad, running outside. She ran onto the outer terrace, a hundred feet high, close enough to pluck the stars, but there was no railing.

She suddenly turned back, her face pale as paper. The blue birds circling above became gaping maws with fangs. She took a step back and fell straight down.

"Ahhh—" Her voice of despair tore through the silent night.

But the birdsong and music continued. As she fell, her black hair spread out, her red dress like blood, as if she truly performed a dance of flight.

William Clark smiled leisurely, then said to the eunuch, "Tell the Empress Dowager, I am very satisfied."

The old eunuch was already scared out of his wits, his lips trembling, not daring to say a word.

The young emperor ignored everyone, his lashes like crow feathers drooping as if he was a bit sleepy. He yawned and said, "According to the ancestral rules, I still have to stay here for half a month, right? I hope tomorrow’s visitor is just as interesting. You may all leave."

The old eunuch, having lost the ability to speak, wished he could flee at once, and stammered, "Yes. I will take my leave now."

The once music-filled Zhaixing Hall instantly fell silent.

William Clark’s smile faded, his brows and eyes cold as frost. He walked barefoot into the palace.

"Dead... dead?" Now only Alice Carter was left, or rather, only a ghost drifting in the hall.

He was completely stunned.

The system obediently said, "Yes, dead."

It took a long time for Alice Carter to find his dry voice: "He just killed someone for no reason?"

The system replied, "Yes, William Clark's character is a tyrant, so killing people depends entirely on his mood."