Possessed No More: The True Star Returns to Claim Her Throne-Chapter 113: Sword Dance
Victoria Koenig went on to sing five songs in a row. The number of viewers in Livestream Room #2 reached over twelve million, and even Scott’s personal livestream, which previously had just over a thousand viewers, hit more than seventy thousand.
Standing in the shadows, Riley Perry had only one thought as she listened to the music: ’It’s true that no one succeeds without a reason.’
Victoria Koenig’s voice was incredibly powerful, and he sang with such passion and a superb sense of rhythm. The moment he picked up his electric guitar, even though he was just wearing a tracksuit, he exuded a cool, handsome aura that was completely different from his goofy persona on the variety show.
[AHHHH, my Vick is so handsome! I’m dying!]
[I fell for Victoria Koenig because of that song "Shining Sun." Four lines, just four lines, and I was hopelessly in love with him!]
[I always wanted Victoria Koenig to release a single version. Those four lines were never enough, and today my wish came true!]
"The temperature in Veridian Creek is just too high, I’m already drenched in sweat. And now, please welcome Riley Perry, my Ria, to perform for you."
Suddenly called upon, Riley Perry paused for only a moment before walking out gracefully. There was no hesitation, no stage fright. Her eyes were clear and bright, and her natural, makeup-free face didn’t diminish her beauty in the slightest.
Smiling at the surrounding audience, Riley Perry said frankly, "I’m an actress; singing and dancing aren’t my strengths. So, I’ll perform a sword dance for everyone instead."
Victoria Koenig was just about to ask, ’Where did she get a sword?’
He glanced down and saw a beautiful longsword in Riley Perry’s hand. The scabbard and hilt were inlaid with gorgeous gems. Riley Perry didn’t unsheathe it. Instead, she held the sheathed sword and cupped one fist in the other palm in a salute.
Then, with a flick of her sword, she began a light, graceful dance, like a swallow returning to its nest, then soaring high like a startled magpie in the night.
Her posture was elegant and supple, her form as light as the wind.
With the ambition of a high mountain, she conveyed its towering majesty; with the heart of a flowing river, she danced with its boundless passion.
The sword moved faster and faster, leaving a blur of afterimages. Her defense was so tight that not even a splash of water or a wisp of smoke could get through.
As Riley Perry got caught up in her dance, she tossed the sword into the air. Then, she launched herself off the ground, leaping two or three meters high. With a high kick of her right leg, she sent the falling sword flying back up. The sword spun upwards, its gems flashing brilliantly as they caught the light. Riley Perry did another flip in mid-air before landing steadily on her feet. She held out her right hand, and the sword fell perfectly back into her grasp.
She then concluded her form, saluted with her fist, and bowed.
The crowd was eerily silent. After what felt like an eternity, thunderous applause erupted. "Amazing! That’s real martial arts! That was incredible!"
"Encore! Encore!"
Many people went up to toss spare change into the small box on the ground. In no time, the shoebox-sized paper box was overflowing.
The viewers in the livestream room were going wild. [I’m not the most eloquent person, so all I can say is ’HOLY SHIT!’]
[This is real, right? This is real, right? THIS IS REAL, RIGHT?!]
[It’s a livestream, bro. There’s no way to fake it!]
[As graceful as a startled swan, as elegant as a gliding dragon. Gentle as autumn waters, yet powerful as thunder. I never knew a sword dance could be this beautiful!]
[I don’t think that was just a sword dance. I’m here in person, and the sound of Riley Perry’s sword slicing through the air felt like it could tear space itself. I feel like if there was an enemy in front of her, she would have chopped them into eight pieces by now!]
[Bro, if you’re there, hurry up and tip them! I’m on my way, should be there in ten minutes, tops!]
[I did, I did! Two hundred-yuan bills. It’s not that I didn’t want to give more, that was all the cash I had on me. I need to go to the bank and withdraw more tomorrow. You never realize how little cash you have until you need it! I’m a fan of Ronnie. His team will definitely be earning money here tomorrow, hehe...]
[Attention all directors, attention all directors! Please cast Riley Perry in a wuxia film immediately. I want to see it!]
[Modern wuxia movies are unwatchable. They use special effects for a simple sword spin, or they just use slow motion. The Qinggong is always just straight up and down. They’ll be carrying someone and descend at 0.01x speed. The second-hand embarrassment is killing me. If Riley Perry stars in a wuxia film, you bet your ass I’m buying two movie tickets to take my girlfriend!]
[She’s so beautiful and her martial arts are so incredible. I hereby declare that from this day forward, Riley Perry is my idol!]
The audience on site was still chanting, "Encore! Encore!"
However, a crew member was frantically gesturing to Riley Perry. She quickly walked over.
"Ms. Perry, you can’t continue. More and more people are gathering. If we’re not careful, a stampede could happen. You see..."
Riley Perry glanced at the crowd, which was constantly pushing forward. On the nearby road, the traffic had come to a standstill due to the number of cars. She nodded to show she understood. "Alright, get ready then." With that, she walked back toward the center.
The crew member was baffled. ’Get ready for what?’
Riley Perry walked to the middle of the performance area, picked up the paper box from the ground, and sorted out the money. She discreetly stuffed half of it into Scott’s pocket, then gave Victoria Koenig a meaningful look. The moment he saw her collecting the money, he understood. He leaned over and whispered something in Scott’s ear, then grabbed Riley Perry’s hand and broke into a run.
[Did the young couple just elope?]
[Don’t talk nonsense. Those two have zero chemistry!]
[I saw a crew member call Riley Perry over just now. There must have been too many people, so they ran off to avoid an accident.]
[What a shame, I hadn’t had enough! I really wanted to hear Victoria Koenig sing a couple more songs!]
[I wanted to see Riley Perry do another sword dance! I missed it today, who knows when I’ll get to see it again!]
Having finally escaped the chaos, Victoria Koenig bent over, resting his hands on his knees and panting heavily. The back of his shirt was completely soaked with sweat.
After a long while, the cameraman, Jenson, finally caught up, clearly exhausted himself. "Ria, where are we going next?"
Riley Perry wasn’t even flushed or out of breath, as if she hadn’t been the one who had just run for nearly a mile. "To find a hotel and check in, of course. Come on, I’ll treat you to some ice cream."
There was an ice cream shop just ahead to their left. Riley Perry took a mask out of her pocket, put it on, and went to buy four ice creams and a few drinks.
Neither Jenson, the cameraman, nor Claire Lee, who had been following them the whole time, was left out.
Jenson was speechless.
Riley Perry sat down on a step, casually pulling Claire Lee down to sit with her. She then said to Jenson, "Mr. Grimes, you can just set the camera down and point it at the two of us. Let’s rest for a bit before we go."
Jenson considered it for only a second before obediently setting the camera down.
’Carrying that heavy machine and running all that way... he was truly exhausted. The livestream viewers would just have to make do.’
"Claire, which one do you want?"
Claire Lee wasn’t visible on the livestream, but her voice was still picked up. "I’ll have a bottle of water first. I’m so thirsty."
Riley Perry handed her the water, let the other two men choose from what was left, and finally took an ice cream for herself, eating it slowly.
No one spoke. Riley Perry stared blankly at the street opposite them and the occasional passersby.
After a long time, she said, "A breeze is picking up." It was cool and very pleasant.
Victoria Koenig added, "It’ll probably rain tonight." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
Riley Perry replied, "I think so." Then she handed the money they’d earned to Victoria Koenig. "After giving Scott his share, we have 1,278 yuan left. We can turn in the mission now."
