I'm in another world, and I start out transformed into Lancelot.

At that moment, a long, drawn-out breath caught Yuko's attention.

She turned her head and saw Kinnara gazing into the depths of the courtyard, her eyes brighter than in the daytime, seemingly containing a rhythm that was about to burst forth from the earth.

"Such a beautiful night..." Kinnara murmured to himself, with a touch of intoxication in his voice.

Her gaze slowly returned, finally settling on Yuko's face beside her. Her emerald pupils seemed to reflect Yuko's image in the moonlight.

"Moonlight, flowing water, the scent of grass and trees... they all seem to be calling for a melody." Her fingertips unconsciously brushed lightly over the pipa that had been conjured by divine power in her bosom.

Just as Yuko was about to echo the beauty of the moonlight, Kinara suddenly turned around, a smile even gentler than the moonlight blooming on her face.

"Yuko," her voice rippled like moonlight on water, "would you dance with me?"

"Huh?!?!?" Yuko, caught completely off guard, widened her eyes instantly, and a short, surprised syllable escaping her throat.

My mind went blank for a moment, with only the words "backup dancer" buzzing in my head.

She hurriedly waved her hands, a flush rising to her face, thankfully hidden by the darkness. "A backup dancer? Me? No, no! Lord Kinnara! I..."

Yuko was so nervous that she became incoherent: "I've never been good at dancing! My hands and feet are as clumsy as wood, I'll... I'll ruin your music! I really can't!"

The thought of herself clumsily falling to the goddess's music, or moving as stiffly as a puppet, made her grip the ground with her toes.

Kinara looked at Yuko's anxious, shy, and helpless appearance, and instead of being bothered, he found her reaction to be genuinely cute.

She wasn't disappointed by Yuko's rejection; instead, she leaned forward slightly and got even closer.

Yuko could even smell the faint fragrance emanating from her, a delicate blend of floral and woody notes, like the finest sandalwood burning quietly under the moonlight.

“It’s alright, Yuko.” Her voice became softer and gentler. “It’s just the two of us here. There are no rules, no judgments.”

"Please don't treat it as a performance or a technique. You just need to close your eyes."

Yuko hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously obeyed the enchanting voice and slowly closed her eyes.

Kinnara's voice guided her, carrying a strange soothing power, brushing past her ears and reaching straight to her heart.

"First, feel the gentle breeze on your cheeks... Can you hear the sound of flowing water? The turning of the waterwheel is like the pendulum of time... and the weight of the moonlight..."

Her voice, like the softest feather, guided Yuko to open her heart and touch this quiet beauty.

Yuko's tense heart gradually relaxed, and her consciousness sank into the moonlit courtyard. Her skin seemed to be able to "touch" the flowing moonlight and the gentle evening breeze.

Chapter 177 (4K) The Great Demon Shiranui Makes Her Appearance

"Then let your heart guide you. Whether it's clumsy or awkward, as long as it's a response flowing from the bottom of your heart at this moment, it's the most natural dance step."

Kinnara, like a patient and encouraging teacher, spoke with a firm yet gentle tone: "Just dance freely according to your true nature."

As the last word fell, Yuko heard an extremely faint "clang" sound, like a jade bead falling onto ice, or like moonlight condensing into the first drop of dew.

Yuko opened her eyes.

Kinnara gracefully cradled the pipa in her arms, her fingertips resting on the strings. She looked at Yuko again, her eyes, shimmering in the moonlight, brimming with expectation and encouragement.

It's as if it's saying, "Come, let's play a melody together under the moonlight, a melody that belongs to us."

Yuko's words of refusal stuck in her throat.

Looking at Kinnara's focused and beautiful face, feeling the sweet yet flustered emotions stirring in my chest, and the deeper understanding of this courtyard that I had just been guided to develop—

She knew she couldn't refuse, or rather, deep down she felt a desire to try it.

She wanted to respond to the invitation, to respond to the gentle yet unquestionable music god who smiled at her under the moonlight.

Her heart pounded in her ears, and Yuko took a deep breath and nodded gently.

The moment Yuko nodded, Kinnara's smile bloomed like a fleeting flower, pure and moving.

She said nothing more, only nodded slightly, and lightly plucked the strings with her fingertips—

It was as if a clear spring, formed from the moonlight, suddenly flowed from the strings of the zither!

At first, it flowed like a gentle stream, softly soaking into every corner of the courtyard, perfectly intertwining with the sounds of flowing water, wind, and moonlight.

The musical notes leaped and danced, outlining the contours and atmosphere of the courtyard under the tranquil moonlight, carrying a touch of the distant rhythm of a land of refined music.

Yuko was initially at a loss. She felt that her toes had nowhere to go and could only move awkwardly and slightly on the floor, with the awkwardness of an uneducated person.

Her arms hung stiffly at her sides, too awkward to move. In contrast to this clumsiness was the clear, melodious sound of the pipa flowing in the moonlight.

The music flowing from Kinnara's fingertips is like the whisper of leaves and the rhythm of nature, crisp and melodious.

"Don't overthink it." Her gentle gaze pierced through the sunlight and landed precisely on Yuuko.

The sound wasn't loud, yet it strangely blended into the texture of the strings, clear yet gentle, like the wind itself whispering. "Just feel it."

The goddess's voice was like a pair of invisible and gentle hands, softly brushing against Yuko's tense heartstrings.

She took a deep breath, the cool night breeze filling her chest and bringing a sense of clarity. Yuko simply closed her eyes.

The visual barrier seemed to open a door to inner perception, amplifying the subtle chirping of insects under the eaves, their chirping and twittering intertwining with the sound of Kinnara's pipa to create a more three-dimensional background.

Musical sounds are no longer just simple noises; they become a pulse, clearly and perceptibly striking the eardrums.

Yuko abandoned the grand concept of "dancing" and discarded all concerns about posture and footwork, focusing only on her body's most instinctive reactions.

As the music flowed gently like a stream, her body involuntarily swayed to the rhythm, like a water plant gently pushed by warm water.

The arms were no longer hanging straight down, but swayed slightly unconsciously with the slight swaying of the body.

The amplitude was very small, but the stiff "bamboo pole" seemed to begin to show some flexibility and vitality.

Yuko tentatively lifted one foot, her toes barely off the ground, before hesitating slightly as she lowered it. She then repeated the same action with the other foot.

This can hardly be called "steps," but rather more like a fledgling bird taking its first steps, mustering the courage to leave the nest and repeatedly testing the edge of safety.

At first, the beat was pitifully small, and it often missed the beat of the music, with the rhythm as chaotic as a small animal jumping around haphazardly.

But Kinnara's music showed no reproach or impatience; the clear, spring-like melody seemed to have a life of its own, quietly adjusting its speed and intensity as Yuko clumsily tried.

The melody, which should have sounded abrupt, appeared extremely natural thanks to Kinnara's superb skill.

When Yuko's movements became slightly hurried, the piano music slowed down slightly, like a stream encountering a shallow beach, its flow decreasing.

When Yuko paused for a moment due to hesitation, the piano music patiently paused and waited before gently continuing the rhythm, like a gentle breeze supporting a leaf about to fall.

It's like a silent embrace and guidance, as if saying, "It's okay, follow me, I'm right here."

This silent encouragement gave Yuko the courage to move forward clumsily.

She gradually found a vague "feeling"—no longer a completely stiff movement, but the rhythm inside her body seemed to be faintly in harmony with the chords.

The arms finally broke free from their initial stiff, wooden-stick-like state and began to rise and fall more naturally and with a slightly larger amplitude as the body swayed.

This hardly qualifies as graceful dance; it's more like a child's random, unrestrained opening and closing movements.

With a slight turn, her skirt billowed up, the light fabric shimmering softly in the moonlight.

Like butterfly wings bathed in moonlight, they fluttered up suddenly and then quietly fell back down.

This subtle and agile change clearly did not escape Kinnara's eyes.

Her fingers, still nimble as she focused on plucking the strings, silently curved into a very faint smile.

Kinnara's fingertips gently plucked and twisted the strings, and the originally gentle and breezy music quietly changed, with the notes becoming more lively and light.

Like fireflies leaping on a moonlit meadow, they spread through the air with an indescribable, encouraging, and joyful rhythm.

She gazed at the silhouette under the corridor, which was beginning to awkwardly stretch its body—in its initial awkwardness, a kind of unpretentious and unrefined sincerity was revealed.

That clumsiness itself, under the moonlight at this moment, exudes a unique vitality, a pure beauty that breaks free from constraints, which is truly moving.

Yuko seemed to genuinely "receive" this warm encouragement and resonance.

The lively and light feeling in the music flowed into her limbs like a warm current. She took a deep breath and tried to do a larger spinning motion!

Perhaps because he was a little too eager, or perhaps because his movements were not yet skilled, he suddenly lost his balance halfway through the spin!

She gasped softly, her upper body visibly staggering back two steps, on the verge of losing her balance and falling to the ground!

Almost at the same moment, as if by telepathy, Kinnara's right index finger plucked a string of extremely smooth and melodious notes.

The musical note carried a kind of supple "lifting" power, like an invisible net catching Yuko as she was about to tip over.

Yuko shifted her feet slightly, managing to steady herself and stand firmly in the moonlight.

Far from being embarrassed, she actually smiled broadly and cheerfully because of the little close call.

The momentary loss of balance seemed to have broken free of some invisible constraints. She was no longer confined to the narrow space under the corridor, and an impulse to express herself and respond surged within her.

Yuko began to move more freely within the corridor, sometimes gliding quickly to one end of the corridor with light, quick steps, as if chasing a mischievous sprite in the music.

At times, they slowed down, taking slow but firm steps toward the other side of the corridor, as if leaving traces of exploration on a silver carpet laid out by moonlight.

Her movements, whether fast or slow, were spontaneous and free from deliberate choreography, yet within the unique "context" created by the moon and the pipa, she developed her own rhythm.

Just then, a clear breeze swept through the courtyard, swirling up a few cherry blossom petals that had just fallen from the corner of the corridor.

The pink petals twirled lightly, like tiny fairy dancers chasing after the edge of Yuko's slightly fluttering skirt.

She subconsciously reached out her fair fingers, trying to touch the light, fluttering petals that were so close at hand.

Fingertips trace a graceful arc in the air, and the body naturally stretches out, arms open, forming a posture that is not a dance pose, but full of vitality.

Clumsy? Certainly. But the ease and composure hidden within that clumsiness, and the pure response to the night, the wind, the flowers, and the music, are so moving.

This has long transcended mere imitation or dance. It is a clumsy yet incredibly sincere dialogue on a spiritual level.

It is a dialogue with this tranquil moonlit night, and even more so, a dialogue with the soul of that goddess playing the zither.

She clumsily wrote her response with the language of her body, and every clumsy attempt and every sincere expression of hers was gently enveloped by the sound of the piano.

The moonlight is the only witness, elongating and overlapping their shadows, creating a space within this limited corridor that brings them infinitely closer to each other's hearts.

Finally, Kinnara's fingertips, with a graceful downward spin, plucked out the last clear and melodious note.

The dancing figure under the corridor also froze, stopping where the moonlight was at its brightest, her toes lightly touching the ground, her body in a relaxed posture.

The movements had left Yuko slightly breathless, with fine, glistening beads of sweat on her forehead that shimmered in the moonlight, and her cheeks flushed slightly from the exertion.

She inhaled slowly, then exhaled slowly. The rise and fall of her chest gradually subsided, but a strange feeling was permeating her entire body.

It was as if the worries about the end times that had been weighing on his heart, the complex emotions entangled with Tsukuyomi, and the confusion and pressure of being drawn into the affairs of the gods had all been washed away and cleansed by the clumsy yet free dance just now.

Instead, there is an indescribable "relaxation," which is not the laziness after fatigue, but more like a tense heart being gently opened.

I was drawn into the embrace of nature, where the moonlight shone brightly, insects chirped, flowers swayed, and melodious music filled the air.

She raised her eyes, her clear gaze piercing through the last lingering notes of the strings vibrating in the air, and looked at the goddess playing the zither under the moonlight.

The moonlight bathed Kinnara's green hair in a holy and gentle silver glow, her slender fingers resting quietly on the pipa strings, her expression gentle and serene.

The smile on her lips had not completely faded, as if she was still immersed in the unique "co-performance" that she had just guided but which was completed wholeheartedly by the other party.

Those gentle, emerald eyes flowed quietly over Yuuko, their gazes meeting silently in the moonlight.

It was as if some invisible thread of emotion was quietly intertwining between the two of them, creating a small space that belonged only to them.

The clumsy collisions, subtle resonances, and unspoken tranquility of the dance, under the moonlight, ferment into an indescribable atmosphere.

A soft, melodious female voice pierced the enchanting atmosphere perfectly. "So beautiful~ that dance just now..."

"!!" Yuko looked up abruptly, like a startled rabbit—she'd been seen?!

That clumsy and far from elegant dance was actually witnessed by Rokudo Qi Yiwo!

A wave of shyness washed over her, mixed with the tension of being suddenly spied on by a stranger. She instinctively straightened her back and gave the newcomer a sharp look.

A figure dressed in a gorgeous kimono leans against a pillar not far away, her posture languid, as if she has been quietly admiring the view all along.

Unlike the nervous Yuko, Kinara's face blossomed with a bright and sincere smile, like a star suddenly shining in the night sky.

"Why are you only arriving now, Ali~" Her tone was familiar with her, yet tinged with a hint of coquettishness, instantly dispelling the awkwardness in the courtyard caused by the unfamiliar guest.

"There's nothing I can do about it~" The woman called Ali walked over slowly, her steps as light as if she were gliding on the water, swaying gracefully.

She wore an elegant sky-blue kimono, her long, raven-black hair tied up with a gold tassel hairpin, a few strands of hair falling lazily down her cheeks, making her skin look even whiter than snow.

Her voice carried a hint of lazy laughter, "As you know, as the owner of Liren Pavilion, I have a lot of things to do~ I come over as soon as I have a spare moment."

The two friends, who clearly shared a deep bond, exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly, the air filled with the tacit understanding and playful banter unique to old friends.

After the laughter subsided, Kinara noticed that her friend Shiranui's gaze had not left Yuko and that the curiosity in her eyes was growing stronger. She couldn't help but smile and break the brief moment of observation.