Vol 1 Chapter 7.4 (1/2)

Chapter 7 – Milan Inst.i.tution for Magic and Martial Arts (IV)

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Yin Zhu’s eyes stared straight at the white-clothed girl on stage, his vision of her already somewhat blurred. He muttered to himself, “A Chinese Ghost Story.” These four words, ‘A Chinese Ghost Story,’ did not describe the girl on stage accurately since it was the name of the guzheng song.

Both hands moved rhythmically at an extremely fast tempo. It was a natural and unforced manner that did not even project the slightest bit of loftiness. The guzheng’s sound was distinctly clear and bright. Although the Orange Rank magic strength was incapable of encompa.s.sing the whole audience, it was still pleasant to listen to the humming notes of the guzheng that clearly reached everyone’s ears. The soft, sorrowful guzheng song affected everyone’s moods. All of their expressions began to follow the rises and falls, the ups and downs, of the guzheng song. Even Yin Zhu and Teacher Bi Ji were no exceptions to this.

Yin Zhu’s vision blurred. Perhaps other people lost themselves completely to the sound waves of the sorrowful guzheng song, but this beautiful guzheng song already completely mesmerized his heart, harmoniously plucking at the deep recesses of his heart against his will. Only someone who truly understood this would be capable of completely comprehending everything in this guzheng song.

“As clear as a splash of jade and trembling like a dragon’s cry, < a=”” chinese=”” ghost=”” story=””>> is a good song.”

Not falling under her control like the others, Yin Zhu s.h.i.+fted the Jade Charm Zither in front of him. He didn’t tune the instrument, his hands already lightly stroking the strings. His right thumb lightly rested on it. Both of his hands already moved as smoothly as he wished, floating in the air above the seven strings. Instantly, his pure and innocent aura disappeared; although the distant journey had already somewhat tarnished the white gown that clothed his body. At this very moment, however, this n.o.ble, courteous aura complimented his handsome face perfectly.

The ancient, rustic zither quietly echoed. Yin Zhu’s movements were significantly slower than the girl’s movements on stage. Each zither note, however, rose in spirals and lingered. Remaining calm and collected, he lightly fingered repet.i.tions, stroking back and forth melodiously. The Jade Charm Zither’s clear, prolonged notes complemented the guzheng music, making the original musical composition slightly increase in profoundness and influence.

Deep red rays of light accompanied the emitting zither notes and moved in tandem with the white-clothed girl’s brilliant orange rays. The entire auditorium’s interior reflected the light and brightened up as the zither notes intervened. Instead of a sense of abruptness, it was very harmonious. The white-clothed girl lifted up her bowed head for the first time.

Black hair partially covered her face, thus exposing only half of it. The partially revealed face still caused Yin Zhu’s heartstrings to fiercely tremble all of a sudden. With a pale, icy, serene face, her black eyes looked straight at Yin Zhu, not even slightly astonished. The iciness in her eyes slightly dissipated, however.

The zither and guzheng were originally two incompatible musical instruments. Yin Zhu perfectly manipulated the zither to unite as one with the guzheng like a heaven-sent miracle.

The white-clothed girl gazed at Yin Zhu who also gazed back at her without his two hands atop the strings slipping at all. Their gazes met, similar to how the deep red and orange lights intertwined. Yin Zhu’s hand positions changed, the light plucking of the strings turning dynamic. The graceful and downcast voices of the zither and guzheng harmoniously blended together and echoed.

“One’s time on earth

Is like a dream, an endless journey

Which allows the wind and frost to leave traces upon the face

In the world of mortals

This beautiful dream has numerous paths to follow

Seeking love on this fantastical journey

Following a boundless and indistinct path.”

At this very moment, it seemed as if it was only the two of them left inside the auditorium. There were two basic ways of playing the guqin. One way was to play solo while the other way was to sing with the zither.

The iciness within the white-clothed girl’s eyes thawed further. Endless grief was the only thing that remained. Her slightly hoa.r.s.e, yet touching voice, like the cry of the phoenix, accompanied the plucked notes of the zither and guzheng as it spoke the second half of the poem.

“One’s time on earth is

A prolonged dream

And most likely within this dream, most likely there are glistening teardrops

Wherever we go