Vol 2 Chapter 10.1 (1/2)

Chapter 10 – The First Match of the Freshman Compet.i.tion (I)

————————————————————————————————

Night fell. Qin Shang was seated in front of the bamboo house within the Desolate Jade Sea. He was surrounded by an air of melancholy. On the table before him sat a single guqin.

“Yin Zhu ought to have arrived in Milan by now. I wonder if you saw him? Nina, oh Nina, you know I want to see you, but alas, I cannot. My body must bear too much, too much.

Water flows from the heavens, pleasant to the ear in the pure, clear night.

An elegant memory emerges, not to be plucked by the string.

The sound of the music flows into an ode, asking only for you to listen closely.

A cherished desire – fortune cannot make up for the past mistakes of my zither and your xiao in this life. To this, beautiful fated music has been left behind.

Slowly you come, embracing your favorite instrument. The night becomes even more clear and beautiful.

Under an expanse of light, you are one with the moon.

I take comfort in both this song and the letter I sent you, despite the distance between us. I am worried. But inside, my heart is resolute.” 1

As the zither cried out, teardrops sprinkled down. Although it was not the Moon and Tides’ Clear Brilliance Zither, at this very moment, when both of Qin Shang’s hands pressed down on the strings, his thoughts were immersed in past recollections.

……

Yin Zhu didn’t put on the the Divine Celestial Protection Robe, but he tightly strapped on the Life Guardian Bracelet. Though Nina appeared to be quite vicious upon learning that he was Grandfather Qin’s disciple today, it was clear that she was feeling a deep sorrow. He was also able to sense and understand Grandmother Nina’s longing for Grandfather Qin. Perhaps it was because of this that he was having a sort of familial feeling.

The silver Spirit Guardian necklace was made of an unknown type of metal and had a silver self-absorption gem embedded within the pendant. When Ye Yin Zhu wore it around his neck, the gem unexpectedly started to undulate. It absorbed his spiritual power, and then fused it together with a strange element. His mind became even sharper as his intangible spiritual energy compressed and concentrated.

The Life Guardian Bracelet, which was tightly fitted against his wrist, was approximately an inch wide. It had a total of eight light-green gems embedded in the cyan colored metal. Theses gems sent a soft energy flowing through Yin Zhu’s heart and arteries, producing a warm sensation. All three magical items he had received were defense related. Yin Zhu was unfamiliar with them, but even he could sense just how precious they were.

“Hey, you’ve been sitting there for at least half a day now, neither sleeping nor meditating. What are you thinking about?” Sura laid down on his own bed and inquisitively asked Yin Zhu.

“Oh!” Yin Zhu was roused from his deep thoughts. “It’s nothing. Anyways, there’s still two days before the Freshman Compet.i.tion begins.”