Chapter 78 (1/2)

The first song Qi Mu selected was 《Summer Night》, an authentic Chinese piece. Only four minutes long, it was short and required no special skills. An amateur song around level eight.

While the piece played, more and more people gathered around.

Every spring, visitors from all over the world flocked to Vienna and to its famous attractions like Heroes Square. It was filled with people of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

The more people that gathered, the noisier it became. In such a loud, spacious area, playing the generous and passionate 《Turkish March》 seemed like the best choice. However, when something exactly the opposite began to play, Akkad was surprised by the melodious violin.

After pondering for a while, the experienced Akkad finally recognized it as a Chinese piece!

Even Akkad had to think for a while to know the piece was. Others would not know the name or origin of this mysterious song. However, they knew it sounded gentle and made them feel warm. Even their irritability faded.

While most passers-by hadn’t been exposed to musical instruments, that didn’t prevent them from enjoying the wondrous music. The beautiful violin was like a thin veil before their eyes, isolating the outside noise.

Even the noisy children chewed their little fingers and stared at the musician standing amidst the crowd.

More people continued to gather. When Qi Mu set down his bow, four or five layers of people surrounded him.

Qi Mu was a little surprised. He placed his right hand on his chest and bent in a unique gentleman’s bow.

The passers-by woke from their stupor, and thunderous applause broke out.

“Great music!”

“Vienna really has great musicians everywhere!”

“This kid is really good. Oh, what’s the name of this piece?!”

……

Many languages filled the air around Qi Mu. Among them, he only understood English, German, and a bit of French. As for the others, Qi Mu couldn’t understand a single word. However, he knew they were praises from the smiles and applause.

The applause lasted for three minutes without pause.

When Qi Mu placed his bow on the strings again, the crowd was silent, then someone exclaimed, “Is there another?” The applause halted.

Qi Mu smiled and looked at a little blonde baby in her mother’s arms toward the center of the crowd. He touched his lips with his index finger, and miraculously, the babbling little girl went silent. She stared blankly at the handsome young man before her.

After that, Qi Mu raised his bow again. This time around, his performance just began, and the crowd already started whispering——

“This is 《Zigeurnerweisen》!”

Under the statue in the square, the desolate violin slowly resounded. Qi Mu’s brow tightened, and his expression grew solemn.

His slender fingers danced along the black fingerboard. The melody was not as light-hearted as the one before. Instead, it was tactful and quiet. The audience was stunned, their heartbeats rising with the sudden high pitch of the opening note.

《Zigeurnerweisen》 had another name, 《The Wanderer’s Song》which was one of the representative works of Spanish composer, Pablo de Sarasate. As a professional-level piece, it required so high a level of skill that many performers were hindered. It was both unique and profound.

A wandering Gypsy shivered in the cold autumn wind, the sorrow vividly demonstrated by Qi Mu’s violin. Expressing the wanderer’s terrible condition and lamentation over and over again, this piece aroused deep sympathy.

By the time Akkad heard the third note, he had guessed the piece.

What he didn’t understand was why Qi Mu chose such a delicate piece as his second song.

《The Wanderer’s Song》 was a regular visitor. Performers from all over the world performed this long-standing classic on the stage.

Of course, Akkad never doubted Qi Mu’s skills. While 《Zigeurnerweisen》 was difficult, it was easier than Paganini’s 《La Campanella》. The former paid more attention to artistic emotion while the latter paid more attention to skill. There was nothing much to compare between the two.

But. . .

“Since you’ve played 《Zigeurnerweisen》. . . What are you going to play next. . . Little Seven?”

Of course, Qi Mu couldn’t hear Akkad. His eyebrows were furrowed, the violin climbing to a high pitched treble. The wanderer once again cried out his lament.