Zither Emperor Chapter 206 Chapter 58 Ensemble Part 1

206: Chapter 58 Ensemble (Part 1) 206: Chapter 58 Ensemble (Part 1) Sura shook his head and said, “What plans could I have?

I don’t think I’ll leave Milan City.

I no longer have a home.

Instead of wandering around and wasting travel expenses, it’s better to stay here.

The academy has a good environment, and it’s more suitable for cultivation.

What about you?

Any plans?

Are you going back home?”

Ye Yinzhu shook his head and said, “I’m afraid I can’t go home this year.

I promised a friend to acpany him on an adventure to look for some things.”

Sura’s expression changed slightly, “Is it Haiyang?”

“Ah?” This time, Ye Yinzhu was the one who was surprised, “Why would you think it’s her?

Of course, it’s not.”

Sura smiled faintly, “You don’t have to hide anything.

After you talked alone with her yesterday and came back, you seemed to be lost in thoughts.

Haiyang must have said something to you.”

Ye Yinzhu’s face turned red, “We’re good brothers, and I don’t need to hide anything from you.

Haiyang has recovered her appearance and told me that from now on, she will only show her face to me and that she will wait for me.”

Sura’s expression seemed to worsen, but he forced a smile and said, “Then congratulations are in order.

Haiyang is the granddaughter of Marshal Xi Duofu and an outstanding Divine Music Master from the Divine Music Department.

Now that she has recovered her appearance, she probably won’t be inferior to Elder Sister Xiang Luan.

In every aspect, she’s quite well-matched with you!”

Ye Yinzhu bitterly smiled, “Sura, why do your words sound so awkward to me?

I’m not even seventeen yet!

Isn’t it a bit early to think about these things?

Actually, I don’t know what to do myself.

Let’s talk about it later.

Maybe, Haiyang is just grateful I healed her face, and it was just an impulsive gesture.

Anyway, my departure during the holiday has nothing to do with Haiyang.”

Sura’s expression softened a bit and he said, “Although I haven’t had much interaction with Haiyang, I can tell that she’s not the kind of girl who acts on impulse.

Despite her cold appearance, she’s very resilient.

What is it then?

Do you not like her?

Or do you think she is not good enough for you?”

Ye Yinzhu said, “Can we talk about something else?

Actually, I don’t even know how I feel about Haiyang.

Maybe when I’m older, I’ll understand these things better.

After the school year ends, I’ll set off immediately.

Since you’re not planning to leave the academy, why don’t you e with me?”

Sura seemed to realize something suddenly, a glint in his eyes, “The friend you mentioned, is it the one who signed a contract with you?”

Ye Yinzhu nodded with a smile, “Yes!

You’ve met him before.

We plan to go deep into the Northernmost Wilderness for our expedition.

You should e with us.

Having each other’s pany will be reassuring, and gaining more experience will benefit our strength enhancement.”

Sura said in surprise, “You’re going deep into the Northernmost Wilderness?

I heard that even Beastmen don’t dare to enter lightly.

It’s home to many powerful ice and snow Magical Beasts, one of the forbidden areas on the continent.

Aren’t you afraid of the danger?”

Ye Yinzhu smiled, “That’s exactly why I want to bring a few friends with me!

You’re one of them, and along with Ma Liang and Chang Hao, that should be about right.

Don’t worry.

Even if there’s danger, I’m confident I can ensure everyone’s safety.” Zi may only be equivalent to a rank seven Magical Beast, but as an Amethyst Behemoth, his innate oppressive force can terrify even rank nine Magical Beasts.

What’s more, acpanying him are two powerful rank nine Golden Behemoths.

With such a bination, unless they encounter a legendary rank ten expert, ordinary Magical Beasts can’t cause them any trouble.

Moreover, Ye Yinzhu also has a Teleportation Crystal.

As long as he has a little extra time to cast, he can return to his preset teleportation point at any time.

The smile on Sura’s face finally became much more natural, “Alright, I’ll go with you.

But aren’t you going to invite Haiyang?”

Ye Yinzhu hesitated for a moment before saying, “Let’s not.

After all, it’s quite dangerous there.

Haiyang is just a pure Divine Music Master.” In reality, what he was concerned about was Haiyang’s identity.

Having learned about the past of the Eastern Dragon Empire, Ye Yinzhu now had more on his mind than before, no longer the simple-minded boy who didn’t need to think too much.

After finishing breakfast, the two headed to their respective departments for class.

The change in Sura’s mood today struck Ye Yinzhu as odd; why did his expression turn so unsightly every time Haiyang was mentioned?

Walking towards the Divine Music Department, Ye Yinzhu couldn’t help but reflect on Sura’s earlier demeanor, his mind brimming with curiosity.

Suddenly, he stopped walking and his face changed slightly, “Could it be, Sura has fallen for Senior Haiyang?

He looked so dejected because he’s afraid that I’ll steal his loved one.

Yes, it must be so.

Sura, how foolish of you.

If you like Senior Haiyang, why don’t you speak up?

I must confront him about it tonight.” In Ye Yinzhu’s mind, no other explanation seemed possible.

Lost in thoughts about this issue, Ye Yinzhu arrived at the Divine Music Department’s classroom.

Upon entering, he was surprised to find it empty, not a person in sight.

He slapped his forehead and muttered to himself, “How silly of me, everyone is practicing their music.

Why would they be in the classroom?” With that in mind, he quickly headed to the top floor.

The top floor of the Divine Music Department housed specialized training classrooms for performances, with many rooms of various sizes.

The larger rooms were for ensemble practice, and the smaller ones allowed students to practice solo performances.

Given the Divine Music Department’s exceptional wealth, there were enough solo practice rooms for each student to use one individually.

It’s important to note that each room was equipped with Sound Blocking Formations, requiring the support of special magic crystal stones—an undoubtedly massive expense.

When students from other departments were still clustering together to practice at the training grounds, Divine Music Department students had long since begun their practice in individual studios sheltered from winds and rain.

At this time, students of other grades in the Divine Music Department were still taking theory classes.

As Ye Yinzhu walked in, he saw the door to the largest practice room open, with a few girls inside talking about something.

He recognized all of them—it was none other than the first-year students Xueling and Lanxi, as well as Xiang Luan and Haiyang.

Seeing Haiyang, Ye Yinzhu couldn’t help feeling a bit awkward, but having e this far, he couldn’t just turn around and leave.

It was merely a matter of not knowing how to face Haiyang.

He tried to appear as natural as possible and walked in.

“You’re all here!

What are you discussing?”

As soon as Ye Yinzhu entered, Haiyang’s face turned slightly red, but thankfully, her veil concealed it well enough that others couldn’t really tell; she just smiled without speaking.

Xiang Luan, who knew what had happened between the two the night before, giggled behind her hand next to Haiyang.

It was Xueling who answered Ye Yinzhu’s question, her face bright with her usual hearty smile, “What else could we be discussing but the ensemble you mentioned last time.

The other students who haven’t yet infused emotion into their music are still cultivating.

Last time Senior Haiyang suggested that we practice ‘A Ghostly Beauty’ individually first.

Now, having succeeded in our solo practices, we don’t understand why, but when we e together for the ensemble, there are problems; we can’t seem to synchronize melodically.

Not only is there no cumulative effect, but it even seems somewhat diminished, as if constraining one another.

We were just worrying over this.

Now that you’re here, please think of a solution.”

Hearing Xueling discuss the music, much of the awkwardness in Ye Yinzhu’s heart dissipated.

He thought for a moment and said, “Frankly, I don’t have any good solutions.

How about we play it through once to see if we can pinpoint the problems.”

Lanxi, who was next to him, nodded in agreement, “Alright.” Xiang Luan and Haiyang naturally wouldn’t object.

The largest practice room was like a small auditorium, big enough to acmodate a hundred musicians playing at once.

The four girls took their usual places; Lanxi with her Jade Zither Charm, Haiyang playing the ancient zither, Xiang Luan with her vintage dragon-headed pipa, and Xueling wielding the jade flute.

Ye Yinzhu sat in the central position, and by default, the girls had already started to regard him as the lead conductor.

In an ensemble piece, there’s usually one person, or one instrument, that takes the lead, and there must be a distinction of principal and subordinate roles.

Trusting in Ye Yinzhu’s abilities, he naturally took on this important role.

In a flash of light, the Haiyue Qinhui Zither appeared on the table in front of Ye Yinzhu; he quickly tuned the strings.

At this moment, all four girls had their gaze fixed on him.

They all noticed how Ye Yinzhu, who seemed somewhat awkward and shy before, transformed pletely once his hands touched the ancient zither.

His eyes became focused, radiating an effortless nobility and grace.

Every movement as he tuned the strings was smooth and aesthetically pleasing as if the ancient zither itself was part of his body, his most beloved.

The sight made the girls reflect; they couldn’t help but admire his sixteen years of zither practice.

Just his feelings for the instrument were something they could not begin to pare to.

“Everyone, get ready,” said Ye Yinzhu, rousing the girls from their admiration.

As elite students of the Divine Music Department, they immediately focused their emotions on their instruments, waiting for Ye Yinzhu to begin leading the piece.

Ye Yinzhu thought for a moment and said, “Among the instruments, the ancient zither and the flute blend together most easily.

So, let Xueling play the first and second measures of ‘A Ghostly Beauty’ solo.

Then, from the third measure, Lanxi, you join in.

From the fifth measure onwards, Elder Sister Xiang Luan and Haiyang, join together.

You don’t need to worry about coordination; just give your best performance.”

All four girls nodded at once, Xiang Luan with some puzzlement, “We have tried this method before, but the results were still not good.

The zither and flute duet at the beginning is alright, but as soon as my pipa and Haiyang’s ancient zither join in, it immediately leads to chaos.”

Ye Yinzhu smiled slightly and said, “No worries, let’s try again.

I’ll join in when the time is right.”

Under Ye Yinzhu’s signal, Xueling raised her sleek and translucent jade flute, beginning her performance.