Zither Emperor

“He traveled thousands of miles, reached Nanshan Millenium Tree, and boiled 49 medicinal plants over a warm fire for 81 days before extracting them. Drying them in the gentle sunlight for 108 days, he fetched the strings of the orange guqin—which were also the strings of my soul—and spent 3 years creating a new zither—Waterfall of Connecting Pearls.

“I became the soul of the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls Zither.”

The orange realm faded away, the surroundings morphing back into reality. Ye Yin Zhu suddenly felt that his face was very wet. At this moment, he realized tears had long been streaming down his face.

Glistening tears dropped down onto the strings, shattering into countless little droplets that quietly rolled down. It was unknown who was crying, him or the zither.

Waterfall of Connecting Pearls, it was Waterfall of Connecting Pearls. Qin Shang had once spoken of this zither and only described the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls Zither with a single line: ‘This is the best zither!’ That man, Qin Zhi, had the exact same name as the founder of the Zither Sect.

Ye Yin Zhu didn’t know why the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls Zither was here, but he knew that this zither and he will never part. She would be by his side forever; he would share her sorrow and grief.

Before he left the Desolate Jade Sea, Qin Shang had told Ye Yin Zhu, ‘If you reach a point where you want to contend against the Blue Dias Seven Pagoda with your own strength, you need to find a Divine Zither.’

What was a Divine Zither? Naturally, it was a zither. In this era, only three zithers could be considered divine devices. Waterfall of Connecting Pearls, which held Lan Ming Zhu’s soul, was one of them.

“Yin Zhu, what’s going on?” Ferguson’s deeply concerned voice rang out, awakening Ye Yin Zhu from his sadness. He discovered that he was tightly embracing the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls.

Ye Yin Zhu looked at Ferguson, Nesta, and Ma Liang. At this moment, Nesta had already put on a full suit of dark red armor. Its dazzling and beautiful design made his lofty figure appear even more majestic. The color of this armor matched his Blood Soul Spear well. Ma Liang had exchanged for a gray crystal magical robe clasp, and in his hand was a necklace made of unknown gems.

“Teacher, I want this zither. May I?” His expression held no desire, only a steady resolve.

Ferguson smiled slightly and said, “Of course. A good zither in the hands of an outstanding Divine Music mage is a blessing. I didn’t even know that this treasury’s collection had an aura zither.”

✶

Returning to the classroom, Ye Yin Zhu’s mood still hadn’t sobered from the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls’ illusory story. He didn’t know whether the zither soul genuinely existed or not, but that story was nevertheless very soft and poignant. Perhaps it was because his tears had fallen onto the strings of the zither soul, but even as the Waterfall of Connecting Peals lay in his space ring, Ye Yin Zhu could still clearly sense it. Its strings and his heartstrings trembled together.

He rubbed the middle finger of his left hand against the topaz ring, where the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls resided. Ye Yin Zhu already resolved to not place anything but the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls within it.

The lecturer standing atop the podium was a 40-year-old female teacher. Although Ye Yin Zhu didn’t recognize her, she certainly knew the general of the Divine Music division. After a bit, he dazedly walked up to sit beside Lan Xi, not saying a single word as the teacher continued her lesson. Unfortunately, Ye Yin Zhu did not remember a single word from any of the classes on the first day.

“Yin Zhu, what’s wrong?” Lan Xi quietly poked him, whispering softly.

“Eh?” Ye Yin Zhu suddenly woke from his daze with a start, his loud cry of surprise immediately causing the beautiful girls to laugh quietly. Lan Xi’s shy face reddened. She lowered her head, not daring to look up at the teacher.

“Student Ye Yin Zhu, do you have a question?” The female teacher gazed at him and asked softly.

Ye Yin Zhu sat there, stunned. In the girls’ eyes, this handsome yet stunned version of him was really cute.

“Teacher, can musical instruments have souls?”

“Of course. As a Divine Music mage, if we want to perform even more beautiful music, we need to understand the soul of the musical instrument. Maybe this is fictional, but I believe that even an ordinary musical instrument has a soul.”

His bewildered gaze gradually cleared, and Ye Yin Zhu rose from his seat to respectfully bow towards the female teacher. “Thank you, teacher. I understand.”

The magical loudspeaker luckily rang at this moment, signaling the end of class. The first day’s classes had ended. The afternoon was a free cultivation period. The teaching style of Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts was very relaxed. Since the students were capable of coming here to study, they also knew they had to invest in a great deal of effort. Of course, the Divine Music division, the division claimed to be the best, was naturally an exception.

✶

Leaving the school building, Ye Yin Zhu exhaled, stretching his body. At this moment, his mood had already returned to normal. The female teacher had sobered him up. All musical instruments had souls. The Waterfall of Connecting Pearls had one, and the Moon and Tides’ Clear Brilliance also had one. As he had resonated with the Waterfall of Connecting Pearls’ aura, he could hear her tale, thus indicating that he had gained her approval.

When Ye Yin Zhu returned to his dormitory, Sura had already come back. One must know that the Divine Music division’s dormitories were extraordinarily close to the division’s school building, while its distance from the Martial Arts Department was extraordinarily far.

“Sura, did you finish class early? How long has it been since you returned?”

“I rushed back to prepare a meal for you!” Sura excitedly exclaimed as he bustled in the kitchen, “Yin Zhu, I tested the speed amplification effect of the Eternal Substitute Puppet today. It’s even better than I thought. My speed increased by at least 30%.”

Ye Yin Zhu smiled and said, “Any magic item in the right hands can bring out the greatest power. You work so hard everyday to tidy the rooms, and you still want to prepare a meal for me to eat; I should pay you.”

Sura giggled and said, “Pay me? Are you wealthy? Floating Orchid Pavilion’s wages haven’t been given out yet.”

Ye Yin Zhu chuckled. Brilliant rays of light encompassed his hand as he withdrew the black dagger and grasped it in his hand. He handed it over to Sura. “How much of the costs will this cover?”

Staring at the dagger, Sura blanked out. He gripped the dishes tightly, immediately understanding that Ye Yin Zhu had specifically chosen something for him from the treasury earlier today. His hands scrubbed the dishes clean hard enough to bruise.

“This, this is…” The icy aura, the sinister edge, and the demonic ruby eyes, it lacked nothing, deeply attracting his interest. Sura trembled. He was somewhat unable to control himself.

“Angel’s Sigh. This, is this actually Angel’s Sigh?” Sura abruptly raised his head and stared at Ye Yin Zhu for some time. His eyes brimmed with shock.

“So as it turns out, it’s called Angel’s Sigh! I wouldn’t have been able to tell; it’s appearance is so fierce and vicious, yet it has such a pleasant name. Apparently, it’s pretty good. It’s no wonder teacher seemed distressed when I carried it and the large Amethyst Sword away.” Ye Yin Zhu spoke as if this was insignificant.

“Pleasant? Do you know that Angel’s Sigh also has another title?” Sura raised the dagger up and slashed it in the air, causing a beautiful arc to appear. A dark, icy aura assaulted his senses, striking Ye Yin Zhu with chills.

“What?”

“Cursed Blade.” Sura’s voice grew hushed. “Although it’s not a divine device, it is still a high grade soul device. Cursed Blade; it increases attack power against magical defense by 200%. Against physical defenses, it increases attack power by 105%. A completely silent blade, any dou qi poured into it will not release any rays of light.

“The reason why it’s called Cursed Blade is because any injury it inflicts will cause the recipient to bleed out and die if they are not healed by Light magic of Cyan rank or higher. Although this is not a divine device, merely a soul device, the assassin circles call it the Uncrowned King.”

“Haha, it seems that I chose a treasure. Sura, how much of the costs will this cover?” Ye Yin Zhu proudly asked.

Sura unhappily retorted, “To warriors and mages, Angel’s Sigh might be a pretty good weapon, but to assassins, it is considered to be a priceless treasure. You want to pay with this? It could buy a city full of slaves. You fool, always giving away things. Although it’s not a divine device, it is still a soul device. You truly are a boy loose with money.”

Ye Yin Zhu’s simple face broke out into a rare grin. “I’ve made a profit! I give this to you, and in exchange, you can tidy up after me and prepare meals for me for the rest of our lives. Anyway, this thing is useless to me.”