Zither Emperor

Chapter 7 – Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts (III)

——————————————————

Although this female teacher was somewhat strange, Yin Zhu nevertheless acted upon her instructions. The amount of gold coins on his body halved all at once.

“Teacher, where is the exam held?”

“I’ll guide you as it is improbable anyone else is going to come and register as a Divine Music mage. The other registration offices were all packed with people a few days before while I only had two or three kittens here with me. Come, follow me.”

Walking away from the registration office, the female teacher stopped her stroll. Both of her hands folded over her chest, forefingers crossing to form a six-pointed star shape. Quietly reciting a few incantations, a path of light bubbled out from her chest as she used her finger to draw a distinctly orange six-pointed star. The brilliant rays flashed, and a huge figure appeared in front of her.

Naturally, it was a gnu, but Ye Yin Zhu had ridden a different breed earlier. This gnu was white; moreover, it was triple the size of the gnu he previously rode. It had a length of five meters and a height of nearly two meters. Its body emitted an aura that a rank 1 magic beast was not capable of possessing. Even though it had just appeared, it had already docilely lowered its body, allowing the female teacher to climb up.

“Teacher, this is your magic beast?”

“Yes. My name is Bi Ji, so you can call me Teacher Bi Ji. Climb up. If you walk, you won’t get there in a short enough amount of time. It’s better to ride a gnu as it’s somewhat faster.”

Yin Zhu immediately and impolitely climbed onto the gnu, freeing himself from the burden of walking. As this white-furred gnu‘s body was quite long, he was unlikely to have contact with Bi Ji’s body in front of him after he climbed onto the gnu. The white gnu got up on its hind legs and walked forward, taking large strides in the direction Bi Ji pointed at. Although the speed was quite fast, they did not feel any strong vibrations while sitting atop the gnu. The ride was smooth and cozy.

“Teacher, you can ride magic beasts inside the institution?”

“Of course. Milan Institution of Magic and Martial Arts’s size is equivalent to one-fifth of Milan City. If we can only walk on foot, then only the warrior division will be fine. What will mages do? My Little White is a very rare rank 3 jade gnu with superb endurance.”

“Rank 3? A mage can also have a rudimentary magic beast?” Yin Zhu looked down at Bi Ji’s body, astonished. An Ya once told him that due to the importance of a magic beast and mage partnership, generally speaking, mages would wait until their magic attained a certain level before deciding upon a magic beast. Warriors agreed to and signed contracts with magic beasts as well, but they were incapable of summoning their magic beasts to them like mages. Although it was this way, warriors could just sign contracts unlike mages’ permanent contracts which only allowed them to sign once throughout their lifetime. If their magic beast died, warriors could pay a certain price, and they would be given the opportunity to agree to and sign another contract with a new magic beast.

Bi Ji groaned and said, “Although I am a mage, I am only an Orange Rank Divine Music mage, nothing more. We Divine Music mages do not need to battle. Riding instead of walking is sufficient. If you want to become powerful, now’s the time to change the specialty you registered for. There’s still time.”

“No need, I precisely chose to be a Divine Music mage.” Yin Zhu fell silent. After interacting with An Ya as well as Teacher Bi Ji, he already completely realized the status of a Divine Music mage on the continent. It was not surprising that few people chose this vocation.

After the jade gnu followed the main street and detoured through a few back alleys, before his eyes the scenery suddenly gradually opened up to a wide panorama of numerous lofty buildings and vast stretches of open land. Numerous students also wandered here. Bi Ji urged her jade gnu forward to a circular building and stopped right in front of it. Dismounting, “Finally. Here is the Divine Music mage’s divisional auditorium.”

Not waiting for Yin Zhu, who had begun to carefully examine the building before his eyes, Bi Ji immediately led him into the auditorium. The auditorium was not large as it only had the capacity for approximately 500 people. Currently, there were only 40 individuals inside, making the auditorium appear absolutely empty. As Yin Zhu and Bi Ji entered through the back of the auditorium, they could only see these people from behind. Yin Zhu assumed from their proper manners that they were all girls. Each girl faced a table with their musical instrument arranged atop it.

On the stage of the auditorium was a girl, sitting in front of an ancient wooden table, a guzheng arranged atop it. The girl wore a long white skirt, and similar to Yin Zhu, she also had a black hair. Because she was lowering her head to tune the guzheng, her black hair completely concealed her facial features, making Yin Zhu incapable of looking at her appearance. When she plucked the zither, however, she attracted Yin Zhu’s full attention.

Naturally, her two hands were as tender as spring green onions, each with slender and fine fingers. Even white jade carvings were not as exquisitely lustrous and silky as her hands. Each finger had nails an inch long. The fingernails were as sparkling and translucent as crystals, each finger lightly flicking against the strings created natural and harmonious movements that appeared graceful and charming.

“Try to find a seat and sit down, the entrance exam will begin immediately,” Bi Ji told Yin Zhu.

“Teacher Bi Ji, what does the entrance exam require?”

Bi Ji faintly smiled and answered, “As long as you can listen to her play her song, you will pass the exam.” She walked to the side and took a seat alone in the corner after she finished speaking.

Yin Zhu looked at his surroundings. Suddenly, his eyes brightened as he caught sight of a zither. Nearly without any hesitation, he quickly claimed the zither beside the girl and sat down. His eyes were already inseparable from the zither in front of him. The Jade Charm Zither, this was the Jade Charm Zither!

……

“Yin Zhu, the zither is the most ancient string instrument. It is a traditional cultural gem and can be rated as the best musical instrument. The Zither Sect actually possesses five zithers, all first generation zithers, but that is still profoundly insufficient because we do not have a genuine Divine Zither. If you discover those other zithers, you must do your utmost to obtain it. Especially if it is one of the five peerless legendary zithers, which are naturally equal to a Divine instrument’s existence.”

“Grandfather Qin, what are the names of those zithers?”

“There are many kinds of zithers, divided into numerous categories like , , , , , et cetera……”

……

The memory of Qin Shang’s words flashed through his mind; the Jade Charm Zither, while not a peerless Divine Zither, was still equally ranked to the Thundering Spring Zither!

At this moment, the young lady with the guqin in front of her turned her head to look at Yin Zhu. Upon discovering that it was unexpectedly a male by her side, she couldn’t help but be amazed, her small mouth opening up slightly. She was completely attired in light blue clothing, her long hair a similar shade as it was neatly arranged over her shoulders. Although she didn’t resemble An Ya, she still had a beauty that shook people to the core. Her gentle eyebrows made it easy to give people a good impression, especially her azure eyes which, despite the amazement within them, was still extraordinarily gentle.

At this moment, the guzheng note echoed loudly. Instantly, everyone became shocked. Yin Zhu allowed his gaze to be forcefully pulled away from the Jade Charm Zither.

The guzheng’s shape resembled the guqin. The guqin, however, was bigger with several more strings, normally 21 strings. The guqin manifested an illustriously elegant sound, loudly and clearly breaking the silence. Moreover, the guqin was easier to control. Qin Shang had told Yin Zhu that among numerous antique musical instruments, the zither was the emperor and the guzheng the empress. It is quite difficult for the zither to perform with any musical instrument or ensemble, excluding the xiao. In contrast, the guzheng could arbitrary perform music with any musical instrument in any musical ensemble. The guzheng’s sound was relatively clearer, brighter, and more pleasant to listen to. Its sound register was also broader, but it had less of an elegant, profound temperament, possessing a prolonged, pleasant lingering effect.

On stage, the girl actually began playing the guzheng. The note echoed for a split second, like a lofty mountain and flowing river. The guzheng notes emitted an orange radiance, attracting everyone’s attention simultaneously. The clear, bright guzheng notes were brimming with emotions as it carried a sorrowful air. Two long lily-white hands vibrated, brushed, and plucked the strings of the guzheng. As the guzheng music was released, an orange radiance illuminated the room. The guzheng music was like a spiritual thread, ensnaring every one of their minds.