Previous Chapter Chapter List Next Chapter
Qi Lin stood atop the summit and looked around. The surrounding peaks of the ridge were swallowed up by white clouds and thick fog, and the remainder that were visible jutting out from the clouds seemed to be in a boundless ocean. A slight breeze blew, rolling the sea of clouds. It was like he was in a different world.
“Qi Lin, what do we do?” Shang Yangjun walked over, deeply worried.
One night had already passed since Prince Changqin invited them to this peak. The woman strummed her guqin gracefully, comfortably. The silky notes were pleasant to the ears, and the entire mountain forest seemed to immerse in her music, becoming beautiful. If it was before, Shang Yangjun would have been willing to listen to such heavenly music for three months without issue, but they were currently on a mission. Every second that passed was a disaster to her. But as she was, she had no way out. “God Of Music” Prince Changqin had trapped them using mist. Unless she willed it, the two of them were completely unable to escape.
Having only just fled the Taowu calamity, she never thought they would fall into the jaws of a tiger, to land in Prince Changqin’s hand. Shang Yangjun wondered to herself, what sin had she committed to be so misfortunate. In the past, these Four Perils and Divine Names were things she had practically only heard from her father in stories, but in just a few days of leaving the village, she had bumped into two.
Was the Register Of Deities actually a portent of chaos in Primordial World?
Thinking of this, Shang Yangjun felt even more troubled.
Qi Lin sat on the mountain for a night to, in his words, search for inspiration.
As for helping Prince Changqin compose, Qi Lin had some confidence. He knew many an ancient composition, including those that were lost, preserved, highbrow, or popular, he had come across them all. But to casually bring out any random song and give it to Prince Changqin was clearly unacceptable.
Prince Changqin played for the night while Qi Lin sat on the mountaintop and listened.
“Yangjun, do you hear anything?” Qi Lin asked.
“This tune is very beautiful.” Shang Yangjun was quite unrefined. The barbarian tribes only had old ceremonial songs, nothing significantly grand. The girl felt this music was extremely fine, but she was unable to expand upon her words.
“Prince Changqin, huh.” Qi Lin muttered. In Chinese legend, Prince Changqin was the son of Zhurong, the god of fire. Legend said that he was born clutching a guqin, and it was because of his birth that Heaven and Earth sang out in joy.
“What, Qi Lin, do you know her?” Shang Yangjun asked. To be frank, this was the first time she had heard of Prince Changqin’s Divine Name.
“No, but I’ve got inspiration. Let’s go help her.” Qi Lin smiled.
“Huh, you have inspiration?” Shang Yangjun had an expression of doubt. She did not believe he was able to give a Divine Name inspiration for this kind of ancient music.
“En.”
The two of them returned to the waterfall. The melodious music was mellow, pleasant, every note seemingly alive and full of cheer. The hair of the woman playing the guqin was like a river, her fingers graceful, their tips dancing over the strings, her gorgeous music spry and lively.
But such moving music nevertheless was unable to stir the phoenix perched on the tree.
The multi-colored phoenix was perched in its nest, silent as a statue. Shang Yangjun truly resented this Divine Bird to death. Such music was enough to move a Divine Name, but this bird was too motionless.
“Sister Changqin.” Qi Lin skillfully cupped his fist.
The music suddenly stopped.
Prince Changqin lifted her slender phoenix brow: “What do you feel about Your Servant’s musical composition?”
“The sounds of nature are nothing special.” Qi Lin said.
“But why, then, is it nevertheless unable to make the phoenix dance to the song.” Prince Changqin’s eyes were a bit perplexed. She also felt she had practically played the most sublime tune, yet this was unable to make this Divine Bird dance for her.
“May I be so bold as to play accompaniment for Elder Sister?” Qi Lin asked.
“Accompaniment?” Prince Changqin frowned.
“I have a composition. Would Sister Changqin like to hear it?” Qi Lin said.
“Oh, you may try.” Prince Changqin clasped her hands in her lap and smiled.
Qi Lin took out a flute he had fashioned from bamboo last night.
The phoenix did not move at all upon hearing the first note, but as Qi Lin played more and with greater sincerity, a heroic tune emerged. This song sounded unremarkable at first, as it went on, it slowly crescendoed unimaginably. The song was like saber-light and sword-shadow, bold and decisive, like an orchid in an empty valley, alone in blossoming beauty.
Shang Yangjun was stupefied. She looked with unfamiliarity at this childhood sweetheart – this flute song was simply able to astonish celestials.
As the flute played, Shang Yangjun impatiently gazed at the phoenix, but that phoenix showed no interest at all other than casting over a glance. The girl was very disappointed, yet Prince Changqin could discern this song was exceptional. The woman’s brow furrowed tighter, and her eyes stared at Qi Lin.1
“Elder Sister, you’ve just listened to my piece. Use your guqin to play, and I will accompany you with the flute. Let’s try again.” Qi Lin said.
Prince Changqin muttered to herself for a long time. She surprisingly felt serenity from this composition, a state of perfection, unexpectedly.
“Fine.”
Prince Changqin put both hands on her guqin.
Strum, strum, strum.
When the guqin’s first melodious note was plucked, Shang Yangjun’s mind was thoroughly captivated. The music was even more beautiful than Qi Lin’s flute, like a rolling spring cloud, like a crane’s cry echoing through the nine firmaments, yet also like a hundred birds singing in a garden. This tune was able to wake the slumbering, able to make all creatures peaceful, able to make all things under Heaven peaceful.
The phoenix extended its neck, and its gaze was drawn by the guqin’s music.
Following Qi Lin’s flute, that bold flute tune merged with the guqin’s. All of a sudden, that romantic air had an additional iron-blooded loyalty.
The woman’s guqin seemed to be waiting for a lover’s message, each note filled with endless yearning.
The young man’s flute was like a soldier returning home, having cut down thousands of enemies only for that pining guqin.
The guqin and flute were in accompaniment, a perfect combination.
The phoenix cried, spread its wings, spun and suddenly danced.
“It’s dancing…” Shang Yangjun immediately covered her mouth. She did not dare shout for fear of ruining this perfect song.
Prince Changqin and Qi Lin seemed to have already forgotten the phoenix’s existence as they sank into the guqin’s music.
When the last note part finished, the phoenix continued to cry for a long while.
“This piece…” Prince Changqin opened her eyes and sighed. She had played the guqin for so long, yet she did not comprehend such a tune. Of course, there was also the flute, which was unprecedented for her as well.
“Qi Lin, is this something you composed?” Prince Changqin calmly asked.
“If I said I composed it, Sister Changqin wouldn’t believe me, right.” Qi Lin smiled.
As for being able to make the phoenix dance, Qi Lin had expected this. In truth, the tune he had played for Prince Changqin was the “Shao music,” a considerably famous ancient piece of music that was said to be a work of “Shun.” When he had performed this piece, even the phoenixes in Heaven above were drawn down and became a dancing couple for him. Thus, Qi Lin was confident this would work.
Qi Lin used the flute for this Shao music, pairing his hardness with Prince Changqin’s softness, blending Yin and Yang. It was no exaggeration to say this a song from the genesis of primal chaos.
“Indeed, sparrow soars the sky was suitable for finding inspiration.” Prince Changqin said: “Of course, Your Servant must also thank Your Distinguished Self.”
“This is considered fate.” Qi Lin modestly said.
“Your Servant shall confer upon you two a small gift.” Crown Prince Changqin closed her eyes and plucked the guqin. A tune swelled, like the sun and moon rising from the sea. A strange power enveloped Qi Lin and Shang Yangjun.
The Primordial True Qi in their bodies unexpectedly could not help but flare up under her music.
What?
Their True Qi circulated under the pull of Prince Changqin’s music, and their meridians expended under the notes. Qi Lin was astonished to feel his Primordial True Qi circulate eighty-one cycles and charge for his Heavenly Spirit meridians.
With practically no pause, his True Qi entered the Heavenly Spirit meridians, and thereupon, the meridians and True Qi in his body were all connected.
Heaven and Earth linkage.
His Primordial True Qi suddenly melded together, becoming endless.
The most arduous Heavenly Spirit realm of Qi Refinement Ninth Deva was surprisingly broken through in one step under Prince Changqin’s music.
Previous Chapter Chapter List Next Chapter
- Raws say Chen Mo lol. ↩
…They leveled up!
Turns out, the hidden side quests are what get you the EXP. 😛