Chapter 1162: Chapter 1161: Playing the Phoenix Order Again
Lu Zheng being Abnormal People was quite unexpected for Yue Ziyuan, but he wasn’t afraid, after all, this was Da Jing Zhongjing.
But still, considering he could crush someone like himself with a single slap, when Yue Ziyuan saw Lu Zheng using such a shabby zither as the Phoenix Tail Zither, although the disdain in his eyes was barely hidden, he just pursed his lips without mocking.
However, any concerns he had about Lu Zheng naturally disappeared.
"So, he’s Abnormal People, no wonder." Yue Ziyuan said indifferently.
In Yue Ziyuan’s view, Lu Zheng was just a music enthusiast relying on his identity as Abnormal People, thinking he could rely on his strength to make Ouyang Kui craft a zither.
What a joke...
If Ouyang Kui had to serve every Abnormal People that came along, he’d have no time for anything else in his life.
Jing Taihua’s gaze at Jing Qianyu was also inexplicably strange, making Jing Qianyu extremely embarrassed.
Jing Qianyu licked her lips, somewhat regretting not checking out Lu Zheng’s zither in advance. If she had seen it earlier, she might have found a good zither for him in Lingwu Royal Mansion.
Top-tier zithers were hard to find, but something like Yue Ziyuan’s Feiye Zither was available.
"Young Master Lu, your zither’s tone is hard to correct. If you don’t mind, why not use mine?" Yue Ziyuan suggested with a smile.
Lu Zheng gave Yue Ziyuan a glance, casually waving off the suggestion, "No need, unless it’s a peerless zither, any zither in my hands is the same."
"Oh?"
Yue Ziyuan pretended to understand, his lips curving into a half-smile, "Then I look forward to Young Master Lu’s zither music."
On the other side, Si Lingxi, who had remained silent since entering, finally couldn’t hold back and looked at Yue Ziyuan, "Consider yourself lucky."
Yue Ziyuan’s heart skipped a beat, while Jing Taihua squinted his eyes and said in a deep voice, "This is Da Jing Zhongjing!"
They thought Shen Ying was using her status as Abnormal People to threaten Yue Ziyuan.
Jing Qianyu squinted her eyes but remained adamant, "Have Master Yue mind his words."
Jing Taihua raised his eyebrows, just about to speak, when another woman, dressed in a serene green dress, appeared gentle and soft, said, "Sister Ying means you’re lucky to have the ears to hear Lu Lang play, having invited Master Ouyang to craft a zither today."
"Oh?" Jing Taihua raised an eyebrow, but Yue Ziyuan was even angrier.
Is it so great to be Abnormal People, looking down on us qin masters who make a living playing the zither?
However, Liu Qingyan saw through Yue Ziyuan’s thoughts in an instant and calmly pointed out, "You were the one who first looked down on Lu Lang."
Yue Ziyuan had no words to respond.
Lu Zheng smiled smugly, cocking an eyebrow at Yue Ziyuan, and then reached out and plucked the strings of his zither.
"Zheng—"
The resonance had not yet faded when the other strings were gently plucked, and the music flowed out like a stream of water.
The strings hummed, the resonance lingered, seemingly chaotic but not disordered, like countless birds singing joyfully amid the forest’s breeze and flowing water.
It was precisely "Phoenix Order."
The "Phoenix Order" was a lengthy piece, divided into three Chapters, best suited to showcase zither skill and the integration of mental realm.
First Chapter "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix."
Second Chapter "Phoenix Soaring."
Third Chapter "Phoenix Soaring into the Sky."
When Lu Zheng played the first verse, Yue Ziyuan was stunned.
As a qin master bold enough to compete for Ouyang Kui’s crafted zither at the Bitter Tea House, although he dared not claim to be the top of his time, he was indeed a first-rate qin master.
Setting aside character, purely in terms of zither skill, Yue Ziyuan was absolutely qualified, which is why he immediately recognized the brilliance of this zither piece.
"A new piece?" Yue Ziyuan’s pupils shrank, "Such an outstanding new piece?"
It was well known that composing a new piece wasn’t hard, but composing one that could be passed down for a hundred years was difficult, let alone one remembered for generations, which most qin masters wouldn’t even dream of.
Although Yue Ziyuan was confident, he didn’t dare believe he could compose a piece worthy of being remembered by future generations, but the piece Lu Zheng played was undoubtedly an enduring classic.
Yue Ziyuan appreciated it wholeheartedly, yet his mind was in turmoil, "This piece, I’ve never heard it before, who composed it? Was it him? Impossible, right?"
Yue Ziyuan seemed to see a scene where countless birds celebrated and welcomed the Phoenix.
Dispersed yet orderly, gathered but not cluttered, the mental realm blended into the music as if one were there in person.
In the main seat, Ouyang Kui had already set down his teacup and closed his eyes, calmly enjoying.
Jing Taihua, who could have brought Yue Ziyuan along, was naturally an expert. Listening to the zither, his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
Meanwhile, Si Lingxi, with a smile at the corner of her mouth and eyes slightly narrowed, was also enjoying the legendary piece Lu Zheng had composed especially for her, in a particularly good mood.
...
The piece came to an end, the resonance lingered around the beam.
Only then did the servant nearby, ready to serve at any moment, let out a deep breath, taking a breath of relief.
Yue Ziyuan looked at Lu Zheng with a complicated expression, then at the Phoenix Tail Zither beneath his hands, and thought back to what Shen Ying had just said, his cheeks twitching uncontrollably.
In the next moment, Ouyang Kui opened his eyes, his face flushed, speaking excitedly and incredulously, "Have you seen a Phoenix!?"
"Oh?" Lu Zheng raised an eyebrow.
"Otherwise, how could you play with such grandeur and audacity that stretches to the skies!"
Ouyang Kui’s eyes were shining, "Truly, a fine piece, an exquisite mental realm!"
After a pause, Ouyang Kui said again, "Remarkable zither skill! Even Duan Boyang and Gongye Qingyi probably pale in comparison to you in zither skill!"
Yue Ziyuan was taken aback.
Duan Boyang and Gongye Qingyi were qin masters whose skill could make Ouyang Kui personally craft a zither!
"To play such a legendary piece on this zither is simply... wasteful of this masterpiece; even a Phoenix would want to destroy this zither if it heard it!" Ouyang Kui shook his head and sighed.
"Maybe not." Si Lingxi glanced at Ouyang Kui, saying indifferently, "A Phoenix wouldn’t judge people by trivial matters, you’re underestimating the Phoenix."
"Whether a Phoenix judges by trivial matters, I dare not speculate, but as ancient stories say, the only Phoenix Goddess of our time once gathered the ten most famous zither makers to craft zithers for her." Ouyang Kui responded noncommittally.
Si Lingxi: (▼ヘ▼#)
"Pfft—"
Lu Zheng couldn’t help but laugh out loud, then quickly stifled it.
Shen Ying grinned, "How do you know that, it’s supposed to be something from a long time ago, right?"
"It’s a major event among zither makers, passed down through the ages, how could I not know it?" Ouyang Kui responded matter-of-factly, "Legend has it that the Phoenix Goddess once played a piece on Jin Yao Mountain, with birds lingering in the sky, flowers blooming in autumn, celestial petals raining and golden lotuses sprouting from the earth. All ten of the top zither makers at the time were captivated and wanted to craft a zither for her."
"Then what happened?" Jing Qianyu asked eagerly, and both Jing Taihua and Yue Ziyuan perked up their ears.
"Then..."
Ouyang Kui’s eyes shone, "Each of the ten zither makers crafted a zither for her, competing against each other, and then had the Phoenix Goddess evaluate them. After deciding on the best, they custom-made an unparalleled zither for her!"
Ouyang Kui, saying this, seemed to regain a youthful fervor, "Unfortunately, I was born in the wrong era. If I had been born a thousand years earlier, I might have listened to the heavenly sounds of the Phoenix Goddess, and as for crafting a zither for the Phoenix Goddess, it might not have been me!"
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