bookbashuk Chapter 164 Jiang Shuo is Jealous
Chapter 164 Jiang Shuo is Jealous
The pavilion is draped with light blue gauze curtains, and a light mist hangs over the lake. Pink and white lotus flowers bloom in the lake, and several white cranes are playing in the water.
With a wave of his hand, Dugu Xun created an ancient zither on the table.
The base of the zither is jet black, covered with intricate gold inscriptions. The strings are silvery-white, and it's unclear what material they're made of. The moment you take it out, you can feel the ancient and weathered aura emanating from it.
Gu Yan gently stroked the strings, played a few notes, and smiled, "This is an absolutely exquisite zither."
"Speaking of which, Zirong and I haven't played a duet in a long time. Why don't we play a piece together now?" Dugu Xun asked with a smile.
Gu Yan had no reason to refuse, so she took out her jade flute.
Jiang Shuo stood there like an outsider, watching Dugu Xun sit in front of the seven-stringed zither and Gu Yan take out the jade flute and sit down beside him.
Then Dugu Xun placed his hands on the strings, glanced at Gu Yan, smiled slightly, and began to play.
A clear and melodious zither note rang out, like a pebble falling into water, creating ripples.
Gu Yan smiled slightly, holding the jade flute to his lips. A melodious flute note escaped from his lips, extremely soft and slow, like melting snow in early spring, silently seeping into the earth.
The music resumed, this time not as a single note, but as a continuous, undulating melody. The deep bass notes rose like towering mountains, layer upon layer, with a majestic and imposing presence.
Gu Yan's flute playing suddenly rose in pitch, becoming light and agile, like a clear stream winding down from the mountains, passing through rocks and streams, making a tinkling sound.
Dugu Xun glanced at Gu Yan, and the sound of the zither became distant. To everyone who heard it, it seemed as if they could see a snow lotus blooming in the misty mountains, pure and aloof.
At first, their music was distinct, one strong and the other gentle, one still and the other dynamic. But as the music deepened, the sounds of the qin and xiao gradually blended together. The qin was no longer just a qin, but the sound of pine trees in the mountains; the xiao was no longer just a xiao, but a clear spring on the rocks.
The people of the Heavenly Sound Empire are skilled in music, and there are many great musicians in this palace. Now, they are all listening intently, and everyone has been led to the water pavilion. Even if they are not physically present, their divine senses have already involuntarily turned in this direction.
When they saw the Peerless King playing music with His Highness the Crown Prince, they were all astonished. This Peerless King actually possessed such profound attainments in music.
The divine senses of Dugu Yeli, Jiang Xi, and Jiang Qian, who were talking in the main hall, also turned towards this side. They were quite shocked to see Dugu Xun and Gu Yan playing the qin and xiao in perfect harmony, creating such heavenly music.
The people of the Tianyin Empire love music, and when they saw that Gu Yan was also skilled in music, they liked him even more, almost to the point of obsessive fanaticism.
What a handsome young man! If only he were the peerless king of Tianyin!
The entire palace fell silent, everyone immersed in the beautiful music. Birds and auspicious beasts were drawn to it; fish in the blue waves all rose to the surface; flower buds burst into bloom; and the plants seemed to be infected by the music, growing even greener.
As the music ended, the lingering notes echoed in the air for a long time.
Gu Yanchu put down the jade flute, looked at Dugu Xun, and smiled slightly. Dugu Xun was looking up at her, and their eyes met in the air, as if the music they had just heard had surpassed a thousand words.
Three long streaks of light descended, and applause erupted.
"Clap clap clap—"
The one clapping was Dugu Yeli, with Jiang Qian and Jiang Xi beside him. Upon seeing the three of them, Gu Yan, Dugu Xun, Jiang Shuo, and everyone else around them hurriedly bowed.
"I really didn't expect that Zirong is also skilled in music." Dugu Yeli smiled as he looked at Gu Yan, and sighed in his heart again: If only she were a woman!
It would be so wonderful if the woman and her great-grandson could have become a perfect couple; it's such a pity.
"Who would dare to claim they are skilled in music in front of their seniors?" Gu Yan said.
Throughout the entire Jade Wave Continent, and even the entire Cloud Wave Realm, no one is more proficient in music than Dugu Yeli.
Dugu Yeli looked at Gu Yan and smiled, "Zirong, why don't you play a duet with me?" He said, and a jade flute appeared in his hand.
Gu Yan was stunned for a moment. Dugu Yeli smiled and looked at Jiang Qian and Jiang Xi: "Brother Jiang, Junior Sister Shaohua, why don't you join us for a duet?"
Shaohua is Jiang Xi's courtesy name. Jiang Xi once studied music theory with Dugu Yeli's mother, so he calls Jiang Xi his junior sister.
"Okay," Jiang Xi said with a smile. She sat down, crossed her legs, and held them loosely in her arms. A phoenix-necked pipa appeared in her lap.
Jiang Qian also sat down, and a flash of inspiration appeared in front of him, revealing a guzheng.
Dugu Yeli took the jade flute and began to play. He played the same piece that Gu Yan and Dugu Xun had just played together. With his musical talent, he could memorize and replicate a piece he had heard only once.
Although Jiang Xi and Jiang Qian were not as good as him in music theory, it was still an easy task for them to reproduce the piece they had just heard.
After Dugu Yeli's flute music began, Dugu Xun's zither music quickly followed, followed by Gu Yan's xiao (vertical flute). The flute and xiao music, along with the zither music, drifted through the air for a while before pausing. The pipa music then began, followed by the high-pitched guzheng (Chinese zither).
The five instruments played a beautiful piece of music together. At first, they replicated the piece that Gu Yan and Dugu Xun had just played, and then they improvised.
The people around were completely engrossed in the conversation. Gu Yan, Dugu Xun, Dugu Xun Ye Li, Jiang Qian, and Jiang Xi were all thoroughly enjoying themselves. Only Jiang Shuo, who had become a background figure, was quite depressed.
As a member of the royal family of the Tianyang Empire, Jiang Shuo was neither a playboy nor a mediocre talent. On the contrary, he was a genius, but his talent was unbalanced and he did not excel in music. His musical ability was only at a passing level.
With only a passing grade, he stood out awkwardly among a group of musical masters, forced to force a smile and serve as a background figure.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
As dusk settles, the city lights begin to twinkle.
"Ayan, are you getting along so well with that Dugu Xun?" Jiang Shuo said sourly.
The young man in white stood by the window; the place he was in was the palace that Dugu Xun had prepared for him. Jiang Shuo and his maternal grandparents also lived in this palace.
"My brother and I do share many similar interests," Gu Yan said.
Jiang Shuo was jealous; he was extremely jealous.
"I think that guy has ulterior motives towards you, Ayan. Don't let him fool you. You'd better keep your distance from him. Let me tell you, his grandfather is a weirdo, a pervert. Maybe he's a little pervert too." Jiang Shuo said, trying to sow discord.
"Senior Dugu Yun, cousin, you've actually never met him before, have you?"
Jiang Shuo: "..."
In fact, he had never seen it.
"It's not like I don't know Senior Dugu Yun. He is indeed a bit eccentric, but my brother is different from him. As for your question about whether my brother has any improper thoughts about me, you can rest assured. He has already confessed to me." Gu Yan walked towards the table.
"Confess? What did he confess to?"
The young man in white sat in a chair, picked up a cup of tea, looked at Jiang Shuo, and chuckled, "It's the one you're thinking of."
What?!
Jiang Shuo clenched his fists. This lecherous man, how dare he say that?!