TL: bluedreamsfairy

PR: Sam Jiejie

Rong Yan exclaimed: “Oh! So, actually, this zither belonged to Miss Yan! Big Brother Ziyan said that no matter which type of zither it is, he will always take care of them. Even this sacred zither. Moreover, he gathered a collection of zithers in his house; including ones he has picked up on the streets, of which aren’t a few. He would also take in those damaged ones! Since I look after them every day, I know him the best. Who let him become such a zither-phile!”

Even though she wore a helpless expression, each word was filled with some kind of flavor. It led people to believe that Gu Ziyan and her had an intimate relationship. At the beginning, they all assumed that Gu Ziyan had solely taken in Yan Ziyuan’s zither. Thus it made them believe that Gu Ziyan was interested in her. But, after Rong Yan’s explanation, they all understood that Gu Ziyan was simply gathering zithers because it was his passion, and nothing more. Therefore, there was no connection between the zither and the person who lost it.

Gu Ziyan frowned slightly while glaring at Rong Yan. It seemed he was about to say something, however he ended up keeping silent. Instead he shot a meaningful glance at Yan Ziyuan. Although Yan Ziyuan’s face paled, she continued to smile. As soon as Rong Yan finished talking she commented, while making sure her voice came across as if she was indifferent: “Your Big Brother Ziyan is a refined scholar. On the contrary, I am just a commoner who likes to break valuable things.” She sat down again, gulped the tea that the maid poured: “Excellent tea!” Her actions and attitude were aloof, but the hand she used for holding the cup shook slightly, spilling a bit of the tea.

An awkward atmosphere lingered around. In order to ease things over, the Main Steward got up and diverted everybody’s attention: “This competition has come to an end with success. The winner is Lady Xue…” he then rambled congratulatory words, before grabbing the tray where the Flamboyant Crystal Tree was: “Lady Xue has won the prize!”

Ning Xuemo curled her lips upward and stretched her hand to accept the much coveted prize, when suddenly, CLANG!… a silk-like twang abruptly arose from outside. Nearly everyone shivered, surprised by this turn of events. The organizer let go of the tray and thereby caused the tree to fall… The Flamboyant Crystal Tree was split into 17 pieces!

My reward! Ning Xuemo stared at it in disbelief, wanting to cry but not having the tears. The tree could be compared to an egg and now that it has been dropped, it resembled a smashed eggshells, of which the inside flowed out. Nothing useful was left!

Meanwhile, the zither sound continued to play, reverberating the notes throughout the lake. The musician was obviously an expert! Just a few notes, and they were able to crush anyone standing on this ship!

An unprecedented zither expert! The crowd showed a crazed expression, typical of professional artists. In succession, they crowded towards the window, searching with their eyes for the source of the tune. Finally, they stopped moving!

Beneath the moonlight, a small boat was slowly floating on the surface of the water. A red-clothed man was sitting on the bow. On his lap he was carrying a sky-like, dark blue zither, which were reflecting the moon rays.

The swaying boat, the silvered-colored moon above and the dark sky in the background, made it look like a staged scenery. The man’s red robes were fluttering, while his black hair was gently hanging over his shoulders, loosely.

Lastly, his facial features were ethereal. Even a faint smile of his would cause all the flowers under Heaven to bloom.