As a melodious tune began to fill the classroom, the hexagram before Nina quietly split open to the sides, revealing a broad corridor. The passage extended diagonally downward, and Ye Yinzhu and the three girls followed Nina with surprise into this unknown place.
Atop the corridor, at intervals of ten meters, milky-white mage lamps embedded into the ceiling cast a soft glow. The air here was dry and comfortable, without any feeling of oppression despite the downward descent into the ground.
After a hundred meters, a large door adorned with ancient patterns blocked their path. Nina stopped, speaking faintly, "After you go back, forget everything you saw today." A chanting similar to what they had heard before began, and without knowing when, a hexagonal gemstone appeared in her palm. A layer of purple halo lit up as the gemstone fit into the door. A suffocating wave of magic power burst forth in an instant, causing the bodies of Ye Yinzhu and the others to stiffen.
The door swung inward, revealing a room of about fifty square meters. Aside from the door, the other three walls had many niches completely integrated with the wall, made of an unidentifiable material. The niches on the left wall were filled with various musical instruments, their primitive styles indicating their ancient origin. On the right wall were magic robes, magic staffs, and even magical armor and weapons. The wall opposite the door had the most niches, filled with gemstones, magic gemstones. That nearly tangible, vast wave of magic element came from these hundreds of stones. This place was simply a miniature Treasure Hall. Aside from Ye Yinzhu, the three girls—Lanxi, Xueling, and Peacock—were instantly drawn to the gemstones in front of them upon entering, their eyes brightening, and even the proud Peacock couldn't conceal the intoxication in her beautiful eyes.
Ye Yinzhu's gaze, however, was drawn to the left, for there he saw a zither, the only zither among the entire Divine Music Department's treasures. Its chestnut-colored lacquer and Water Flow pattern, along with a layer of lustrous sheen, seemed to emit an air of solitary pride. Among all the instruments on display, it sat in the central position, with the others arrayed far around it, as if they were servants surrounding their emperor.
Subconsciously, Ye Yinzhu forgot the presence of the others and stepped towards the ancient zither, as if something was pulling at his heart. Nearing it, he saw the strings flickering with a faint green light, and the zither insignias, made of pearls, gleamed like thirteen miniaturized full moons harmoniously resting on the zither.
Another was lost in a trance—Nina. Bringing the four new students into the Divine Music Department's Treasure Hall, the moment she turned around, she saw Ye Yinzhu's obsessed gaze, watched him move uncontrollably toward the ancient zither. Her heart seemed to freeze at that moment, a severe pain suddenly released from the depths of her heart to every inch of her skin. The once authoritative Director Nina now trembled.
"He's so alike, just like him when he first came here. Unswayed by gemstones, his discerning eyes only on the zither."
Nina's figure appeared in front of Ye Yinzhu, blocking his view. Deprived of the zither's trace, Ye Yinzhu suddenly snapped out of his obsession. He saw Nina's blank stare.
A purple flute fell into her hands, and a faint coldness emanated from the flute itself as Nina murmured to herself:
"The lingering fragrance binds, clouds fly without a trace, and the birdsong weeps at the slender tips of fingers.
Gazing into distance, it's the Haiyue Qinhui dyed with longing, the indelible scenes in the heart, perhaps, along with an inch of sorrow that cannot be drowned by wine.
The Ming Zhu's bright green is heaped high, unintentionally piling up over the brows and heart.
Tonight, the flute still exists.
Purple Jade Cold Flute, a lone figure standing beside the Jade String Pearls, where are you now?
As loneliness turns to stardust, as the wave ebbs and the tune ends, waiting by the moonlit zither. Do you know, I've been waiting far too long…"
Woo—, a mournful flute sound resounded, carrying both resentment and endless yearning, circling persistently. A turquoise light illuminated the entire Treasure Hall with Nina at its heart. Tears quietly trickled down Nina's face.
Almost at the same time, Lanxi and the other two girls, who had been captivated by the gemstones' light, fell to the ground, their eyes filled with pain as tears uncontrollably streamed down, their hearts seemingly torn apart by the sorrowful flute music.
Ye Yinzhu's situation wasn't much better. His spiritual power was far inferior to Nina's, and being the closest to her also made him the most vulnerable to sensing her current mood. Unspoken pain filled his heart, turning his face deathly pale. Fortunately, the clarity of his Pure Qinxin supported him, preventing him from succumbing to the melancholic melody of the flute.
With a fierce bite on the tip of his tongue, he brought his clouded mind to a semblance of clarity. A pale yellow light enveloped his body, and in one quick movement, Ye Yinzhu had already moved past Nina. The dark red light intensified as his eight fingers simultaneously brushed across the seven strings that shone with a green light, producing a series of clear, mixed zither notes. The lingering sounds, like a vortex, disrupted the imminent flute music in the nick of time.
Feeling light-headed, Nina realized what she had just done. Under the influence of her slightly out-of-control emotions, she had used the Explosive Reverberate. If the children suffered irreparable psychological damage as a result, it would be troubling.
Explosive Reverberate, an instantaneous burst of sound waves, with a piercing force. Equivalent to the instant magic of mages from other disciplines. Divine Music Masters could only attempt it after reaching Green rank. Yin Zhu was still one rank away from using Explosive Reverberate.
Nina quickly put away her Purple Jade Cold Flute and hurried over to the three girls, releasing a gentle wave of spiritual power through her touch as she checked on them.
She breathed a sigh of relief. Nina's tense expression eased up a great deal as she realized that the three girls had a decent foundation of spiritual power, and with Ye Yinzhu interrupting her Explosive Reverberate in time, they were only moderately impacted. They would recover after some rest.
Spinning around sharply, Nina's gaze became piercing, "Ye Yinzhu, tell me, what is your relationship with Qin Shang?"
"Ah?" Yin Zhu, whose spiritual power was only just recovering from the shock, was momentarily taken aback.
"You don't need to hide it. With my Green-rank spiritual power, if you were not practicing the same Zither Magic as Qin Shang, there's no way you could've fought off that power at Red-rank. No wonder you were unaffected by Haiyang's guzheng music that day and could even perform a duet with her. Just like that scoundrel, your Red Magical Power doesn't represent Third Rank but rather Ninth Rank."
"Grandpa Qin is not a scoundrel," Yin Zhu said indignantly. At that moment, the ancient zither had somehow found its way into his arms, and the connection between the Zither Mage and his instrument was so intrinsic that Ye Yinzhu could not bear to put it down.
"Grandpa Qin? Are you his grandson?" Nina's face turned instantly white, and her body swayed as if she might collapse.
Ye Yinzhu shook his head, "No, I am Grandpa Qin's disciple."
Nina was taken aback. Her complexion softened a bit, "Did he send you to find me?"
Ye Yinzhu recalled the words Qin Shang said to him before he left the blue sky and sea, "Yes! Grandpa Qin asked me to deliver a letter to the head of the Divine Music Department, which must be you."
"Where is the letter?" Nina asked eagerly, stepping quickly toward Ye Yinzhu as her breathing became noticeably unsteady.
"I lost it."
"What? What exactly happened?"