Chapter Eighteen: A Melody That Enchants the World

Chapter Eighteen
A Melody to Enchant the Four Corners – Three in Harmony

At dawn in Lishui City, the streets bustled with young men and women riding various magical beasts, brimming with vigor. Merchants in their shops and owners of taverns and teahouses were already busy, with crowds coming and going, the air filled with lively chatter. Of all, it was the youth who dominated.

“No matter the outcome of this selection, I’m determined to join the senior brothers and sisters in their training at the Abyssal Ridge. My strength is too weak now. For the past few years, I’ve barely made any progress,” Li Zhan said to Kui Hu and Qin Zhen.

“I want to go too! Me too!” As Li Zhan spoke, Kui Hu and Qin Zhen refused to be left behind, clamoring to join.

“Alright, we’ll go together. I wonder when Young Master Hao will arrive today. We should ask him if he wants to come with us,” suggested Kui Hu.

Though Kui Hu often indulged in mischief, he was actually a careful and thoughtful person.

“No idea, but we’ll ask him later. If Young Master comes with us, we three can form a group. Let’s not join the seniors; haven’t you noticed they’re not so friendly toward us lately? I’m afraid if we follow them, they might trip us up,” Qin Zhen observed.

Despite being the youngest, Qin Zhen possessed a keen intuition, sensitive to the changing attitudes of those around him.

“Alright, when Young Master arrives, we’ll discuss and decide,” Li Zhan agreed.

After his duel with Li Hao, where he was defeated in a single move by someone of the same realm, Li Zhan suffered a blow. In this ruthless world, lacking strength meant every step was fraught with difficulty. Without ambition or diligence, a person was no different from a wretched ant scraping by. Li Zhan had spent his first eighteen years basking in the affection of elders, doing as he pleased, but that did not make him a fool. His mischief stemmed from a sense of achievement in bullying others, never realizing how it felt to be bullied himself. He knew that without effort, even the greatest talent would be wasted, and he would live a life constantly looking up to others.

Had Li Hao not been strong that day, had Lu Yao’s status not been high, those ten thousand soul coins would have been theirs with ease. He would still throw his weight around, acting without restraint. But to be bested by Li Hao, and awed by Lu Yao’s identity, anyone with sense would learn something. Now, with Li Hao—exceptionally gifted, powerful, and near his own age—as their leader, Li Zhan understood that without striving, he’d never even get close to their leader in the future. Pride is essential, just as a tree needs its bark; he could not afford to live an ordinary life. So Li Zhan resolved to cultivate, not for anyone else, but for himself.

“Mother, can I go to Lishui City and play with Brother Li Hao today?” Lu Yao pleaded, pinching Qin Ya’s fragrant shoulder.

“Please say yes, Mother…”

“Alright, alright, Mother agrees. Stop shaking me,” Qin Ya, doting as ever, was helpless before her daughter’s entreaties.

“A girl like you, always talking about Brother Li Hao this and that, running around after that boy. Don’t you care about your father and mother?” Lu Yao’s father, Lu Feng, boomed gruffly, his expression unfriendly.

Perhaps every father dislikes seeing his precious daughter traipsing about with some boy.

“I do miss you and Mother every day! But you’re always busy and never spend time with me, so I have to find Brother Li Hao to play,” Lu Yao said, swinging her father’s sturdy arm back and forth.

“Why don’t you play with other kids? Why latch onto Li Hao?” Lu Feng asked, looking into his daughter’s eyes.

“When I’m with them, they’re always comparing things, and I hate that. Only Brother Li Hao never compares, and with him, I get to see things I never see with others,” Lu Yao boasted innocently.

Qin Ya and Lu Feng didn’t know what their daughter meant by “seeing different things” with Li Hao, but children’s minds were not easy for adults to probe.

Lu Yao meant the strange and wonderful things Li Hao did.

“There are all sorts of people in Lishui City right now. Let me ask Uncle Kui to accompany you,” Lu Feng said. Uncle Kui, in his words, was his trusted aide, Cai Kui.

“No need! We won’t cause trouble, we’ll just play for a while and come right back,” Lu Yao insisted, her delicate hands waving.

“Then stay home and don’t go anywhere,” her father replied bluntly.

Lu Yao was locked in a battle of words with her parents, neither side gaining the upper hand.

At that moment, a spotless, handsome young man in white strolled in from outside.

“Aunt Qin, Uncle Lu, good morning,” Li Hao greeted politely.

“Good morning, Hao. You look quite dashing today,” Qin Ya praised him warmly.

The atmosphere on the other side was less congenial; Lu Feng, expressionless and impatient, merely grunted in reply.

“Hao, don’t mind your Uncle Lu, that’s just how he is. He actually likes you a lot,” Qin Ya explained, worried Lu Feng’s attitude might hurt Li Hao’s feelings. Her explanation, though well-intended, only made it more obvious.

“I understand, I really don’t mind,” Li Hao replied nonchalantly.

Inside, he thought: “Hmph, you always give me that face. I don’t eat your food or owe you money. I don’t care what you think of me.”

Lu Feng, meanwhile, quietly cursed: “You little rascal, always leading my daughter astray. Just wait, I’ll deal with you someday.”

The old and the young each harbored their own thoughts. Qin Ya gave her husband a coquettish glare, meaning: “You’re a grown man, sulking at a child. Aren’t you embarrassed? I’m embarrassed for you.”

Lu Feng, for his part, looked as if this was only natural.

In truth, Lu Feng liked Li Hao well enough, but seeing Li Hao charm his daughter so thoroughly, he felt a twinge of imbalance and couldn’t help but get annoyed whenever Li Hao appeared.

“Aunt Qin, Uncle Lu, Sister Lu Xue Mei said she’d take us to Lishui City today,” Li Hao said. He wanted to say they’d arranged to go together, but phrased it so it seemed Lu Xue Mei was taking them, cleverly shifting the implication.

“Mei is going to register for the Young Sages Selection, isn’t she?” Qin Ya wondered aloud.

“Yes, Aunt Qin,” Li Hao answered courteously.

“That girl Mei is stubborn, unhappy at home, always staying in that remote place instead of coming here. I wanted her to stay with us, but she never lingers,” Qin Ya said, feeling affection and concern for her niece.

“Learn well from your Sister Mei,” Lu Feng said to his daughter, still expressionless.

“Hooray! Father agreed! Even if he didn’t, I’d take it as permission anyway!” Lu Yao flashed a victory sign, jumping for joy.

“Alright, be careful,” Qin Ya said, her daughter’s innocence making her smile radiantly.

“Li Hao, you’d better not bully my daughter. If you dare…” Lu Feng threatened, but left the rest unsaid.

“Father, Mother, I’m leaving now, really!” Lu Yao took a few steps, then looked back as if testing their resolve.

Lu Feng was secretly pleased, though he kept a straight face in front of Li Hao, his lips barely twitching. Li Hao responded with his signature smile, charming enough to melt any maiden’s heart.

“Aunt Qin, Uncle Lu, I’ll take my leave,” said Li Hao, hurrying after Lu Yao.

“Take care of Yao,” Qin Ya called as Li Hao was about to leave.

“Don’t worry, Aunt Qin, I’ll look after Sister Yao,” Li Hao replied.

“My daughter doesn’t need your care,” Lu Feng grumbled inwardly.

“That little brat, always dragging our girl all over. If I don’t give him a bit of attitude, how can I show my love for my daughter? If I do, he’ll probably take it to heart,” he said to his wife once Li Hao and Lu Yao had gone. Now, Lu Feng was a different man, his stern face replaced with a cheerful demeanor.

“You, at your age, still act like a child. You’re hardly a proper elder. Aren’t you embarrassed? Li Hao grew up here; he’s like our own son. Handsome, clever, and extraordinarily gifted—his future is limitless. He’s not as bad as you think,” Qin Ya said, now speaking freely with her husband.

“Actually, I do like Li Hao, but he’s not our child, and someday he’ll leave. If he happens to run off with our daughter, I’ll be heartbroken,” Lu Feng confided.

“Haha… So you’re jealous of Hao! No wonder you get odd whenever Yao mentions him,” Qin Ya laughed, seeing her husband in a new, endearing light. With only the two of them left at home, they cared little for appearances. Anyone witnessing this scene would be astonished.

Amid green mountains and white clouds, beside a small stream, a courtyard was filled with melodious, flowing notes from a zither. Ripples of gentle magic spread through the air like waves in a lake.

In the pavilion sat Lu Xue Mei, clad in white, playing her instrument. Alone in this courtyard, she spent her days painting, practicing calligraphy, or sitting atop the roof gazing at the scenery. Her ethereal demeanor, paired with exquisite beauty and the natural landscape, created a scene worthy of the heavens.

A hundred miles away from the pavilion, a pair of youths—one in white, one in violet—rode a seven-colored cloud eagle, approaching gracefully.

“Yao, should we meet Sister Lu Mei with fanfare, or keep it low-key?” Li Hao asked.

“Brother Li Hao, I haven’t played with Sister Xue Mei in days. Let’s make it a grand reunion!” Lu Yao replied, her spirits high.

“How do you propose we make it grand?” Li Hao was curious what Lu Yao had in mind.

“Today, Sister Lu Mei is surely playing the zither to welcome us. So, Brother Li Hao, you play the flute and I’ll play the bamboo pipe. Yes, that’s perfect!” Lu Yao said, striking a cute pose as she thought it over.

“That’s exactly what I had in mind,” Li Hao said, producing his white jade flute, while Lu Yao brought out a precious-looking violet bamboo pipe.

The pavilion was transformed from one girl and her zither to one man and two women: one zither, one flute, and one pipe, three in harmony. The clouds above rolled joyfully at their music; the stream stilled; all things around were enraptured by their ensemble.

Such a scene exists only in the heavens, not in the mortal world.

As Li Hao and Lu Yao began to play, they drifted down from the cloud eagle, walking on foot. When they reached the pavilion, all three stopped together, and the world reluctantly returned to its normal course. Li Hao and Lu Yao’s flute and pipe only embellished Lu Xue Mei’s zither; their skillful melodies lacked true depth, but served to adorn the main theme.

Today, the three would register at Lishui City. In three days, the selection would begin. They relaxed, preparing their minds.

All the young talents of Mount Jia Star Region had converged on Lishui City, numbering in the tens of millions. Registration was a long process, continuing day and night, and even at the fastest pace, would take three days to complete.