It Is My Honor

Wuma Xiu translated Qin Jiu's polite words, hung the Wine Gourd on his waist, and spread his arms in front of him.

In an instant, countless musical instruments appeared from all around.

Guzheng, seven-stringed zither, recorder, guitar, panpipes, gongs and drums, pipa, konghou, violin, violin, horn... they float in layers in the air, and there are hundreds of them at a glance.

Do you like listening to music? What instruments do you like? I can play a little bit of all of those.

Wuma Xiu's fingers glided across the strings of the guzheng, producing a series of clear and melodious notes. He then plucked a couple of notes on the guitar beside him, and the chords blended together in a strangely harmonious way.

"That's all I know. You prefer something else, but I don't know how to do that."

Wuma Xiu withdrew his hand, his tone carrying a hint of genuine distress.

"In this respect, my friend Music God is the real expert. He can play all kinds of instruments, even those he's never played before. He can play them as soon as he gets his hands on them. Unlike me, I have to spend time learning them."

[Host, this is way too Versailles-like! If you really mastered it all, you might not be the God of Wine, but the Music God.]

Even when the system is bubbling up complaints, it doesn't forget to take pictures.

This is a brand new skin for its own host.

The previous one was cute, but it looked too young. Every time it tried to write something, I felt an invisible sense of morality pricking its data backbone, preventing it from putting pen to paper.

But this is different; it's an adult version, so it can write whatever it wants. After that, it will add another "general" to its Private System Space.

[You're right, I do like those things, but right now my favorite is still alcohol.]

Wuma Xiu rarely agreed with the system.

"My friend, have you decided what you like? This is a performance by God of Wine, something others can't see even if they've paid for tickets."

"This one will do."

Qin Jiu's gaze swept over the dazzling array of musical instruments before finally settling on a seven-stringed zither.

The instrument was simple and unadorned, its lacquer as warm and lustrous as jade, and its strings shimmered with a faint golden glow in the air.

He couldn't explain why he chose it; he just felt that the other person and the instrument would be a good match and would look very good together.

"Good eye. This is the first violin the Music God gave me. Although it can't compare to the ones he made later, its tone is the one I like best."

Wuma Xiu reached out and pulled the violin into his arms, his fingertips lightly brushing across the strings as he tested a few open notes.

The clear, melodious sound of the zither filled the cabin. Even Vulcan, who was still beating people God of Fire, paused for a moment before continuing to throw punches as if nothing had happened, though his ears twitched.

Lin Yan felt that the punches that landed on him seemed lighter.

Upon listening, it turned out to be God of Wine the harp.

This is truly a stroke of luck!

Wait a minute, once the music is finished, my father's anger will probably subside.

Wuma Xiu lowered his eyelashes, and with a gentle pluck of his fingers on the strings, a melody flowed from his fingertips like a spring.

That was a tune he composed on the spur of the moment, light and cheerful yet not frivolous, with a touch of tipsy languor, like drinking alone under Flower Tree on a spring afternoon, with petals falling into the wine glass.

Qin Jiu listened quietly; he knew nothing about the zither or any musical instruments.

The only thing he can say he understands in his life is alcohol.

However, he could feel that he was in a very good mood.

He thought that perhaps, like wine, the best thing is that the zither can bring joy to people.

The Fat Orange perched on his lap, its tail thumping, temporarily setting aside its predatory gaze towards the Fat Orange Cloud.

As the piece ended, Wuma Xiu pressed down on the strings, raised his head, and a hint of anticipation flickered in his eyes:

"How about it?"

Qin Jiu said sincerely, "It sounds very nice. However, I don't understand music, but I think music that can bring joy to people must be excellent."

Wuma Xiu's eyes mingled with a mixture of intoxication and amusement, clean and warm. He set his seven-stringed zither aside, smiled at Qin Jiu, and said:

Yes. Music is meant to bring joy. My friend, it's my honor to bring you this joy.

Although God of Fire was constantly hammering Lin Yan, his ears were always perked up. He listened as soon as the music started and continued listening even after it stopped, not missing a single note from beginning to end.

He had assumed that his friend, who had been awake for such a short time, would at most be out drinking and playing with the cat.

Unexpectedly, the other party has gained another friend.

And this friend.

He glanced at Qin Jiu out of the corner of his eye; he was an ordinary human, without even the slightest fluctuation of Divine Power.

What is it that he should pay attention to?

Now, to make matters worse, they actually played an entire piece of music right in front of him, specifically for this human.

He played with such dedication, every note imbued with his heart.

After finishing playing, he said, "My friend, it's my honor to bring you this joy."

For a mere human being to hear the music of God of Wine is clearly an honor for him.

The more God of Fire thought about it, the angrier he became. His expression towards Lin Yan changed from "barely appeased" to "this score still needs to be settled."

Poor Lin Yan, he had finally felt his father's fists lessen a bit, thinking he was about to get through the ordeal.

For some reason, the oppressive aura surrounding the Father God did not dissipate; instead, it grew heavier and heavier.

The music was clearly so beautiful; even a rough man like him, who knew nothing about music, found it delightful. So why did Father God become even angrier after hearing it?

He gritted his teeth and took several more punches, completely baffled.

He didn't hear what Wuma Xiu said to Qin Jiu; if he had, he might have understood.

His father is obviously extremely jealous.

Wuma Xiu's gaze swept casually over the hundreds of musical instruments floating around him, then suddenly stopped.

His gaze fell on a marimba.

My interest has been piqued again.

As for why I got so excited? Because this instrument is played by striking.

Imagine, God of Fire is punching the child over there, one punch after another.

He was on the other end, playing a melody with his mallets, the rhythms perfectly synchronized—it was a match made in heaven.

He reached out and beckoned the marimba to him, picked up two hammers, and twirled them between his fingertips to test the feel.

Then he raised his hand and sang the first note.

Marimba instruments are typically made of rosewood.

The lingering sound is long and reverberant, with a warm and mellow tone, like the natural resonance of a wooden speaker cabinet with the air.

At this moment, Wuma Xiu was giving that warm, mellow tone a completely different feel.

Every note falls on the rhythm of God of Fire's punch.

The left hook is a deep, resonant punch in the bass register.

The right hook is a crisp, high-pitched punch in the mid-range.

He caught the man who had picked Lin Yan up and thrown him with a graceful glissando.

Wuma Xiu became more and more excited as he played, his lips curving into a wide smile and his eyes sparkling with pure joy. He even began to improvise variations, inserting a few playful embellishments between God of Fire's punches.

He seemed to be saying, "We could add a little something different here, my friend, could you please go along with it?"

Over there, God of Fire's fist paused subtly for a beat.

He stopped and looked at his friend.

"My dear friend, it's been so many years, and you're still the same as always."