Senior Sister, Listen to My Explanation

The sound was extremely brief before being covered, making it impossible to discern its exact form for a moment. It only felt subconsciously familiar, though he wasn't sure if it was just his imagination. Qin Yi had no time to think about any of that; all eyes in the hall were on him...

An'an felt that if she were standing there being watched by a group of people like this, she would probably be drenched in cold sweat, but her husband stood there quietly, upright, with a calm gaze, showing no sign of panic at all.

Qiu Niu's expression was slightly strange. He stared at Qin Yi for a long while before whispering, "Father God's Blood... though very weak... where did it come from?"

Qin Yi smiled and said, "If Your Majesty is interested, we can discuss this matter in detail later. Isn't the concert more important right now?"

Qiu Niu smiled broadly, "That makes sense."

Everyone was astonished.

Is that all?

It doesn't matter if he doesn't kneel?

Qiu Niu said calmly, "Divine Land People do not follow the rituals of the sea. The Father God's Blood does not worship the body of his offspring. Sit."

The tense atmosphere instantly relaxed, and you could even hear some people finally letting out a sigh of relief.

The power of formlessness, the majesty of a king—even without displaying anything, it naturally instills immense pressure in its subjects. I truly don't know how this man from Shenzhou can speak so casually and eloquently...

These two sentences instantly improved Qin Yi's impression of this fat otaku by a great deal. A reasonable otaku, not domineering at all, not bad at all. They could totally become friends later and exchange otaku experiences.

He sat back down and waited for the concert to begin.

An'an quietly tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Sir, you... you're really bold."

Qin Yi smiled and said, "I admire you more. You can't believe that someone as easy-going as him could get so angry at your rolling pillar. You're something else."

An'an was incredibly embarrassed, and after holding it in for a while, she asked with a hint of curiosity, "Sir, you really have never knelt before?"

Qin Yi said, "Yes."

An'an asked curiously, "When?"

Qin Yi looked ahead expressionlessly. "When you were in bed with your master's wife."

"Pah!" An'an blushed and remained silent.

But then an old tortoise beside the throne spoke up, "Your Majesty's music festival is held every few years, and everyone is familiar with the rules, so I won't go into detail. The rules remain the same: everyone will take turns playing music, as long as it's related to music, whether it's instruments, singing, dancing, or any kind of coordination. Whether you showcase your skills or offer something new, there are no strict requirements, and there is no ranking. There is only one rule: no perfunctory work."

Qin Yi nodded in agreement. This person truly loved music, solely for its sake, and nothing else mattered. His previous assumption that the various tribes were fawning over him was a mistake... at least that wasn't his intention; he simply wanted to appreciate the music of each tribe. Of course, there was some fawning intent from the various tribes, and behind the scenes, there was competition among them to win the king's favor—but that was another matter entirely.

An'an's rolling on the ground was clearly seen as "perfunctory," and it's no wonder it angered Qiu Niu... No one asked you to perform perfectly. Even if you're familiar with the rehearsal, you shouldn't step on your own skirt and roll down like that. Not even rehearsing is just being perfunctory...

Heaven knows An'an wasn't just being perfunctory; that's just her nature. I just wonder if her performance will be more normal this time after her "opening the clam shell" training...

Each ethnic group has taken turns performing.

The first to appear were the Conch Girl, who were especially confident in this regard.

Qin Yi also thought their conch shell sounds were truly beautiful, and their skill was extremely high, almost reaching the level of Tao. However, he felt it was a bit of a pity that using only conch shells was somewhat monotonous. Someone like him, who hadn't heard it many times, would find it wonderful, but what would someone like Qiu Niu, who had listened to it for tens of thousands of years, feel?

Sure enough, Qiu Niu coiled up on the chair, its dragon head resting against the back of the chair as it listened with its eyes closed. At first, it swayed its head and listened with great appreciation, but as it listened, it couldn't help but sigh softly, feeling a little disappointed.

He didn't show any reaction, but after the Conch Girl finished playing her song, he nodded and said, "Not bad, you deserve a reward."

The Conch Girl happily followed the old tortoise to receive her reward, though she didn't know what it was. Then, the familiar siren began to sing.

A song can express more than a single instrument. The Siren's voice is world-renowned and top-notch, making her a top singer in any era. Unfortunately, she still has her shortcomings.

The songs of siren tend to be seductive, or mournful, sorrowful, and so on. The better imagery is often longing, tranquility, or desolation. Don't expect siren to sing hymns of joy, nor are you likely to expect them to praise magnificent landscapes; these qualities are completely unrelated to siren culture.

Although there are many species in the sea, after tens of thousands of years, Qiu Niu really tired of hearing their stories.

As one performance after another concluded, Qin Yi felt much more at ease. While his and An'an's duet might not have been technically perfect, the imagery of the "Double Butterflies Dancing Among Flowers" was something lacking in the sea, and it would definitely be of some use. There was no need to view this performance as a mere showcase; in this atmosphere, it felt more like a friendly exchange with other races, and it was clear that once everyone entered the mood, they were also there to learn from each other.

After such a long period of exposure, most ethnic groups have developed a love for music. Not to mention Qiu Niu, everyone is quite eager to see what new things each ethnic group has to offer. Since there are no rankings, there is no infighting. Once the atmosphere is right, it becomes a complete musical exchange among different ethnic groups.

It was quite obvious that Qiu Niu's expression grew increasingly disappointed, and he was almost about to sigh.

Everyone's skill level is undeniably high, and it's not that they didn't put in the effort; it's just that they were genuinely tired of it.

A wisp of flute music drifted up, as if a mountain breeze was blowing, and the fresh fragrance of flowers spread faintly, with birds singing softly in the air.

The very first note sent a shiver down everyone's spine.

Everyone turned to look at the source of the flute music and saw that the man in blue who hadn't knelt earlier had stood up again, holding the flute to his lips, releasing the notes with a leisurely and otherworldly air.

A butterfly flitted among the flowers, dancing up and down, joyfully and leisurely.

Upon hearing the flute music, Qiu Niu couldn't help but turn his head, as if to see who was behind him. He turned halfway but then forced himself to stop, his eyes filled with astonishment.

This technique, the entire music theory, and the person behind the screen... are all completely of the same lineage.

Another flute note rang out, and another butterfly chased after it. An'an began to harmonize.

With a "thud," he fell into the flowers.

Qin Yi's cheek twitched.

Everyone: "..."

Qiu Niu: "..."

An'an's face flushed red, and she glanced at Qin Yi's expression with some panic. Qin Yi shook his head slightly, indicating that there was no need to be nervous, and the sound of his flute became even gentler.

It's as if the butterfly fluttering on the flower is stretching out its wings to pull the one that has fallen down.

I tugged at it, but couldn't pull it up; the butterfly was still rolling around under the flower.

"Pfft..." Someone laughed out loud.

Qiu Niu laughed too. This An'an... did she come to roll around last time, and is she here to act cute this time?

But in any case, it still brought unprecedented novelty to it.

The flute sounds are very interesting; even when butterflies are rolling around, it's still fun.

Seeing that Qiu Niu was not angry but instead smiling, An'an felt a little more at ease, her courage gradually grew, and her behavior became much more normal. It has to be said that the recent training of opening the clam shell was very useful; her acceptance of being watched was much better than before, and her mentality calmed down so quickly.

The large butterfly above darted down into the flower bushes and stretched out its wings to the smaller butterfly again. The smaller butterfly took the wings and flew out happily. The two butterflies danced gracefully among the flowers, and the cheerful Singing Birds and Fragrant Flowers filled the hall.

Amidst the joy, a subtle affection began to stir. The little butterfly lingered, chasing after the big butterfly, circling each other in flight, reluctant to part.

Qiu Niu nodded in agreement, having grasped the essence of this way of conveying emotion through music, which was quite impressive... Just as he was enjoying himself, he suddenly sensed a murderous aura coming from behind him.

Qiu Niu blinked but didn't say anything.

The music gradually came to an end.

Thunderous applause erupted inside the hall.

It wasn't that her performance was particularly brilliant; technically speaking, An'an was inferior to everyone else, barely passing at best. However, the refreshing imagery of butterflies dancing in the mountains, so different from the imagery of various sea creatures, truly brought everyone an unprecedented sense of novelty.

Hearing the applause around her, An'an was very happy, smiling sweetly as she looked at Qin Yi beside her with gentle eyes.

But Qin Yi's face was stiff, and he even forgot to put down the flute he was playing.

Just a fleeting moment ago, I seemed to sense a murderous aura? A very familiar kind of murderous aura, like... like...

Just then, a voice gritting its teeth came from behind the screen. "All they do is flirt with young girls! Their flute playing is worse than it was ten years ago. Compared to themselves, they've regressed to the mud! This piece was the worst of the entire performance! Get them out of here, it's so annoying!"

Qin Yi's face turned green.

Qiu Niu stretched out his short hands, stroked his chin, and sized up Qin Yi, saying leisurely, "Perhaps you all think that this concert is a regular event for This King... In fact, this concert was specially organized for my This King High Minister, who collected the sounds of the hundred tribes. So... since she said so..."

The Winged Human Guard, who were supposed to be forcing the person out, looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

"Wait, wait a minute!" Qin Yi shouted, "Senior Sister, let me explain!"