The pleasant, melodious notes of the zither echoed through the air. After hearing them, Lin Bai's mind grew peaceful, as though he had set down every burden and all his impatience. It was as if he were reclining on a flower boat, drifting freely upon the water. No matter how noisy and lively the two banks were, the flower boat still held a quiet corner.
Hearing the music, Hong Su said softly, "More than twenty years ago, my adoptive father once traveled to a small county in the Central Province. That county had a custom: every year on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, they would set a flower lantern afloat on the largest river within the county seat. All the martial artists would set aside their hatred and grudges that day and spend it in joy!"
"My adoptive father said that on that day, he stood beneath the night sky and saw peace throughout the county seat. The Spring River that ran through it was illuminated by flower lanterns, like a heavenly river falling from the sky, bringing a rare moment of peace to the mortal world!"
"My adoptive father sat beside the Spring River and began playing as soon as the flower lanterns drifted past him. He played until the final lantern went out, and only then did the zither music cease!"
"This is a peaceful melody, and one of the pieces the Sacred Emperor loved listening to most back then!"
Hong Su spoke in a low voice.
"He plays quite well. Can you play this piece too?" Lin Bai asked curiously.
Hong Su chuckled. "Whatever he can play, I can play. Whatever I can't play, I can play as well! And I play all of it better than he does!"
Lin Bai chuckled. "If you