Chapter 167: Ensemble

“Oh? There really is one?” Mu Yanxi looked at Shangguan Yun. Seeing her nod, Mu Yanxi didn’t refuse. “Then I’ll play a zither piece to liven things up for everyone.”

“I can harmonize with you.” Shangguan Yun flicked her wrist, and a classical zither flew out of her Terminal Ring, while she picked up an instrument made of spruce wood.

“A violin?” Mu Yanxi stared at the instrument, which was somewhat gourd-shaped with four strings.

At first glance, it resembled a plucked string instrument like a pipa, but the bow in Shangguan Yun’s other hand revealed it was actually a bowed string instrument similar to an erhu.

Mu Yanxi had seen a violin before during the wind instrument department’s live performance, but the chaotic sounds had prevented her from discerning its timbre.

Based on sound path foundations, the violin was a noble instrument—and even among noble instruments, it held the highest status.

Mu Yanxi pulled her chair back a few steps, placed the guzheng on her knees, and deftly plucked a few strings.

The guzheng produced a crisp sound, like droplets of water falling. Just the timbre alone was enough to show the instrument’s excellent quality.

Shangguan Yun also rested the violin on her shoulder, set the bow against the strings, and drew it a few times.

The violin’s tone was smooth, its melody elegant and pure. Even that short tuning segment made Mu Yanxi feel like she was listening to a beauty singing a cappella.

“You two really are talented in many things,” Bai Ying remarked with admiration.

“I can help keep the rhythm,” Yu Qiuyu added with a smile. She closed her eyes, as if sensing something or recalling a memory, then quickly opened them again.

Instead of taking out an instrument, she found a few ritual bronze cups, poured different fine wines into each, and picked up a pair of chopsticks. She tapped the cups a few times.

The bronze vessels produced distinct crisp sounds. She adjusted the amount of wine in each cup, fine-tuning the pitches to match the sounds she needed, crafting a makeshift instrument.

Mu Yanxi wasn’t surprised by this. In her past life, she often played music at Feasts to entertain, and some fellow disciples would tap jars to keep time.

But none were as meticulous as Yu Qiuyu, who used cups to tune and create a temporary instrument.

“Hmm~ very professional. Did you just download a cup-tapping skill from the Dao web?” Shangguan Yun, who had finished tuning her violin, asked Yu Qiuyu.

“You’re joking. Since I want to join you in forming a band, I have some confidence in my innate talent in the sound path. Tapping water cups isn’t something I’d cram for,” Yu Qiuyu laughed.

“True. Yanxi, are you ready?” Shangguan Yun didn’t press further, turning to ask Mu Yanxi, who was plucking the strings.

“Yes, I can start anytime,” Mu Yanxi said. This guzheng was a seven-grade artifact of such high quality that it barely needed tuning.

Even someone completely ignorant of music could play it and produce at least pleasant sounds.

“But you three have never practiced together before, have no chemistry, and haven’t even decided what to play. Can you really perform together?” Hai Lingxue sneered.

“It’s fine. Qiu Yu and I are just harmonizing with Yanxi. If we can’t keep up, we’ll stop and let Yanxi play solo,” Shangguan Yun said.

Though she said that, it would be unpleasant if Shangguan Yun had to stop due to inability to keep up.

Moreover, Mu Yanxi had never encountered a violin before and had no idea what type of accompaniment it excelled at.

Based on the violin’s continuous and pure timbre from its tuning, Mu Yanxi considered and chose High Mountains and Flowing Water.

This piece’s score was an example in the sound path foundations—it should be a basic melody that Shangguan Yun would know. Its melody was also mainly continuous.

Mu Yanxi played nine notes first, then her fingers moved nimbly in a rapid sequence. Instantly, a sound like a babbling brook filled the private room. She deliberately slowed the tempo to let Shangguan Yun follow.

Shangguan Yun recognized High Mountains and Flowing Water immediately. She smiled, lifted the violin, and drew the bow.

The beautiful, melodious accompaniment seamlessly merged into the zither music. Then Yu Qiuyu tapped the ritual bronze cups, and the crisp sounds precisely matched the beat.

The other three all seemed to see a beautiful mountain before their eyes, with clear water trickling down from its peak, refreshing their senses.

Typically, when celestial music merges into one, the minds of the performers connect as well.

Without speaking, Mu Yanxi knew Shangguan Yun didn’t need a slower tempo—she could keep up perfectly. Together, they restored the piece to its normal speed.

Yu Qiuyu didn’t lag behind. Her chopsticks moved so fast they left afterimages, tapping between the nine cups, producing different crisp sounds.

Sometimes like a kingfisher’s call, sometimes like water striking rocks, sometimes like wind rustling leaves. It seemed she could perform a solo with just the cups, not just play the rhythm.

The three settled into a groove. Though their instruments were completely different styles, the music had perfectly fused into one, bringing joy to the heart and immersing everyone.

By the end, it was no longer Mu Yanxi playing with Shangguan Yun accompanying—they were playing together, with no lead or support. Only Yu Qiuyu remained on rhythm, unable to fully integrate.

Partly because the temporary cups couldn’t compare to the artifact-level violin and guzheng, and partly because she maintained her independence, not opening her heart to connect minds with Mu Yanxi and Shangguan Yun.

Even so, Yu Qiuyu’s skill was flawless. Her tapping matched every beat perfectly, accompanied by changes in timbre.

If you isolated her cup-tapping track, it would be a complete High Mountains and Flowing Water, just lacking accompaniment.

When the piece ended, Mu Yanxi and Shangguan Yun exchanged smiles.

Mu Yanxi had realized that Shangguan Yun’s cultivation in the sound path was clearly superior to hers—accompanying her felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

After all, in her past life, she hadn’t treated music as a path of cultivation.

Mu Yanxi’s musical pursuits were merely for entertainment, and she’d never truly delved into the sound path. But Shangguan Yun—she had trained it as a skill necessary for a Noble Lady.

“Clap! Clap! Clap!”

A rhythmic applause rang out, neither hurried nor intense. It was Hai Lingxue’s. For once, she praised without aggression. “Well played.”

Seeing Hai Lingxue clap, Bai Ying and Lei Mulan remembered to join in.

Mu Yanxi humbly said, “I’m embarrassed. My skill is far below Yun’er’s and Qiu Yu’s.”

Being below Yun’er in skill was clear through their connected minds; being below Yu Qiuyu was even more obvious.

She hadn’t merged her heart with theirs, yet using only a temporary instrument, she had blended into the music of two artifacts. Could her sound path attainments be low?

Just then, a voice echoed in Mu Yanxi’s mind:

“Sound path energy detected. Immortal brain charged to four percent. One percent remaining to activate…”