Zither Emperor

Withdrawing from Anya’s magnificent hospitality, Ye Yin Zhu returned to Milan Institution for Magic and Martial Arts upon finishing dinner. He promised Anya that when he obtained the official letter of appointment, he would immediately go to Konya City. From that moment on, he, the Lord of Zither City, would give control of Zither City’s affairs to Anya to handle.

The night sky was clear tonight, the moon and stars especially visible. Walking along the small paved road on campus, Ye Yin Zhu suddenly sensed something. He realized that he seemed to have changed after coming to Milan and getting acquainted with so many people. All of this seemed to have continuously influenced him. At this moment, however, he was slightly homesick, missing his parents and two grandfathers. He also missed the sixteen years he had lived in Desolate Jade Sea.

“Esteemed Viscount, what are you doing taking a stroll instead of immediately returning to the dorms?” Sura said as he came out of nowhere and looked at him with a smile.

When Ye Yin Zhu gazed at Sura, the homesickness within his heart lessened slightly. He suddenly discovered that Sura’s smile today appeared to be a little different from usual. Although he was smiling, his eyes were ice-cold.

“Sura, I went to visit Floating Orchid Pavilion, so I’m returning a bit late. What’s up with you? You seem rather unhappy.”

Sura snorted. “How could I dare be unhappy! You are already an esteemed Viscount.”

Confused beyond belief, Ye Yin Zhu asked, “Sura, what’s wrong with you?”

Sura didn’t say anything. He turned around and walked away. Ye Yin Zhu hurriedly chased after him. “Sura, did I make you angry?”

Sura stopped walking and turned his head to look at him, saying, “Your skills are becoming greater and greater, who dares to be angry at you. Daring to molest the Imperial Princess, you can be considered the first person on the continent.”

“Eh…, you’re angry because of this! Listen to my explanation. I really didn’t do it on purpose.”

While Ye Yin Zhu spoke apologetically, the two of them returned to the villa.

An aroma assaulted Ye Yin Zhu’s senses the instant he entered. On a table within the small villa’s lounge, aromatic smells wafted from six dishes, appearing to have only slightly cooled.

Ye Yin Zhu felt his heart and eyes warming up momentarily. Sura was waiting outside for him to return! And he had already prepared a delicious meal.

“Sura, how were you able to make so many delicious dishes today?”

Sura unhappily replied, “The Milan Empire had bestowed the rewards. Originally, with the money I had, I wanted to let a certain person eat well, but now all of this is unnecessary. I’ll go throw it in the trash.” After he said this, he went to grab a plate.

“Stop! Throwing away so much is a pity! It smells delicious! The food Sura makes tastes the best.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I vow to thee.”

Sura glanced at him blankly. “Who wants your vow. If it’s delicious, eat quickly.” As he said this, he picked up his own chopsticks as well. While waiting for Ye Yin Zhu to return, not only did he make tasty food, he also hadn’t eaten anything.

What he had previously eaten at the Floating Orchid Pavilion had yet to be digested, but he was now gorging down the meal——he couldn’t let Sura see. Although the food was tasty, the stomach always had a limit…

“Yin Zhu, in the future you need to pay a bit more attention. Don’t touch a girl too much. Otherwise, today’s situation is very likely to happen again.” Sura’s brows wrinkled slightly as he looked at Ye Yin Zhu.

“I’ll pay attention. Sura, am I very stupid?” Ye Yin Zhu’s eyes displayed a trace of bitterness and astringency.

Sura shook his head, softly saying, “No, you are definitely not stupid. You are the most intelligent person I have ever seen. Don’t tell me that an idiot can learn the numerous things Olivera talked about in such a short period of time? It’s just that you never had much opportunity to interact with the outside world. These things, you will gradually learn, so don’t blame yourself too much.”

Ye Yin Zhu nodded, responding, “Yes, I will definitely improve more and more. Sura, I have made a decision. For the time being, I will not follow the Divine Music division coursework and will instead go to the library to read.”

Sura asked in shock. “Read?”

Ye Yin Zhu told him of the discussion he had with Silvio today. Hearing his recount, Sura’s brows couldn’t help but crease. “What is the Imperial Majesty up to? You are only a very minor Yellow Rank mage. Even if you have contributed greatly this time, he doesn’t need to be so good to you as well! Not to mention that you had just molested his daughter. This isn’t right. There’s something strange afoot.”

Ye Yin Zhu objected. “There shouldn’t be! I think Uncle Silvio is a good person. Aren’t you thinking too much about this?”

A light flashed through Sura’s eyes. “Perhaps. However, a monarch’s schemes are not something an ordinary person is capable of understanding.”

Ye Yin Zhu countered, “Sura, is it that you do not like me going to the Imperial Palace to read?”

Sura shook his head and said, “No. What Silvio said is right. Reading a lot is the best method for you to blend into society as soon as possible. You can go, but be a bit more careful. If you’re not going to attend classes with the Divine Music division, however, you need to talk with Dean Nina first. From what I’ve seen, she values you highly.”

Upon hearing Sura mention Nina, Ye Yin Zhu immediately recalled something. “Right, I actually really do need to go find Grandma Nina.”

Sura asked, surprised, “Right now? Isn’t it a bit late?”

Ye Yin Zhu said, “I want to go to the Imperial Palace tomorrow to read, so shouldn’t I go find Grandma Nina right now? I’ll return soon, so you should go to rest first.” After he finished speaking, he reluctantly ate the last bits of food in his rice bowl and left the dorms.

When he heard Ye Yin Zhu close the door, Sura sighed and thought aloud, “Silvio really is worthy of the title of being the most outstanding monarch since the beginning of the Milan Empire. At the moment, he’s unexpectedly beginning to win over Yin Zhu. On this point, he’s much stronger than my damnable old man. But, Yin Zhu, in the end, will this be good or bad for you?”

✶

Nina’s residence was also a villa and was slightly bigger than a student’s’. Ye Yin Zhu had visited her once. A small garden with all kinds of herbs grew at the front of her door as well, very unique.

“Grandma Nina, are you home?”

“The door’s not closed; you can come in.” Nina’s serene voice rang out from inside.

Ye Yin Zhu entered the villa, only to see Nina coming down the stairs. “Grandma Nina, I came back.”

Nina’s eyes exuded a faint, benevolent light. She smiled slightly and said, “Sit, Esteemed Viscount.”

Ye Yin Zhu said in embarrassment, “You don’t need speak so humbly with me.”

Nina hummed and said, “Seems like you still have some conscience, visiting me first as soon as you come back. You also don’t need to tell me what happened this time, I already know. Not bad, you gave our Divine Music division a lot of honor, but you also caused quite a bit of trouble. Most of the hubbub of this currently raucous college has to do with many mages wanting to switch divisions and become a Divine Music mage. President Ferguson already came looking for me numerous times.”

Ye Yin Zhu said, “Grandma Nina, I don’t want to go to class for the time being. Is that okay?”

Nina stared blankly at him for a moment before saying, “Not go to class? Are you not satisfied? Although it’s true that your zither achievements are very high, but you must know that as a Divine Music mage, you need to continuously temper yourself for your talent to improve.”

Ye Yin Zhu hastily explained, “It’s not like that…” He immediately launched into his intentions to spend a great amount of time in the library. After she finished listening to his explanation, Nina’s complexion could be considered to be a little bit better.

“If this is the case, you can go, but for only this term. When the next term begins, you need to obediently return to my class. At the same time, your zither playing performance cannot drop. It is absolutely essential that you practice it every day.”

“I will. Grandma Nina, my space ring has been returned.”

“Returned?” Nina didn’t realize what Ye Yin Zhu meant for a moment.

In a flash of light, a letter floated in the air above Ye Yin Zhu’s space ring before falling into the palm of his hand. He handed it over to Nina at last.

Nina’s body suddenly stiffened. On the envelope were a few words. For the eyes of Nina only. A name was signed with bold and vigorous strokes——Qin Shang.

She was unable to control her hands from trembling slightly. Nina slowly reached out to receive the letter. Oh how familiar this calligraphy was! It was him; this was his letter. Cautiously and solemnly opening the envelope, her actions were like a Buddha, as if she was afraid of tearing the envelope even slightly. She extracted a single leaf of paper from inside. Her entire gaze seemed to be immersed with its contents. Nina’s whole body became immobilized because of this letter. As she read it silently, her breathing became somewhat rushed. Because of her spiritual force’s fluctuations, the magical elements surrounding her body became somewhat chaotic.

For such a very short letter, Nina unexpectedly took half an hour to read it.

“Bastard. Qin Shang, you old bastard.” Nina suddenly began cursing in rage, scaring Ye Yin Zhu.

“Grandma Nina, why are you cursing Grandfather Qin?” Ye Yin Zhu asked in surprise.

Nina’s aura was unstable as she looked at Ye Yin Zhu. “Me cursing him is already considered light. If he was here, I would want to kill him. He threw you to me, yet he didn’t even write a line about sending his greetings. Bastard. Bastard.” As the curses left her lips, her eyes were already becoming red. What her hands were doing and the rage spilling from her lips, however, were completely different matters. Very carefully, she put away the letter.

“Yin Zhu, have you read this letter?” Nina abruptly asked.

Ye Yin Zhu shook his head and said, “Grandfather Qin gave this to you. How could I read it?”

Nina said, “Then it’s fine. You can go back first. Do as you want and study hard.”

“Oh.” With Nina’s mood this unstable, Ye Yin Zhu didn’t dare to say any longer and hurriedly left.

Staring after Ye Yin Zhu’s departing back, Nina hatefully said, “Qin Shang, you old bastard. There will inevitably be a day where I will settle my score with you. You made your disciple come to the Divine Music division to be a teacher? I won’t. I’ll insist on making him be just a student instead. Hmph, Yin Zhu is the pride of our Divine Music division.”

The next morning, the students had already returned from the autumnal defensive war and once more resumed their ordinary lives. There was only one exception, the focal point of the institution—Ye Yin Zhu. He hadn’t returned to Divine Music classes. Instead, he left the institution extremely early each day only to return very late into the evening. Only a small minority of people knew what he was doing.