Zombie Bodyguard-Chapter 1606 - 1603: Phoenix Seeks Its Mate

The host standing to the side was momentarily stunned, clearly, this was not part of the rehearsal, but the host reacted quickly and approached Xiao Manxuan.

"Hello, Mr. Xiao, may I ask what your request is?" The female host asked with a smile.

Xiao Manxuan glanced around and said, "Please turn off all sound systems and microphones."

"Turn...off the sound system?" The female host couldn’t react immediately. She had hosted many times but had never heard such a strange request.

The host wasn’t sure whether to agree to this "excessive" request, and while hesitating, an elderly professor-like figure stood up from the audience.

"Please follow this student’s request, when playing an ancient zither, any electronic sound system will alter the original tone of the instrument," the elderly man said loudly. Though old, his voice was strong and full of vigor.

The host nodded, raised her hand to signal the sound engineer to turn off the sound system, Lin Tian watched with astonishment. Just then, Yang Lin came over, and he curiously asked, "Is this old man from the Music College?"

Yang Lin shook her head, smiled, and said, "The old man was originally a professor from the Civil Engineering College, an expert in architectural acoustics. Oh, I forgot you’re a freshman, do you know architectural acoustics?"

"I know a little, the saying ’Human whispers heard like thunder in the heavens’ refers to the Echo Wall and Three-Sound Stone of the Imperial City at the Imperial Capital, which should be a peak achievement in architectural acoustics," Lin Tian casually remarked.

Yang Lin was noticeably surprised, with an astonished look: "Wow, I didn’t expect you to be so knowledgeable. The Echo Wall and Three-Sound Stone are indeed peak achievements in architectural acoustics. The wisdom to build such architecture without modern surveying tools in ancient times is truly admirable."

"The elderly professor you just saw is also an expert in this field. He led the acoustic design of this auditorium. So, he may not understand music as a musicologist does, but he knows sound and how to achieve the best sound quality."

"Every time there’s a big performance in the auditorium, if the professor is free, he will come to study the acoustic design and see where improvements can be made. The professor’s motto is to be realistic and strive for excellence, and the students respect him greatly," Yang Lin introduced.

While the two were talking, the sound system was completely turned off, and Xiao Manxuan also came to the center of the stage. In the center, there was a zither table and a stool made of natural wood color.

Lin Tian had read ancient texts and knew that the zither table and stool had strict requirements. Whether in material or dimension, there were strict standards. Suitable wooden material can assist the ancient zither’s sound production.

The most crucial aspect is the height difference between the zither table and stool. The proper height difference allows the player to maintain a comfortable posture.

Xiao Manxuan put her backpack on the ground, unzipped it, took out the zither case inside, opened its cover, and revealed the mysterious ancient zither.

She carefully placed the ancient zither on the zither stand, slightly bowed to the audience, and gracefully sat down. As she sat, the stage lights dimmed except for soft spotlights.

A soft light descended from above, enveloping Xiao Manxuan and the ancient zither. Tonight, Xiao Manxuan was wearing a plain long dress, and as she sat, the light gauze skirt naturally cascaded around.

Her black hair was tied with a light gauze, simply gathered at the back, revealing her flawless white neck, simple and cold yet with a touch of allure.

The soft light shining on her body, the plain dress and fair skin glowed with a hazy light, like a fairy from heaven. She lifted her eyes to glance at the audience below, then withdrew her gaze; her long eyelashes casting sparse shadows under the soft light, shielding her intelligent eyes.

The audience, who was about to applaud, paused their hands, and the room instantly fell silent, everyone was momentarily floored by Xiao Manxuan’s beauty. After a while, applause resounded from the audience.

Clang...

A sudden zither sound erupted as Xiao Manxuan’s slender fingers brushed over the strings, several irregular but melodious zither notes spread in all directions, then lingered within the auditorium.

Even during sound testing, the rustic zither sound already captivated the audience; the applause cut short as if fearing they would disturb the ethereal sound. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

Many in the audience shared Bitong’s thoughts; playing the ancient zither requires high skill and cultivation. To the students, Xiao Manxuan’s performance might merely be at a level barely listenable. Like how boys learn guitar to impress girls, amateur level barely fits; just enough to play a tune.

However, Xiao Manxuan’s confident demeanor, serene aura, and captivating beauty, along with the ethereal sound test, made the audience hesitate to hold such thoughts when listening to her play.

At this moment, Xiao Manxuan’s aura bore some resemblance to Miss. In Lin Tian’s impression, she was supposed to be an unruly yet kind girl, yet this serene aura on her left him feeling a bit unfamiliar but somewhat entranced.

The girl who used to set dogs on people had grown up day by day, Lin Tian thought to himself.

Clang...

The zither sound resonated again, interrupting Lin Tian’s thoughts; crisp and lively tunes echoed in the auditorium, swirling around beams and pillars, revolving among the audience.

At the moment the tune began, the stage curtain emitted a faint light, displaying a phoenix flying dreamily over the mountains, lines of text slowly appeared on the curtain screen, it was the stage’s projected imagery.

Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix return to your homeland, travel the four seas seeking your love. The time has not arrived, so nowhere to go, how to ascend here today...

Seeing these words, Lin Tian was slightly startled, murmuring, "Phoenix Seeks Phoenix?"

Lin Tian hadn’t studied ancient zither music, so he couldn’t recognize the melody, but he remembered this poem. To be precise, it was a "fu," part of "poems, lyrics, songs, and fu" in ancient times, with four distinct classical literary forms.

Legend has it, "Phoenix Seeks Phoenix" is a story passed down about the love between Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun.

Sima Xiangru was a talented scholar but not well-known, without much fame or credentials, while Zhuo Wenjun’s family was wealthy, a poor scholar in love with a rich heiress. Sima Xiangru had a friend who was a county official, and one day accompanied this official friend to Zhuo Wenjun’s family for a feast.

At the feast, the guests requested Sima Xiangru to play a tune, at that time, this talented scholar played "Phoenix Seeks Phoenix," specifically for Zhuo Wenjun, and Zhuo Wenjun was deeply enamored with him.

Undoubtedly, the wealthy father opposed the two being together, and to pursue happiness, the two eloped. Subsequently, Sima Xiangru went to the capital for exams and became an official, his career began to flourish in the officialdom, yet he gradually lost himself, even entertaining thoughts of taking a concubine, forgetting Zhuo Wenjun, who had initially eloped with him from miles away.

Upon learning of Sima Xiangru’s deeds, Zhuo Wenjun was sorrowful, and then wrote a poem to Sima Xiangru.