Cicadas fell like rain around the tranquil lake.
Presented Scholar Pang stared blankly, listening, until Fang Yun began to play “The Prelude to a Good Evening”. The music shifted from solemn sorrow to a light and cheerful melody, and he finally reacted.
“He used to summon deep autumn with his music, but today he has gone a step further, summoning winter with his music, causing all the autumn cicadas to believe that winter has arrived and naturally die. If he plays war music in the future, it will be truly incredible. Killing cicadas with the sound of autumn is nothing, but a song that annihilates cicadas, in a few days he could enter the first realm of the music path.”
After finishing “The Prelude to a Good Evening”, Fang Yun continued to refine “The General’s Command”, striving to make the first realm of the music path’s “The General’s Command” more perfect. Once it was perfected, he could see the actual effect on the day he first played it with his talent. As for whether he could display the majestic spirit of the Tang Dynasty, it would depend on his efforts these days.
The unfinished “The General’s Command” was played intermittently, Fang Yun kept recording and modifying, the sound of the piano was very mixed.
Although Presented Scholar Pang was not good at the music path, the momentum of the opening horn in the new song was extremely strong, he understood clearly. He had been suspecting that Fang Yun was composing his own war song these days. Today, seeing the strong killing intent in Fang Yun’s “Autumn Wind Tune”, he was even more certain.
“The War Poetry possesses the strongest killing power, followed by war songs. If his achievements in war songs are even half of those in The War Poetry, he will be invincible. The revival of Jing Kingdom is hopeful.”
Presented Scholar Pang quietly listened to Fang Yun’s piano sound, seeing the dawn approaching, he looked around and muttered to himself: “These cicadas, when fried in boiling oil, are an unparalleled delicacy. Especially the breast meat, it’s a great accompaniment to wine. It’s almost mid-autumn, if we don’t eat them now, it will be too late. Ah, if I had encountered cicadas all over the ground when I was a child, I could have laughed all day.”
After reminiscing about the fun of catching cicadas in his childhood, Presented Scholar Pang began to pick up autumn cicadas.
After modifying part of “The General’s Command”, Fang Yun left. On his way home, he noticed that Presented Scholar Pang was a bit unusual today, as if he was carrying something in his robe.
At the door, Presented Scholar Pang suddenly asked, “Do you want some?” After saying that, he opened his robe, revealing many cicadas.
Fang Yun looked seriously at Presented Scholar Pang, then at the cicadas, and found it quite interesting. He said, “I’ll ask my family tomorrow if they know how to cook them. If they do, I’ll come to your house for some.”
“Okay.” Presented Scholar Pang agreed with a smile.
At this time, Fang Da Niu, who was getting up to use the bathroom, heard the noise and opened the door to look out. Seeing Presented Scholar Pang holding a full robe of cicadas, his originally dazed eyes were filled with confusion, then he cautiously asked, “Young Master, did you and Presented Scholar Pang go to catch cicadas?”
Fang Yun and Presented Scholar Pang were both amused and helpless. One was the top Accomplished Scholar of the ten nations, and the other was a Presented Scholar from the Holy Academy. Even if they were bored, they wouldn’t go out to catch cicadas in the middle of the night.
Presented Scholar Pang shook his head and went home, Fang Yun smiled and walked into the house.
Fang Da Niu muttered to himself as he closed the door, “Next time you catch cicadas, let me go. I’m very good at it. Actually, the taste of the ones on the tree is average, the ones in the hole are really fragrant.”
“Go to sleep!” Fang Yun said with a smile and went back to his room.
Fang Da Niu was completely confused.
When he woke up the next day, everything was as usual. But the moment he saw the Shocking String, Fang Yun was stunned. There seemed to be an inexplicable connection between him and the Shocking String, as if the string was like his own finger, an extension of his body.
“This feeling… the string and the finger are one, the piano is like bone and blood, have I reached the first realm of the music path, where sound and emotion are perfectly combined?”
Fang Yun immediately sat in front of the piano, the moment his fingers touched the strings, he had a very strange feeling. The strings used to be tight, and he had to be careful all the time because they were the silk of the spider demon, which could hurt his hand and felt threatening. But now it felt like touching another finger of his own, feeling that the string would never hurt him.
“It turns out that I have entered the first realm of the music path, much faster than I imagined.”
Fang Yun pondered for a moment, and a theory came to mind. That is, if a person has enough accumulation in the field he is good at, when he steps into other similar fields, he will achieve more easily than most people, which is called analogy.
“Since I got the miraculous book of heaven and earth, I can read quickly, and I have read more books than others in their lifetime. In addition, factors such as talent, The Courage to Write, The Heart of Literature, and the movement of the God of Literature have gradually given me enough accumulation, thus analogy. This music path originates from those accumulations and also from my efforts!”
The effort of sleeping only two hours a day was not in vain.
Fang Yun showed a joyful smile for the harvest after hard work.
After washing and dressing, Fang Yun walked out of the bedroom and heard some chaos at the gate, and there were people shouting outside.
“Blood Rainbow!”
“It’s a Blood Rainbow!”
Fang Yun’s face was solemn, he walked out of the gate in two strides, came to the street, followed the crowd’s gaze, and saw a thousand-mile-long blood-colored rainbow like a bridge in the sky in the direction of the Demon Barbarian Mountain in the southwest.
Old Lady Jiang worriedly muttered, “A hundred-mile Blood Rainbow, a state disaster; a thousand-mile Blood Rainbow, a disaster of ten nations, something big is definitely going to happen!”
Lai Pianjiang’s old father sighed lightly beside her, “The young people nowadays probably don’t know about the big Blood Rainbow a few years ago. That was really scary, spanning from the south to the north of the Mainland, the blood light covered half of the sky, even the insects and beasts were scared. Fortunately, a golden light came out of the sea later, shattering the Blood Rainbow.”
“This time there is another Blood Rainbow, I don’t know where the disaster will occur, I hope it’s not Jiang State, Jiang State can’t stand the turmoil.”
Fang Yun looked worried. These ordinary people didn’t know, but he already knew. The last time the Blood Rainbow covered the sky was because the Demon Barbarian clans attacked the Two Realms Mountain. Once the Two Realms Mountain was taken, the Demon Clan’s army could freely enter the human realm, instead of just a few demons being able to come to the human realm as it is now.
A thousand-mile Blood Rainbow indicated that at least one Demon Saint was about to take action.
Fang Yun felt the official seal at home move, and immediately returned. It turned out to be a letter from Feng Yuanjun.
“Stay at home and don’t move, I’ll come to you right away, there’s something important to discuss.”
Fang Yun waited quietly, and soon Feng Yuanjun arrived, and the two entered the study.
“Something big has happened.”
Fang Yun had never seen Feng Yuanjun so anxious, he was about to become a Hanlin Scholar.
“Is it related to the Demon Saint?” Fang Yun asked.”Yes. Two Demon Saints from the Wolf Clan personally led the attack on the Two Realms Mountain, and the Demon Emperor, as the commander, directed this war. The reason was that a human Semi-Saint had injured many rebellious scholars with the ‘Inscription of the Humble Room’, making this a retaliatory war. The Demon Clan’s camp across the Two Realms Mountain originally had three Demon Saints stationed there, but now it has increased to five, plus a Demon Emperor. The various Semi-Saint Prominent Families will have to mobilize their disciples to go there.”
“The Thousand-Mile Blood Rainbow, it’s caused by the power leaking from the Two Realms Mountain, right?”
“Correct.”
The room was unusually oppressive, and the official seal moved slightly again. Fang Yun went to read the new message delivered by the carrier pigeon.
After reading it, Fang Yun sighed lightly, “Even the Earthquake Instrument is being mobilized.”
“You… how did you know?” Feng Yuanjun was surprised that Fang Yun knew about this.
“The head of the Zhang Heng Prominent Family sent me a message, saying that the situation at the Two Realms Mountain is critical, and it’s their family’s turn to participate in the war. Their disciples can’t go with me to the City of Confucius. All the Presented Scholars or higher-ranking scholars from the Zhang family have to go, and they will bring the Earthquake Instrument.”
Feng Yuanjun pondered for a moment, then said, “At least ten Semi-Saint Prominent Families will go this time, and it’s normal for the Zhang family to be included. Alas, only families with deep foundations like the Zhang Heng family aren’t afraid. Those families with slightly weaker foundations, once they lose a genius in the battle at the Two Realms Mountain, will gradually decline, unless another genius emerges. By the way, I heard that the Tyrant Meng Lintang wants to harm you?”
“It’s just for the thing in my hand.” Fang Yun said.
Feng Yuanjun nodded and said, “I won’t say much at this time, but you are a person of Jing Kingdom, a person of Jiangzhou State. Even if that Tyrant is a descendant of a Semi-Saint, we will definitely stand by your side!”
“I understand.” Fang Yun said.
Feng Yuanjun sighed lightly, “It’s a troubled autumn. I came here mainly not to tell you about the Two Realms Mountain, but for another important matter.” His expression was a bit strange.
“What’s the matter?” Fang Yun asked.
“You’ve made it onto the Demon Clan’s hit list, and you’re ranked fourth on the Hanlin list the first time you’re on it.”
Only then did Fang Yun understand why Feng Yuanjun’s expression was strange. This hit list was created by the rebellious scholars of the Demon Clan in collaboration with the Demon Clan. They ranked the talents of the human race, and the Demon Barbarians would receive huge rewards for killing those on the list.
When the human race first learned about the hit list, they were terrified, fearing that they would be killed if they made it onto the list. But later they discovered that those who made it onto the hit list were all outstanding among their peers. Many people even wanted to make it onto the Demon Clan’s hit list to prove themselves.
In the first few years after the hit list was released, human scholars launched several small waves of demon-killing and barbarian-exterminating campaigns, which the Demon Clan did not expect.
However, the Demon Barbarians also had targets, and many human talents were killed because they made it onto the hit list.
Now, the Demon Clan’s hit list has become a ranking of the status of human talents.
Fang Yun laughed instead of getting angry, “Fourth on the Hanlin list? Are they trying to flatter me to death? I’m just an Accomplished Scholar. Above me are Presented Scholars and Imperial Scholars, and then Hanlin Scholars. I’m three levels behind, and I’m still fourth. I remember that Jianmei Gong is currently only third on the Grand Academician hit list.”
“That’s why this matter is suspicious. Some people suspect that the Demon Clan is indeed trying to flatter you to death. For example, Yan Yukong, who is a Presented Scholar and a direct disciple of a Semi-Saint, is only twelfth on the Imperial Scholar list. You, an Accomplished Scholar, are fourth on the Hanlin list, which is highly suspicious. However, what’s even stranger is that your ranking was ‘rewarded’ with a drop of Saint Blood as soon as it came out! Your actual bounty is almost the same as the last person on the Grand Academician list, even the first Hanlin Scholar ranked ahead of you didn’t get a reward of Saint Blood.”
“This… Saint Blood is not only of great significance to the human race, but also to the Demon Clan. They can directly enhance their strength through Saint Blood. Isn’t it a bit too much to use Saint Blood as a bounty for an Accomplished Scholar like me?” Fang Yun said.
Feng Yuanjun, however, said, “If we’re talking about your actual talent, I wouldn’t be surprised if your bounty was raised to ten drops of Saint Blood. But considering your actual contribution, you could barely make it onto the Imperial Scholar list. Apart from that Dragon of the Kong Family, no one has ever reached such a high position as soon as they made it onto the list.”
“Where was that Dragon of the Kong Family ranked before he was killed?” Fang Yun asked curiously.
Feng Yuanjun slowly said, “He was originally not on the list, but not long after he came out of the Holy Land, he went straight to the top of the Grand Academician list!”
“This… It’s no wonder he’s the Dragon of the Kong Family. A Presented Scholar became the first on the Grand Academician hit list, I’m afraid no one can surpass that.” (To be continued.)