章 21: Endless Life
編集者: EndlessFantasy Translation
The sound of the Suona mimicked the sound of the birds. It gained a life of its own, and all kinds of bird calls kept ringing in people's ears!
At the same time.
Master Li was standing outside the mourning hall, still thinking about the legend his master spoke of.
He looked up by chance.
His gaze inadvertently landed on the treetops at the side.
His expression changed!
He discovered that many birds were already sitting on the treetops not far away. Along with Su Chen's Suona sound imitating the sound of the birds' calls, more and more birds in the distance actually began to echo Su Chen's Suona!
He hurriedly looked into the distance and discovered that birds were beginning to land on the hilltops in the forest not far away!
More and more came.
Groups of birds were attracted by the Suona, and the sky in the distance was filled with darkness...
Soon, everyone around also noticed this strange phenomenon!
At that moment, Su Chen's Suona also reached its peak, and more of the sound came from the birds' calls.
Faced with such a strange phenomenon, Master Li was deeply shocked!
Even his own master back then could not achieve this!
The Suona itself had a high pitch and projected itself through the air like the wail of a siren. It was famous for its high pitch among all kinds of musical instruments. It did not need any electronics to amplify its sound!
If the player could imitate the bird's call perfectly, it was possible to attract these birds. However, rather than calling it a strange phenomenon, it was better to say that the player's skill was simply legendary!
Su Chen held the Suona high and stood in front of the mourning hall!
His hands began to shake rapidly, tapping on a sound hole at an extremely high frequency!
The tone changed yet again!
A crisp and cheerful sound came from the mouth of the Suona!
Li Hong knew this technique. It was tongue-shaking!
However... he could only understand it, but he could not do it like Su Chen!
He did not have the dexterity for that!
The most terrifying thing was that Su Chen's breath lasted for a full 30 seconds!
Master Li, a professional Suona player from the national theater, felt his throat smoking at that moment.
However, he was the same as everyone present. He did not dare to make a sound.
He was afraid of disturbing Su Chen's rhythm!
Towards the end, the crisp sound grew urgent and anxious! The cries of the birds seemed to become more and more mournful!
Su Chen covered the Suona hole with both hands and lowered his body slightly. When he suddenly raised his head, this cry actually became as terrifying as a cry of blood!
"Phoenix Nirvana, the Cry of a Phoenix?!"
Li Hongzheng's forehead began to sweat. This was the most difficult part of the fabled song!
When his master played this part back then, he practically transformed into a mad demon!
It was difficult to not have gaps in between. After all, a person's lung capacity was limited. Even if he had played Suona for a lifetime, he had to pause someplace to steal a breath!
But now!
This young man actually played this part perfectly!
How terrifying was his lung capacity!?
The rhythm of his breathing seemed to perfectly match the cries of the birds and phoenixes!
Su Chen's nimble fingers never once stopped their rapid dance.
All sorts of short and long notes and short and small utterances were switched back and forth, finally pushing the tune to its climax!
All the Suona techniques were switched nimbly under Su Chen's hands, and all of them were used on this part!
The most sonorous, and at the same time, the most gorgeous and passionate part of the tune was perfectly played by him!
Everyone was completely shocked!
Their eyes were attracted to Su Chen, and their hearing was also immersed in this climax!
In an instant.
Suddenly, a tone that was louder than ever exploded!
It shot straight to the clouds!
Everyone felt their scalps go numb, and the heat drilled into their heads with a frenzy! Goosebumps appeared on their skin!
Li Hongzheng's eyes had become dull, and he kept sighing with emotion:
"A hundred birds paying homage to the Phoenix... This is the real deal!"
He was more confused than impressed!
As far as he knew, those who could achieve such attainments in the country were all old men!
Even those old men might not be able to play this tune!
But Su Chen was barely old enough to be a father!
Not only was he a complete master of the Suona, but he also knew how to play the long-lost song!
This was at a level that only appeared in myths and legends.
This young man was a rare genius!
Why would someone with such attainments appear at Principal Tang's funeral!?
To be able to play a song that had been lost for decades perfectly, how could he be an ordinary person?
But, Principal Tang, who had remained in this poor town for almost her entire life, knew such a person?
He recalled Principal Tang asking if she was worthy of the song before she died, and then he looked at the scene in front of him!
All doubts vanished!
At that moment, Principal Tang seemed more enigmatic than ever!
Everyone present began to look up.
They would never forget the following scene for the rest of their lives!
The birds in the distance seemed to have been summoned!
They began to flap their wings and flew up from the treetops almost at the same time.
A black mass of birds flew toward the old school in all directions!
A few birds that had flown over earlier landed on the broken walls of the school and the temporary mourning hall.
Even more birds were still in the air!
They blotted out the sky and covered the sun!
It was vast and mighty!
And there were more than a hundred of them?
Li Hongzheng was shocked beyond words. The legend that the blind master spoke of was not a legend!
It was true!
A stream of hot tears flowed from his eyes, streaked across his face, and fell heavily to the ground.
He would never forget this for the rest of his life:
On this day, at the funeral of Principal Tang Ying of Huayi Town, a young man with an outstanding temperament, dressed respectfully in traditional garb, had blown into his Suona.
A grand melody that could only be enjoyed by those who were highly respected!
A hundred birds paying homage to the Phoenix!
...
The second climax of the song came.
Even Su Chen, who had a special breathing technique, had turned slightly red at this moment!
His fingers were already trembling!
The Suona in his mouth became even livelier and high-spirited!
Sometimes it was sad, sometimes it was happy, and more bird chirps came into the melody!
Finally, with a breath, he blew the last long tune!
This long tune seemed to carry the scene for more than ten years!
It blew over the mountains one after another!
It blew over the difficult mountain road with thousands of ravines!
It blew over Principal Tang's life path that was filled with tens of thousands of miles of twists and turns!
There was sorrow, but also contentment!
Finally, Su Chen's toes touched the ground!
His body leaned back and he bowed like the crescent moon!
He poured all his energy into the Suona in his hands!
The Suona rose into the air!
The melody followed!
The tone of the Suona was overpowered all else!
The melody was grand, and the momentum was unparalleled!
At that moment, the emotions that had been suppressed in people's hearts seemed to burst out along with the melody!
Sob sob...
The sobbing sounds accompanied the Suona!
They only grew louder and louder!
Everyone's sorrow for Principal Tang was being heard!
The birds in the sky also began to slowly descend!
The flock of birds landed in Principal Tang's mourning hall!
On the flags that swayed with the wind,
On the school's dilapidated courtyard wall,
On the treetops above everyone's heads!
This final note lasted for nearly thirty seconds, and Su Chen maintained the same posture!
He raised his head, raised his waist, and held back his face until it was red!
Finally, he gave up his last breath!
The high-pitched Suona sound suddenly stopped!
A hundred birds paid homage to the Phoenix, and they were no more!
The cries of the crowd also came to an end, however, the surrounding birds did not stop!
Their cries were incessant throughout the funeral!
The birds did not stop chirping!
The crowd did not get up, as if they were afraid of disturbing the rhythm of Su Chen's Suona.
At that moment, they were also very careful, afraid of disturbing the birds!
They looked at the birds all over the mountains and plains.
It was such a strange sight!
Everyone's mind seemed to be filled with the young man holding the Suona, raising his head, and raising his waist.
He seemed to be playing the Suona at the top of his voice!
How could such an old and powerful tune be played by a young man?
"This... is definitely at the level of a Master!"
"No! Master Li is a master, but this young man's aura and attainments are far above living men!"
"Is he... a national-level player!?"
"Grandmaster level!?"
This person did not belong here with them. Such a person actually appeared at Principal Tang's funeral?
"Principal Tang was not as simple as she seemed!"
..
Everyone was shocked beyond words!
Not only were they concerned about Su Chen's identity, but Principal Tang's mysterious past had also aroused their suspicions and curiosity.
After the song ended, the cries of a hundred birds continued!
Su Chen slowly put down the Suona in his hand.
A hundred birds paying homage to the Phoenix finally ended. The hope contained within it was endless! Just like Principal Tang's persistence in this life, she had left big shoes to fill. She was the role model of more than the children and teachers who knew her!
Attending Tang Ying's funeral was also a baptism of fire for Su Chen!
Su Chen bowed deeply towards Tang Ying's posthumous photo.
The second special mission was complete.
He carried the Suona and walked out of the mourning hall.
Under the gazes of countless students who were kneeling outside the mourning hall, he gradually walked further and further away...
-- 贈り物
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