Taking a deep breath, Ian Song's slender fingers glided swiftly across the white jade piano keys, and instantly, a string of beautiful glissando notes flowed out.
Next, his ten fingers began to dance gracefully across the keys.
A light and lively yet faintly melancholic melody drifted out from Ian Song's fingertips, and in an instant, Lily and Autumn were swept into a misty scene of gentle rain…
Originally, Ian Song drew the skill 'Piano Master' from the system, but later he used Fame Points to upgrade it to the realm of 'Piano God.' This came bundled with the divine ability Emotion Enchantment: anyone who hears his music is instantly drawn into the emotional world constructed by his melodies.
The piece Ian played was a short composition, less than two minutes long, called "Stroll in the Rain." Light and lively, yet tinged with a trace of melancholy—it was like a young girl strolling through the rain, quietly confiding her thoughts to its gentle rhythm…
When the piece ended, Lily and Autumn were still lost in the lingering music, feeling that the scene it conjured was simply beautiful.
Ian Song paid them no mind and began to play his next piece.
The piece was called "Blue and White Porcelain," a haunting, classically flavored composition—and of the ten songs gifted by the system, Ian Song liked this one best.
"Dong dong dong!"
It sounded like the flow of a clear spring—bright and pure.
Hearing the piano music, Lily and Autumn snapped out of their daze, only to be instantly drawn back into the world of "Blue and White Porcelain."
After a brief passage of brightness, the music deepened and became lingering, making Lily and Autumn feel as if they'd crossed time and space into a misty water town of smoky rain and small bridges.
As the music shifted again, the sense of longing and bittersweet love made both girls silently shed tears.
Just as the two girls were completely immersed in the world of "Blue and White Porcelain," Lila Quinn and Lyra Hale arrived together. Hearing the lingering, unfulfilled emotion in the music, both women froze in place.
Unknowingly, they too were swept into the music’s emotional world, and before they realized it, tears were already shining in their eyes.
At last.
When "Blue and White Porcelain" ended, Lyra Hale and Lila Quinn emerged from the music’s world almost at the same time, while the inexperienced Lily and Autumn were already sobbing openly.
Ian Song ignored Lily and Autumn, letting the two girls cry as they wished. He rose and turned to Lila Quinn and Lyra Hale. "Why are you here?"
"We were drawn here by your playing," Lila Quinn said softly, dabbing at the corner of her eye.
Lyra Hale nodded in agreement. "That's right, brother-in-law. This must be a piano, right? What kind of instrument is it?"
"I call it a piano," Ian Song said with a gentle laugh.
Lyra Hale mused, "It seems there’s no such instrument as a piano in this world. Did you invent it too, brother-in-law?"
Nowadays, everyone knows Ian Song as a great inventor. His inventions—paper and movable-type printing—have been a blessing to scholars across the land.
The perfume he created is adored by countless women, and his glass mirrors are coveted by all.
His strong liquor has become irresistible to men everywhere.
And the black gunpowder he invented has become an unstoppable weapon in several wars.
So now, Lyra Hale wasn’t surprised that Ian Song had invented a new musical instrument.
"This is the first piano in this world," Ian Song said, smiling as he nodded.
"Brother-in-law, could you play another piece for us?" Lyra Hale asked, her eyes shining with anticipation. She was a master of music, games, calligraphy, and painting, but the piece Ian Song had just played felt so strange to her—it completely defied everything she knew about music theory.
"Of course," Ian Song replied.