The roar of water surged, waves crashed furiously, and the dark, oppressive sea seemed ready to shatter the heavens. Everyone’s hearts leapt to their throats, their breath caught—then, with a sudden thud, the waves fell, and the sea returned to calm, leaving only a few small ripples gently lapping at its surface.
Just when everyone thought it was over, they saw Serena Feng raise her right hand and sweep across the zither strings from left to right...
As the sound of waves entered their ears, the crowd saw a ripple of water flow with Serena Feng’s sleeve. When she lowered her hand, the sound of waves vanished, and the water that had followed her sleeve disappeared as well...
If before, the water’s surface they saw could be dismissed as imagination, then at this moment, they truly saw 'water.'
The piece ended, but everyone’s hearts could not calm for a long time. Even the way they looked at Serena Feng had changed.
They had truly underestimated Serena Feng!
The crowd remained dazed until Serena Feng rose, swept her sleeve, and knocked the stringless Ice-String Zither off the stage. Only then did everyone snap out of it.
Thud... The Ice-String Zither fell straight from the high platform, landing with a crack and splitting in two.
"What..." The crowd snapped back to reality, glancing at Serena Feng on the stage, then at the shattered Ice-String Zither on the floor—most importantly, at the Buddha statue that rolled out from inside.
Today was full of miracles!
"What is the meaning of this?" The Emperor raised his hand, and at once a eunuch stepped forward, presenting the broken remains of the Ice-String Zither and the Buddha statue before him.
Serena Feng walked down from the stage with composed grace, bowing slightly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I damaged an item bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress without meaning to."
Serena Feng deliberately emphasized the words 'Empress' with wicked intent.
A Buddha statue?
The Empress was just about to slam the table, order Serena Feng punished, and drag the Crown Prince into it as well, but her hand froze in mid-air, unable to come down.
Though it was an accident that Serena Feng swept the Ice-String Zither off, how could there possibly be a Buddha statue inside? She had clearly put...
The Empress quickly shut her mouth, swallowing her words, and shot Serena Feng a vicious glare.
Very good, very good—Serena Feng, such a meticulous scheme, and she actually saw through it. The Empress had truly underestimated her.
The Empress knew that the Crown Prince and Serena Feng would surely discover something wrong with the Ice-String Zither, but so what? They couldn’t figure out the cause; even knowing it was a trap, they’d have to walk right in.
But the Empress had overestimated herself. Serena Feng not only found the problem, she swapped out the contents and saved the Crown Prince’s reputation.
The Crown Prince was stunned. He had commissioned this zither himself, and it was supposed to be solid—how could anything be hidden inside, let alone a Buddha statue?
The Crown Prince immediately looked at the Empress, then quickly glanced at Serena Feng. In that instant, he understood—the Empress had meant to frame him, but Serena Feng saw through it and turned the tables.
The Emperor said nothing, just gave Serena Feng a look that seemed meant to see right through her. But Serena wasn’t meeting him for the first time; no matter how strong his presence, she stood straight-backed and met his gaze, neither humble nor overbearing, letting him scrutinize her as he wished.
It wasn’t as if she was the one who stood to gain—why should she feel guilty?
Anything brought into the palace is thoroughly inspected, and this zither was originally the Empress’s gift. The Emperor believed Serena Feng knew nothing about it and turned to question the Empress: "Empress, what is going on here?"
"In reply to Your Majesty, I do not know. This zither was the Crown Prince’s birthday tribute to you last year." The Empress admitted her fault first, knowing the Emperor would find out sooner or later.
"The Crown Prince’s birthday tribute to me?" The Emperor’s expression darkened, and his look at the Empress showed annoyance. She had given Serena Feng the Crown Prince’s birthday gift—hardly a wise move.
The Crown Prince closed his eyes. With that question, the Emperor severed the last thread of hope in his heart. From now on, he would never again expect his father’s attention or affection.
His father had forgotten even the birthday gift he gave last year. Clearly, he meant nothing to the Emperor. No wonder the Empress dared use the Ice-String Zither against him—the Emperor didn’t even remember it existed.
This time, he was lucky Serena Feng was involved; if it had been anyone else, he’d be dead. The look on the Empress’s face said it all: whatever she’d originally hidden in the zither was anything but harmless.
The Empress had expected the Emperor’s question and remained calm: "Your Majesty, the strings of this zither are made from ice-silkworm thread, producing a sound that is cold and pure—most suitable for a young lady to play. Since the Crown Prince’s tribute must be the finest, I gave this zither to Miss Feng because I felt it matched her perfectly." As if that would end well.
The Empress lowered her head slightly, hiding the malice in her eyes from everyone but Serena Feng, who felt a chill run down her spine.
Matched with the Ice-String Zither? That was definitely not a compliment.
Serena Feng remained silent.
The Emperor looked at the zither, then at the Buddha statue on the table, sweeping his gaze across the crowd before settling on the Crown Prince. Seeing his calm expression, the Emperor said no more and waved for the eunuchs to remove the zither and statue.
This was a family matter, not something to discuss in front of the Southern Lyn and Lyndarian envoys.
"Serena Feng, your mistake was unintentional. I pardon you." The Emperor spoke in a magnanimous tone.
Serena Feng, though inwardly contemptuous, dutifully thanked him. Seeing the Emperor unwilling to discuss the Ice-String Zither any further, she felt sorrow for the Crown Prince. No wonder Lance Quinn had stopped her from simply playing along—if she had, it likely would’ve made no difference.
With sharp political sense, Serena Feng bowed toward Master Marcus Wynn’s direction: "I invite the three great ministers and Master Marcus Wynn to comment."
Unlike Wendy Summers, Serena Feng not only mentioned the three mentor-officials, she put them first. No matter how famous Master Marcus Wynn was, he was still just a qin master, while those three held the highest authority in Eastlyn.
Of course, this was also because Wendy Summers wasn’t from Eastlyn—she didn’t need to curry favor with Eastlyn’s officials. But Serena Feng did, and as for offending Master Marcus Wynn, she wasn’t worried.
Never mind her earlier display, which was enough to awe this master qin player—even Master Marcus Wynn himself wasn’t someone who cared much for reputation. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have claimed his own skills were only second-best under heaven after being named the greatest.
"I fear none of us can truly judge this piece, 'Boundless Azure Sea and Sky.' Master Marcus Wynn, please." The Grand Protector spoke first, and the Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor echoed him. Master Marcus Wynn did not decline; he had a host of questions for Serena Feng.
"Young friend Serena, who composed 'Boundless Azure Sea and Sky'?" He was determined to meet the composer. Master Marcus Wynn was visibly moved; in all these years, this was the only piece to truly touch his heart, and he had to find its creator.
"It’s a secret." Serena Feng shook her head, ignoring the urgency and disappointment in Marcus Wynn’s eyes.
Where was she supposed to find the composer? The piece was created by military psychologists and world-class musicians specifically to relieve battlefield stress—it was a therapeutic masterpiece she only knew how to use...
"Then could you at least share the score with me?" From 'I' to 'this humble one,' Marcus Wynn’s tone softened, surprising everyone present. He was famous for his pride and indifference—even the Emperor’s invitations meant nothing to him.
"No." Serena Feng refused even more bluntly—how could she possibly provide the score?
Master Marcus Wynn was discouraged, but refused to give up. Seeing Serena Feng’s unwavering expression, he gritted his teeth: "Then, let me acknowledge you as my teacher—will you teach me this piece?"
What?
Master Marcus Wynn wanted to become Serena Feng’s disciple—just to learn the qin?