Chapter Ten: The Parasol Wood Zither

When they arrived at Yangfan Music School, the teachers had just started their workday.

Yu Wen and his wife went to find the owner to inquire about the details, while Yu Qian wandered around the music school by herself.

Yangfan Music School was currently the best training center in the county. The owners, siblings Yang Fan and Yang Qin, were both music teachers at the county’s top high school. Many high school students who pursued music, art, or sports trained here. Yet, after making a round, Yu Qian felt a little disappointed.

She had trained here during her senior year of high school in her previous life. Now, the music school seemed noticeably less well-equipped than it had been back then.

Most of its students were currently high schoolers, with violin and piano as the most popular instruments. In terms of dance, only Latin and ballet were offered. The guqin, classical dance, and jazz—what Yu Qian truly wished to learn—were nowhere to be found.

Clearly, she would have to look elsewhere.

Her parents came out of the office shaking their heads, confirming Yu Qian’s own thoughts.

“They don’t have what you want to learn. Teacher Yang asked if you’d like to study piano instead?” Wen Yu asked.

“I don’t like it. I still want to learn the guqin. The guzheng would be fine, too.” She shook her head decisively.

“Let’s check out West Street. I heard from someone at the factory there’s a newly opened training class over there,” Wen Yu suggested. “If not, then our only option is the Youth Palace.”

“Okay.”

The new training center did have teachers for jazz and guzheng, though not for the guqin or classical dance that Yu Qian most wanted. Still, something was better than nothing. She could start with those two, and when she moved to the provincial capital in three years, she’d surely find what she was looking for.

She would have classes every weekend—guzheng in the morning, jazz in the afternoon. During the winter and summer holidays, she would have morning classes and afternoons off. Classes would begin the following week.

After paying and meeting her teachers, they saw it was still early and decided to head to the provincial capital to buy a guzheng, as there were no instrument stores in the county.

Neither Wen Yu nor his wife knew much about musical instruments and feared being tricked, so once they arrived in the provincial capital, they went straight to the Provincial Conservatory of Music, where several streets outside the school were lined with instrument shops.

Yu Qian herself wasn’t knowledgeable either, but that didn’t matter—Fuxi and the others certainly were.

The night before, she’d mentioned in the group chat that she was going to learn music and dance. In response, Fuxi set up a new group called “Goddess Training Program,” gathering legendary masters of the arts from every era.

From the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Pipa Spirit of the Age of Deities, to the great poets of the Yin Qing period.

It was only after joining this group that Yu Qian realized that although no one cultivated immortality after the Great Tribulation, quite a few had achieved sainthood through their own means and attained immortality. The true Age of Decline began during the late Qing and early Republican periods, when great upheavals led to the severance of many traditions, and for a time, the gods were unable to connect with the mortal realm. Not until after the new millennium, when the world finally entered a fragile peace, did the Heavenly Dao and the gods of the Six Realms slowly recover.

Yet even with this recovery, many immortals vanished without a trace. Of the Seven Fairies, only two remained; in the demon realm, the six spider sisters from Journey to the West were missing; and in the demon realm, only the Demon King Asura was accounted for. The underworld fared best, as it existed outside the Six Realms and was thus preserved.

When Yu Qian first encountered these legendary figures known only from language and history textbooks, she thought she was dreaming. It took Su Daji’s impatient insistence that it was all real, and a group video call, for her to finally accept it. That video call also revealed to Yu Qian that the illustrations in her textbooks were pure nonsense—none of these great figures were even remotely unattractive; each one had the looks of a celestial.

“I’m turning on the camera now.” She held up a book to shield her phone, plugged in her headphones, and started the video call.

“Look at what you’re all wearing! Exposed arms, bare legs—how improper!” As soon as the video connected, Yu Qian heard someone grumbling, though she couldn’t tell who.

“What nonsense! The Qing dynasty’s long gone—this is the modern age! Why do you care what people wear? Mind your own business!” Before Yu Qian could explain, Nuwa, who sat beside Fuxi, exploded in indignation. “Personally, I think these clothes are lovely—simple, convenient, and stylish.”

Once Nuwa spoke, all the sages fell silent. For a moment, only her voice could be heard, criticizing their outdated thinking and reminding them that true sages ought to keep up with the times.

Yu Qian couldn’t help but smile, her eyes curving with delight. She understood the group’s perspective; after all, in their eras, baring skin was indeed scandalous.

At the same time, some of them could understand modern ways of thinking, which made Yu Qian particularly happy.

As they entered the instrument store, a moment of silence fell over the group chat before the crowd burst into excited chatter. The great sages, suddenly as curious as schoolboys, bombarded her with questions about everything they saw. Yu Qian edged closer to the shop assistant.

Wen Yu explained that they hadn’t yet decided what their daughter would study and wanted to look around before making a choice, so the assistant began introducing each type of instrument to the family.

A chorus of amazement echoed through the group chat. “These foreign instruments are quite impressive.”

“If only we had a chance to play them.”

“Yes, really wonderful. Listen to the sound of that… what is it, a piano? So crisp and clear.”

They visited shop after shop, but Fuxi remained silent, and Yu Qian and her parents didn’t spot any instrument that truly called to them.

As they were about to finish their rounds, they stepped into one last store when Fuxi suddenly spoke up. “Girl, that instrument to your left—move a bit closer so I can get a good look.”

Yu Qian walked over, holding her phone up for a close-up view, and examined the instrument herself.

“Paulownia wood! There’s still paulownia wood left in the mortal world!” Fuxi was genuinely surprised.

“What’s paulownia wood?” Yu Qian whispered, making sure no one nearby was paying attention.

“The tree where phoenixes perch—the phoenix tree is called the paulownia.”

“So this instrument is made from the tree where phoenixes roost?” Yu Qian’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Yes, this instrument—you must buy it. Music played on a paulownia wood instrument is called celestial music.” Fuxi was resolute.

“Buy it, no matter how expensive!” She couldn’t believe she’d come across such a rare instrument and was determined not to let it slip away.

She called her parents over, the shop assistant following behind.

“Dad, Mom, I love this one!” Yu Qian’s eyes shone, her whole demeanor radiating delight at having found something so precious.

“You have good taste, young lady. This is a fine instrument. Of course, the price isn’t cheap,” the shop assistant said with a smile, noting the look on her face.

Yu Qian fixed her gaze expectantly on her parents, her longing written all over her face.

Yu Wen stepped forward to examine the instrument, hesitating for about a minute before asking, “How much does it cost?”

The assistant, sensing his hesitation, worried he might walk away and slightly adjusted the price. “Six thousand.”

Now Wen Yu also began to hesitate, and the assistant grew even more anxious. Though she’d earn a higher commission with a higher price, if the customer didn’t buy, she’d get nothing at all. “If you also buy the matching finger picks and case, I can give you a discount.”

“What’s the discount?” Wen Yu’s eyes lit up.

“Twenty percent off. The set is 6,600, but with the discount it’s 5,280. I’ll round down the remainder—you can take everything for 5,200.”

The assistant laid it on thick, having noticed the girl’s clear desire and the mother already wavering. Now it was just up to the father.

Yu Wen pulled Wen Yu aside, whispering, “Should we get it? This is quite the discount, and it comes with the case.”

Wen Yu did the math in her head. “Let’s buy it. After all the shops we’ve seen, our daughter only likes this one. It’s expensive, but we can work harder and save elsewhere.”

“Alright, I’ll go pay.”

Yu Qian, meanwhile, had no doubt her parents would buy it. She wandered the shop with her phone, the assistant explaining the instrument to her.

At last, Yu Qian clung to the instrument—almost as tall as she was—refusing to let go. Yu Wen, both exasperated and amused, said, “I’ve paid. It’s yours now; it’s not going anywhere.”

She sheepishly let go, handing the instrument to the assistant for packaging and giving her father a sweet, grateful smile.

Wen Yu couldn’t help but smile as well. She’d worried her daughter might become bitter after her experiences in her previous life, but seeing her now, those worries melted away. Her daughter’s heart was still clear and open.