Shu heard the crowd cheering and sang with more enthusiasm, his movents becoming more distinguished. The rotting, cracked sores all over his body and the roots on his head seed to beco part of his costu, making his operatic voice even more vivid:
"Imperial Brother, do not go wild at the palace corner, the state elder does not strike, who is conspiring against the throne, only because the prince is young, he opens the record of achievents, I shall compare you with your father..."
He sang with great vigor.
After he finished singing, the crowd was left wanting more, and Lu Xi’an started to stir things up, saying, "Encore!"
Luo Ping, who loved joining in the fun, started clamoring as soon as Lu Xi’an shouted, "Encore! Encore!"
At this point, Shu suddenly beca a bit shy, hesitated for a mont and said, "I only rember this part of the opera, I can’t do the rest. I’ll sing a part from another opera, I’ve recalled a segnt of another."
Luo Ping finished a corn cob, threw away the cob, and clapped his hands, saying, "Good, good, good! Sing, sing, sing! Whatever you sing, we love to listen!"
Everyone chid in agreeing.
Encouraged, Shu imdiately took a stance and sang, "The host officer~ comforts the nation’s leader~ weary from the long journey~~ fulfills the promise~ upholds integrity~ dare not seek ease..."
He sang in yet another operatic style, clearly different from the previous one.
Lu Xi’an could tell both operas were powerful and bold, with distinctive styles. The first was forceful, consistently vigorous, like Qin Opera, while the latter had rich tonality, relatively lodious, more like Shangdang Bangzi. Each had its own beauty and charm.
In the past, Lu Xi’an wasn’t particularly fond of opera, but now sitting here, listening to Shu’s unaccompanied singing, he only felt it was so wonderful and so nostalgic.
He finished his corn and couldn’t help but close his eyes, listening quietly.
This ti, before Lu Xi’an could applaud, Luo Ping took the lead in cheering.
"Great! Great! Really great!"
Luo Ping clapped his hands and said, "What you’re singing seems like stories from old martial arts novels? Although I don’t quite understand, they’re just captivating. Really nice! Really nice! Hurry and eat the corn."
As he spoke, he handed a corn cob to Shu.
Shu smiled sheepishly, thanked Junior Luo for the praise, then grabbed the corn and started devouring it, clearly he was hungry too.
Lu Xi’an opened his eyes and asked, "These are two different styles, right?"
Shu, in between corn bites, raised his head and said, "Yes, old brother, you recognized it."
Lu Xi’an nodded, "The feeling between your two segnts is different."
Luo Ping pouted unhappily, still a bit annoyed by Shu calling him Junior Luo and Lu Xi’an old brother.
However, Shu was accustod to these nas and couldn’t change, so Luo Ping could only hold his annoyance inside.
Listening to Shu and Lu Xi’an’s conversation, Luo Ping suddenly had an idea and asked Lu Xi’an, "Old Brother seems quite knowledgeable, do you sing too? Care to sing a few lines?"
Lu Xi’an, stirred by Shu’s emotion, said, "I don’t know how to sing opera, but I can certainly sing so songs. I’m full anyway, if you want to listen, I’ll sing a few lines."
Luo Ping grinned and said, "Of course we want to hear, how could we not!"
Lu Xi’an glanced at Chai Xin, the young girl didn’t speak but nodded vigorously. Then he looked at Shu, the old man was devouring corn intensely while watching him, and upon catching his gaze, hurriedly swallowed hard, saying, "Old brother, sing! It’s been ages since I’ve heard a song!"
Tang Er and Liu Hua didn’t make any moves, likely out of caution. The two were careful, reluctant to eat their bread in big bites, nibbling cautiously, not even halfway done.
Looking at Yao Wei, she made no move either, but her eyes were fixed on him, shining with anticipation.
"Okay, I’ll sing."
Lu Xi’an sat on the ground, stretching one leg flat and bending the other, resting one arm on the ground and the other on the knee of his bent leg, tapping with his finger to find the rhythm.
How many songs remain in mory, how many can match the beat and be recalled?
As his finger tapped, the lyrics and lody suddenly surged into his mind, bursting out with the rhythm:
"Dreams don’t see the bright moonlight, like eyes lost in desolate cities, unable to kiss the fragrant flowers, like losing a soul, loneliness grows..."
The feeling was entirely different from Shu’s operatic style, causing everyone to involuntarily pause their actions.
Listening to Lu Xi’an’s singing, they only felt it was lodious yet longing, like reminiscing but unable to grasp.
All of them were imrsed in the emotions flowing from the song, until the chorus crashed in:
"I want to ride the horse galloping into your embrace, unravel the puzzle of longing and dreams of millennia, cross the vast sea of clouds, and the blue sky remains, the sound of the horse lute instantly dissolves the heart’s thoughts..."
"Great!"
Luo Ping couldn’t resist clapping again, this mont of grandeur and tenderness coexistent, instantly struck a chord with everyone.
Lu Xi’an abandoned technique—he never had much of it—singing heartily, raising everyone’s emotions, "I want to ride the horse galloping through the boundless sky, sweep away the storms and rise to rainbows, drifting in your heart ocean, happiness remains, a wisp of breeze to et across lifetis..."
All were listening to the excitent and joy, but only Yao Wei was savoring it, contemplating the lyrics as she listened.
She actually didn’t quite understand, words like heart ocean, happiness, past and present lives, were too abstract for her, she didn’t know what a horse lute looked like, but she inexplicably felt the song was sung for her.
So she listened earnestly, felt earnestly.
She thought it was really nice.
Not just pleasant to the ears, but truly good.
And the way Lu Xi’an sang freely and released himself, it was really good too...
"Encore! Encore!"
After Lu Xi’an finished a song, Luo Ping started to stir things up again, "Shu sang two, shouldn’t you also sing two? Or can you only sing one?"
This guy was trying to challenge him.
But Lu Xi’an didn’t mind, he chuckled, "How could that be? If singing another, then I’ll sing another."
His enthusiasm also soared, feeling as if sitting here, despite having no sound system or accompanint, was like being back in the KTV of a past life, letting loose completely, so refreshing.
——Just before, a combat practice session had vented the physical, now singing was releasing the spirit.
Since the release had started, why not let it out thoroughly?
He tapped lightly on his knee with his index finger, pondering what song to sing.
As he tapped, the lody and lyrics unknowingly flowed through his mind——
"Five thousand years of winds and rains hide countless dreams, yellow faces with black eyes, the smile remains unchanged, eight thousand miles of mountains and rivers seem like a song, no matter where you co from or where you go..."
He sang as passionately as before, but as Luo Ping listened, he couldn’t help but be slightly stunned.
This song seed to have more sentints; this Neo-Human from a new world found it hard to comprehend, yet couldn’t help but be moved.
Chai Xin was just a child, so he simply listened while shaking his little head, while Shu sat there, unknowingly reminded of sothing.
"The sa tears, the sa pain, the past struggles we hold in our hearts, the sa blood, the sa roots, dreams still await in the future as we forge ahead together..."
When the song reached this point, Luo Ping suddenly shivered all over.
This song sang about five thousand years, yet he also seed to hear these decades, these hardships, these struggles, and his own desperate efforts, failing again and again, stumbling to stand up each ti...
And those individuals gathering behind him, such as Liu Hua, Tang Er, and just arrived Shu and Chai Xin, along with Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei, who were destined to leave...
Are there dreams in the future?
Where do dreams lie?
"Hand in hand, not distinguishing between you and , marching forward with heads held high, letting the world know we are Chinese, hand in hand, not distinguishing between you and , marching forward with heads held high, letting the world know we are~ Chi~nese~..."
When Lu Xi’an finished the song, Chai Xin, Liu Hua, and Tang Er all started clapping, but as they continued clapping, they realized the others were unmoved.
Turning their heads, they saw Luo Ping looking up in a trance, unsure of what he was thinking, Shu was bowing his head in silence, seemingly lost in mories, and Lu Xi’an, unknowingly, sang himself to tears.
Yao Wei suddenly felt a pang of heartache, holding Lu Xi’an’s hand.
Lu Xi’an turned his head, seeing Yao Wei’s concerned gaze, said, "I’m okay, just feeling a bit hosick..."
He tried to control himself, but really couldn’t hold back, his lips trembled, instinctively pulling downward, making his voice hard to keep steady.
"Hmm."
Yao Wei nodded, not saying much more. She snuggled up next to Lu Xi’an, sat by his side, and inexplicably felt a surge of impulse, leaning towards Lu Xi’an, kissed away the tear stains on his face.
The movent felt so natural, purposeful yet comfortable, without any discomfort or sense of losing control.
But she still felt uneasy, because Lu Xi’an was uneasy.
Lu Xi’an was taken aback, gave Yao Wei a glance, then finally smiled. He lifted his hand, held Yao Wei’s face, and softly said, "Don’t worry, I’m fine.
"I know, so places are already left behind, thinking further is useless. Having you by my side is enough, wherever you are is ho."
"Hmm."
Yao Wei nodded and said, "So am I."
Suddenly, a lody of another song popped up in Lu Xi’an’s mind——Who’s singing that Mudan River outside the door, I listen, feeling sentintal as your voice lingers...
But he didn’t sing this song aloud.
Luo Ping saw Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei in such a state, without knowing when he had already called the others, quietly moving away.
Until Lu Xi’an and Yao Wei finished talking, and nothing more happened, they returned.
Luo Ping said, "Alright, let’s tidy up, next I’ll open my warehouse and give you a good look at my treasures. You’ve helped a lot, if you want anything, just say so later."
Lu Xi’an rembered sothing, smiled and said, "Just right, I also have so good stuff to give to you all."
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