Sometime later, Yuan followed Fei Yuyan and approached the guards with her.
"Welcome, Fairy Fei." The guards immediately recognized her beautiful appearance.
"It’s been a while, you two. I would like to go inside with a friend today," Fei Yuyan said to them.
The guards turned to look at Yuan’s masked face, but since he was wearing the Dragon Essence Temple’s uniforms, they didn’t bother to question his identity.
"I understand. You have an hour instead."
The guards then opened the door until there was just enough room for one of them to walk inside.
Once they were inside, the guards closed the heavy doors shut.
"Do you come here often?" Yuan asked her after they entered this empty but spacious room.
"No, I’ve only been here three times since the last competition," Fei Yuyan shook her head.
"Anyway, come look at this."
Fei Yuyan suddenly grabbed Yuan’s hands and dragged him towards the center of the room where a large white blanket was covering a round table alongside something else.
"What do you think is underneath the blanket?" Fei Yuyan asked him after casually releasing his hand.
Yuan looked at the familiar-looking shape and said, "Is it a zither?"
Fei Yuyan nodded with a smile, "Correct!"
She then removed the blanket and said, "This is the Soul Ensnaring Zither!"
"Soul Ensnaring Zither? What an ominous name..." Yuan mumbled as his gaze examined the black zither that had glistening strings like it was made out of clear crystals!
"What are you talking about? It’s a wonderful name! Legend says this zither can trap both human and magical beasts’ souls with its music— that is if you can play it!" Fei Yuyan said.
"What do you mean ’if you can play it’?" Yuan asked her.
Fei Yuyan did not immediately answer his question and instead took a seat in front of the zither.
"It’ll be easier for me to show you instead of explaining it."
After taking a deep breath, she placed her fingers onto the string and began playing the zither.
However, to Yuan’s surprise, the music notes coming from the zither were completely different from what he’d expected, and it sounded somewhat suppressed and muffled, almost like Fei Yuyan was playing the zither underwater or something.
How can a perfect-looking zither play such a weird sound? Even the strings on the zither were shaking normally when moved so such a sound shouldn’t be possible. It didn’t make any sense at all, and this is his first time seeing such a thing.
"Do you understand now?" Fei Yuyan stopped playing a few moments later and looked at Yuan.
However, Yuan shook his head and said, "I’m even more confused now. I don’t see anything wrong with the zither."
"That’s because this zither is ’cursed’," Fei Yuyan said, and she continued, "This zither used to be played by the Zither Goddess before she left it here and left for the upper heavens, and not a single zither expert has been able to play it properly since then."
"What about the other zither that was used by her? Is that one also like this?" Yuan couldn’t help but ask.
"No, that one can be played properly. It’s just this one that’s unwilling to let others play." Fei Yuyan sighed.
"How does that even work, though? Does the zither have a consciousness of its own? Like Soul Weapons."
Fei Yuyan shrugged and said, "Nobody knows, really. This zither is neither a Soul Weapon nor a spiritual treasure; it’s like a phenomenon."
"I see..." Yuan mumbled.
"Do you want to try playing it?" Fei Yuyan suddenly asked him.
"Can I really?" Yuan looked at her with wide eyes.
"Of course," Fei Yuyan nodded, and she continued, "The only reason this zither isn’t in a display case is because the owner wants people to play it and hopefully actually be able to play it properly."
"Then why not open this place up to the public?" Yuan raised his eyebrows.
"If not even experts can play it, what makes you think normal people will?" Fei Yuyan shook her head.
"Anyway, go ahead and try it. Who knows— maybe you’re the one the zither has been waiting for."
Fei Yuyan then stood up to let Yuan sit down.
After taking a seat, Yuan stared at the zither in silence without actually playing it.
"Haaaa..."
Taking a deep breath, Yuan slowly raised his hands into the air before placing it onto the zither and playing it.
’So even he cannot play it, huh? Why did I have a feeling that maybe he could?’ Fei Yuyan thought to herself as the muffled noises returned.
To Fei Yuyan’s surprise, even Yuan was unable to play the zither.
"Hmmm..." Yuan stopped playing after pulling a couple of strings and returned to staring at it in silence.
A few minutes later, Yuan suddenly began playing the zither again, but alas, the results were the same with the music notes sounding muffled and suppressed.
However, Yuan didn’t stop playing the zither regardless and continued to play it until he played an entire song.
"There’s no point, Disciple Yuan. The zither won’t suddenly start working even if you play a dozen songs. Many zither experts have tried the same with some playing even hundreds of songs." Fei Yuyan said to him afterward.
"Let me play a few more songs to be certain," Yuan said, and he quickly returned to playing the cursed zither again.
After playing his second song, Yuan immediately continued onto the third— then the fourth and fifth.
On his sixth song, Yuan suddenly closed his eyes while his fingers continued to move.
Fei Yuyan raised her eyebrows after seeing this.
’How is closing your eyes going to help?’ she wondered.
However, unbeknownst to Fei Yuyan, Yuan closed his eyes not because he wanted to try something new.
Instead, just like what happened at the Tablet of Comprehension, Yuan had unconsciously closed his eyes and suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar place!
However, instead of a starry scenery, Yuan was inside a pavilion while surrounded by water, almost like the Dragon Pavilion where he met Fei Yuyan for the first time!
Ting~
Suddenly, a heavenly noise resounded in Yuan’s ears, causing him to turn around.
And to his surprise, there was a young lady with otherworldly beauty sitting behind him with the Soul Ensnaring Zither in front of her!