Sanchahe Village suddenly erupted with Mother Cheng's excited shouts, "My dear friend, Xiao Bin is on TV! He's playing the piano!"
Instantly, countless villagers were stirred from their evening routines.
It was just after eight o'clock at night. Mother Zhang wasn't a big fan of television, so she was under the large banyan tree, bragging to a crowd of women.
Hearing the news, Mother Zhang leaped to her feet, exclaiming excitedly, "Really? Is it true?" She now had brand new material to boast about.
"It's true!"
Mother Cheng rushed over and switched on the television set that was kept under the banyan tree. For the sake of liveliness, Mother Cheng had decided to leave the television there instead of moving it inside. A shelter had been built over it, of course, so there was no fear of rain. Besides, with the terrifying Array Plate guarding Sanchahe Village, they didn't have to worry about thieves.
The TV screen immediately lit up with the *Masked Singing King* competition.
Since Zhang Bin was at the piano, the camera was focused on him, making him look exceptionally handsome. Although Zhang Bin had altered his appearance, the villagers of Sanchahe Village knew him too well. His signature aloof, sly, and roguish demeanor hadn't changed a bit.
They recognized him at a glance.
Of course, the first to recognize Zhang Bin wasn't Mother Cheng, but Xiao Fang, who had pointed it out to her.
The marvelous music flowed from the piano like a stream, continuous and exceedingly pleasant to the ear.
"My god, Xiao Bin can actually play the piano? And he's on TV for it?" a villager shouted in shock.
"How ignorant can you be? This is the *Masked Singing King* competition, and tonight is the final. Of course Xiao Bin had to be on stage," Mother Zhang said proudly.
Many villagers covered their mouths to snicker, laughing at Mother Zhang's naivete. Zhang Bin was neither a celebrity nor a singer, so how could he possibly qualify for the *Singing King* competition? He was clearly just playing the piano as an accompanist, not singing.
One villager retorted mockingly, "Xiao Bin's mom, go on then, tell us why Xiao Bin would 'naturally' be on stage."
Unfazed, Mother Zhang declared with great spirit, "Have you all been living under a rock? Don't you know that Heavenly Queen Zhu Danyan is the spokesperson for the company my son founded? She's made huge contributions to Wenwu Pharma, so naturally the Empress is participating in the *Masked Singing King* competition, and my son is there to support her. To help the Empress win the championship, Xiao Bin had to personally provide the accompaniment. After all, I don't think there's anyone in this world who plays the piano better than my son. I suppose Beethoven could, but the Empress couldn't exactly invite Beethoven."
It was quite something for a woman from a small village to even know of Beethoven. However, she was unaware that he had passed away nearly two hundred years ago, assuming he was a contemporary figure.
Awe spread across the faces of the villagers; they couldn't even pronounce the names of foreigners.
This only fueled Mother Zhang, who began holding forth with great authority, praising Zhang Bin's skills to the high heavens. "I'm telling you, my Xiao Bin has had a gift for music since he was little, just as amazing as his talent for calligraphy. He could sing at age three, play the flute by five..."
But inwardly, she was grumbling, "That rotten kid. When on earth did he learn to play the piano? What a mess! He never told me until today. He seriously deserves a spanking."
Zhang Bin finished playing the musical piece. It took a moment before Heavenly Queen Zhu Danyan finally came to her senses. This is simply unbelievable, she screamed in her mind. He's just a simple farmer who's never touched a piano before, yet he's a piano Grandmaster. A young man like him, with countless talents... he's a true genius. In music, he might even surpass Lv Yuze...
"Stop daydreaming. I'm starting the second time through. You can start singing," Zhang Bin's voice secretly echoed in Heavenly Queen Zhu Danyan's ears.
Zhu Danyan instantly snapped back to reality and began to sing with all her might!
Her voice, a gift from the heavens, flowed out and blended with the sound of the piano, transforming into notes of extraordinary wonder that swept out in every direction.
The entire audience was instantly electrified. Goosebumps rose visibly on their skin, and the blood rushed to their faces, turning them as red as Guan Gong. They danced and waved their hands, clapping feverishly along with the rhythm, their ears perked up, unwilling to miss a single note.
The theme of this song, "Rebirth from Fire," was about rising from ruins and despair, infused with a new life force, offering the baptism of a phoenix rising from the ashes. It was a song of positive energy, an uplifting and powerful anthem. It was more positive, proactive, and radiant than the song Lv Yuze had written about a wilderness of love.
Thus, the song contained a special power that ignited people's fighting spirit, resonating with countless individuals. Indeed, no matter how strong a person is, they can become vulnerable when faced with hardship or trapped in a desperate situation. A song like this could lift you up and rekindle your will to fight.
The lyrics were exceptionally beautiful, utterly magnificent. The melody was so magical it could bewitch anyone. Paired with Heavenly Queen Zhu Danyan's Grandmaster-level voice and technique, as well as Zhang Bin's Grandmaster-level zither skills, the song was elevated to an unprecedented height.
Countless people were lost, deeply ensnared in a poignantly beautiful, illusory realm.
Lv Yuze's face twisted with fury and resentment as he screamed madly in his heart, Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could anyone write such a classic song? Who on earth is this person? I'm going to kill him! His countenance grew terrifyingly fierce.
"Rebirth from Fire... oh, oh, oh... Rebirth from Fire... I soar into the sky, gliding through the nine heavens..."
Zhu Danyan's singing continued, endlessly and deeply moving.
Finally, the song came to an end.
Zhu Danyan took a deep bow. "Thank you."
CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.
Thunderous applause erupted, followed by frenzied cheers.
"Bravo! Bravo! That was brilliant! A divine song, truly a song of the gods!"
"Zhu Danyan, I love you!"
"King of Songs! King of Songs! Heavenly Queen Zhu Danyan is the King of Songs!"
"Unparalleled! In a class of her own!"
Mixed in were some more flirtatious shouts: "Handsome pianist, I love you! I want to have your babies!"
Zhang Bin stumbled, nearly falling over. Meanwhile, Ma Rufei, Chen Chaoyue, Zhang Haijun, and Zhao Dawei were green with envy, wishing they could trade places with him. From now on, picking up beautiful women would be incredibly easy. Countless beauties would be his for the choosing.
"Alas..." Mother Zhang let out a long sigh. "My son is too outstanding. His romantic luck is too strong, with so many women adoring him. This isn't a good thing."
"Mom, what are you worried about? It's precisely because Xiao Bin is so outstanding that women are drawn to him. The more women that like him, the more it proves his excellence. You should be happy," Liu Ruolan said, appearing out of nowhere with a charming smile. "Besides, Xiao Bin isn't the type to accept just any woman who fancies him. He's a cultivator, so he can see into people's hearts.
"Therefore, the women he gets involved with are all exceptionally good people. For him, being with more women like that is an absolute blessing, with no drawbacks whatsoever."
"Yes, yes, you're right, Ruolan. You're absolutely right," Mother Zhang agreed, her face blooming into a flower-like smile.
The other villagers were also overjoyed, looking at Liu Ruolan with immense admiration. Only a great talent and miraculous cultivator like Zhang Bin could find such a perfect wife.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.