What does it feel like to perform on a 12-square-meter platform?
It probably feels much like being in a regular bedroom—similar in size. The only difference is one is enclosed indoors, and the other is beneath the blue sky and white clouds. But they share the same quality: cramped.
Yet Chu Lian didn't mind. She closed her eyes slightly, enjoying the gentle breeze of the afternoon and the mild warmth of the sun, letting herself bask in a lazy, relaxed mood.
Of course, since May had arrived, spring was coming to an end. Though this was the Jiangnan region, it didn't mean it was spared the heat. But compared to Guangdong, where temperatures were already nearing 30 degrees Celsius, the 24–25 degrees here were nothing. Other than the occasional remark about the approaching summer, the weather was quite pleasant.
There Chu Lian sat in such a place, dressed in white hanfu, head bowed, gently moving her bow over the erhu strings, drawing out a series of scattered tones.
She was tuning.
Yes, when Chu Lian first stepped on stage, her original plan had been to begin with the guzheng. But upon seeing the crowd around her—some with impure thoughts, others visibly thrilled—she changed her mind on the spot.
Instead of using the guzheng to open, she took an erhu from another case and quietly began tuning it.
She had remained in this state for over ten minutes. At first, many were drawn by Chu Lian's charm, but seeing she wasn't playing a song and was merely lightly tuning, they gradually left. After all, they were here for a performance. A beauty without substance was just a pretty vase.
However, those who knew who she was and the significance of her performance today mostly stayed. They wanted to see just how this girl would prove herself.
Even though she was still quietly drawing the bow, seemingly unfamiliar with the erhu, it didn't dampen their anticipation. Up to now, she had only demonstrated her skills in guzheng and guitar; a lack of erhu expertise would be understandable.
As for her singing? The song "It's Great to Be a Loli-Con" didn't demand much technique—as long as the voice was cute enough, it would sound decent.
And for "To Pour My All," her performance clearly reflected hundreds if not thousands of practice sessions. It was beautiful, yes, but not enough to showcase her vocal prowess. So few believed her singing would deliver much surprise.
Among the few who truly understood her vocal foundation, no one spoke. They simply waited for her next performance.
After playing a bit more, Chu Lian seemed to feel it was enough. She lifted her head and calmly said, "It seems I've kept everyone waiting. Well then, Chu Lian has just gotten into the state of mind, so let's begin. I hope you enjoy my performance."
"The first piece: erhu singing performance. Original tune: 'Master Onmyoji.' Lyrics rewritten on a whim as 'The Enchanted Erhu' (Note 1)." As she said this, the corners of her lips curled slightly, as if suppressing something.
A series of eerie, unsettling tones flowed slowly from the erhu's sound box.
The erhu was naturally suited for sorrowful or eerie music, and the original song "Master Onmyoji" was undeniably eerie and frightening. Once drawn out on an erhu, it immediately evoked a bone-chilling sensation.
After the intro, Chu Lian began to sing softly. The sense of eeriness grew even more tangible. Though she had rewritten the lyrics, she retained the terrifying essence of "Master Onmyoji." Her voice, emerging with the new lyrics, was like the whispers of a cold ghost in the night—soft and lingering in the ears:
Fellow cultivators,
Please do not linger here,
I have quietly divined a reading,
Terrifying demonic energy surrounds your hands.
Chaotic and strange,
Why should my song concern you?
How would you even know, it's boring.
This looks truly laughable!
Can you hear it,
That string, unplayed by anyone,
There is a voice lingering by your ear,
Haunting, yet you cannot see her face.
You're right, I've suddenly seen the truth,
But now that I'm here, how can I escape,
Drive this demon far from me.
Your life hangs by a thread, lucky it's not too late.
Heaven and Earth lend me sight, to see through yin and yang.
This should keep you safe, just don't touch things recklessly again.
I no longer dwell in the mortal realm, it will be hard to meet again.
Now that I've spoken, do you still think it's none of your concern?
Those who enter cannot escape doom; this demon has cultivated for many years.
Blessings and misfortune are intertwined,
This tribulation is inescapable, some disasters are predestined.
Next time, we won't forget again.
The enchanted erhu,
Yet it discerns gratitude and grievance clearly.
As long as you don't call her a demon, this song,
Won't cost your life.
The skies grow hazy,
Did you hear me clearly?
Tonight, I draw the boundaries,
Close your eyes, and see nothing more.
As the final repeated lyrics fell, Chu Lian could no longer hold back her smile. She lightly covered her lips and chuckled. The eerie feeling of her performance and her ethereal, all-white appearance vanished in an instant.
"Ahem, alright, no more scaring you. Look how frightened you are. Although the song is pretty creepy, I already toned down the horror when I rewrote the lyrics. It's not that bad, right?" After laughing enough, Chu Lian lowered her hand and spoke to the audience.
Actually, although some listeners did feel a slight chill in their hearts, they weren't all scared by the song. If this were played at night, maybe, but now it was noon, with the sun shining brightly—so the impact was lessened.
What really astonished them was Chu Lian's skill with the erhu. Even laymen could tell her performance was extraordinary. And there were quite a few experts among the audience, who began analyzing aloud, helping even the uninformed understand.
They truly couldn't imagine what kind of environment and talent could nurture a thirteen-year-old girl with such mastery of Huaxia classical music.
Her guzheng skills had already been judged by music enthusiasts in recent days to be near-master level. Now, her erhu playing stirred emotions just from its sound alone, proving her erhu skills were no less refined.
Moreover, earlier that day, she had played guitar with Seven Rain and showcased her own style within the ensemble, indicating her guitar proficiency was also high.
What kind of world was this, where geniuses defied all logic?
If it were just one performance, it might not shake them so much, but…
Their eyes shifted to the two cases behind her on the ground. One was clearly a guzheng case. The other, slightly larger than an erhu case, couldn't possibly hold just one erhu. What was inside?
"Perhaps she still has talents yet to reveal." That was the thought that quietly sparked in their minds.
Seeing their reactions, Chu Lian could already guess what they were thinking. A brief smile flickered across her lips, unseen by anyone. The ideal opening she had envisioned was achieved. Now, it was time to draw them slowly into the musical world she had crafted.
What they didn't know was that Chu Lian's tuning earlier wasn't idle play. She was preparing herself to enter the musical world required for activating "White Blossom," one of the abilities of "White Rose."
Once she discovered she had accidentally activated the "White Rose" ability and could enter the "White Blossom" state, she became half-confident in securing the top spot through this performance. The other half would be won during the next few hours.
"Looks like everyone's still not satisfied. Then let Lian'er play another piece: 'Sorrowful Life,' erhu version…" This was a song from this world, and also the first piece of music she encountered upon arriving here.
Because the lyrics and melody of this song, though exceptionally simple and humble, deeply matched her feelings at the time, she had listened to it over and over.
And it was one of the pieces she had been practicing lately. For this moment of brilliance, she prepared more than three songs for each instrument. Since these were pre-existing songs in this world, they weren't expensive to unlock.
Singing, lyrics, instrumentals, and arrangements—bundled in a single existing song—cost at most 5,000 points. But if she only unlocked the instrumental and performance elements, the cost was much lower. Getting both for a song rarely exceeded 1,500 Culture Points.
To prepare, she had spent nearly 20,000 Culture Points unlocking the instrumentals for a dozen hard-to-master songs. Then she invested time practicing the ones she could quickly learn and perform.
These past few days, aside from group rehearsals with the band, all her remaining time had been devoted to preparing her solo music. In the end, she managed to master over a dozen beginner-accessible pieces. Even with her master-level Huaxia classical music proficiency, she was exhausted—testament to her dedication and persistence.
Now, it was finally time for them to shine…