Chapter 22: The Imperial Daughter's Blossom

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Although many people were angry about the Federation's current status, there was nothing they could do. They were just ordinary individuals, powerless to shake the position of a great force. So, besides living their lives as best they could, what else was there to do... To numb themselves, everyone cheered up once more, focusing on the song Jiang Qin was about to perform.

Jiang Qin had already exchanged the songs through the system. Since this live broadcast could not afford any mishaps, she mostly chose songs she liked and had practiced in her first life. This time, she chose a different instrument.

“What’s this instrument? It looks strange,” someone asked.

“Where’s the class representative?” another inquired.

“Here! I just took a screenshot and asked the professor. He said it’s an ancient instrument—the erhu!” came the reply.

“Erhu? What’s that? I feel like the illiterate must be someone else,” another joked.

“Same here… Could it be a fiddle made from a beast’s whiskers?” someone speculated.

“If anyone calls Jiang Qin illiterate again, I swear I’ll fight them. That’s an insult! If she’s illiterate, then what am I...” someone said indignantly.

“Haha, you’re just a big fool,” came a teasing response.

“Upstairs, give coordinates; I’m ready to duel you,” said another.

“Can the chat calm down? Jiang Qin’s about to start playing that weird thing,” someone pleaded.

Jiang Qin smiled softly at the camera. “I just saw a comment asking if Cantonese has opera, so I thought of this piece called ‘The Flower Princess.’ There’s actually an ancient story behind this song. If anyone is interested, I can tell you more later. For now, let’s listen.”

She lowered her head and began playing the erhu. When the plaintive melody emerged, everyone was stunned. Although interstellar technology could synthesize many sounds, they had never heard anything like this before! Even before the singing began, they recognized this as a sorrowful song.

“Falling flowers fill the sky, blocking the moonlight,
Borrow a cup to offer at the Phoenix Terrace,
The Flower Princess brings tears to the incense,
Willing to die in return to thank her parents~~”

If the erhu’s sound was like a thunderclap, then when Jiang Qin’s operatic voice arose, it was like a depth charge exploding underwater—an unheard-of voice, an unheard-of song, an unheard-of style! A unique masterpiece was born, fresh and vivid.

Everyone was dumbfounded, overwhelmed to the point of forgetting to send messages in the chat.

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As they listened, suddenly a male operatic voice joined in. Everyone saw Jiang Qin’s delicate red lips moving, but the voice was unmistakably male.

“My heart longs to be buried together,
Lovers entwined side by side,
To build a new chamber at the spring terrace,
To seek again the lane of Pingyang Gate in the underworld.”

The person most deeply moved was Wen Jiaqi, far away on the water-blue planet. Her Wen family ancestors spoke Cantonese and were among those who refused intermarriage with other galactic races. Raised in this tradition, she loved everything about her mother planet. She had also learned the ancestral Cantonese language.

She had entered this livestream out of curiosity. When the crowd earlier demanded the host sing songs in minority languages, she frowned along with others. She never expected the host would sing a Cantonese song!

Cantonese songs were rare in the Federation’s entire music library—hardly more than ten existed. Only a few bloggers interested in ancient languages composed a handful, shared within niche circles. Yet, honestly, Wen Jiaqi found those songs uninspiring, lacking charm, even with imperfect pronunciation. After a few listens, she stopped paying attention.

Still, she followed such bloggers, admiring anyone who remembered Cantonese at all. So today, just joining the fun, she not only heard a Cantonese song but a Cantonese opera!

The moment she heard Jiang Qin was going to sing Cantonese opera, she immediately started recording. She couldn’t imagine how shocked her grandmother would be when she saw the video.

So this is what opera singing sounds like...

As she listened, warmth welled up in her eyes. There was joy, regret, and unwillingness. They had truly lost so much.

***

Unlike Wen Jiaqi, Dong Haoning was not a fan of ancient culture; he had been forced to learn Cantonese. In the Dong family, all children had to learn Cantonese in their youth or the elders would withhold their pocket money.

Hobbies and obligations were different. As a child, he resented learning such a difficult and seemingly useless language. If anything, he should have learned the Imperial language. But with elders pressing down, he had no choice but to comply, though once he grew up, he never spoke it again. Now, though his pronunciation was no longer standard, he could still understand it.

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By chance, he also entered this livestream today. Jiang Qin’s appearance caught his eye, making him linger in the room. This young woman looked as if she had been made to match his tastes.

When he heard she was going to sing a Cantonese song, memories of his forced childhood lessons surfaced, and he almost left the stream, planning to return later. But wanting to support his goddess, he stayed.

When the erhu began its plaintive strains, he found himself entranced. Gradually, the song stirred his emotions. The line “my heart longs to be buried together” struck him deeply.

Could such profound love really exist in the world?

For some reason, as he listened, he seemed to see a story unfold, as if he were an observer transported into that world, watching the lovers from a distance.

When the singing stopped, he snapped out of his daze—only to be terrified by his own state! His body had completely shifted into its beast form!

It was well known that the beast gene was problematic. Every time one transformed during battle, their agitation level rose. If it reached 100%, they would lose all reason and turn into a wild beast. So ordinarily, they tried to avoid transforming.

He had never before transformed unconsciously like this. Could it be that the sadness of the song caused his agitation level to rise? When had he ever been so emotional?

Without thinking further, Dong Haoning hurriedly reverted to human form and checked his agitation monitor. He felt a little panicked—having transformed unconsciously, his agitation level must be very high, at least above 80%.

But the reading surprised him.

70%.

One percent lower than when he checked that morning. In other words, his mental state had been purified today.

The problem was, since waking he hadn’t left his bed or eaten anything—he had just opened the livestream platform and watched for a few minutes.

The only unusual thing was the dreamlike, drifting sensation he felt while listening to the song.

Could it be...

With that thought, Dong Haoning exited the livestream and immediately searched the star network.

“Can listening to music purify agitation levels?”