Chapter 173: The Source Temple

After Xia Yu sat down, Liu Manman hurriedly got to the point.

“There’s still one more piece to play. Solo performance is definitely out of the question—you can only play the piano,” Liu Manman said, looking at An Siyao, making a concession.

However, An Siyao at this moment wasn’t truly An Siyao, but Xia Yu in disguise.

He didn’t respond directly but turned to Tuo Guoyu. “What do you think?”

Following the script Xia Yu had prepared, Tuo Guoyu took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

“I have an idea for a new piece, but it’s not finished yet,” he said.

Upon hearing the first half of Tuo Guoyu’s statement, Liu Manman’s heart sank, fearing that Xia Yu might actually want to perform a piece he composed himself. How could a composition by an 18-year-old possibly be acceptable?

However, after hearing the second half, she relaxed again—since it wasn’t finished, it couldn’t be performed.

Together with An Siyao, Liu Manman looked at the score Tuo Guoyu had brought.

This wasn’t just incomplete—it only had a few melodic phrases!

Liu Manman felt even more at ease. She had just been worried that if the piece were nearly complete, Xia Yu might rush to finish it in time for the performance.

Looking at it now, not even seven days would be enough—give him a whole month, and it might still not be finished!

Thinking this, Liu Manman glanced at An Siyao, sensing that An Siyao probably shared the same thought.

“I’ll take care of it. Give me one day, and I’ll finish it for you,” An Siyao said.

“???!” Liu Manman stared at An Siyao in shock.

Did she just hear right? An Siyao said that with only one day, he could finish this piece?

“You must be joking. I was too nervous and started hallucinating,” Liu Manman confirmed with An Siyao.

“Come by my place tomorrow at noon, and I’ll show you the completed piece,” An Siyao said.

“What are you talking about? How could one day possibly be enough to finish a piece?” she turned to Tuo Guoyu, “Right?”

Seeing Tuo Guoyu nod, Liu Manman let out a sigh of relief.

But Tuo Guoyu’s nod wasn’t in agreement with her—it was in agreement with An Siyao.

“Fine, we’ll come back tomorrow at noon.”

After hearing Tuo Guoyu’s words, Liu Manman grabbed her head.

Her gaze darted between An Siyao and Tuo Guoyu, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

Xia Yu brought a piece that was barely an idea, and now An Siyao claims she can finish it in a day? And Xia Yu actually agreed?

Who am I? Where am I? Are they insane?

But even madness shouldn’t affect two people at once—could it be that I’m the one who’s gone mad?

Pinching her leg, Liu Manman hoped to wake up from this dream, but the pain told her this was reality.

Whatever, I give up!

After giving in to despair, Liu Manman felt much lighter.

After all, the third piece was just an unexpected bonus—it wouldn’t be a big deal if it didn’t happen.

Trying to comfort herself like this, Liu Manman’s mood brightened again.

She began to think about what outfit to wear during the performance.

She absolutely didn’t believe that Xia Yu and An Siyao could actually pull it off.

Unlike her, An Siyao was full of confidence, trusting Xia Yu completely.

“What kind of piece is this?” the girl asked Xia Yu after Tuo Guoyu and Liu Manman left.

“It’s an adaptation of ‘Yuan’s Palace,’ using guzheng, xiao flute, and sheng,” Xia Yu replied.

Though based on the piano piece “Yuan’s Palace,” the performance had nothing to do with the piano.

“No piano?” An Siyao was visibly disappointed. She didn’t know how to play any of the three instruments Xia Yu mentioned.

In other words, the third piece had nothing to do with her.

“You’ll play the xiao flute,” Xia Yu told An Siyao.

“But I don’t know how,” An Siyao hesitated.

“I’ll teach you. The xiao part isn’t complicated. With your talent and my guidance, you should be able to learn it in three or four days.”

An Siyao didn’t doubt this incredible speed and happily agreed.

Normally, it would be impossible to learn the xiao flute from scratch in three or four days. However, on one hand, An Siyao had great talent, and on the other, there was a hidden convenience within the game.

Just as when Xia Yu used Xu Youxiang’s body and she could gain the knowledge he acquired, when Xia Yu played the xiao flute using An Siyao’s body, An Siyao would gain that memory as well.

While it would still take a longer time to fully master the xiao, playing this one piece would pose no problem.

He was somewhat worried whether An Siyao would be unhappy about playing in an ensemble since she had previously suggested a piano solo.

But now, An Siyao indeed didn’t object.

A new piece composed by him, and to be taught by him personally—An Siyao was delighted and had no objections at all.

Originally, she had wanted the piano solo to show off her brilliance to Xia Yu and win his admiration. Now, if she performed well, she would clearly receive even more of his affection.

“Do you have a sheng here?” Xia Yu asked next.

The sheng was also a common ancient instrument, resembling a bundle of bamboo pipes tied together.

“We do.”

Following An Siyao’s guidance, Xia Yu gathered the guzheng, xiao flute, and sheng.

He first used five experience cards.

While composing, he also needed to test by playing, and using all ten experience cards at once would be wasteful during the trial phase.

After all, with An Siyao, he could stay as long as he wanted without time constraints.

From nine in the morning until six in the evening, drinking an energy drink to stay alert, Xia Yu then used the remaining five experience cards in the evening.

During this time, the Inspiration Lv.1 he had gained from Wen Ziying also played a role.

At 2 a.m., with one hour of experience card time remaining, Xia Yu completed the piece.

“This is a very interesting piece. The boy’s draft was excellent,” Xia Yu praised himself.

“But the rest was all done by you,” An Siyao defended Xia Yu.

“The initial inspiration is the most important. What came after was just filling in the gaps,” Xia Yu modestly replied.

“Oh,” An Siyao didn’t fully understand.

“While we still have some time, let me help you get familiar with the xiao flute first,” Xia Yu said, picking up the xiao.

He played a basic exercise piece.

To her surprise, An Siyao could feel the finger movements and breath transitions clearly.

After the piece ended, Xia Yu asked An Siyao, “How was it? Did you get the feel of it?”

An Siyao nodded.

“Then strengthen that feeling. I’ll guide you for an hour, and after I leave, you can practice on your own,” Xia Yu said, continuing to play the exercise.

The reason he chose the xiao for An Siyao was because the guzheng was too complex and might reveal his unique style, while the xiao was much simpler and lacked a distinct personal touch.

As for the sheng, he himself didn’t know how to play it yet and would need to practice hard after returning. Plus, the sheng was mainly for harmonizing—the guzheng and xiao were the main instruments.

An hour later, Xia Yu returned to his own body.

Tuo Guoyu was asleep, so he got up for a glass of water and went back to sleep.

The next noon, he and Xu Youxiang went to An Siyao’s villa.

An Siyao took out the score. “It’s done.”

“Done?” Liu Manman looked at the score in astonishment.