The sound of the pipa breaks the dream of Bianliang
Volume 1: The Dragon Startles
Preface: "Carrying a tune of the future, I fell into the turbulent world of Water Margin. I wanted to stay away from the drama and watch it unfold, but one glance startled the dragon and I had to lure him into the mortal world."
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When I woke up, what lingered in my ears was not the hustle and bustle of the city, but the weak chirping of cicadas and the rough touch of the hard bed beneath me.
The nasal cavity was filled with the musty smell of low-quality wood that had become damp, mixed with a kind of... well, very classic, very primitive air smell.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the beams covered with cobwebs, the drafty window frames, and the coarse linen clothes on my body, which were so rough that they could wear out my modern skin that had been pampered for more than twenty years.
Bu Luanyin.
This is my name now.
A musician whose family fell into poverty and whose parents died had no choice but to wander around with his ancestral pipa, performing to make a living.
It’s also me, a soul from the 21st century, an unlucky time traveler.
Three days.
After digesting the remaining memory fragments of this body and combining them with my understanding of the magnificent story called "Water Margin", it took me a full three days to reluctantly accept the fact that I had not only traveled through time, but also traveled to the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, where treacherous ministers were in power, heroes were rising up, and people could lose their heads at any time.
My brain seemed to have its own search engine. As long as I focused, the various plots, character fates, and key moments of "Water Margin" would clearly emerge. This was my life-saving talisman, but also my biggest death warrant.
I know that Gao Qiu will become successful, Cai Jing will be in power, Song Jiang will gather his men, Fang La will rebel... I know that not long from now, on Huangnigang not far from here, there will be an earth-shaking "birthday gift capture".
I knew that after that, Liangshan Lake would spread like wildfire, just like a spark thrown into boiling oil.
I also know that the seemingly grand gathering will eventually lead to the tragic ending of "Gods gathering in Liaoerwa".
Dangerous, too dangerous!
This world is full of malice towards ordinary people, especially lonely women with no one to rely on. And I, an alien who knows the "secrets of heaven", will definitely suffer a fate even more miserable than those extras who died tragically in the original novel if I make a mistake.
The first rule of survival: stay away from all main characters! Especially those with names. Every single one of them is a source of trouble and a disaster attractor.
Among them, I highlighted a few names with red lines and hung them at the top of my inner warning list.
For example, the man who can call the wind and rain, tell fortunes, and is almost a demigod - Ruyunlong, Gongsun Sheng.
A Taoist practitioner possesses a profound insight into the mysteries of nature, remaining calm and detached. Before him, an "alien visitor" like a firefly in the night sky, nowhere to hide. Provoking him? Perhaps he's simply ignoring his own mortality.
My goal is simple: use my foresight of the plot to perfectly avoid all key events and dangerous people, find a relatively safe place, and use my pipa skills that are far beyond this era to save money quietly, so as to hide my identity and live a simple life before the world falls into chaos.
Ideals are beautiful, but reality...
I patted my rumbling stomach and sighed. The copper coins left by the original owner were almost gone after paying for the room in this run-down inn. The most urgent thing was to fill my stomach.
Picking up the rosewood pipa, which was regarded as my life and was in good condition, I took a deep breath and pushed open the creaking door.
The streets of Yuncheng County were perversely bustling. The cries of peddlers, the creaking of carriages, and the occasional shouts of passing yamen runners intertwined to create a vivid, down-to-earth version of "Along the River During the Qingming Festival"... a county town equivalent.
I found a street corner that was not too conspicuous but had a lot of traffic, spread out a piece of clean coarse cloth, knelt down, and held the pipa in my arms.
Close your eyes and brush your fingertips across the cool silk strings.
What to play?
Those subtle tunes that suit the aesthetics of this era? The original owner could play them, but my inherited memories and muscle memory are limited, so the ones I play would probably be mediocre and wouldn't attract much reward money.
You must surprise us to win.
An idea flashed through my mind. Since I wanted to keep a low profile and get the money quickly, I needed something that could instantly capture people's hearts without causing any immediate trouble.
Got it.
I held my breath, concentrated, and suddenly made a stroke with my fingertips.
“Zheng——!”
The sound of tearing cloth suddenly exploded, breaking the noise on the street corner.
Different from the soft and melodious music that was popular at the time, the sound of the strings carried a murderous aura like that of iron horses and golden swords, instantly overwhelming the surrounding noise.
Several passers-by paused and looked over curiously.
I remained unmoved, my mind remained calm, and my fingers moved as fast as the wind.
A fragment of the song "Ten Sides of Ambush" poured out from my fingertips.
I didn't play the entire piece; that would be too shocking. I chose only the most intense, dramatic passage. The pipa's clashing rhythm is as urgent as rain, clanging like iron. Sometimes it evokes the galloping of a vast army, sometimes the brutality of close combat, and sometimes the sadness and helplessness of a hero at his end.
This is a musical language that transcends time, and it is the war and destiny contained in the notes.
The surrounding chatter gradually died down, and more and more people stopped to listen. They might not understand the specifics of the song, but the strong emotional impact and realistic visuals were enough to shock them.
Copper coins began to clink onto the coarse cloth in front of him, more than expected.
I felt a little relieved and immersed myself in the music, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
Just as the music reached another climax and my fingers were rapidly rolling across the strings, I seemed to catch a glimpse of an unusual figure outside the crowd out of the corner of my eye.
The man did not crowd in front like the others, but just stood quietly under a willow tree not far away.
He wore a blue cloth robe, washed a bit pale, yet spotless. His figure stood tall and straight, like a solitary pine tree. His face was unclear, but one could sense a cold and aloof aura that stood out from the crowd.
He did not deliberately release any aura, but it seemed as if he had an invisible field that isolated the worldly noise.
My heart skipped a beat and a name almost came out of my mouth.
His hand trembled subconsciously, and he almost broke a high note.
I forced myself to calm down and finish playing the rest of the music.
The final note fell, its lingering resonance lingering in the air. Cheers erupted from the surroundings, and more copper coins, even a small piece of silver, fell onto the cloth.
I lowered my head and packed up hurriedly, with alarm bells ringing in my heart.
Could it be that he was so unlucky? On his first day out performing, he bumped into the number one person on the "don't mess with" list?
I picked up Pipa, quickly shoved the money into the small cloth bag I carried with me, and stood up, wanting to leave this dangerous place.
However, the moment I turned around, I clearly felt a calm gaze, which seemed to be able to penetrate the soul, falling on my back.
Like a dragon from the clouds, casting a faint glance.
Cold, probing, and...meaningful.
My steps froze instantly.
Bianliang's dream of peace seemed to be completely shattered at this moment by the sound of the pipa on the corner of Yuncheng street and that cold gaze.
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