Chapter 505: Only possibility
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
When the lady in purple appeared on the platform, the atmosphere inside the Seven Star Lane reached a new high.
Three girls in a night was a fortnightly treat!
The crowd was extremely excited to have witnessed this.
The music from the erhu died down and Yuzi, dressed in a pale purple dress, bowed to the crowd.
Then, an egg-shaped instrument appeared in her hand.
Xun!
This was not a common instrument but it had a long history. This was made from clay and was as big as a goose egg. The base was flat and the sides had six holes.
"Woo!"
A very full and high-pitched sound filled the room. It blended it wonderfully with the atmosphere and gave everyone the feeling that they were floating amongst the clouds.
The crowd fell silent when they heard this. They perked up their ears and closed their eyes to fully immerse themselves in the music.
Even Ping Yang closed her eyes, her lips parting and pursing with the music. It was almost as though she was humming along.
Yan Xiu was also nodding away with the rhythm.
As for Wen Dabao, he had been completely mesmerized a long time ago. He even forgot that he wanted to take a girl home tonight. He salivated as he watched Yuzi...
Fang Zhengzhi turned to look at Ninth Prince Lin Yun. Lin Yun's eyes were open and he was wide awake.
Does he not appreciate music?
Fang Zhengzhi didn't think that was possible.
After all, as a member of the Royal Family, he would have learnt to appreciate music. The only possible explanation was that something was on his mind.
"Ninth Prince, is something bothering you?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled.
"No... no there isn't!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun shook his head when he heard Fang Zhengzhi's question. He turned to look at the platforms, "I just think that the atmosphere today is slightly strange."
"Strange? I think it's quite normal." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.
"Is that so?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was taken aback but he chuckled. "I heard that you make a mean hot pot. I wonder if I will have a chance to try it?"
"Of course." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
"Then... is this a good time?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was excited to hear this.
"Now?"
"Yes, if there is any problem with the ingredients or the equipment, we can go to Ping Yang's residence now." Ninth Prince Lin Yun replied excitedly.
"Haha, no way. I placed a bet on all seven appearing today." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.
"All seven? This... is that even winnable? How much did you bet? If you didn't bet much, I can buy over your ticket."
"30,000 silvers!"
"That much?! Okay... okay then. Young Master Fang, you can hand me the ticket and I will have people send the silvers to Ping Yang's residence tomorrow!"
"Thank you for the offer, but I am planning on winning some silvers with this ticket..." Fang Zhengzhi chuckled and rejected the offer.
"You plan to win that bet?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun's mouth twitched when he heard that. He wanted to say something but he couldn't bring himself to say it.
Fang Zhengzhi didn't explain any further, neither did he look at Ninth Prince Lin Yun again. He simply looked up and enjoyed the music.
The tune from the Xun filled the air.
After some time, the tune of the Xun died down. All of a sudden, there was a huge commotion! A fourth platform had lit up!
This platform was different from the others. There was a large red drum on the platform.
"It's Lanyi!"
"I haven't seen Lanyi in five days! She's performing tonight!"
"This... this is the fourth star..."
"Yes, this is the fourth star! Four in one night is something that only happens once every two months! Those who didn't come here tonight would beat themselves up over it!"
The crowd was on its feet when everyone saw the figure descending on the platform. To have four stars perform for them in a single night was a treat not to be missed.
More than a year ago, to see one star would take many days of wait. Even so, people were satisfied with that.
When the Seven Star Lane was set up, the people were treated to at least one star every night. On some nights, there will be collaborations between stars!
Yet, it was rare for four of them to perform in one night.
Even though this happened once every two months, most people could not afford to come here every day just to wait.
After all...
Every visit to the Seven Star Lane was very expensive.
Those who could afford to come once every three to five days were considered some of the richest and most influential in the city.
It was no wonder they were so excited.
Seeing four stars in the main act was something that they could brag about. For those from out of town, this was an especially rare treat.
This was a day that they would never forget.
The boom of the drum echoed through the air.
It was powerful and resonated through the room. During the quicker segments, it sounded like raindrops whilst during the slower segments, it resonated like thunder. Her talent was clear for all to see.
The crowd was mesmerized.
Then, their eyes widened and their jaws dropped. At this time, a fifth platform lit up.
The drums had yet to stop but the light was already shining.
At the same time, a shapely figure descended, holding an instrument as large as the Guqin in her arms.
Se!
This was a duet between the drums and the se!
The fifth star was Yueqing.
This was something that no one in the crowd had expected. Yueqing's performance meant that there were already five stars tonight.
"Five stars!"
"Five in a night!"
"My god, how is that possible? I managed to see five in one night?!"
The crowd was extremely excited when the fourth platform lit up. However, when Yueqing landed on the white platform, everyone was in shock.
This...
This was an unexpected surprise.
This surprise quickly changed into unbridled joy. Yueqing had begun playing and the music blended in perfectly with the rhythm of the drums.
Even people who didn't know how to appreciate music were mesmerized by this.
The crowd closed their eyes and savored every moment. Even Ping Yang was completely mesmerized by the music. Her dress and sleeves danced along to the rhythm of the music.
Yan Xiu's eyes were closed as he savored each moment.
As for Wen Dabao, he had already begun to tremble. If not for the fact that he was afraid of disrupting the music, he would have been rolling on the floor to release the energy inside him.
Fang Zhengzhi looked at Ninth Prince Lin Yun.
Right now, Lin Yun's expression was much calmer than before. He was squinting slightly. For someone who had been taught to appreciate music from a young age, no issue could bother him enough to make him ignore such an exquisite performance.
Fang Zhengzhi looked around him, surveying every member of the crowd.
Then, he looked away.
Everyone was completely intoxicated by the music. This was an intoxication that simply couldn't be faked.
The music was just too good.
However...
Everyone's eyes shot open when a bell tone cut through the air. This didn't belong to any of the two instruments.
It was the Bianzhong!
This was an important instrument in the royal ensemble!
It was a huge instrument with many different bells of various sizes. No one could carry it by themselves, so it had been placed on the stage prior to the performance.
Those who had come here before knew that there were two different bianzhongs on that platform.
"Six... six headliners!"
"The sixth star!"
"Six of them?!"
The crowd looked at the platform and the beautiful body playing them in shock and awe.
Having six stars perform in one night had happened before. However, it had only happened three times a year.
Three times! Only three times a year!
What were the chances?!
The crowd was shocked that they had the great fortune of seeing six stars perform in the night. Also, they were stunned because...
They would lose all of their bets!
The crowd had placed their bets in many places, but no one had bet on six stars appearing. The chances of that were too low.
"This was something that no one could predict."
"Yes, that's true. To be honest, even if we didn't win our bets, being able to enjoy the music of six stars is a great consolation."
"I think everyone lost today?"
"No, there is one more possibility, that is..."
The crowd shook their heads and sighed. Then they thought of one other possibility. No one bet on six stars appearing, but there were three people who bet on an even more unlikely outcome...
All seven!
But will all seven really appear?
If they did, it would be utterly unbelievable! This only happened once in the entire history of the Seven Star Lane.
Were they really that accurate?
No one believed that this would happen, but they didn't have a good feeling about this.
If Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang hadn't bet on it, then no one would have even thought that it was possible.
However...
Since the three of them had bet on it, everyone began to think of the seventh when the sixth one appeared.
"Can this guy's luck get any better?"
"It's impossible!"
"If he manages to win this bet, I will strip naked right here!"
"The chances of that happening are much too slim!"
The crowd looked at the lady playing the bianzhong, then turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang.
"Hey, shameless fella, do you really think that all seven will appear tonight?" Ping Yang's eyes glimmered as she looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
"What do you think?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.
"I think that six is about as many as we will see tonight. I think that something is wrong if all seven appear." Ping Yang smirked.
"Why so?" Fang Zhengzhi smirked as well.
"Haha... just think about it. Our combined bets for all seven stars is 130,000 silvers. If we strike, that's 1,300,000 silvers! The boss of the Seven Stars Lane must know this. I doubt he will be that generous." Ping Yang replied confidently.
"Mm, you are right. Aiya, why did I forget about that? I told you not to bet with me! Maybe tonight was really the night for seven stars!" Fang Zhengzhi nodded and glared at Ping Yang.
"You're blaming me? I have 50,000 silvers on that bet!" Ping Yang rolled her eyes.
"I didn't think of that either..." Yan Xiu's expression was icy, but it sounded as though he blamed himself.
The crowd was initially stunned when they heard the conversation. Then, they chuckled.
"Hahaha... all seven? How is that possible?"
"Exactly, the boss of the Seven Stars Lane is no dummy! He will never let them win this bet! That's 1.3 million silvers!"
"I guess everyone is set to lose tonight. However, being able to see six stars in one night is good enough for me!"
Everyone smiled as they looked at Fang Zhengzhi. Even though they lost, they took comfort that Fang Zhengzhi had lost with them.