Chapter 8: Registration Turmoil (Part 1)_1

"Alright, today's examination ends here. Next, those whose names I call will stay for enrollment registration; the rest may leave and try again next year," the old woman's voice was very low, betraying no emotion.

Eleven names were called out by the old woman. Those called showed joy, while those not called left the auditorium with dissatisfied expressions. Yin Zhu was among those not called, but he did not move, as he was still pondering the words spoken by the girl in white who played the zither just before she left.

"You, stand up, tell me your name."

"Hey, Director Nina is talking to you." The girl next to Yin Zhu, who possessed the Jade Zither Charm, nudged him lightly, waking him from his thoughts. She was also one of those who stayed behind, and now her look towards Yin Zhu no longer held any surprise but was tinged with something else.

"Ah?" Yin Zhu stood up instinctively, "I, my name is Ye Yinzhu. Hello, Grandma Nina."

Silence, the entire auditorium suddenly fell into complete silence.

"Do I seem that old?" The anger in her gritted teeth seemed as if it would burst through the auditorium. Amid her light laughter, the gazes of the eleven girls were already focused on the young man of their age. Everyone knew that Director of the Divine Music Department, Nina, hated being called old the most.

"That... my grandfather said to call someone with more years 'Grandma', as a matter of politeness."

"You..." Looking at Yin Zhu's bewildered face, Nia was so frustrated she felt like throwing the bell in her hand at him, but when she saw his clear black pupils, she forcefully suppressed her inner fury. "Are you also here to sign up for the Divine Music Department?"

At that moment, Brigitte had already come to the stage to answer for Yin Zhu, "Yes, Director, he just came to register, and I brought him over. You see..." As she spoke, she gave Yin Zhu a deep look from the stage; among those who had been awake enough to hear Yin Zhu's duet with the girl in white, she was the most lucid, being an Orange rank Divine Music Master. She couldn't believe that the young man below had zither skills that even she couldn't match.

Nia snorted and said, "I didn't expect a boy to come learn to be a Divine Music Master. Fine, you are also admitted. Now you may go and complete the enrollment registration. Off you go." With that, she left without looking back.

"Wow, a male Divine Music Master, there are still men choosing this profession? That's so amusing." An excited exclamation startled Yin Zhu as a petite girl, about sixteen or seventeen years old with short hair, bounced over to his side, looking at him curiously, her face full of disbelief. The other girls who passed the exam also gathered around.

"Hey, why did you choose to be a Divine Music Master? It seems like there haven't been any men willing to choose this Chicken Ribs Magic!"

With the scent of fragrance wafting to his nose, Yin Zhu, who had already learned a bit about men and women from Anya, turned very red as he was surrounded by the girls. The virgin fragrance lingered on his nostrils, and he could feel his heart beating faster. An unusual feeling made Yin Zhu feel somewhat uneasy. Scratching his head, he said, "What's wrong with being a Divine Music Master?"

"So interesting! A single green in a sea of flowers, such a handsome little guy. Earlier, I think I saw you playing the zither, are you studying the zither?" The cute girl who had run over first asked excitedly.

Yin Zhu nodded, saying, "Yes!"

"Hello, I play the flute."

Yin Zhu's eyes lit up. He knew that the flute was the only instrument that could perfectly accompany the zither. "That's great, then I must witness your flute playing skills in the future."

After a brief silence, the girls surrounding him burst into laughter.

"I'm dying, she said she plays the flute, you're not really going to play the flute for this little guy..."

Yin Zhu was utterly confused, "What's wrong with her playing the flute for me?"

Laughter suddenly grew louder as many young girls, already bending over with mirth, couldn't help but feel a liking towards Yin Zhu's innocence. They thought this first male student in the history of the Divine Music Department was really amusing.

The short-haired girl finally realized she had misspoke and immediately turned as red as Yin Zhu, "You are so mean..."

"Alright, ladies, stop it. Aren't you afraid of scaring away a future classmate? You'll have plenty of chances to study and spend time together in the future. For now, follow me to get registered," Brigitte said, barely holding back her laughter as she looked at this group of lively girls, feeling somewhat envious. Wasn't she just as carefree as them ten years ago?

Under Brigitte's leadership, including Yin Zhu, a total of twelve new students from the Divine Music Department walked out of the auditorium. Yin Zhu trailed at the back, feeling comfortable watching these lively girls, and thought to himself that life at Milan Magic Martial Academy might be pretty good after all!

"Hello," said a gentle and somewhat shy voice by Yin Zhu. It was the girl sitting next to Ye Yinzhu before, the one who owned the Jade Zither Charm. She was only as tall as Yin Zhu's chest, and her blue clothes complemented her gentle, water-like sky-blue eyes, giving off a soft aura that reminded Yin Zhu of Anya. However, the girl before him was much greener than Anya.

Yin Zhu hurriedly responded, "Hello, I borrowed your zither for a moment just now..."

The girl quickly said, "It's okay, you played the zither so well, oh, and you sang well too."

You heard that?" Yin Zhu looked at the girl, surprised. Although he wasn't trying to control his emotions and magic power, if one didn't have a certain understanding of the zither play and substantial spiritual power, it wasn't possible to hear his zither sound.

The girl nodded, "Yes! But I only heard the first half, I can't remember the rest. My spirit was completely immersed in the harmony of your zither and guzheng. I remember, the zither and guzheng aren't supposed to be played together. How did you manage that? Can you tell me? Oh, right, your name is Ye Yinzhu, right? My name is Lanxi."

Yin Zhu said, "It's indeed not easy to play the zither and guzheng together, but if it's a relatively short piece, with some techniques and different fingering, it's still achievable. However, it's hard to complement each other. Usually, one can only provide support to the other."

Lanxi suddenly realized, "So that's how it is, but without excellent skills, it must be hard to achieve that. You play the zither so well, could you teach me in the future? I'm still a beginner."

Ye Yinzhu smiled and said, "Sure, I can't be your teacher though. I still have a long way to go myself. However, if you have any questions, you can ask me, and I'll answer if I know."

"Thank you, you are really a good person. They teased you so much just now, and you didn't even get angry," Lanxi said, her face flushed, speaking softly.

Yin Zhu gave a wry smile, "I'm not unangry, it's just that I don't really understand some of the things they said."

Lanxi stuck out her cute little tongue and said, "You were so bold just now! You actually called Director Nia 'Grandma.' Don't you know that she hates being called old? Luckily, you played the zither so well, or else it would have been hard to get selected."

Yin Zhu said in surprise, "Really? I had no idea!"

Lanxi looked defeated, "You can't be clueless about everything. Didn't you research Milan Magic Martial Arts Academy before the exam? Don't tell me you know nothing about this place."

Yin Zhu nodded seriously, "I really don't know!"