Everyone turned to look, only to see Lin Ya, the person in charge of Jinxiu Pavilion.
Although Lin Ya was already thirty, she had taken exceptionally good care of herself. Dressed in a black qipao, she was the very picture of alluring elegance.
What made everyone even more wary was the power of Jinxiu Pavilion behind her.
They simply couldn’t understand why she was helping Su Ni. Could it be because of Huo Shiyue?
Lin Ya held out a guzheng.
“I can lend my guzheng to the eldest Miss Su.”
The others might not know, but the Su family knew very well that Lin Ya and Su Ni clearly knew each other.
Su Mengyao was beginning to lose her composure. Could it be that Su Ni really knew how to play the guzheng?
“Thank you.”
Su Ni took the guzheng and placed it on the table. She turned her head and glanced at Su Mengyao.
“Are you going to stay here and watch me play, little sister?”
In ancient times, only maids would stand by and attend to a young lady while she played the qin. Su Ni was treating her as though she were a servant.
“Hmph!”
Su Mengyao descended from the stage with a cold expression and returned to Mrs. Su’s side.
Mrs. Su lowered her voice and scolded her. “Yaoyao, you’ve gone too far. The person embarrassing herself is bringing shame upon the entire Su family.”
Su Ni’s slender fingers gently rested on the guzheng. She lightly brushed across the strings, producing several crisp notes as she tested the instrument.
Then her gaze grew focused, and she began to play in earnest.
At first, the music was soft and soothing, flowing through the hall like a babbling stream and calming everyone’s minds.
Gradually, the melody grew more impassioned, as though thousands of soldiers and warhorses were charging across a battlefield. Every note was filled with power, striking straight into the hearts of those listening.
“Boom, boom, boom!”
The sound of war drums seemed to be right beside their ears.
On the second floor, the instant Huo Shiyue heard the music change, he keenly sensed that something was wrong. He immediately covered his ears and warned Xu Baichuan and the others.
“Don’t listen!”
But it was already too late.
Everyone had been deeply captivated by the passionate, almost bewitching music. It was as though their souls had been torn from their bodies, and they could no longer hear Huo Shiyue’s warning.
Their eyes gradually became glazed, their faces taking on expressions of either terror or excitement, as though they had been transported onto a battlefield where countless soldiers were locked in mortal combat.
Some guests began waving their arms and legs wildly, as though desperately fighting for their lives. Others clutched their heads and fled in terror, screaming in panic, yet their bodies seemed beyond their control, twisting and moving in bizarre ways.
The entire banquet hall descended into chaos. The elegant atmosphere had vanished without a trace.
The members of the Su family were not spared either.
Su Zhengguo’s eyes widened in disbelief, yet his body swayed to the illusory rhythm.
Mrs. Su and Su Mengyao clung tightly to each other, trembling with fear. Terror filled their eyes, but they were unable to break free from the illusion created by the music.
Huo Minghui seemed to have completely lost himself in bloodlust.
“Huo Shiyue, go to hell!”
The music suddenly stopped.
The Huo Shiyue standing in front of Huo Minghui vanished without a trace.
Everyone else also broke free from the chaotic illusion. Still shaken, they stared in horror at the scene of utter destruction around them.
Huo Minghui’s hand remained frozen in a stabbing motion. The moment he realized what he had just shouted, cold sweat broke out all over his body.
“You demoness! What did you just do to us?”
Wan Hongxin pointed at Su Ni in terror, his voice trembling with fear.
Everyone glared angrily at Su Ni on the stage.
Su Ni innocently shrugged.
“I only played a piece of music. What could I possibly have done?”
Then her tone suddenly changed, becoming mysterious.
“But the master who taught me this piece once said that ordinary people who hear it will simply feel as though they’ve been transported into the scene. But if someone has evil intentions in their heart, the music will draw out the darkest thoughts buried within them and drive them into madness.”
After saying this, she looked at Wan Hongxin curiously.
“So, what did you see just now?”