Didn’t make the audience wait too long.
Ten minutes later, the stage curtains of the Golden Hall opened once more, revealing a concentric circle formed by large drums, which looked quite spectacular, especially from the vantage point of the upstairs box seats.
A rough count showed there must be over a hundred red drums.
In front of each drum stood a powerful drummer, dressed in ancient battle attire, each holding two drumsticks with a relaxed wrist and tense arms, looking ready to strike.
In front of the concentric circle.
A red silk road was laid out.
At the end stood a woman holding a pipa, half covering her face.
At the center of the concentric circle stood the largest drum, before its yellow-white surface stood a tall figure in silver armor, back to the audience, as if the backbone of all the warriors.
Symphony belongs to the modern musical arts.
This lineup exuded a classical charm.
Whether it was the pipa, the large drums, the red silk road, or the design of the musicians’ costumes, or even the atmosphere of the stage setup, everything instantly raised the audience’s expectations to new heights!
No one whispered to each other.
All eyes were focused on the stage, especially in front of the giant drum within the concentric circle, guessing inwardly.
The intense sound of drums suddenly erupted!
This drum sound clearly came from the concentric circle of large drums!
The man clad in armored robes was vigorously swinging the drumsticks!
The figure, back to the audience, struck a few beats, as if pounding upon the hearts of the audience, then suddenly turned sideways towards them, stirring the cloak behind.
In the still air, the red cloak rustled fiercely.
The audience saw that this figure in silver armor, dressed as a general, was wearing a familiar mask!
Everyone was already very familiar with this mask, which once wreaked havoc in a certain show, so even though they couldn’t see the face behind the mask, the identity of this man could easily be surmised.
He is Xian Yu, also Lin Yuan, it must be so, because this is the Prince of Lanling mask!
Realizing this, there was a clear commotion below the stage, as many people’s expressions turned feverish.
They guessed correctly.
The figure before the big drum was indeed Lin Yuan; he silently picked up the two drumsticks beside the big drum once again, striking the drum surface with a clear rhythm!
This time, the whole place was in an uproar!
It was as if a general had issued a command!
With military orders as firm as mountains, over a hundred drummers followed suit, vigorously striking the core of their drums in unison, all of them moving completely in sync with Lin Yuan, like countless avatars loyally following him!
A hundred drums and a hundred drummers brought all the drum sounds together, from sparse to increasingly dense, emanating a power that seemed capable of shaking hearts!
There wasn’t just the unison drum, but also war drums, gongs, dragon flutes, even bi li, and sheng, classical instruments that even industry insiders might not fully recognize, all serving as a backdrop to accentuate the unison drum’s effect.
Striking with drumsticks;
Lin Yuan used just the right amount of force to grip the sticks, with relaxed wrists swinging the strength of his upper arms, transmitting to his wrists, arms, and drumsticks, finally striking the drumhead.
Right hand for strong beats.
Left hand for weak beats.
Standing in solitary in front of the most majestic drum in the venue, Lin Yuan harnessed all his strength, letting the continuous drumbeat resound like a battle hymn.
Lin Yuan pressed on the drum.
The movements paused, and the drumbeat halted for a moment, followed closely by the entrance of the pipa with its round and crisp sound, like pearls rolling across a jade plate.
Who could have carved this piece of wood, three feet of spring ice, five clear notes. One pluck tears open the true pearl pouch, scattering sounds of gold plate, with breaks and continuity.
Amid the pipa’s melody.
The drum sounds resumed.
The two complemented each other.
And Lin Yuan before the big drum began to pull open his body, dancing between the pipa and drum rhythms, in a dance full of classical charm, elegance without adornment, grace without embellishment, as radiant as autumn chrysanthemums, as lush as spring pines!
It felt like an eternity.
Everyone was mesmerized.
Xian Yu, unexpectedly danced amidst the music!
It was no secret that Xian Yu could dance, some even considered him the world’s most understanding dancer, yet in such music, in such an ambiance, when he danced with the grace of a startled swan, the agility of a startled dragon, it still astonished everyone in the Golden Hall!
This dance was independently choreographed by Lin Yuan over more than a year, drawing from the musical style of "The Prince of Lanling’s Battle Song" and numerous classic Celestial Dynasty dances, vastly different from the elegance of Neon.
This is Lin Yuan’s original dance.
Lin Yuan named it "Heroes of England."
With the unique beauty of Oriental charm, imply yet lavishly blooming.
Perhaps this dance no longer belonged only to the Prince of Lanling, for as Lin Yuan danced, what came to his mind were the countless heroic spirits that shed their blood on the battlefield throughout the Celestial Dynasty’s millennia—
Through a hundred battles wearing golden armor in yellow sands, not returning without conquering Loulan.
If only Flying General of Longcheng were present, would not let the nomads cross Yinshan.
Why don’t men bear the Wu hook, recapturing fifty provinces.
Eighty hundred li division under command, fifty-stringed plucking of frontier sounds.
At night, lying listening to wind and rain, steel horses and frozen rivers enter dreams.
Sleeping drunkenly on the battlefield, do not laugh, how many return from ancient battles?
It was as if countless heroic souls awoke from slumber, blending into Lin Yuan’s dance with the drumbeats.
No one could clearly say what style this dance was, it had tenderness, heroism, and even melancholy.
You could call it a battle dance, yet it seemed not only a battle dance; sometimes it felt like a release, or perhaps just like a warrior, bravely fighting, leading the charge on the battlefield, for instance, his sudden gesture to the sky was full of the imposing "all flowers drunk three thousand guests, a sword frost cold fourteen states"; another instance, his gaze like lightning, moves like wind, carried a hint of "fighting all three thousand li, a sword once faced a million troops."