"You're not an outsider, so it's no problem for you to see the girl's zither." Qinling thought for a moment and said, "Usually no one knows about the things here, so it makes me happy to show off a bit to you."

A hidden jewel for too long results in situations like this.

Xu Chang'an: "..."

This senior uncle is really... genuine.

"Just a regular seven-string zither is fine." Xu Chang'an said helplessly.

"Got it." Qinling stood up, glanced at her nightgown, and decided that there was no need for so many formalities. She knelt on the ground, opened the zither case, and lifted the soft white cloth.

A light-colored guqin lay flat on the zither table, the silver strings reflected faintly under the dim firestones. The zither body was three feet six inches and five long, adorned entirely with the word "Rhythm."

It was a very beautiful zither, but Xu Chang'an didn't feel any Spiritual Qi from it, so he sighed in relief.

He was truly afraid that Qinling would take out a spiritual zither.

"This is what I used to practice zither with when I was little. It doesn't have a name... but it's just right for you to use." Qinling picked up a heavy seven-string, brushed her jade hand over the zither surface and strings, and paused on the tuning pegs, enjoying the familiar, smooth feel, as she smiled.

"It's been a long time since I've seen it."

"Senior uncle, borrowing, I'll only borrow it for a few days."

"You're being too formal." Qinling squinted her eyes: "If you can bring something that satisfies me from the mountain... choosing one of these zithers to give you wouldn't be out of the question."

Zhu Tongjun is a master of Qin Dao.

Qinling naturally knows, but does she really like it that much... probably not.

No matter how well she played, compared to Zhu Tongjun, it was like heaven and earth. So instead of playing the zither, she found more value in making tea for the girls.

"This is the zither I've used the most." Qinling slightly adjusted the tuning peg, casually plucking the strings.

"Zheng——"

A sudden dull sound echoed in the room.

She frowned, moved the tuning peg higher, and plucked the strings again.

"Ding——"

A crisp sound, she nodded in satisfaction, placing two fingers on the strings to dampen the buzzing tail note, and said to Xu Chang'an: "Although this zither is old from long use, it was handcrafted by Miss Zhu. In the mortal world, it can be considered a treasure passed down through generations... so, this one?"

"...Isn't that too precious?" Xu Chang'an was helpless.

"This is already the worst one." Qinling squinted, pleased to see the junior's shock and lack of understanding.

For Qinling, it was like regaining some ground from Xu Chang'an.

"Besides, for Miss Yun to listen, if I offer too poor a zither... won't I lose face?" Qinling retorted.

"...Got it." Xu Chang'an could only accept Qinling's goodwill.

So Qinling took a clean zither case, carefully wrapped the seven-string in cloth, placed it into the case, and handed it to Xu Chang'an, saying: "Carry it."

Xu Chang'an: "..."

"What's with the blank stare? You don't have a storage pouch... are you expecting me to give you one?" Qinling frowned.

"Alright." Xu Chang'an could only carry the zither case on his back and followed Qinling downstairs.

"...Hmm." Qinling turned back to glance at the boy carrying the zither.

There's no denying, Xu Chang'an, who already had a gentle demeanor, underwent an inexplicable transformation once the zither case was on his back.

Perhaps he gained a few degrees of sensitivity and thoughtfulness, broad-mindedness, and an eye-catching mystery.

Even Qinling felt her heart skipped for a moment, nodding in approval: "You truly have a good appearance... but still much less compared to Miss Zhu."

"..." Xu Chang'an didn't respond.

Qinling continued: "The Six Arts for Women, I only understand calligraphy and zither, but you... going up to Muyu Peak, you've mastered the complete package of zither, chess, painting, and calligraphy. Like this... you're more like a young lady than I am."

"Senior uncle." Xu Chang'an's eye twitched slightly: "I'm studying the sword."

"I know, Sword Heart and Zither Heart are traditionally tied together." Qinling laughed and said: "If you were to hold a zither concert, I'm sure many girls would be willing to pay Spirit Stones... Interested? I'll cover the Spirit Stone cost for renting a stage, and the Spirit Stones collected... we split thirty-seventy."

Xu Chang'an had no idea what to say.

"Why aren't you talking? Aren't you a little miser?" Qinling turned to look at Xu Chang'an and the zither, nodding: "Just saying, with your looks, the girls of Muyu Peak would definitely come to watch... What, think performing for money is bad? I've heard you don't mind the musicians in the brothels, but now it seems... not entirely true."

"My minor zither skills, in front of the senior sisters... It's not enough to avoid embarrassment." Xu Chang'an sighed.

"They're not really here to listen to the zither." Qinling blinked: "In the brothel, how many are truly listening? It's mostly half listening, half watching the girls."

"What girls can do, can't you do?"

Xu Chang'an: "..."

"Alright, I won't tease you anymore." Qinling stretched lazily: "Borrowing a zither from me, I'll say a few words, consider it a fee... but seriously, I'm curious, how is your zither skill?"

"So-so, just know a bit, never really practiced." Xu Chang'an said.

"You have some of Miss Zhu's mark on you. How can you as her junior be just so-so?" Qinling reminded him: "You need to practice well."

Joking aside, mastering zithers, chess, and paintings, while not part of the Six Arts for Women, doesn't hurt for men to learn either, especially when it's part of cultivation at Muyu Peak.

"Don't say you're a sword cultivator yet, the character isn't even written yet."

"...Junior, I remember."

——

At this moment, the rain stopped, and warm sunlight was falling onto the puddles, reflecting beautifully.

Outside the courtyard, Xu Chang'an walked out, with a zither on his back, turned to see Qinling leaning against the doorframe, waving at him with a smile.

He felt a headache.

Xu Chang'an found that although he had a high impression of Qinling, this senior uncle was too "unreserved," making him feel overwhelmingly suppressed while interacting with her...

However, she genuinely helped him, and her help was different from Li Zhibai.

Seeking the teacher was burdensome with her busy schedule, inevitably feeling like adding trouble.

With Qinling, not so much, otherwise, he wouldn't casually ask to borrow something.

Moreover... after listening to Qinling's explanation, Xu Chang'an also lost his wariness towards the group from Celestial Bright Peak who came to set up the array. Strolling down the road, he even found it interesting to watch them sketch the array.

Those glowing materials were presumably used for sketching the array spells.

He wasn't the only one interested; many Outer Disciples from Celestial Bright Peak were there watching for fun too.

Despite that, Xu Chang'an was still very conspicuous, primarily because he was carrying such a huge zither case on his back.

——

In the crowd, Gu Qiancheng, who was passionately telling Liu Qingluo about small stories of cultivation, paused for a while without receiving a response and looked up in curiosity, speaking.

"Sister Liu, you..."

Her words stopped halfway.

Because she also saw what Liu Qingluo was looking at.

Watching Xu Chang'an's back, Gu Qiancheng was stunned for a moment before looking away and mumbling softly: "Does he... also play the zither? Well... after all, Aunt Tong brought him up the mountain."

Stealing a glance at the engrossed Liu Qingluo, Gu Qiancheng thought that although he was good-looking, Sister Liu had been watching for too long.

Is Xu Chang'an attractive?

Liu Qingluo wasn't very sure of that.

She only felt that the combination of the zither and Xu Chang'an... was too dreamy.

For an artiste-courtesan, the zither represents many things, seeing it now on Xu Chang'an, Liu Qingluo's mood was very complex for a moment.

Does she like the zither?

Honestly, she doesn't quite like it, and even detests it.

Performing on stage?

It was merely a means to please people, so no matter how famous she became as a courtesan for her zither skill at Wanzhi Building, she didn't like it.

The brothel dreams are good, but it's hard to express deep emotions.

Who would love to be just a tool to please men?

Thus, after redeeming themselves, most artiste-courtesans seldom wish to touch the zither unless necessary, as it reminds them of old memories.

Unfortunately, marrying them often means marrying their zither skill as well, so ultimately, they might never leave it, as if zither playing is their worth.

Liu Qingluo didn't like it either, even if zither skill saved her from falling to the status of a red courtesan.

But upon discovering Xu Chang'an actually understands zithers, Liu Qingluo's feelings were different.

He liked it.

It turns out, the skills learned over the years to please men were not without use.

She wanted to pick up the zither skill again.

"...Forget it."

Liu Qingluo sighed softly, retracting her gaze.

Her zither was left behind in Beisang City... but it wasn't really a regret, as she always acted a beat slower.

Meeting him was, liking him was, and now even knowing he could play the zither was too.

So she didn't think about anything like being a zither friend.

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